BANG! - rules for 2 players - by Emiliano Sciarra
Napsal: 21 úno 2006, 16:09
BANG! - Special rules for 2 players
by Emiliano Sciarra
Preparation and aim of the game
These are the official rules to play BANG! with 2 players.
The players choose two characters picking alternately one character each. Then they put their chosen characters in front of them, with the usual life points showing, one near to the other, at the same time. Each player chooses one character to be "exposed" and another to stay "cover", and
begins with as many cards as the life points total of his exposed character.
The aim of the game is to kill both opponent's characters. The game flows as usual with the exception of the following changes.
The game
Regarding the distance between players, the game is played as if there were 4 players playing, one for each character.
At the beginning of each turn, after dealing with such cards as Jail and Dynamite and before any other action, the player whose turn it is chooses between his characters one to stay exposed and the other one to stay cover: he moves slightly the exposed character to stay a bit ahead with respect to the other. You cannot make exposed a character who is in Jail .
During and out of his turn, the player has all the abilities of his exposed character, and no abilities of his covered character. However, if his covered character is the target of a card (BANG!, Indians!, Duel...) the player temporarily gets the ability of his covered character (and loses the abilities of his exposed one), for the short time needed to respond (see example below).
Cards that need a target may be directed towards any other character, provided it is legal (e.g. in order to play a BANG! the character must be at a reachable distance).
Blue cards can be played on any of the two characters, at the player’s choice.
When a player declares the end of his turn, he must discard from his hand any card exceeding the number of the current life points of his exposed character. When a character is killed, the player keeps playing with the other one, which of course will be always exposed.
Cards clarifications
Beer: can be played only on your exposed character.
General Store: turn face up as many cards as the characters alive. The two players alternately choose one of them (if one player has only one character alive, the other one will draw 2 cards).
Indians! and Gatling: both of your characters are safe when you play this card, while they affect both of opponent's characters.
Example
Note: normally the game will be very fast and straightforward. This is an intentionally non-trivial example.
A player with a single Missed! card in hand has Suzy Lafayette exposed and Calamity Janet covered. His opponent plays Indians!. Suzy Lafayette is the first to react, according to the clockwise order: she must suffer a wound. Then it's the time of Calamity Janet, but she can use his Missed! as a BANG!, since the player now has temporarily gained her ability. After that, the player regains the ability of Suzy Lafayette, and therefore draws a card from the deck because he has no cards in his hand.
Designer’s notes
The game will be usually very fast, from 10 to 15 minutes per game. It lacks the roles mechanism, but it adds to the overall strategy the choice of your "posse" of two characters. Generally a first looking strong couple such as Willy the Kid and Slab the Killer will not work very well, since they are both offensive and they both need to be exposed to employ their power. Rather, it is better to choose an offensive character coupled with a very defensive or versatile one. According to my experience there is not a couple better than any other one. Try various combinations and see how
they perform against different couples.
by Emiliano Sciarra
Preparation and aim of the game
These are the official rules to play BANG! with 2 players.
The players choose two characters picking alternately one character each. Then they put their chosen characters in front of them, with the usual life points showing, one near to the other, at the same time. Each player chooses one character to be "exposed" and another to stay "cover", and
begins with as many cards as the life points total of his exposed character.
The aim of the game is to kill both opponent's characters. The game flows as usual with the exception of the following changes.
The game
Regarding the distance between players, the game is played as if there were 4 players playing, one for each character.
At the beginning of each turn, after dealing with such cards as Jail and Dynamite and before any other action, the player whose turn it is chooses between his characters one to stay exposed and the other one to stay cover: he moves slightly the exposed character to stay a bit ahead with respect to the other. You cannot make exposed a character who is in Jail .
During and out of his turn, the player has all the abilities of his exposed character, and no abilities of his covered character. However, if his covered character is the target of a card (BANG!, Indians!, Duel...) the player temporarily gets the ability of his covered character (and loses the abilities of his exposed one), for the short time needed to respond (see example below).
Cards that need a target may be directed towards any other character, provided it is legal (e.g. in order to play a BANG! the character must be at a reachable distance).
Blue cards can be played on any of the two characters, at the player’s choice.
When a player declares the end of his turn, he must discard from his hand any card exceeding the number of the current life points of his exposed character. When a character is killed, the player keeps playing with the other one, which of course will be always exposed.
Cards clarifications
Beer: can be played only on your exposed character.
General Store: turn face up as many cards as the characters alive. The two players alternately choose one of them (if one player has only one character alive, the other one will draw 2 cards).
Indians! and Gatling: both of your characters are safe when you play this card, while they affect both of opponent's characters.
Example
Note: normally the game will be very fast and straightforward. This is an intentionally non-trivial example.
A player with a single Missed! card in hand has Suzy Lafayette exposed and Calamity Janet covered. His opponent plays Indians!. Suzy Lafayette is the first to react, according to the clockwise order: she must suffer a wound. Then it's the time of Calamity Janet, but she can use his Missed! as a BANG!, since the player now has temporarily gained her ability. After that, the player regains the ability of Suzy Lafayette, and therefore draws a card from the deck because he has no cards in his hand.
Designer’s notes
The game will be usually very fast, from 10 to 15 minutes per game. It lacks the roles mechanism, but it adds to the overall strategy the choice of your "posse" of two characters. Generally a first looking strong couple such as Willy the Kid and Slab the Killer will not work very well, since they are both offensive and they both need to be exposed to employ their power. Rather, it is better to choose an offensive character coupled with a very defensive or versatile one. According to my experience there is not a couple better than any other one. Try various combinations and see how
they perform against different couples.