Revolver

Overview

Revolver is an asymmetric two-player card game set in the Old West. One player takes the role of Colonel Ned McReady and his band of outlaws (the Bandits), while the other plays as the townsfolk of Malpaso and their hired guardians (the Guardians). The game plays across a series of battlefields representing key locations from a frontier showdown. The Bandits aim to eliminate all Malpaso guardians, while the Guardians try to protect Padre Esteban until he reaches the Silver Mine, or to eliminate all 12 Mexican Army tokens.

Components

• 2 Decks (62 cards each): General Mapache (Bandits) and Padre Esteban (Guardians)
• 19 Malpaso guardian character cards
• 9 Battlefield cards
• Special action cards (Dynamite, Gatling Gun, Collapse Tunnels)
• 12 Mexican Army tokens
• 11 True Grit tokens
• Power tokens
• Turn marker

Setup

1. Arrange the first three battlefield cards in the center play area.
2. Position special action cards adjacent to their corresponding battlefields.
3. Place the 12 Mexican Army tokens and 11 True Grit tokens in their supply areas.
4. Display seven starting guardian characters face-up.
5. Each player shuffles their deck and draws five cards.
6. Conduct the “All Rivers Poker Tournament” to determine additional battlefield locations.

Turn Structure

Each turn consists of these phases:

1. Advance Turn Marker (Guardians): Move the marker forward; optionally skip remaining turns at the current battlefield.
2. Draw Guardian Cards: If on the first three locations, draw cards equal to the space value.
3. Draw Two Cards: Both players draw two cards from their decks.
4. Play Cards: Players pay costs (by discarding cards) to place firepower cards, row-blocking cards, or one-shot effects.
5. Attack Phase (Bandits): Compare firepower values at the active battlefield. If Bandits overpower Guardians, the Guardians suffer casualties.

Actions

• Play Firepower Cards: Place cards with attack values (poker chip icons) at the current battlefield. Guardians are limited to three firepower cards per battlefield.
• Play Row-Blocking Cards: Cards with orange borders placed on the opponent’s side, counting toward their card limit.
• One-Shot Effects: Immediate-resolution cards that are discarded after use.
• Discard for Costs: Cards are played by discarding other cards from your hand as payment.
• Use Special Cards: Dynamite, Gatling Gun, and Collapse Tunnels provide powerful effects at specific battlefields.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

• Bandits Win: All Malpaso guardians are eliminated.
• Guardians Win (survival): Padre Esteban survives to Silver Mine space “4.”
• Guardians Win (military): All 12 Mexican Army tokens are removed.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Los Quantos Bridge: Guardians may discard two powder keg symbols to destroy all Bandit cards at this location (one-time use).
• Abandoned Silver Mine: Guardians can repeatedly collapse mines using two powder kegs per activation. Bandits use the Gatling Gun to eliminate guardian characters using ammo symbols.
• True Grit Tokens: Grant extra life to guardian characters. When a character would be eliminated, remove a True Grit token instead.
• Casualty Selection: Guardians must select the lowest survival-rated characters first when forced to take casualties.
• Card Limits: Guardians can place a maximum of 3 firepower cards per battlefield; row-blocking cards placed by the Bandit player count against this limit.
• Battlefield Progression: The game moves through battlefields in sequence. Each battlefield has unique rules and card interactions.

Player Reference

Role	Deck	Goal
Bandits (Mapache)	62 cards	Eliminate all guardians
Guardians (Esteban)	62 cards	Survive to Silver Mine OR remove all Army tokens

Key Mechanics: Firepower comparison, card costs via discards, battlefield progression, True Grit survival

Special Locations: Los Quantos Bridge (powder kegs), Abandoned Silver Mine (Gatling Gun)