A cattle-driving game set in the Old West. Great Western Trail is a board game designed by Alexander Pfister for two or four players. Which was published in 2017 by Eggertspiele.
The gameplay combines “hand management, action selection, and strategic movement”. With the object being to accumulate victory points, which can be achieved by various means. It takes about 75 to 150 minutes to play.
Analysis of the gameplay identifies three broad strategies. Depending on the player’s principal focus for scoring victory points. Including collecting and delivering cattle, adding buildings to the board, or advancing their train and upgrading stations. However successful play generally requires some attention to be given to all three areas, and hybrid strategies combining two of these approaches can also be successful. Players move cattle, hire workers, and upgrade their operations to become the richest rancher.
Great Western Trail has been nominated for numerous awards. It was also the ‘Meeples’ Choice’ winner in 2016, Gouden Ludo ‘Best Expert Game’ and Jogo do Ano winner in 2017, and the UK Games Expo ‘best board game (European style)’ of 2018.
