The bandido is trying to escape his prison again, and it is you and your fellow wardens’ job to stop him from doing so. I am not sure how constructing mazes work better than just a better lock. And I am also not sure why we station guards at the end of dead ends with modern flashlights to stop an old school, western bandido. But hey, I am here to teach you how to play, not to debate the theming and mechanics!
Bandido is a cooperative game that can be played between 1 and 4 players. The game works exactly the same no matter the player count. This is because the game ends when the deck runs out or you win. The player count doesn’t change the proceedings.
Set Up
Set up for Bandido could not be simpler. Choose which bandido you wish to stop and place it in the centre of the table. The rules refer to this as the ‘super card.’ I am unsure as to why though. I think it is one of the great mysteries of life. Along with caffein free coffee. One side has 5 exits and one has 6. One of them is supposed to offer a greater challenge but the rules don’t specify which. In my experience, I have found that the one with 5 exits is actually the harder choice as there seems to be more opportunities to close multiple paths than single ones.
Shuffle the rest of the cards and place them within reach of each player. Then everyone draws 3 cards. The youngest player is the one that officially goes first, but feel free to implement any way you wish to determine the first player. And that is all there is to set up.
Stop Criminal Scum
You will take it in turns to place a card and then draw one. All the cards are different variations of tunnel cards. You can play these cards either vertically or horizontally, but only in a way that makes logical sense. More on card placements in the next section.
If at any point you can not place any cards (very rare) then you place all your cards at the bottom of the deck and redraw 3. Do you continue your turn or is it then passed to the next player? Another thing that is not stated. I would rule in favour of your turn continuing though.
You are allowed to discuss the best way to proceed. But the rules state that you can’t show each other your cards. This is yet another one of those games that imply limited communication but yet fail to explain what is and is not allowed. This makes the limited communication completely pointless. I would suggest that you decide amongst yourselves as a group what you prefer. I just play with fully open communication as it is the most fun for me. But you may find it more fun without communication or deciding what is and is not allowed.
Winning Bandido is simple. If at any point you have successfully closed all tunnels, then you win!
Losing the game is also simple, and much more likely. If you run out of cards and there are still open tunnels, you lose. It is also possible to soft lock your game by placing cards down in a way that leaves it impossible to place any cards next to them. The rule book mentions this is possible, but not what to do if it occurs. It is impossible to win if this happens, but you have also played a card that your team has seen, which is against the rules. So, it is up to you, you can either call it a loss or call it a whoopsie and simply take the card back and play another instead.
Tile Placement
Tile Placement is a simple procedure. It can feel a little odd though being able to place them vertically or horizontally. Especially if you are familiar with games such as Saboteur which only allows you to play similar cards all the same orientation.
As long as a tunnel connects to another tunnel then it is a legal placement. So long as every tunnel on the card connects to another tunnel, or it is left open for future placements.
Examples of tile placements can be found on the pic in this section.
That is it!
That is all you need to know to play Bandido. It is a simple game that can offer a lot of fun with the right crowd. Happy gaming!
