Board Game Review: Bang! The Dice Game | Tis quite nice!

Bang! The Dice Game does not replace Bang! [the card game], it simply turns Bang! into a great filler game, removing a lot of complications that makes Bang! last anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes--which also makes it a much easier game to learn and teach--bringing the average play time down to about 10 to 15 minutes.

The setup for Bang! The Dice Game is just like the card game; you start off dealing out role cards depending on how many people are playing--the game plays three to eight and, for example, if there are only three players, there's no sheriff and one of each of the other roles is randomly passed out--then you deal one character card, face up, to each player--you don't get to pick between two character cards like you can in the card game--then each person takes the number of bullets equal to the number on their character card--the bullets are used to count health points--and then the game (and the banging!) finally begins.

Mechanically, Bang! The Dice Game plays a lot like Yahtzee and, therefore, like King of Tokyo. On your turn, you will roll five dice with the option to reroll as many as you want--unless their face is showing dynamite--two times. Each face means something different--the targets are gunshots, with a number indicating how far you can shoot; the dynamite cannot be rerolled, and, if you roll three dynamite, your turn immediately ends and you lose one life point (but you still resolve the effects of all other dice); the arrow is the The Dice Game's version of Indians and means you must immediately take one arrow from the middle of the table (but you can reroll an arrow after resolving its effect) and, once all the arrows have been taken, everyone with an arrow loses one life point for each arrow they have, returning them to the middle of the table when all the damage is done; beer grants one life point each; and, last but not least, the three gunshots indicate the Gatling gun, and, if you roll three of these on your turn, everyone but yourself loses one life point and you get to discard every arrow you have, if you have any.

It's all fairly straightforward and, because the dice and your character's ability are the only things you have to worry about, the game flows a lot faster and never boggles down like the card game, with one or more players taking forever to play their turn; you roll the dice and resolve the effects of the dice faces when you're done, that's it and that's all. Even other aspects of the game have been simplified--there is no bonus for killing an outlaw and the sheriff is not penalized if they kill their deputy(ies)--and, while the simplification does make the game move a lot faster, it removes a good amount of strategy and I couldn't help but miss that strategic element after playing a few games in a row--I would never play more than two or three games in a row, and three is stretching it.

As I said at the very start, Bang! The Dice Game does not replace Bang!--I still prefer playing the card game if I have the right people to play with--but it does manage to take much of what is great about the card game and smashes it into a fast-paced dice game that can be played in just about 10 minutes. If you love the card game, Bang! The Dice Game would make a great addition to your trigger-happy family; if you don't like how bogged down the card game can get but like the idea of banging, The Dice Game may just be what you've been waiting for. Honestly, if you're in need of a great filler game, you can't do much better than Bang! The Dice Game, but don't expect anything too deep or strategic, and definitely don't throw away your copy of Bang!.

• # of players: 3-8
• Play time: 10-15 minutes

Bang! The Dice Game  (DV Giochi)