Pony Wars, yes or no?

[FifteensAway]

So, Old West is the gunfights, more or less.  And Pony Wars are the Army versus the Indians, which can be more than the Sioux and Apache versus cavalry.  The period is certainly amazingly well catered for by movies, fiction, and history - and lots of old TV shows. 

I'm curious how many of us do either Old West or Pony Wars - or both?  And why one or the other - or both?

I do both as described in an earlier post here about my Pony West Collection combining the two, essentially combining the name.

Seems Pony Wars should get more people than Old West because all you need are the figures and some terrain whereas the Old West usually requires a town of some sort.  But it seems the Old West gets more attention here.

Looking forward to hearing your reasonings.

[AKULA]

No real reason that an Old West gunfight requires a town, although plenty of great looking buildings are available. Small scale skirmishes lend themselves to a quick club night game, so it’s perhaps more easy as an entry-level experience...no need for a town, a few rocks and cacti would do, or maybe an old shack in the middle of the table.

I’ve played both small scale gritty gunfights, and much larger scale Pony Wars games over the years, and they have their own attractions - one can easily morph to the other as your collection grows.

[Harry von Fleischmann]

I lean more to the Pony Wars. I’m also veering towards the inter tribal strife and the mountain man era. I’m less interested in the gun fights; I’ve dabbled but right now, it’s the plains wars for me. I’m even looking at the ante bellum dragoon era and the Powder River / Red Cloud’s War - the latter using ACW Union cavalry. Just thinking.....

[has.been]

+1 to what AKULA said.

[Inkpaduta]

I have tried to do the Indian Wars but never could find the right balance for games. So I mainly do gunfights.

[Harry Faversham]

Seems Pony Wars should get more people than Old West because all you need are the figures and some terrain whereas the Old West usually requires a town of some sort.

Sometimes the Pilgrims never make it to town!!!!

http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=114464.msg1433186;topicseen#msg1433186

 

[FifteensAway]

Harry, your western adventures are quite entertaining but I do expect one day a town will rise on your prairie, though it might be small and not last long! 

My collection has grown about as much as such a collection should grow; in fact, my collection is so bloated it would out do a blue whale rotting on the shore of the Atacamba desert on the hottest day of the millennia!  Two regiments of cavalry!  Hundreds, and hundreds, and hundreds of mounted native warriors and more on foot.  Vast herds of buffalo and longhorn cattle.  Buildings by the score.  If I ever go missing, rifle through the collection and see if my remains are buried in there somewhere!   

Actually busy getting stuff primed, first of the White Hats (with the first of the Black Hats ready for cleanup), 144 civilians for the town of Anachronism - and that's just a start, 48 mounted warriors (with 36 on foot in the wings - and that, too, is just a start, both mounted and foot), villagers, some foot Apache, some critters, etc.

My 'above the line talent' has expanded to 21 groups now and might get pushed to 24 (probably).  Each group has 12 mounted, 12 foot, 12 dead, and four standing horses (to mark dismount points).  Yes, I said 21 groups like that.  That being the White Hats, the Gray Hats (can lean towards or against the law), and the Black Hats.

I believe it is fair to say I am besotted regarding the Pony West (Pony Wars and Old West combined).  No cure in sight and none being sought. 

[frank xerox]

Wild west was probably the first period I gamed, with lego "floor plans" for buildings and Donald Featherstones Skirmish rules. Then John Ford made me do Pony Wars in 15mm, then back to wild west when all the cool scenery and figures came out and I could finally afford.
Now looking at mixing the two and doing Cavalry/Indian/Indian skirmishes in 28mm. Partly cause I've always wanted to do inter tribe fights and partly from what I've been reading.  I reckon Tribal for all Indian affairs and Ffol for cavalry v Indians - you need a bit of Hollywood in your rules if the US Cavalrys on the table.

[NickNascati]

You really can combine the two pretty easily.  Plenty of scenarios from movies involve Apaches and homesteads or stagecoach stops.

[Inkpaduta]

I have been considering moving from my 28mm figures and doing the Pony Wars in 40mm from Sash and Saber.
Really enjoy painting 40mm but I just don't have the terrain.

[dgrosso]

I must confess to having a skirmish between 1840's era U.S. Dragoons and the Plains tribes has a certain appeal to me. Swords vs. lances, swift horses, and lots of hidden deployment.

[Inkpaduta]

Yes we always think that the Indian Wars start in 1866 after the Civil War. There were numerous engagements, skirmishes and conflicts in the 1840s and 1850s. Battles were not as lopsided either. A number of times Indians gave as good as they got.

[FifteensAway]

"A number of times Indians gave as good as they got."

Indeed, the closed down the Bozeman trail and burned three forts down! (though not so early, of course)

[Harry von Fleischmann]

I think the Powder River war was the high tide mark for the tribes - they closed the Bozeman trail and forced the abandonment of three forts. The Little Big Horn may have been a crushing defeat for the US but the response was total.

[Harry Faversham]

Harry, your western adventures are quite entertaining but I do expect one day a town will rise on your prairie, though it might be small and not last long! 

Well hombre, come to mention it...