The Oregon Trail Card Game (2016) Review

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 The Oregon Trail Card Game (2016)

Theme: linear card-based mapping system based on The Oregon Trail computer simulation

Team: Pressman Toy Corporation

Players: 2-6 (~4 preferred)

Style: Cooperative

Balance: Downhill

Complexity: Basic

Time: 30-45min (usually ~10min)


Components

Y Card

Y Dice

N Meeples 

N Trackers

N Social/Negotiation

N Building 

N Leveling


Mechanics

N Keyword

N Symbols

N Drafting


Pros

  • Theming of the Resource, Trail, and Calamity cards are of great reference to iconic computer simulation of the same name

  • Boxed contents are lightweight and condensed for easy transport


Cons

  • Entirely random outcomes without any sort of planning affecting the outcome, especially a concern with instant-death Calamity cards that cannot be countered

  • Rule dictations are inconsistent between various cards

  • Components are of questionable quality with the cards being somewhat flimsy, the die appearing to have little contrast regarding numbering, and the marker included to mark the unnecessary player board losing its ink very quickly

  • Absence of arguably the best part of the original simulation: the ‘Hunt for Food’ minigame


Closing Notes

The entirety of this card game is a gimmick to play off of nostalgia without allowing The Oregon Trail computer simulation to thrive in a tabletop format. Even the back of the box makes an unintentional falsity by stating that, “You may…Decide which of your friends will die of dysentery,” when there is no choices to this game except when deciding which supplies to lose to rivers or what supplies to gain through the two types of town cards; choosing to utilize Resource cards to combat various Calamity effects is considered an option but must be committed if the group is to even attempt to complete the game. Though our group breaks this game out every now and then to attempt a run at Oregon, I cannot recommend this title. Thanks for reading.


Do you feel this review helped in any way? Feel free to visit my Curator Page at Spearpoint Reviews on Steam.

Originally posted on September 26, 2022.

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