Spurs: A Tale in the Old West Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Setup
• Turn Structure
• Bullets and Shooting
• Spur Tokens
• Character Movement
• A) Duel
• B) Visit Town
  • General Store
  • Sheriff's Office
  • Doctor's Office
  • Saloon
  • Lucky Boot Bank
• C) Resolve a Challenge
  • Standard Rules for All Challenge Types
  • Horse Breaking Challenge
  • Cattle Challenge
  • Hunting Challenge
  • Outlaw Challenge
  • Gold Challenge
  • Desperado Challenge
• D) Rest
• End of Game and Scoring

Game Setup

Establish a target number of Fame Points that, once reached, immediately ends the game:

• 10 points for a standard game
• 15 points for a medium game
• 20 points for an epic game

For board and player setup instructions, refer to the Rulebook or the Setup Checklist found on BGG.

Turn Structure

SPURS is structured using player turns. Each turn boils down to two parts:

1. Player's Character Moves (always optional)
2. Player's Character Does Something or rests

Gameplay continues with players taking turns in a clockwise direction.

Players earn "Fame" Points by winning Duels, completing Challenges, or through various activities in town. Bonus points are awarded for Most Bullets, Most Wanted Posters, and Most Money.

The game ends immediately upon a player reaching the target number of Fame Points agreed upon during game setup. A final point tally determines the winner.

Bullets and Shooting

All bullet tokens are used for shooting.

• Revolvers shoot grey bullets. Rifles shoot brown bullets. White bullets are improved ammo and work for both weapons. Black bullets are always a miss. Red bullets are dual-purposed to indicate an injury suffered by a character, and a miss.
• A player is limited to 3 red bullets in their bag at any time. For each additional red bullet to be taken above the limit, instead reduce Fame Points by one.
• For any shooting action, the player draws bullet tokens from their bullet bag.
• When shooting a revolver: grey or white is a HIT. All other colors are a MISS.
• When shooting a rifle: brown or white is a HIT. All other colors are a MISS.
• When using a revolver, the brown bullets stay in the bag, and vice versa for a rifle.
• After any shooting is complete, return all drawn bullets to the bag except for white bullets, which when drawn become one-time use and must be returned to the box.

Spur Tokens

• Exchange Spurs for Performance Boosts to be applied anytime during the remainder of your turn. For each Spur token discarded, available Performance Boosts are:
  • An extra red Movement die and an extra blue Riding die
  • Draw an extra object from a bag
  • To take advantage of a Performance Boost, the Spur token must be discarded before the movement, challenge, or dice roll to be boosted has begun. (That is, you can't decide to spend a Spur half way through a challenge.) Once discarded, all above boosts are freely available for the remainder of the turn.
• Alternatively, you may discard a Spur to immediately re-roll any one die. The effect of the spent Spur is good only for this one re-roll.

Character Movement

Character movement consists of two sub-steps:

1. Roll a number of red dice equal to the character's Riding Skill. The two highest dice combined equal the character's movement point allowance. Add 1 if you have a horse.
2. Using the movement costs below, move your character to a desired territory or town without exceeding your movement point allowance.

Movement point costs to enter a terrain type:

• Badlands and Prairies = 1
• Forests = 2*
• Mountains = 3*

Note: Moving from Forest to Forest, or from Mountain to Mountain, costs only 1 point.

• Territories can only be entered from an adjacent territory.
• Towns are considered to be in the territory that their arrow is pointed at, so it doesn't cost extra to move into a town.
• Red Bullet icons block movement: if a territory you enter has a Challenge token with a Red Bullet icon, your character MUST STOP and take on that challenge!

After movement, a character may take one of the following actions:

A) Duel or B) Visit Town or C) Resolve a Challenge

A) Duel

You may duel another player in the same territory!

• Refer to the rules for conducting a Duel.
• Win with two hits unless playing with the single bullet alternative rule.
• Note that declaring a premature win during the duel results in shooting yourself!

The winner collects:

• ONE Fame Point (or TWO if the loser was more famous).
• $20 for each Wanted Poster held by the loser. (Discard the Wanted tokens.)
• May choose to steal from the loser, one item from the below list. The cost for stealing is to receive a "Wanted Poster" token.
  • Half of their money (rounded up), or
  • A Gold Nugget, or
  • An Equipment card (except Training or Henchmen), or
  • A carried Challenge Token, or
  • An escorted Stagecoach (event card)

The loser:

• Puts a Red Injury Bullet in their bag
• Takes one Spur token
• May immediately move to any Town

B) Visit Town

You may visit each building in a town as desired. When in Town, a character may visit one or more buildings (but no more than one visit per building per turn). For each building, a character may accomplish any of the following.

General Store

• Buy an Equipment card that's on display next to the town and replace it with a new card. May then repeat as desired. Limit: can never carry more than one of each name of Equipment at any time.
• Pay $5 to discard and replace all three displayed Equipment cards. Repeat as desired.
• Sell Animal Pelts or Broken Horses for Fame and Cash! (Discard their challenge tokens and collect the Fame and Cash indicated on the token.)

Sheriff's Office

• Turn in one or more captured Outlaws for Fame and Reward! (Discard their Challenge token(s) and collect the Fame and Reward Money indicated.)

Doctor's Office

• Freely draw (only) two bullets from your bag and return any Red Injury bullets to stock.
• You may also simply pay $5 per Red Injury bullet to remove it from your bag.

Saloon

• Draw a Saloon Card and follow its instructions. Perhaps you'll earn some fame!
• Pay $40 to buy a round for everyone so as to immediately receive one Fame Point. Repeat as desired!

Lucky Boot Bank

• Sell Gold Nuggets for $15 each. Return sold nuggets to the box (NOT the bag).
• Rob the Bank of All Its Cash!
  • Immediately receive a "Wanted Poster" token for simply attempting the robbery.
  • Your character must overcome the Bank's security guard by declaring weapon of choice and drawing 2 hits (use same shooting method as fighting an outlaw).
  • Successfully overcoming the guard reaps your character all the Money in the bank (but no gold) and One Fame Point. (Do not replace the stolen money at this time.)
  • If the guard stopped your character, take a Red Injury Bullet. The money remains safe in the bank.

C) Resolve a Challenge

You may attempt the Challenge in any territory upon which you ended your movement.

Note: If you move and there's a Challenge token with a Red Bullet icon in any location you enter, your character MUST stop and take on that challenge instead of doing any other action!

There are six types of Challenges: Horse, Cattle, Hunting, Fight an Outlaw, Fight Desperados, Dig for Gold.

Standard Rules for All Challenge Types

• All "shooting challenges" require drawing bullets. The standard number to draw is three. The player may always add to the number by using Spurs or Equipment Cards.
• After successfully resolving a challenge, and depending on its type, you will:
  • Earn the reward shown on the token, either immediately or upon visiting Town, and
  • Either discard the Challenge token or keep it for your character to carry.
  • Also, no matter the challenge: draw an Event Card to determine the terrain of the replacement token. Draw a matching Challenge token and place it on the board. Do not place it on or adjacent to your current location, nor in a territory with another Challenge token.
  • Then apply the remainder of the Event Card just drawn.
• If your character fails the challenge, your turn ends immediately. The Challenge token remains in place (except for Gold Challenge tokens, which are always treated as successful, despite actual outcome).

Horse Breaking Challenge

Break that wild horse!

• Use the Mini Board. Put the Rider token in the center to start and randomly place a Terrain Obstacle token on each "X".
• The number of rounds required in order to break the horse is indicated on the token.
• For each round, roll a number of blue dice equal to the character's Riding Skill.
• Choose one die result and move the Rider from its current hex, accordingly.
  • Landing on Clear Terrain = Continue to next round
  • Landing on a rock or going off the board = Immediate Failed challenge
  • Landing on a thorny bush = Take a Red Bullet and continue to next round, or Decide to Quit (= Failed Challenge)
• Completing the required number of rounds = Successfully breaking the horse and a successful challenge! Take and carry the Challenge token. It represents your new horse. With a horse in your possession, you can:
  • Sell it at a General Store for the cash value and Fame Points indicated on the token.
  • Add 1 to your Movement Point allowance (no matter the number of horses carried).

Cattle Challenge

Help the local rancher round up cattle, or rob him instead!

Cattle Round-Up Option

• Use the Mini Board. Place a Cattle token on each "X" and the three remaining Cattle tokens per a d6 roll (limit 1 token per hex).
• Time limit = number of rounds indicated on the token.
• For each round, put the Rider on top of any Cattle token and roll a number of blue dice equal to the character's Riding Skill.
• Choose one die result and move the Cattle token with the Rider on it, accordingly. (Push any blocking Cattle tokens in the same direction.)
• Any cattle wandering off the board = Immediate Failed Challenge!
• Completing the required rounds without losing any cattle = Successful Challenge!
• Forming a herd at any time before the time limit = Successful Challenge and Fame!
  • A Herd = All cattle are formed in one group and each Cattle token is adjacent to at least two other Cattle tokens.
• For a successful challenge, immediately receive $5 for each Cattle that's adjacent to at least two other Cattle, in one group only. If you formed a herd, also claim the fame indicated on the Challenge token. Discard the Challenge token.

Robbing the Rancher Option

• Your character may rob the Rancher instead of helping round up his cattle. Simply collect $15 and a "Wanted Poster" token. This action is treated as a successful Cattle challenge. Discard the Challenge token.

Hunting Challenge

Hunt various animals for their pelts.

• Use your rifle only for this hunting challenge. Draw bullets from your bag.
• If you draw at least as many hits as required by the Challenge token, you successfully kill the animal and win the challenge! Take and carry the Challenge token as it represents your pelt. Sell it to a General Store to collect the cash value and Fame Points indicated on the token.
• If you don't kill the animal, the challenge is failed.
• Also, if you fail to kill an animal marked with a Red Bullet icon, it injures YOU instead! Take a Red Bullet.

Outlaw Challenge

Challenge a Wanted Outlaw to a gunfight!

• Use your revolver only for this dangerous challenge. Draw bullets from your bag.
• If you draw at least as many hits as required by the Challenge token, you successfully defeat the Wanted Outlaw and win the challenge! Take and carry the Challenge token as it represents the captured outlaw. Return it to a Sheriff's office to collect the reward money and Fame Points indicated on the token.
• If you don't defeat the outlaw, the challenge is failed.
• Also, if you fail to defeat an outlaw marked with a Red Bullet icon, he injures YOU instead! Take a Red Bullet.

Gold Challenge

Dig for gold! But watch for those Desperados!

• Draw as many nuggets from the Gold/Stones bag as shown on the token.
• Hold onto any Gold drawn (temporarily) and return all stones to the bag.
• Then fight as many Desperados as indicated on the Challenge token, using the same rules as for a Desperado Challenge (below).
• If you defeat all the desperados, keep any rewards listed on their cards and the gold you found. Sell the gold at the Lucky Boot Bank.
• Upon the first desperado you fail to defeat, they take the gold from you and they injure you as well! Take a Red Bullet. The challenge ends.
• Regardless of its outcome, this challenge is treated as a successful challenge. Discard the Challenge token.

Desperado Challenge

Gunfight one, or a gang of Desperados! (These rules are also used when fighting desperados during a Gold Challenge.)

• (Standard Rule) The Challenge token shows the number of desperados to be defeated. Reveal each Desperado card when required, from the top of the deck, one at a time.
• (House Rule) Draw all at once from the top of the deck, as many Desperado cards as required by the Challenge token. If more than one, when required you will then reveal one card at a time from those drawn.
• The top right corner of each card indicates the weapon, and hits required to win.
• After revealing the first (or only) card, draw all the bullets you plan to draw for this challenge (standard = 3). These will be the only bullets used for the entire challenge.
• For the desperado just revealed, if you drew at least as many hits as required by the card, you successfully defeat him. Take the rewards shown on the card immediately.
• Now reveal the next Desperado (if any) to determine the weapon type and number of hits required to defeat him.
• For this and each subsequent desperado, use the same bullets drawn previously, but do not consider bullets which were counted as hits for any desperados defeated earlier in the round! In other words, any bullets counted as a hit for the current desperado cannot be the same bullets used as a hit for earlier desperados.
• If enough of the remaining eligible bullets match the requirement to defeat the current desperado then you've defeated him! Take that card's rewards immediately.
• If there's a third desperado, repeat the above three steps.
• If you defeat each of the Desperados required by the challenge, it's a Successful Challenge! Discard the Challenge token and discard all Desperado cards used.
• Upon the first desperado you fail to defeat, he injures you (take a Red Bullet) and the Challenge is failed. If the challenge is a "Desperado Gang", then also:
  • (Standard Rule) Keep the desperado who defeated you on the board (next to the Challenge token). The next character to take on this gang will start with this card and will have to draw two more to defeat the gang. (Does not apply for a Gold Challenge.)
  • (House Rule) Any Desperado card(s) which were drawn and are undefeated become the rest of the gang and remain on the board (next to the Challenge token). The next character to take on this gang will have to defeat the remaining desperados for a successful challenge. (Does not apply for a Gold Challenge.)

D) Rest

You may rest instead of doing an action.

• Either simply pass the remainder of your turn without taking an action, or use an Equipment Card that works when resting.

End of Game and Scoring

• End the game immediately upon a player reaching the target number of Fame Points.
• Each player's score is the number of Fame Points achieved at Game End, PLUS any bonus points earned from the "Most" Markers. (Do NOT count Red and Black bullets toward the "Most Bullets" bonus.)
• Ties are broken by the player with the most money. If still tied, then Duel to determine the winner!