Character Guide: Sid Ketchum

Name: Sid Ketchum

Inspired by: Possibly Tom Ketchum, cowboy, cattle driver, train robber, and murderer hung in 1901 for attempting to rob a train. However, "Black Jack" was Tom Ketchum's nickname, and so seems to be Black Jack's nickname. It seems strange that Tom Ketchum inspired two characters. I am sure there were more Ketchums and Black Jacks that could have been the inspiration for these two.

Life Points: 4

Ability Type: Defensive

Ability: At any time, he may discard 2 cards from his hand to regain one life point. If he is willing and able, he can use this ability more than once at a time. The BANG! FAQ spells out that Sid Ketchum can use his ability out of turn: "Q26. Can Sid Ketchum use his ability even outside his turn, like a Beer card? A. Yes, he can."

Activation: Whenever Sid Ketchum has 2 cards in his hand and chooses to play them. These cards can be discarded even like a last second beer (See Emiliano Sciarra's discussion for this).

Cards enhanced by Sid Ketchum's ability: All cards except Beer, but especially Wells Fargo and Stagecoach

Card weakened by Sid Ketchum's ability: Beer (except in 2-player), Volcanic

Cards more effective when played against Sid Ketchum: Panic, Cat Balou (when targetting his hand), Jail

Cards less effective when played against Sid Ketchum: Duel, General Store

Characters who counter Sid Ketchum well: Jesse Jones

Ideal Roles for Sid Ketchum: Sheriff, Renegade

2-player Value: Okay. While it may seem very beneficial to still be able to gain life points when your opponent cannot from Beer cards, Sid Ketchum has to discard 2 cards to do so. Since Sid Ketchum will be the other player's only target, this may not be as useful as it seems. It can be good to get rid of cards in excess or cards that cannot otherwise be played (extra BANG! or Beer that can be played but has otherwise no effect), but it is far more limiting than before. It is only particularly useful if Sid Ketchum can create distance between himself and the other player. Sid Ketchum might try to use the cards as last second beers, and if he is not shot, use the ability when he gets more cards.

General Strategy as Sid Ketchum: As with many characters, the most important thing to do first as Sid Ketchum is to remember that he can use his ability whenever he has 2 cards in his hand. The ability to voluntarily discard cards is also very useful. Remember that each player can only have 1 card in play in front of him that has a given name. If he has another card with that name in his hand, then he cannot play it, so it is stuck in his hand unless he Cat Balous it from his own hand or he discards it when he is over his card limit. It is much better as Sid Ketchum to be able to discard this card to gain life points instead of just burning it. This is also true of Beer if Sid Ketchum survives until there is only 1 player left. Other players have to discard the card or use it with no effect, while Sid Ketchum can at least discard it to contribute to the cards needed to activate his ability. I enjoy having Sid Ketchum discard Saloon to gain health as well.

While Sid Ketchum has more "lasting power" due to his great defensive ability, I wouldn't draw too much attention to him. It is better to try to attack players who are in Sid Ketchum's range, but he is not in theirs. This way Sid Ketchum will only have to focus on using his ability when hit by "no-distance" cards such as Duel, Indians!, and Gatling. When it comes to Duel, it is often better for Sid Ketchum to just take the hit, unless he has a great chance of hitting the other opponent and he is not opening himself up for attacks from other players. Each BANG! card Sid Ketchum expends is essentially 1/2 a life point, and not having them in his hand for possible Indians! should really make him think twice before you play any of them. When a player next to Sid Ketchum attacks his, instead of responding back with aggresion if that player is in range, it can be a good idea to attack another player (which preferably cannot hit Sid Ketchum back). This will often surprise the initial player who attacked Sid Ketchum, and have make him wonder if he is on Sid Ketchum's team. I would only recommend doing this if there is another person that that player can target. Many times in BANG! we shoot at another player simply because we have excess BANG! cards and have only 1 player we can reach. Your confusion will probably not overcome this hurdle.

I wouldn't get too anxious to convert all of Sid Ketchum's cards to life points as soon as he can. Even cards that do not look (even are not) useful can be good to keep in Sid Ketchum's hand. Since other players do not know what those cards are, they create a sort of "imposing front" that may keep other characters from acting against Sid Ketchum. If Sid Ketchum removes all or most of the cards from his hand, then other players will have no problem attacking him. Keeping the cards in Sid Ketchum's hand is less problematic since he can play the cards at any time, even as less second beers. Of course, by keeping the cards in his hand Sid Ketchum is still taking a risk: perhaps a player will Cat Balou or Panic a card from his hand so that Sid Ketchum can no longer convert it. Such is BANG!

General Strategy against Sid Ketchum: When playing against Sid Ketchum, the main thing to do is to remember that his cards are his life points. Anything you can do to get him to expend his cards is in some sense taking away Sid Ketchum's life points. If he plays BANG! because of a Duel or an Indians! he has expended 1/2 a life point for each card. Thus, Cat Balous and Panics from his hand are very impactful, especially if the stolen card is an offensive card that you can use right back at him. Jails are very effective against Sid Ketchum as they keep him from replenishing cards during his drawing phase. Along these lines, you should be very careful when playing a General Store. If Sid Ketchum's health is low or you are trying to weaken him severely, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of giving Sid Ketchum another card. Oh, and as a good strategic rule (albeit not a kind one), I wouldn't remind Sid Ketchum when and how he can use his ability.

Besides this, Sid Ketchum is not the worst character to face one on one. The biggest difficulty is if you are stuck with Sid Ketchum and one of his team mates alone. Attacking Sid Ketchum is difficult because he can always burn the 2 cards he draws each turn to gain the life point you took away back, while his team mate shoots away at you. If you are stuck in this situation, for which I feel sorry for you, try to eliminate the more offensive character first and then try to deal with Sid Ketchum.

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Death Mesa está Llegando en Español muy Pronto

Pani, un aficionado de BANG! y este blog, ha acceptado el trabajo de traducir Death Mesa en español. Estoy cierto que su aptitud es mejor que mi español infantil. Me ha contado que el ha traducido una mitad del manual, y imagino que despues traducirá las cartas. Como antes, proveeré las cartas en hojas de PDF. Cargaré los archivos en la red y pondré los enlaces en una página web.

Character Guide: Bart Cassidy

Name: Bart Cassidy.

Inspired by: Butch Cassidy, infamous leader of the Wild Bunch Gang, train robber, bank robber, and partner of the Sundance Kid.

Life Points: 4.

Ability Type: Defensive.

Ability: Each time he loses a life point, he immediately draws a card from the deck.

Activation: When Bart Cassidy takes a hit.

Cards enhanced by Bart Cassidy's ability: Beer, Saloon, Missed!, Duel, Dynamite, Volcanic (somewhat).

Cards less effective when played against Bart Cassidy: Volcanic, all attack cards, Dynamite.

Characters who counter Bart Cassidy well: Jesse Jones.

Ideal Roles for Bart Cassidy: Sheriff, Renegade.

2-player Value: Not bad if you have some health by the time this occurs. Picking up some cards when you have to take hits at this point can be crucial in turning the tide on your opponent to win the game.

General Strategy as Bart Cassidy: The most basic thing to remember as Bart Cassidy is to remember his ability. When Bart Cassidy takes a hit, draw a card! You cannot expect the other players to tell you to do this. Besides Bart Cassidy's basic defensive benefit, you need to think of how to use it wisely. Bart Cassidy doesn't want to use it all of the time because having one less life point still means a greater constraint on his card limit. Thus, a great time for Bart Cassidy to take a hit is when he has a Beer card in his hand. He can immediately replenish the health lost and get an extra card--sweet! The drawn card can sometimes translate into a greater defensive (getting a Missed!, Beer, or Barrel card) or offensive position (it can be great to pick up a BANG! when Bart Cassidy has a Volcanic out after all). Even if Bart Cassidy doesn't have a Beer, there are also better times to take a hit rather than others. For instance, when another player plays a Duel against Bart Cassidy--he may not want to deplete tons of cards out of his hand just to not take a hit, when he will pick up a card from the hit anyway. Bart Cassidy's opponent may in addition have some Indians! stored up, and that can hurt if he depletes all of his BANG! I recommend trying to create distance from Bart Cassidy and other players, so that you only choose to take hits on "no distance" cards (Duels, Indians!, Gatling). On the flip side, certain cards like Duel and Dynamite are more advantageous for Bart Cassidy to play. Bart Cassidy may be able to afford the risk of dueling another player with 1 to no BANG! in his hand. Even if he loses the duel he initiates, he can still get a card draw. Oddly, maybe you could try to duel an opponent and lose it, just to try to pick up another BANG! to shoot at them with your Volcanic (they could have BANG! in their hand but no Missed! after all). If the Dynamite Bart Cassidy plays explodes on him, he still gets to draw 3 cards from the explosion (as long as Bart Cassidy has enough life points to survive the blast; he draws after losing the life points, not before).

General Strategy against Bart Cassidy: There are not many particularly specific strategies to effectively apply against Bart Cassidy. Since he is trying to store up Beer in his hand to have no eventual repercussions from taking hits, Cat Balouing, Panicking, or otherwise stealing/discard from his hand with a character ability (such as with Jesse Jones) can be a great idea. Also think of how to hurt his Beer acquisition. When a General Store is in play, it can be an especially good idea not to let Bart Cassidy pick it up if you can help it. Watch Bart Cassidy's life points closely: when Bart Cassidy's health is lower, Dynamite becomes safe to play because he will probably not survive the blast and so get no 3-card benefit from the lost life points. When you hit Bart Cassidy, you will need to try to hit him hard and not let him recover. Chances are that you will not be able to eliminate him too quickly in a round, as he has bound to pick up at least 1 Missed!, BANG!, or Beer, but team mates (if you have any) will need to try to focus fire on him to put him down.

Dodge City cards enhanced by Bart Cassidy's ability: Canteen, Whisky, Tequila.

Dodge City cards less effective when played against Bart Cassidy: All new attack cards (green and brown).

General Strategy Adjustments for Bart Cassidy: Bart Cassidy's strategy does not change too much with the addition of Dodge City. There are now some new brown and green cards to help him regain life points (Canteen, Whisky, Tequila), which can help him when he chooses to voluntarily take hits. The new green attack cards give him some time to prep for when his enemies have gained some fire power, which can also aid him in his decision making. Some of the new cards hit a player at any distance (Howitzer, Buffalo Rifle, Springfield), so Bart Cassidy (as before) has to be cautious with thinking that he can avoid hits solely through distance modifiers. Nonetheless, the new Hideout card could be handy to stack with a Mustang. Like usual, Bart Cassidy should try not to store up too many cards that regain life points in his hand as they can get easily discarded or stolen. The moment he loses a life point, he should try to regain it as quickly as possible to aid not only his card limit, but to keep that Beer (or similar card) from getting removed from him.

General Strategy Adjustments against Bart Cassidy: Your strategy against Bart Cassidy remains the same, you just have new cards to help you execute this strategy. Can Can, Conestoga, Brawl, and Rag Time can help you remove cards from Bart Cassidy's hand, and hopeful help you nab life point modifiers. You have many new attack cards under your belt to help you build offensive combos against Bart Cassidy, many of which are green cards. These cards have the unfortunate problem of warning Bart Cassidy a round in advance, so think about what you are communicating with those cards. If Bart Cassidy is out of range, you have a few new cards that hit players at any distance to help you. As with the original game, try to coordinate your attacks against Bart Cassidy with your team mates. Although he draws a card with each hit, there is a high chance that these cards are offensive, as they are the majority of the cards in the deck. This means that Bart Cassidy will have a lower card limit on his round, encouraging him to dump attack cards back at those who shot at him. So if you can knock him out before he gets to his turn, this is best.

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