How do you win?

Emerge from the inevitable brawls the richest bandit, having stolen the most cash!

How do you play?

Players play an action card which lets you move, pick up loot, or punch or shoot your fellow bandits – all played out on a real 3D model of a train. The quirk of Colt Express is that a player selects an action card, then the next player selects a card, and so on, placing their chosen cards in a shared deck to build up a storyboard of the action that will unfold during that round. Players must anticipate and predict how others move within the train in order to avoid getting attacked, while trying to pick up the most loot.

Each time you are punched, you drop treasure and are thrown into the next carriage, while being shot will clutter up your hand for future turns, limiting what you are able to do. Each character also has a unique bonus to assist them, such as Belle being too beautiful to shoot if anyone has the choice of players to shoot or Django being able to shoot through carriage roofs.

While tumbling around the train, each player also has a chance to move the Marshal, the only figure of authority on the train, which the bandits inevitably try to use to their own advantage to prohibit others from collecting loot. An encounter with the Marshal means receiving a bullet and a trip to the roof of the passenger train, thwarting whatever plans the player had for that round.

Each round typically has a different number of actions or special events to spice the game up which tie into the theme neatly, like the train breaking suddenly, causing all those on the roof to fall towards the caboose. After five turns it’s the end of the line as the train pulls into the station!

Why play it?

Colt Express successfully pulls off being light-hearted yet so competitive. Although the game provides you with choices during a turn, do not be fooled – this is a complete illusion. Well, maybe only a partial illusion. You can be expecting extreme frustration, then somehow emerge the lucky player that escapes above the fray, literally – as you run along the top of the train to successfully capture the most expensive item of loot. The mechanics within the game fit perfectly to the ham-fisted style of the game and most importantly – it’s a lot of fun and very entertaining!

Verdict?

A fun game for new and experienced players. Lighthearted and competitive.

Bonus!

Check out the extra DeLorean car available as a mini expansion, for those that fancy a game with time-travelling cowboys.