Buckshot Roulette is a small indie game based on an extreme version of Russian Roulette that has recently gained a bit of traction, to coincide with its release on on Steam. With this new version came some additions, such as new items and an endless mode that unlocks after clearing the game once. Ignoring items for a moment, although they are an important part of the game, the main choice given to the player is whether to shoot themselves or their adversary, the dealer.
The game proceeds in rounds, with the player and the dealer passing the rifle to one another after each shot. But the rifle is charged with both blank and live rounds, and if shooting a blank at the adversary passes the rifle, shooting oneself with it does not. This goes both for dealers and players, so if a player knows that the current round is a blank, they can gain an additional round by shooting themselves.
When Should You Shoot Yourself in Buckshot Roulette?
Without considering items and looking at the game as a thought experiment, there is never a situation where the player shooting themselves leads to a positive outcome. At most, it can be just as good as shooting the dealer, and only when there are at least three blank rounds per live round.
The math is complicated, but the trick is in what happens after passing the rifle. Even if a player fires a blank at themselves or at the dealer, they are only delaying the inevitable 50/50 chance of one live round and one blank, in which shooting the dealer is always better.
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Of course, all of this is assuming the dealer doesn’t know the order in which rounds have been introduced into the rifle. But looking at how poorly the AI often works in Buckshot Roulette, shooting itself every other round, it’s possible to conclude that the order of live and blank rounds is truly random.
What Do Items Do In Buckshot Roulette?
Items significantly change the math, making it quite complicated to figure out whether shooting the dealer is really the best move. One game state in which shooting the dealer is more dangerous than shooting oneself is when the dealer has a saw, which doubles damage, and will certainly shoot a round if given the chance.
The simplest version of this dilemma is when there is one live and one blank round in the rifle, and it’s the player’s turn. If the player shoots the dealer, they can deal one damage or risk receiving two. If the player shoots themselves, they risk gaining one damage (instead of two), but they could also deal one damage to the dealer. In this situation, shooting the player character is mathematically the best option.
On the other hand, using the magnifying glass lets the player know what round is in the rifle, making the choice of whom to shoot much simpler. If there’s a blank in the rifle, the player should shoot themselves, since they know the rifle doesn’t deal damage. Beer isn’t an item that goes particularly well with wasting a round on the main character. Instead, it’s a great alternative to it.
