The game is played over several hands. In each hand, the players try to earn as much reward money as possible by participating in the capture of the Outlaws - and with as little help from the other players as possible.

The greater a player's part in the capture of an Outlaw, the greater will be his reward: a player may earn the entire reward, a large or small portion of it, or nothing at all! All this depends on his level of participation and that of the others.

Components

• 29 Sheriff cards (with stars)
• 49 Outlaw cards (7 of each Outlaw)
• 60 reward tokens ($1,000)
• 18 reward tokens ($5,000)
• 4 summary cards
• 7 reward posters
• Instructions

Object of the Game

By playing their cards, the players come closer and closer to capturing the Outlaws. Also, the more cards played, the higher the reward grows.

Players must play both competitively and cooperatively. A player who best plays the cards he draws, will win! The player who earns the most money is the winner!

Setup

Place the 7 reward posters in a circle as shown below.

Place the $1,000 and $5,000 reward tokens in the center of the reward posters as the Bank. Select the most trustworthy player as the banker: he manages the Bank. He places a $1,000 reward token on each reward poster.

The oldest player thoroughly shuffles the 78 playing cards and deals 10 to each player face down, one at a time. The players take these cards as their hands and keep them secret from the other players.

The dealer places the remaining cards face down in the center of the reward posters as a card supply. He draws the top card and places it face up next to the card supply as the first card of the discard stack.

Each player takes a summary card. Each card has a brief description of the Sheriff cards on one side and a brief description of the scoring on the other. The area on the table before each player is his territory.

Game Play

The player to the dealer's left starts, and the players take turns in clockwise order. On a player's turn, he does the following in the order indicated:

1. he must draw one or two cards;
2. he may play one or more cards;
3. he must discard one card.

1. Draw one or two cards (must!)

The player must draw either the two topmost cards from the card supply or the topmost card from the discard stack. He adds the card(s) to his hand. No other drawing combination is possible.

2. Play one or more cards (may!)

On his turn, a player may play, from his hand, as many Outlaw cards as he wants and at most one Sheriff card. A player plays Outlaw cards face up in his territory on the table. A player also plays all Sheriff cards with a number on the upper left of the card face up in his territory on the table.

A player plays Sheriff cards with a symbol on the upper left of the card either in an opponent's territory or on the discard stack, depending on the card played. Once played, a card may not be taken back into a player's hand nor used as the player's discard.

The cards in a player's territory should always be displayed so that all players can see their numbers and which Outlaw they represent.

The first Outlaw cards played for each of the seven Outlaws (each color), must be played as a set. A set must have at least three Outlaw cards of the same color. Immediately after a player plays the Outlaw cards, the banker adds reward tokens to the corresponding Outlaw's reward poster: $1,000 per card played minus $1,000.

After the first set for an Outlaw has been played, any player, on his turn, may play any number of cards in that color in his territory. The 3 card minimum is no longer required.

As with the playing of the first set, the banker immediately adds reward tokens to the corresponding reward poster based on the number of cards played. The amount added is $1,000 times the number of cards played minus $1,000.

3. Discard one card (must!)

After a player has played, in any order, none, one, or more Outlaw cards and, at most, one Sheriff card, he must discard one card, from his hand1, face up on the discard stack. This ends his turn. The discarded card has no effect, even if it is a Sheriff card!

As a discarded card may be drawn and used by the next player, players should be aware of what cards that player may want and avoid discarding cards he may be able to use.

Sherriff Cards

All cards that have a Sheriff's star in the upper left corner are called Sheriff cards. On each turn, a player may play, at most, one Sheriff card, either alone or with one or more Outlaw cards.

Most of the Sheriff cards increase the CP and the reward for an Outlaw. Some, however, give players the opportunity to effect other players.

A Sheriff card with a number in the upper left corner, is played in a player's territory like Outlaw cards and with a group of Outlaw cards. Once played, a Sheriff card may not be moved within the territory or removed from the territory.

Photo (1 per Outlaw)

The seven Photo cards are different from the other Sheriff cards in that they are color specific: one for each Outlaw. All other Sheriff cards are color neutral.

The Photo cards abide by the rule that only one Sheriff card may be played per turn. Thus, if a player plays a Photo card, he may not play other Sheriff cards on this turn.

A Photo card may only be played after a set of the same color has been played. A player adds the Photo card to Outlaw cards of that color in his territory if he has played any. If not, he plays it by itself, starting that color of Outlaw.

Once Photo cards are played, other Sheriff cards may be played on them as though they were Outlaw cards. When a player plays a Photo card, he adds 4 CPfor that Outlaw and the banker adds $1,000 to the reward for that Outlaw.

Stagecoach Robbery (2)

A player adds this card to any already played Outlaw card(s) in his territory. A Photo card counts as an Outlaw card for this purpose.

But first, the player must try for a successful shot, as indicated by the revolver in back of the text on the card. To do this, the player draws the topmost card from the card supply and places it face up on the discard stack:

• If the player draws a card with a bullet hole (an Outlaw card), the player's shot is successful and he plays the Stagecoach robbery on the Outlaw of his choice in his territory. It adds 1 CP and $3,000 to the reward of the Outlaw.

• If the player draws a card without a bullet hole, the player's shot is unsuccessful and he places the Stagecoach robbery on the discard stack. The card still counts as played, and, thus, the player may play no more Sheriff cards on this turn.

Bank Robbery (4)

This card is like the Stagecoach robbery card in all ways except one: after a successful shot, it adds 2 CP and $1,000 to the reward of the Outlaw.

Note: over several turns, a player may play several Sheriff cards (the same or different) on the same Outlaw in his territory.

Fastest Gun (3)

This card is like the Stagecoach robbery card in all ways except two:

1. after a successful shot, it adds 3 CP and $1,000 to the reward of the Outlaw.

2. In the Wild West there can be only one fastest gun! When a player successfully plays this card, a previously played Fastest gun card (if there is one) must be removed from the Outlaw where it was played and placed on the discard stack.

   The losing player "loses" the 3 CP he had, but the $1,000 reward remains on the corresponding reward poster. A player may not play this card on an Outlaw if any player (even himself) has Fastest gun on the same Outlaw.

A player may play this card on any other Outlaw in his territory. If successful, the previous Fastest gun card is discarded. It is not possible to play a second Fastest gun on a previous one: there can only be one fastest gun!

Most Wanted! (3)

This card may be played in oneof two ways; in either case, the card is placed face up on the discard stack after being played.

1. from a player's hand (without a shot): When a player plays this way, he asks the other players for a specific Outlaw card ("I want a Sundance Kid card!"). He asks them in clockwise or counterclockwise order starting with the player to his left or right.

   If the first player asked does not have the card he wants, he asks the second in order, and so on.If a player has the desired card when asked, he must give it to the asking player.

   The player adds the card to his hand and may play it on this turn, following the normal rules. Once he gets a card, his search ends. He can only get at most one card when he plays this card. If no player has the desired card, the player gets nothing.

2. from a player's territory (with successful shot): The player draws the topmost card from the card supply. If he does not get a card with a bullet hole, he fails and immediately places the Most wanted! card on the discard stack. He may not now use the card to try for a card from players' hands.

   If the shot is successful (he draws a card with a bullet hole), he may steal any Outlaw card (no Sheriff card - not even Photo) from any other player's territory on the table7, add it to his hand, and may play it on this turn, using the normal rules. A player may even take a card covered by Hideout.

Hideout (3)

After a successful shot, the player plays Hideout on all cards (both Outlaw cards and Sheriff cards) of one player.9 The cards covered by the Hideout do not count for that player. Thus, he has no CP for that Outlaw until he removes the Hideout card.

The reward on the reward poster for that Outlaw is not reduced when Hideout is played. The affected player may still add both Outlaw and Sheriff cards to that Outlaw, but they do not count as long as Hideout is there.

When played, the banker adds the appropriate reward to that Outlaw's reward poster. A player may remove the Hideout with a Wyatt Earp card, making all his cards for that Outlaw count.

A player may not play a second Hideout card where there is already one. Once a Hideout is removed, that Outlaw is again in danger of having a Hideout played on it.

Wyatt Earp (7)

A player may play a Wyatt Earp card in oneof three ways. In all cases, the card is placed on the discard stack when played.

1. draw two cards (without a shot): The player draws the top two cards from the card supply and adds them to his hand.

   He may play the cards this turn, following the normal rules. Of course, he may not play a second Sheriff card in this turn.

2. draw one card (without a shot): The player takes the entire discard stack, searches through the cards, and takes one card, which he adds to his hand.

   He may not, however, take a Wyatt Earp card! He may play the card he takes on this turn, following the normal rules. If he chooses a Sheriff card, he may play it immediately (this is the only exception that allows a player to play two Sheriff cards in a turn).

   If he does not choose to immediately play the card, he adds it to his hand, without showing the other players, but may not playa second Sheriff card this turn.

3. remove Hideout (with successful shot): After a successful shot, the player may remove one Hideout card from one of his Outlaws and place it on the discard stack. Now, all the CP for that Outlaw for that player count.

   This card may be played, as an exception, to remove a Hideout, out of turn. When a player successfully plays a Hideout card on an Outlaw, the affected player may immediately play Wyatt Earp to try to remove the Hideout card. To do this:

   • he places the Wyatt Earp card on the discard stack,
   • after a successful shot, he places the just played Hideout card on the discard stack,
   • after an unsuccessful shot, the Hideout remains where it was played".

End of a Hand

After a player discards a card, the player to his left takes his turn. The game continues in this way until a player discards the last card from his hand. The hand ends immediately. All other players now place the cards in their hands on the discard stack. These cards have no value in the scoring.

In rare cases, a hand can end in one of two other ways:

1. When another player has no cards left in his hand when the current player ends his turn by discarding a card.

2. When the current player chooses to draw cards from the card supply and there are less than two cards in the card supply and this is the second time in this hand that the card supply has been exhausted.

   The player does not finish his turn. The player could choose to draw the topmost card from the discard stack to take his turn and, thus, prolong the hand.

   Of course, the following players have the same choice, and so, the hand may be prolonged for some time by players taking this action.

Scoring

At the end of each hand, the players score their territories. Begin with any reward poster and score the posters in clockwise order. For each Outlaw, count the number of capture points (CP) for that Outlaw in all the players' territories.

The CP are the numbers in the upper left of the Outlaw and Sheriff cards. Do not count CP on cards that are under Hideout cards.

If there are fewer than 8 CPin all players' territories together, the entire reward (all reward tokens) remains on the reward poster for that Outlaw: he is not captured and no player scores for this Outlaw in this hand. Move on to score the next Outlaw.

If there are 8 or more CP in all players' territories, the players check to see if the player with the most CP for this Outlaw has at least 5 more CP than the player with the second most CP for this Outlaw.

In this case, the player with the most CP for this Outlaw earns the entire reward for this Outlaw, takes all the reward tokens from the reward poster, and puts them in his territory. Move on to score the next Outlaw.

If the player with the most CP for this Outlaw has fewer than 5CPmore than the player with the second most CP for this Outlaw, the reward is shared among the player with the most CP for this Outlaw and all players with no fewer than 4 CP for this Outlaw than the player with the most for this Outlaw.

The reward is shared as follows: The player with the most CP for this Outlaw takes $2,000 from the corresponding reward poster. Next, the player with the second-most CPfor this Outlaw takes $1,000 and so on until all sharing players have taken a share.

Then, in the same CP order, the sharing players each take $1,000 until the reward money on the reward poster is gone or until there is not enough to pay two or more players tied with the same number of CPfor this Outlaw. Move on to score the next Outlaw.

In this way, all Outlaws are scored.

When a player has five $1,000 reward tokens, he exchanges them for a single $5,000 reward token.

If no player has $25,000 or more, the game continues with another hand:

• The player who started the hand just ended is now the dealer. He thoroughly shuffles all 78 cards and deals 10 cards to each player face down, one at a time.
  
  The dealer places the remaining cards in the center of the reward posters as a card supply, draws the top card, and places it face up next to the card supply as the first card of the discard stack.

• The banker puts, from the Bank, $1,000 on each reward poster (whether it has money or not).

• The player to the left of the dealer starts the new hand and the game continues as before.

End of the Game

The game ends, when at least one player has $25,000 or more after a hand is scored. The player with the most money is the winner.

If two or more players tie, the tying players duel to decide the winner: each draws a card from the card supply and turns it face up. When a player draws a blank (a card without a bullet hole), he is out of the duel.

The last remaining player is the winner. If all remaining players draw blanks, they draw again.

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