BANG! from daVinci Games is a multi-player card game based around the Spaghetti Western, which involves players trying to outwit, 
out-guess and out-shoot each other. All players are given a secret identity - Sheriff, Deputy, Renegade, Bandit - and a hand of cards
Playing in turns each player takes 2 cards from the draw pile and then plays cards which can assist them - cards like Barrel, Horse,
Weapons - and/or cards that can be used to attack one or more of the other players.

The characters

Bart Cassidy - Black Jack - Calamity Janet - El Gringo - Jesse Jones - Jourdonnais - Kit Carlson
Lucky Duke - Paul Regret - Pedro Ramirez - Rose Doolan - Sid Ketchum - Slab the Killer - Suzy
Lafayette - Vulture Sam - Willy the Kid 

When a Bang! card is played against another player they must either take a bullet wound or use a card, such as a barrel  or a "Missed" to
prevent the damage. If a player loses all their lives they are out of the game. There are three winning possibilities - the Law wins if all the
bandits are killed, the Bandits win if they kill the Lawmen and the Renegade wins if they are the last man standing.

By watching who shoots at who the players have to determine who is on their side. The Renegade has no-one on their side; The Sheriff has
a Deputy and there are multiple Bandits. No one is allowed to say who they are.

The free to play online game works very much the same as the tabletop card game except that you can play it solo, all other characters are
blind to you  or you can play it online with players from all over the internet. The gameplay is the same, the graphics are clean, colourful and
cute, and all action is controlled by mouse clicks.

I have always enjoyed BANG! and to be able to play it solo is a real treat. Playing online is fun, not as much as playing face to face where you
can look into your opponents eyes and see their expressions as you shoot them, but it's the next best thing. Then again there aren't any online
games, including the top MMOs, that are as good to play as their face to face counterparts, unless of course you have no real-life friends.

The card game has a series of expansions which add new cards to the game, these can also be integrated into the online game. I have copied the
list of expansions from Wikipedia as it was easier than going through my cards and typing them one at a time. 

[edit]Expansions

[edit]High Noon

Released in 2003. A set of thirteen scenario cards that are given to the Sheriff, and revealed at the start of each of his turns - the card's scenario is effective until the next scenario card has been revealed. The name is inspired by the Western, High Noon. The Scenario cards have these effects:

• Blessing: the suit of all cards is Hearts.
• Curse: the suit of all cards is Spades.
• Ghost Town: during their turn, killed characters return in play as ghosts, with 3 cards. They cannot be killed but they leave the game immediately after their turn.
• Gold Rush: the game proceeds counterclockwise even if card effects proceed clockwise as usual.
• Hangover: all characters lose their special abilities.
• Shootout: each player can play a second Bang! card.
• The Daltons: when this card enters play, each player with at least one blue card discards one blue card at his choice.
• The Doctor: when this card enters play, the player(s) with the fewest current life points regain 1 life point.
• The Reverend: players cannot play any Beer cards.
• The Sermon: players cannot use Bang! cards.
• The Train: each player draws an additional card at the beginning of his turn.
• Thirst: each player draws one card fewer than normal at the beginning of his turn.
• High Noon: each player loses 1 life point at the start of his turn. This must be always the last card, and stays in play until the game ends.

[edit]Dodge City

Released in 2004. A set of fifteen new characters and 40 new play cards. There is also a set of 8 "role" cards (7 duplicates) allowing up to 8 people to play. The name is inspired by the Western, Dodge City. The new characters are:

• Apache Kid = The Apache Kid (Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl) - Cards of Diamond played by other players do not affect him. (3 life points)
• Belle Star = Belle Starr - During her turn, cards in play in front of other players have no effect. (4 life points)
• Bill Noface = He draws 1 card, plus 1 card for each wound he has. (4 life points)
• Chuck Wengam = During his turn, he may choose to lose 1 life point to draw 2 cards. (4 life points)
• Doc Holyday = Doc Holliday - Once during his turn, he may discard 2 cards from the hand to shoot a Bang!. (4 life points)
• Elena Fuente = She may use any card as Missed!. (3 life points)
• Greg Digger = Each time another player is eliminated, he regains 2 life points. (4 life points)
• Herb Hunter = Each time another player is eliminated, he draws 2 extra cards. (4 life points)
• Jose Delgado = Twice in his turn, he may discard a blue card from the hand to draw 2 cards. In the first edition of the expansion, he could use his ability as long as he had blue cards in hand. (4 life points)
• Molly Stark = Each time she uses a card from her hand out of turn, she draws a card. (4 life points)
• Pat Brennan = Pat Brennan from The Tall T (Fictional person) - Instead of drawing normally, he may draw only one card in play in front of any one player. (4 life points)
• Pixie Pete = He draws 3 cards instead of 2. In the first edition of the expansion, Pixie Pete draws 4 cards. (3 life points)
• Sean Mallory = John H. (Sean) Mallory - He may hold in his hand up to 10 cards. In the first edition of the expansion, he had no limit at all to the cards in his hand. (3 life points)
• Tequila Joe = Each time he plays a Beer, he regains 2 life points instead of 1 (4 life points).
• Vera Custer = For a whole round, she gains the same ability of another character in play of her choice. (3 life points)

Dodge City features also a new symbol, meaning "discard another card from your hand in order to play this card", and a new card type, the green-bordered cards: they are played like blue cards, cannot be used until the next opponent's turn (in case of a Missed! effect) or the owner's next turn (in all other cases) and are discarded immediately after they are used.

[edit]A Fistful Of Cards

Released in 2005. A set of fifteen new scenario cards, designed by players around the world selected by the original author, which can be mixed with the High Noon expansion. The name is inspired by the Western, A Fistful of Dollars. The cards include:

• Abandoned Mine: players draw from the discard pile and discard on the top of the deck.
• Ambush: the distance between players is 1.
• Blood Brothers: each player may choose to donate one of his life points to another player at the beginning of his turn.
• Dead Man: the first eliminated player returns in play with 2 life points and 2 cards.
• Hard Liquor: each player may forfeit his drawing phase to regain 1 life point.
• Lasso: cards in play in front of all players have no effect.
• Law of the West: players must show and play (if possible) the second card they draw in their turn.
• Ranch: once at the end of his turn, each player may discard any number of cards from his hand to draw an equal number of cards from the deck.
• Ricochet: players may fire Bang! against blue cards in play: those cards are discarded unless the player controlling them plays a Missed!.
• Russian Roulette: when this card enters in play, starting from the Sheriff each player discards a Missed! or loses 2 life points (thus ending the effect).
• Sniper: players may discard 2 Bang! cards to target an opponent: this counts as a Bang! but 2 Missed! cards are required to cancel this effect.
• Peyote: players try to guess the suit of the card they draw and keep drawing until they are wrong.
• The Judge: players cannot play cards in front of themselves (i.e. Green or Blue cards).
• Vendetta: players "draw!" at the end of their turn: on a Heart, they play an additional turn.
• A Fistful of Cards: at the beginning of his turn, each player is the target of as many Bang! as the number of cards in his hand.

[edit]Face Off

Released in 2005 and co-produced by daVinci Games and Arima. More a spin-off than an expansion, Face Off is a board game for two players designed to be played with a deck of Bang! cards.

[edit]Wild West Show

Bang! Wild West Show! is an expansion released in August 2010 with characters that revolve not around historical figures but rather around actors iconic to the western movie genre. The expansion also includes cards and rules not seen in previous expansions.

The 8 new characters are:

• Flint Westwood (Clint Eastwood) = During his turn, he may trade one card from hand with 2 cards at random from the hand of another player. (4 life points)
• Big Spencer (Bud Spencer) = He starts with 5 cards. He cannot play Missed! cards.(9 life points)
• Lee Van Kliff (Lee Van Cleef) = During his turn, he may discard one BANG! card to repeat the effect of a brown-bordered card he just played.(4 life points)
• Youl Grinner (Yul Brynner) = Before drawing, players with more hand cards than him must give him one card of their choice.(4 life points)
• John Pain (John Wayne) = If he has less than 6 cards in hand, each time any player "draws!", John adds the card just drawn to his hand.(4 life points)
• Greygory Deck (Gregory Peck)= At the start of his turn, he may draw 2 characters at random. He has all the abilities of the drawn characters. (4 life points)
• Gary Looter (Gary Cooper) = He draws all excess cards discarded by other players at the end of their turn.(5 life points)
• Teren Kill (Terence Hill) = Each time he would be eliminated, he "draws!": if it is not Spades, Teren stays at 1 life point, and draws 1 card.(3 life points)

The 10 new special cards are:

• Bone Orchard = At the beginnings of their turns, all eliminated players return permanently to game with 1 life point. Shuffle role cards and the returning player takes one random role card.
• Darling Valentine = Players discard all hand cards and then draw as many they had before their phase 1 (followed by their draw).
• Dorothy Rage = During each player's turn they may force any player to play one hand card. The player calls out the name of a card. If the target player does not have the card named, he must show his hand cards. If he has the card, he has to play that card like it was his turn, but the caller chooses the target (if necessary).
• Gag = All players play without talking. Only gestures and sounds are allowed. Whoever breaks this rule lose 1 life point.
• Helena Zontoro = when Helena comes into play, "draw!": on heart or diamonds, shuffle all roles except the Sheriff and deal them out at random.
• Lady Rose Of Texas = Each player can swap place with player on his right. If he does, player on right move to place and skip his next turn.
• Miss Susanna = All players have to play at least 3 card per his turn. If not, they lose 1 life point.
• Sacagaway = All players play with their hands revealed.
• Showdown = All cards may be played as if they were Bang! cards, and all Bang! cards may be played as if they were Missed! cards.
• Wild West Show = The goal of each player becomes "Be the last one in play". Roles still apply as normal (Sheriff may not go to jail, killing an Outlaw brings the usual 3-card reward, etc.), but killing the sheriff does not end the game.

[edit]Valley of Shadows

This expansion consists of almost 20 cards, mostly playing cards and several new character cards. It will be released in September 2011^{[dated info]} in Czech and Slovak Republic (no English translation available). It is not currently known whether it will be released in other locations. It will be released by the Czech editor ALBI check ALBI webpage.

5 new characters:

1. Limonade Jim - Eachtime another player plays BEER card, he may discard card to refill 1 life point.
2. Henry Block - Eachtime another player discards or draw card from Henry's hand or in front him, that player is target of BANG.
3. Evelyn the Bang - She may decide to not draw first card in his phase 1 to BANG any player at distance 1.
4. Colorado Bill - Eachtime any player miss Colorado's BANG, Colorado "draws" card: If it s SPADE card, last MISS is ignored and missed player lose 1 life point.
5. Mick Defender - Eachtime he is solo target non BANG card or card's effect, he may discard MISS card to avoid it.(Jail, Cancan, Duel, ...).

5 new blue border cards:

1. shootgun - range 1, weapon - Eachtimes player is hit by BANG card from player which SHOOTGUN, that player discard 1 card of his choice from hand.
2. lemat - range 1, weapon - Any card (except MISSED! cards) can be played as BANG! card in your turn.
3. rattlesnake - Play in front any player. At beginning that player's turn, he "draws": On Spades, he loses 1 life point.
4. bounty - Play in front any player. Player that hit player with Bounty with BANG! card, draw 1 card from deck.
5. ghost - Play in front any eliminated player. That player return to game without his ability, can not grain or lose any life point. He play as normal player as long he has card GHOST in front himself.

10 new brown border cards:

1. Escape - If you solo target of card, you may discard this card to avoid that card or its effect.
2. Last beer - Can be use in game 2 last players.
3. Poker - All others players discard card. If none discard Ace card, you can draw 2 cards from discarded cards.
4. Wild Band - Others players may discard BANG! card or 2 cards from hand of his choice.
5. Saved! - Play only out of your turn. Prevent any player to lose 1 life point. In case saving before elimination, you draw 2 card from hand saved player.
6. BackFire - Count as MISSED!. Player who target you with BANG is now target as BANG.
7. Tornado - Each player pass 2 card of his choice to left player. All act at once.
8. Tomahawk - BANG at distance 2.
9. Fanning - Count as BANG! at range. A player(except you) at distance 1 from primary target is target of BANG!, too.
10. Double Hit

[edit]Gold Rush

BANG! Gold Rush introduces some innovative gameplay mechanics: - Thanks to the shadow-gunslinger game variant, player are never really out of the game. During his turn, the shadow-gunslinger temporarily re-enters the game and he can play as if he was still alive. With BANG! Gold Rush, the outcome of the match can even be determined by an eliminated player. - Players can collect gold nuggets to buy equipment. The purchase of an "equipment" card allows you to selectively enhance your character and develop new strategies. The box contains:

• 8 new characters
  • Don Bell (4 life points - but he will have only 3) - At the end of his turn, he draws: On Diamond or Hearts he plays one extra turn. After extra turn, he doesn't draw.
  • Dutch Will (4 life points) - In his phase 1, he draws 2 cards and discard one of them and get 1 golden nuggets.
  • Jacky Murieta (4 life points) - By discarding 2 golden nuggets he shoots extra BANG!.
  • Josh McCloud (4 life points) - Once per turn, he may buy 1 random equipmnet by discarding 2 golden nuggets.
  • Madam Yto (4 life points) - Each time she plays BEER card, she immediatly draws a card.
  • Pretty Luzena (4 life points) - Once per turn, she may buy 1 equipment for 1 less nugget than its cost. The equipments with 1 cost she buy for free once pre turn.
  • Raddie Snake (4 life points) - In his turn, he draws a card by discarding 1 golden nugget, max 2 times per round.
  • Simuon Picos (4 life points) - Whenever he is hit, he gets 1 golden nugget from bank.

• 24 equipment cards
• 30 gold nuggets
• 1 “shadow-Renagade” card