CapnJim's Pulp Stuff (2nd Matewan Convention Game AAR - Pg 15...08 Nov 23)

[CapnJim]

Very nice.

Thanks!

Ayyyy! Can't wait for the 2nd part!

Read on then!

Great to see something different. Good idea on using FFOL BB too, I can see how that would work.

Yeah - FFoL:BB worked quite well.  The game moved along nicely.

Caught up on my reading of the play test.  Looks good, reads good.  Looking forward to the Finale. 

Thanks.  And as I said, read on...

Matewan:  The Finale

Hatfield grabbed the Felts Brother who the miners had "taken into custody", pulled him into and through the train station and out the back door.  Good thing for those miners, as 4 Baldwin-Felts guys were crossing the tracks headed straight for them.  And the other Felts Brother had regained his senses, and scurried around the west end of the train station to try to rescue his brother.

Meanwhile, over at the east end of the station, the 3 miners there sent the Baldwin-Felts fellas headed for them back across the tracks.  2 of them anyway - the miners put down the 3rd one.   Then the miners retreated behind the station.  The Baldwin-Felts guys left there followed them, but the 3 miners there waiting for them. 

Back at the west end, the miners and Baldwin-Felts guys shot it out.  3 miners became 2, but 4 Baldwin-Felts agent also became 2.  The one Felts Brother saw Hatfield hustling his brother toward the Jail, and took a shot.  He missed Hatfield, but his shot got too close to his brother - freaked him out a bit.  Then, 3 more miners came on from the north, and they ganged up on the Felts Brother Hatfield didn't have.  Hatfield and the miners then hustled the Felts Brothers off to the Town Jail.  And the driver of the truck at the train station, who had gotten in his truck, sped off to get out of the way. 

Back at the station, 3 miners at the eastern rear of the station were holding off 2 Baldwin-Felts guys, while the 2 miners at the west end shot down another Baldwin-Felts guy.  The remaining 3 Baldwin-Felts men knew that the Felts Brothers had been nabbed, and could hear the train approaching the train station.  They knew the gig was up, and decided discretion was the better part of valor.  They turned and ran. And then things got quiet again.

Imagine the scene that was waiting for the townsfolk when they headed back outside after the shooting died down.  The same scene awaited the passengers and crew of the incoming train.  22 men laying dead and wounded in Railroad Street, across the tracks, and around the station.  Would've been quiet the sight, and only a bit more disconcerting than the real battle aftermath (10 men dead, and a few more wounded).   We rolled on the "Out of Action" chart in the core rulebook's campaign section, to see how the 22 men who were shot down fared.  Of the 8 Baldwin-Felts men who were shot down, 3 were killed and 5 wounded to varying degrees.  Of the 14 miners who went down, 3 were killed and 11 were wounded.  A bloody day in Matewan, WV indeed.

We all thought the game went well.  Using Fistful of Lead: Bigger Battles, instead of the core Fistful of Lead rules, allowed us to fight small groups of men, instead of individuals.  With the mixed bag of weapons used (rifles,  shotguns, and pistols), we just used different color d10 if To Hit or Wound rolls had different target numbers and/or modifiers.  It worked quite well, and allowed us to move the game along at a good pace.  As I mentioned, I will re-do the Scenario Special Rules sheet to include the "Taking into Custody" special rule we used (which worked very well, we thought).  Aside from that, we think the scenario might be convention-ready.  Although, I do want to run it one more time before I take it to a convention, with me as the GM and playing the civilians, and players playing all the combatants.  Just out of curiosity, more then anything.

One thing we discussed as we sat down and talked after the game - if you replaced the brick store front buildings with clapboard buildings, replaced the few vehicles with horses-and-wagons, and replaced the figures with Old West figures, this could easily be an Old West scenario...

Thanks for taking the time to read all this, if you did indeed do that.     

[FifteensAway]

Thanks for the entertaining finale.

And just a comment.  I have a Prohibition era gangster collection (15 mm Bluemoon including the Streets of Chicago buildings) languishing to be worked on and one thing I've decided on is that the game will run along one street - and maybe an alley behind the buildings - rather than have multiple streets.  So, it will be fairly similar to what you setup except no train station.  That keeps all of the action easily accessible (unless inside a building maybe).  Can even run it on a common 2 1/2' wide table at whatever length needed.  Probably be cross streets included for a little variety but still 'one' street of action other than a bit of 'just around the corner' stuff. 

So, thanks for the inspiration to move along on that project - eventually.   

[carlos marighela]

Fabulous stuff and a win for the workers! 

[BaronVonJ]

Looking good Jim. Glad the game worked out.

[FramFramson]

Great ending, loved it.

[mikedemana]

Sounds like an action-packed game, Jim! The terrain and figures look magnificent. This is definitely going to be a showpiece at Advance the Colors 2023 this Fall. Folks who are anywhere near the Ohio area, you should come and get in a chance to play in one of Capn Jim's games. I've played in a number of them and they're always fun.
https://www.hmgsgl.org/advance-the-colors

Like a good wine, Jim the GM gets better and better with age retirement! 

I hope the Ohio crew can come up this month for your second playtest! 

Mike Demana

[BaronVonJ]

Too bad it’s the same weekend as Wiley Wargame Weekend or I’d head up to tell him what he’s doing wrong. 

[CapnJim]

@FifteensAway:  Glad this little affair inspired you.  Eventually...

@carlos marighela:  Yep.  Score one for the coal miners.  Given the history of the whole thing, though, I'm not sure how long The Brothers Felts would remain incarcerated...

@FramFranson:  Thanks!

@BaronVonJ:  It diid indeed work out.  Quite nicely.  And we didn't do nuthin' wrong...

@mikedemana:  You're too kind.  But thanks nonetheless!  Here's hoping youse guys can come up later this month...as mentioned previously, I do want to run another playtest before unleashing it on an unsuspecting gaming public...

[mikedemana]

...and its official! Four of us are coming up to Michigan to join Jim, Ted, and their group to do another playtest on Aug. 25-26. I will add in my photos of the game so we can have two reports of it...ha. ha! Looking forward to it 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Looking forward to it, Mike.  Happy to have youse guys up!

[CapnJim]

It's official.  2nd playtest of Matewan is set to take place this coming Saturday.  Mike Demana and some of his Ohio crew are trekking north to render their able assistance.

And I've registered this Matewan scenario for Advance the Colors in October.  Gonna run it twice - Friday evening and Saturday morning...

[BaronVonJ]

Excellent!

[snitcythedog]

Thank you.  The whole thread has been an entertaining read. 

One thing we discussed as we sat down and talked after the game - if you replaced the brick store front buildings with clapboard buildings, replaced the few vehicles with horses-and-wagons, and replaced the figures with Old West figures, this could easily be an Old West scenario...

Depending on where you were and exactly when you are playing, there were brick buildings out west  Tombstone, Prescott, Jerome and Tucson all had a few.  They would not have been be out of place mixed with clapboard buildings.  A couple of examples from Tucson
 

[CapnJim]

@BaronVonJ:  Thanks, we think so, too!

@snitcythedog:  Thanks!  And thanks for the pics.  Gives me ideas...

And, of course, an AAR will follow Saturday's games.  But with the number of players likely to be there (6), I think I'll try it with the Fistful of Lead Core Rules...

[Vagabond]

Great looking town and an interesting fight report. Looks like it should be a show stopper.

I only read through it once so may have missed it but do the citizens do anything except run away? I wondered if someone might have defended themselves,.

How did the 2 main protagonists have an arrest warrent for each other?
Cheers