Overview

Pony Express is a racing and bluffing game set in the Old West. Players are wild riders of the Pony Express, racing from St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California. The game combines poker-style dice rolling with a race across the frontier, featuring bluffing, gunfights, saloons, gold mines, and Indian encounters. The first rider to deliver mail to Sacramento wins.

Components

• 1 game board (trail from St. Joseph to Sacramento, 19 spaces per trail)
• 5 rider cards (one per player color)
• 5 rider discs
• 5 dice (numbered A-B-C-D-1-0)
• 3 Indian meeples
• Gold tokens
• Item cards
• Dice shaker

Setup

1. Place the game board on the table.
2. Each player chooses a rider and takes their rider disc.
3. Place riders at St. Joseph (start).
4. Shuffle item cards and deal one to each player.
5. Place the 3 Indian meeples on the 3 red areas near Sacramento.
6. Place gold tokens near the board as a bank.

Turn Structure

1. Receive Charity

If the active player starts their turn with no gold, they receive 1 gold from the bank.

2. Roll the Dice

The active player rolls five dice in the shaker and places them face-down on the table. They then discreetly lift to look at the rolled results before showing them to other players.

3. Spend Gold to Reroll (Optional)

The active player may pay 1 gold per reroll attempt. They may remove some dice, reroll them, and keep others. Multiple rerolls are possible as long as gold is spent. At least 1 die must be kept from each roll.

4. Stake Your Claim

The active player announces a poker hand claim (what they allegedly rolled). The claimed hand determines movement spaces.

Claimed Hand	Movement
Pair	1 space
Two Pairs	2 spaces
Three of a Kind	2 spaces
Straight	3 spaces
Full House	3 spaces
Four of a Kind	4 spaces
Five of a Kind	5 spaces

5. Call the Bluff

Other players may call the bluff. If called:

• If the claim was true: The caller loses; the active player moves as claimed.
• If the claim was a bluff: The bluffing player is sent to prison.

6. Reveal the Dice and Move

If not accused of bluffing, or if the bluff was genuine, move the rider forward the claimed number of spaces.

Actions

Action Spaces

When a rider lands on an action space:

• Railway Station: Move to the indicated railway station further ahead.
• Indians: Roll dice to interact; may gain or lose movement.
• Gold Mine: Roll dice to gain gold.
• Saloon: Other riders may drink; pay gold for effects.
• Relay Station: Draw item cards.

Gunfight or Poker Game

When multiple riders occupy the same space, a gunfight or poker game may occur.

Item Cards

Each player may hold item cards with various effects. Items must be played at the right time.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Two Ways to Win

1. “Jackrabbit” victory: The first rider to reach Sacramento wins immediately.
2. “Last man standing”: If a second rider reaches Sacramento before the first rider’s third mailbox, there is a final duel. The winner of the duel wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Prison: A rider sent to prison spends their next turn in prison, then rolls dice to leave.
• Riders on the same space may trigger duels.
• Gold is used for rerolling dice and various action space effects.
• Indian meeples interact with riders passing through the red areas near Sacramento.
• The trail is 19 spaces long; the town of Sacramento counts as the last space.

Player Reference

Poker Hand	Spaces Moved
Pair	1
Two Pairs	2
Three of a Kind	2
Straight	3
Full House	3
Four of a Kind	4
Five of a Kind	5

Win: First to reach Sacramento (or win the final duel).