# Carson City: Big Box

Carson City: Big Box is a board game for 2–6 players. It plays in 90–180 minutes and is meant for ages 12 and up. Ludoya players call it best with 4. It is rated 8.1 out of 10 by 34 Ludoya reviewers. The cheapest copy in stock is $52.11 (United States).

- **Players:** 2–6 (best with 4)
- **Playing time:** 90–180 minutes
- **Minimum age:** 12+
- **Complexity:** 3.2 out of 5
- **Year published:** 2015
- **Categories:** City Building, American West, Economic
- **Mechanics:** Worker Placement, Tile Placement, Area Majority / Influence, Dice Rolling, Variable Player Powers
- **Ludoya rating:** 8.1 out of 10, from 34 reviews
- **Owned by:** 99 Ludoya players
- **Plays logged on Ludoya:** 202
- **Unique players:** 399

**Designers:** Xavier Georges

**Artists:** Alexandre Roche

## Where to buy in United States

| Shop | Price | Link |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Board Game Bliss | 72.97 $ | https://www.boardgamebliss.com/products/carson-city-big-box-upgrade-components-french-edition |
| Zatu Games | 61.39 £ | https://zatu.com/products/carson-city-big-box |
| Uplay | 99.9 € | https://www.uplay.it/it/gioco-da-tavolo-carson-city--big-box-.html |
| Spielezar | 94.9 Fr. | https://www.spielezar.ch/brettspiele/carson-city-big-box |
| Alphaspel | 1199 kr | https://alphaspel.se/491-bradspel/201999-carson-city-big-box-wood-pack-edition |

## Expansions

- [Carson City: The Lawyer / Editor](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carson-city-the-lawyer-editor)
- [Carson City: Father Christmas Promo Card](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carson-city-father-christmas-promo)
- [Carson City: Solo Pack](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carson-city-solo-pack)

## Similar games

- [Carson City](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carson-city)
- [Nevada City](https://www.ludoya.com/games/nevada-city)
- [Embarcadero](https://www.ludoya.com/games/embarcadero)
- [Ground Floor (Second Edition)](https://www.ludoya.com/games/ground-floor-second-edition)
- [Sweet Lands](https://www.ludoya.com/games/sweet-lands)
- [Western Town](https://www.ludoya.com/games/western-town)
- [Coloma: Deluxe Edition](https://www.ludoya.com/games/coloma-deluxe-edition)
- [Belfort](https://www.ludoya.com/games/belfort)
- [Dark Domains](https://www.ludoya.com/games/dark-domains)
- [Québec](https://www.ludoya.com/games/quebec)
- [Barcelona](https://www.ludoya.com/games/barcelona-2)
- [Small City](https://www.ludoya.com/games/small-city)

## Rules questions

### Can I place a cowboy on an action space or parcel that already has other players' cowboys, or do cowboys block spaces?

You may place a cowboy on any action space, parcel or building even if other players’ cowboys are already there; this usually triggers a duel (exceptions: Wages and Road spaces, where no duel occurs). (pages 6–7)

### What happens to cowboys after a duel — do winners or losers lose their cowboy?

The winner’s cowboy is returned to the general supply (and the winner may choose to perform or decline the action), while the loser(s) recover their cowboy back into their personal supply. In ties the pass-order track breaks the tie. (page 7)

### How is the purchase price of a parcel calculated?

A parcel costs $1 plus $1 for each building, mountain or House on or adjacent (orthogonally or diagonally) to that parcel, with a minimum $1 and a maximum that can reach $10. Your cowboy is placed in the general supply and you put your property tile on the parcel when you win. (page 8)

### What are the conditions to build, and can I delay placing a building or use Townhouses instead of Houses?

To build you must own the parcel, have it connected to the road system (Ranches and Mines are exceptions), and place a free House on a connected unoccupied parcel (except for Ranch, Mine, Train Station); you may instead flip an eligible House to a Townhouse under the listed conditions, and you may keep buildings in front of you to place later (deferred placement). (pages 8, 12)

### If I put a cowboy on someone’s building to attack, how does that affect income during the Building Income phase?

An attacker who wins the contest for a building steals half that building’s income (rounded down) from the owner during the Building Income phase; if the owner successfully defends, they receive their normal income. Building Income is automatic and after that phase cowboys on buildings (except City Hall) return to the general supply. (page 9)

### Do character powers activate immediately when I choose a character, or do they apply later?

Some characters have immediate effects when chosen (for example, the Banker gives $9, the Chinese Worker immediately gives two roads, the Settler immediately grants a parcel), and every chosen character also determines turn order and the cash limit for that round. (pages 6, 14)

## Links

- [This page](https://www.ludoya.com/games/carson-city-big-box)
- [Carson City: Big Box in the Ludoya app](https://app.ludoya.com/g/carson-city-big-box)
- [BoardGameGeek entry](https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177352)

_Data from Ludoya, updated 2026-09-19. Ratings, ownership and play counts are Ludoya's own._