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

[CapnJim]

As I mentioned, I got in one of my Matewan games at Advance the Colors last weekend (14 Oct).  I had 4 players - 2 coal miner players, and 2 Baldwin-Felts players. 

As a reminder, here's a shot of the scene of the action, looking east down the railroad street...



Police Chief Sid Hatfield and Mayor Testerman started out in front of Chambers Hardware.  The other coal miners started out spread out, along the street, in some buildings, and on the rooftops.  The Baldwin-Felts men started out at the east end of the railroad street.  Albert Felts took several men west along the sidewalks in front of the storefronts, while Lee Felts took the rest toward the train station.  They saw 3 miners behind a car parked by the station, and immediately opened fire on them.



Albert Felts and his men stole a car parked in the street, and began to back up west along that street.  And they traded shots with coal miners in and up on the buildings.



Meanwhile, civilians stood stunned for a while, including some railroad workers who watched Mayor Testerman run past them around to the back of the train station.



While Albert Felts and his men were shooting it out from the car in the streets, Lee Felts and his men shot down some miners behind a car at the train station, and went looking for more.



The civilians finally all scattered, heading indoors.  Those railroad workers fled in their truck.



Lee Felts and his Baldwin-Felts boys cornered Mayor Testerman behind the station, put a couple slugs into him, and took him into their custody.



More gunfire rang out and more miners and Baldwin-Felts men went down.  Some miners grabbed Albert Felts, roughing him up some...



Chief Hatfield came over to help hustle Albert Felts away, while more coal miners help shoot down Baldwin-Felts men in the street.



It was chaotic.  Coal miners and Baldwin-Felts men alike had been shot down.  Coal miners had grabbed Albert Felts, while Baldwin-Felts men had grabbed Mayor Testerman.  Men yelled to exchange them, but nobody budged.



Then, more tragedy almost struck.  The coal miner on the rooftops fired at some men on the platform at the train station, not realizing they were more coal miners.  Luckily for them, he missed.



But, it seemed like things were coming to a head.  Some miners had a few Baldwin-Felts men trapped in the train station...



...while other miners hauled Albert Felts off to the town jail...



...and even more charged in and rescue Mayor Testerman.



Then, the shooting stopped.  8 Baldwin-Felts men and 8 coal miners lay shot down in the street and around the train station, and Mayor Testerman was badly hurt.  And Albert Felts was lodged in the town jail.  Lee Felts and the other 3 Baldwin-Felts men scattered.  What a sight awaited the passengers and crew on the 5:00 train as it pulled into the station...

Well, the coal miners are now 3-0, but the Baldwin-Felts men came close this time.  Everyone said the had fun, and one player told me he had kinfolk from Matewan...

I plan to run it again at the World at War event November 4 at Fort Meigs, near Perrysburg, OH, USA.  We'll see how things go in that gunfight!



 

[carlos marighela]

Super AAR!

Wow, if the workers keep winning at this rate in your alternative USA you'll end up with all that commie nonsense like free healthcare, decent annual leave and workers rights. 

[mikedemana]

Wow, if the workers keep winning at this rate in your alternative USA you'll end up with all that commie nonsense like free healthcare, decent annual leave and workers rights. 

 

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Super AAR!

Wow, if the workers keep winning at this rate in your alternative USA you'll end up with all that commie nonsense like free healthcare, decent annual leave and workers rights. 

Thanks, Carlos.  And 2 out of 3 ain't bad - nothin's free, ya know....

And I'm gonna run Matewan one more time this weekend (Saturday, in the morning) at World at War at Fort Meigs in Perrysburg, OH, USA.  We'll see of the miners can go 4-0...

[Cat]

Go Union, Beat Bosses!

[CapnJim]

We'll see.  the scenario is a bit stacked against the Gun Thugs, but they can win if they play it smart......

[mikedemana]

the scenario is a bit stacked against the Gun Thugs, but they can win if they play it smart......

Maybe a re-tooling of objectives? Instead of having the thugs looking to kidnap the sheriff, how about them "calling it a victory and trying to get out of town alive"? Keep the aggressive objectives for the townsfolk, but let the thugs go to ground and have the train show up ontable on a certain turn. Then you have the climactic attempt to jump aboard and survive till the train pulls out of station?

It could use a lot more of your cool terrain as the thugs use their ingenuity to hole up and survive, then sprint for the platform when the train pulls in. Plus, you could get a train on the table, and how freaking cool would that be...?

Mike Demana

[CapnJim]

Good ideas Mike.  I'll ponder them, but I think I'll retire the scenario for now.  I have my grubby little mitts into too many periods to stay in any one for too long...

BUT, we did get that game in this past Saturday morning at World at War at Fort Meigs (Perrysburg, OH, USA).  I had all 4 player slots filled - 2 coal miners and 2 Baldwin-Felts men.  It started well enough for the Baldwin-Felts boys.

As a reminder, here's the scene of the crime...



The Baldwin-Felts men deployed at the east end of the railroad street, as usual.  Of course, Chief Hatfield and Mayor Testerman started out in front of Chambers Hardware.  6 coal miners were set up inside the train station, and another 3 in the big gray building on the railroad street.  3 more were out on the sidewalk, keeping Hatfield and Testerman company.  Several unarmed townsfolk were scattered about...here's Hatfield, Testerman, and the 3 miners with them (not to mention a few innocent bystanders)...



Lee Felts took most of the Baldwin-Felts men and headed straight for the train station.  They came under very ineffectual fire from the upper floors of said station.  Their return fire had more effect...



Albert Felts took 3 men and headed behind the storefronts along the railroad street...



The civilians stood motionless for a bit - not sure where the gunshots were coming from or what to do.  The 3 miners along the railroad street headed toward the train station...



The Baldwin-Felts Gun Thugs lived up to their nickname, and gunned down coal miners at the tracks...



Some of the Gun Thugs headed around back of the station.  Chief Hatfield moved to cut them off...



Too bad for Chief Hatfield.  The Gun Thugs cut him off, and bundled him into the confines of the train station.  Chief Hatfield may have been roughed up a bit as they did so.  And by now, the civilians had scattered into the safety of their nearest buildings.  The 3 railroad workers jumped into their truck and drove off.  The folks inside the train station huddled together in the cargo room...



By now, the Baldwin-Felts men had shot down several coal miners, while only losing 2 of their own.  But, some of the wounded coal miners got back in the fight, encouraged by Mayor Testerman.  A few headed toward the Tobacco Shop, where Albert Felts and 3 Gun Thugs had come in from the back door.  A vicious short-range gunfight ensued - all 4 Baldwin-Felts men in the Tobacco Shop were shot down, but at the expense of 4 coal miners.





By now, the ranks of the Baldwin-Felts men were growing thin, and they holed up in the waiting room in the train station.  Coal miners converged on the station...



The end came with some suspense.  3 Gun Thugs had a badly shaken Chief Hatfield under guard in the train station.  The 3 remaining coal miners upstairs in the station came down, and frenzily (is that a word?) fired into the group of men around Chief Hatfield.  Luckily, they were able to gun down all 3 Baldwin-Felts men.  Unluckily, they also managed to wound Chief Hatfield in the process.

But, the gunfight was over.  All 13 Baldwin-Felts men lay dead or wounded, along with several coal miners.  Oh, the sight that awaited the passengers and crew on the 5:00 train when it rolled into the station...

Things started out quite well for the Baldwin-Felts boys.  The game went 8 turns - and by the end of turn 4, the Baldwin-Felts men had given quite a bit better then they had got.  And, they had Chief Hatfield in custody.  Then, things went south for them.  2 turns of wounded coal miners getting back into the fight, as well as more miners coming in sounded the death knell for the Gun Thugs.  Early on, I thought the Gun Thigs might pull one off, but they ended up losing the worst of the 4 games we've played using this scenario!

However, all 4 players said they enjoyed the game, and that's what's important...