If you’ve ever wanted to be a gunslinger in a science fiction setting, Lionwing Publishing and Keepdry have got you covered with their new game Gun and Gun. The game is entering its final hours on Kickstarter, and if you haven’t given this game a look you absolutely should, as you’ll likely be addicted to the mix of strategy and action just like I was. Players take control of Gunners, and while the goal of taking out the opponent is simple, the way in which you make that happen is delightfully complex depending on a number of factors, and we’re here to break it all down for you.
The basic goal is straightforward, as your mission is to take down the opponent’s health from 30 to 0. You’ll do this by utilizing several different weapons, and the core game features 4 weapons to choose from, Including the Enra Alter-Shot Revolver (a quick-hitting pistol), the New Hypercharged Railgun (a slow to load but powerful rifle), the Hakumen Draining Crossbow (a weapon that lets you heal yourself after shooting it), the Uwan Anti-Matter Particle Cannon (hits hard and allows you manipulate your opponent’s deck), the Datara Extremum Rifle (cuts off your opponent’s Reaction cards), and the Kasane Incandescent Shotgun, which hits really hard but lacks much ammo space.
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At the same time you choose your weapons you also choose your Gunner, and each Gunner will feature a different hand size, agility score, and natural ability, so decide wisely. You’ll also be able to choose a unique Skill card to go with your Gunner, giving you yet another option for customization. At that point, it’s time to have a battle, and this is where the mechanics won me over.
You’ll draw a hand up to whatever your Gunner’s hand size is and then start figuring out your next move. Since you have two guns equipped, you’ll choose which cards to draw for your hand every turn, and you there’s no set pattern. So, if you chose the Enra and the Uwan for instance and your hand size is 5, you could draw 4 cards from your Enra deck and 1 from your Uwan deck, or none from your Enra and all from your Uwan. This will depend on your strategy, as your ammunition for each Gun comes out of your hand, and each gun can only load a certain amount of cards (or bullets in this case) per turn. You might want to go all out with your Railgun, but it can only load 1 card at a time, though the good news is there other benefits to drawing cards for a certain gun.
Each gun deck has additional cards as part of it, though any of them can be loaded as bullets. You also have Action Cards, Mechanism Cards, and Reaction Cards, and all are important in their own way. Action Cards are one-use cards and often allow you more cards in your hand, higher damage, etc. Mechanism Cards allow facilitate ongoing effects that have to be knocked out by the other player, and are incredibly useful if you can purchase them. Reaction Cards can be played when attacked and can shield you from damage, heal you after taking an attack, or provide other useful abilities when an opponent shoots your way.
There’s also Voltage to consider, which is how you activate your special Skill, and it comes from the bullets you’ve already used. Those become Voltage, and you can even draw from this deck at times depending on other cards in your Gun Decks.
All of these systems come together in a surprisingly deep game of gunplay that really feels like you’re having a shootout, and the stellar artwork on the cards gives it a splendid cyberpunk feel. My set only featured 4 Gunners and 4 Guns, but there are 6 Gunners and 9 Guns in the full game, which should spice things up even more.
Gun and Gun is definitely a game to keep your eyes on, and if a sci-fi shootout on your tabletop sounds like a blast this is definitely a game for you. You can check out the full Kickstarter right here, and you can talk about the game and all things tabletop with me on Twitter @MattAguilarCB!
