What a Cowboy - Hog Thief Bend. Update by Snappers 22.04.24

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Second, you’ve just been awarded the Gold Medal with Ribbon by the August Assembly for Artful Alliteration.

I'm gratified that it gladdens you, it's good to generate geniality and glee!

[Michi]

Splendid entertainment, gents! Every single line any of you wrote, each photography recklessly stolen from the newspapers of the days gone by are to my very delight! Hat off t'ya!

[CapnJim]

Well, well, well.  It has come down (and I do mean down...) to this.  I await news of this climactic clash with much anticipation.

But I fear one thing above all.  After all the trouble you went through to build and populate such an impressive 6'x4' metropolis, my fear is that all the action will take place in one 2'x2' section of it.  So it goes in may a game I've set up...

In any event, fire away!     

[Vagabond]

Well, well, well.  It has come down (and I do mean down...) to this.  I await news of this climactic clash with much anticipation.

But I fear one thing above all.  After all the trouble you went through to build and populate such an impressive 6'x4' metropolis, my fear is that all the action will take place in one 2'x2' section of it.  So it goes in may a game I've set up...

In any event, fire away!   

Excuse me...what about my game report!

[Doug ex-em4]

Excuse me...what about my game report!

Oh no - he’s having one of his hissy fits. This could get messy…..

Doug

[CapnJim]

Ok.  Stay calm, everyone.  I realized my error of omission, but my wife and I were headed out to a cigar bar and a nice dinner.  I beg your forgiveness.  It was a lovely, if not brief, report.   

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Splendid entertainment, gents! Every single line any of you wrote, each photography recklessly stolen from the newspapers of the days gone by are to my very delight! Hat off t'ya!

Many thanks, Michi, very much appreciated.

[terrement]

Er - not to confuse the issue with facts, but Alamogordo is in New Mexico...

Yeah, maybe... but was it still there when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?  Or had it moved again?

[FifteensAway]

Hog Thief Bend, in its most recent outing, looks a proper town indeed.  Well, it could use another 20-30 buildings but I'm reasonably sure Snapcase would just as not have Mrs. Snapcase experiencing a fit of apoplexy.

I counted at least seven wagons - including a Tumbleweed Wagon!  Excellent.  Actually liked the scene with the set table, the red chairs, and the temporarily abandoned banjos the best.  Oh, and those cattle look a bit Irregular - and not the kind that can be corrected with Kaopectate or similar.

Looking forward (almost typed forwarded forewarned!) to the next series of happily conflicting reports of the action.  You gents have found the magic elixir of miniatures gaming - just throw it all to the wind and have fun.  Excellent, again.

-- side note, due to a storm here in California that broke a record and knocked out power to well more than one million customers (customers, not people, probably close to three million people impacted), my internet access is severely limited so my replies may not be very timely for a few weeks, scheduled service calls earliest option was not until the 20th!!!!!  Yikes.  It sucks but life goes on, catching up on reading - that wonderful old standby. --

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

Fifteens, many thanks for your kind comments. I'm glad you are enjoying our campaign. We are having a lot of fun with this game.

Sorry to hear about the power problems in California, I hope all is restored back to normal, as soon as possible.

I do hope you enjoyed your cameo role in our game as your alter-ego, California Diggins Johnny "Tough as a Rail" W. Hardup? The Arthritis Gang were overjoyed with your timely delivery of beans and homemade sarsaparilla in Las Cruces!

Pip, pip!

[MaleGriffin]

Fantastic AAR and photos!

[FifteensAway]

Pleased to report, at least for the moment, computer access seems to be restored - even before rescheduled service for the 13th (hmmm?)!

Well, since cameos are usually reserved for well known stars, of course I'm enjoying the cameo - well, to a degree.  Kilts, Scotland, etc.?  Well, I guess I did give permission to use him however you wished so perhaps "hoist on my own petard"?! 
I'm going to go with the whole "well known star" bit, soothing to my ego as it is and all. 

Does this mean we won't be seeing more such games for a while?  Or similar games but in very different settings - as in not Old West?  Hope for one or the other.

[Mad Lord Snapcase]

I'm going to go with the whole "well known star" bit, soothing to my ego as it is and all.

Obviously, you are a 'well known star'!

Does this mean we won't be seeing more such games for a while?  Or similar games but in very different settings - as in not Old West?  Hope for one or the other.

The What A Cowboy! campaign is designed for 6 games and as you know, we are in the middle of the final game, the big showdown. After this, the survivors get to live a quiet life and the dead spend their time in Boot Hill.

There are plans afoot for a new campaign to begin, featuring Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons (and perhaps some surprises) in the near future! This will eventually appear on the Pulp board, I hope.

[Johnny Boy]

As always, a great read and truly inspirational. Over the years I've bought the various feature buildings etc from 4ground but never put them on the table for a game. Looking at how your table is set up I'm really raring to get on with my own games. Just as well a campaign can be played, it'll help everything get used.
Thanks again for the inspiration

[Doug ex-em4]

Hogs Thief Bend was, as usual, all bustle and activity on that fateful morning. This busy, industrious scene was about to cruelly rent by the sound of gunfire as old scores were settled between the corrupt Sheriff Saveloy and his irredeemably tainted deputies on the one hand and the self-sacrificing band of heroes, now named after the sole-survivor from the original group and rejoicing in the name of Standish’s Regulators. They’d taken their inspiration for their new name from events in New Mexico, also in reaction to murderous activities from a sheriff.

Maybe it was pre-arranged or maybe it was fate that decreed these two groups of sworn enemies would meet at noon in Hogs Thief, armed and ready to kill. The sheriff assembled his crew outside his office and gave them his usual coarse and profane harangue before sending them to seek their enemies.









Oliver Standish, meanwhile, gave a typically calm and inspiring speech to his faithful followers, ending with a plea to remember and avenge those who had gone before them "Let us not forget brave Spooner, heroic Jack and the other one whose name I forget but I think was a woman." Heartened by this, his acolytes entered the outskirts of the town.



The eight participants in this duel to the death spread out through the town, looking for positions of advantage. This seemed to be largely a question of finding a suitable roof to command as much of the town as possible.





Mary (she’s proud) and Loco make for the newspaper office. She can be seen above the yellow roof of the snake-oil wagon; Loco is in the blue shirt just outside Madame Meme’s, near the large gent in a red waistcost.




Standish, eschewing the race for the rooftops, advances to the cover of the leading covered wagon. Smiling sardonically, he wonders to himself if it’s called a covered wagon because it gives him cover. He has quite the sense of humour does Steadfast.



Meanwhile Saveloy scuttles to the back door of the Broken Drum…..



…….and from there to the roof





Whilst G-g-g-Granville slides along the sidewalk below him




By now, Mary (she’s proud) has reached the roof of the newspaper office, directly opposite Saveloy on the Broken Drum roof. They face each other across the divide. She opens up on Saveloy but by the use of something akin to prestidigitation, he avoids being hit and seeks cover.




Another roof-hopper has appeared. They’re popping up everywhere like gophers from their holes. This time, it’s the Melon on the roof of the station ticket office.



The 4th Savaloyard, Misty Meaner, sneaks undetected to the rear door of the town barber’s shop.



Loco has joined Mary (she’s proud) in the newspaper office - he’s on the 1st/2nd floor (depending which side of the Atlantic you’re reading this from)




To round off the tale of the cautious, opening moves, it only remains to note that TMWNN has finally almost joined the action - he’s peeking out from behind some barrels…….




…….whilst Steadfast Standish has totally outfoxed the opposition by an unexpected and lightning dash across town,




…….crossing the tracks behind the caboose of the train



So the initial jockeying for position is over. Hardly a shot has been fired. The local citizenry is hardly aware that rival gangs are in town, hungry for blood. Surely that is all about to change?



Here we see the positions of the characters at the end of the opening moves. At the bottom of the photo the routes taken by the Standish Regulators. Standish is the black line; Mary (she’s proud) is red; Loco is purple and TMWNN is brown. At the top, the weasel-creeping sneaking of the Saveloyards. He is red; G-g-g-Granville is Orange; The Melon is purple and Misty is dark red



to be continued


Doug