Philip directed his second Wild West game at the community centre last night using What a Cowboy! rules from Too Fat Lardies, splendid bespoke terrain, and his pukka 3D-printed 54mm figures.
Both terrain and figures looked great as Philip, Phil and I (Sheriff Neames and his men) faced down the lawless band led by Cactus Joe (Doug, Patrick, Jonathan).
This scenario was a typical advance by both sides from either end of the table, with each player having two-three characters and ostensibly having to settle scores with a personal nemesis.
Scene One: The Approach
My character Sheriff Neames soon occupied the balcony on the first floor of the Saloon to better survey the bandits sneaking into town.
Patrick’s character Angel Eyes was ambushed in a random event early on, taking a wound and losing an action dice. He nevertheless crept into the red store.
As my Doc Walladay weaved into the back alley behind the Saloon, he spotted Doug’s character Holding John, but was too far away to fire…
Meanwhile, Phil’s Deputy Dude moved behind the bank on the opposite side of the street, and Mama’s Boy Dix advanced onto the porch of the Sheriff’s office, preceded by Philip's Captain Butts.
Scene Two: Death of the Doc
As the Sheriff began to scout for targets from the Saloon, close by Holding John brazenly fired on honourable Doc Walladay, who lost one dice into the shock pool...
Captain Butts moved past the Sheriff’s Office and onto the Bank porch, as my Deputy Dawes brought up the rear on the opposite side of the main street
The Sheriff fired on Patrick’s Jose from the balcony, who lost a dice as a result
However, Holding John now brutally fired on my Doc Walladay again who was killed instantly on a 6!
Scene Three: Move and Fire
Across the street, Jonathan’s Cactus Joe (left) approached Phil’s Deputy Dude (right) behind the red store…
Meanwhile Mama’s Boy Dix, clearly in need of a Father figure, trailed Captain Butts onto the bank porch
Deputy Dude, using his own initiative, decided to scale a ladder to climb on top of the red store…
My character Deputy Dawes now entered the Saloon and fired at Holding John from a window but, knowing my luck, missed…
The Sheriff continued to rain hell on the victimised Jose from the Saloon balcony with his rifle… poor Jose losing a dice into the shock pool
Scene Four: The Ascent
Since Deputy Dude had clambered onto the red store, Patrick’s character Angel Eyes climbed the internal stairs of the building to confront him…
Both Angel Eyes and Jonathan’s Cactus Joe were now inside the store, bracing for action
Outside, Jose, wounded and shaken, retreated into the tiled cottage…
Meanwhile, a mischievous Holding John clambered onto the yellow building next to the saloon…
Despite using my ‘Bonanza Dice’ Sheriff Neames missed at long range with his Winchester Carbine at a miscreant across the road…
Cactus Joe was now following Angel Eyes up the stairs in the red store, a red mist descending as they looked to settle scores with Deputy Dude...
Scene Five: Miss and Hit
Phil’s Deputy Dude rolled his bones but was strangely unable to fire through the window at Patrick or Jonathan’s man…
On the other side of town, Deputy Dawes slipped in manure (despite being inside a plush saloon), recovered, smashed the window and got out, then fired on Doug’s El Lobo but, knowing my luck... missed!
Philip’s Captain Butts now ran for the red store’s porch and somehow bent time and space to hit and pin Jonathan’s Hillbilly Dees inside behind the closed door! Incredible!
Was this a case of 'Marshall's Law' or just great gameplay?
Regardless, inside the red store, Angel Eyes moved to the window upstairs to confront Phil’s Deputy Dude…
But the Dude fired at him point blank, inflicting a shock and a pin on the blindsided Angel Eyes!
Scene Six: The Red Store
Cactus Joe, witnessing his buddy’s injuries, blasted his shotgun at Deputy Dude on the roof outside… But wily Deputy Dude dodged and moved into cover away from the window!
As Sheriff Neames remained on overwatch at the Saloon balcony, Mama’s Boy Dix wielding a brace of pistols scuttled to the red store in Captain Butts’ wake…
Hillbilly Dees, pinned inside the red store by Butts and wrongly believing the laws of Physics to be universal, fired on the Captain, but missed!
Captain Butts, who had done Something In The War, now responded by opportunistically wounding the frankly useless Jose on the cottage porch, and firing unsuccessfully at Hillbilly Dees…
Butts then charged in theatrically through the doors, rolling twice, and began a brawl with Dees, resulting in the crippled Dees suffering two permanent and two temporary shocks to his cowboy system!
Scene Seven: The Descent
Cactus Joe, hearing the commotion, descended the stairs to assist Hillbilly Dees who was writhing in agony on the floor of the red store…
But Philip’s Captain Butts intervened by using a Bonanza token, and hit the flabbergasted Cactus Joe twice in quick succession! Blam! Blam!
And yet a swiftly recovering Joe, probably on reflex, in turn wounded Captain Butts from his position near the stairs…
Scene Eight: El Lobo & Jose
Elsewhere, from the roof of the yellow building, Holding John fired two shots at the innocent Mama’s Boy Dix across the street but missed…
Deputy Dawes, in cover behind a wall of the yellow building and the still-warm corpse of his former comrade Doc Walladay, fired on the balding El Lobo but, knowing my luck, missed…
As Jose ran for the red store from cover, follically challenged El Lobo charged into close range and wounded the unlucky Deputy Dawes…
Sheriff Neames, chuckling with sickening (but righteous) schadenfreude on the Saloon balcony, duly fired his Winchester and pinned Jose across the street…
Scene Nine: Showdown
Nevertheless, Jonathan ended the action and put the game beyond doubt when Cactus Joe swivelled at the foot of the stairs and blasted Captain Butts at close range with his shotgun - buck and ball - ironically killing the veteran ex-Confederate officer instantly!
While a lot of characters were now bleeding profusely, the goodies had lost two men, and thus the game itself!
Conclusion
As you can tell I really enjoyed putting this blog together. Thanks to Philip for hosting a fun night. The rules are simple and resemble ‘What a Tanker!’ with each character having a profile and six action dice which are rolled each turn, enabling certain actions to be played. A most pleasant evening with more to come, we hope!
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