That of board games is a world that has never really lost its appeal, although there have been obvious moments of fatigue where the interest in these productions has inevitably failed. With the arrival on the Kickstarter scene and all the possibilities it offers, however, countless themed projects have come to present themselves to a potentially boundless audience, a sort of rediscovered youth for the market that has been able to conquer millions of users from all over the world. world. There are numerous projects that we have touched and treated, and Bang! is the last of these. The title created by Emiliano Sciarra and produced by Mayfair Games in collaboration with daVinci Games, throws us into the deep West, between bandit sheriffs and gunslingers ready to kill each other. Are you ready to take action and test your infallible nose?
What do we find inside the box?
Bang! is a cooperative title for 1 to 7 players, and is made up of 110 cards and a simple, but effective instruction booklet. The 110 cards are divided into 4 different types: we will find 80 playing cards, 7 summary cards, 16 character cards and 7 role cards. In terms of structure and materials, we can guarantee that every single paper is of the highest quality. Fortunately for us, the creator has decided to give each type of card a different support, so as to make them immediately recognizable and easy to fix both at the beginning and at the end of the game.
Obviously at the center of the title there are the cards and the particular rules that distinguish them, each card has been made with the utmost care and are characterized by splendid designs. On each of them we will find a name, a work of art and some icons, as well as a seed and a number. Even the edge of the cards has been designed to make sense, a blue border for the cards that remain in game while the golden ones have an instant effect or linked to a certain number of turns. The suit and the number of the card are used only to recall some events in the game, the icons instead describe very quickly what each card is able to do. Obviously, during the first few games it will be necessary to keep the summary cards close, which list all of the game's card icons and their abilities. The role cards, on the other hand, are used to determine the player's victory conditions; in total, there are seven roles to play: 1 sheriff, 2 deputies, 1 renegade and 3 outlaws. Each individual character, illustrated with simple but well-chosen drawings, will have their own victory condition to be achieved before their opponents.
Character cards determine which role each player will play and offer all participants a special ability. Each has a name, a design, a brief explanation of the character's special ability, and a number of starting bullets. The card backs are also very useful because they are used as tokens during the game. In terms of packaging, the box is large enough to hold 110 cards, and thanks to the small size we must say that it transports really well, it will be really easy to bring this beautiful game to your friends' house. If we consider the very low price of the title, we can safely tell you that every single component of the product is characterized by an above average quality, a piece that cannot be missing in your collection.
Are you ready to face the duel?
In Bang! the players will have as main objective to eliminate the other participants or some of the characters present in their character cards. Put on such a simplistic level, it may seem really easy to play Bang! The strategy and the use of bullets will be essential to defeat your enemies and win the game.
The game begins by assigning each player a completely random role card and a character card that is always random, this choice increases the longevity and replayability of the title, because the various combinations always offer different ideas to approach the game. The role card, as we have listed above, are Sheriff, Renegade, Outlaw or Deputy; above them the victory conditions of each player are determined. The combination of roles is determined based on the number of players: a game with 4 players will have to randomly contain 1 sheriff, 1 renegade and 2 outlaws. The only one who immediately reveals his role is the sheriff, all the others can remain covered.
All the characters have their own western stage name in a witty key (Bart Cassidy) and obviously everyone has their own skill, to be exploited adequately to be able to have it engraved in-game. Another aspect not to be underestimated that changes between the various characters is the "vital points" bar in bullets, which varies from 3 to 4 bullets, except for the sheriff who will receive an additional one. This factor will not only affect the player's HP but also the cards he will draw at the start of the game, with the turn always starting from the character who will play the sheriff.
Each player during his turn will be able to: Draw two cards, play an unlimited number of cards and discard any excess cards. The pulsating phase of the game is precisely the central one, during which players can use as many cards as they want to implement their strategy. There are three types of cards:
- Bang! Cards: only one card is allowed to play during each turn Bang!. Thanks to these cards you can injure or kill other characters, so they must be exploited in the best possible way. There are some exceptions to this rule that you should definitely keep in mind. The effectiveness of these cards is however bound to a certain range of action, i.e. players can only use them against those who will fall within a certain proximity to the game table (the first person next to you is considered range 1, and etc). The range of action of the Colt 45 with which you start the game is 1, this leads us to be able to shoot only the players to your left and right. As the turns progress, you will get upgrades that will grant you a greater and more effective range. However, the players who receive the hit have the possibility of avoiding the attack thanks to a permanent card such as the Barrel or thanks to the Smoothed card, if in hand. Each player who receives a hit will have to remove a bullet from his character and, if the bullets run out, there is the possibility to play a Beer card that immediately restores a bullet avoiding death and eventual defeat.
- Temporary cards: the vast majority of cards in the game have a temporary effect, so that occurs immediately and then runs out. These cards are recognizable by the brown border and include:
Beer: restores a bullet.
Lounge area: everyone gets a bullet.
Gatling: all other players lose a bullet.
Diligence: draw 2 cards.
Wells Fargo: draw 3 cards.
General Store: everyone gets a card.
Panic!: Take a card from a character at range 1.
Cat Balou: choose a character who discards a card.
Duel: participate in a direct confrontation with other players. Each player must take turns eliminating their cards Bang !, whoever runs out of them first loses a bullet.
Indians !: All other players must discard a card Bang! or lose a bullet.
- Permanent cards: these blue-bordered cards remain on the table when played. Most of them are handguns that allow you to extend your reason for action by one. In addition to the guns, there are a few other permanent cards.
Discard excess cards: After playing his cards, the player will have to discard all the excess cards that must coincide with the number of bullets currently accumulated.
The game seems simple and straightforward but it takes a lot of intuition, because even if we kill a character, it doesn't mean we're doing the right thing. When a character is eliminated from the game, he must reveal the role card and discard his hand entirely. In this case, we will receive a reward or a penalty: if a sheriff kills his deputy, he will be forced to discard all his cards from his hand, while if he kills an outlaw he can draw 3 cards.
Winning the game: each of the four roles has a different victory condition:
- Sheriff: kill all outlaws and renegades.
- Outlaw: kill the sheriff.
- Vice: protect the sheriff and share his goal.
- Renegade: be the last character in the game.
The game ends as soon as someone reaches his goal, so it's possible that the renegade loses if the sheriff is eliminated before he eliminates the rest of the characters, so it's in his best interest to make sure the sheriff is the last living character other than himself .
Not just beer and snacks
Bang! at first glance it may seem like a simple game to approach with ease with a beer and some snacks in hand. In reality it is not quite so, all thanks to a well-structured general design that can offer more than a few surprises. Unlike very similar titles, Sciarra's game enjoys a certain strategic depth, which induces us to play and replay while showing off our skills.
As if that weren't enough, the quotes and the various dynamics make the gaming experience truly incredible. It will be fun to play and replay, discovering a few just mentioned quotes every time. From a gameplay point of view, keeping the roles hidden until the end not only increases the dose of strategy, but pushes the players to understand and intuit the role of others. Starting shooting the sheriff right away will quickly make you find out as Bandits, or someone may think you're just bluffing. It is also very fun to be able to interpret at least once (more times is better) all the characters of the game, another aspect that greatly increases its replayability.
The less "exciting" peculiarity (for those who love intense competition) is the random part of the gameplay. Unfortunately the causal component is quite high, but the balance of the cards manages to give everyone a way to respond to each game session. After all Bang! is a really fun and captivating spaghetti western, a product that does not require the experience of the best players and veterans, but that will still be able to take you and transport you into this world of "Shoot"!
