- BGG rating
- 6.4
End of the Trail: Outlaw Mini-Expansion
- 1–4 players
- 20–40 min
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #13,130
- BGG rating
- 6.6
End of the Trail
2018
Rules assistance for End of the Trail
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 1–4 players
- 20–40 min
- 10+
- Complexity 1.8/5
For 1 player
Rules assistant for End of the Trail
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
End of the Trail is a board game released in 2018 for 1–4 players, 20–40 minutes per game, and ages 10 and up. It was designed by Mike Hinson and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Push Your Luck.
Expansions
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About the game
End of the Trail is a competitive card game for 1-4 prospectors and fortune seekers. Players manage a hand of cards to secure transportation, prospect land, and take a shot at winning a title to more land at the poker table. Cards have three uses, each corresponding to a particular phase of the game: to prospect land tiles and discover how much gold a claim will produce, to collect and play cards that build a good poker hand, and to purchase additional cards in auction to help with prospecting, poker, or both. Prospecting land is a risky business. Players must choose their cards carefully, as they have limited chances to discover the most bountiful sources of gold. Each time they play a card and peek at a land tile, they must decide if they will stake a claim, placing their prospector’s tent, or if they will press their luck and try to find a better claim. But if a new land tile that they peek at produces less gold than their most previous inspected tile, the player’s luck has run out, and they are forced to accept the less bountiful claim. In the California Gold Rush, fortunes were won and lost at the poker table. At the end of each round, players must select two of the cards they played for prospecting and add them to the stud poker hand in front of them on the table. At the end of the game, players reveal their poker hands. The player with the best poker hand wins another claim, placing their fourth and final prospector’s tent on a land tile. At the end of the game, all hidden values are revealed and players add up the gold of their various claims. The player with the most gold wins. —description from the publisher
Designers
Publishers
- Elf Creek Games
Questions and answers
End of the Trail supports 1–4 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for End of the Trail is 20–40 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists End of the Trail for ages 10 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
End of the Trail has a complexity rating of 1.8 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
End of the Trail belongs to these categories: Card Game, Bluffing, and Exploration. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Push Your Luck. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of End of the Trail are: Mike Hinson. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists End of the Trail as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.