Finger Guns

A silly party game about making finger guns and shooting your friends.

Setup

Give everyone 8 random cards: their lives. Place these faceup in front of you.

Objective

The default game mode is called QUICKSHOT (see the variants for other modes).

End the game as soon as one player is dead. Player with the most lives left wins. (If tied, player with highest possible damage on their personal cards wins.)

Gameplay

Every round is played simultaneously: everybody acts at the same time.

More specifically, everyone makes two decisions.

Countdown (3, 2, 1); everyone makes a finger gun towards another player.
Countdown (3, 2, 1) again; everyone points at a card in front of them or one faceup on the table. (They do so using their other hand.)

Pointing should really happen simultaneously. No delaying, no waiting to see what others do, no switching afterwards!

@TODO: EXAMPLE IMAGE

Now handle the players in clockwise order.

If you selected a Shield card, you don’t attack anyone. Instead, you reduce all damage taken by the number on the card. The player to whom you point, however, is the only exception: they can still attack you at full force.
If you selected an Attack card, you attack the player to whom you point. You deal damage equal to the number on the card.

Some cards have special actions. Don’t forget to check those.

Everyone calculates the total damage they receive this round, then removes that many cards from in front of them. Those cards go to the center of the table.

If you picked a card from yourself, it must be among the cards you removed.
If you picked a card in the center of the table, it is removed permanently from the game.

Next round!

@TODO: EXAMPLE IMAGE

Cards (not needed to include this in the rules; this is just for me)

Cards have the following properties.

Attack / Shield
Number (1–4?)
Special Action (optional)

SPECIAL ACTIONS (the base game only has the 2—3 simplest ones):

Disable all Shields / Reduce all shields by 1 / Increase all attacks by 1
Players can only do as much damage (at most) as their #lives.
This card does +1 damage for every finger on it.
Do double damage if 0 players / 1 player / more than 1 player points at you.
Do double damage if X players / all other players pointed at cards in the center of the table.
This card can only be used if in the center of the table.
Do as much damage as your left/right neighbor / Do as much damage as the most damaging player pointing at you.
Swap (up to) 3 lives with another player.

Expansion

Adds the “flipping” mechanic.

At the start of the game, half the player’s cards are flipped facedown. No, you may not look at them.
Only flip them faceup if someone points at them ( = uses them).

Also adds an extra rule: the order of the turns alternate. Every second round, it’s reversed: pick your card first, then point your finger gun. => ALTERNATIVE: The player currently in the lead / most behind picks the order.

Which also adds more special actions.

“Flip X cards facedown/faceup.”
“Secretly look at Y facedown cards.”
“This round, all facedown cards are considered Attack/Shield with value 1.”
“If picked, don’t point a finger gun, and nobody may point at you. If EVERYONE picks this card, however, it does nothing.”

And perhaps:

Next round, take decisions in the opposite order. (Pick card first, then point finger gun.)

Variants

Longshot

This variant makes the game longer than Quickshot.

Objective changes:

Continue playing until only one player is alive.
Last player standing wins.

All the dead players still participate but in a limited way.

They can only pick Attack cards (from the center of the table).
Their attack is always reduced by how much damage others deal them.
If other players picked the same card as them, they do nothing.

Gun Gang

For a more cooperative / friendly game,

If you pick a defensive card, the player to whom you point is not an exception.
Instead, they share your shield. (Any attacks on them are also reduced by the shield’s value.)
(OPTIONAL: This is not true if the player you point at also points back at you with an Attack card?)

A silly party game about making finger guns and shooting your friends. ## Setup Give everyone 8 random cards: their **lives**. Place these faceup in front of you. ## Objective The default game mode is called **QUICKSHOT** (see the variants for other modes). End the game as soon as one player is dead. **Player with the most lives left wins.** (If tied, player with highest possible damage on their personal cards wins.) ## Gameplay Every round is played _simultaneously_: everybody acts at the same time. More specifically, everyone makes two decisions. * Countdown (3, 2, 1); everyone makes a finger gun towards another player. * Countdown (3, 2, 1) again; everyone points at a card in front of them _or_ one faceup on the table. (They do so using their other hand.) Pointing should _really_ happen simultaneously. No delaying, no waiting to see what others do, no switching afterwards! @TODO: EXAMPLE IMAGE Now handle the players in clockwise order. * If you selected a **Shield** card, you don't attack anyone. Instead, you reduce all damage taken by the number on the card. The player to whom you point, however, is the only exception: they can still attack you at full force. * If you selected an **Attack** card, you attack the player to whom you point. You deal damage equal to the number on the card. Some cards have special actions. Don't forget to check those. Everyone calculates the total damage they receive this round, then removes that many cards from in front of them. Those cards go to the center of the table. * If you picked a card from yourself, it must be among the cards you removed. * If you picked a card in the center of the table, it is removed permanently from the game. Next round! @TODO: EXAMPLE IMAGE ## Cards (not needed to include this in the rules; this is just for me) Cards have the following properties. * Attack / Shield * Number (1--4?) * Special Action (optional) SPECIAL ACTIONS (the base game only has the 2---3 simplest ones): * Disable all Shields / Reduce all shields by 1 / Increase all attacks by 1 * Players can only do as much damage (at most) as their #lives. * This card does +1 damage for every finger on it. * Do double damage if 0 players / 1 player / more than 1 player points at you. * Do double damage if X players / all other players pointed at cards in the center of the table. * This card can only be used if in the center of the table. * Do as much damage as your left/right neighbor / Do as much damage as the most damaging player pointing at you. * Swap (up to) 3 lives with another player. ## Expansion Adds the "flipping" mechanic. * At the start of the game, half the player's cards are flipped facedown. No, you may not look at them. * Only flip them faceup if someone points at them ( = uses them). Also adds an extra rule: the **order** of the turns alternate. Every second round, it's reversed: pick your card first, then point your finger gun. => ALTERNATIVE: The player currently in the lead / most behind _picks_ the order. Which also adds more special actions. * "Flip X cards facedown/faceup." * "Secretly look at Y facedown cards." * "This round, all facedown cards are considered Attack/Shield with value 1." * "If picked, don't point a finger gun, and nobody may point at you. If EVERYONE picks this card, however, it does nothing." And perhaps: * Next round, take decisions in the opposite order. (Pick card first, then point finger gun.) ## Variants ### Longshot This variant makes the game longer than Quickshot. Objective changes: * Continue playing until only one player is alive. * **Last player standing wins.** All the dead players still participate but in a limited way. * They can only pick Attack cards (from the center of the table). * Their attack is always reduced by how much damage others deal them. * If other players picked the same card as them, they do nothing. ### Gun Gang For a more **cooperative / friendly** game, * If you pick a defensive card, the player to whom you point is _not_ an exception. * Instead, they _share_ your shield. (Any attacks on them are also reduced by the shield's value.) * (OPTIONAL: This is not true if the player you point at also points back at you with an Attack card?)