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BANG! · Reference sheet

BANG! reference sheet

Overview

  • 4–7 players; Wild West shootout card game [p.1 — Object of the Game]
  • Roles are secret (except Sheriff); each role has a different win condition [p.1 — Object of the Game]
  • Sheriff: eliminate all Outlaws and the Renegade [p.1]
  • Outlaws: kill the Sheriff [p.1]
  • Deputies: protect the Sheriff (same goal) [p.1]
  • Renegade: be the last player alive [p.1]
  • Core loop: draw 2 cards → play cards to shoot/help → discard excess [p.3 — Turn]

Setup

  1. Deal one role card face-down per player; Sheriff reveals theirs [p.2 — Preparation]
  2. Deal one character card face-up per player; each player announces their character and ability [p.2]
  3. Each player takes bullets equal to their character's bullet count (Sheriff gets +1 bullet) [p.2]
  4. Deal each player cards equal to their bullet count from the shuffled play deck [p.2]
  5. Place remaining deck face-down as draw pile; leave space for discard pile [p.2]

Role counts by player count:

Players Sheriff Deputy Outlaw Renegade
4 1 0 2 1
5 1 1 2 1
6 1 1 3 1
7 1 2 3 1

Turn structure

Sheriff goes first; play proceeds clockwise [p.3 — Turn]

  1. Draw 2 cards from the draw pile (reshuffle discard if deck empty) [p.3]
  2. Play any number of cards (see limits below) [p.3]
  3. Discard down to hand-size limit = current life points [p.3]

Limits during phase 2:

  • Max 1 BANG! card per turn [p.3]
  • Max 1 copy of any card in play at once [p.3]
  • Max 1 weapon in play (discard old one to play new) [p.3]

Actions

Card Type Effect Limit
BANG! Brown Deal 1 damage to target in weapon range 1/turn
Missed! Brown Cancel a BANG! aimed at you (playable out of turn)
Beer Brown Regain 1 life point; playable out of turn only if losing last life point; no effect with 2 players left
Gatling Brown Deal 1 BANG! to ALL other players (not a BANG! card)
Indians! Brown Each other player discards a BANG! or loses 1 life point
Duel Brown Challenge any player; alternate discarding BANG! cards; first to fail loses 1 life point
General Store Brown Flip cards = player count; each player picks one starting with you
Stagecoach Brown Draw 2 cards from deck
Wells Fargo Brown Draw 3 cards from deck
Panic! Brown Draw 1 card from a player at distance 1
Cat Balou Brown Force any player to discard 1 card (any distance)
Saloon Brown All players regain 1 life point
Barrel Blue Draw! on Heart = cancel incoming BANG! In play
Mustang Blue Others see you at distance +1 In play
Scope Blue You see others at distance −1 (min 1) In play
Jail Blue Target must Draw! before turn: Heart = escape, other = skip turn. Cannot target Sheriff In play
Dynamite Blue Draw! at start of turn: 2–9 Spades = explode (−3 life), else pass left In play

Combat

Shooting with BANG!:

  1. Check distance to target ≤ weapon's range [p.5 — Weapons]
  2. Target may immediately play Missed! to cancel (even out of turn) [p.6]
  3. Target may use Barrel: Draw! — Heart = cancel, other suit = no effect [p.9]
  4. If not cancelled, target loses 1 life point (discards 1 bullet) [p.6]
  5. If target reaches 0 life points, they may play a Beer instantly to survive [p.6]
  • Missed! and Barrel have no effect against Indians! or Duel [p.8]
  • Weapons set shooting range only; they do NOT change distance between players [p.5]
  • Default weapon (Colt .45, always available): range 1 [p.5]
  • Volcanic: unlimited BANG! cards per turn, range 1 [p.5]

End of game

Game ends immediately when:

  • Sheriff is killed → Renegade wins if sole survivor; otherwise Outlaws win [p.4]
  • All Outlaws AND Renegade are eliminated → Sheriff and Deputies win [p.4]

Penalties/Rewards:

  • Sheriff eliminates a Deputy → Sheriff discards ALL cards in hand and in play [p.4]
  • Any player eliminates an Outlaw → draw 3 cards as reward [p.4]

Glossary

  • Life points: bullets on character card; also equals hand-size limit at end of turn [p.2 — Characters]
  • Draw!: flip top deck card, check suit/value in lower-left corner against card requirement [p.8 — Draw!]
  • In play: blue-bordered cards placed face-up in front of you; effect is ongoing [p.3 — Play any number of cards]
  • Distance: minimum seats between two players (clockwise or counterclockwise); eliminated players not counted [p.4 — Distance]
  • Range: maximum distance your weapon can reach for BANG! cards [p.5 — Weapons]
  • Missed!: any card with the Missed! symbol cancels a BANG! symbol effect [p.11 — Remember]
  • Barrel: Draw! when targeted by BANG!; Heart = cancel shot [p.9 — Barrel]
  • Jail: target skips turn unless Draw! shows Heart; cannot be played on Sheriff [p.9 — Jail]
  • Dynamite: Draw! at turn start; 2–9 Spades = −3 life points; else passes left [p.9 — Dynamite]
  • Volcanic: weapon allowing unlimited BANG! cards per turn, range 1 [p.5 — Volcanic]

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