Missed!
Symbology:
Italian Name: Mancato!
Translation: Play to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols).
Manual Description: "If you are hit by a BANG! you may immediately play a Missed!—even though it is not your turn!—to cancel the shot. If you do not, you lose one life point (register this loss by sliding your character card over a bullet). . . . Note: You can only cancel shots aimed at you!" Also: "If you are in Jail you remain a possible target for BANG! cards and can still play response cards (e.g. Missed! and Beer) out of your turn, if
necessary."
Playable: Out of turn, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player.
Suit and Value: A♣, K♣, Q♣, J♣, 10♣, 8♠, 7♠, 6♠, 5♠, 4♠,3♠ 2♠,(BANG!; 2-9♠ make Dynamite explode); 8♦ (Dodge City).
Card color: Brown.
Card Family: Defensive cards.
Included in: BANG!, Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Calamity Janet (she can play Missed! as BANG!),
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability, and he can discard it with another card to regain a life point),
Doc Holyday (He can discard it with another card to fire a BANG!),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Molly Stark (whenever she uses a card from her hand out of turn, she draws a card),
Sean Mallory (protect him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, drawing Missed! and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Uncle Will (can play the Missed! as a
General Store),
Claus the Saint (Crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), and somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Missed! do prolong the "draws!" on his life).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (Missed! keep her from chain-drawing during her turn), somewhat
El Gringo/
Bart Cassidy (playing Missed! keeps them from drawing a card from the attacker/deck; but it does give them the choice when to take a hit), Big Spencer (he cannot play Missed!),
Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a Missed!, the Missed! card adds nothing), and somewhat
Apache Kid (while Missed! still protect him from many attacks, many other attacks he is immune to, making Missed! less valuable).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 Missed! must be played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn),
Jesse Jones (He can steal Missed! from other players' hands),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks), Flint Westwood (he can swap out a non-defensive card for 2 cards in another player's hand, giving him a good chance of nabbing a Missed!), and somewhat Youl Grinner/Gary Looter (Missed! tend to sit in player's hands unless they are shot at, upping the number of cards in their hands and making them exceed their card limits).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing/having this card:
Belle Star/
Pat Brennan (Their abilities do not work against cards in other players' hands).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Missed! are the basic defensive cards in the game, and you should almost always try to have 1 in your hand. Anymore or less will be dependent on your role and position, but having too many will make you quickly exceed your card limit. Missed! protect against all basic attacks, but do not protect against special attacks like Indians! and Duel, which can only be dealt with by discarding BANG! cards. That is why it is generally a good idea to pair a BANG! with a Missed! card in your hand out of turn for good defensive positioning. If you want to store up more (or expend less) Missed!, you can use sight modifiers such as
Mustang and
Hideout, and get a
Barrel in play in front of you.
Italian Name: Schivata.
Translation: Play to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols), and draw a card from the deck.
Manual Example: "Example 5. In response to a Punch, you can play the Dodge: you cancel the Punch and then draw a card from the deck."
Playable: Out of turn, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player.
Suit and Value: K♥, 7♦ (Dodge City).
Card color: Brown.
Card Family: Defensive cards, Draw Cards.
Included in: Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Molly Stark (whenever she uses a card from her hand out of turn, she draws a card, so playing Dodge enables her to draw 2 cards),
Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, drawing Dodge and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Claus the Saint (Crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Dodge do prolong the "draws!" on his life), and Big Spencer (unable to play
Missed!, Dodge is invaluable for protecting him).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (
Missed! keep her from chain-drawing during her turn),
Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a
Missed!, the Dodge card only adds a little benefit), and somewhat
Apache Kid (while Dodge still protect him from many attacks, many other attacks he is immune to, making Dodge less valuable).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn),
Jesse Jones (He can steal Dodge from other players' hands),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks), Flint Westwood (he can swap out a non-defensive card for 2 cards in another player's hand, giving him a good chance of nabbing a Dodge if it is there), and somewhat Youl Grinner/Gary Looter (Defensive cards tend to sit in player's hands unless they are shot at, upping the number of cards in their hands and making them exceed their card limits).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing/having this card:
Belle Star/
Pat Brennan (Their abilities do not work against cards in other players' hands).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Dodge used to be the most powerful defensive card in the game that is placed in your hand, but Escape and Backfire both are comparably awesome. Dodge allows you to draw another card after playing it, thus protecting you while possibly maintaining your defenses. Since it is so powerful, it is a good idea not to store it in your hand if possible. Use it the moment that you can, so that it does not get stolen or discarded from your hand. As with
Missed!, Dodge protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians! and Duel. So you will still need BANG! in your hand to protect you from those.
Italian Name: Ritorno di Fiamma.
Text: Play to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols), and draw a card from the deck.
Manual Example: N/A (Backfire is not discussed on the card instructions), and no FAQ exists for Valley of Shadows.
Playable: Out of turn, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player.
Suit and Value: Q♣ (Dodge City).
Card color: Brown.
Card Family: Defensive cards, Offensive Cards.
Included in: Valley of Shadows.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card: Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely), Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability), Chuck Wengam/Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards), Molly Stark (whenever she uses a card from her hand out of turn, she draws a card, so playing Dodge enables her to draw 2 cards), Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand), Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, drawing Dodge and similar cards is crucial to his survival), Claus the Saint (Crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Dodge do prolong the "draws!" on his life), Big Spencer (unable to play Missed!, Dodge is invaluable for protecting him), Mick Defender (since this counts a Missed! card, Mick can use this card as an Evade), Calamity Janet (as it is a Missed! card as well, she can play it interchangeably as a BANG! if needed)
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card: Suzy Lafayette (Missed! keep her from chain-drawing during her turn), Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a Missed!, the Backfire card adds only some benefit).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card: Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!), Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn), Jesse Jones (He can steal Backfire from other players' hands), Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff/Mexicali Kid/Der Spot-Burst Ringer (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks), Flint Westwood (he can swap out a non-defensive card for 2 cards in another player's hand, giving him a good chance of nabbing a Backfire if it is there), somewhat Youl Grinner/Gary Looter (Defensive cards tend to sit in player's hands unless they are shot at, upping the number of cards in their hands and making them exceed their card limits), Bloody Mary (when Backfire cancels her BANG! card, she draws a card), Ms. Abigal (she is immune to the effects of brown royal cards, of which Backfire is one).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing/having this card: 3 Life point characters have less cards in their hand to block attacks, and Backfire will whittle their smaller hands down.
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Tomahawk, Aim, Fanning, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, Fanning, Pepperbox, Bottle.
Does not work against: Indians!, Bandidos, Arrow, Duel, and Dynamite. Flintlock, being cancelled, would return back to your hand if you pay so it's a solid counter.
Commentary: The clever part of Backfire is that it's a BANG! on the attacker, regardless of their distance, so ou can reach them even if you cannot see them. It's also a BANG! out of turn when a player typically feels safe, so this is a great means of surprising another player. I'd say this card now rivals Dodge in terms of its value in counteracting attacks, although Escape is in my opinion the best defensive card in the game, as it allows you to evade anything else considered negative. As with Missed!, Backfire protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians!/Arrow, Bandidos and Duel. So you will still need BANG! or other cards in your hand to protect you from those.
Controversies: It isn't clear since this counts as a Missed! card, if the card is used as a Missed! card for another purpose (such as Mick Defender's ability), if the BANG! of the attacker also counts, or no, it's converted into the Missed! card as a sort of prerequisite cost. My opinion is the latter. Thus, if Mick uses Backfire as an Evade (to avoid a brown card other than BANG!) then he does not also get to BANG! the attacker. The rules card is not clear on this. If someone finds an official answer, let me know. Also -- Are the 2 effects considered as occurring simultaneously? For instance, if Slab the Killer shoots a killing shot at the player who plays Backfire, who is unable to procure a second Missed! to avoid the shot, does the offensive part of Backfire still trigger, or is the player dead? Finally, the text specifies it counts as Missed! card. Does the BANG! effect count as a BANG! symbol or a BANG! card. It appears to be only the former, meaning that it would not trigger Bounty.
Italian Name: Fuga.
Translation: "May be played out of turn. Avoid the effects of a brown card (other than BANG!) that includes you as a target."
Manual Example: "Also works against cards that affect multiple players (Gatling, Indians, etc.)."
Playable: Out of turn, when you must respond to a brown card (non-BANG! attack or otherwise) played by another player.
Suit and Value: 3♥.
Card color: Brown.
Card Family: Defensive cards.
Included in: Valley of Shadows.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card: Lucky Duke (His "draw!" ability is fairly useless without something in front of him of value, like a Barrel; this keeps that from getting discarded or stolen) Jourdonnais (keeps a Barrel in place to backs up his ability nicely), Paul Regret (keeps the additional sight modifiers in place), Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability), Chuck Wengam/Bill Noface (helps keep defensive blue cards in place to protect them when they drop life points to draw cards), Molly Stark (whenever she uses a card from her hand out of turn, she draws a card), Sean Mallory (keeps his very powerful offensive or defensive cards safe like Volcanic, while building his powerful hand), Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, keeping the right cards in play is crucial), Claus the Saint (Crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), Big Spencer (unable to play Missed!, Escape is invaluable for protecting him), John Pain (keep cards triggering "draw!" in play), and Red Ringo (helps him keep the Dangerous cards in play that he powers up).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card: Most characters benefit from Escape; Mick Defender just only benefits from it less so, since his ability converts Missed! into Escapes. Henry Block's punishment for frawing or discarding his cards also makes Escape slightly less advantageous as he already has some defensive measures in place here. Interestingly, Tuco Franziskaner might want the blue card he has in place stolen from him so that he can draw 2 extra cards, so he resists playing Escape (in some scenarios). 3 life point characters may struggle holding on to this card to use it when it's truly needed.
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card: Slab the Killer/Willy the Kid/Doc Holyday/Mexicali Kid/Der Spot-Burst Ringer/Black Flower/Evelyn Shebang/Colorado Bill/Jacky Murieta (their abilities center around BANG! cards, which Escape does not block), Jesse Jones (He can steal Escape from other players' hands), Flint Westwood (he can swap out a non-defensive card for 2 cards in another player's hand, giving him a good chance of nabbing a Backfire if it is there), somewhat Youl Grinner/Gary Looter (Defensive cards tend to sit in player's hands unless they are shot at, upping the number of cards in their hands and making them exceed their card limits), Pat Brennan/Johnny Kish (you cannot cancel their abilities with Escape, still enabling them to nab or discard cards from you), Belle Star (the cards in play you'd be looking to protect don't have affect on her turn anyway), Don Bell (extra turn mechanic can make it so that he gets an extra chance to punish you after playing Escape).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing/having this card:
Works well in conjunction with: It's in a class of its own.
Works well against: Indians!, Springfield, Punch, Tomahawk, Aim, Gatling, Arrow, Bandidos, Duel, Cat Balou, Panic!, Rag Time, Poker, Squaw, Brawl, Rust
Does not work against: BANG!, Fanning (the card states it "counts as your normal one BANG! per turn"), Buffalo Rifle, Howitzer, Pepperbox, Conestoga, Can Can, Derringer, Knife, Bottle, Pardner. Whip and Lockpick really works against it, as does Bandolier. Flintlock, being cancelled, would return back to your hand if you pay so it's a solid counter. It doesn't help Dynamite.
Commentary: This card is just amazing. Whether it's to protect your blue cards, a Pony Express, or Dangerous Cards, Escape can help you stay well equipped. It also helps you avoid cards that hit every player, or every other player, such as the dreaded Bandidos or Indians. It's an easy way to waste another player's duel and settle it immediately. This is the sort of card you store in your hand and don't waste on saving you from a non-traditional attack (as long as you don't have to). This, of course, makes it prime pickings for abilities and non-brown cards that target your hand. There's only 1 in the deck, so make the Escape count.
Controversies: The main challenge with this card is determining what a "true" BANG! card is, versus a general attack. As far as I can tell, BANG! cards include:
BANG!
Clubs played by Black Flower
Missed! played by Calamity Janet
Red "draws!" from Julie Cutter
Jacky Murieta's gold-created BANG!
Doc Holyday's discard-created BANG!
Mexicali Kid's resource-created BANG!
Bottle (when BANG! is chosen amongst options)
Cards shot with the Lemat
It's also curious if Lee Van Kliff's ability and Escape resolve themselves. Lee Van Kliff's ability when he discards a BANG! he "repeats the effect of a brown-bordered card", he doesn't copy the card itself, so one might question if this ability can be avoided from Escape. That said, Escape says it avoids the effects of a brown card that includes you as a target. They both reference the effects, so this might well cancel each other out. The curious thing is if we apply it to meaning just avoiding the effects, does the "other than BANG!" stipulation of Escape really apply then to the BANG! card, or the BANG! effect (meaning Escape could never be used to block attacks)? That seems wrong, as the rules for Escape stipulate, "Also works against cards that affect multiple players (Gatling, Indians, etc.)." The Gatling reference would be meaningless if it did not work against the bang! effect. So it's the card itself. I'm leaning towards it blocking a Lee an Kliff repeat.
Translation: Use to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols).
Manual Example: "Example 1. You play a Sombrero in front of you. Starting with the next player’s turn, you can discard it for the Missed! effect."
Playable: On your turn, during phase 2, only.
Usable: Out of turn after the turn you play it, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player. NOTE: I have noticed that different editions/prints differ on this. Some state that you cannot use any green card until your next turn, while others have that stipulation only for non-defensive cards. I am following the rules that were given both in my Bullet edition and that are available on dv-giochi's (the publisher's) website.
Suit and Value: 7♣.
Card color: Green.
Card Family: Defensive cards.
Included in: Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (Not only does it not impede her chain-drawing, it also provides her with some defense once she is done),
Paul Regret (not contributing to his hand, it provides a nice backup to his sight modification ability, given that he has only 3 life points),
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Willy the Kid (gives him defenses after he depletes his hand from stored up BANG!),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability),
Vulture Sam (gives him some defenses as he turtles up waiting to attack),
Apache Kid (Sombrero enables him to store up more BANG! to protect him from Duels),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, playing Sombrero and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Uncle Will (can play the Sombrero as a
General Store),
Claus the Saint (Crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Sombrero does prolong the "draws!" on his life), and Big Spencer (unable to play
Missed!, Sombrero is invaluable for protecting him).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card:
Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a
Missed!, the Sombrero card only adds a little benefit in not contributing to her card limit), and somewhat
El Gringo/
Bart Cassidy (using Sombrero keeps them from drawing a card from the attacker/deck; but it does give them the choice when to take a hit).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn), somewhat
Vulture Sam (while other players will probably use the Sombrero to stay alive, if they are eliminated in some other way like via Indians!, Duel or Dynamite, Vulture Sam will pick up this card),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks),
Belle Star (the Sombrero has no effect against her attacks), and somewhat
Pat Brennan (He can steal the Sombrero, but it is questionable whether stealing it is worth giving up his draw phase).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing this card:
Jesse Jones/Flint Westwood (They cannot steal/swap out cards that are in play).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Sombrero, like
Iron Plate and
Ten Gallon Hat, are basic defensive green cards. They are nearly always better than
Missed!, since they do not take up any space on your hand. In most rulebooks, as well, the defensive green cards are active for use the moment your turn ends, so there is no real waiting time for them. The only downside is that it is clear to your opponents that you have that card, and they can directly steal/discard it, instead of randomly selecting it from your hand. Thus, they can prep to overcome it, and it might influence their decision on whether to act against you or not. As with
Missed!, Sombrero protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians! and Duel. So you will still need BANG! in your hand to protect you from those.
Italian Name: Cappello.
Translation: Use to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols).
Playable: On your turn, during phase 2, only.
Usable: Out of turn after the turn you play it, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player. NOTE: I have noticed that different editions/prints differ on this. Some state that you cannot use any green card until your next turn, while others have that stipulation only for non-defensive cards. I am following the rules that were given both in my Bullet edition and that are available on dv-giochi's (the publisher's) website.
Suit and Value: J♦.
Card color: Green.
Card Family: Defensive cards.
Included in: Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (Not only does it not impede her chain-drawing, it also provides her with some defense once she is done),
Paul Regret (not contributing to his hand, it provides a nice backup to his sight modification ability, given that he has only 3 life points),
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Willy the Kid (gives him defenses after he depletes his hand from stored up BANG!),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability),
Vulture Sam (gives him some defenses as he turtles up waiting to attack),
Apache Kid (Ten Gallon Hat enables him to store up more BANG! to protect him from Duels),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, playing Ten Gallon Hat and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Uncle Will (can play the Ten Gallon Hat as a
General Store),
Claus the Saint (crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Ten Gallon Hat does prolong the "draws!" on his life), and Big Spencer (unable to play
Missed!, Ten Gallon Hat is invaluable for protecting him).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card:
Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a
Missed!, Ten Gallon Hat only adds only a little benefit in not impeding her card limit), and somewhat
El Gringo/
Bart Cassidy (using Ten Gallon Hat keeps them from drawing a card from the attacker/deck; but it does give them the choice when to take a hit).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn), somewhat
Vulture Sam (while other players will probably use the Ten Gallon Hat to stay alive, if they are eliminated in some other way like via Indians!, Duel or Dynamite, Vulture Sam will pick up this card),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks),
Belle Star (the Ten Gallon Hat has no effect against her attacks), and somewhat
Pat Brennan (He can steal the Ten Gallon Hat, but it is questionable whether stealing it is worth giving up his draw phase).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing this card:
Jesse Jones/Flint Westwood (They cannot steal/swap out cards that are in play).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Ten Gallon Hat, like
Iron Plate and
Sombrero, are basic defensive green cards. They are nearly always better than
Missed!, since they do not take up any space on your hand. In most rulebooks, as well, the defensive green cards are active for use the moment your turn ends, so there is no real waiting time for them. The only downside is that it is clear to your opponents that you have that card, and they can directly steal/discard it, instead of randomly selecting it from your hand. Thus, they can prep to overcome it, and it might influence their decision on whether to act against you or not. As with
Missed!, Ten Gallon Hat protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians! and Duel. So you will still need BANG! in your hand to protect you from those.
Italian Name: Placca di Ferro.
Translation: Use to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols).
Playable: On your turn, during phase 2 only, unless you already have an Iron Plate in play.
Usable: Out of turn after the turn you play it, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player. NOTE: I have noticed that different editions/prints differ on this. Some state that you cannot use any green card until your next turn, while others have that stipulation only for non-defensive cards. I am following the rules that were given both in my Bullet edition and that are available on dv-giochi's (the publisher's) website.
Suit and Value: Q♠, A♦.
Card color: Green.
Card Family: Defensive cards.
Included in: Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (Not only does it not impede her chain-drawing, it also provides her with some defense once she is done),
Paul Regret (not contributing to his hand, it provides a nice backup to his sight modification ability, given that he has only 3 life points),
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Willy the Kid (gives him defenses after he depletes his hand from stored up BANG!),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability),
Vulture Sam (gives him some defenses as he turtles up waiting to attack),
Apache Kid (Iron Plate enables him to store up more BANG! to protect him from Duels),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, playing Iron Plate and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Uncle Will (can play the Iron Plate as a
General Store),
Claus the Saint (crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Iron Plate does prolong the "draws!" on his life), and Big Spencer (unable to play
Missed!, Iron Plate is invaluable for protecting him).
Characters less enhanced by playing/having this card:
Elena Fuente (since she can play any card from her hand as a
Missed!, Iron Plate only adds only a little benefit in not impeding her card limit), and somewhat
El Gringo/
Bart Cassidy (using Iron Plate keeps them from drawing a card from the attacker/deck; but it does give them the choice when to take a hit).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn), somewhat
Vulture Sam (while other players will probably use the Iron Plate to stay alive, if they are eliminated in some other way like via Indians!, Duel or Dynamite, Vulture Sam will pick up this card),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks),
Belle Star (the Iron Plate has no effect against her attacks), somewhat
Pat Brennan (He can steal the Iron Plate, but it is questionable whether stealing it is worth giving up his draw phase), and
Johnny Kisch (he can discard another player's Iron Plate when he puts one into play).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing this card:
Jesse Jones/Flint Westwood (They cannot steal/swap out cards that are in play).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Iron Plate, like
Sombrero and
Ten Gallon Hat, are basic defensive green cards. They are nearly always better than
Missed!, since they do not take up any space on your hand. In most rulebooks, as well, the defensive green cards are active for use the moment your turn ends, so there is no real waiting time for them. The only downside is that it is clear to your opponents that you have that card, and they can directly steal/discard it, instead of randomly selecting it from your hand. Thus, they can prep to overcome it, and it might influence their decision on whether to act against you or not. As with
Missed!, Iron Plate protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians! and Duel. So you will still need BANG! in your hand to protect you from those.
Italian Name: Bibbia.
Translation: Use to avoid a bang (not only the BANG! card, but other cards with bang! symbols), and draw a card from the deck.
Playable: On your turn, during phase 2, only.
Usable: Out of turn after the turn you play it, when you must respond to a card (typically an attack card) played by another player. NOTE: I have noticed that different editions/prints differ on this. Some state that you cannot use any green card until your next turn, while others have that stipulation only for non-defensive cards. I am following the rules that were given both in my Bullet edition and that are available on dv-giochi's (the publisher's) website.
Suit and Value: 10♥.
Card color: Green.
Card Family: Defensive cards, Draw cards.
Included in: Dodge City.
Characters greatly enhanced by playing/having this card:
Suzy Lafayette (Not only does it not impede her chain-drawing, it also provides her with some defense once she is done),
Paul Regret (not contributing to his hand, it provides a nice backup to his sight modification ability, given that he has only 3 life points),
Jourdonnais (backs up his ability nicely),
Willy the Kid (gives him defenses after he depletes his hand from stored up BANG!),
Sid Ketchum (maintains life points so he does not have to use discarding ability),
Vulture Sam (gives him some defenses as he turtles up waiting to attack),
Apache Kid (Bible enables him to store up more BANG! to protect him from Duels),
Chuck Wengam/
Bill Noface (protects them when they drop life points to draw cards),
Sean Mallory (protects him from taking hits as he builds up a powerful hand),
Pixie Pete (with no native defensive ability and with only 3 life points, playing Bible and similar cards is crucial to his survival),
Claus the Saint (crucial for keeping him and his allies alive as he disseminates cards), somewhat Teren Kill (very hard to remove his last life point, but Iron Plate does prolong the "draws!" on his life), and Big Spencer (unable to play
Missed!, Bible is invaluable for protecting him).
Characters that cope well with others playing/having this card:
Slab the Killer (2 cards with missed symbols must be used/played to avoid his BANG!),
Willy the Kid (He can shoot multiple BANG! during his turn), somewhat
Vulture Sam (while other players will probably use the Bible to stay alive, if they are eliminated in some other way like via Indians!, Duel or Dynamite, Vulture Sam will pick up this card),
Doc Holyday/Lee Van Kliff (Their abilities enables him to potentially fire 2 BANG!/attacks),
Belle Star (the Bible has no effect on her turn), and
Pat Brennan (He can steal Bible).
Characters that cope poorly with others playing this card:
Jesse Jones/Flint Westwood (They cannot steal/swap out cards that are in play).
Works well against: BANG!, Springfield, Punch, Gatling, Buffalo Rifle, Derringer, Knife, Pepperbox, Howitzer, and
Jail.
Does not work against: Indians!, Duel, and
Dynamite.
Commentary: Bible is a powerful defensive green card, like
Dodge. It is debatable whether Bible or
Dodge is better, since Bible gathers so much attention that other players will be urged to discard or steal it. Nonetheless, Bible does not take up any space in a player's hand. And in most rulebooks the defensive green cards are active for use the moment your turn ends, so there is no real waiting time for them. So Bible does have many perks. As with
Missed!, Bible protects from basic attack cards (cards with bang symbols), not from special attacks like Indians! and Duel. So you will still need BANG! in your hand to protect you from those.
(2nd Ed.) 