Hangtown

In January of 1848, an event occurred which changed the face of the west-gold was discovered on the American River in California. News spread around the world and the era of the 49’ers began. Thousands of young people left their farms and homes to make their fortunes out west.

As these pioneers swarmed to California, hundreds of mining camps sprang up throughout the Mother Lode. Eight miles from the gold discovery site, a camp known as “Old Dry Diggins” was established. By 1849, it became known as “Hangtown.” There are many stories as to how this infamous nickname came to be, but the most common is that in January of 1849, after a very brief trial, three men were hung from a large oak tree near the corner of Main and Center Streets-an act of swift justice, as they say.

In April and again in July of 1856, most of Old Hangtown, now bearing the name Placerville, was destroyed by fire. Buildings were ultimately built of brick and stone thereafter. In addition, a large bell tower was erected in the center of town as a fire warning system. By then, people had begun to value the area for more than just mining. The region had an abundance of lumber and rich agricultural land, making it perfectly situated to grow into a thriving community.

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In the game of Hangtown, players become Gold Rush era Pioneers who are competing for riches, resources, property, and prestige. …They must also be prepared to deal with outlaws, shootouts, and hangings at the infamous Hangman’s Tree!

The game features a thoughtful variety of streamlined mechanics, which are notably innovative, yet traditional and familiar in feel-such as fresh spins on tableau building, worker placement, simultaneous action selection, variable turn order, and resource and hand management.