- BGG rating
- 6.0
Banditos: Hippies and an Armored Truck
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 3.0/5
- 2012
- BGG rank
- BGG #29,265
- BGG rating
- 5.1
Banditos
2012
Rules assistance for Banditos
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 90 min
- 12+
- Complexity 2.3/5
Rules assistant for Banditos
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Banditos is a board game released in 2012 for 2–6 players, 90 minutes per game, and ages 12 and up. It was designed by Sean Scott Garrity.
Expansions
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About the game
In 1982, Mexico's economy collapsed, and the government's response was to centralize the banks and devalue the peso. (This much, at least, is true...) In the game world of Banditos, the Mexican people responded poorly to these changes, resulting in a decrease in effective security and an increase in creative accounting at the new Banco de Mexico. Once some of the "alternatively principled" people in the land of opportunity heard about this, they looked south of the border for their ventures. You will play one of several American characters making runs into Mexico to pull bank heists. You will need to acquire vehicles, weapons, seed money, and maybe even some inside information to make it all happen. The first player to get his character home with the equivalent of one million US dollars wins. Players can acquire cards (vehicles etc.) by drawing them each turn, by buying them from other players, or by stealing them from the discard pile. Doing anything deemed illegal, however, will bring "heat" to your character (if you steal from the discard pile or pull a heist,) or your vehicle (if you steal gas or pull a heist,) or Mexican cities (if you pull a heist.) It's up to you as a player to manage your risk and decide how desperate you are to acquire what you need versus how much heat you currently have. If you have the guts to try a risky heist, it'll either pay off or you'll land in a Mexican jail and have to play catch-up.
Questions and answers
Banditos supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Banditos is 90 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Banditos for ages 12 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Banditos has a complexity rating of 2.3 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Banditos belongs to these categories: Economic. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed Banditos and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of Banditos are: Sean Scott Garrity. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Banditos as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.