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Bang! takes its players to the
days of the Wild West, where a gun did the talking and the Sheriff maintained
law and order. Each player is secretly given a role to play in the Wild West
and these consist of the Sheriff, Deputy, Outlaws and a Renegade. The numbers
of each role will vary with the number of players and this helps to maintain
the gaming balance. Only the Sheriff reveals themself, whilst all other players
keep their identities hidden.
To win the game the Sheriff and his Deputies must
kill all the Outlaws and the Renegade. For the Outlaws to win they must kill
the Sheriff. For the Renegade to win they must kill everyone else and be the
last person standing. Therefore, players can begin to identify each other based
on who opens fire on whom – highly enjoyable.
Before play begins each player is
also given a character at random. Each character has a name like Willy the Kid
and they bestow a special ability on the player that break the standard game
rules in some way. Each character has a number of life points (3 or 4) and when
these reach zero the player is dead and out of the game.
Each player begins their turn by drawing 2 cards from the
deck and adds them to their starting hand (a number of cards equal to the
character’s life). They can then play any number of cards to protect themselves
or weaken the players around them. A ‘Bang!’ card allows a player to shoot
another player, but only if they are in range. Players sitting adjacent to each
other are at range 1 For each extra space a player is away from you, their
range increases by 1.
All players start the game with a basic gun that can
shoot at 1 range, but other guns can be acquired during the game to allow long
distance attacks. If a Bang! card is used then the target player can play a
Missed! card from their hand to avoid the bullet. If they can’t then they take
a point of damage, which may result in death. Play continues in such fashion
until 1 player can meet their win conditions for themselves or their team.
Don’t be alarmed if Bang! seems complicated based on the
above explanation - nothing could be further from the truth. Bang! is simply
one of those games that is easier to learn through play than it is through
explanation. In fact Bang! only seems complex because it offers players so many
options on each turn – and this is one hallmark of any great game. Once you
become familiar with the basic game design, all those options will start to
really grow on you. The deck of cards offers a stack of other cards and
features but I will allow you to discover these.
The play is fun from start to
finish and death is usually laughed at, as a new game never takes long to get
underway. The expansion Bang! Dodge City is also highly recommended, although
first time players will find it easier to play the base game first and add
Dodge City when they are ready. Fancy a Duel!…Partner?
Bang is for 3 to 7 players ages 8 and up and plays in about 30 minutes.
Game Review by Neil Thomson
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