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...
16 August 2025, 07:01:56 PM