Description
America in the 19th century: You are a rancher and repeatedly herd your cattle from Texas to Kansas City, where you send them off by train.
This earns you money and victory points.
Needless to say, each time you arrive in Kansas City, you want to have your most valuable cattle in tow.
However, the "Great Western Trail" not only requires that you keep your herd in good shape, but also that you wisely use the various buildings along the trail.
Also, it might be a good idea to hire capable staff: cowboys to improve your herd, craftsmen to build your very own buildings, or engineers for the important railroad line.
If you cleverly manage your herd and navigate the opportunities and pitfalls of Great Western Trail, you surely will gain the most victory points and win the game.
—description from the publisher
Solo AI Playthrough
Note: There are several solo variants for the game. The solo AI playthrough video is based on the first set of rules in the Files section included below the videos (version 1.3).
Great Western Trail Review
How to Play Great Western Trail
2nd Edition
The game designers have released a second edition of the game. It has upgraded components.
The gameplay is very similar.
However, the second edition has OFFICIAL Solo Rules included in the box.
The following video covers the differences between the first and second edition. (Be careful with version you order)
Files
A selection of files from BoardGameGeek. Links will open in a new window or tab.
Great Western Trail Automa (solo play)
VERSION 1.3 – If you’re new to the Great Western Trail Automa, this is the only file you need to play.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Garth — Specialized Automa for GWT Solo Play
Garth 3.0 incorporates the Rails to the North expansion. The automa works with or without the expansion, has 4 difficulty levels, accommodates any player count, and features full-color cards matching the game’s iconography.
>> Click to download PDF <<
GWT Solo Variant
How well do you fare taking cattle to market with the Texas Cattle Queen, Lizzie Williams blocking your path? Find out with this solo variant for Great Western Trail!
>> Click to download PDF <<
Lucky Eight – A Great Western Trail Solo Automa
>> Click to download PDF <<
GWT- The SOLO Challenge – rules
Here are the rules for the Great Western Trail SOLO challenge.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Lonesome Trail – Solo Mode for GWT and Rails to the North
This is a Solitaire variant for Great Western Trail and Rails to the North. It uses a very simple chart to determine actions, which allows your opponent to get stronger and focus on different strategies as the game progresses.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Lonesome and Free – a GWT Solo Variant
Solo variant for GWT. Variant focuses on allowing the player to choose how the board evolves, mimicking the impact of actions taken by another (powerful) player.
>> Click to download PDF <<
Single player variant
This is my personal variant of the Automa created by Wil (wgerken).
>> Click to download PDF <<
Great Western Trail – English rule book
English rule book for Great Western Trail
>> Click to download PDF <<
Teaching the Great Western Trail
A simple, though comprehensive, 2 page teaching script that covers all of the game’s key elements.
>> Click to download PDF <<