My regular gaming group and I had an Old West game this Friday past. It was the gunfight at the old Johnson place. We used my 28mm figures and terrain, and
Fistful of Lead rules. Here's the set-up:
I played the Johnsons. I was defending my farm in the late 1870s in the New Mexico territory (6'x4'. see pic 1 below). It had 2 cabins, a barn with a livestock corral (with cattle and pigs in it), a chicken coop (with chickens milling about), a vegetable garden with a scarecrow, an outhouse, a well, and various scatter pieces, well, scattered about. The southeast and southwest corners had copses of trees, the northwest corner had some rocky outcroppings, and the northeast corner had an orchard. I had 6 figs - Grandpa Johnson with a Civil War-era musket, Old Man Johnson with a scatter-gun, and the 4 Johnson boys with pistols. Grandpa Johnson had a positive trait (+1 on Pinned Recovery tests, as it turns out).
Ted had a band of outlaws (he didn't name them...). He had a chap with a Sharps carbine, another with a scatter-gun, and 4 fellas with pistols. His top-hat-wearing figure had a positive trait, but I don't remember what it was...
).
Gene had a band of Desperados (he, too, didn't name them). He had an Indian with a Sharps carbine, a Gringo with a scatter-gun, and 4 fellas with pistols (3 Gringos and a Mexican). His duster-wearing guy with the scatter-gun had a positive trait - also +1 on Pinned Recovery rolls.
The premise was that the Outlaws had a score to settle with the Johnsons, while the desperados were just trying to raid the place. Turns out the Outlaws and the Desperados didn't care for each other either, so it was a 3-way gunfight. Also, we used one Joker in the deck. It could be used as an Ace, either using a card's special ability (if it had one) or granting the activated figure an advantage (an extra move or shoot action, etc.). Or, it could be played at any time in the turn, and be used to give an opposing figure a disadvantage (running out of ammo, stampeding the livestock, etc.). If played this way, the playing figure forfeited the actions of one of his figures, as a trade-off.
I had Grandpa and one of the boys in one cabin, while the Old Man and another boy in the other cabin. A 3rd Boy was in the chicken coop, and the 4th boy was in the barn, up in the loft. After a couple random rolls, The Outlaws came in from the northeast corner, near the orchard. The Desperados came in from the northwest corner, though the rocky ground.
After a few turns or movement, all hell broke loose. In lieu of trying to tell the whole story of the whole fight, which turned into a series of smaller gunfights, I'll regale you all with the highlights:
1. The Outlaws and the Desperados met near the edge of the rocky ground. After exchanging shots (which killed one of the Desperados), the Desperados veered south to come in though the vegetable garden.
2. 2 of the Outlaws decided to get into the barn, though the corral. the Johnson boy in the barn loft opened the loft door, and fired on them, missing and going low on ammo. One of the Outlaws opened the back barn door, while the other went inside and up into the loft. Next turn, the Outlaw's card went first. He fired, pinning the Johnson boy, who now lay there pinned and out of ammo. His card came up, and he recovered, standing up. With his action, he pistol-whipped the Outlaw, killing him. The other Outlaw came in, and traded shots with the Johnson boy, who had reloaded with a "6". The Johnson boy killed the 2nd outlaw. On his next turn, the Johnson boy left the barn, making his way through the corral. He traded shots with another Outlaw, but Ted got his revenge. He played a Joker, stampeding the 4 nearest cattle to the Johnson boy. The cattle moved in random directions, one of which moved right through the Johnson boy. We played a standard melee - the Johnson boy lost, and was trampled to death...
3. The other 3 Johnson boys ended up failing Pinned Recovery tests with dreaded "1s", and they ran away to live to fight another day.
4. The Mexican also ran away, having failed a Pinned recovery test with a "1".
5. Grandpa Johnson killed one of the desperados with his trusty musket, and wounded the Indian with it twice!
6. Speaking of the Indian, he was shot to pieces by the end of the fight. He was able to shrug off both musket hits with Queens of Hearts. But, at the end it was just him, and the Outlaw with the Sharps carbine. He wounded the Indian near one of the Cabins. the Indian kept failing Wounded Recovery checks, and could only crawl around the cabin, trying to get away from the Outlaw and his carbine. The Outlaw wounded the Indian a 2nd time, following him around the cabin. The Indian finally passed a Wounded Recovery check, only to have the Outlaw beat him back down with his carbine. The Outlaw finally shot the Indian a 3rd time, wounding him, and ending the gunfight.
That outlaw was the only figure left standing at the old Johnson place. His 5 fellow gang-members lay dead or dying, wile 5 of the Desperados were down too (remember, the Mexican ran away). Grandpa Johnson, Old Man Johnson, and one of the Johnson boys were down too, but 3 of the Johnson boys had run off. So we may play a follow-on game where the boys seek their revenge.
All in all, it was a blast. We love
FfoL!
16 August 2025, 07:01:56 PM