Western Legends is an open-world cowboy sim rustling up more than a fistful of dollars

Where better for a sandbox than the dusty, gritty expanse of the Wild West?

Western Legends is a new rootin’, tootin’ board game stirring up Kickstarter with its promise of an open world for players to live out a cowboy adventure.

Designed by newcomer Hervé Lemaître, Western Legends takes an interesting approach to setting players loose in the world of bandits, sheriffs and gunslingers, offering something that sounds almost more akin to a light RPG than a board game.

Players can become one of 12 different real-life western legends, such as Billy the Kid or Annie Oakley, each with unique abilities. They can then choose on which side of the law they fall, working either as a marshal or outlaw – one player might choose to mine for gold and store it in the bank, for instance, while another might try to rob the bank and escape with the riches.

There’s a flexible, simulation feel to the gameplay, with no set route to victory; players can fight bandits or rustle cattle one turn, only to relax with a game of poker the next.

Scattered around the map board are classic western locations, including a doctor, cabaret and general store, that grant different ways to reach a selection of 48 goal cards and earn the player their status as a legend.

Sticking with the theme, the action deck is made up of a full deck of 52 playing cards that double as action cards, while 40 story cards drive the narrative atmosphere of each 90 minute game.

Having launched on Kickstarter a week ago, Western Legends has already rustled up more than four times its $60,000 (£43,506) goal, with the campaign set to run until January 29th.

It’s the first game out of the newly-opened Kolossal Games studio, headed up by a founder of Aeon’s End, Heroes Wanted and Kodama publisher Action Phase Games, Travis R. Chance. Starting its year on a high note, Kolossal has since announced six more Kickstarter campaigns in the works for 2018, plus other releases from designers including Race for the Galaxy creator Tom Lehmann, Brass and A Handful of Stars designers Martin Wallace, and Cry Havoc's Grant Rodiek.

Having spent eight months in development already, Western Legends is due for a release at Gen Con this August.