How to Play Western Legends Stories

Game Objective

In Western Legends Stories, players are invited to immerse themselves in the heart of the epic saga of the Old West, experiencing the mythical lives of men and women of that era. The game is a narrative sandbox where players will try to become the greatest legend of the West. To win, players must accumulate the maximum number of Legend Points (LP) by participating in the adventure through story cards. The paths to achieve this are diverse, allowing players to choose to be a Marshall, builder, cowboy, miner, gambler, or even an outlaw. Only the bravest, most strategic, and most persevering will manage to ascend to the rank of legend.

Setup

Game setup follows a common script, although specific details may vary by episode (check the second story card of each deck for episode specifics):

1. Place the scoring board with the legend and law tracks on one edge of the table. Arrange the money cards and serious wound cards on it.
2. Each player takes a player board of their chosen color, along with the wooden markers, health marker, and the mini base of the same color. Also distribute the mini corresponding to the player board, as well as a player aid/backup sheet for each.
3. Each player places one of their wooden markers on space 0 of the Legend track and the other on space 1 "citizen" of the Law track. Then, they insert their health marker into wound space #5 of their player board.
4. Place the food tokens, hide tokens, skill tokens, and combat dice near the board. Also place the stones (gold nuggets and pebbles) into the gold bag and position it nearby.
5. Shuffle the Poker cards, Bandit cards, Animal cards, and Exploration cards separately and place them on the table near the scoring board.
6. Deal poker cards and money to each player.
7. Assemble the game boards in the center of the table (e.g., 5b and 6b, attaching them).
8. Place the location tiles on the game board.
9. Place all players' minis on a space of the game board (e.g., space 1 of "Buffalo Creek").
10. Place the location cards corresponding to the installed location tiles in the exploration notebook.
11. Place the figures and cards of the non-player characters (NPCs), respectively, on the game board and in the exploration notebook.
12. Place the general store display near the game board with the items to buy inside.
13. Place the first story cards under the scoring board. The story cards are grouped into decks that indicate the current period. The symbol in front of the period indicates into how many separate piles the cards of that period should be randomly distributed.
14. The bravest player starts.

Game Flow

A player's turn is divided into 3 phases:

1. Start of Turn Phase:
   • Optional: Move an NPC (up to its movement value).
   • If there are no NPCs in play, this phase is skipped.
2. Action Phase:
   • Perform 2 actions from the following 4 options. You can repeat actions, unless otherwise indicated.
   • Available actions are: Move, Rest, Action Card (poker, location, NPC, etc.) or Fight another player.
   • You can complete only one story card per turn. If your action allows completing multiple cards, choose one to complete.
   • When one of the story card piles of a period is empty, remove all story cards corresponding to that period, even if you haven't completed them. Then, prepare the deck for the next period.
3. End of Turn Phase:
   • Check if you benefit from any end of turn bonuses (law track, skills, secret cards, etc.).
   • Rest: Draw 2 poker cards, keep the one you prefer, and discard the other.
   • Discard cards until you reach your hand limit (indicated below your wound marker on your player board).
   • The next player (clockwise) becomes the active player and starts their start of turn phase.

Actions and How to Play

During the Action Phase, you can perform 2 actions:

• Move:
  • Movement is limited to one space if you do not have a mount.
  • Spaces with red dashed borders are inaccessible.
  • You can use reaction cards (name in black) to react to an action you just performed, such as the SPRINT card to advance an additional space after a move. Reactions do not use one of your 2 actions.
• Rest:
  • Draw 2 poker cards, then discard one.
• Action Card:
  • Play a poker card with the name in red (e.g., SAVINGS). These cards use one of your two actions.
  • Played poker cards are discarded to a discard pile. When the draw pile is empty, shuffle the entire discard pile to form a new draw pile.
  • Location Cards: Allow you to explore unknown locations. When doing so, you will have to choose between the available options.
  • Hunt: If you are in a forest (identifiable by the dark green background and illustrations), you can perform the hunt action, drawing an Animal card. Hunting is a type of combat.
• Fight another player:
  • There are different types of combat against players: Duel, Robbery (up to $80, 2 items, 4 resources, or stagecoach reward), and Arrest of a wanted player (you cannot be wanted).
  • You can only fight the same player once per turn, but you can fight multiple different players.
  • Always announce the type of combat you are initiating.
  • How combat works:
    1. The player initiating combat plays a poker card from hand face down.
    2. If it's against an NPC (animals are considered NPCs), roll the colored die indicated on the NPC card. Some NPCs have a number (e.g., 1) on the combat die symbol, which must be added to the NPC's combat value.
    3. If it's against a player, the opponent must also play a poker card face down, if they wish to fight.
    4. Compare the results. Each poker card has a value in the upper left corner that determines its combat strength.
    5. Bonus Cards (name in green) have an additional effect when played in the situation highlighted on the card.
    6. If you have no weapon, your combat value is reduced by 3.
    7. In case of a tie, the character who initiated the fight wins (unless otherwise indicated).
    8. If you are attacked and choose not to play a poker card, the fight is considered lost immediately (this avoids losing a poker card).
  • Combat Results:
    • Success: Receive the reward indicated in the "success" box of the card.
    • Failure: You suffer a wound and must move your health marker on your player board.
    • "Luck" Effect: Some sides of the combat dice have a "luck" icon. You can gain food or suffer wounds.
• Gaining Marshall or Wanted Points:
  • For each point gained, you immediately gain money and move your marker on the law track in the direction of the points gained.
  • You cannot gain Marshall points if you are Wanted.
  • If you gain a Wanted point while being a Marshall, you become Wanted immediately.
• Gaining Skill Tokens:
  • These tokens immediately grant money and a token of the corresponding skill.
  • When you have 3 tokens of the same skill, you gain the corresponding skill card.
• Healing Wounds:
  • Outside your turn (except during combat), whenever you have no poker cards, draw one.
  • During your turn, you can discard one or more food tokens to heal 1 wound per token.

End of Game and Scoring

The game ends when the story cards of a period run out and the next period's deck is prepared. The victory condition is to be the player with the most Legend Points at the end of the game.

Point counting at the end of the game is done as follows:

• The player(s) who participated in the most story cards gain(s) Legend Points.
• The player(s) with the most money gain(s) Legend Points.
• The player(s) with the most accumulated resources gain(s) Legend Points.
• If you have cards that give end-game points (e.g., tamed mount, etc.), gain Legend Points (see card).
• If you have skill tokens: gain Legend Points for each set of 3 tokens.
• For each wound you have, lose Legend Points.

The player with the most Legend Points wins the game. In case of a tie, the player with the highest value poker card is declared the winner. If there is still a tie, the player with the highest number of poker cards is declared the winner. If the tie persists, players share the victory.

Saving the Game for the Next Episode

To keep for the next episode, place in your bag:

• The "First Player" token if you have the fewest Legend Points.
• Your Serious Wound cards, if you have any. Discard them during the next episode's setup and start with 1 less Health Point per card.
• Half (rounded down) of your money.
• Your mount; it will be tamed during your next game.
• The weapon of your choice.
• 2 items of your choice (empty bottles are not retained).
• 2 resources.
• A Marshall or Wanted token if you have one; you will start with 1 point of that type in the next episode.
• Up to 2 skill tokens of your choice.
• Only 1 Legendary Skill card (if you have several, keep 1 token of the discarded skill in addition to the 2 tokens from the previous step).

Tips for Winning

• Participate in Stories: Focusing on completing the most story cards is a direct way to gain Legend Points at the end of the game.
• Manage Your Poker Hand: Use your poker cards strategically, especially action and bonus cards, to maximize your gains in combat and actions. Remember that not playing a card in combat results in immediate defeat, but preserves your hand.
• Skill Specialization: Accumulating 3 tokens of the same skill grants a skill card, which can be a valuable source of Legend Points and bonuses during the game.