
- BGG rating
- 10.0
Frontier: The Card Game – Badlands
- 1–4 players
- 30–90 min
- 2019

2017
Rules assistance for Frontier: The Card Game
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Frontier: The Card Game is a board game released in 2017 for 1–4 players, 30–90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Joshua McMurray and its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Trading.
Do you have what it takes to be the greatest outlaw that ever lived? Grab your supplies and head out into the Old West! Survive the harsh conditions by making important decisions. Prepare to win duels against some of the West's most notable gunslingers by buying, selling, and trading supplies. Avoid calamities like dust devils, bounty hunters, and droughts. Kill a few critters. Rob a few banks and trains. Earn notoriety, keep supplies, stay alive, and collect bounties. With a little luck, you'll make your mark on history! Each player's turn comprises of either buying or selling from three Store Cards (Saloon, Mercantile, and Gunsmith)and using Rations to gain Stamina. Once that part of the turn is completed, 1 card is revealed (based on Notoriety gained throughout the deck)from the massive 173 card deck. There are four card types within the deck: Duel Cards, Critter Cards, Range Cards, and Calamity Cards. Depending on what is revealed, you might have to use your bullets to defeat a Duel Card or Critter Card, you might have to forfeit supplies or cards when a Calamity is encountered, and you might gain supplies when a Range Card is revealed. The game ends when all 9 Duel Cards have been defeated or when every other player has died. Then each player calculates their Bounty! Highest Bounty wins!
Frontier: The Card Game 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 Frontier: The Card Game is 30–90 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 Frontier: The Card Game for ages 12 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.
Frontier: The Card Game has a complexity rating of 1.3 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.
Frontier: The Card Game belongs to these categories: American West. Its main mechanics are Player Elimination and Trading. 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 Frontier: The Card Game are: Joshua McMurray. 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 Frontier: The Card Game 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.