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Repos is taking all of its development experience and revamping this design, stripping out the rules complexity and timing issues caused by things like the "Bang! Bang! Bang!" card and the division of loot. (You might find it hard to believe that people had trouble splitting the revealed money into piles of equal value based on the number of players getting a share at the end of the round, but I'll just say that you haven't played the game with enough people.)
In this video, Provoost describes what's changed from the first to second editions of the game:One change not mentioned: The loss of one dollar sign in the title. Phew! So much easier to type now...
During my trip to the Origins Game Fair in June 2014, I was able to play the new Ca$h 'n Guns on a prototype copy with non-final artwork (as clarified in the comments by artist John Kovalic). For those not familiar with the game, think Reservoir Dogs: The Game, with you and your fellow gangsters having just returned to your hideout to split the haul of goodies over eight rounds of "decision-making", which is shorthand for threats of violence and possible actual violence. The loot available includes cash ($5k, $10k and $20k), diamonds (worth $1k or $5k each with a huge bonus for whoever collects the most), paintings (which scale up in value the more that you collect), medical kits (to heal a wound), bullets (to give you more threats), and the Godfather tile (not pictured).
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Prototype artwork
At the start of the game each of the 4-8 players chooses a character and receives a different special power. Each round starts with the Godfather revealing loot so that players know what's for grabs, then everyone loads (or doesn't load) their (foam) gun with a bullet; in game terms, they choose a "click" or "bullet" card from their hand. After everyone raises their gun in the air, the Godfather counts to three, then everyone points their weapon at another player. The Godfather, being the boss, can tell one player aiming at him to point in another direction.
The Godfather then counts to three again, and anyone who feels that he's at risk of getting shot can choose to lay down his weapon and step out of the round. Sure, you don't get any of the loot this round, but you also don't risk eating a bullet. After cowards stand down, anyone who loaded a bullet and is still aiming at someone in the round shoots that person, knocking them out of the loot-sharing, too. What's worse, if you pick up a third wound, you're out of the game for good. Sayōnara, sister!
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My Yoko didn't live to the end, despite me having almost no loot (prototype artwork)
After the bullets have stopped flying, players who are still in the round — that is, those not shot who didn't stand down — take turns collecting one item of loot, starting with the Godfather. Whoever takes the Godfather tile which is always up for grabs, starts the next round. After eight rounds, whoever has the most loot wins.
Turns out that the second edition of Ca$h 'n Guns plays much like the first: Players see how much loot is available each round, which affects whether or not they want to take out the competition. As the game progresses, winners and losers start to appear, leading to aggressive targeting. The game is still about reading people and figuring out who's going to shoot when, while also keeping track of who has ammunition — although this version thwarts you by allowing players to earn extra bullets or (possibly) steal bullets from someone else.
The new loot system is a plus not just because of the simplified loot-divvying (for those who benefit from such a thing), but because the different items make it harder for people to say, "Mario's in the lead. Kill him!" Some grab diamonds, which may or may not pay off; others go for paintings, which are a gamble as you might not see that many (depending on how many people are in the game); still others care just about money. The game now has multiple leaders depending on how the rounds play out and who collects what later on, and that uncertainty drives additional trash-talking and last-minute negotiations over who should target whom.
I've seen some people lamenting the loss of the "Bang! Bang! Bang!" card — which allowed a player to shoot before regular "Bang!" cards, thereby possibly allowing you to take out someone before they shot you — but in practice I didn't notice anything missing from the new version as in some ways the need to call out for "Bang! Bang! Bang!"s each round was kind of a distraction from everything else. Now the game is boiled down to a straightforward ogle, aim, cower, shoot and loot, but with two more guns and characters than the first edition, allowing you to seat more targets — um, more fellow gangsters — at the table.
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Expect to see a lot of this at Gen Con 2014
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