Bandits

Bandits Rulebook

Table of Contents

Contents: 47 Loot Cards, 38 Outlaws and Lawmen, 10 Two-Faced Cards, 5 Special Action Cards, 6 Hideouts, 1 Turn Card.

Wanted

2 to 6 players.

Object

Steal the most Gold Bars or Money Bags from your opponents while protecting your own stash. Each round is another chance to wrangle up more Loot.

Starting

First, separate the Hideout Cards, Turn Card, and Quick Reference Card from the rest of the deck. Have all players choose their favorite Hideout to stash their Loot under. Shuffle the rest of the cards and deal 6 to each player. Place the remaining cards in the center to form the Draw Pile. The youngest whipper snapper takes the first turn.

Turns

You generally have 3 options on each turn. Choose only 1 of the following options:

Draw 1 card from the Draw Pile to add to your hand.
Attack an opponent's hand with any Outlaw/Two-Faced Cards.
Stash 3 or more cards of the same type of Loot, either all Gold Bars or all Money Bags, face down under your Hideout. (Only Gold Bars, Money Bags, and the Booby Trap Card can go under the Hideouts.)

At times, you may have additional options of attacking a Hideout with a Tracker card, or stashing a Booby Trap card with your loot (see The Cards).

Turn Card ("Git a Move on Pardner"): Pass the Turn Card to the next player after finishing your turn so everyone knows your turn is over.

Replenishing Hands

All players must have at least 6 cards in their hands at all times. After attacking, defending, or stashing Loot, players may have fewer than 6 cards in their hands. These players take additional cards from the Draw Pile until they have 6 cards in their hands.

After an attack, the attacking player replenishes first, followed by the defender. Replenishing does not count as the defender's turn.

Attacking

Try to steal another player's hand and hopefully some Loot! To attack, play any number of Outlaw (guns) or Two-Faced Cards (stars OR guns) from your hand onto the table and announce which 1 player you will attack.

The higher the total number of guns a person attacks with, the stronger the attack (3 guns + 2 guns = 5 total guns). If the defending player cannot match the number of guns on the attacking cards with an equal or greater value of stars (stars) on the Lawmen/Two-Faced Cards, that player loses the shootout.

Example:

Attacker: 3 guns + 2 guns
Defender: 2 stars + 2 stars = Outlaws Triumph

As a result, the defender must fork over any remaining cards held in his or her hand to the attacking player. All cards played in the fight are discarded to the Boneyard (see The Boneyard). Then players with fewer than 6 cards replenish their hands.

Defending

A player's main defense against an attack are Lawmen (stars) or Two-Faced Cards (stars OR guns). The defending player can play any number of these cards. If the total value of stars (stars) is equal to or greater than the total number of guns played by the attacker, the attack is successfully defended and no cards are lost. Players then discard and replenish as above.

Example:

Attacker: 1 gun + 2 guns
Defender: 3 stars = Lawmen Triumph

Hint: It's better to go out in a blaze of glory and play any Lawmen Cards even if you can't fully defend yourself. Otherwise, your opponent will get all your Lawmen.

The Boneyard

This is the discard pile, where the cards used after attacking or defending are thrown. These cards can not be picked up.

Scoring

The round is over immediately after the last card from the Draw Pile is taken. Players keep the cards in their hands for the next round and tally up their score. The total value of all the Gold Bars and Money Bags in their Hideouts are recorded. Players only get credit for Loot in their Hideouts, not in their hands.

Starting a New Round

The cards in the Boneyard and in all players' Hideouts are shuffled together thoroughly to form the new Draw Pile for the next round. Then, players with fewer than 6 cards must replenish their hands. Finally, play starts with the person whose turn it was at the end of the previous round.

Winning the Whole Kit and Caboodle

At the end of a round, check below to see if anyone has hoarded enough Loot to win. Most BANDITS games will last 2-4 rounds. If more than 1 player has enough to win, the player with the most Loot wins. To break a tie, all players play an additional round - this town isn't big enough for two winners!

Number of Players	Loot to Win
2	150
3-4	90
5-6	75

The Cards

The Loot

Gold Bar & Money Bag Cards: Try to collect as many of these cards under your Hideout to win the game. Gold Bar cards come in 5 different values and Money Bag cards come in 4 different values. Remember that Loot can only be placed under your Hideout in groups of three cards or more of the same type: either all Gold Bars OR all Money Bags.

Outlaw Cards

These are your attack cards. An Outlaw's strength is represented by the number of guns on the card. Wild Bill (6 guns) is the strongest outlaw so use him wisely. Most players won't be able to hold a candle to him.

Lawmen Cards

These are your defense cards. The strength of a Lawman is measured by the number of stars on the card. Sheriff McCoy (6 stars) is the strongest lawman - hold onto him as long as possible because he will come in handy! He likes to save the day.

Two-Faced Cards

These cards can be used to attack OR defend. These characters are untrustworthy, but flexible.

Tracker Card

Play this card to attack another player's Hideout and steal the Loot inside! On your turn, decide which Hideout to go after, then attack with your Outlaw Cards. If the defender can not successfully defend against the attack, you get to randomly choose 6 cards from that person's Hideout, which go directly into your own Hideout! No Lawmen or other cards are forked over. If there are fewer than 6 Loot cards stashed in that player's Hideout, you get them all.

Hint: If your Hideout is attacked, and you can't fully defend it, don't play your Lawmen cards - keep them in hand. The attacker will get only cards from your Hideout, and your Lawmen live to fight another day.

Backfire Card

This card is the ultimate defense. If you are under attack, play this card to make the attacking Outlaw Cards turn against your opponent! If that player cannot successfully defend against those Outlaws, you win the shootout and collect that player's hand! You can also use this card to defend against a Tracker's attack. In this case, if the original attacker can not defend the Outlaws, you win 6 cards from that player's Hideout.

Booby Trap Card

Be sneaky and set a booby trap in your Hideout! Stash this card along with at least two other Loot cards of the same type. If another player tries to attack your Hideout, play this card from your Hideout to stop them. You do not need to use any additional Lawmen to defend yourself. This card MUST be in your Hideout to work. After this card comes into play, it is discarded with the rest of the remains to The Boneyard.