Pyramid Pick
BANG!
Published by Mayfair Games and Da Vinci Games
Designed by Emiliano Sciarra
Illustrated by Alex Pierangelini
110 cards; $10.00
BANG! is a raucous, quick-playing card game that recreates the melodrama and action of a classic spaghetti western film. This deadly shootout between the law and the outlaws is rife with close calls, mistaken identities, and vicious vendettas, all packed into about half an hour. For six or seven players, you will find few games so fun-filled and satisfying, as long as you are willing to spend a couple games learning its unique dynamics.
The deck is made up of 110 cards and requires nothing else to play; leave your dice and pads of paper aside. When random numbers are required, players reference the poker values on the corner of each card (10 of hearts, king of spades, etc.). Wounds are tracked by covering and uncovering the appropriate number of bullet symbols on one card with your character card. With this scheme, you'll rarely have to ask anyone to tell you how hurt they are -- just count the big, shiny bullets. The cards are illustrated primarily with some lively colored pencil sketches that effectively evoke the spirit of the cinematic West. They also sport titles and rules in Italian (the native language of the designer as well as that of the spaghetti western genre, of course) and English with the most complex rules illustrated via a language-independent set of symbols that works well once you've . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: November 14, 2003
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