After hearing some interest in having a variant in game play for team games, I set to work on an optional set of rules to facilitate that format. I ran this by David Lapp who said it looked good to him, and I should share it with the community. The largest changes, which organizers can take or leave as they see fit, are restrictions to deck building and uniqueness (to mitigate abusive strategies and encourage more interesting team compositions, a change to win condition, and a list of cards I felt were important to interact with opposing players instead of âanother playerâ. Without further ado.
Team Play Rules
Another option available to four players is team play. This format may take more preparation since deck construction rules affects the two players decks who are on the same team. Uniqueness is shared between players on the same team, including their Boot Hills. Teammates and their cards are not opponents, only the opposing teams players and their cards, and so cards that target opposing or opponents card can not target them. Cards that affect another players cards can affect opposing and/or teammates cards. You can not play cheating resolution abilities in response to a teammates cheating hand. A player cannot take control of a teammates location, and will not get a bounty for breaking and entering at a teammates location.
Forming Posses
When forming posses, players can also invite teammates to send their dudes to join. That player can join under the same restrictions as their teammates. The dudeâs controller can use Shootout abilities when it is that playerâs turn to use an ability. A teammates dudeâs bullet rating contributes to the bullet rating of the posseâs shooter, and the dude can even be selected as the shooter if the leader or mark (whichever is controlling that posse) desires.
Even if a teammates dude is selected as a shooter, that player doesnât get to draw their own draw hand. The leader or mark uses their own deck for the draw hand, draws the hand itself, and decides the posseâs casualties, no matter who is in the posse or acting as the shooter. Yes, this means that a posseâs controller can ace a bunch of teammates dudes to cover casualties.
At the end of a round, the non posse controller gets to first to decide whether their dudes (only) will flee the shootout; the loserâs allies decide first, then the winnerâs allies. After those decisions have been made, the loser is next to choose whether or not to flee.
Turn order starts from the Winner and goes clockwise around the table. In the case of a Shootout that doesnât involve the winner, it starts with the mark and goes clockwise.
Effects that refer to âyour posseâ can only be played by either the leader or the mark i.e. the players who have a posse. Teammate players do not have a posse and so cannot play such cards.
Deck Building
Teams can build each of their decks with the following rules
- Each deck must have exactly one home card. Teams may have two homes of the same faction but must be different homes.
- Each deck may include one legend card. Teams may not have two of the same legend.
- Each deck must have exactly fifty-two cards with printed values.
- Each deck can have up to two jokers (note that jokers do not have a printed value).
- Each deck cannot have more than four cards that share the same suit and value.
- The teams decks cannot have more than four cards total between the two decks that share the same title.
Winning the Game.
At the start of the Sundown phase, add up the total control points and influence of each team. If one team has more control points than the opposing teams influence, they win.
If both teams meet this victory condition, the one with the most control points wins. If thatâs also tied, the team with the most influence wins. If thatâs also tied, play another day and check again for victory.
Errata for teammate card interactions.
Funtime Freddy: The card choice is to be done by the opposing player to the left.
Bai Yang Chen: change to; While Bai Yang is at an opposing playerâs home, your maximum hand size is increased by two and Bai Yang has -1 upkeep.
Wendyâs Teethkickers : change to; React, Boot: After an opposing players dude goes home booted from this location, this dude gets +1 influence until the end of the turn. Unboot this dude.
The Union Casino: change to; Controller Noon, Boot: Choose your dude at this location and pay any amount of ghost rock. Each opposing player may then pay any amount of ghost rock. If you paid at least 4 ghost rock more than any opposing player, your dude permanently gets 1 control point.
Seamus McCaffrey: While you have dudes in five or more different locations, reduce opposing playersâ control point totals by 2.