The Oregon Trail Card Game (2016)

About this game

Description from the publisher: "Based on the classic computer game" According to the box: "You may: 1. Travel the trail 2. Work together to overcome calamities 3. Get at least one member of your party to Oregon 4. Stop and rest 5. Decide which of your friends will die of dysentery 6. Write your name on a tombstone What is your choice?" All sorts of gruesome deaths await you and the rest of your wagon party in this official multi-player card game version of the classic computer game. To win you’ll need to keep one player alive all the way from Independence, MO to the Willamette Valley. But between rattlesnakes, starvation, dead oxen, broken bones, dysentery, and a host of other calamities the odds are long . . . almost as long as the Oregon Trail itself. Players work together to move along the trail, fording rivers and playing Supply Cards to overcome calamities. But be warned–there will be times when it makes sense to let one of your wagon mates succumb to a calamity rather than expend precious supplies. And every time players go the way of all flesh, you’ll flip over the roster card and write their names on tombstones (don’t forget to include a quick epitaph). It’s a great way to relive your fond memories of one of the world’s most beloved computer games, and to kill off your family and friends at the same time.

Does it fit your group?

• Group size. Works with 2 to 6.
• Rules load. At 1.2/5 this is a light game — explain it in a few minutes, good for a table that has not played much.
• Age. The publisher suggests 12 and up. That rates the rules rather than the artwork, so judge the box yourself for younger players.