Bang! The Dice Game

Bang! The Dice Game

3-8 players 30–40 min

In the box

  • 5 Bang! dice
  • Role cards (Sheriff, Deputy, Outlaw, Renegade)
  • Character cards
  • Arrow tokens
  • Bullets

Objective

Shoot hidden rivals and survive to meet your secret role goal as Sheriff team, Outlaw, or Renegade.

Game end

The game ends when one faction meets its win condition, checked after all of each player's dice are resolved; dead players reveal their roles.

What playing this feels like

Speed, attention and memory: None / Low / Medium / High. Timer is separate: none / optional / core. Bluffing: None / Optional / Conditional / Core. Breaks: Good / Medium / Poor.

Rules load
Medium
Social pressure
High
Talking
Medium
Speed pressure
None
Timer
None
Direct conflict
High
Bluffing / deception
Core
Information load
Medium · Dice + cards
Memory load
Medium
Attention pressure
Medium
Noise potential
Medium
Break flexibility
Poor

Setup

  1. Deal. Give each player one secret role card and one face-up character card. Each player sets life equal to their character bullets.
  2. Reveal. The Sheriff reveals their role and takes 2 extra life. Only the Sheriff is known and tokens sit in the center.

Walkthrough: first round

Worked opening: the Sheriff reveals and takes 2 extra life while others stay secret. Anna rolls Bang-1, Bang-2, Arrow, Beer, and Dynamite, then rerolls twice for a Gatling and stops. She takes one arrow token, keeps the locked dynamite, uses her shots on players in range, and skips the heal at full life. No faction wins, so the dice pass on.

  1. Roll. Roll all five dice, then reroll any unlocked dice twice more at most. Your final faces lock in for resolution.
  2. Resolve. Resolve dice in order, with dynamite first, then arrows, then actions. Shots wound rivals, Beer heals life, and Gatling hits all others.
  3. Bleed. Take one arrow token per arrow face from the center pile. When the pile empties, each player loses life per token held.
  4. Pass. After resolving all dice, check whether any faction has met its win condition. If nobody has won, the dice pass to the next living player.

Rules

  1. Roll. Roll five dice and reroll unlocked faces up to two more times. Dynamite locks right away and can never be rerolled.
  2. Burst. Three or more dynamite ends your turn right away with one wound. All shots, healing, and Gatling effects are cancelled.
  3. Arrow. Take one center token for each arrow face you roll. When the center empties, all tokens return after wounds resolve.
  4. Shoot. Aim Bang-1 one seat away and Bang-2 up to two seats away, skipping empty seats. Each hit removes one life and zero life eliminates a player.
  5. Heal. Spend each Beer to heal one life on yourself or any living player. Life can never rise above the printed maximum.
  6. Gatling. Three or more Gatling faces strike every other living player. Each rival loses one life and you discard all your arrows with no wounds.

Examples

Card & term reference

Sheriff (1, always revealed)
Wins with the Deputies when all Outlaws and the Renegade are dead. Takes 2 extra life.
Deputy (0-2 by player count)
Hidden ally of the Sheriff. Wins together with the Sheriff.
Outlaw (1-3 by player count)
Wins as soon as the Sheriff dies, even if other Outlaws are already dead.
Renegade (1-2 by player count)
Wins by being the last player alive after the Sheriff, Outlaws, and Deputies are all dead.
Role mix
3 players use Sheriff, Renegade, and Outlaw, with more roles added at higher counts.
Dice faces
Bang-1, Bang-2, Beer, Arrow, Dynamite, Gatling. Dynamite locks and can never be re-rolled.

Common mistakes

Rules summary based on DV Games.

Keep learning

Play it at game night

Bring this guide with you. We will teach the rest at the table.