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Quite a lot, actually.
I don't own the 1st, but do own the second. Its a great game but those feelings of satisfaction at the end of a game are tempered by having to stack those tiny tiles ever so delicately instead of just putting them in the bags theyll end up in at the start of the next game anyway. After that, we go to the slaughterhouse with you, Bessie. How was it allowed to go into production? After that maybe wait for one of the sequels to 2E set in NZ and Argentina coming in the next 2 years. But I'll bet in another 5 years we'll see a "10th Anniversary" one anyway. All boards now have two layers with spaces for tiles and discs to sit without sliding, a huge benefit for a board that gets very busy by the end of the game. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Join our community!
However, all of that isn't important compared to the gameplay. You have more possibilities to improve your actions or your card-based economic engine than you can possibly achieve in a single playthrough, which is one of GWTs great strengths. Weve all seen board game boxes that are too big for the games inside.
Mainly minor things. Plan B Games Eggertspiele imprint has been working on a new edition of the original that will serve as the first in a trilogy of games, and the first one, simply called Great Western Trail Second Edition, will be out at Gen Con in mid-September. Read more, Enter a Board Game Giveaway! The private buildings grant a pair of actions to their builder anytime they land on those spaces, while other players may have to pay a fee to pass through those buildings.
I'd trade somebody the new box and insert for the old box straight up. Another centralreasonfor Great Western Trails popularity is its designer. See that portion there along of the top of the photo, the spaces filled with carefully arranged tiles. For advertising and money, of course. To begin with, its a good game. Theres absolutely no reason not to keep the tiles in their numbered cotton bags, except that the insert doesnt fit properly if you do.
The same applies with value two cards, upgrading them to value three, which is their peak.
Youll also move your locomotive along a track on the outer edge of the main board, which gets you points, might give you bonus actions, and which allows you to deliver cows farther along the line. Ive (sadly) never had an opportunity to play Vindication, although Mark and Will have both sung its praises in their reviews of it for Meeple Mountain so I should look out for it. This has been a controversial topic, but the balance tweaks, meeples with cowboy hats, QoL improvements, cosmetic upgrades, and cultural sensitivity of the second edition made me upgrade and sell off my 1st edition. Pfister has become a bit of a celebrity in the scene, garnering his own throng of fans. But it's similar enough. Well I applaud and am envious of your card organising skills Bert! Players take on the role of ranchers in the Old West, forming cattle herds and a network of buildings to make larger deliveries of cows to Kansas City. Perhaps instead the insert was designed on a computer by someone whos never had to go through the laborious process of setting the game up and putting it away. The second edition builds on that popularity and reinforces Great Western Trails status as a hobby classic. Its another game with a poor insert too, although in Splendors case the insert doesnt actively sabotage the enjoyment, it just doesnt work as a tool for holding components in place (terrible insert variant 3). The player boards are okay, but they're fine in first ed, too. The second edition comes with not only improvements to the games strategic balance, but a bunch of other goodies to add variety to repeated plays. You start with a basic deck of cow cards and will buy better cards to update that deck as the game progresses. Great Western Trail Second Edition was reviewed with a retail copy of the game provided by Plan B Games and Asmodee. Yet its a bigger hindrance than any of those three previous options.
During each turn, you will move your meeple, called a pastor, along various paths on the map, taking actions based on the buildings where you stop. . Ill let you extrapolate what happens with the number 2 and 3 tiles and bags. Publishers take note: there are enough barriers to playing board games as it is, dont add to them with your beautiful but shoddy insert just for the sake of promotional photos. Great Western Trail Its my favorite complex board game, a two-hour affair with a 20-page rulebook that manages to hit all the correct notes in a game of its length and weight. That uncanny valley will haunt my waking dreams. Is it worth paying $15 more for the second edition? And thats a shame. Still, at least they got the part about the Herefords correct. It comes down to one simple thing: the box insert.
The mode is only adapted from one developed by Steve Schlepphorst, an avid fan of the original. Required fields are marked *. Press J to jump to the feed. The solo mode is adapted from one developed by Steve Schlepphorst, an avid fan of the original GWT, and it functions more like a timer than a true opponent (or automa, as such solo opponents are sometimes called). tj@E If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. In Great Western Trail, players are Texan ranchers driving their herd of cattle north to Kansas City for sale. Longer if you want to reduce set up time for the next game by organising the tiles by number before you put them back in the box. Some tiles and cards have swapped dark backgrounds for light, which makes it easier to distinguish their icons. Alexander Pfister has designed several other games that have become popular in the scene, such as Maracaibo, Isle of Skye, and Blackout: Hong Kong.
When it comes right down to it, if you just want the game and don't care about the slight upgrades, and want to save some cash, get the first.
Whilst each individual issue is only tiny, they definitely add up. 1st edition is great, didn't need an upgrade at all. There are wallet-sized games and wallet-friendly games. Solo Mode: It has a solo mode that is based on the one on BGG. Sam will move his train quickly down the track, grab the most valuable hazard cards, pull workers out of the job market, and occasionally grab a cow or two. At the start of the game the number 1 tiles are all put into the number 1 bag and mixed up. And especially dont do it when youll be trying to sell me an expansion and the Argentinian and New Zealand sequels over the next two years. Why are people excited about Great Western Trail? "Great Western Trail (Second Edition)" first time in the number 10 on "THE HOTNESS" list from Board Game Geek - "Wrangle your herd of cows across the Midwest prairie and deliver it to Kansas City." Taking care of hazards (bandits) gives you positive points. /Rttm%fH~ }kw:w I did end up ditching the insert for baggies.
If youre interested in trying a heavier game, or some of the aesthetic options from the original put you off, this second edition of Great Western Trail its a vastly improved version of what I consider to be the best game in its weight class, and a welcome return to the North American market.
Lastly, but probably most attractively, are new rules and variants. For the same reason that the Splendor box is too big a pretty portrait of precisely placed pieces in promotional pictures pleases the picky punter, persuading them to pay precious pounds to purchase this (im)perfectly packaged paragon of our prestigious pastime. Then maybe I can squeeze the expansions into the box.
These game systems are pretty obscure to non-hobbyists, but its an attention-grabbing combination to board game fans, and Great Western Trail executes the mix adroitly. I am not a solo player, but I saw the first edition for clearance at my LGS along with Rails to the North Expansion cheaper than online prices. Show me a game that looks as good in the box as it does out of it and my money is yours unless the consequence of that in-box glamour is tired irritation from a terrible design. And all this is before you hear that the card holders in the insert arent deep enough to hold all the cards. Read more. However, by far the best change in the art is the removal of the sub-theme of white men against Native Americans from the original. I already own the old base game and I think I will just "patch it" with those changes and call it a day. The new plate does not clarify the spaces on the train tracks (they are numbered but not otherwise delimited), which was also a problem with the first edition, and it seems that it would have been an easy solution. You can find Additional information on Polygons ethics policy here. Your email address will not be published. Secondly, there are numerous small gameplay tweaks. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. This second edition has all-new art, and some of the changes are functional as well as aesthetic. He places a new disc on the next city on the line every time his herder reaches Kansas City. I tried the new edition and while it may not offer enough changes to encourage first edition owners to opt for a new one, it is a better version for people new to the game or looking to try a heavier title for their table games. I could write paragraphs ruminating (pun absolutely intended) on the excellence of Great Western Trail Second Edition with its ungulate-ing paths and chattelled cattle. First world problems! After that, its off to the slaughterhouse with you, Bessie. Great Western Trail is now available to the growing community of solo board game players, as well as providing new and interesting challenges for any Great Western Trail fan. Great Western Trail Second Edition was previewed with a retail copy of the game provided by Plan B Games. There's little reason to get second over the first imo (and it's my favorite game). One thing to be cautious of, if at some point they make a GWT expansion, than that will unlikely be compatible with the 1st edition. If you are at all interested in trying out a heavier game, or were turned off by some of the aesthetic choices in the original, this second edition of Great Western Trail is a much-improved version of what I consider the best game in its weight class, and a welcome return to the North American market. Add two new private buildings to each players set (so each player has 12 to choose from); a solo mode; and a mini-expansion with maturing cows, rewarding you for holding them in your hand. The mini-expansion introduces Simmental cow cards to the market. Representation matters, and even this tiny bit of visual diversity, combined with the elimination of the notion of Native Americans as the invisible enemy, is a welcome upgrade. Great Western Trail Its a compromise, once you start stealing their cattle, its very difficult to stop it, but this second edition should bring more people to the table. We will send you a notification as soon as this product is available again. Even with the two new editions of his magnum opus, Alexander Pfisters track record for designing deep, strategic and challenging games seems to promise that more excellent games are on the horizon too. (The largest city in the world, natch.). You start with a basic deck of cow cards and will buy better cards to upgrade that deck as the game progresses. The slated release date for the second edition of Great Western Trail is Oct 22, 2021. I would go with the First edition with the Rails to the North. The 2nd edition looks like a true western game. The objective card scoring explanation is buried in the section on how to get those cards, not with the endgame scoring explanation, where it probably belongs.
Additionally, the player boards all have been improved by a dual-layer design, that holds each tile and token and piece in place in their own little pockets and slots. Ive tested out the new edition, and while it may not offer enough changes to encourage owners of the first edition to pony up for a new one, its a better version for folks new to the game or looking to try a heavier title for their tabletop gaming.
Theyre all worth points at the end of the game in the original, from one to 13 points. The fictional player, Sam, has a deck of 15 movement / action cards that you can shuffle and cycle through between your own turns. The insert puts me off playing Great Western Trail Second Edition. From what Ive seen, the 2nd edition changes dont really warrant buying it when I already have the 1st edition and expansion. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.
Being a hobby board game, its more complex and evolved than the mainstream board games everyone is familiar with. You also get to hire three types of workers to allow you to make your actions more powerful. GWT, and it works more like a timer than a true opponent (or automa, as those solo opponents are sometimes called). I've been playing a hybrid version between first and second edition on BGA, where it's in alpha and I enjoy it a lot that way. Yes, its all a bit fiddly maybe, but I reckon less so than ditching it and using baggies for everything. Longer still if you knock a tile over in a part-filled insert space and have to spend a moment standing it back up again before slotting the remaining tiles in place. Your email address will not be published. Great Western Trail (GWT) incorporates multiple ideas that you might have seen in other modern board games, sometimes called Eurogames, all in one cohesive package. Some tiles and cards have changed dark backgrounds for light ones, which makes it easier to distinguish their icons.
Quite a lot, actually.
I don't own the 1st, but do own the second. Its a great game but those feelings of satisfaction at the end of a game are tempered by having to stack those tiny tiles ever so delicately instead of just putting them in the bags theyll end up in at the start of the next game anyway. After that, we go to the slaughterhouse with you, Bessie. How was it allowed to go into production? After that maybe wait for one of the sequels to 2E set in NZ and Argentina coming in the next 2 years. But I'll bet in another 5 years we'll see a "10th Anniversary" one anyway. All boards now have two layers with spaces for tiles and discs to sit without sliding, a huge benefit for a board that gets very busy by the end of the game. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. Join our community!
However, all of that isn't important compared to the gameplay. You have more possibilities to improve your actions or your card-based economic engine than you can possibly achieve in a single playthrough, which is one of GWTs great strengths. Weve all seen board game boxes that are too big for the games inside.
Mainly minor things. Plan B Games Eggertspiele imprint has been working on a new edition of the original that will serve as the first in a trilogy of games, and the first one, simply called Great Western Trail Second Edition, will be out at Gen Con in mid-September. Read more, Enter a Board Game Giveaway! The private buildings grant a pair of actions to their builder anytime they land on those spaces, while other players may have to pay a fee to pass through those buildings.
I'd trade somebody the new box and insert for the old box straight up. Another centralreasonfor Great Western Trails popularity is its designer. See that portion there along of the top of the photo, the spaces filled with carefully arranged tiles. For advertising and money, of course. To begin with, its a good game. Theres absolutely no reason not to keep the tiles in their numbered cotton bags, except that the insert doesnt fit properly if you do.
The same applies with value two cards, upgrading them to value three, which is their peak. Youll also move your locomotive along a track on the outer edge of the main board, which gets you points, might give you bonus actions, and which allows you to deliver cows farther along the line. Ive (sadly) never had an opportunity to play Vindication, although Mark and Will have both sung its praises in their reviews of it for Meeple Mountain so I should look out for it. This has been a controversial topic, but the balance tweaks, meeples with cowboy hats, QoL improvements, cosmetic upgrades, and cultural sensitivity of the second edition made me upgrade and sell off my 1st edition. Pfister has become a bit of a celebrity in the scene, garnering his own throng of fans. But it's similar enough. Well I applaud and am envious of your card organising skills Bert! Players take on the role of ranchers in the Old West, forming cattle herds and a network of buildings to make larger deliveries of cows to Kansas City. Perhaps instead the insert was designed on a computer by someone whos never had to go through the laborious process of setting the game up and putting it away. The second edition builds on that popularity and reinforces Great Western Trails status as a hobby classic. Its another game with a poor insert too, although in Splendors case the insert doesnt actively sabotage the enjoyment, it just doesnt work as a tool for holding components in place (terrible insert variant 3). The player boards are okay, but they're fine in first ed, too. The second edition comes with not only improvements to the games strategic balance, but a bunch of other goodies to add variety to repeated plays. You start with a basic deck of cow cards and will buy better cards to update that deck as the game progresses. Great Western Trail Second Edition was reviewed with a retail copy of the game provided by Plan B Games and Asmodee. Yet its a bigger hindrance than any of those three previous options.
During each turn, you will move your meeple, called a pastor, along various paths on the map, taking actions based on the buildings where you stop. . Ill let you extrapolate what happens with the number 2 and 3 tiles and bags. Publishers take note: there are enough barriers to playing board games as it is, dont add to them with your beautiful but shoddy insert just for the sake of promotional photos. Great Western Trail Its my favorite complex board game, a two-hour affair with a 20-page rulebook that manages to hit all the correct notes in a game of its length and weight. That uncanny valley will haunt my waking dreams. Is it worth paying $15 more for the second edition? And thats a shame. Still, at least they got the part about the Herefords correct. It comes down to one simple thing: the box insert.
The mode is only adapted from one developed by Steve Schlepphorst, an avid fan of the original. Required fields are marked *. Press J to jump to the feed. The solo mode is adapted from one developed by Steve Schlepphorst, an avid fan of the original GWT, and it functions more like a timer than a true opponent (or automa, as such solo opponents are sometimes called). tj@E If you buy something from a Polygon link, Vox Media may earn a commission. In Great Western Trail, players are Texan ranchers driving their herd of cattle north to Kansas City for sale. Longer if you want to reduce set up time for the next game by organising the tiles by number before you put them back in the box. Some tiles and cards have swapped dark backgrounds for light, which makes it easier to distinguish their icons. Alexander Pfister has designed several other games that have become popular in the scene, such as Maracaibo, Isle of Skye, and Blackout: Hong Kong.
When it comes right down to it, if you just want the game and don't care about the slight upgrades, and want to save some cash, get the first.
Whilst each individual issue is only tiny, they definitely add up. 1st edition is great, didn't need an upgrade at all. There are wallet-sized games and wallet-friendly games. Solo Mode: It has a solo mode that is based on the one on BGG. Sam will move his train quickly down the track, grab the most valuable hazard cards, pull workers out of the job market, and occasionally grab a cow or two. At the start of the game the number 1 tiles are all put into the number 1 bag and mixed up. And especially dont do it when youll be trying to sell me an expansion and the Argentinian and New Zealand sequels over the next two years. Why are people excited about Great Western Trail? "Great Western Trail (Second Edition)" first time in the number 10 on "THE HOTNESS" list from Board Game Geek - "Wrangle your herd of cows across the Midwest prairie and deliver it to Kansas City." Taking care of hazards (bandits) gives you positive points. /Rttm%fH~ }kw:w I did end up ditching the insert for baggies.
If youre interested in trying a heavier game, or some of the aesthetic options from the original put you off, this second edition of Great Western Trail its a vastly improved version of what I consider to be the best game in its weight class, and a welcome return to the North American market.
Lastly, but probably most attractively, are new rules and variants. For the same reason that the Splendor box is too big a pretty portrait of precisely placed pieces in promotional pictures pleases the picky punter, persuading them to pay precious pounds to purchase this (im)perfectly packaged paragon of our prestigious pastime. Then maybe I can squeeze the expansions into the box.
These game systems are pretty obscure to non-hobbyists, but its an attention-grabbing combination to board game fans, and Great Western Trail executes the mix adroitly. I am not a solo player, but I saw the first edition for clearance at my LGS along with Rails to the North Expansion cheaper than online prices. Show me a game that looks as good in the box as it does out of it and my money is yours unless the consequence of that in-box glamour is tired irritation from a terrible design. And all this is before you hear that the card holders in the insert arent deep enough to hold all the cards. Read more. However, by far the best change in the art is the removal of the sub-theme of white men against Native Americans from the original. I already own the old base game and I think I will just "patch it" with those changes and call it a day. The new plate does not clarify the spaces on the train tracks (they are numbered but not otherwise delimited), which was also a problem with the first edition, and it seems that it would have been an easy solution. You can find Additional information on Polygons ethics policy here. Your email address will not be published. Secondly, there are numerous small gameplay tweaks. Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. This second edition has all-new art, and some of the changes are functional as well as aesthetic. He places a new disc on the next city on the line every time his herder reaches Kansas City. I tried the new edition and while it may not offer enough changes to encourage first edition owners to opt for a new one, it is a better version for people new to the game or looking to try a heavier title for their table games. I could write paragraphs ruminating (pun absolutely intended) on the excellence of Great Western Trail Second Edition with its ungulate-ing paths and chattelled cattle. First world problems! After that, its off to the slaughterhouse with you, Bessie. Great Western Trail is now available to the growing community of solo board game players, as well as providing new and interesting challenges for any Great Western Trail fan. Great Western Trail Second Edition was previewed with a retail copy of the game provided by Plan B Games. There's little reason to get second over the first imo (and it's my favorite game). One thing to be cautious of, if at some point they make a GWT expansion, than that will unlikely be compatible with the 1st edition. If you are at all interested in trying out a heavier game, or were turned off by some of the aesthetic choices in the original, this second edition of Great Western Trail is a much-improved version of what I consider the best game in its weight class, and a welcome return to the North American market. Add two new private buildings to each players set (so each player has 12 to choose from); a solo mode; and a mini-expansion with maturing cows, rewarding you for holding them in your hand. The mini-expansion introduces Simmental cow cards to the market. Representation matters, and even this tiny bit of visual diversity, combined with the elimination of the notion of Native Americans as the invisible enemy, is a welcome upgrade. Great Western Trail Its a compromise, once you start stealing their cattle, its very difficult to stop it, but this second edition should bring more people to the table. We will send you a notification as soon as this product is available again. Even with the two new editions of his magnum opus, Alexander Pfisters track record for designing deep, strategic and challenging games seems to promise that more excellent games are on the horizon too. (The largest city in the world, natch.). You start with a basic deck of cow cards and will buy better cards to upgrade that deck as the game progresses. The slated release date for the second edition of Great Western Trail is Oct 22, 2021. I would go with the First edition with the Rails to the North. The 2nd edition looks like a true western game. The objective card scoring explanation is buried in the section on how to get those cards, not with the endgame scoring explanation, where it probably belongs.
Additionally, the player boards all have been improved by a dual-layer design, that holds each tile and token and piece in place in their own little pockets and slots. Ive tested out the new edition, and while it may not offer enough changes to encourage owners of the first edition to pony up for a new one, its a better version for folks new to the game or looking to try a heavier title for their tabletop gaming.
Theyre all worth points at the end of the game in the original, from one to 13 points. The fictional player, Sam, has a deck of 15 movement / action cards that you can shuffle and cycle through between your own turns. The insert puts me off playing Great Western Trail Second Edition. From what Ive seen, the 2nd edition changes dont really warrant buying it when I already have the 1st edition and expansion. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.
Being a hobby board game, its more complex and evolved than the mainstream board games everyone is familiar with. You also get to hire three types of workers to allow you to make your actions more powerful. GWT, and it works more like a timer than a true opponent (or automa, as those solo opponents are sometimes called). I've been playing a hybrid version between first and second edition on BGA, where it's in alpha and I enjoy it a lot that way. Yes, its all a bit fiddly maybe, but I reckon less so than ditching it and using baggies for everything. Longer still if you knock a tile over in a part-filled insert space and have to spend a moment standing it back up again before slotting the remaining tiles in place. Your email address will not be published. Great Western Trail (GWT) incorporates multiple ideas that you might have seen in other modern board games, sometimes called Eurogames, all in one cohesive package. Some tiles and cards have changed dark backgrounds for light ones, which makes it easier to distinguish their icons.