Bang! card game
by Madhujith
(Bangalore, India)
Quick verdict
BANG!
Card game manufacturer:
Mayfair Games
Number of players:
4-7 Players
Ages:
8+
Fun in its purest sense, chaos, pandemonium, laughter etc., I can keep going on with adjectives. But in a nutshell this is Bang! To keep it simple, straight and plain, my final verdict- You cannot not have MY copy... period!! Go and get it everyone; Immediately!
The game and gameplay
I shot the sheriff, but I did not shoot the deputy- Bob Marley
Guess most of us have heard this song, well even if you haven't don't worry. The reason I put that line up is because this game is all about shooting people down! Well not in the real sense, but using cards. And my word, is this game fun! I have not seen a simple pack of cards pack this much punch.
The game is like:
Sheriff: I'll kill all these outlaws and restore peace!
Outlaws: Let's kill the sheriff who is in our way!
Deputy Sheriff: Oh no! I can't let the outlaws harm my boss!
Renegade: Ah haa! Here's my best opportunity to eliminate everyone and become the new sheriff!
Well this is the game in a nutshell. This game is truly multi-player in nature in that it can accommodate four-seven players. This game is a fighting, bluffing, little bit of mystery, classic western, role-playing (some of my RPG friends may take offence to this being called a Role Playing Game, but it is in a very simple sense though)!
As I mentioned before this is just a small box of cards. Exactly the same sized box as any playing card deck:
Seven role cards. The roles are- One Sheriff, Two Deputies, Three Outlaws and One Renegade. Sixteen character cards. Each player chooses one for the game. Eighty Cards to play
Well this might sound very mundane, but hey, don't be fooled by the fact that this game is just a pack of cards. In fact this makes it very easy to carry! A great mid-sized party game.
I'm not going to go through the entire rule set, but going to give you all an overview of how this game flows. Each player get a role card, ex. Sheriff, Outlaw etc. and the Sheriff reveals himself/herself.
Of course the number of outlaws and deputies change with the number of people. Each one is then given a character card that talks about the special ability of the character and also the number of life points indicated by the number of bullet. Now this character card plays the role given to you. Ex. Bart Cassidy, one of the characters, might play the outlaw, Willy the Red might play the Sheriff.
Everyone gets another character card, but this one he keeps face down with the bullet side up and covers it using his previous character card to indicate the number of life points. Note: The sheriff has one extra life point as he discloses himself!
Each player gets four cards as a starting hand.
This is the game set up and now the shooting can begin! The sheriff starts the play. During any player's turn, they draw two cards from the draw pile. Play as many cards as they want, or not play any as well! (Which btw is very rare.)
In case they have more cards than their current life points, they discard down to match the current life status.
With such simple rules, you might wonder where is the fun element? The playing card deck comes with a variety of cards, but the most important ones are the Bang! and Missed cards. Use the Bang card to shoot someone and missed card to avoid the hit!
Apart from this there are special blue colored cards that give you additional powers, like increasing your range of shooting (each person starts with a range of one, meaning they can shoot players who are next to them, either side), you use a card that makes everyone else see you farther apart and hence can't shoot you! You use a volcanic card and can continuously shoot people!
They can put others in Jail (not the most pleasant thing to do) and then shoot you- well this is real nasty, but fun at the same time. Indians attack so shoot them down or lose a life point. There is a machine gun attack so avoid or get hit! Someone can take away your powers... Someone uses dynamite!
Oh my God! I'm hit! I'm hit! Drink beer and save yourself!
Many more fun options exist. There is never a dull moment in the game and it is high voltage action all along. But for the Sheriff none of the other players reveal their roles, so it is going to be a game of cat and mouse trying to guess who is on whose side!
If the sheriff and his deputy kill all the outlaws and Renegade they win. If the outlaws kill the sheriff they win! If the Renegade manages to be the only one alive- he wins (this btw is the most difficult role and fun role to play).
You don't know who's on whose side, but you keep guessing and shooting at people. There is going to be chaos, pandemonium and lots and lots of laughter.
There is limited amount of strategy, but this game was not supposed to be a strategy brain burner, but just a game of unadulterated fun and laughter for the family and friends alike.
I've seen people seeking revenge the next time around when they play completely disregarding the roles! Absolutely hilarious this one I say! I have heard stories where people have almost got into fistfights! Each game lasts somewhere between 30-40 mins.
So there you go, such a small duration and so much fun. Just that it might take a little longer in the initial games till you get used to the different cards, but once you are through, the fun really kicks in.
Other card games you might enjoy!
Bang! card game
Bohnanza game
Brawl game
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Pros and cons
I have played this game more than any other game with a lot of different groups- age group ranging from 10 year olds to 50 yrs and everyone has enjoyed this a lot. NO EXCEPTION! I have never stopped this game at just one round, people always ask me to get it out as their first game on any game nights! I have had to tell some that my Bang copy is with someone so that I could play something else; that is how addictive this game is.
Though there is limited strategy/tactics purely based on the fun element this ranks as one of my top-rated games!
Well really there are not too many things that I can complain about this game, but for some small things like the cards are not of the greatest quality and because you tend to play this so many times, may to wear out fast. There is little but of learning curve, but nothing to worry.
The only thing I would say about this game is- the more the merrier. Though you can play with four people, six-seven is the sweet spot. Now you may not have this number all the time, but when you have it don't miss it!
If you liked Bohnanza, you'll absolutely love this. Even if you didn't like Bohnanza, you'll like this.
The verdict
Bang! is one of those games that will always hit your table once your group knows to play the game. With additional expansions, the variety and replay value is very high. In the truest sense the value for money is huge, because you are just paying for a pack of cards that this going to be so much fun to play. DON'T THINK, JUST BUY THIS- Highly Recommended!
