Name: Bang!
Publisher: daVinci Games, Mayfair Games
Players: 4-7
Ages: 10+
Playing Time: 20-40 minutes
Bang is a competitive game of diplomacy that works well in large groups of people and has a lot to offer to the casual gaming community. If you've ever played a game of Mafia, you may have quite a bit of intuitive understanding of the underlying concepts of this game. Bang is like a souped-up Mafia game, complete with guns and beer. There are four types of citizens in a Bang game: the Sheriff, the Deputy Sheriff, the Outlaw, and the Renegade. At the beginning of the game, each played is dealt a role that they will maintain throughout the game. It is important to keep your identity sealed, because there are always people who are out to kill you.
As in any diplomacy game, it is very important for people to think the right things about you. If you are the Sheriff, for example, you do not want the Outlaw to know that. His mission for the game is to take out both the sheriff and the deputy sheriff and rule in a world of crime and unaccountability. The trick is balancing your concealed identity while still accomplishing your mission—taking shots at the outlaw before he can kill you!
One aspect of this game I found intriguing was the amount of different cards, each with their own function. The beer card, for example, allows you to gain an extra life, which is pretty cool. There are all kinds of weapons, and here's the catch: each weapon has a designated range, so you may not even be able to shoot the person you're supposed to kill. It makes for a very suspenseful game, trying to figure out each player's role. There are often twists and surprises, like the time my friend, the sheriff, killed his helper, the Deputy Sheriff—oops! I would recommend Bang as a good party game with a focused audience or among family members. Be prepared to take cover for you life!
