Western Legends: Blood Money Expansion Review

Welcome back to the Wild West, where robbing banks is as encouraged as capturing bandits! Western Legends was released over a decade ago, and in my review of the base game I noted that I was super disappointed to have missed this game all those years ago. I enjoyed the base game so much that Kolossal Games sent over a slew of expansions and extra content, including Blood Money! Let’s explore what comes in the box, and which parts of this expansion I liked, and what I was lukewarm on!

The best way to break this down is to go over each bit of the expansion, so this won’t be a traditional review like you might see from me. Instead, check out these brief paragraphs below for all the different aspects added into Western Legends: Blood Money!

More Characters: More characters for Western Legends is never a bad thing. I don’t think there is a shortage of characters to begin with personally, but as a throw in with each expansion, I like the idea of more choice. Worth buying for just this? Absolutely not, but it’s nice to see it added into the box. These characters also include all their goal cards as well!

Traveling Trader: I’m a huge fan of the traveling trader, even if where he turns up each turn is completely random (based on a card flip). Getting access to a wide array of weapons and items NOT from a general store is a pretty big deal, especially if you are trying to avoid towns at all costs. The array of goods available from the traveling trader are pretty good, and it makes visiting them well worth it. The little vehicle miniature is awesome as well, and while it is yet another thing you need to think about between turns, I think it’s an easy-to-add module for Western Legends that just makes the experience more thematic and fun! Plus, the traveling trader sells Legendary Items as well!

Wound Cards: Wound cards are another great addition to the game. Once you are wounded past your maximum you can continue to take wounds, but will get these cards instead of depleting your hand size. These wounds are still worth -1 Legendary Point at the end of the game, AND they can be removed like any other wound by visiting the doctor and paying $10. It’s worth noting that these cards don’t just net you lost LP, but they also restrict what you can do, like removing your ability to use special effects on cards. Having these will allow players to be a bit more reckless throughout the game, but at a cost. And the new wound cards lead us to the…

Risk Die: Of all the modules included in Blood Money, this is the one I like the least. Anyone can roll this die at any time, but you are taking a huge risk when you do it, hence the name. You can receive wounds instantly, after deciding whether to take $10, move your character a space, or draw a Poker Card. There are obviously times when these types of benefits might seem beneficial, but we found the risk rarely makes the ‘reward’ worth it. On the plus side, when you do roll the die, there is a (small) chance at earning some Story Points!

Deeds: This is another no-brainer to add to your game of Western Legends. With their extra cash, players can now buy Deed cards. These cards will provide a one-time use benefit during the game – may be moving to a bank and depositing nuggets – after which the card is flipped and there will be end game scoring, such as earning 1 LP per deed you own at the end of the game. This is yet another way players can earn points during the game, and while it does water down point-earning in a game with 2-3 players, it’s such a great addition in 4+ player games!

Legendary Stories: One of the things I thought I would like more in the base game of Western Legends was the story deck, but we quickly realized that the story decks were pretty simplistic and only provided a set number of benefits, on repeat. The Legendary Stories deck and board replace this if you choose to use it, and it is so much more interesting. There is a new track that players can move up as they add to the Legendary Story which provides a variety of benefits.

Blood Money also includes updated player aids, and these aids are really awesome and provide a lot of detail. I thought I would be running back to the rule book a lot when playing Western Legends (either standalone or with expansions) but that never seemed to be the case. If you love Western Legends and really enjoy tabling it with friends, Blood Money just adds more to the experience. You can play with whichever of these modules you want, and while we enjoyed some more than others, they are all worthy of being included. Overall, this is a fantastic expansion, and one I recommend a ton!