Western Legends Components Overview and Impressions

Western Legends might just be the cowboy sandbox game I wanted to table with friends. I have a pirate themed game in that vein – shoutout to Dead Man’s Doubloons – but I’ve always wanted a great cowboy themed experience. Sure, I do enjoy BANG! and Colt Express, but that isn’t quite what I want. After just one game of Western Legends, I know that this is the cowboy game I’ve always wanted to play.

But this isn’t our review article of Western Legends, as we will need to play it a lot more before we can do that. But what I can talk about is the components in this game, and they are pretty good. There are a few things that might cause some concern, so let’s lay those out here. The board, while beautifully detailed, isn’t always as clear on the boundaries of specific spaces. I personally didn’t have an issue, but some of my newer-to-the-hobby friends had some issues. The second thing worth noting is that while the General Store box is incredibly handy, and fits into the box after being constructed, it does take a bit of work and it can be a bit fiddly. I suggest getting this done prior to your first game! Finally, there are going to be some complaints about the miniatures included in the box, and that deserves a longer discussion.

I’m of two opinions when it comes to miniatures in the box. If the game is a miniatures driven game, like Descent: Legends of the Dark or Star Wars: Imperial Assault, the miniatures should have a certain level of detail, more so than in games where miniatures are secondary. See, in the previous games i mentioned, a pawn cannot easily replace the miniatures in the game. So in my opinion, those miniatures should be super detailed. In Western Legends, the miniatures are more than OK in my opinion, but I’ve read some opinions online that say the quality of the sculptures isn’t as good as people would like.

Personally I find this a ridiculous statement – this isn’t a miniatures game, and Kolossal Games could have easily just included wooden pawns to represent players. I think the addition of miniatures for the players and the bandits is a really neat touch, and while I can admit they are not the greatest miniatures I’ve ever seen, they are MORE than OK for this experience.

Now onto the good, and let’s be frank: everything here is very good. The artwork, both on the board and on the various cards, is phenomenal. I especially love the look of the Poker deck cards, all beautifully detailed and easy to read as well. The board is also really well done. I’m not sure if they took any inspiration from Red Dead Redemption, but it honestly looks like a Red Dead Redemption in-game map, and I think that’s amazing. While there might be some complaints about where spaces on the board actually are, I think the entire board is detailed and easily identifiable. I never had issues noting where the bank was, the ranch, etc.

The game also includes little plastic nuggets that players can mine and return to the bank for points. Hats off to the design and production team on making these little 3D nuggets instead of cardboard chits, which could have easily been the route they went. And when the game does use little chits, the quality is outstanding. I had no complaints with the cattle tokens, Legendary Point tokens, etc.

There is a lot to love about Western Legends, not only in the gameplay but also in how the game looks when it’s on the table. It’s a game that makes people stop and say, “Oh, what is this!” It’s a game that folks want to play, and one I cannot wait to teach again and again. If you are looking for a quality cowboy sandbox adventure, and you don’t feel like loading up your PlayStation 5, I think Western Legends is the game you are looking for!