What rules to use?

[Faustulus]

Sure this has been asked before, but there are always new sets coming out. I haven't found any I've fallen in love with yet. Not a fan of the Rules with No Name, or Gutshot. Desperado isn't my thing either. I have downloaded, but not tried Blackwater Gulch. I don't hear much about Dead Man's Hand. What else is there? What do you recommend and why?

[Chico]

DMH without a doubt mate if you didn't know the rules play with a card based activation- you deal a card to each figure and activate in card order. Additionally you hold a hand of 3-5 cards that you can play at any time depending on the wording on the card.

Plus with only 14 pages of rules in the main rulebook (There is also an expansion with rules for 4 gangs) It's all rather lovely and tidy. Fast but addictive and plenty of room for house rules if you so choose (Extra gangs, weapons ect).

I never played a Old/wild West game before DMH (I played 3 or 4 others rules sets now though) and taken hold of my local games club like a fever.

[Gutbukkit]

DMH is my favourite rules for old west at the moment. Very easy to learn, nice card system for activation and your "hand" that you can play to disrupt the enemy or help your guys. Can feel cinematic at times with the cards and interrupting actions.

[mellis1644]

Fist full of lead is great for multi-player games or if you not into a rules heavy game. Simple card based with character.

[NickNascati]

I like Shoot n Skedaddle and also Fistful of Lead.  Both are good, S & S is a little more detailed.  Both are well supported by the authors.

[Elbows]

Faustulus,

What are you looking for in a game?  I've tried "most" Old West games before I made my own.  What scale or type of gameplay are you looking for?

Here is a link to the Shoot N' Skedaddle rules (they're free).

https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/shoot-n-skedaddle-boxed-version-

(bottom of the page, under Downloads)

If you like more role-playing you'd like Gutshot (and you said you didn't).  If you love GW stuff (Mordheim, etc.) you might like Legends of the Old West but it's out of print and now expensive (probably some free PDFs floating around online somewhere).  It's okay but one of my less-favourite games and its campaign system tends to suck.  Fistful of Lead is always a favourite and Baron has a new revised version coming out soon.  DMH is one I haven't played, but is getting a good reception from most of the Old West crew.  I read through TRWNN and wasn't stoked enough to try it.  Blackwater Gulch is way too GW-ish feeling for me (and appears to be a little shallow in the mechanics portion).  Desperado is older but seems popular at conventions.  I haven't played it but it apparently handles really big groups of figures well.  So if you want to run six people with 10 figures a piece.  I see you're not a fan of that either.

[NickNascati]

As an aside, my so in law and I just played a great, very tense game of S&S, the Hanging of David P. Sloan.  It was down to the end of the fifth turn, and the "hangee" actually managed to make a break for it, but was gunned down by the law.

[Faustulus]

I'll look over Shoot and Skedaddle and maybe pickup Fistful of Lead.

What I am looking for is something that scales well, both in terms of players and models per player. I'm not looking for a dozen men a side or anything, but five or six should play just as well as one or two.

Minimum of charts/rules referral. I would like something with a bit of interrupt action. I don't mind role playing elements, but it shouldn't be a role playing game with figures.

I used to love Avalon Hill's Gunslinger. I am looking for a modern, streamlined version of the for miniatures.

[NickNascati]

S&S games are typically 5 figures per player.  The scenario above had 7 figures per player.  Really no need to look at charts, read the rules through once or twice, the all the info you need is on the cards.  Not sure what you mean by "interuppt action".

[Elbows]

5-6 miniatures would fall in line with Fistful of Lead, SnS and DMH.

SnS does not have interrupt actions per se, but activation is randomized by a poker deck and two decks of special cards (representing random events to stir up the already random turn order).  While the rulebook is 60 pages, I'd say the core gaming elements are maybe 10-12 pages.  It can be "made" more complex as you like, but the basic fundamentals are pretty easy once you play a game or two.  DMH does not appear overly complex, and it's been a long time since I played Fistful of Lead, but it's not Gutshot either.

SnS scales well enough, but if you're going to run 4+ players it's best to do so in a private setting, not a rowdy convention - particularly if they're going to run 6+ figures a piece.  This would be fine and run very easily but would be best if the players knew the rules.  I struggle a bit running simple games at conventions because it's always difficult to teach players new rules in 10-15 minutes. 

DMH is popular enough I'm sure you can find some really in depth reviews - maybe even YouTube videos of gameplay. 

[Faustulus]

I picked up the pdf of S&S and will give it a try. Eyeing DMH as well (rules junkie). Not really looking to run anything at a convention since I am usually just happy to enter others games. This would just be for my FLGS, and we are a pretty laid back bunch.

[fastolfrus]

If you are a rules junkie there is the old "Once Upon a Time in the West" and the "Western Gunfight Skirmish Rules".
OUTIW also had a seventeenth century variant "Once Upon a Time in the West Country" and a pirate version ("Once Upon a Time in the West Indies"?)

Not sure about OUTIW but we used to play the Western Skirmish rules a lot - often with multiple players (8 or 9 players with 3 or 4 figures each) using 54mm (1/32nd) figures and an enormous table. A very slimmed down version of the rules were the basis of the book "Skirmish Wargames" by Don Featherstone, but the actual rules covered everything from knife-fights to bullwhips, trains to gatling guns, paddle-steamers, indians, campaigns, etc.

[Elbows]

Oh man...your names are going to get this thread really confusing real fast. 

PS: Faustulus, if you have any questions regarding SnS just shoot me a PM here or email me (link in the PDF) likewise BaronJ here on the forum is the author of Fistful of Lead and can answer any questions on that side of things.  If you try Blackwater Gulch I think that author hangs around here too (or a guy connected to the company).

[Edge]

I have just bought A Fistful of Lead, and love it. I also dabble with Six Gun Sound and Lotow, but A Fistful will be my preference, even solo they are great.

[Mister Droid]

I'm very much liking Fistful of Lead and Shoot and Skedaddle. Although in the search I have picked up Gutshot, Six Gun Sound, Rules with no Name, Deadlands Rail Wars, Aces and Eights Showdown (LOVE the shot clock!) and even Pulp Alley. My name is Nathan and I am a Ruleaholic.