Rules

Setup

• Each player begins with a personal 10-card starter deck.
• For a 2-player game, put away all cards marked "3+P" or "4+P".
• For a 3-player game, put away all cards marked "4+P".
• For each Act, build a face-down solitaire pyramid with all cards for that Act (see the cowboy hat number at bottom-right = Act 1/2/3).
• The top row has 1 card, and each row below adds one more:
  • 5 rows for 2 players
  • 6 rows for 3 players
  • 7 rows for 4 players
• Flip the bottom row of cards face-up.

Sequence of Play

1. Draw Phase

• All players draw cards from the top of their personal deck, one at a time. (Players may draw simultaneously.)
• Players may stop drawing at any time.
• If a player draws 3 or more Bandits, they bust immediately — their turn is over and all drawn cards go to the discard pile.
• When your draw pile is empty, shuffle your discard pile to form a new draw pile. Cut one card from top to bottom after shuffling.

2. Buy Phase

• Players who did not bust add any Cows they drew this round to their Herd.
• Each non-busted player may buy one card from the Store using the total coins drawn this round. Place the purchased card and all drawn cards into your discard pile.
• When a card is purchased or burned, reveal any cards underneath that are no longer covered.
• Instead of buying, a player may burn one card — removing it from the game and revealing card(s) underneath.

Buy Order

1. The player with the most $ chooses who buys first.
2. If tied: most Cows this round.
3. If still tied: most drawn cards.
4. If still tied: compare sell value of drawn cards in order.
5. If still tied: rock-paper-scissors.

Buying proceeds clockwise from the first player.

• Once all eligible players have bought/passed, discard all drawn cards and begin a new round.
• When the last card is bought or burned from the Store, the round ends immediately. All non-busted players still score Cows, even if they didn't get to buy.
• Set up Acts 2 & 3 the same way. Shuffle all discarded cards back into your draw deck.

3. Winning

The player with the most Cows in their Herd at the end of Act 3 wins!

Symbols on Cards

$ — Value that can be spent to purchase other cards.

Cow — Add the number of Cows shown to your Herd (if you don't bust).

Bandit — Caution! Draw 3 Bandits and you bust immediately.

Jail — Trash to negate 1 Bandit (doesn't count toward your total this round).

Lose Cow — Subtract 1 Cow from your Herd (if you don't bust).

Card Backs & Cacti

1 Cactus = Safe

2 Cacti = Mixed

3 Cacti = High Risk / High Reward

The number of cacti is visible on both the front and back of each card.

Errata

• You may freely check the card backs in your draw pile.
• You may not look through your discard pile.
• Trash = Return card to the game box (removed from game).
• Draw = Draw from the top of your personal deck.
• "Return card(s) to top of deck before buy phase" means do not use any $ or Cows from that card before returning it.
• "Look at top 3 cards" is done after drawing.
• "Trash to Jail a Bandit" cards must be used before busting.
• If you run out of cards in both your draw and discard pile, stop drawing for the round.

Strategy Tips

• Pay attention to card back colors:
  • 1 Cactus — generally safe (fewer or no Bandits).
  • 2 Cacti — moderate risk (may contain 1 Bandit).
  • 3 Cacti — high risk (may contain 1–2 Bandits).
• Tracking which cards you haven't drawn gives you a big edge. Start by remembering whether you've drawn your double-Bandit card yet.
• Balance the risk of busting against the reward of gaining more $ and Cows.
• It's not always best to draw as many cards as possible. If you have enough $ for this round, consider stopping to set up a strong hand next round.