Coloma is the town where an unexpected event occured that shaped history of the Western Frontier. In the winter of 1848 a man constructing a sawmill on the South Fork of the American River spotted some bright nuggets in the tailrace waters below. Sure enough, it was gold! Though he tried to keep his discovery a secret, word spread fast and it triggered the California Gold Rush of ‘49.

Thousands of people came from far and wide, making Coloma one of the fastest growing boomtowns in the country. Claims were staked, camps and makeshift homes were made, and hotels and saloons sprung up almost overnight. Everyone wanted their share of the land’s wealth. For many people it was Coloma or Bust!

In Coloma, you are a pioneer who has recently traveled out West to strike it rich and make a name for yourself. You prospect for gold and use your windfalls to recruit workers, rustle up horses, and establish businesses. You also get opportunities to explore the surrounding riverways and frontier lands. But alas! You are not alone—all the pioneers seem to have gotten the same idea! Therefore, it will take extra cunning tactics on your part to not go Bust like the rest of them…

Overview of Play

At the beginning of each chapter, you and the other players simultaneously select an action to perform on the board. Once your selections are revealed, you must see if a majority of players chose the same action. If they did, it is a Bust—which disables the Boom bonus that would be included otherwise. Then the players will take turns performing actions, such as gaining resources, moving wagons on the map, building bridges and businesses, and placing camps and gunmen. After that, a portion of the board is rotated—slightly changing the layout of the actions for the upcoming chapter.

When the rotating section hits high noon, the round finishes with a bang: a shootout against an ever-growing number of outlaws! If you and the other players outnumber the outlaws with your combined gunmen, you will get your fair share of the rewards. But if not, the rewards drop, and some of the gunmen go to the graveyard... The game ends after the third shootout, and the player with the most points wins the game!

Coloma is a fast moving game with many paths to victory. It offers unique twists on simultaneous action selection, resource management, and engine-building. The town cards in your tableau allow you to play more efficiently, gain extra actions, and bend the rules to your advantage. With these cards and the bridge tiles (which add points based on what you achieve), you can create the perfect combination for your strategy and play style.