Quick Look:
Designer: Bruno Cathala
Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Blue Orange Games
Year Published: 2013
No. of Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 15 minutes
Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com
Review:
Longhorn by Blue Orange Games is a quick, abstract strategy game for 2-players. With only about 15 minutes of game time, the strategy involved is surprisingly deep, and is a solid game for both kids and adults.

Setup is quite simple. First, mix up the 9 location tiles and randomly place them on the table to form a 3x3 square. Randomly choose 9 action tokens and place then on each location on the off-colored box in the bottom right of the location cards. NOTE: If you chose the Sheriff token, it always goes on Nugget Hill. The others are placed randomly.

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About the Author:
Benjamin Kocher hails from Canada but now lives in Utah with his wife and kids. He's a freelance blogger and budding game designer. As an avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with a rich, engaging theme. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and read his board game-inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.


Artist: Vincent Dutrait
Publisher: Blue Orange Games
Year Published: 2013
No. of Players: 2
Ages: 8+
Playing Time: 15 minutes
Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com
Longhorn by Blue Orange Games is a quick, abstract strategy game for 2-players. With only about 15 minutes of game time, the strategy involved is surprisingly deep, and is a solid game for both kids and adults.
Rules and Setup:
Setup is quite simple. First, mix up the 9 location tiles and randomly place them on the table to form a 3x3 square. Randomly choose 9 action tokens and place then on each location on the off-colored box in the bottom right of the location cards. NOTE: If you chose the Sheriff token, it always goes on Nugget Hill. The others are placed randomly.
The Sheriff always goes on Nugget Hill. |
Next
you randomly place the various cows on the location tiles according to the
number of cows stated on the bottom right of each tile.
Blackstone Corral shows 5 cows go here for setup, so here are 5 random cows. |
Each
player chooses one of the two outlaws. To decide who goes first, flip the
Outlaw token in the air, like a coin. Whichever side is facing up will begin
play. The other player (he who goes second) chooses the starting location from
the location tiles that show four cows. The Outlaw token is placed on the
chosen location with the starting player's outlaw picture facing up.
Rules
The
rules to Longhorn are also pretty simple. The active player must do two things.
- Steal cattle
- Move and turn over the Outlaw token
Game Play:
As
mentioned above, game play happens in two parts: stealing cattle and moving.
Steal Cattle
The
active player must steal cattle from
the location in which they are placed. To do this, the active player chooses a
color and must steal all of the
cattle of the chosen color. That player then keeps these cattle in front of
them, forming the herd. Each player will have a herd, and the herd will score
points at the end of the game. The points vary, however, so more will be spoken
of that later.
If
the active player steals the last cow on a location tile, then that player must apply the effect of the action
token. Most of the action tokens help the active player (i.e. Gold Nuggets give
you more points at the end of the game), but there are some to watch out for,
including the Rattlesnake—which discards cows from your herd—and the
Sheriff—which makes you immediately lose the game (drat).
Jessie Artist Bird stole the last of the cattle from Blackstone Corral, so he gets the Snake Oil, which lets him take another turn immediately. |
Move
The
number of location tiles moved depends on how many cattle you stole on your
turn. In a nutshell, you move the number of cattle stolen. For example, if you
stole four cattle, you would move the Outlaw token four location tiles away.
No matter which color this player chooses, he will move 2 spaces. |
Sound
easy? It is. And yet…
When
moving, you may only go vertically or horizontally (never diagonally), and must
never return to a location tile you have already been on (i.e. the one you
started your turn on, or one you passed along your move). Once you’ve moved the
appropriate number of spaces, flip over the Outlaw token. It is now the other
player’s turn.
If
you have the choice to moving the Outlaw token to a dangerous location (i.e.
Sheriff or Rattlesnake) that the other player had just been on, you must move the outlaw token to a
different space, if that option exists. Basically, you can’t have one player
start on the same dangerous location twice in a row. A different dangerous
location, yes, but not the same one from his or her previous turn.
Yessiree, Nugget Hill is one dangerous location. |
Game End and Scoring
There
are three ways the game can end:
- An outlaw is forced to activate the Sheriff token (this player loses)
- An outlaw acquires 9 cows of the same color (this player wins…unless he is forced to activate the Sheriff token at the same time, in which case he loses)
- There are no locations with cattle to steal within the range of the last raid (add scores; highest wins)
If
end condition #3 is met, then each player tallies their score in the following
manner:
Each
cow in your herd is worth $100 for each
cow of the same color still on the main board. Meaning, if there are 2 red
cows left on the board, and you have 3 red cows in your possession, you get
$200 for each red cow you own, for a
total of $600. If there are no cows of a particular color left on the main
board, then those cows are worth nothing (single tear).
And,
of course, any Gold Nuggets you collect from action tiles are added to your
score. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins.
Theme and Mechanics:
The
Old West theme is well incorporated into the game, with detailed location tiles
and action tokens that relate to the theme as well. And, of course, the “Wanted
Dead or Alive” mug shots that make up the players’ character tokens.
The
mechanics are varied, including set collection, area influence, and grid
movement.
The
moving mechanic is interesting, and makes for some pretty interesting
decisions. You don’t want to move to a particular location because it would
give your opponent the opportunity to use an action tile (possibly against
you). However, moving to a different location might set up the other player to
place you in a not-so-good location.
The
set collection is used for scoring, and the number of cows of a certain color
you want to collect will vary throughout the game, depending on how many the
other player has and how many are left on the main board, in order to maximize
your points.
Grid
movement is pretty simple to figure out in Longhorn. Simply move the Outlaw
token in an orthogonal fashion according to the number of cows stolen each
turn.
Artwork and Components:

The
art is your classic Old West images, with everything from homesteads to
abandoned mines. The is well done and highly detailed, and help convey the
theme quite nicely. I’m a fan.
The Good:
The
gameplay is simple, yet engaging. Likewise, the games don’t last long (about 15
minutes), but the strategy involved is surprisingly deep.
It’s
great for a younger audience as well as adults.
The
artwork is wonderful.
The Bad:
While fun and enjoyable, I can't see myself playing this game a lot in a short span of time. It's good for a game or two here or there, but feels like it would get stale after quite a few plays. Of course, that's just my opinion, and could be much different for you.
While fun and enjoyable, I can't see myself playing this game a lot in a short span of time. It's good for a game or two here or there, but feels like it would get stale after quite a few plays. Of course, that's just my opinion, and could be much different for you.
Final Thoughts:
As
far as short, light strategy games go, Longhorn is a solid choice. It’s easy to
learn, and your young kids could most likely pick up on the strategy without a
problem. It’s a good choice for those times when you want to play something,
but don’t have the time (or brain power) for something longer.
Players Who Like:
If
you like to play games with your significant other but they’re just not into
the heavier games you are, this one will make both of you happy. If you like
quick games, or games with set collection, Longhorn might be a good addition to
your game library.
I am giving Longhorn 7
out of 10 super meeples.

Benjamin Kocher hails from Canada but now lives in Utah with his wife and kids. He's a freelance blogger and budding game designer. As an avid writer of science fiction and fantasy, it comes as no surprise that his favorite board games are those with a rich, engaging theme. When he’s not writing or playing games, Benjamin loves to play ultimate Frisbee, watch and play rugby, and read the most epic fantasy books available. Follow him on Twitter @BenjaminKocher and read his board game-inspired fiction at BenjaminKocher.com.

Longhorn Review
Reviewed by Dave Merrell
on
January 26, 2018
Rating:

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