BANG! Gold Rush Game Rules

I’ve got some exciting news for you – it’s time to strike gold with the BANG! Gold Rush game! Get ready to dive into the Wild West and try your luck as a gold prospector. But before we jump in, let’s go through the rules to make sure you’re all set to hit the motherlode.

First things first, let’s talk about the layout of the game. The board represents a typical Wild West town, complete with different locations where you can find gold. Each player is assigned a character card, which determines their role in the game and provides them with special abilities.

Now, I know you’re eager to get out there and start mining, but hold your horses! There’s a catch. The board is also populated by outlaws and bandits who want to steal your hard-earned gold. So, you’ll need to keep your wits about you and defend yourself.

To start the game, each player is dealt a number of cards from the deck. These cards represent various equipment, such as weapons and tools, that you can use to your advantage. You’ll also receive a number of gold nuggets, which serve as victory points.

On your turn, you can perform a number of actions. You can move to different locations on the board to search for gold, use your equipment cards, or even attack other players. But be careful – your opponents might have cards up their sleeves that can turn the tables on you.

One of the unique aspects of BANG! Gold Rush is the hidden role mechanic. At the beginning of the game, each player is secretly assigned a role card – gold digger, outlaw, or sheriff. Only the sheriff’s role is revealed, and their goal is to protect the town and eliminate the outlaws. The outlaws, on the other hand, are trying to steal as much gold as possible without getting caught.

The game continues until one of the end conditions is met. This could be when all the gold has been mined, when the sheriff eliminates all the outlaws, or when a certain number of rounds have been played. At the end of the game, players add up their gold nuggets, and the player with the most nuggets is declared the winner.

So, partner, are you ready to embark on this thrilling adventure? Get your pickaxe ready and your cowboy hat on – it’s time to strike it rich in the BANG! Gold Rush game!

Hey there, partner! Get ready for a wild ride with BANG! The Gold Rush is on, and it’s time to show off your lightning-fast reflexes. There’s gold up for grabs, and I reckon the quickest gunslinger will be the one to get their hands on it!

Now, I don’t want to rain on your parade, but you better keep an eye out for those sneaky shadow-gunslingers. They’re downright ruthless and are aiming to take you down. It’s gonna be a test of your skills. Can you ride like the wind and be the one to strike it rich?

Components

• There are 24 equipment cards.
• There are 8 character cards.
• There is 1 “Shadow-Renegade” role card.
• There are 30 gold nuggets.
• There are instructions.

Equipment Cards

At the start of the game, shuffle the equipment cards and put them in a separate pile. Then, place the pile a little far away from the playing deck. Take the first three equipment cards and show them face up in a row.

In the middle of the table, make a small pile of gold nuggets. Remember that you don’t have any equipment or gold nuggets when you begin the game.

The game is like the regular BANG!, but with some changes:

Whenever you make another player lose a life point using any method (such as playing a BANG!, Indians!, Duel, etc.), you can take one gold nugget from the pile (if the pile becomes empty, use something similar instead).

When you manage to make multiple players lose a life point with just one card, you get to collect a gold nugget for each wound you inflicted. Make sure to keep your gold nuggets in front of you so that everyone can see them.

Let me give you an example: imagine we’re playing a game with five players. Sid decides to play a Gatling card, which affects all of the other players.

As a result, Paul plays a Missed! card, but Pedro, Rose, and Suzy are all hit. Since Sid caused three players to lose a life point, he gets to take three gold nuggets from the pile.

Now, during the second phase of your turn, you have three new options to choose from:

1. Purchase One or More Equipment Cards:

You can buy any face-up equipment card by spending the required number of nuggets. Brown-bordered cards give you an immediate effect before being discarded. Black-bordered cards, on the other hand, are kept face up in front of you.

For example, let’s say I pay 2 gold nuggets to get a Pardner card. I can use it to copy the effect of a Cat Balou card and then discard it.

After that, I decide to spend 2 more gold nuggets on a Horseshoe. This card stays face up in front of me and I can use it when I need to “draw!”

Now, let’s move on to the next rule: forcing another player to discard equipment cards.

If you want, you can make another player get rid of one of their equipment cards that they have placed face up in front of them. To do this, you need to pay the normal cost of the card plus an extra gold nugget.

Whoever owns the equipment can’t stop you from doing this. The card gets put at the bottom of the equipment deck, with the front of the card facing up.

For example: Let’s say I spend 3 gold nuggets to make Sam get rid of his Horseshoe. The Horseshoe costs 2, so I pay that plus 1 extra gold nugget.

Then, if I want, I can spend 4 more gold nuggets to make Kit get rid of his Lucky Charm. The Lucky Charm costs 3, so I pay that plus an extra gold nugget.

3. Use one or more beer cards to get gold nuggets:

When it’s my turn, I can use a Beer card from my hand to grab a gold nugget from the heap. I can do this as many times as I want in one turn. The catch is, I don’t get any life points back when I play a Beer card like this. And I can’t use other cards that have the same effect, like the Saloon card, to get gold nuggets.

Let me give you an example. I have two Beer cards in my hand. I play one to get 1 life point back. Then I play the other one to take 1 gold nugget from the heap.

Now, there’s no limit to how many equipment cards I can buy or get rid of during my turn. I can have any kind of black-bordered equipment cards in front of me. So, I’m free to do whatever I want!

Just a quick reminder: you can’t have two cards with the same name facing up in front of you. This rule applies to equipment cards, just like the blue-bordered ones. When you buy an equipment card, it’s immediately replaced with a new card from the equipment deck.

Any gold nuggets you spend to buy or discard equipment always go back to the heap.

Equipment cards can’t be targeted by Panic! or Cat Balou cards, or any other cards with a similar effect from any expansion, including all character special abilities. The only way to get rid of an equipment card is to pay its cost plus one gold nugget.

If you get eliminated from the game, all your equipment cards are discarded. The discarded equipment cards are always placed face up at the bottom of the equipment deck.

When playing the game, it’s important to remember that certain character abilities, like Vulture Sam, can’t be used to collect equipment cards. If you happen to reveal a face-up equipment card while drawing equipment, don’t worry! Just shuffle the entire pile and create a new draw deck to keep the game fair and exciting.

Let’s Mix It Up: Shadow-gunslingers

Here’s a fun game variant that keeps the action going, even when you think you’re out of the game!

This game variant can be used on its own, but it’s especially designed to work with the Gold Rush expansion and its characters. So, grab your trusty shadow-gunslingers and get ready for some wild adventures!

If, by some unfortunate turn of events, you lose all your life points and get eliminated, don’t fret! You’re only out of the game temporarily. The usual rules for elimination still apply – you have to discard all your cards, including equipment, and reveal your role card to check the victory conditions. Stay hopeful and you might just make a glorious comeback!

If you were an Outlaw and someone managed to take you out, they would get a reward in the form of three cards. However, there’s a silver lining for you because you get to keep all of your gold nuggets, if you had any to begin with.

After getting eliminated, you get a chance to come back into the game temporarily during each subsequent turn. But, you come back as a “shadow-gunslinger” – specifically, a “shadow-Deputy”, “shadow-Outlaw”, or “shadow-Renegade”, depending on your original role.

As a shadow-gunslinger, you don’t have any life points. Instead, you draw two cards and play your turn like normal. However, you can’t gain or lose life points, which means you don’t have to worry about any cards that would affect your life points. You play as if you were alive, utilizing all your abilities.

At the end of your turn, you leave the game again and have to discard all your cards, including any equipment cards you purchased during that turn. But don’t worry, you’ll get another chance to come back as a shadow-gunslinger in the next round.

Important: When you play as a shadow-gunslinger, you’re not considered a regular player. This means that any effects that happen when a player is eliminated don’t apply to you. For instance, Vulture Sam doesn’t get your discarded cards. When it’s not your turn, you’re out of the game completely. Your abilities won’t work, and you don’t count for things like distance between players or the effects of General Store, Dynamite, or other cards.

You get to keep your gold nuggets from turn to turn, and you can collect more when you’re a shadow-gunslinger. During your turn, you can spend your nuggets to buy or discard equipment. But there’s one thing to keep in mind – any black-bordered equipment cards you buy will be discarded at the end of your turn, just like your other cards.

Now, let’s talk about the shadow-renegade.

When it’s my turn to be the shadow-Renegade, I have a special rule to follow. I have to choose the weakest team.

I count how many face-up role cards there are. This includes the cards of players who have been eliminated and the Sheriff’s card, but not my own. I side with the team that has the most face-up role cards.

If there’s a tie in the number of face-up cards, I choose the Outlaws.

Once I’m eliminated and become the shadow-Renegade, I get the “shadow-Renegade” role card and keep it in front of me, face-up.

At the start of each of my turns, after I figure out which side I’m on, I turn my role card to either shadow-Deputy or shadow-Outlaw.

Starting now, you win alongside your current team. Your role remains unchanged until your next turn, no matter what’s happening. A shadow-Renegade never goes back to being a regular Renegade. The shadow-Renegade card is never counted when deciding which side to join at the beginning of their turn.

For example: Let’s say Bart is the only player eliminated so far, and the only other role card face-up is the Sheriff. In this case, the new shadow-Renegade will play for the Law, acting as a shadow-Deputy.

But, let’s say later on, an Outlaw gets eliminated. When Bart’s next turn starts, he becomes a shadow-Outlaw instead (since there is now a tie between face-up lawman and outlaw cards, and he plays for the Outlaws).

If a Deputy gets eliminated after that, Bart reverts back to playing for the Law (assuming the face-up role cards are: Sheriff, Deputy, and Outlaw, making it 2 lawmen and 1 outlaw). And so on.

Important Points to Remember:

• Always pass the Dynamite clockwise to the next player who is still in the game.
• When you are eliminated as a shadow gunslinger, your equipment is discarded and Vulture Sam does not get them.
• If you are a shadow gunslinger, any cards you discard at the end of your turn are not taken by Vulture Sam. This also applies to Greg Digger’s and Herb Hunter’s abilities if you play with the BANG! Dodge City expansion.

Equipment Cards

• Boots: This effect does not apply to the last life point you lose.

Let’s go over some important things to keep in mind while playing the game:

• Always remember to pass the Dynamite to the player on your right. Keep it moving clockwise around the table.
• When you get eliminated as a shadow gunslinger, any equipment you have is discarded. Don’t worry, Vulture Sam won’t take them from you.
• If you happen to be a shadow gunslinger yourself, any cards you decide to discard at the end of your turn won’t be taken by Vulture Sam either. This is also true if you’re playing with the BANG! Dodge City expansion and using Greg Digger’s or Herb Hunter’s abilities.

Now, let’s take a look at the different equipment cards:

• Boots: The Boots card has a unique effect. However, it’s important to note that this effect won’t be applied if you lose your last life point.
• Bottle: This card may look like others, but it’s not. It’s not a Panic!, a Beer, or a BANG!. When you use the Bottle card to shoot, it doesn’t count towards your one BANG! per turn limit. So go ahead and use it without any worries!
• Calumet: Here’s the thing about the Calumet equipment card: it doesn’t do anything during Duels. So if you find yourself in a Duel, don’t expect any help from your trusty Calumet.
• Gold Pan: Keeping track of the cards you draw is easy with the Gold Pan card. Just put the gold nuggets you pay on the Gold Pan card, and at the end of your turn, return them back to where they came from. It’s a handy tool for any gold-seeking adventurer!
• Horseshoe: When you use a “draw!” card, like the Horseshoe, you won’t see it again. It gets discarded right after you use it. So be aware of that when you’re thinking about your card strategy.
• Good Luck Charm: This special ability only works once, and it can’t save you from losing your last life point. When you get injured, always take a gold nugget from the heap, not from the player who hurt you.
• Partner: This card is different from a General Store, a Duel, or a Cat Balou. It has the same effect, but it’s not categorized as any of those cards.
• Whiskey: For example: If you draw a “whiskey!” card, you gain 3 life points. Remember, all “whiskey!” cards are discarded after use.
• Backpack: You can use this card even when it’s not your turn, but only if you’re about to lose your last life point.

Attention! We have a special request to make: There are two cards and a gold nugget that have unique effects in the game, separate from any other actions you take. For example, if you manage to eliminate an outlaw, you’ll get 5 cards and 1 gold nugget. In a similar vein, if the Sheriff takes down a Wanted deputy, they draw new cards before discarding their entire hand but still keep their nuggets. Remember, these special additions have their own consequences and benefits, so keep an eye out for them as you play.

Now let’s move on to the characters you can choose from:

• Don Bell: At the end of his extra turn, he doesn’t “draw!” for another extra turn.
• Dutch Will: During phase 1 of his turn, he must discard one of the two cards he just drew. He gets to decide which one to let go.
• Jacky Murieta: I can shoot more than one extra BANG! if I have enough gold nuggets to pay for them. I don’t need to play any cards to use this ability.
• Josh McCloud: I can only use this ability during my turn. If I draw an equipment card with a black border that I already have, I have to get rid of it.
• Madam Yto: It doesn’t matter if the Beer was played to get a life point back or to get a gold nugget. It doesn’t matter who played the Beer card – it can even be one of Madam Yto’s Beer cards. This ability won’t work if someone uses a different card, like Whisky or Bottle, as a Beer.

I’m super excited to introduce you to some of the awesome characters in the Bang! Gold Rush Expansion. They each have their own unique abilities that add an extra layer of fun to the game. Let me walk you through some of them:

• 
  Pretty Luzena: She’s a pretty special character because she can buy more than one equipment card per turn. But here’s the kicker: she can only reduce the cost of one of those cards by 1 gold nugget. Oh, and if she decides to use her ability on an equipment card that costs 1 gold nugget, she gets it for free! Talk about a sweet deal, right?
• 
  Raddie Snake: Now, this character has a really cool ability that lets you keep track of the cards you draw. Here’s how it works: when you draw cards using Raddie Snake’s ability, you pay gold nuggets and keep them on your character card until the end of your turn. Then, they go back to the heap. It’s like your own personal stash of gold!
• 
  Simeon Picos: Last but not least, we have Simeon Picos. This guy is a bit of a rebel because he always takes the gold nugget from the heap when he gets wounded. No need to go begging for gold from other players. Simeon is a true independent spirit!

These characters bring a whole new level of excitement to the game. Each one is unique and offers different strategies and ways to play. So go ahead and choose the character that speaks to you the most! Happy gaming!