An Automated NPC System & Progression Campaign Tracking Guide
1. NPC Deck Setup & Automations: Treat NPCs as a collective threat. In general, they act with standard character cards but run on an automated logic loop. On an NPC's turn, draw 2 cards and play every offensive/equipment card legally valid. NPCs always target the character with the lowest current HP in weapon range. Tie-breakers fall to the closest player to their left.
2. Tactical AI Defense: NPCs automatically hoard Missed! and Beer cards in hand. They will immediately resolve these to negate player damage whenever targeted.
3. Gold Looting & Trading: Successfully eliminating an NPC earns the team Gold listed per stage. Gold is held individually. Players may freely gift gold to teammates only during the cleanup phase directly between stages.
4. Permadeath & Failure States: If any player character is eliminated, the campaign fails instantly. The party must restart the entire stage.
5. The Veterancy Milestone: If a character survives a full stage without suffering any damage, they permanently expand their Max Life Points by +1 (capped at an absolute maximum of +2 bonus life over their archetype base limit).
| Stg | Scenario Name | Gold | Done | Notes & Casualties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ambush at Gold Canyon | 1 G | ||
| 2 | High Noon Holdout | 2 G | ||
| 3 | The Train Robbery | 2 G | ||
| 4 | Cattle Drive Stampede | 3 G | ||
| 5 | 3:10 to Yuma | 3 G | ||
| 6 | The Great Jailbreak | 3 G | ||
| 7 | High Stakes Poker | 4 G | ||
| 8 | Ghost Town | 4 G | ||
| 9 | The Dynamite Maze | 5 G |
Print this page out individually for each player in your posse to track personal progression.
Cross off blocks as you earn permanent Veterancy rewards
Tally or erase your liquid unspent wealth balance
Unlock abilities using Gold between stages. Must meet required Campaign Stage Tier and Archetype Class restrictions.
| Earned | Ability Name | Req. Tier | Cost | Class Restrictions | Mechanical Rules Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Hands | Tier 1 | 4 Gold | Universal (All Classes) | Maximum hand size limit is permanently increased by +1 card. | |
| Scavenger | Tier 1 | 3 Gold | Bounty Hunter, Scout, Gunslinger, Maverick | Draw 1 card whenever an NPC is eliminated by any player. | |
| Field Medic | Tier 1 | 4 Gold | Medic, Sheriff | Whenever you play a Beer card to restore health, you gain +1 additional Life Point. | |
| Marksman | Tier 2 | 4 Gold | Gunslinger, Bounty Hunter, Scout, Maverick | Your combat expertise cuts through deception. Only true, physical Missed! cards can cancel out your Bang! attacks. All non-card passive character dodges or special defensive traits are entirely bypassed. | |
| Gunslinger's Instinct | Tier 2 | 5 Gold | Gunslinger, Sheriff, Scout, Maverick | Once per round, when targeted by an automated NPC's Bang!, draw 1 card before deciding whether to play a defense. | |
| Saddlemaster | Tier 2 | 3 Gold | Sheriff, Scout | You are immune to distance-reducing effects (Scopes, Dust Storms); NPCs must calculate distance to you using your un-modified base position. | |
| Dual Wield | Tier 3 | 5 Gold | Gunslinger, Bounty Hunter, Maverick | You handle iron like a natural devil. You are permitted to permanently hold and equip two active revolver cards simultaneously in front of you. This allows you to legally fire up to two independent Bang! cards during a single turn. | |
| Iron Will | Tier 3 | 5 Gold | Sheriff, Medic | Once per stage, when taking damage that would eliminate you, you are set to 1 HP instead and immediately draw 1 card. |
| Owned | Item Name | Type | Cost | Permanent Upgrade Mechanical Rules Text |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 1 | 2 Skirmishers | 3 HP | Standard Outlaw rules apply. No modifications or special passive traits. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 2 | 2 Outlaws + 1 Renegade | 4 HP | The Renegade acts as a bodyguard, drawing fire if positioned directly adjacent. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 3 | 3 Gunrunners | 4 HP | Infinite Bang! capability due to starting with integrated Volcanic weapons. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 4 | 3 Rustlers | 4 HP | Stampede: Drawing a Diamond suit forces the closest player to discard a card. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 5 | 2 Outlaws | 4 HP | Bullseye: Their Bang! attacks require players to discard two defenses to protect Prisoner. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 6 | 3 Prison Guards | 4 HP | Lockdown: Guards gain a temporary +1 distance shield until a player equips a weapon. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 7 | 2 Card Sharps | 4 HP | Cheaters: NPCs flip twice on card checks and choose their preferred outcome. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 8 | 3 Ghoul Raiders | 4 HP | Undead: Revive 2 rounds after death as a 2 HP Zombie if any teammate lives. | |
| Mustang | Defensive | 2 Gold | Adds a permanent +1 distance modifier to how automated NPCs calculate their range targeting toward you. | |
| 9 | 2 Demolition Saboteurs | 5 HP | Blast Shield: Saboteurs are completely immune to any table-active Dynamite damage. | |
| Scope | Offensive | 2 Gold | Decreases the practical calculation distance to all active NPCs on the board by a permanent -1 modifier. | |
| Barrel | Defensive | 3 Gold | Enables a free defensive flip check whenever you are targeted by a Bang! card. Flipped Hearts count as an automatic Missed! | |
| Upgraded Gun | Weapon | 4 Gold | Your basic Colt .45 starting weapon is swapped out. Choose and permanently begin stages with a Schofield or Remington weapon. | |
| Winchester | Weapon | 5 Gold | The peak of long-range firepower. Your character permanently begins all subsequent campaign encounters with a Winchester equipped. | |
| Beer Supply | Consumable | 1 Gold | One-time use item carried to the next stage hand. Discard from hand at any point to instantly heal 1 lost Life Point. | |
| Emergency Dodge | Consumable | 1 Gold | One-time use defensive card added to your next starting hand. Discard to completely cancel out any single incoming NPC attack. | |
| Heavy Ordnance | Consumable | 2 Gold | One-time area card added to your next starting hand. Discard to trigger an automated Indians! or Gatling card effect on all active NPCs. |
Game Master Reference Matrix covering explicit rules and structural layouts for each encounter.
| Stage & Scenario | Objective Format | Encounter Special Rules & Mechanics |
|---|---|---|
| Stage 1: Ambush at Gold Canyon | Eliminate all automated threats. | Introductory skirmish. Players are strictly barred from drawing, holding, or equipping any green cards or auxiliary blue modifications during this round. |
| Stage 2: High Noon Holdout | Eliminate the Renegade NPC dead last. | Activate the official High Noon expansion event deck. A brand new overarching environmental rule card is flipped at the initiation of every single gameplay round. Every automated NPC spawns with a pre-equipped Volcanic gun card. NPCs possess completely infinite Bang! card activation thresholds during their active turn sequences. |
| Stage 3: The Train Robbery | Survive 8 full game cycles. | High speed train fight. NPCs attack relentlessly while environmental hazard triggers dynamically shift positions every cycle. |
| Stage 4: Cattle Drive Stampede | Eliminate all active Rustlers. | At the turn start, if an NPC draws a Diamond suit card, a chaotic stampede erupts. The closest player is forced to immediately discard 1 in-play asset card. |
| Stage 5: 3:10 to Yuma | Keep the Prisoner NPC alive for 7 full rounds. | An extra neutral Prisoner card (3 HP, cardless) rests in the center. NPCs optimize their range to shoot exclusively at the prisoner. Guard player can burn personal cards to defend. |
| Stage 6: The Great Jailbreak | Equip weapon cards or rout all guards. | Players are ambushed and start with 0 cards in hand (stripped of items). To break free and win, all players must successfully find and equip any functional weapon asset. |
| Stage 7: High Stakes Poker | Eliminate the calculating card sharps. | Enables a gamble sub-phase at turn starts. Players can completely discard 1 hand asset to flip a deck card. Pulling a Heart instantly heals the player for 1 lost HP point. |
| Stage 8: Ghost Town | Simultaneously eliminate all threats. | Defeated automated NPCs do not depart the table board permanently. Instead, they revive exactly 2 full game rounds later as a Zombie NPC holding 2 base HP pools. |
| Stage 9: The Dynamite Maze | Eradicate the final rogue elements. | A single live Dynamite item card is placed permanently into active play. It is hard-forced to pass linearly down the turn order line at the conclusion of every turn sequence. |
Construct a 10-card secondary event deck using standard playing cards (Ace through 10). Flip a card at the start of each round.
| Card Value | Event Name | Global Environmental Effect Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Ace / 2 | Dust Storm | Visibility drops to zero. All player and NPC weapon cards have their operational range reduced to exactly 1. |
| 3 / 4 | Gold Rush | The local veins are overflowing. Any NPC eliminated during this active round drops an extra +1 bonus Gold reward. |
| 5 / 6 | Bounty Hunter | Bypasses proximity targeting loops. All automated NPCs completely focus their guns on the player with the lowest health. |
| 7 / 8 | Gunslinger Duel | The air grows heavy. The restriction on playing only one Bang! card per turn is completely lifted for all players. |
| 9 / 10 | Quick Draw | Reflexes spike. The draw phase for all players and NPCs is increased from the baseline of 2 cards up to 3 cards. |
| Stg | Enemies Spawning | Base HP | Unique Enemy Passive Abilities & Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Skirmishers | 3 HP | Standard Outlaw rules apply. No modifications or special passive traits. |
| 2 | 2 Outlaws + 1 Renegade | 4 HP | The Renegade acts as a bodyguard, drawing fire if positioned directly adjacent. |
| 3 | 3 Gunrunners | 4 HP | Infinite Bang! capability due to starting with integrated Volcanic weapons. |
| 4 | 3 Rustlers | 4 HP | Stampede: Drawing a Diamond suit forces the closest player to discard a card. |
| 5 | 2 Outlaws | 4 HP | Bullseye: Their Bang! attacks require players to discard two defenses to protect Prisoner. |
| 6 | 3 Prison Guards | 4 HP | Lockdown: Guards gain a temporary +1 distance shield until a player equips a weapon. |
| 7 | 2 Card Sharps | 4 HP | Cheaters: NPCs flip twice on card checks and choose their preferred outcome. |
| 8 | 3 Ghoul Raiders | 4 HP | Undead: Revive 2 rounds after death as a 2 HP Zombie if any teammate lives. |
| 9 | 2 Demolition Saboteurs | 5 HP | Blast Shield: Saboteurs are completely immune to any table-active Dynamite damage. |
Instead of drawing generic characters, players choose a class below. Stack these traits over your chosen standard character card ability.
Fan the Hammer: Once per turn, you may discard any two combat cards from your hand to instantly unleash a free, un-blockable Bang! effect on an NPC within your current weapon's range loop.
Protect the Innocent: Whenever an automated NPC fires a Bang! targeting a fellow squad member within your direct weapon range, you can discard 1 Missed! card from your own hand to block it.
Field Dressing: During your main draw phase, you may substitute your second card draw to choose a teammate in range and instantly restore 1 lost Life Point from their active track.
Dead or Alive: Whenever you deal the definitive, fatal strike that completely eliminates any NPC from the board, you extract an extra bonus reward of +1 Gold into your stash.
Eagle Eye: Your natural visibility is supreme. You possess an innate, permanent Scope effect (-1 range calculation to all targets) and can hold an extra +1 max hand size card capacity.
Wild Card: Unpredictable and resourceful. Once per turn, you may play any card from your hand face down to count as either a standard Bang! or a Missed! card.
Official turn order resolution and randomized table placement protocol.
• Sheriff Precedence: If a player character is using The Sheriff archetype, that player always takes the first turn of the stage.
• Posse Choice: If no Sheriff is present, the party selects which player takes the opening turn (or the player with the highest base Max HP opens).
• Clockwise Rotation: Turn order moves strictly clockwise around the table, alternating between players and automated NPCs based on their seated positions.
To ensure balanced combat distance and prevent bias, table positions for all players and spawning NPCs are determined randomly via high-card draw.
Shuffle the playing card deck. Deal one card face-up to every active player and to each NPC spawning in the encounter.
Arrange all combatants clockwise around the table in descending order of card rank (Ace high, down to 2).
If two combatants draw equal values, resolve the tie by suit priority: Spades (♠) > Hearts (♥) > Diamonds (♦) > Clubs (♣).
| Rank Hierarchy | Suit Tie-Breaker | Placement Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Ace (High) -> 2 (Low) | ♠ > ♥ > ♦ > ♣ | Highest rank sits in Seat 1. Remaining combatants fill Seats 2, 3, 4+ going clockwise. |