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Bang!

A classic party shootout game set in the Old West, where players take Sheriff, Deputy, Outlaw, and Renegade cards and shoot it out. Every character has a different special ability, so there is the fun of planning a different strategy each game.

My collection

👥 4–7 players (best with 7) age 8+⏱️ 20–40 min🎯 weight 2/5

PartyDeduction & bluffingCard gameThematic & adventure

Rules

Hidden Wild West roles manage range and cards while protecting the Sheriff, hunting him, or trying to become the last survivor.

Edition: DV Games BANG! base game (official English rulebook)Checked against one official rulebook · other edition pending

Roles and victory conditions first

4 playersSSheriffOOutlawOOutlawRRenegade

5 playersSSheriffDDeputyOOutlawOOutlawRRenegade

6 playersSSheriffDDeputyO×3OutlawRRenegade

7 playersSSheriffD×2DeputyO×3OutlawRRenegade

Only the Sheriff reveals his role. Deputies share the Sheriff's goal of eliminating every Outlaw and the Renegade, Outlaws kill the Sheriff, and the Renegade must become the last survivor.

The Renegade must eliminate the Sheriff last

When the Sheriff dies, the Renegade wins only if he is the sole survivor. If anyone else remains alive, the Outlaws win, even if every Outlaw was eliminated earlier.

Setup and life points

1Shuffle the roles for the player count and deal one to each player. The Sheriff reveals; every other role stays secret.
2Deal one Character face up to each player. Its bullets are both starting life and the hand limit at the end of that player's turn.
3The Sheriff starts with one more life point and one more card of hand capacity than the Character shows.
4Deal each player as many cards as their starting bullets. The Sheriff takes the first turn, followed clockwise.

SSheriff revealed???other roles hidden

read Character and bullets

♥×4starting life

same number of starting cards????

This example shows a four-bullet Character. As Sheriff, that Character starts with five bullets and five cards. Damage lowers both current life and the end-of-turn hand limit.

A turn is draw, play, discard

1. Draw two??

2. Play cards

BANG!×1!card●in play

3. Discard excess

♥×3hand limit = current life

Draw two cards, play as many as desired, then discard until your hand is no larger than your current life.

Brown cards resolve and go to the discard pile. Blue weapons and objects remain in play in front of you; Jail is placed in front of another player.
You may play only one BANG! card per turn. Other cards with a BANG! symbol and BANG! cards discarded in a Duel do not count toward that limit.
You may have only one card of any given name and only one weapon in play. Playing a new weapon discards the old one.

Distance and weapon range

−2

−1

you

distance 1: ±1·distance 2: ±2·your Scope view: −1·opponent's Mustang: +1

Distance is the shorter number of seats clockwise or counterclockwise. Eliminated players no longer count, bringing the survivors closer together.

The built-in Colt .45 reaches distance 1. A weapon changes only the maximum range of your BANG!, never the actual distance. Scope reduces how far you see every other player by 1; Mustang increases how far every other player sees its owner by 1. Distance cannot fall below 1.

BANG!, Missed!, and healing

attackBANG!

target in range

MISSED!cancel♥Barrel draw−1♥take damage

Play BANG! on one player within range. The target cancels it with Missed! or a successful Heart draw from Barrel; otherwise the target loses one life.

When losing your last life point, immediately play enough Beers to remain alive. At other times, Beer is played only on your turn and cannot raise life above the starting maximum.
Beer has no effect when only two players remain. Saloon heals everyone by one but cannot be played out of turn to survive lethal damage.
Indians! makes every other player discard a BANG! or lose one life; Missed! and Barrel do not help. Gatling applies a BANG! symbol to every other player regardless of distance but is not a BANG! card.
In a Duel, the challenged player discards the first BANG!, then the two alternate. The first player unable to discard one loses one life; Missed! and Barrel do not apply.

Draw checks and hazards

When a card shows a suit and value condition, flip the deck's top card, compare its lower-left suit and value, and discard it. A match makes the shown effect happen.

turn start: Dynamite first2–9♠Dynamite draw

−3♥explode: lose 3 life→otherwise pass left

if alive, check Jail

♥escape and take turn♣♦♠discard Jail and skip

At the start of a turn, check Dynamite before Jail. Dynamite explodes on Spades 2–9; Jail lets its prisoner continue only on Hearts.

Dynamite damage has no attacker

No player earns the three-card reward if Dynamite eliminates an Outlaw. The Sheriff suffers no Deputy penalty if Dynamite eliminates a Deputy.

Elimination rewards, penalties, and ending

eliminate an OutlawO???eliminator draws 3

Sheriff eliminates DeputySDSheriff discards hand and cards in play

when the Sheriff diesRRenegade alone → Renegade winsOotherwise → Outlaws win

Who caused the elimination matters. Anyone who eliminates an Outlaw draws three cards. If the Sheriff eliminates a Deputy, the Sheriff discards every card in hand and in play.

A player who cannot recover from losing the last life reveals the role and discards every card in hand and in play. The Sheriff and Deputies win when all Outlaws and the Renegade are eliminated. If the Sheriff dies first, resolve the winner immediately from the survivors.

Edition and background

Designed by Emiliano Sciarra, BANG! was first published in Italy in 2002. It won the 2004 Origins Awards for Best Traditional Card Game of 2003 and Best Graphic Design. The series has many expansions and spin-offs; this guide covers the base game only.

Korean rulebook text not verified

The official Korean product and Korea Boardgames video confirmed the edition and principal terms. Because no public official Korean rulebook text was obtained, follow the booklet in that box if its details differ.

Frequently confused rules

Q. Does an Outlaw draw three cards for eliminating another Outlaw?

Yes. The eliminator's role does not matter; eliminating an Outlaw always awards three cards.

Q. What does the Sheriff discard after accidentally eliminating a Deputy?

Every card in the Sheriff's hand and every card in play. Life points and the Character remain.

Q. Which resolves first when a player has both Jail and Dynamite?

Resolve Dynamite first. If the player survives, resolve Jail next.

Q. Can a jailed player respond to attacks?

Yes. Jail may skip that player's turn, but the player remains a target and may still play Missed! or a life-saving Beer out of turn.

Q. After a failed Barrel draw, may the target still play Missed!?

Yes. A failed Barrel draw does not prevent the target from playing Missed! against the same attack.

Q. If every Outlaw is dead when the Sheriff dies, does the Renegade win?

Only if the Renegade is the sole survivor. If a Deputy or anyone else remains, the eliminated Outlaws win.

Sources

DV Games official BANG! base-game rulebook (12 pages)DV Games official downloads BoardGameGeek — players, time, weight, and editions Wiki cross-reference — Wikipedia: Bang! (card game)Wiki cross-reference — NamuWiki search (no matching article verified)Korea Boardgames official BANG! video — Korean terminology check

Rule summaries are reference content written by us, not quotations from the official rulebook. Always check the official rulebook for exact rules. Diagrams are original schematics, not rulebook illustrations.

Spotted a mistake? Tell us in the comments below →

Last updated 2026-09-15

💡 Master tip

Outlaws and the Renegade need to keep their identity hidden, so hold back from reckless attacks early on, and the Sheriff should quickly confirm who they can trust as the Deputy. The standard strategy for the Renegade is to stay hidden until the table thins out, then aim to be the last one standing.

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