Ca$h 'n Guns Review

The glorious gangster gun game.

Posted on 2/25/2017 by Tim Rice

• 4-8 Players
• Ages 10+
• Playtime: 30 minutes
• Designer: Ludovic Maublanc
• Publisher: Repos Production

Ca$h 'n Guns is a party game where players assume the role of gangsters negotiating for their share of the loot. Negotiating, in this context of course, means holding other players at gunpoint while simultaneously staring down the barrel of three other guns.

Every time I play this game with people who have never played before, as soon as I open the box, their eyes suddenly get a little bit wider. That’s because this game includes toy foam guns! You can really get some insight into a person’s true nature when you see how they react to this game. The idea of being a part of a Mexican standoff is definitely exciting, and this game lets you do it without any real consequences!

Gameplay

To start, each player gets one character, a foam gun, and a hand of 8 bullet cards. 5 of these bullet cards are "Click" cards, and 3 of them are "Bang" cards. The oldest player becomes the first Godfather and takes the appropriate token. There is also the option of using the power cards which give each player a unique special ability. The game takes place over 8 rounds, and each round plays out like this:

• 8 loot cards are drawn and placed face-up in the middle of the table.
• Each player secretly chooses a bullet card from their hand and puts it face-down in front of them.
• The Godfather counts to three. On three, each player points their gun at another player.
• The Godfather can now choose one player to change their target, and they must oblige.
• The Godfather counts to three. On three, each player can choose to either surrender for the round (by laying their character down), or stay in and yell "BANZAI!".
• Each player that didn’t surrender, and whose target didn’t surrender, now reveals their bullet card. If the revealed card is a "Click", nothing happens. If the revealed card is a "Bang", the target player takes a wound (3 wounds and you’re out).
• The round’s loot is split amongst the remaining players (those that didn’t surrender and didn’t suffer a wound this round).

There are several different kinds of loot cards:

• Cash ($5k, $10k, $20k).
• Diamonds are worth $1k, $5k, or $10k, but whoever has the most diamond cards at the end of the game gets a bonus of $60k.
• Paintings are worth exponentially more, the more paintings a player has.
• First aid kits heal all of your wounds immediately.
• Clips let players draw additional "Bang" cards
• Players also have the option of becoming The Godfather next round instead of taking a loot card.

Whoever has the most dough at the end of the game is the winner.

Design

This design is actually quite layered, especially for a party game. Obviously one of the major draws is the "take that" feature of playfully shooting your friends, but there are several other nuances that add additional dimensions to the game.

It is a bluffing game because you always want the person you’re targeting to believe that your gun is loaded, but it’s also a push-your-luck kind of game because you can only take so many risks before your character is eliminated. On top of all of that, there is an ongoing negotiation element as well where everyone is making deals and convincing others to target certain players.

When you add the special powers onto all of this, things can get pretty crazy. I wouldn’t say the power cards are necessary, but they certainly add variety and replayability (at the expense of simplicity).

Luckily, the game incorporates all of these aspects without overcomplicating itself, and it maintains that casual party game feel. It is definitely more complex than most party games, but at the end of the day it is simple enough for anyone to understand.

The key dynamic that drives this game is the player's desire to blend in. It’s interesting because you want to get a lot of loot so you can win, but you definitely don’t want anyone else to think you’re winning because you’ll quickly become the next target. Players can and will gang up on people throughout the game, which may be frustrating of course, but it is also a fascinating and effective balancing mechanism.

Player elimination is featured in this game, but it doesn’t happen often. When it does happen, it’s usually late in the game thanks to the wound system (unless players are particularly reckless).

What makes this game shine is how well the mechanics integrate into the theme. Clearly their goal was to simulate the cinematic tension and excitement of the classic Mexican standoff, and they pulled it off incredibly well. Obviously a theme like this isn’t going to appeal to everyone, but if the theme is what’s drawing you to this game, then you won’t be disappointed.

Presentation

Ca$h 'n Guns proves that, in some cases, presentation can be just as important as design. It’s actually possible to play this game without the foam guns (just point instead), but that would be so lame. This game gives players not only a gaming experience, but the experience of playing with a toy as well, and that inherent fun shouldn’t be understated.

Even though the guns are the star of the show, the rest of the components are high quality as well. The art style is silly and cartoony, but it's clean and attractive. I especially like the humorous rendition of several famous paintings on the loot cards, that’s a great touch. Overall, it’s a fantastic production.

Overall Impression

It’s rare that a game delivers on the experience that its theme promises as flawlessly as Ca$h 'n Guns does. Admittedly, you have to be careful with a theme as harsh as pointing guns at each other, because different people will react to it in different ways. With the right group though, this game is a blast.

The social interactions that this game exposes are wildly entertaining, and there is a sufficient amount of complexity and variety that keeps the game interesting throughout multiple plays. It’s light-hearted fun, and it appeals to that tiny part of us that craves that cinematic criminal lifestyle. I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a unique and memorable party game.

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