Overview

Boomtown is a fast-paced auction and dice game set during the Gold Rush. Players are prospectors bidding on mining concessions, collecting gold when dice match their mines’ production numbers, and using event cards for special advantages. The game features five color-coded towns, a mayor mechanic for controlling towns, and various event cards including holdups, saloons, and dynamite. The player with the highest score (gold + mine values + mayor bonuses) wins.

Components

• 60 Cards (45 mining concessions and 15 events)
• 2 Dice
• 5 Mayor pawns (color-coded to match towns)
• 10 Boomtown tokens
• Poker chips in values of 1 (white), 5 (red), and 10 (blue) representing gold

Setup

1. Each player starts with 10 gold in poker chips. The bank makes change as needed.
2. Shuffle all cards and place them facedown as the drawing deck.
3. Place dice, poker chips (bank), town tokens, and mayor pawns near the deck.
4. In a 3-player game, optionally remove 15 cards randomly (without looking) for a shorter game.
5. Randomly determine the first player.

Turn Structure

Each turn follows these steps:

1. Drawing Cards

Draw as many cards as there are players from the deck and place them face-up in a row. On the first turn only, all revealed cards must be mining concessions; reshuffle and redraw if events appear.

2. Bidding

Starting with the first player and proceeding clockwise:

• Players may bid or pass. Passing eliminates you from the auction (no re-entry).
• Each subsequent player may overbid or pass.
• Continue until all but one player have passed. The remaining player is the highest bidder.
• A player may not bid more gold than they possess.
• If all players pass, the first player (who passed first) is considered the highest bidder.

3. Paying Bids

4-5 players: The highest bidder pays the full amount to the player on their right. That player keeps half (rounded up) and passes the rest to the next player on the right, who also keeps half (rounded up), continuing until nothing remains. The highest bidder never receives any of their own payment back.

3 players: The highest bidder pays the player on their right, who keeps half (rounded up) and passes the rest right. That player keeps half (rounded up) and gives the remainder to the bank.

4. Choosing Cards

The highest bidder chooses one card first. Then the player to their left chooses, continuing leftward until each player has one card.

• Mining concessions are placed face-up in front of the player.
• If taking a mine in a town with a mayor (another player), pay the mayor gold equal to the number of mines the mayor owns in that town.
• Event cards have special rules (see Events).

5. Production

The first player rolls both dice. Every mining concession whose production die number equals the sum of the dice produces gold. The mine’s owner receives gold from the bank equal to the mine’s production value.

The turn ends and the next turn begins with the auction winner as the new first player.

Actions

Mayors

• Mines are grouped by town (5 towns, each color-coded: Cactus Junction=green, Cold Mountain=purple, Coyote City=red, Dry Gulch=yellow, San Narciso=blue).
• The first player to own 2 mines in the same town becomes mayor and takes that town’s mayor pawn.
• When anyone takes a mine in a town with a mayor, they pay the mayor gold equal to the number of mines the mayor owns there.
• If a player gains more mines than the current mayor in a town, they become the new mayor (paying the old mayor first if taking a mine triggered the change).

Dangerous Mines

Some mines are marked as dangerous. On a production roll of 2 or 12, dangerous mines collapse and are removed from the game.

Event Cards

• Telegraph: Keep and use later. After any production roll, change one die’s result. Then discard.
• Mustang: Keep and use later. Choose your card immediately after the highest bidder instead of in normal turn order. Then discard.
• Card Shark: Play immediately. Each other player pays the bank 4 gold.
• Dynamite: Play immediately. Destroy one opponent’s mine or saloon (removed from game).
• Expropriation: Play immediately. Take a mine from another player, but only in a town where you already have a concession. Pay the mayor if applicable.
• Governor: Place on a mayor pawn. Doubles the fee other players pay when taking mines in that town. Discarded if the mayor pawn changes hands.
• Holdup: Play immediately. Choose a player and a number (2-12). Roll the dice; if you roll that number or higher, rob that player of that much gold.
• New Vein: Place under one of your mines. Increases that mine’s production value by 3 gold permanently. Travels with the mine if dynamited or expropriated.
• Saloon: Place with your mines and put a town token on it. Whenever a mine in that town produces, its owner pays you 2 gold.
• Saloon Girls: Place with one of your saloons. Increases the saloon payment from 2 to 4 gold per production. Discarded if the saloon is dynamited.
• Stagecoach Robbery: Play immediately. Receive 10 gold from the bank.

If you must take a card you cannot currently use (e.g., Governor with no mayor, Girls with no saloon), keep it in front of you; it takes effect once you meet the condition.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Game End: The game ends when the drawing deck is exhausted. Complete the final turn with production.

Final Scoring:

• Total gold (poker chips)
• Plus production value of all mines owned
• Plus 5 points per mayor pawn held

Winner: Highest total score.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Bankruptcy: If required to pay more gold than you have, pay what you can. The recipient gets no additional compensation. A bankrupt player cannot bid until they have gold.
• First turn restriction: All cards revealed on the first turn must be mining concessions. Reshuffle if events appear.
• Mayor transfer: Happens automatically when someone has more mines than the current mayor in a town (including via Expropriation).
• Saloon payments: Triggered each time a mine produces, not once per turn. If multiple mines produce in the same town, each triggers a saloon payment.
• Dangerous mine collapse: A production roll of 2 or 12 destroys all dangerous mines, regardless of what town they are in.
• New Vein on dangerous mine: If the mine collapses, the New Vein card is discarded with it.

Player Reference

Turn Sequence:

1. Draw cards (1 per player)
2. Auction (bid or pass; no re-entry)
3. Pay bid (distributed rightward, halving each step)
4. Choose cards (winner first, then leftward)
5. Production (roll 2 dice, matching mines produce)

Scoring:

Category	Points
Gold (poker chips)	Face value
Mines	Production value each
Mayor pawns	5 each

Towns: Cactus Junction (green), Cold Mountain (purple), Coyote City (red), Dry Gulch (yellow), San Narciso (blue)

Mayor Fee: Pay the mayor gold equal to the number of mines the mayor owns in that town when taking a new mine there.