Bang!

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Bang!
Designer Emiliano Sciarra
Illustrator Alex Pierangelini
Publisher daVinci Games
Mayfair Games
Players 4-7 (3-8 with expansion sets)
Age range 10+
Setup time approx. 5 min.
Playing time 20-40 minutes
Random chance Card drawing
Skills required Card playing

BoardGameGeek entry
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Please help improve this article with relevant internal links. (March 2008)
This article is about the Bang! card game. For more uses of the word Bang, please see Bang (disambiguation).

Bang! is a wild west-themed card game similar to a spaghetti western designed by Emiliano Sciarra and originally released by Italian publisher daVinci Editrice in 2002. The game is published in the USA by Mayfair Games. In 2004, Bang! won the Origins Award for Best Traditional Card Game of 2003 and Best Graphic Design of a Card Game or Expansion.[1]

Contents

[edit] Overview

The game is played by four to seven players (two to eight players with variants and expansions). Each player takes one of the following roles:

Each player also receives a unique character card with special abilities and a certain amount of 'bullets' (i.e. life-points).

The object of the game is different for every role:

  • the Outlaws must kill the Sheriff;
  • the Sheriff and his Deputies must kill the Outlaws and the Renegade(s);
  • each Renegade's objective is to be the last character in play. The Renegade(s) must kill all the characters with the sheriff being the last one dead.

[edit] Game Rules

[edit] Set Up

Each player is dealt a Character card and a Role card. The Role cards are given face down to each player.

4 players = 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 2 Outlaws

5 players = 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 2 Outlaws, 1 Deputy

6 players = 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 3 Outlaws, 1 Deputy

7 players = 1 Sheriff, 1 Renegade, 3 Outlaws, 2 Deputies

8 players (with Dodge City expansion pack) = 1 Sheriff, 2 Renegades, 3 Outlaws, 2 Deputies

The Sheriff announces his role and places it face up in front of him. The other players' roles remain secret. All players reveal their character cards.

The character cards determine the amount of life points each player has (the number of "bullets" is the amount of life points); each player reveals their assigned number of bullets on the back of an unused character card. The player given the Sheriff role starts with one additional bullet. Each character is equipped with a special ability. Players should announce their character and ability.

Each player is dealt a number of cards equal to the number of bullets they have. The Sheriff plays the game with one additional bullet. If his character has 3 bullets, the Sheriff will play with 4.

Each player is considered to be at distance 1 from the players sitting next to him on either side, distance 2 from those sitting one seat further away, and so on (counting the shortest route).

[edit] Gameplay

The game is played in turns, in clockwise order. The Sheriff begins. Each player's turn is divided into three phases.

1. Draw two cards

  • The active player draws the top two cards from the draw pile. As soon as the draw pile is empty, shuffle the discard pile to create a new playing deck.

2. Play any number of cards.

  • Now the player may play to help himself or hurt the other players, trying to eliminate them. He is not forced to play cards during this phase. Any number of cards may be played; there are only two limitations.
  • Only one BANG! card may be played per turn;
  • No player can ever have two identical cards face up in front of him.

When a card is played just follow the symbols on it. Cards can be played only during your turn (with the exception of Beer and Missed!).

Normally a card has an effect which is immediately resolved, and then the card is discarded. However, blue bordered cards, like weapons and horses, etc., have long lasting effects, and are kept in the table face up in front of you.

The effects of these cards (in play) lasts until they are discarded or removed somehow (e.g. Cat Balou or Panic) or a special event occurs (e.g. in the case of Jail or Dynamite.)

3. Discard excess cards.

Once the second phase is over (you do not want to or cannot play any more cards), then you must discard from your hand any cards exceeding your hand size limit. The hand size limit of a player (at the end of his turn) is equal to the number of bullets currently shown on the card that lies under his character card. Then it is the next player's turn, in clockwise order.

[edit] Card effects

To shoot at another character, a player must play a card bearing a "Bang!" icon to a player within shooting range.

  • This means that if the shooter hasn't got any weapons, he can only shoot players at distance 1; if he has a weapon that can fire to distance 3, he can target any player at distance 3 or less.

If the targeted player has a "Missed" card, he can play it to avoid getting shot; otherwise he loses one bullet (life point).

When a character loses his last bullet, he is "dead."

A Beer card can be used to restore a bullet. A player cannot use Beer cards to exceed his character's number of bullets. A player can only restore his own bullets via a Beer card, and he can only play it during his turn. A Whiskey card performs the same function as Beer cards, except that it restores two bullets (may not exceed the character's number of bullets).

  • Exception: if a player loses his last bullet, he can immediately play one or more Beer cards until he remains at 1 bullet.

A player may usually play only one "Bang!" card during his turn, but other cards can be played without restriction during the turn.

  • For example, some cards allow to steal cards from an opponent's hand, force an opponent to discard a card, jail a character, change the relative range to other players, or change the range at which the player can shoot. Most of the cards are self-explaining, bearing little symbols that describe the card's effect when combined; the rest carry a symbol that suggests that the player consult the game manual (this is not true starting from the 3rd Edition, where these cards have a written text explaining their effect).

Some cards require a "draw!": this means that you have to reveal the first card of the deck and check the card suit and value shown on the lower left corner. For example, you may escape from the Jail only if you successfully "draw!" a Heart card.

[edit] Penalties and Rewards

If the Sheriff eliminates a Deputy, the Sheriff must discard all the cards he has in hand and in play.

Any player eliminating an Outlaw (even if the eliminating player is himself an Outlaw!) must draw a reward of 3 cards from the deck.

[edit] Determining the winner

Once the Sheriff is killed, the game is over. If the only player left is a Renegade and is alive at this point, the Renegade wins. However, if two or more players are still alive or the only remaining player is an Outlaw, all the Outlaws win, dead or alive.

On the other hand, if all Outlaws and Renegades are dead before the Sheriff dies, the Sheriff and all the Deputies win, dead or alive.

[edit] Strategy

 This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (December 2007)

The game is an interesting application of Game theory. As only the Sheriff is known, it is hard to know who has what role. Generally, a person's role is implied if he tries to shoot, or otherwise harm, the sheriff. Others' role can be implied if they try to harm those who harmed the Sheriff. The advantage of keeping one's role hidden from enemies must be weighted against the need to accomplish one's goal.

Since the Renegade loses if the Sheriff dies when there are still others in the game he must defend the Sheriff to some extent. On the other hand his ultimate goal is kill the Sheriff. This leads to a "two faced" nature of the renegade, trying to weaken each side (outlaws and deputies) while keeping the Sheriff alive until the end. This also makes it harder to ascertain who is an outlaw, who is a deputy, and who is a renegade, as their actions may be similar.

[edit] Official tournament score

An official scoring system can be found on daVinci web site, the official web site of the Italian editors of Bang!. The scoring rules are as follows:

  • If the Law wins:
the Sheriff wins $1500 for every Outlaw;
the Deputies win $1000 for every Outlaw if they survived, and $700 if they died;
the Renegade wins $400 for every player if he is the last to be killed .
  • If the Outlaws win:
the Renegade, if he is still alive at the end of the game, wins $300 for each player in the game;
the Outlaws, if they are alive, win $1000 for each Outlaw in the game, dead or alive; otherwise they win $800 for each Outlaw in the game.
  • If the Renegade wins:
the Sheriff wins $100 for each player in the game
the Renegade wins $1500 for each player in the game
  • Extra Penalty:
if a deputy kills a Sheriff, he loses $5000

[edit] Character Descriptions

As the game constantly maintains an ironic point of view on the western clichés, some of the characters of Bang! are named after famous people. There are 16 different characters in the basic set:

  • Willy the Kid = Billy the Kid - He can play any number of "Bang!" cards. (4 life points)
  • Jesse Jones = Jesse James - During phase 1 of his turn, he may choose to draw the first card from the deck, or randomly from the hand of any other player. Then he draws the second card from the deck. (4 life points)
  • Belle Star = Belle Starr - During her turn, no card in front on any other player has any effect. This applies both to the blue-as well as to the green-bordered cards in the expansion packs. (4 life points)
  • Bart Cassidy = Butch Cassidy - Each time he loses a life point, he immediately draws a card from the deck. (4 life points)
  • Calamity Janet = Calamity Jane - She can use "Bang!" cards as "Missed!" cards and vice versa. If she plays a Missed! card as a "Bang!", she cannot play another "Bang!" card that turn (unless she has a Volcanic in play). (4 life points)
  • Apache Kid = Cochise, Apache Chief - Cards of Diamonds played by other players do not affect him. (3 life points)
  • Doc Holyday = Doc Holliday - Once during his turn, he can discard any two cards from his hand for the effect of a BANG! card against a player within range of his weapon. Using this ability does not count towards the limit of one BANG! card per turn. To hit Apache Kid in this way, at least one of the two discarded cards must not be a Diamond. (4 life points)
  • Kit Carlson = Kit Carson - During the phase 1 of his turn, he looks at the top three cards of the deck: he chooses 2 to draw, and puts the other one back on the top of the deck, face down.( 4 life points)
  • Paul Regret = Paul Revere - He is considered to have a Mustang in play at all times; all other players must add 1 to the distance to him. If he has another real Mustang in play, he can count both of them, increasing all distance to him by a total of 2. (3 life points)
  • Lucky Duke = Lucky Luke (Fictional person) - Each time he is required to "Draw!", he flips the top two cards from the deck, and chooses the result he prefers. Discard both cards afterward. (4 life points)
  • Black Jack = During phase 1 of his turn, he must show the second card he draws: if it's a Heart or Diamond, he draws one additional card that turn (without revealing it). (4 life points)
  • El Gringo = Each time he loses a life point due to a card played by another player, he draws a random card from the hands of that player (one card for each life). If the player has no more cards, too bad!, he does not draw. (3 life points)
  • Jourdonnais = "Frenchy" Jourdonnais, the riverboat captain in The Big Sky novel and movie (Fictional person) - He is considered to have Barrel in play at all times; he can "draw! when he is the target of a BANG!, and on a Heart he is missed. If he has another real Barrel card in play he can count both of them, giving him two chances to cancel the BANG! before playing a Missed! (4 life points)
  • Pedro Ramirez = During phase 1 of his turn, he may choose to draw the first card from the top of the discard pile or from the deck. Then he draws the second card from the deck. (4 life points)
  • Rose Doolan = She is considered to have an Appaloosa in play at all times; she sees the other players at a distance decreased by 1. If she has another real Appaloosa in play, she can count both of them, reducing her distance to all other players by a total of 2. (4 life points)
  • Sid Ketchum = Tom Ketchum - At any time, he may discard 2 cards from his hand to regain one life point. If he is willing and able, he can use this ability more than once at a time. (4 life points)
  • Slab the Killer = Angel Eyes, one of the main characters of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Fictional person) - Players trying to cancel his BANG! cards need to play 2 Missed!. The Barrel effect, if successfully used, only counts as one Missed! (4 life points)
  • Suzy Lafayette = As soon as she has no cards in her hand, she draws a card from the draw pile. (4 life points)
  • Vulture Sam = Whenever a character is eliminated from the game, Sam takes all the cards that player had in his hand and in play, and adds them to his hand. (4 life points)
  • Bill Noface = Black Bart aka Charles Bolles - During phase one of his turn, he draws 1 card plus 1 card for each injury (lost bullets) he currently suffers. So if he is at full life, he draws one card; with one life point less, he draws two cards; with two life points lost, he draws three cards, and so forth. (4 life points)
  • Chuck Wengam = During his turn, he can choose to lose 1 life point to draw 2 cards from the deck. He may also use this ability more than once in the same turn; however he cannot choose to lose his last life point this way. (4 life points)
  • Elena Fuente = She can use any card in her hand as a Missed!. (3 life points)
  • Greg Digger = Each time another character is eliminated, he regains 2 life points. As usual, he cannot exceed his initial number of life points in this way.

[edit] Expansions

High Noon (2003): a set of thirteen scenario cards that are given to the Sheriff, and revealed at the start of each of his turns - the card's scenario is effective until the next scenario card has been revealed. Scenario cards can cause a player to lose his character's special abilities, disallow the use of certain cards, or even return a dead player to play. The name is inspired by the Western, High Noon.

Dodge City (2004): a set of fifteen new characters and 40 new play cards. There is also a set of 8 "role" cards (7 duplicates) allowing up to 8 people to play. The name is inspired by the Western, Dodge City.

A Fistful Of Cards (2005): a set of fifteen new scenario cards, designed by players around the world, which can be mixed with the High Noon expansion. The name is probably inspired by the Western, A Fistful of Dollars.

Face Off (2005): more a spin-off than an expansion, Face Off is a board game for two players designed to be played with a deck of Bang! cards.

Eldorado (2006): first unofficial expansion, available here.

[edit] Bang! The Bullet!

In 2007, a deluxe version of Bang!, called Bang! The Bullet!, was released. [1]

This set included all three of the official expansions, High Noon, Dodge City, and A Fistful of Cards, along with several extras:

  • A Sheriff's Badge
  • Three special character cards:
    • Uncle Will - Once during his turn, he may play any card from hand as a General Store (this card is a reference to Will Niebling, CEO of Mayfair Games at the time Bang! was released)
    • Johnny Kisch - Each time he puts a card into play, all other cards in play with the same name are discarded. This card is a reference to Jo Nikisch, CEO of Abacus Spiele, the German publisher of the game.
    • Claus "The Saint" - He draws one more card than the number of players, keeps 2 for himself, then gives 1 to each player. This card was a bonus, "unglued" card originally included in the online daVinci newsletter. The author considers this card to be quite unbalanced and not suited for serious play [2]
  • Two additional High Noon cards:
    • New Identity - At the beginning of their turn each player looks at the character he is using to keep track of his life points. He may switch to the new identity for the rest of the game, starting with 2 life points.
    • Handcuffs - After drawing his cards in phase 1, the player whose turn it is names a suit: he can only play cards of that suit during his turn.
  • Two blank cards - one for a character and one for a normal card.

Also, several character abilities were modified and clarified. Some of the major changes were:

  • Sean Mallory can now only hold 10 cards in his hand at a time.
  • José Delgado may only use his ability, to discard a blue card in exchange for two new cards, twice per turn.
  • Pixie Pete may only draw 3 cards from the deck at the start of his turn, rather than 4 cards he was originally able to draw.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ Origins Award Winners (2003). Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
  2. ^ BANG! :: Zobrazit téma - Claus "The Saint"

[edit] External links