The Hunt for the Mad Trapper of Rat River

[Will Bailie]

Inspired by our summer road trip to the Arctic Ocean, my son and I developed a series of games based on the RCMP manhunt for Albert Johnson, the mad trapper of Rat River.


There's a full blog writeup here:  https://willstoysoldiers.blogspot.com/2025/08/hunt-for-mad-trapper-of-rat-river.html

We were inspired by Dan Mersey's article in the January 2025 Wargames Illustrated.  It was easy to pull the scenario together using figures and terrain already in our collection.  We used a white towel for the snowy terrain, grabbed trees from the terrain box, and broke up white styrofoam for the ice buildup at the river's edge.

The mini-campaign had three scenarios - Mountie attack on the trapper's cabin, an encounter at one of the trapper's campsites, and the final shootout on the Eagle River.
Johnson's cabin in the woods:


Shootout at the campsite:


Final encounter on the Eagle River:


Gratuitous shot of the church and cemetery at Fort McPherson, NWT featuring the memorial for the Lost Patrol - a completely different event in the history of the Mounties in the Canadian Arctic!

[Will Bailie]

I posted this in Pulp as this manhunt actually featured in Pulp Magazines of the era.  Bush pilot Wop May's own account of the manhunt was published in True Detective Magazine!

[Pattus Magnus]

That’s a very cool project! (No pun intended.)

The setup is fairly simple, but effective. That towel does a better job representing deep snow than most hobby products.

I’m a little envious of your trip. Visiting the arctic is on my bucket list, but I haven’t got there yet. I’ve been close - High Level Alberta in January May as well be the Arctic - but not quite there.

[Will Bailie]

Cheers, Pattus!  Despite being born and raised in Western Canada, this was the first time in my life that I'd been north of 60.  Previously the closest I'd gotten was working in Ft McMurray.  I recommend making the trip at least to Yukon - it's well set up for visitors! 

[Sakuragi Miniatures]

Thanks for sharing this; it feels like a "boss battle" you'd find in a video game. Or an accurate depiction of serving a warrant in the desert of San Bernadino County in the 1970s. (Grandpa has stories)

[FifteensAway]

Oh, no, what a terrible oversight!     You failed to mention the rules you used for your game.    So?   

Looks like an inspired game.  Seems perfect for Fistful of Lead, my personal go to skirmish level game rules.

[Will Bailie]

Oh, no, what a terrible oversight!     You failed to mention the rules you used for your game.    So?   

Looks like an inspired game.  Seems perfect for Fistful of Lead, my personal go to skirmish level game rules.

Sorry for not making it clear!  We used Fistful of Lead, although the scenarios should work with almost any wild west or pulp skirmish rules, as long as there is a chance to buff up Albert Johnson enough so that the Mounties can't one-shot him.

[FifteensAway]

No worries.  Now only if there were some decent mounties figures in 15 mm! 

[Sunjester]

A nice looking game, Tiger miniatures?

[Sgt_T]

Thanks for sharing this!
Put it on my list of "campaigns to play with my son".

T.

[Will Bailie]

A nice looking game, Tiger miniatures?

Thanks!  A couple of the miniatures are Tiger (strictly speaking, I got them from HLBS years ago, before Tiger took over the line!) but most of the minis are Pulp Figures.

[BillK]

Very interesting.