Kansas City and Delivery
Great Western Trail's Kansas City: the three foresight subphases and the job market, income from breeding values and certificates, delivery to a city, disc spaces, city arrows and transport costs.
When your cattleman reaches Kansas City it stops there, and you carry out its five subphases in order — all of them, every time. Move your cattleman along the numbered spots so none is forgotten.
Foresight
Subphases 1, 2 and 3. For each, choose one of the two tiles in the foresight spaces under that number and move it to its place at once:
- A worker goes onto the next free space of the job market: always in the row of the job market token, filled left to right (with 3 players the row starts under the 3-player sign and the left column stays empty; with 2 players both left columns stay empty). The token’s own space is filled last; then the token moves along its arrow to the next row.
- A teepee goes on the empty space of the Indian trade section with the lowest money value; with no space left it leaves the game.
- A hazard goes on the lowest empty space (1–4) of its hazard section; with no space left it leaves the game.
When the job market token moves along a yellow arrow, refill the cattle market at once up to 7 / 10 / 13 cards (2 / 3 / 4 players), sorted by colour — never above that number, and not at all if the stack is empty. When it leaves the bottom row along the red arrow, the game end is triggered.
Income
Subphase 4. Reveal your hand and add up the breeding values of the different breeds in it — each breed counts once, however many cards of it you have. Objective cards and the points on cattle cards do not count here.
Then you may add certificates:
- Temporary: the number beside your certificate marker; use as many as you like by moving the marker back.
- Permanent: each station master tile with a certificate adds 1, always.
Take that many dollars from the bank (keep them apart for a moment: the total also sets your delivery), then discard your whole hand, objective cards included.
Delivery
Subphase 5. Place a disc on the crest of a city whose value is equal to or lower than your total breeding value. You may not choose a city that already holds your disc — except Kansas City and San Francisco, which take any number.
Take the disc from any disc space of your player board:
- a disc from a space with white corners fits any city;
- a disc from a space with dark corners fits only a city with dark corners (Albuquerque, El Paso, Sacramento, San Francisco).
Clearing a disc space unlocks it:
| Disc space | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| Auxiliary actions | A single, then a double auxiliary action |
| Step limit | +1 (or +2) step; the first gives 3 dollars now, the second 3 points at the end |
| Hand limit | 5, then 6 cards — pay 5 dollars for each, or choose another disc |
| Certificates | Temporary certificate limit 4, then 6 (the 6 works only once the 4 is cleared) |
City crests and arrows
| City (value) | When you place a disc |
|---|---|
| Kansas City (0) | Take 6 dollars now; −6 points at the end, per disc |
| Topeka (1) – Wichita (4) | The arrow between them: −3 points and an objective card |
| Wichita – Colorado Springs (6) | −1 point |
| Colorado Springs – Santa Fe (8) | An objective card |
| Santa Fe – Albuquerque (10) | An objective card |
| Albuquerque – El Paso (12) | 6 points |
| El Paso – San Diego (14) | 8 points |
| San Diego – Sacramento (16) | 4 points |
| Sacramento | 6 points |
| San Francisco (18) | 9 points per disc |
The action or points of a green arrow count only once you have discs on both cities beside it. An objective card from an arrow is compulsory: take it at once (twice if your disc completes two arrows, refilling the display in between).
Transport costs
Then check your engine on the railroad. If its nose is under the crest you delivered to, or beyond it, the delivery is free. Otherwise pay 1 dollar per red cross between your engine’s nose and the city. Your income comes first, so you can always pay; if you cannot, choose another city — Kansas City is always possible.
Back to the start
- Put your cattleman on the horseman space at the lower right: next turn it starts there.
- Refill the three empty foresight spaces from the Kansas City supply, each with a tile of its own number.