Great Western Trail: New Zealand

The original great western trail is a household favorite and this version includes everything from that plus some extra decision spaces to open up multiple paths for scoring. However it felt a little overwhelming with the many different options, and cause a little AP which meant for a 2+ hour first game. With time I imagine that will come back down though likely not under an hour which is about the time for a game of the original. I like it, and I think for an experienced gamer they will jump right in, but for less experienced I would stick with the original.

If you've played GWT before, you will be able to hit the ground running. The mechanics are largely the same, but there are enough new twists to make this worth adding to your collection even if you have the original.

This trilogy is a great addition to the GWT saga. New mechanics keep the game fresh and challenging, the other GWT is not required to play this one.

Heavier (meaning the box). It's the heaviest of the 3 versions. The ships is very similar to the 'Rails to the North' expansion.

Great game. Various strategies and limited workers create various strategy options. Lots of different setup options create lots of variety in how the game develops.

Top of the review, I'm not the biggest fan of the original Great Western Trail, something about the combination of Cowboys and Cows that just doesn't appeal to me thematically. Gameplay is well and good, but not enough to keep me around as I'm a very visual person. I've also played all 3 games, GWT, Argentina, and New Zealand in close proximity to each other for a better comparison. Argentina was better, but the Granjeros were a bit confusing. This one though, maybe its the change to sheep, or the multiple paths for 'deliveries', or the more islanderaquatic shift in part of the map, but I much prefer this one and in fact would rank it the BEST of the GWT games. There's a bit more to the deck building than just getting higher quality sheep in your deck and removing the lower ones, with the introduction of the instant cards, that, once played, allow you to draw another card from your deck resulting in combos if a few of those in a row assuming the deck is drawing in your favor. Can't recommend this one enough. If you choose ONE GWT game, choose this one, for me it feels like a 3.0 version of the game really opening up and giving you decision space in what you do.

GWT but sheep. Love sheep. 🐑