Bang! può vantare indubbiamente una certa originalità nella meccanica di gioco e una discreta varietà di carte (che aumenta paurosamente acquistando le successive espansioni). A parte questo, il gioco risulta, dopo qualche partita, piuttosto ripetitivo. Il rischio di essere buttati fuori subito è piuttosto concreto; le partite possono anche durare alcune ore; la strategia si riduce a un bersagliarsi reciproco tra i fuorilegge e lo sceriffo (e i suoi eventuali vice), col rinnegato che bersaglia ora l'una ora l'altra fazione; se si cerca un gioco "leggero" che strappi qualche risata senza impegnare troppo le facoltà riflessive dei giocatori, Bang! è sicuramente un buon titolo, evocativo al punto giusto: riesce insomma a rendere il caos di una sparatoria del selvaggio West. Consigliabile l'acquisto dell'espansione Dodge City (probabilmente la migliore tra tutte le opzioni disponibili) per aumentare la varietà del gioco base.
"The Outlaws hunt the Sheriff. The Sheriff hunts the Outlaws. The Renegade plots secretly, ready to take one side or the other. Bullets fly. Who among the gunmen is a Deputy, ready to sacrifice himself for the Sheriff? And who is a merciless Outlaw, willing to kill him? If you want to find out, just draw (your cards)!" (From back of box)
The card game BANG! recreates an old-fashioned spaghetti western shoot-out, with each player randomly receiving a Character card to determine special abilities, and a secret Role card to determine their goal.
Four different Roles are available, each with a unique victory condition:
Sheriff - Kill all Outlaws and the Renegade
Deputy - Protect the Sheriff and kill any Outlaws
Outlaw - Kill the Sheriff
Renegade - Be the last person standing
A player's Role is kept secret, except for the Sheriff. Character cards are placed face up on table, and also track strength (hand limit) in addition to special ability.
There are 22 different types of cards in the draw deck. Most common are the BANG! cards, which let you shoot at another player, assuming the target is within "range" of your current gun. The target player can play a "MISSED!" card to dodge the shot. Other cards can provide temporary boosts while in play (for example, different guns to improve your firing range) and special one-time effects to help you or hinder your opponents (such as Beer to restore health, or Barrels to hide behind during a shootout). A horse is useful for keeping your distance from unruly neighbors, while the Winchester can hit a target at range 5. The Gatling is a deadly exception where range doesn't matter: it can only be used once, but targets all other players at the table!
Information on the cards is displayed using language-independent symbols, and 7 summary/reference cards are included.
- BANG!
- ¡BANG!
- Bang! Duelul Vestului Sălbatic
- BANG! A vadnyugat játéka!
- Wanted: Dead or Alive
- Wanted!
- Бенг!
- Бэнг!
- غرب وحشی
- 砰!
- 碰!
- 뱅!