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 the face-down Store with that Act's cards (see the cowboy hat number at bottom-right = Act 1/2/3): lay out 7 cards per row, with one row per player (2 players = 2 rows, 4 players = 4 rows). Stagger every other row by half a card, brick-wall style, so two cards cover the one above. Flip the bottom row face-up to start.

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 must draw at least one card, then may stop 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.
• If you want to draw and 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.
• On your turn you must take an action — either buy or burn one card. You cannot pass.
• 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.
• Or burn one card — removing it from the game — if you can't afford or don't want any card.
• When a card is purchased or burned, reveal any cards underneath that are no longer covered.

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: a random draw decides.

Buying proceeds clockwise from the first player.

• Once all eligible players have bought or burned, 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. The Showdown

After Act 3's buy phase, instead of the game ending immediately, all players face The Showdown.

• Every card in each player's collection — deck, hand, and discard — is laid face-up on the table.
• Count all positive Cows across every card in your collection. These are added to your Herd. Negative Cow values do not count.
• Everyone participates in the Showdown, even players who busted in the final round.

The player with the most Cows in their Herd after the Showdown wins!

Card Backs & Suits

Every card belongs to one of three suits, visible on both the front and back. The suit tells you roughly how risky the card is to draw.

River — Safe; never has Bandits.

Cactus — Moderate risk; may contain 1 Bandit.

Rattlesnake — High risk, high reward; may contain 1–2 Bandits.

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 your 3rd Bandit and bust immediately.

Double Bandit — Counts as 2 Bandits. Caution! Draw your 3rd Bandit and bust immediately.

Jail — Negates 1 Bandit.

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

Explosive — A one-time-use card. It does nothing when drawn; on your turn you may use it — its effect applies immediately and the card is then permanently removed from your deck. (Note: using an Explosive removes it from your deck; this is different from burning, which removes a card from the Store — see Errata.)

Errata

• You may freely check the card backs in your draw pile.
• You may not look through your discard pile.
• Burn = Remove a Store card from the game without buying it (returned to the game box). "Burn" always refers to a Store card — to consume one of your own cards, see Explosive above ("use").
• Draw = Draw from the top of your personal deck.
• If you run out of cards in both your draw and discard pile, stop drawing for the round.

Card Clarifications

• "If Drawn 1st" — If this is the very first card you draw this round, you gain an extra Cow.
• "& $1 for Other Players" — When drawn, each other player also gains $1 this round.
• Jail cards (Explosive with −1 Bandit) must be used before busting.
• "Copy Next Card" — doubles the draw-time effects of the next card you draw. If that card is Explosive, Copy Next instead becomes a second independent copy — both can each be used separately for the full effect. If it’s Draw 4, draw 8 instead of 4 (Cows also doubled). The link is set the moment the next card is drawn. If unused (you stop or bust), Copy Next discards normally — no link carries to the next round.
• When a "Draw 4" forces extra draws, you may pause between each draw to use Explosive cards before proceeding with your mandatory draws.
• "Peek at Top 3 Cards" — view and re-order the top 3 cards of your draw pile. Peeking does not draw them automatically; you may then choose to keep drawing or stop.
• "1 Extra Buy/Burn During Buy Phase" — Use this Explosive card during your Draw Phase or at the start of your Buy Turn to earn one bonus action. The bonus activates automatically after your normal buy or burn, letting you buy or burn one additional card from the pyramid. If the pyramid is empty when your bonus would trigger, it is lost.
• "Swap" — On your Buy Turn you may use this card to swap it for any face-up card on the table — an available Store card, a card in an opponent's drawn hand, or the top of an opponent's discard. You take that card into your hand where the Swap card was (it scores in a later round when you draw it, not this one) and the Swap card takes the taken card's exact place. This is in addition to your normal buy or burn that turn.

Strategy Tips

• 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.

5+ Player Rules

Plays up to 8 — same rules, only setup changes:

• Shuffle in a second Store deck to fill the larger grid.
• One row of 7 per player.
• "Buy/Burn 1st" works once per round — only the first player to use it gets priority; keep extra copies for later.

Variants

• Quick Draw — A faster game that skips Act 1. Deal each player 6 Act 1 cards; keep one and pass the rest to the next player. After 4 pick-and-pass rounds everyone has drafted 4 cards into their deck. Set aside the unused Act 1 cards and begin at Act 2.
• Pioneer Mode — A leaner Store: 6 cards per row instead of 7. Fewer cards on the table for a faster game.
• Hidden Herd — Opponents' herd totals stay secret until the final showdown.