Valley of Shadows: New Czech Expansion for BANG!

News (11/20/11): Revised the translations of the cards with Martin Blasko's help. See the changes and clarifications in the translation below.

Martin Blasko, with Dv-Giochi's blessing, has finished a Czech expansion to BANG! with their local publisher ALBI. It is only out in Europe (in Czech only), and no shipping is provided by the publisher to the United States. However, I have been working with Blasko to have decks shipped to the United States. If you have any interest in a copy, e-mail me and I will try to work something out. I have worked with Blasko to provide an English translation of Valley of Shadows. The expansion does not add any new mechanics to the game; all cards are the typical blue, brown, and character cards. There will not be any new green cards. Here are 2 examples of how the cards look in Czech.

I will be providing a translation that can easily be printed over stickers to be applied to the czech titles and text. Instead of stickers, you could also print the translation off on paper and lay it over the cards in card sleeves (or tape the paper cut-outs to the cards; not an optimal choice for shuffling). Characters:

1. Mick Defender (4 LP): When Mick is the sole target of any card besides BANG!, he may play a Missed! to avoid that card's effect. NOTE: This would apply to Knife, Punch, Buffalo Rifle, Springfield, Derringer, Pepperbox, Panic!, Cat Balou, Duel, Rag Time, Conestoga, Can Can, Bounty, and Prison.
2. Evelyn The Bang (4 LP): This one is hard to understand. Apparently, During her drawing phase, she may draw 1 less card to Punch. Punch, of course, means she is banging! a player seen at distance 1.
3. Henry Block (4 LP): Anytime a player discards or steals a card Henry has in play or in his hand, Henry fires a BANG! at that player. NOTE: Blasko specifies that this BANG! does interact with abilities, cards in play, etc.
4. Lemonade Jim (4 LP): Each time another player plays a Beer, Lemonade Jim may discard a card to regain 1 life point.
5. Colorado Bill (4 LP): Anytime a player avoids his BANG!, Colorado may "draw!" On spades, his target immediately loses a life point.

Brown Cards:

1. Spray: BANG! both a player of your choice and a player adjacent to him.
2. Wild Bunch: All other players must discard a BANG! or lose 2 cards from their hands, their choice.
3. Last Beer: Regain 1 life point. NOTE: What makes this card different from a normal Beer is that it can be played when only 2 players remain.
4. Tornado: Each player must set aside 2 cards from his hand and pass them to the player to his left. NOTE: The passing is done simultaneously.
5. Return Fire: 1st Effect: Missed!. 2nd Effect: Your attacker is the target of a BANG!
6. Tomahawk: Bang! a player seen within distance 2.
7. Poker: All other players must discard a card if they can. If none of those cards is an Ace, you may draw up to 3 of the discarded cards.
8. Escape: When you are the sole target of any card besides BANG!, play Escape to avoid that card's effect. NOTE: It is essentially like Mick Defender's ability above.
9. Twin Shot: Play with a BANG!. If your target does not evade that BANG! he loses 2 life points.
10. Saved!: Play out of turn to prevent any player from losing a life point. If this saves another player from elimination, draw 2 cards from his hand.

Blue Cards:

1. Ghost: Play in front of an eliminated player. That player returns to life without a character ability and no way to gain or lose life points. Besides this he plays as a normal player. NOTE: elimination would occur when the Ghost card is discarded or stolen from him.
2. Shotgun (Gun, Distance 1): Whenever you hit a player with a BANG!, that player must discard a card of his choice from his hand, if possible.
3. Machete (Weapon, Distance 1): During your turn, you may play any card except Missed! as a BANG!.
4. Bounty: Play in front of a player. If he is hit by a BANG!, his attacker draws a card.
5. Rattlesnake: Play in front of a player. At the beginning of his turn, that player "draws!" On spades, he loses a life point. Otherwise, he passes the Rattlesnake to his left.

Well, those are the cards included in Valley of Shadows. 3 of the 5 characters are defensive; 2 offensive. They look far less OP than the Wild West Show characters, which is encouraging. The playing cards, on the whole, are quite offensive, and should lead to more devastating attacks that will favor the more offensive characters and roles in my opinion. It will be interesting to see how many of the cards from the base game will be added to balance out these cards. Anyway, I will keep you posted on any new information on this foreign official expansion!