Colt Express FAQ
208 questions players ask · Updated Nov 12, 2026 · Full rulebook
Set UpExpansion
- Can the assembled train stay built and be stored in the box between games?
- Can you mix your purse tokens face-down so other players cannot tell which one is your starting $250 purse?
- Can you look at the value of your own purse tokens during the game?
- Can two players each control only one bandit using the standard rules?
- Is the Train Station round card always the last round?
- How many train cars should you use for 7 players in Happy 10th Anniversary?
- Is there a required order or selection for the train cars at setup?
- How do you tell which expansion a round or Stop card belongs to?
- How many purses are in the base game, and what values are they?
- Do bandit expansion characters count as players for choosing round cards and for adding a train car?
- Who goes first when Marshal & Prisoners and Horses & Stagecoach are both used?
- With three players, does each player control one bandit or two?
- Does the caboose have to be a specific train car?
Object of the Game
Types of Turns
- Who is the first player each round, and which way does play go?
- Does the sixth player ever start a round?
- What is the difference between a turn, a round and the game in Colt Express?
- On a Switching turn, who plays first and in which direction does play go?
- How does Speeding-Up work: does a player get two actions in a row?
- On a Speeding-Up turn, can you draw three cards and then play one of them that turn?
Phase 1: Schemin'!
- Is there a hand limit during Schemin', and how many cards do you draw to start a round?
- If you draw cards instead of placing an action card in Schemin', do you lose an action in Stealin'?
- Can players look through the cards already placed in the Schemin' stack before choosing their own card?
- Do you have to declare your target or destination when you play an Action card face-up in Schemin'?
- Can you play a Bullet card as an action, or skip playing a card by drawing three?
- When a card is played onto the Schemin' pile, does it completely cover the card beneath it?
- Can you take the draw-three option when fewer than three cards are left in your deck?
- Is the whole Schemin' pile built before any cards resolve in Stealin'?
- In Schemin', can you draw three cards when your hand holds only Bullet cards?
- Are the cards in the common pile played face up or face down?
Phase 2: Stealin'!Expansion
- Where does a Bullet card go after you are shot?
- What happens to your cards at the end of a round: are they all shuffled, and how do you draw the next six?
- During Stealin', is the action performed by the bandit on the card or by whoever played it?
- During Stealin', can players see the next card in the stack before it resolves?
- When can you look at the value of a loot token you take?
- Does Belle's protection from shots and punches also protect her from the Marshal?
- Can the Marshal move into a car that already holds bandits, including your own bandit?
- If the Marshal catches you, what happens, and can you change floor into his car and reach the roof in one card?
- If the Marshal moves into the car below you while you are on the roof, do you get hit?
- In Marshal & Prisoners, can the Marshal shoot two bandits with one Shoot action?
- When the cards of a round are resolved from the common stack, which card is resolved first?
End of the GameExpansion
- Does the Marshal lose if he ends the game in the Time Travel Car?
- Who gets the $1000 Gunslinger bonus when several bandits tie for the most bullets shot?
- Does a bullet that misses count toward the Gunslinger bonus?
- Is the $1000 for shooting all six bullets separate from the Gunslinger bonus?
- Is there a further tie-breaker when players are tied on money at the end of the game?
- Does the Marshal count when deciding who gets the Braggart bonus for shooting?
Action Cards
- Can a bandit inside a car shoot a bandit inside an adjacent car?
- On a train roof, can you shoot any bandit, and does a bandit in the way block the shot?
- Does the Marshal block shots, or can you shoot a bandit beyond him?
- Can you shoot the Marshal?
- Can a bandit be eliminated from the game by taking too many Bullet cards?
- What happens when the Neutral Bullet cards run out?
- Who chooses which loot token a punched bandit loses?
- When you punch from the locomotive, which way must the bandit move, and can you punch someone on the same level?
- Can you punch a bandit down to a car above or below you?
- How far can a bandit move on the train roof with a Move action?
- Can a bandit on a train roof move back and forth to end up where it started?
- Does the locomotive count as a train car for floor changes, movement and other effects?
- Can purses be mixed face-down so a punch takes a random one?
- Can a punch make a bandit drop a jewel or strongbox?
- Are action cards other than Move optional, and must you resolve a Change Floor or other movement card?
- Do the Essen 2016 promo punch cards replace the regular punch cards or add to them?
Character Powers
- Can you shoot or punch Belle when another bandit is also a valid target?
- Is Belle protected from being shot when she is alone in her car?
- Can a bandit shoot past Belle to hit a bandit further along the train?
- Can Cheyenne's ability or her special punch card steal loot other than purses, such as bags?
- What does Django's ability say in the first Czech edition, and which version is correct?
- Can a bandit that Django's shot pushes end up in the Marshal's car, and what happens to him?
- Where does a bandit go when Django's shot pushes him one car?
- If Django pushes a bandit back, does that bandit still perform its planned action?
- Where can Tuco shoot from, and can he shoot a bandit in his own space?
- Can the character cards replace the player mats, and what is the other side for?
Events
- Does Passengers' Rebellion affect bandits in the locomotive, and does it affect the Delorean and stagecoach?
- Is a player inside the Time Travel Car affected by Swivel Arm?
- With the Tunnel promo card, which loot is dropped when a bandit is shot during a tunnel round?
- When does the end-of-round event trigger relative to the action cards on the round card?
- When the Marshal enters a car holding bandits, do they all take a Neutral Bullet and escape to the roof?
- When Braking triggers, where do bandits on roofs move?
- Does the second strongbox from Take It All! affect the Gunslinger prize?
- How is the $250 bonus from the Hostage Conductor event recorded?
- What counts as alone when Pickpocketing triggers?
- Where does the purse go when Marshal's Revenge triggers?
Special Rules: 2 Bandits Per Player
- Does the 2-player leaflet ruleset still apply, or has the 2016 rulebook replaced it?
- In two-player play, can one turn include a Shoot card from one bandit and an action card from the other?
- In 2-player team building, must the newer bandits be set aside like Ghost, Doc and Belle?
- In 2-player play, does each player play one card per turn from the combined deck, and must the card match its bandit?
- In a 2-bandit team, do Doc's and Ghost's abilities apply to the whole team?
- Must you punch or shoot your teammate in the 2-bandit variant when they are a valid target?
- In the 2-bandit variant, do you choose the kept card before or after the deck is shuffled?
- Can the cover rule be used on a Switching turn, or on a Tunnel or Speeding-Up turn?
- In a 2-player advanced game with four cards in hand, how many cards do you draw on an action turn?
Expert Variant
- With the Expert hand rules, do you refill your hand to six or draw a new six at the start of a round?
- In the Expert variant, can you discard Bullet cards or unwanted cards before refilling your hand to six?
- In the Expert variant, do neutral Bullet cards also go on top of the draw deck?
- In the Expert variant, can you discard unwanted cards and Bullet cards at the end of a round?
- Can the 2-bandit variant's free card from the deck be used with the Expert variant?
GeneralExpansion
- Can teammates tell each other which card they will play in team mode?
- Do Marshal bullets and neutral bullets count toward the Photographer hostage bonus?
- Can you take a strongbox dropped by a punch while the Shotgun guards another strongbox?
- When you play a card from your partner's deck in the team rules, which bandit moves?
- What are the white fan cards in the Colt Express box for?
- Can the Bandit expansions be combined with Marshal & Prisoners?
- How do you draw six cards when fewer than six are left in your deck?
Colt Express: Horses & StagecoachExpansion
- Can a bandit move through the Angry Shotgun's space, and what happens if the move ends there?
- Does a bandit on a roof get shot when the Angry Shotgun moves onto their space, or when they move onto him?
- How many horses are removed from the Horses & Stagecoach setup for each player count?
- Can Mei use her Ride action in Horses & Stagecoach?
- Does the Stagecoach ever move forward?
- When two Whiskey flasks are on the Marshal's space, which one does he pick up?
- With Horses & Stagecoach and Marshal & Prisoners together, how many hostages are used?
- Can a bandit who uses a Ride action end up in the same car he started in?
- How can a bandit escape with the Escape event, and does the horse leave the game with him?
- Can an eliminated bandit still win the Gunslinger prize after an escape-type round card?
- With the Higher Speed event, do the Bandit and Shotgun moves happen in order, and is the Marshal affected?
- Does the Banker's bonus apply when the Banker shares a Strongbox that belongs to another bandit?
- With Horses & Stagecoach, are purses and jewels still placed in the cars along with the Whiskey?
- Does Horses & Stagecoach have special rules for 2 or 3 players?
- Can a zero-space Ride move a bandit between the Stagecoach interior and the adjacent train car?
- How do bandits get onto and off the Stagecoach roof and interior?
- Which bandits can you shoot from or toward the Stagecoach?
- Can players move the Stagecoach, or does it move on its own?
- Does the Higher Speed event add an extra Stagecoach move on top of its end-of-round move?
- Does the Angry Shotgun shoot or act before he is punched?
- How many times can a Whiskey flask be used, and what does each use do?
- Does a Neutral Bullet received at the start of the round count for Mortal Bullet?
- Can Mortal Bullet push a player's robbed total below $0?
- How are cards resolved on a Turmoil turn when all players play at once?
- What counts as a special turn, and can Ghost play a card face-down on one?
- Can you look at a Whiskey flask's value before using it?
- Can another player's punch move a bandit onto the Stagecoach?
- Can a bandit move from a horse straight onto the top of the Stagecoach?
- How do you reach and punch the Angry Shotgun, and what does the bandit get?
- Do you need a loot card to pick up the Strongbox after punching the Shotgun?
- Can Deadly Fall punch a bandit off the Stagecoach?
- Can a bandit punch another bandit from inside the Stagecoach into the adjacent train car?
- When a bandit enters the Stagecoach, does he choose or draw a hostage, and how many are used in a 2-player game?
- When a hostage blocks an action, are that action's cards removed from your deck?
- Where are the horses placed, and how does a bandit use them?
- In the set-up where players choose a Bandit or a Horse, where do the bandits start?
- Can the Swivel Arm event affect bandits on top of the Stagecoach?
- Can Whiskey be used during an event space that has an icon?
- Does 'the car in front of' the Stagecoach, in the Ride action and the Shotgun's rage, mean the adjacent car?
- In a 2-player game during the horse attack, can each player place their two characters in different cars?
- In a 2-player game, which colour card can be played when a character uses a Whiskey flask?
- In team play, when a teammate plays my card, who performs the action?
- Does the Time Travel Car count as an escape for the Escape event?
Colt Express: Marshal & PrisonersExpansion
- Can a bandit on the prison car's roof or corridor copy an action with Brilliant Idea when the prison car is empty?
- Can Brilliant Idea copy an action from your own bandit?
- Must the action copied with Brilliant Idea have actually been carried out?
- Which card does Brilliant Idea copy when it is played in a Jarring round?
- Does the Deadly Fall event change the Punch action for the whole final round, or only at the end?
- Can Django, under Deadly Fall, knock a shot character off the train?
- Can Marshal & Prisoners be played with only two players?
- With Horses & Stagecoach and Marshal & Prisoners together, does the Marshal get a horse?
- How are bandits and the Marshal placed when Marshal & Prisoners and Horses & Stagecoach are combined?
- What is the maximum number of players with Marshal & Prisoners?
- Can the Marshal fire both guns, or shoot two bandits with one Shoot action?
- Where is the Strongbox placed when Take It All! resolves?
- Do bandits share the Vault loot at the end of the game when one of them is in the prison car?
- Does Belle's fan lose to Belle when Belle and a bandit with Belle's fan are both valid targets?
- Does the Marshal draw six cards like the bandits, and can he take a draw action for three extra cards?
- Can the Marshal's double shot target bandits in different directions, including inside the train and on the Stagecoach?
- How does a bandit lose a Prisoner card they are holding?
- What happens to Prisoners still behind the prison car at the end of the game?
- How does the Marshal collect Mailbags?
- When the Marshal arrests a bandit, does the bandit keep their loot?
- Can the Marshal shoot any bandit in line of sight, or only one in an adjacent car?
- Are hostages taken away when the Marshal arrests a bandit?
- Can a jailed bandit free himself without being rescued?
- Does the Marshal reveal completed objectives during the game, or only at the end?
- Which parts of Marshal & Prisoners can be used without the Marshal player?
- Can Mei use her change-level ability to move into the Time Travel Car?
- Does a prisoner card's ability replace or affect the bandit's own special character ability?
- Can the Marshal enter the Time Travel Car?
- How are the Marshal's Bullet cards handled in the expert variant?
- Can the Marshal get prisoners for the Throw Away the Key objective by sending a bandit with a prisoner into the cell?
Colt Express: Couriers & Armored TrainExpansion
- Does passing a Courier trigger its effect even if your movement ends somewhere else?
- Can Couriers & Armored Train be combined with Marshal & Prisoners?
- Can Misty and the Twinz be used with the base game and the other expansions?
- How does Misty's ability work with Bullet cards in her hand?
- How many bullets can a bandit discard when the Heal event and the Infirmary Car both apply?
- Do the Armoury and Infirmary car effects apply to bandits standing on the roof?
- What is the maximum number of players in Couriers & Armored Train?
- Can Belle use her ability when she is hit by a Gatling shot?
- Do the Couriers change floors when they are shot by Il Professore?
- Who wins a tie in the Couriers team variant?
- In the Couriers team variant, must you shoot or punch your own teammate when no other target exists?
- Can bandits move between Armored Train cars through the small doors?
Colt Express: Bandits – TucoExpansion
- Can Tuco shoot in several directions in one Fire action?
- How does the Tuco bot choose its movement direction?
- Does Tuco count himself when handing out Wanted tokens?
- When Tuco is at the front or end of the train and every bandit is behind him, does he still move?
- Can Tuco be on the roof when he plays the Swap with Marshal action?
- Where does Tuco start on the train?
Colt Express: The Time Travel CarExpansion
- Can a bandit hide beneath the Time Travel Car?
- Does the Santa Claus Elf stop a bandit in the Time Travel Car from being alone?
- When is a Time Travel Car bandit's location revealed?
- Can Mei change floors from the locomotive onto the Time Travel Car?
- Can a bandit in the Time Travel Car move up to three spaces along the roof?
Colt Express: Happy 10th AnniversaryExpansion
- Does Mary's rob action work the same as the standard robbery action?
- What happens when a special punch card targets a non-player character?
- Can you play Colt Express: Happy 10th Anniversary without the base game?
- Where can a bandit hide when its owner ends the round on the Handcar?
- How do you get onto the Handcar, since it sits at the front or back of the train?