There’s gold in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and you’ve come to find (or steal) your share. You’re staying at one of the three major establishments in Deadwood where you and your associates are working together to steal some of the gold-filled safes floating around town. But you suspect that the “friends” you’re working with are secretly plotting to keep all the gold for themselves. Will you be ready to turn on them before they shoot you in the back?
In Deadwood 1876, you use cards from your hand to try to win Safes from other players. Safes contain Badges, Gold, or Showdown Guns. Near the end of the game, players with Badges get extra turns. After the final turn, the team with the most Gold will advance to the Final Showdown. There, teammates will have to fight each other to the death using Showdown Guns. The last person alive is the winner!
The game is a balance between teamwork and selfishness. If a player uses all of their best cards to hunt down Gold for their team, they’ll be defenseless to fight against their teammates if they go to the Final Showdown. But if a player only goes after Guns and saves all of their best cards, their team might not have enough Gold to actually reach the Final Showdown. If someone on your team doesn’t seem to be pulling their weight, they might be plotting to steal your gold after using you to get to the Finals! There may come a point where you need to gather Showdown Guns instead of Gold, or attack, mislead, frame, abandon, or banish your own teammates.
Deadwood 1876, volume 3 in the "Dark Cities" series from Facade Games, can have 2-9 players. Learn in 20 minutes, play in 20-40 minutes.
—description from the publisher
- fits Pretzel Games’ style and family-friendly yet strategic
- short interactive with potential for tense reveals
- social deduction can lead to polarization at times
- cowboys, gold, and showdown
- wild west with hidden faction dynamics
- short interactive social deduction
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hidden role / traitor flavor — players have roles that influence who is trusted
- team play with showdown — teams compete and later reveal outcomes to determine winner
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of those games that can be played by anyone
- it's basically Taboo but trap words
- one of the best-looking covers of a ball game I've ever seen
- a dynasty of games that feels different to anything else
References (from this video)
- fits a cooperative/competitive hybrid vibe
- strong visual packaging and theme
- could rely on social dynamics that vary by group
- gold, showdowns, and social interaction
- Wild West with hidden team dynamics
- social deduction with a Western flavor
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- team vs team with showdown — teams compete to gain gold, culminating in a final showdown
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one of those games that can be played by anyone
- it's basically Taboo but trap words
- one of the best-looking covers of a ball game I've ever seen
- a dynasty of games that feels different to anything else
References (from this video)
- portable and easy to bring to shows
- straightforward to teach compared to heavier Euro games
- rule memory can be a bit hazy over time
- outlaw-era town management
- Wild West frontier
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- area/group interaction (abstracted) — Tile-like components and location-based play with modular interactions; casual teaching at shows.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- we are giving away over 50 games across those 24 episodes
- the description is where we will post the winners, never in the comments
- Concordia is a must-have, it's easy to learn but has amazing depth
- this is a gorgeous prototype, they did a great job
- it's easy to get into and has depth—Deserved of our boarding coffee seal of approval
References (from this video)
- strong thematic appeal for fans of social deduction
- high-quality physical components
- not as widely known; harder to source
- may be heavier than lighter social deduction games
- hidden roles in a Western town
- Wild West social deduction
- wooden box persona with thematic heft
- Tortuga 1664
- Salem 1673
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- contained wooden box design — Aesthetic and tactile presentation akin to Tortuga 1664 series.
- social deduction — Players deduce and influence outcomes in a Western setting with wooden components.
Video topics + discussion points
Quotes (from this video)
- this is from I games in Ukraine and this is from one of the designers of mysterium
- we had a lot of laughter with this one
- surprising amount of skill to hitting that Tower
- this is a reversed dungeon cruel
- I had loads of fun with it last night