BANG!

Step right into the wild western town of Bangtown, where the line between good and bad is blurred. It’s a showdown where the infamous Sheriff fights against the Outlaws and a rebellious renegade. Amidst the chaos, the Sheriff’s trusted Deputies stand by his side, while the Outlaws plot to bring him down. And then there’s the treacherous renegade, aiming to take the Sheriff’s place. In this town, you’ll have to decipher who’s with you and who’s against you if you want to uncover the truth!

Get Ready for the Action

Assigning Roles – Mix up the role cards as follows:

• The Sheriff and the renegade are always in play.
• Add 2 Outlaws for 4 or 5 players. Add 3 Outlaws for 6 or 7 players.
• Include 1 Deputy for 5 or 6 players. Include 2 Deputies for 7 players.

Deal one card to each player, face down. Then, only the Sheriff will reveal their role.

Choose Your Character – Let’s start by shuffling the character cards. Take a card and read aloud the characteristics of your chosen character. The number of hit points your character has is shown by the number of cartridges. Oh, and don’t forget, the Sheriff gets an extra hit point! To keep track of your hit points, place the corresponding number of cartridges from your character card onto your personal board in the designated cartridge slots.

– Now it’s time to shuffle the playing cards and place them in the middle of the table. Each player should draw the same number of playing cards as they have hit points. Let’s get this game started!

GAMEPLAY

Alright, here’s how the game starts. I’m the Sheriff, so I’ll kick things off. Then we’ll take turns, one at a time. This is what we do:

• I draw two cards from the deck.
• I can play one or more cards from my hand.
• I have to get rid of any extra cards. I can’t have more cards in my hand than the number of hit points I have left.

Playing Cards

• See those blue cards? They go in front of me, and their effect lasts until they’re taken away. As for the brown cards, I use them right away and then they’re gone.
• Oh, and I can’t have two blue cards with the same name in front of me. Variety is the spice of life, you know?

Weapons in this game have a limited shooting range indicated by the number in the target icon. The distance between two players corresponds to the layout of the table. If two players are next to each other, they are considered to be at a distance of 1. If there is another player separating them, they are at a distance of 2, and so on.

By default, each player starts with a Colt 45, which has a shooting range of 1. However, players can enhance their shooting range by using weapon cards. Additionally, the shooting range can be influenced by the Mustang and Appaloosa cards.

When a player plays a new weapon, it is placed in front of them and replaces the previous weapon, which must be discarded.

It’s important to note that a player can never have more hit points than their starting hit points.

The Beer card is a special card that can be played during a player’s turn or during the turn of another player when that player loses their last hit point. The Beer card allows the player to regain a hit point in an extreme situation.

Take Out a Player

• If a character runs out of hit points, they are taken out of the game and have to reveal their role.
• If the Sheriff takes out one of their Deputies, they receive a penalty and have to get rid of all the cards in their hand, as well as the ones in front of them.
• When a player takes out an Outlaw, they are rewarded and get to draw 3 cards.

When I look at card symbols, I see a whole world of effects waiting to happen. Each symbol brings something different to the table:

• A barred cartridge means a BANG! It’s like a bullet hitting its mark and making the target player lose one hit point.
• A pierced hat, on the other hand, means a missed opportunity. It cancels out any BANG! played against you.
• A cartridge with a green plus is like a little boost of energy. It earns you one hit point.
• A hand holding a card is all about drawing and stealing. If this symbol is the only one on the card played, you get to draw a card from the deck. But if this symbol is associated with a hat, you can steal a card from another player. You can either randomly take one from their hand or choose a specific card from their playing cards.
• A strikeout card is all about forcing someone’s hand. You get to make a player discard a card. You can either randomly pick one from their hand or choose a specific card from their playing cards.
• A hat is like a target on someone’s back. When you play a card with this symbol, you get to choose the player it affects, no matter how far away they are.

In this game, there are four types of cards that have different effects on the players. Let me explain each one to you.

First, we have the “three hats” card. When this card is played, its effect applies to all players except you, no matter how far away they are.

Next, we have the “hat in a target” card. This card allows you to choose a player, and its effect will apply to that player. However, the distance between you and the player you choose is taken into account.

Then, we have the “number in a target” card. Similar to the previous card, you can choose a player. The effect of the card will only apply to that player if they are at a distance less than or equal to the number indicated on the card.

Lastly, we have the “poker card”. When this card is played, the player draws a card. If the number and symbol on the card drawn matches the number and symbol of the card played, the player can activate the “Draw!” effect. For example, if the Dynamite card is played, the player who receives the Dynamite card must draw a card at the beginning of their turn. If they draw a card between 2 and 9 of Spades, the dynamite explodes and they lose 3 hit points. If they draw any other card, they pass the dynamite to the next player.

These cards add an element of surprise and strategy to the game, making it more exciting and engaging for everyone involved.

END OF GAME

The game comes to an end based on these events:

• When the Sheriff is eliminated, there are two possible outcomes:
• If the renegade is the last one standing, they win the game.
• Otherwise, the Outlaws emerge as the winners.