I don't always agree with your final thoughts, but your playthroughs are awesome. You do a great job of showing the game. Thanks for all the work.

Wow Rahdo, It's like your threshold for 'mean' is getting lower every year, I bet you would find games that you love mean if you revisit them :)

I think the game offers enough ways to circumvent the obstacles other players put in your path that it really minimizes any take that. For example, you can always go bankrupt before crossing any taxation space or place a taxation space of your own right next to it (zero sum gain basically) or just remove hazards so you can take an alternative route. Terrific game, amazing design with a lot of interesting decisions.

I agree there are ways to mess with our opponents...but it never feels "mean" in the ways it may feel in other games. I think there are enough ways to mitigate this when your opponent tries to hurt you that it really isn't a huge concern. Glad you're hanging onto it!

you can tell by the first 30 seconds when he says he loved it if he actually loved it or he says it wasnt for him

Played a three player game this evening and we loved it. I didn't find the other players "pay me tiles" and/or hazard placement titles to be a big deal at all especially in the later half of the game when I was earning so much money in Kansas City that a few dollar here and a few dollar there wasn't an issue, so I really didn't find the game mean at all.

Totally see your view on the set beginner tiles versus "mixed up" ones. First game we used them in the set spaces, scored 89 and 83 points. Second game we randomized everything and scored only 55 and 52 points. It's hard! But it's definitely an enjoyable challenge, the game is brilliant.

Actually never thought of GWT being a cutthroat game, haha. But I get your points. Just wondering how it would work if you'd remove that from the game? It would be plain resource counting for a large part, wouldn't it? I mean there is nothing wrong with resource optimisation like Scythe, but for a great game I need the tension of having my plans destroyed at any moment if I don't plan ahead.

I bought the game when and because it was cheap, but didn't play it for nearly a year and a half, because I thought I'd dislike it due to its theme. But though I still like fighting monsters more than driving cattle, it's astonishing how the theme takes a step back behind the brilliant design of GWT. I like it very much for its "crunchiness" and enjoy it even as simulated-2p as much as a good book ("page turner"). However, I have the strong suspicion that investing in engineers, speeding up the railroad and winning the station master tokens might trump erecting buildings or increasing the herd's value. Confirmation of that suspicion would diminish the high opinion I have of this game, but I need to test & try more. I totally agree to your final thoughts up to the moment when you start talking about the take-that elements. Trying to mess up an opponent's plans is so much countered by having to sacrifice one's own plans that GWT as a whole does not feel especially mean. And since every player has access to the same buildings and options to potentially harm other players GWT seems fair enough to me and it only adds to the crunchiness of this game that one has to weigh all the options against each other.

Wow, cutthroat? There needs to be a stronger term than "carebear". GWT is my 2nd favorite of 2016.

I'm with you man... and as a fairly inexperience gamer, this game is just too much for me to chew. personally, not excited about cows... maybe because we already have too many in Wisconsin !! (-: peace

Good game, but marred by 1) five useless hazard trails where it is pointless to build due to expenses from hazards always popping up. Four games in and no one has ever built there. 2) craftsmen are underpowered compared to cowboys, engineers. Much harder to get a build strategy going. Usual buildings don't go above three. Reminds me of book track in mombasa: could work, but most people won't bother trying to find the solution. 3) game is very long, running 3-4 hrs first game with two players, maybe down to 2.5 after a few games. Still like it more than Mombasa.

Played this game last weekend twice, still thinking about it. can't wait to play it again. Pfisters next game is an autobuy.

Care bear, shmare bear. Thanks for another great playthrough and analysis. When you imply it's too "take that"', that's fine, because it still tells me that this is a game for me as I really enjoy that element in a game. So it's definitely on my to buy list and Alexander Pfister. Say no more.

I know rahdo doesn't like to play with house rules, but one possible way to reduce take-that factor in this game could be paying the owner of the passed-by building from the bank instead. Besides, all hazards are positioned on separate route branches and in principle could be avoided by a player wishing to have full route and cash flow control.

I'm always amazed as how little tolerance to player interactions there's in the bg community. I don't care about multiplayer solitaries (prefer to play solo) and I love some interaction and little bit of luck, so this eurogame checks my boxes. On the contrary, I find A Feast For Odin a little bit blant, precisely for this lack of interaction and randomnes (at the end we tend to follow the same winning start every game). GWT is definitively a keeper and perhaps oine of the best euros out there. If someone has any recommendations for me, feel free to write them down!

In my copy of the game one red tile have mistake (8a/8a). Wrong printed? Despite this, for me it is on the first place in December 2016. Greetings from Poland!

Alexander Pfister is brilliant. Ill make a bet With myself that in 2020 he is my favorite desginer. Now its Stefan Feld, but the way Pfister is going im betting he will pass him

Aways surprised with the reasoning of rahdo 😁 saying being a carebear and then 'choose' to be mean to Co players vs doing what scores himself more points. Taking something away from someone just to take it from them also means your undermining your own strategy and goals. So under the line it doesn't matter. Just choose your own path instead of being mean to the other. Problem solved.

Honestly, this game has such a brilliant design, but the theme doesn't really intrest me at all. I also don't see a way to get my gaming group (partner) to play it either. Its a shame, but I don't think I'm going to get this.

we are also very carebear, my wife didn't like seeland because I closed one of her mills with a 0, and she got angry. Would you say this game has more, less or equal degree of cutthroat than that?

I'm curious as to how long your 2p game was. Ours takes nearly 3 hours.

Which is better, IKI or Great Western Trail? I love IKI.

what is cutthroat in TM?

Taxing your opponents is a big plus for me. Opponents need to learn how to spend their money before reaching these buildings.

So house rule ignore the taxation buildings

Hmm. I don't mind cutthroat, particularly when it isn't excessive. But what I saw of the gameplay in the runthrough just didn't look like anything special to me. Plus I always hate anything that takes away from the theme. Such as "This cattle you've got here? It's worth absolutely nothing because you just sold me another one of the same type." If it was worth LESS that way, it wouldn't bother me... but worth NOTHING bugs me no end. Anyway, different tastes I guess.

I didn't care for the taxation buildings either. you can set up choke points that are either pay me or pay the obstacles

Hi Rahdo, I really love your videos, especially because you have the same taste for games that me and my wife have, and you emphasize 2 players in games. But, the way you explained this game in your runthrough, it seems you kind of misunderstood this game and how you could enjoy playing it, which is sad really, because the game deserves more.

Great Western Trail is the top, best game I'm supposed to like but don't. I don't know if it's because it was introduced to me by a friend I grew apart from and am saddened to be reminded of, or because I simply didn't enjoy the gameplay but, not only do I not like it, I don't understand what the hype is all about. I mean it's higher than Concordia on BBG which is insane.

Rahdo confuses me sometimes- he is a self proclaimed 'care bear' and complains about this games meanness, but has Troyes in his top ten. I love Troyes, possibly my favorite game of all time, but it is hard to play with some people because you are constantly fighting each other and the game itself. How can you possibly complain about the take that in this game when you clearly have no problem with other games that are saturated in it? What about the game is really bothering you?

Didn't you think it was too long?