Looking at different rules

[shakespear]

I've been looking for a wild west skirmish game and these are the ones that caught my eye

1, Dracula's America
I own these but Im not that crazy about the factions. What do the 2 expansion books add?

2. Gunfighters Ball

3. Tombstone

The other 2 I dont know anything about. I am looking for a small amount of figures in a small area (no more than 4X4)

What do you recommend?

[Malamute]

Fistful of Lead from Wiley games. Bucket loads of Hollywood western style fun with a simple yet absorbing card driven activation.

[Nightpaw]

The "Hunting Grounds" expansion for Dracula's America adds one of the best skirmish campaign systems I have ever encountered.

[NickNascati]

Fistful of Lead, or Pulp Alley.

[Dr DeAth]

Fistful of Lead from Wiley games. Bucket loads of Hollywood western style fun with a simple yet absorbing card driven activation.

I agree, best skirmish rules I've played by far.

[rumacara]

Fistfull of Lead.
Besides you have several versions for several periods/themes using the same basic rules with the period feeling.

[fred]

FFoL is a great game (as witnessed by the many comments above) it is a generic game setting wise though.

DAM is a very detailed setting, which builds on the basic Old West and adds a supernatural layer. There is nothing to stop you using the DAM setting with FFoL rules. We’ve played a lot of DAM, and enjoyed it, but having played FFoL recently, enjoy that more!

[Malamute]

FFoL is a great game (as witnessed by the many comments above) it is a generic game setting wise though.

FFoL Reloaded is specific to the Old West and has scenarios etc. The later Core rules have made some changes  and updates to improve on the original set which were designed purely for Western Gunfights. As the rules have evolved they have become a generic set with supplements for different genres.

If the OP wants gunfights only then pick up FFoL Reloaded. A deck of cards is required, Wiley games produce a custom set, but you can play with a regular deck if you prefer. If you want to expand inland use the rules in other periods then get the core set.

If you are in the UK or Europe you can get them from Oshiro Model Terrain or direct from Wiley games if you are in the States.

[terrement]

Three other suggestions to consider.  In no particular order (inverse alphabetical order by height.  Or is it weight?  I forget...)

The Rules With No Name.  There is a "prettied up" version in hardback from Foundry, but you can find the free version online.  Has a good following.  Easy to learn & play.  Easy to adapt if there is something you don't like.  Users have contributed their own add-ons that you might like as well.

Six Gun Sound (latest version) by Two Hour Wargames.  I've played this since the original version was published and I like the mechanics, though not everyone does.  They take the usual ghod-like control away from you, so your characters might try but fail to do what you want them to.  Also has a campaign set-up you can use.  For me, it has the added benefits of being usable fully solo, and, the basics of the mechanics are the same for all of the other THW games making it easy to switch to WW II (NUTS), Zombie Apocalypse (All Things Zombie), Outer Space/Sci Fi (5150), Gladiators, etc., etc..  There is also the benefit of having the author very accessible for answering questions on rules or whatever.  Ed Teixeira is a great guy in that regard.  You can download a copy of Chain Reaction (free) at the THW site to test drive the mechanics.  CR is also easily adaptable to any setting.  Some You Tube vids as well
https://www.twohourwargames.com/

Combat Patrol with their Old West Supplement - Buck Surdu wrote Combat Patrol to handle WW II skirmishing.  It is exceptionally adaptable and users have contributed supplements (free) for a wide range of settings including Star Wars, Old West and others.  Though you have to purchase the CP basic game, it is one of the easiest games I've ever (over many decades) seen to learn, teach other, and play.  There are YouTube vids with examples of the rules being demonstrated.  Buck is another stand up guy, very approachable and answers questions/takes suggestions as well.

http://www.bucksurdu.com/combatpatrol/


Cheers,

John

[metalface13]

Regarding the Dracula's America expansions, Hunting Grounds adds new posses in the form of the Black Dragon Tong, which are Chinese rail workers crime syndicate with mystical kung fu. The Forsaken are remnants of the 7th Cavalry who were cursed for the war waged against the native tribes, resulting in becoming subject to transformations into werewolves. The Skinwalker tribes also get fleshed out a little bit giving different options for woodlands, plains and desert tribes in how their skinwalkers and arcanists work. There's also some new mechanics to the game such as models being able to enter the titular Hunting Grounds, a metaphysical realm which can be easier to cast magic but also attract the attention of supernatural entities. There's also more to the campaign mode, posses can become outlawed and such.

Forbidden Powers adds two more posses, the Church of Dagon which are your Cthulhu loving folk. And the other warband is the Salem Sisterhood, a group of good witches devoted to protecting against the Old Ones. They have three arcanists that benefit from being huddled up together and the rest of the posse represents their protectors. Both expansions include new NPC critters and random event charts.

Then there was a third warband supplement, but all it included was rules for a posse called The Kin which is your mutant cannibal family.

Another rules option I haven't seen mentioned is Legends of the Old West. The books are hard to come by these days but it's pretty easy to find the pdfs. LotOW is one of Games Workshop's Warhammer Historical line. The system is based off GW's Lord of the Rings system with similar stat lines and expendable might and fate points (Legends of the Old West calls them something else, but I forget what it is). These allow your heroes to do special actions or modify dice rolls. But once they are used, they are gone for the scenario. The campaign system is similar to Mordheim. There are lots of different posses here as well: Cowboys, Lawmen, Outlaws, three flavors of American Indian tribes, 7th Cavalry, Mexican Banditos, Texas Rangers, Mountain Men and more.

[Johnny Boy]

I invested in Dead Man's Hand( Also got DMH Down Under and the campaign system book) which have given some good fun games. Not played Ffol but I've been tempted as it seems a similar mechanic to DMH but without the restriction of  the factions but I'll stand corrected.   

[SteveBurt]

Dead Man’s Hand is excellent; very thematic and plays like a Wild West film with the linked scenes making up a scenario

[Joe at The A/C]

"A Gunslinger's Paradise" just came out a few months ago.

https://godseyegames.com/2020/07/27/a-gunslingers-paradise-by-gods-eye-games-releases-on-august-1st/

[Dr DeAth]

I invested in Dead Man's Hand( Also got DMH Down Under and the campaign system book) which have given some good fun games. Not played Ffol but I've been tempted as it seems a similar mechanic to DMH but without the restriction of  the factions but I'll stand corrected.   

I've not found any restrictions in FFoL, it's a very flexible ruleset. 

The author is also a LAFer (BaronVonJ) and frequently posts here to answer questions and share ideas.

[Malamute]

I've not found any restrictions in FFoL, it's a very flexible ruleset. 

The author is also a LAFer (BaronVonJ) and frequently posts here to answer questions and share ideas.

Agreed, your group of gunfighters can be whatever you want them to be, when generating your team you select a number of traits per team member from a lengthy list. Such as good shot, fast, lucky, etc. You can create some pretty unique characters, each one an individual with different abilities. Most groups are from four to seven figures, so you don't need a lot of figures to get going.