FAQ
48 answered questions18 official
Rules questions from the BoardGameGeek forum. Answers marked Official were confirmed by eggertspiele or the designers.
Common mistakes
- Stopping on every hand you cross — you pay the fee as you pass and keep moving. Ruling · Rule
- Taking a hazard or teepee by landing on it — only an action takes one, from its section of the board. Ruling · Rule
- Refilling your hand right after an action — you draw up only in phase C, at the end of your turn. Ruling · Rule
- Treating a double auxiliary action as two different single ones — it is one action, doubled. Ruling · Rule
- Upgrading a station without moving — the engine must move at least one space and stop on the turnout. Ruling · Rule
- Leaving unpaid transport costs like an unpaid hand — transport must be paid; if you cannot, deliver somewhere else. Ruling · Rule
Showing 48 of 48
In later games, where do the neutral buildings go?
Shuffle them and put one on each of the seven neutral spaces (the dark spaces with a letter) — not on just any building space.
Source: BGG thread
How many tiles go on the board before the game starts?
Seven tiles with a 1 on the back (teepees and hazards), then the job market gets workers with a 2 on the back until the token's row is reached: 3 workers with 2 players, 5 with 3, 7 with 4.
Source: BGG thread
May each player choose their own side for each private building? Official
No. Everyone uses the same side of each building; the a- and b-sides are not balanced against each other.
Source: BGG thread
Where does my cattleman start on the first turn? Official
On any neutral building you like; you go straight to phase B there. You do not move along the trail or reach Kansas City on that first turn.
Source: BGG thread
Do I have to stop on a hazard, teepee or opponent's building with a hand?
No. You pay its fee as you move onto or over it and carry on. You stop there only if you want to (and then take one auxiliary action).
Source: BGG thread
What if I cannot pay a hand's fee?
Pay what you can and keep moving. You never pay later, even if you get money while still standing there. This applies only to hands: every other cost must be paid in full.
Source: BGG thread
Do I pay the hands on my own buildings?
No. Your own buildings never charge you and you never have to stop on them.
Source: BGG thread
A location shows both a green and a black hand. Do I pay both?
Yes, both fees add up.
Source: BGG thread
Do I pay hands when a building action moves my cattleman? Official
Yes. Moving with a building action is normal movement: every hand you pass or stop on is paid. Only the objective cards' 3-step move ignores hands.
Source: BGG thread
Does landing on a hazard or teepee let me take it?
No. You take one only with an action that says so (Remove a hazard, Trade with the Indians), from its section of the board — not from the trail.
Source: BGG thread
Can I take a teepee or hazard that someone's cattleman is standing on? Official
Yes. The cattleman stays where it is.
Source: BGG thread
When a teepee or hazard is taken, do the others slide down?
No, the remaining tiles stay where they are.
Source: BGG thread
I pick a foresight tile whose section is full. Do I draw another?
No. The tile leaves the game and you go on to the next subphase.
Source: BGG thread
Can I take a teepee that costs money if I cannot pay?
No. A negative teepee must be paid in full; the "pay what you can" exception is only for hands.
Source: BGG thread
Must I take the local actions in order, or all of them?
Any order, and each one is optional. Only if you take none of them may you take one auxiliary action instead.
Source: BGG thread
Can I do nothing at all on a building?
No. Phase B is not optional: if you skip every local action you must take one auxiliary action.
Source: BGG thread
Neutral building A says "hire once more". Must I take the free hire before the dearer one? Official
No. Ignore "once more": the two hires are separate local actions, in any order, and you may take either or both.
Source: BGG thread
Does building 8b copy the risk action of the building next to it? Official
Yes: a risk action counts as part of the tile's local actions. The copied building may be neutral, yours or an opponent's, and you may copy a different neighbour each visit — but never two 8b tiles back and forth.
Source: BGG thread
Does building 1a count itself?
Yes. If 1a touches the woods it pays 2 dollars for itself, plus 2 for each other private building of yours in the woods.
Source: BGG thread
Are two buildings adjacent if an empty space or hazard lies between them?
No. Adjacent means no location and no empty space in between.
Source: BGG thread
I replace the building I am standing on. What happens to its remaining actions? Official
Finish all remaining actions of the old building; you do not get the new building's actions this turn. The old tile goes back to the box.
Source: BGG thread
Does a replaced building still score?
No. It leaves the game and counts for nothing — neither its points nor objectives.
Source: BGG thread
Can I chain several cattleman moves from buildings?
Yes. Each building move lets you take phase B again where you stop, as long as you can keep going.
Source: BGG thread
Is a double auxiliary action two single ones? Official
No. It is one action with its cost and reward doubled — not two different actions, and you say beforehand which you are doing.
Source: BGG thread
Can I use cowboys to add cows to the market, then buy? Official
Yes, in any order: one cowboy adds 2 cards, then you may buy, add again with another cowboy, and so on. Adding may push the market above its usual size.
Source: BGG thread
What if the cattle market is empty?
It stays empty until the job market token crosses a yellow arrow or someone adds cards with a cowboy.
Source: BGG thread
With a draw-and-discard action, may I draw one card at a time?
No. Say how many you draw, draw them all, then discard as many — any cards from your hand, including the new ones.
Source: BGG thread
When do I refill my hand?
Only in phase C, at the end of your turn. Cards you discard during the turn leave you with a smaller hand until then.
Source: BGG thread
Do I reshuffle my discard pile after Kansas City?
No. You shuffle your discard pile into a new draw stack only when you must draw and your draw stack is empty.
Source: BGG thread
May I look through my discard pile?
Yes, at any time; it is face up. Never your draw stack.
Source: BGG thread
May I move my engine fewer spaces than allowed — or none? Official
Engine movement is a reward, so you may move less or not at all. But to upgrade a station you must move at least one space and stop on its turnout.
Source: BGG thread
Does another engine on a switch block the turnout?
No. Spaces with another engine are skipped as if they were not there, and that includes a switch.
Source: BGG thread
Can I go back to a station I passed and upgrade it later?
Yes. Move to its turnout (forwards or backwards, at least one space) and upgrade it then — once per station. Its station master tile goes to whoever upgrades it first and pays a worker for it.
Source: BGG thread
Another player already has a disc on a station. Can I upgrade it?
Yes: stack your disc on top. You get its points; the station master tile is only for the first.
Source: BGG thread
Can I reach space 39 again and again for 3 dollars?
Yes, each time you reach it you move back and take 3 dollars — but you place a disc on its station only once.
Source: BGG thread
Building 9b upgrades a station behind my engine. Do I get its station master tile? Official
Yes, if it is still there, by giving up a worker as usual. Your engine does not move.
Source: BGG thread
Building 9a: do turnouts count as steps back? Do I get income? Official
Turnout spaces may be used but do not count towards the number of steps back. The extraordinary delivery earns no income.
Source: BGG thread, income
Must I deliver when I reach Kansas City?
Yes, all five subphases are compulsory. If no other city is open to you, deliver to Kansas City itself (6 dollars, −6 points).
Source: BGG thread
Can I deliver to Kansas City or San Francisco more than once? Official
Yes. Each disc there scores again (−6 in Kansas City, +9 in San Francisco).
Source: BGG thread
Can I use part of my certificates?
Yes, any number from none to all of them.
Source: BGG thread
Can my delivery income pay for the disc I clear and the transport costs?
Yes. Income comes first, then you pay the disc cost and transport.
Source: BGG thread
What if I cannot pay the transport cost? Official
Then you must choose another delivery; Kansas City is always possible. Only hand fees may go unpaid.
Source: BGG thread
I have no discs left on my board. What now? Official
For a city delivery you must take one of your discs from a station; for a station upgrade you may. Never take a disc from a city. If only dark-corner discs are left, use one on a white space.
Source: BGG thread
What happens to objective cards in my hand in Kansas City?
They are discarded with the rest of your hand after the income subphase.
Source: BGG thread
When can I play the objective card that moves my cattleman 3 steps? Official
Before phase A (then you move normally from where it took you) or before or after an action in phase B — but after that move you go straight to phase C, and you may not use the location where it stops.
Source: BGG thread
Must I fulfil my starting objective? Official
No. It only gives points if fulfilled and costs nothing if not; it is there to give new players a direction.
Source: BGG thread
Building 1b: can I discard an objective I have already played? Official
No, only one from your hand.
Source: BGG thread
Do hazards and teepees used for objectives still count for station master tiles?
Yes. Station master tiles count everything in front of you.
Source: Great Western Trail FAQ v1.1