Object of the Game
The aim of the game is to eliminate both of your opponent's characters. The game plays as usual with the exception of the following changes.
Setup
Shuffle the character cards and deal four face up on the table. Alternate choosing two characters, one at a time. Put the characters in front of you, one beside the other. Put the correct number of bullet tokens next to each character.
Choose one character to be "exposed"; the other one stays "cover". Draw from the deck as many cards as the life points of your exposed character.
The exposed character is pushed forward towards the center. You do not use role cards in this variant.
Game Play
As far as distance between players is concerned, the game is played as if there were four players playing, i.e. one for each character.
At the beginning of any turn, after dealing with such cards as Jail and Dynamite and before Phase i, the active player chooses one character to be exposed and the other to stay cover. In order to do this, push the exposed character towards the center.
You cannot expose a character who is in Jail.
During your turn, or your opponent's turn, you can only use the ability of your exposed character.
However, if your covered character is the target of a card (BANG!, Indians!, Duel, etc..). you temporarily get the ability of your character in cover (and lose the ability of your exposed one), for the short time needed to respond (see example below).
Cards that need a target may affect any other character, provided it is legal (e.g. in order to play a bang! the target character must be at a reachable distance).
Blue cards can be played on any of the two characters, at your choice. When you declare the end of your turn, you must discard from your hand any card exceeding the current life points of your exposed character.
When a character is eliminated, you keep playing with the other one (who will always be exposed).
Card Effects
Beer: can be played only on your exposed character.
General Store: turn face up as many cards as the characters still in play. The two players alternate choosing one card each until all cards are drawn (if you have only one character alive, you will only get one card).
Indians! and Gatling: both of your characters are safe when you play this card; however, they affect both of your opponent's characters.
Example: You have Suzy Lafayette exposed and Calamity Janet covered. You have only a single Missed! card in hand.
Your opponent plays Indians!. Suzy Lafayette is the first to react, according to the clockwise order: she suffers a wound and loses one life point.
Then it's time for Calamity Janet: at this point, you can use your Missed! as a BANG! for her, since you have now temporarily gained her ability.
After that, you regain the ability of Suzy Lafayette, and therefore draw a card from the deck, because you have no cards in hand.
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