Pyramid Review
Way Out West
Published by Warfrog
Written by Martin Wallace
$35
Whether the title indicates the Old West's distance or demeanor, Way Out West is a board game depicting the pioneer spirit in the Southwest. Three to five players compete to herd cattle and sow the seeds of new towns along the frontier. They can try to outmaneuver their opponents, but chances are good that sooner or later some disputes will be settled with a hail of lead.
The object is to score the most victory points at game's end. How many points you get depends on how well you set yourself up during the course of play. Cash is nice and it plays a part in awarding the victory points, but mostly it helps you build up a winning position during the game.
Each player starts the game with a stake of money and two tokens. Except for the first turn, when dice rolls determine player order, a system of bidding establishes who gets to go first. The first person to drop out of the bidding goes last, the next to drop out goes next to last, and so on.
Once the order is settled, the first player places his token on one of the action boxes on the board. These boxes determine what you'll do. You may want to build a building or set up transportation in the town, hire more cowboys, buy cattle, move units around the board or start a gunfight with a competitor. The trouble is, there are only so many boxes for each action, and once an action has been taken that turn others may not . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: June 1, 2001
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