Cactus Town and the Dueling Life of Wild West Outlaws
Race around a wild west town to escape the careful watch of the Lone Ranger and make off with the loot in Cactus Town.
I have fun with the wild west setting every now and then, so it seemed like a good moment to explore the solo mode for Cactus Town. This is a simple programming game about moving through the town to achieve specific objectives and encountering duels along the way. Off to a land of tumbleweeds, cacti, money bags, and the dreaded Lone Ranger!
Game Overview
Game Name: Cactus Town
Publication Year: 2022
Designer: Raúl Luque Torner
Artist: Isaac Murgadella
Publisher: Second Gate Games
Solo Mode: Included in Cactus Town: The Lone Ranger
Specifically for solo, the Lone Ranger patrols the town as outlaws search for loot and try to escape into the desert. Action cards provide a programmed sequence during each round, allowing for duels and plenty of movement! But watch out for the marshals… They’re coming to town!
First Play
August 29, 2023
Complexity
1
Latest Play
August 29, 2023
Expansions
4
Setup Time
5 Minutes
Lifetime Plays
2
Play Time
20 Minutes
High Score
N/A
Game Area
38" x 32"
Low Score
N/A
Outlandish Outlaws
One of the nice parts of the game are the various factions with their unique actions and objectives. In a maddening twist, the solo mode only supports playing as the outlaws.
Their main objective is to run around town, discover their target buildings, and run off with the loot. Interesting, but not as the only way to play. In short… Not solo-friendly.
I know: Technically, this is a solo mode! But it’s a separate expansion, and I didn’t particularly enjoy the mechanics.
Multiplayer is a little more interesting, yet I’m trying to convince Ganesh we can let this one go with no regrets.
Uncovering Buildings
Just 4 cards make up a deck. One is set aside to use for a dueling value during the round, and the rest are organized into a programmed sequence. Easy. Maybe too easy.
As the outlaws, I sent the trio running around town as much as possible to flip over buildings and find the loot.
The Lone Ranger was always present and ready to duel at any time, but that just meant I needed to use a decoy. The others achieved their objectives, and that was that.
My initial loss simply came down to the luck of the card draw, as the buildings I needed were clumped together.
Nice Components
All of the dice are custom and much larger than expected, while the wooden tokens are nice and bright. I have no complaints about the high quality of everything!
Unfortunately, duels mostly come down to the luck of the dice. The rules were beyond murky about the advanced tokens, so I just used them as usual for re-rolls and all.
The nice part of gameplay is how short it is, yet when compared to the price tag, overproduction is an issue.
I didn’t feel a sense of any enjoyment, either. It was just flipping cards, rolling dice, and moving pieces around.
Randon End Game
To make matters worse, the end game trigger for the Lone Ranger to win is when the marshals show up. This card is shuffled into the action deck towards the very end.
This might sound good, as it does mean they won’t show up early. But with the level of luck needed with the right buildings appearing early on, the ending just happens.
It’s a fun mechanic to have a variable end game trigger with some unpredictability, yet this wasn’t fun for me.
Playing back-to-back allowed me to win… Which marked the end of my time in this western town. Thank goodness!
When a Solo Mode Isn’t Really a Solo Mode
I understand that some games take some extra effort to turn into a solo experience. In many cases, that means that not every component can be used, or that some choices might be more limited. No problem for me! The thing that I often get perturbed over is the difference between offering a solo mode and a single solo scenario. These are not the same.
Solo modes offer the chance to play the full game, or something close to it, many times with all sorts of outcomes. Difficulty levels help extend these to add more challenges, although multiple solo scenarios can also be a part of this. But these scenarios are ways to keep playing, even if it’s only for a campaign that lasts around 8-12 plays. Fine!
The official description of this solo mode is exactly the opposite of a solo mode, and describes a single solo scenario:
In the solo mode, you will take on the role of the outlaws and experience a race against the clock to get your job done before the marshals show up. All the while, the Lone Ranger will tamper with your plans, being your automata opponent.
Maybe I missed the memo when I went in to play solo, but I’m looking at this from a wide range of solo player perspectives. How is this going to be a positive experience for someone who wants to play solo? It’s a simpler version of the multiplayer matchup, omits the majority of the content, and has a pretty predictable path towards victory.
I still think we’ll play this a few more times multiplayer, at the very least. Yet this is a good example of how a tacked-on solo mode (or scenario) can spoil a game. My opinion will always be clouded by this disappointing experience. I was hoping for a quick, fun western dueling game that I could play solo… This is absolutely not it. Not by a long shot.
Session Overview
Play Number: 1 and 2
Expansion: Cactus Town: The Lone Ranger
Solo Mode: Included in Cactus Town: The Lone Ranger
Outcome: 1 Win & 1 Loss
Neat components and whimsical artwork didn’t save this one for me. I appreciate games that become solo-friendly with new modes, but it’s important not to toss on a bad experience. This solo scenario is playable once or twice… I’ll fall into the technically incorrect category and argue that doesn’t equate to saying the game has a solo mode. Time to hang up these spurs and ride off into the sunset!
%
1 Play
Affordability
Price & Value
1
Functionality
Challenges & Mechanics
7
Originality
Design & Theme
4
Quality
Components & Rules
3
Reusability
Achievement & Enjoyment
1
Variability
Distinctness & Randomness
2
+ Pros (Positives)
- The component quality is excellent in this deluxe edition with large dice, detailed miniatures, and wooden tokens.
- Play time is very quick with minimal downtime, aside from shuffling and drawing for the solo opponent.
- Programmed actions are kind of fun, especially since most cards offer options about what action to take.
- Both the basic and advanced map decks are supposed to be compatible with solo, although the rules can be murky.
- Some turns have choices between risking a duel or waiting to pick up loot until the Lone Ranger can be distracted.
- Finding the right buildings and picking up loot tokens can be fun as the race to escape to the desert starts.
– Cons (Negatives)
- There is only a single way to play the solo mode, and with no difficulty adjustments, it’s playable about 1-2 times.
- Duels mostly come down to getting lucky with the dice with practically no strategy, except avoiding duels.
- Collecting loot as the outlaws is very dependent on finding the right buildings relatively early with no strategy.
- The Lone Ranger operates as a very basic solo opponent, and the end game trigger is much too random to be fun.
Victory Conditions
Complete All Objectives
- Overall Goal Progress 100%
Goals and Milestones
Win at least 1 game as the outlaws.
Continue the Conversation
Have you ever played Cactus Town? Are there any solo modes that have been pleasant surprises for you? I may sound a little angry, yet it gets to me when a game can shine on its own without pretending to cater to solo players. There might be some life left in this one as a multiplayer experience, but I’m done with solo… Even when the cows come home!
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