Colt Express Strategy: Plan Loot Runs and Dodge the Marshal

By Asmodee – Asmodee USA | Published: 2026-11-01

Category: How-to Guides

Learn how to play Colt Express with a clear loot-run plan: read the round, dodge the Marshal, and time your grabs so you keep the biggest share of the haul.

Quick answer

Plan each round around one loot target, not every treasure you can see. Play your movement and looting cards so you reach the target before the Marshal or a rival bandit does, then use the rest of your hand to dodge gunfire and keep what you grabbed.

Why loot planning beats reaction play

Colt Express rewards players who decide early which car and which loot token matter most in a round. If you wait to see what everyone else does, you often spend cards catching up instead of collecting. A simple rule: choose your main target before you look at your hand, then pick the cards that make that target realistic.

The trade-off is flexibility. Committing to one loot run means you may skip a smaller treasure that would have been safer. That is usually the right call because the biggest loot tokens and the strongest position on the train are worth more than several low-value grabs.

Reading the round before you commit

Each round gives you limited actions, and the train layout changes as bandits move. Before playing a card, check two things: where the Marshal is standing and which car holds the loot you want. If the Marshal blocks the direct route, plan a two-step move or choose a different target rather than wasting a card on a blocked approach.

Do not assume other players will leave your target alone. In Colt Express, bandits often converge on the same car when a high-value token appears. If two or more rivals are already close, treat that loot as contested and decide whether to race them or pivot to a quieter car.

When to dodge instead of grab

Dodging is not passive. Moving out of a rival's line of fire or stepping away from the Marshal can protect loot you already hold. The exception is the final round: if you are behind on loot, a safe dodge rarely closes the gap, so take the riskier grab and accept the gunfire.

Keep your hand balanced. If every card is a movement card, you may reach the loot but have no way to react to a bandit aiming at you. If every card is a loot card, you may grab early and then become an easy target.

Your round-by-round loot run process

1. Pick one loot target for the round: Before playing any card, name the single treasure token or car you want most this round. Check that it is reachable with the actions in your hand and that the Marshal is not standing directly between you and it. If you cannot name one target in five seconds, you are about to spread your actions too thin.
2. Count the Marshal's reach: Look at the Marshal's current car and the cars next to it. Plan your route so you never end a move on the Marshal's car unless you are forced to. If the direct path is blocked, use a two-step move through an adjacent car instead of wasting a card on a blocked approach. A route that ends beside the Marshal is usually safer than one that ends on top of him.
3. Play movement before looting: Use your movement cards first to get into position, then play your loot card once you are in the right car. This order keeps your options open if another bandit moves into your target car before your turn resolves. If you loot before you are in position, you have wasted a card and told everyone your target.
4. Grab the highest-value token you can safely reach: When two loot tokens are equally reachable, take the higher-value one unless it puts you in the Marshal's path or in front of an armed rival. A smaller token in a safer car is better than a big token you lose to gunfire. Check who is aiming where before you commit to the bigger prize.
5. Use your last actions to break line of sight: After looting, spend any remaining movement on stepping out of a rival's firing line or away from the Marshal. Do not stand still with loot if a bandit behind you has an unspent action. Loot you keep scores; loot you drop does not.
6. Review the round and adjust next round's target: At the end of the round, note which cars are now crowded and which loot remains. If your target car is full of rivals, choose a quieter car next round rather than fighting for the same token twice. One contested car is a race; two contested cars in a row is a habit worth breaking.

About the game

Colt Express: The story begins on July 11, 1899, aboard the Union Pacific Express out of Folsom, New Mexico, with 47 passengers and armed bandits robbing them. That train-robbery setup is the whole frame for your planning: you are a bandit competing for loot, so every card should serve the haul.
Colt Express