Union Stockyards: Westward Expansion

You Asked. We Delivered.

When Union Stockyards launched, players loved its blend of economic strategy, historical theme, and approachable gameplay. So Westward Expansion isn't about changing what made the original game special. It's about giving experienced players more of what they already love!

✅ We've added 8 new Year cards, extending the game by two additional rounds!

✅ New cities, new actions, and new game mechanisms expand strategic possibilities, adding depth and increasing replayability.

✅ Yes! A complete Solo Mode lets you compete against 1 to 3 BOTs (Businesses from Out of Town). BOTs can also be added to multiplayer games for even more competition.

✅ Yes! The official 2-player variant is included in the expansion rulebook, providing an alternative to the standard 2-player rules.

✅ The Exchange Building, unique City abilities, and expanded gameplay create even more meaningful decisions every round.

🧡 Thank you! This expansion is for you. :)

What's New?

As the meatpacking industry spreads beyond Chicago into the growing cities of the Midwest and West, your business empire can grow with it. Each new city offers its own strategic advantage, opening fresh paths to victory and encouraging new approaches every time you play.

The new Exchange Building introduces additional worker placement opportunities and meaningful choices throughout the game. A variety of Expansion Cities provide unique ways to develop your operation and unlock special benefits or abilities. Plus, new Year Cards extend the timeline with two additional rounds, giving you more time to develop your engine and execute long-term strategies. If you’ve ever wished the game offered a little more strategic depth or lasted just a bit longer, this expansion was made with you in mind!

One of the most requested additions was a way to enjoy Union Stockyards solo. Westward Expansion introduces a complete Solo Mode, allowing you to compete against automated rival companies known as BOTs (Businesses from Out of Town). Each of the three BOTs brings a unique strategic personality to the table – and they can even join multiplayer games, increasing the player count while introducing fresh challenges and new ways to play. Play against one, two, or all three BOTs at once!

We've also included the official Union Stockyards 2-player variant in the rulebook. This variant offers an engaging alternative to the standard head-to-head experience, while still reserving the strategic decisions and market tension that define the game.

What's in the Box?

Union Stockyards: Westward Expansion is a full expansion that adds new locations, actions, strategies, and ways to play, giving you more of the game you already love!

Visit the Exchange Building to access new actions and strategic opportunities that will impact your workforce, lock in market prices, and even put your opponents’ buildings to work for you.

Expand into 11 cities across the Midwest and West, each offering its own unique in-game ability or benefit, plus end-game scoring.

Establish your presence in the new expansion cities using two new wooden buildings per player and 10 additional Building cards.

Grow your workforce when you establish business operations in Kansas City!

Extend the game by two additional rounds, introducing more historic events and new action spaces to shape the growing meatpacking industry.

Up to three unique Businesses from Out of Town (BOTs) can be used solo or added to multiplayer games, allowing you to compete against automated rival meatpackers.

Activate another player's building and gain its effects without constructing it yourself, giving you an advantage while rewarding them, too.

Lock in today's meat prices and secure a bigger profit margin when market prices rise.

Click here to view the complete rulebook for Union Stockyards: Westward Expansion. (Please note: Rules and components are subject to change before production.)

As a courtesy to our players, the expansion also includes reprinted versions of all the cards from the original game to ensure consistent color and print matching. These replacement cards permanently replace the corresponding cards from the base game:

• 5 Reprinted Specialist Cards
• 20 Reprinted Building Cards
• 24 Reprinted Year Cards

We also took this opportunity to update a few card values for small improvements and balance adjustments. These tweaked cards are marked with a small "compass star" (expansion icon) for easy reference.

Unboxing Video

Join us as we open up a pre-production factory sample copy of Union Stockyards: Westward Expansion to take a first look at everything that comes inside!

One Box For Everything

All components from Westward Expansion are designed to fit inside the original Union Stockyards game box. The expansion comes packaged in a recyclable corrugated box, so there’s no wasted shelf space – just more Union Stockyards. 😊

Add-Ons

Mini Size: 2.9 x 1.8 x 0.5 in (46 x 74 x 13 mm)

Upgrade the standard punchboard First Player token from the retail game with this highly detailed 3D miniature replica of the Union Stockyards gate – a National Historic Landmark and one of the few remaining Union Stockyards structures still standing in Chicago! The original gate was designed by Burnham and Root and constructed in 1879. Limited quantities of this mini may be sold separately after the campaign.  No additional shipping charges for this add-on!

Includes 7 Wooden Tokens (16 x 16 x 4mm)

Upgrade the standard punchboard Railroad Connection tokens from the retail game with these premium double-sided, screen-printed, 4-mm-thick wooden Railroad Connection tokens. Limited quantities of these tokens may be sold separately after the campaign.  No additional shipping charges for this add-on!

Includes 40 Metal Coins + 14 Ten-Dollar Bill Cards

• 20 x $1 Metal Coins (22 x 2 mm thick)
• 20 x $3 Metal Coins (25 x 2 mm thick)
• 14 x $10 Linen Finish Cards (70 x 30 mm, 310 gsm black core)

Upgrade the standard punchboard money tokens from the retail game with these premium metal coins and linen-finish card bills! These are replicas of actual U.S. currency: the 1895 Silver Dollar, the 1878 $3 Gold Coin, and the 1901 $10 Bill widely known as the "Bison Note" or "Buffalo Note." Limited quantities may be sold separately after the campaign. No additional shipping charges for this add-on!

Base Game Campaign Trailer

Learn a bit of history about the Union Stockyards, get an overview of the base game, and see where it all started in the official trailer from the original Union Stockyards Kickstarter campaign.

What Gamers Are Saying

Here are some highlights from reviews and playthroughs of Union Stockyards. Now we can't wait for you to experience Westward Expansion, which we think makes the game better than ever!

"Perfect. Count me in for both the base game and the expansion when it goes live." @Tractorx, BGG user

"Very much looking forward to the final product." @Neo1984, BGG user

"A fantastic, economically driven worker-placement Eurogame with excellent thematic integration." @Xiroxio, BGG user (8.2/10)

"A highly thematic Eurogame with simple yet well-integrated mechanics and a perfect playtime, making a four-player session very enjoyable. The theme is top-notch…" @DrRuin, BGG user (8.0/10)

Not sure whether Union Stockyards is for you? To help you decide, here are a few Reviews, How-to-Plays, and Discussion videos featuring the base game.

(Union Stockyards discussion begins at 48:15 and ends at 59:22.)

And a Preview video of the Westward Expansion:

How to Pledge

Kickstarter is the world's largest funding platform for creative projects. Every month, tens of thousands of people pledge millions of dollars to creative projects in dozens of categories.

A person who supports a project is called a "backer." The process of giving money to this project is called a "pledge."

In return for your pledge, we (the creators of the campaign) are able to offer "rewards," depending on the amount you pledge. For example, if you pledge $99 to support this project, we'll offer you a copy of the base game and the expansion as soon as they're manufactured, at a savings of $19 off the retail price.

You can become a backer in two easy steps:

• Step 1: Read through the pledge levels and rewards we're offering in the right sidebar of this page, and then click on your chosen reward level.
• Step 2: Enter your pledge amount and complete the steps for filling in your information. This process takes just a few seconds! That's it! It's really that simple! Thank you for backing!

Once you've backed this project, we encourage you to share this page on social media platforms and with your family and friends. Also, be sure to follow our Facebook Page: Union Stockyards Board Game!

Shipping

We will charge shipping after the Kickstarter Campaign during the pledge manager. We understand that some of these rates are higher than we would prefer; however, we are simply charging the cost that our fulfillment partner is charging to us.

For add-ons (other than additional base games), there will be no additional shipping charges.

*EU/UK: You will be charged VAT based on your country of residence. Your games will ship from the UK. There will be no taxes or duties charged at the time of delivery.

We apologize for not being able to ship to countries not listed here. 

Meet the Team

Why Back Now?

We are a small, independent self-publisher with two successful game designs and Kickstarter fulfillments. This expansion will have a limited production run and limited retail availability. Backing on Kickstarter helps this expansion come to life and ensures you get to own a copy! It also allows you to purchase the base game, which will be reprinted along with the expansion.

Whether you're looking for new strategies, greater replayability, longer games, or a challenging solo experience, Westward Expansion delivers – while remaining true to the game players have already come to love.

Follow Us

Follow along on our Facebook Page or the BoardGameGeek forums (links below) to join in the discussion with fellow backers and gamers!

• BGG: Base Game
• BGG: Westward Expansion