Bang!: Sheriffs, Outlaws, and the Wild, Wild West

Have you always had a thing for good old-fashioned spaghetti westerns?  Does the thought of throwing on a pair of cowboy boots and trying out your best John Wayne impression sound like a good time to you?  Check out “Bang!”, the card game that pits Sheriffs, Deputies, Outlaws, and Renegades against each other to see who will be the last one standing.  With secret roles, hilarious characters, and mixed alliances, “Bang!” is an exciting card game that will add a bit of flair to your game night.

Role Cards

“Bang!” is a card game that assigns each player one of four roles.  Each role comes with its own hidden objective that the player needs to achieve if they want to win the game.  As a good upstanding citizen, the Sheriff needs to kill all the Outlaws as well as the Renegade.  The Deputy is his humble sidekick who’s tasked with protecting the Sheriff and killing any Outlaws.  The dangerous Outlaw wants to kill the Sheriff, and the Renegade wants to kill everybody.

Character Cards

Once you learn your role, you keep that information hidden for the rest of the game as you try to work your secret agenda.  Character cards, on the other hand, will be laid bare on the table for everyone to see.  The hilarious cards add a bit of humor and intrigue to the game by imbuing everyone with a strength and special ability.

Many character cards are inspired by famous people, with cards such as Bart Cassidy (named after Butch Cassidy) or Jesse Jones (named after Jesse James) some of the most entertaining choices of the bunch.  These cards will give you special abilities such as the ability to discard cards for life points or play an unlimited number of “Bang!” cards.

Who’s The Winner?

Gameplay is divided into turns in clockwise order starting with the Sheriff.  You start by drawing two cards before playing however many cards you choose to either help yourself or hurt the other players.  You can then get rid of whatever cards you don’t want to use.  “Bang!” cards are the real explosive elements of the game, as these allow you to fire on other players in the style of a real western shootout.

As players draw their weapons and the number of people in the game dwindles, things tend to become a lot more heated.  Once the Sheriff is killed, the game ends for everyone.  Because nobody knows who anyone is except for the Sheriff, this leaves plenty of time for sabotage and surprise attacks.  Most of the fun of “Bang!” comes from double-crossing the other players!

Expansions Of Bang!

“Bang!” comes with quite a few expansions that are inspired by different Westerns and make gameplay even more exciting.  The High Noon expansion adds different scenarios to the game that help or hinder certain players, while the Dodge City expansion adds comical new characters and dynamic new play cards.

A Fistful Of Cards comes with many new scenarios that can be mixed with the High Noon expansion, allowing you to play “Bang!” countless times without it ever being the same.  Or, if you’d like something a little more modern, you can play “Bang!: The Walking Dead” to take on murderous zombies instead of Outlaws and Renegades.

Bang! Be The Last One Standing

Although “Bang!” deals with stick-em-ups and shootouts, the game is simple and appropriate enough for ages 10 and up.  It also works for 4-7 players, which means that bigger families can get everyone involved in the fun.  Game time lasts between around 20-40 minutes, although the later expansion packs can make the game last longer and fit more players.

All in all, “Bang!” is a comical and stylized card game that capitalizes off of the fun of spaghetti westerns and the competitive spirit.  The luck of the draw means that you never know who’s your ally and who’s your enemy, which makes the game a lot more interesting as everyone is forced to fend for themselves.  If you’re looking to raise the stakes and add a little competition to game night, try “Bang!” for a bit of good old-fashioned fun.

How to Play Bang