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 even longer if your fingers struggle to hold the tiny stacks of tiles with just the right amount of correctly directional pressure to keep them together without the centre tiles popping out and scattering over the table like cardboard confetti. I would go with the First edition with the Rails to the North. Redesigns should make things even easier to play, not make additional barriers. The trouble is, its likely to stay that way unless I bin the insert, something Im reluctant to do because its both a waste of plastic and so nice to look at. The Simmental cows are neat but not essential. Sad to hear that the insert is more frustrating than useful I agree with you Gary, static minis are about the worst type of board game component! Please check your email to find a confirmation email, and follow the steps to confirm your humanity. The article is slightly tongue in cheek of course Im still going to play the game whilst also pointing out that a poorly designed insert can sabotage a gaming experience. Get 2nd edition if you don't have the original. Yet its a bigger hindrance than any of those three previous options. I wouldn't say they are really game changing, but they do tweak it a bit. That right there is the compelling reason to go with the 1st edition, Rails to the north is available! You can find Additional information on Polygons ethics policy here. I already own the old base game and I think I will just "patch it" with those changes and call it a day. I do like the art of the 2nd edition, but don't like the cover of the first. The result is a heavy but enjoyable game that offers a ton of decision-making opportunities. It adds two new private buildings to each players set (so each player has 12 from which to choose); a solo mode; and a mini-expansion with cows that mature, rewarding you for holding them in your hand. Expansion "Exchange Tokens": These were originally part of Rails to the North, but are now in the base game. Kansas City coin/points value is different. Will you hire more engineers, so you can move your locomotive more quickly to powerful upgrade stations? . then id say get it. Being a hobby board game, its more complex and evolved than the mainstream board games everyone is familiar with. /Rttm%fH~ }kw:w You have a better chance of improving your actions or your card-based economic engine than you can achieve in a single game, which is one of the GWTgreat strengths. 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. e6)EIgf"{lf||U7$8GzR'F5'_)F]TH_rGetd|lF hV23dp",5g;p~Y7U?K You could read this article twice in the time it takes me to put just those little numbered tiles away properly. After that, we go to the slaughterhouse with you, Bessie. Upgraded components "Naked Cowboys": The herders now have different wood stains with different colored hats you can mix and match. As for the game itself, its an interesting mix of two existing game systems, using deckbuilding and rondel mechanics. You can find additional information about Polygons ethics policy here. But if you're a completionism, you may want all three to match. The same applies with value two cards, upgrading them to value three, which is their peak. It's very pretty, but kind of useless. Quite a lot, actually. Well I like the insert, and it works just fine for me! (The greatest city in the world, natch.). So for 1, 2, 3 player counts it'll all be double layered, except for those pieces. Kinda disappointing tbh. 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. Now, I could talk at length about my friends generosity and the thoughtfulness of the present. 2nd edition adds a few new mechanics like growing your cattle, and its also replaced the Trade with Indians mechanic with something more sensitive (I thought it was one of the weaker parts of the game anyway). 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. But surely that wouldnt be the case, no one would be that stupid would they? For me, I never got into GWT, and when I started looking at it, the 2nd edition had already been announced. 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. Then, theres Sam. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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 to cards of value two, updating them to value three, which is their maximum point. HOWEVER, if you are playing less than 4 players, there is a little piece you have to stack on top of the player boards, they control two upgrades (movement) and player taxes, that is NOT dual layered. New MMORPG on Steam dies after just 81 days. The new cover is sooooo generic though. Great Western Trail Second Edition was previewed with a retail copy of the game provided by Plan B Games. 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. Some of the colors on the board are brighter and more appealing, although the private building tiles have more muted colors for no apparent benefit. 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. Along the trail, players stop at action spaces to get better cattle cards, hire workers, and even build new action spaces. It removes some of the bad art options from the original without negatively affecting the strategic depth that made the original so great. I haven't seen any real compelling reason to choose one over the other. Sam is an automa - a set of rules that pretends to be another player at the table. All in all though, I do like Vindication. Then maybe I can squeeze the expansions into the box. 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. 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Here, though, is an insert thats had time, care and money put into it, an insert that technically works everything is held in place however the box is stored. GWT, and it works more like a timer than a true opponent (or automa, as those solo opponents are sometimes called). And some of the tiles have changed, slightly. Or will you go with a construction strategy, hiring builders to get as many of your private buildings on the board as possible? But realistically, it's very close to the original game. . Will you grab the most valuable cows available, hiring cowboys to let you buy even better cows? From what Ive seen, the 2nd edition changes dont really warrant buying it when I already have the 1st edition and expansion. Far from being helpful, it makes setup and teardown take longer, by a few minutes each time. After that maybe wait for one of the sequels to 2E set in NZ and Argentina coming in the next 2 years. Is it worth paying $15 more for the second edition? There are some smaller adjustments as well, notably that delivering to Kansas City gives you just $ 4 instead of $ 6 in the original (with the same 6-point penalty, making it a less attractive trade-off for some money). I kind of like the original but man is there widespread dislike for it. And all this is before you hear that the card holders in the insert arent deep enough to hold all the cards. I have the first edition bc I too got it on a deal from somewhere trying to dump their old editions. 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. But honestly, that box cover of the 1st Edition is so hella awful, that it basically put me off even trying the game. The slated release date for the second edition of Great Western Trail is Oct 22, 2021. Read more, The 2022-2023 Guide To Board Game Conventions, Looking to attend a board game convention? These cows come up for sale as calves, with value one, and if you have one in your hand when you reach Kansas City, you can replace it with a Simmental card of value two. Differences: Almost all of the artwork has changed. Of course, I could be wrong about the reason. B9>8(TfY0md&-Y4E# Quick). Ad #q%FI}O$EJoG$, Will you take the most valuable cows available, hiring cowboys to allow you to buy even better cows? Mhl"!oYsWcgn43':y2 MFF4;;*t`h4 sACe$g|+kNO/cPYWu"$ +PK[.BnY@48]6$YIat{L_HS L2RBbBU;'KLdyQ9f:8}{ -]/Gi&I`A 9PBNe`oG7hI`Q\,L{1a5$i%?VJ(S!sSx.axdL&z=b;*yf. There isnt a lot of time left to reserve a copy! , Our epic board game gift guide has over 30 recommendations for every kind of board gamer! You start with a basic deck of cow cards and will buy better cards to update that deck as the game progresses. 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. Your are successfully subscribed for email notifications. All boards are now two-layered with gaps for tiles and discs to sit without sliding, a huge benefit for a board that gets very crowded late in the game. Upgraded components "Player Boards": The player boards are now dual layered for all key areas. I'd say save 15 bucks. The player boards are okay, but they're fine in first ed, too. The fictional player, Sam, has a deck of 15 movement / action cards that you can shuffle and cycle through between your own turns. There are games for the first timer and for friends who have been playing for years. There's little reason to get second over the first imo (and it's my favorite game). Join our community! But I'll bet in another 5 years we'll see a "10th Anniversary" one anyway. Sounds like a great practice mode to me, but perhaps too complicated to play often as a solo experience. Meh. At the end of the game all those tiles are collected up and placed back into the insert. Still, at least they got the part about the Herefords correct. Come discuss games like Codenames, Arkham Horror, Terra Mystica, and all your other favorite games! But the old version isnt bad by any account so its really just a question of whether you care about the aesthetics OR you want to save some $$$. Simmental cows are initially expensive but score a small number of points; Later on, though, they mature and earn players much more points,rewarding the players patience.
great western trail: 1st vs 2nd edition