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  • Staff Blogs
  • What is your favorite Party Game? Cash N Guns (2nd Edition)

What is your favorite Party Game? Cash N Guns (2nd Edition)

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Cash N' Guns second edition
There Will Be Games

The latest in "What the hell does this guy like?" series. My current favorite party game is Cash N' Guns (2nd Edition).

Critical Hits: Light, Fast, A party game that is actually a GAME and not mad libs for adults, allows for pop culture references to annoy your friends and family.

Critical Misses: Player elimination (but, come on, you probably deserved it), It is no good insisting that “Han shot first.” Some treasure cards (Clips, Bandages) show up in the final round, rendering them useless.

Interior Warehouse – Day
Mr. Black, Deacon, and Yoko pace impatiently waiting for the rest of the gang to arrive.
The camera pulls back to reveal Nikita leaning against the doorway, holding an old style back leather bag.
Nikita: Miss me, darlings?
Surprised, all three pull their guns, pointing them at Nikita
Nikita: Now, is that any way to welcome someone bearing gifts?
Nikita slides the bag across the floor, all eyes follow it as it tips over, spilling its contents of Diamonds and Cash. As the camera pans back to Nikita, we see the black bag was hiding her gun which is now pointed directly at Mr. Black.
The camera moves into a Close up Mr. Black
Mr. Black: It doesn’t have to go down like this.
Yoko: Oh, I think it does.
As Mr. Black steps out of his Close up, we see Yoko is now training her gun on Deacon.
Deacon Smiles.
Deacon: Are You going to bark all day little doggy, or you going to bite?
Scene slowly fades to Black.

I know what you are thinking (Well, besides that I shouldn’t just steal a line from Reservoir Dogs all willy nilly), we all know this scene or variations of this scene. Hell, it is required by law to appear in every Quentin Tarantino, John Woo and Robert Rodriguez movie. The “Mexican Standoff” is a cinematic staple, one that Cash and Guns encapsulates in one shell casing.


Supporting four to eight players, loaded with foam guns and virtually begging you to yell out your favorite movie lines, Cash and Guns is solidly a party game. Hell, you can’t open the box without someone grabbing two guns and going Chow Yun-Fat on the entire table. After bemoaning the fact that even freaking foam guns in a freaking board game need those freaking orange tips on the freaking barrel, you can lay down the rules in less than two minutes and break out the guns for fun. Everyone is given a pistol, a character standee, and eight cards (one for each round of the game). Of these eight ammo cards, five are “Clicks” and three are “Bangs.” While you certainly didn’t bring a knife to a gun fight, you sure didn’t bring enough ammo. Instead of filling everyone full of lead, you are going to have to bluff, bully and bullshit your way through.


Each round the loot is spread on the table. A mix of cash, artwork, and diamonds appears with a sprinkling of game altering cards thrown in. After everyone eyes up the prizes, they pick either a “Click” or a “Bang” card to play this round. After a count of “1,2,3…” everyone points their gun at another player. You could find yourself looking down the barrel of a gun (son of a gun, son of a bitch) while trying to get paid, to get rich. Or you could mercifully find all the other players leveling their weapons at someone besides you. If you are the latter, feel free to breathe easy…for a moment. One of those afore mentioned game altering loot cards is “The Godfather Desk” Having it in your possession at this point allows you to use the Godfather’s Privilege: To tell one person to point their gun at someone else (Protip: try not to smirk when you do it, it will come back to haunt you.). Next, it is time to put up or shut up…or stand up or lay down…or run or gun. Use whatever metaphor you want, the game calls it “Courage.” Once again the Godfather counts “1,2,3…” and players either keep their guns leveled and yell “Banzai!” or take the better part of valor and lay down their weapon. If you lay down your weapon, you are out for this round, you don’t get a portion of the loot…but you also avoid the chance of getting wounded and you do not have to reveal which card you played (Click or Bang). Everyone who is left reveals their card. If it is a “Click” nothing happens to the person they were pointing at. If it was a live round, or “Bang”, that player is wounded and is out for this round. The players who are left unwounded and still on their feet, take turns picking from the loot. Once that is finished, you deal out new treasures and start the next round. Be warned: Wounded players stay hurt and if they accumulate three wounds during the game, the final credits will be rolling for that character.


I really like that, while you can teach this is a few minutes, it actually puts the game in party game. You get out what you put into it. You can happily play along mindlessly or you can watch what cards your opponents reveal, weigh the options of picking a high payout loot item versus taking a Medical Kit to heal any wounds you took in earlier rounds. Or maybe someone is keeping a close eye on you and knows that you have burned all your “Bang” cards. It might be time to pick up a Clip card from the loot pile, allowing you to swap one of your remaining “Click” cards for “Bang.” If you wish to make the game even more tactical, special player power cards are included. These are given out at the start and provide players special bonuses throughout, such as take a Bang Card anytime someone else takes one from the loot pile.


Player elimination can be a serious blow against any game, especially party-styled games. While Cash and Guns does have elimination, it tends to be a rare occurrence. It’s blatantly obvious when you are in danger of being taken out, so it’s false bravado or faulty math (they all have clicks, right?) leading to your demise. You can’t win the game if you are dead and pulling out a victory could come down to being the last one standing when the smoke clears in a single round, allowing you to take ALL the loot. Everyone always feeling like they are in the running makes for a tense and entertaining game. If you do happen to get eliminated, you are probably only looking at a few minutes of downtime; best spent explaining why everyone needs to take out that conniving player who removed you from the proceedings.

Yes, this is Cash and Guns. It does involve pointing little foam guns at each other. But the guns are comical and the art work, care of John Kovalic of Dork Tower and Munchkin fame, is lighthearted. If anyone can manage to be offended by this, I’m sure armed intruders killing aboriginal species and stealing their resources and wealth in those evil Dungeon Crawlers will be their next target. How can you resist a game that allows that inattentive player who keeps checking his phone and saying ”Huh? What? “to have a gun pointed into his face and a full Samuel L. Jackson rendition of “Say What again. I dare you. I double dare you….” to take place?

There Will Be Games Cash N' Guns second edition

Cash N' Guns second edition
Wade Monnig  (He/Him)
Staff Board Game Reviewer

In west Saint Louis born and raised
Playing video games is where I spent most of my days
Strafing, Dashing, Adventuring and Looting
Writing reviews between all the Shooting
When a couple of guys reminded me what was so good
About playing games with cardboard and Wood,
Collecting Victory Points and those Miniatures with Flair
It’s not as easy as you think to rhyme with Bel Air.

Wade is the former editor in chief for Silicon Magazine and former senior editor for Gamearefun.com. He currently enjoys his games in the non-video variety, where the odds of a 14 year old questioning the legitimacy of your bloodline is drastically reduced.

“I’ll stop playing as Black when they invent a darker color.”

Articles by Wade

Cash N' Guns second edition
Wade Monnig
Staff Board Game Reviewer

Articles by Wade

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WadeMonnig's Avatar
WadeMonnig replied the topic: #280169 22 Aug 2018 18:37
Does anyone have a problem with the pointing of foam guns at each other for entertainment? I've never came across anyone who has had an issue in real life but I have seen comments from others online that they don't feel comfortable playing this game.
Gary Sax's Avatar
Gary Sax replied the topic: #280182 22 Aug 2018 20:16
I could see somebody who has like been tramatized by gun violence in real life, tbh. But that's probably limited. I've never met anyone with that problem. I would still say that for a mass market party take less violent settings are probably a plus.
WadeMonnig's Avatar
WadeMonnig replied the topic: #280184 22 Aug 2018 20:53
In execution, I have more of an issue with Anomia, where you shout out answers to basic themes. If sometime starts to answer and goes "Oh! , umm, what is it..." I have to mentally allow myself to interrupt them. It's weird that it is so ingrained in me not to interrupt, that I have to make a conscious decision to do it.
Colorcrayons's Avatar
Colorcrayons replied the topic: #280194 22 Aug 2018 22:20

WadeMonnig wrote: Does anyone have a problem with the pointing of foam guns at each other for entertainment? I've never came across anyone who has had an issue in real life but I have seen comments from others online that they don't feel comfortable playing this game.


I love the game, but I inwardly cringe each time a stupid orange foam gun is pointed at me. I dont let it show, but it affects me.
As gary mentioned, its due to trauma. But at least I can bury the discomfort enough to enjoy the game. But there is always that sharp twinge that reminds me I dont like it. Its a confusing mess.
SuperflyPete's Avatar
SuperflyPete replied the topic: #280207 23 Aug 2018 07:58
I like it OK. I used to like it more.

The best party game is still that old Screw Your Neighbor game you play with a poker deck for quarters
Shellhead's Avatar
Shellhead replied the topic: #280215 23 Aug 2018 09:45
Ca$h 'n Gun$ is missing one crucial game component, which is fortunately easy to obtain: alcohol. Without alcohol, players are usually too inhibited to really get into the game. They are initially uncomfortable with pointing the guns at each other and laugh nervously, and it really falls short of the inspirational scene from the Reservoir Dogs. With alcohol, players lose some inhibitions and can tap more directly into their basic instincts to kill and fuck each other over.

My copy has been a dusty toad for nearly a decade, but I think it will be a hit with my new boardgaming group. Everybody in that group likes to knock back some fancy microbrews while playing. Nobody got sloppy drunk, but sometimes games slowed down a bit because people were buzzed.
SuperflyPete's Avatar
SuperflyPete replied the topic: #280216 23 Aug 2018 09:54
I’ve actually only played this game once with alcohol in the room, and it has always been a hit.
charlest's Avatar
charlest replied the topic: #280218 23 Aug 2018 10:04
Yeah it's a good game for sure. I enjoy the first expansion for the new edition as well.

My favorite party game though has to be Time's Up. I've never seen people do some of the outrageous stuff they've pulled in the third round of Time's Up.
southernman's Avatar
southernman replied the topic: #280243 23 Aug 2018 12:42
Think I've played Cash'n'Guns a long time ago and can't remember not liking it, also liked the Werewolf card game for those large gatherings.
SuperflyPete's Avatar
SuperflyPete replied the topic: #280253 23 Aug 2018 15:42

Shellhead wrote: Without alcohol, players are usually too inhibited to really get into the game. They are initially uncomfortable with pointing the guns at each other and laugh nervously...

With alcohol, players lose some inhibitions and can tap more directly into their basic instincts to kill and fuck each other...


I can’t stop thinking about how fucking vanilla, and I mean as cornbread ass boring these people must be. I don’t mean to throw stones, I really don’t, but if you have a major problem with pointing a FOAM gun at people, while playing a game (and they know they’re playing it) there’s some mental defect there.

Maybe have them point fingers instead?
Sagrilarus's Avatar
Sagrilarus replied the topic: #280254 23 Aug 2018 15:47
Never cared much for it. It's not about the gun thing or the thematics, it's just that it's kind of . . . procedural? Is that the word? It just seems to plug along predictably unless you really go out of your way to do something out of the ordinary. It's a game where someone needs to be Kingmaking in order for it to come alive.

Can't help but think that revised rules with the same components would work better. And I'd love there to be a way to all-or-nothing the result of a round or a game. Seriously, the game needs to be about player elimination.
Shellhead's Avatar
Shellhead replied the topic: #280256 23 Aug 2018 16:03

SuperflyTNT wrote:

Shellhead wrote: Without alcohol, players are usually too inhibited to really get into the game. They are initially uncomfortable with pointing the guns at each other and laugh nervously...

With alcohol, players lose some inhibitions and can tap more directly into their basic instincts to kill and fuck each other...


I can’t stop thinking about how fucking vanilla, and I mean as cornbread ass boring these people must be. I don’t mean to throw stones, I really don’t, but if you have a major problem with pointing a FOAM gun at people, while playing a game (and they know they’re playing it) there’s some mental defect there.

Maybe have them point fingers instead?


It's not specifically the foam guns, it's the social and cultural aspect:

1. Because I consider Ca$h 'n Gun$ strictly a party game, it's hitting the table when there are plenty of non-gamers and especially women around, so many are unfamiliar with games that feature direct aggression.
2. Aside from the Irish, the most common ethnic groups in Minnesota are the Germans and the various Scandinavians. So there is a strong cultural tendency towards passive aggression and conflict avoidance, even with Minnesotans who aren't even in one of those ethnic groups. I'm sure that my original gaming group back in Indiana would be just fine with this game.
3. Minnesota is still somewhat of a blue state. Even though some of my liberal friends here do go hunting, a lot more of them are very much in favor of strict gun control and don't even want a gun in their home.
Shellhead's Avatar
Shellhead replied the topic: #280257 23 Aug 2018 16:05

Sagrilarus wrote: Can't help but think that revised rules with the same components would work better. And I'd love there to be a way to all-or-nothing the result of a round or a game. Seriously, the game needs to be about player elimination.


Every game of it that I have played has featured at least a couple of eliminations. Maybe replace two of the blanks with bangs would up the death toll.
SaMoKo's Avatar
SaMoKo replied the topic: #280269 23 Aug 2018 20:55
It’s alright. But lately every party game night turns into a match of Cosmic Encounter. Is not really a party game but maybe it is so I’m not gonna argue lol
WadeMonnig's Avatar
WadeMonnig replied the topic: #280271 23 Aug 2018 21:27

charlest wrote: Yeah it's a good game for sure. I enjoy the first expansion for the new edition as well.

My favorite party game though has to be Time's Up. I've never seen people do some of the outrageous stuff they've pulled in the third round of Time's Up.

On a rare occasion, I've had people not want to play games that focus the spotlight on them. Rather than making them play something that might make them uncomfortable, I reach for Cash n guns or coup. I guess one day I might have someone who is opposed to lying or foam guns and have to adapt.
quozl's Avatar
quozl replied the topic: #280299 24 Aug 2018 12:55
While I like Cash n' Guns, I don't think of it as a party game. A party game to me is one that makes you do silly stuff that everyone laughs at. And I love a good game that makes you laugh!
Ken B.'s Avatar
Ken B. replied the topic: #280455 27 Aug 2018 12:54
Time's Up: Title Recall has to be the game that has landed the most consistently with the groups I expect it to land with.

It's ability to create in-jokes and outrageous table performances is just....it's brilliant.