Shoot-Out at the Broken Drum Saloon - Part 1The first shots rang out in Hog Thief Bend this morning just after 10 a.m. The last fatal shot echoed across Main Street at around 12.35 p.m. The frightened citizens of the Bend are only now coming out of hiding after being witness to one of the most violent shoot-outs in the history of the town. Gun smoke is still drifting across Main Street as the victors of this blood-bath adjourn to the Broken Drum Saloon to guzzle down some Panther-Piss and to lick their wounds. The losers won’t be going anywhere except in a wooden box.
This was my first game of Shoot N’ Skedaddle and it was awesome! Lead flying everywhere from the word go. A lot of tension (due to the Activation Deck and the Special Cards) even though I was playing solo. I used the first scenario from the rule book which I paraphrase here to suit the characters of Hog Thief Bend.
OutlawsBill Dalton – ‘Bad Man’
‘Red Buck’ Waightman – Bushwhacker
Chu Wing Phat – Bodyguard
‘Dynamite Dick’ Clifton – ‘Crazy’
Jubal ‘One-Arm’ Tardy – Soldier
‘Tulsa Jack’ Blake – The Drifter
LawmenJ. W. Pepper – Deputy
‘Rooster’ Cogburn – U.S. Marshal
James McParland – Hired Gun
‘Big Nose’ Kate – Soiled Dove
Joshua York – Town Person
Pierre ‘LeGros’ Coqsure – Mountain Man
Bill Doolin and his Owlhoot Trail brothers have been in Hog Thief Bend for several days keeping their heads down, mainly in the Broken Drum Saloon trying to drink it dry. At around 9 a.m. this morning a telegram came through for U.S. Marshal ‘Rooster’ Cogburn. A federal marshal had been shot dead in Drake’s Branch, New Mexico a few days ago. It just so happened that this marshal had been trailing Bill Dalton and his gang from Arizona into New Mexico. Bill Dalton had been recognised in Drake’s Branch minutes after the marshal had been shot down from ambush. ‘Rooster’ called his deputy and hastily assembled a makeshift posse from nearby townsfolk and headed on up Main Street to confront the gang at the Broken Drum.
From the scenario rules, three characters from each side start 18” apart on Main Street facing each other. The other characters were distributed amongst the buildings by random dice throw. The six characters on Main Street enter a shootout (special rules in S N’ S 2nd. Edition). This meant that under the scenario rules the concealed characters would not be activated until all three characters on one side were lying dead in the street. Victory conditions were to kill all members of the other side. A very good introduction to my first game.
Just before the action started the stage had rolled into Hog Thief Bend for a change of horses. The 9th Earl of Snapcase was on the stage heading for Beau Gus Junction. Whilst waiting for fresh horses milord had ordered a large liquid libation for breakfast which his aged, wrinkled family retainer ‘Old’ Scrotum was bringing forth on a silver salver. The Earl’s favourite bulldog, Chulmleigh was at his side.
The outlaws activate first and Bill Dalton, Chu Wing Phat and ‘Dynamite Dick’ Clifton open fire but the range is considerable and the hail of lead goes wild.
‘Rooster’ Cogburn, Pierre ‘LeGros’ Coqsure and Joshua York return fire but their aim is equally wild and no one is hit. Both sides advance down Main Street towards each other to get into better shooting range. They confront each other outside the Broken Drum. “Surrender, Dalton!” yells ‘Rooster’ but the only reply is more gunfire.
‘Rooster’ is hit twice and drops to the ground spouting blood like a geyser. Joshua York is hit in the shoulder but continues to return fire (they must shoot at the Bodyguard (Chu Wing Phat)) first owing to his special character rules. ‘LeGros’ is also firing but the lawmen fail to register any hits on the outlaws.
‘LeGros’ is still reloading his muzzle-loader when he is wounded. Mountain Man is not a good choice for a shootout as he has to take an action to reload. We live and learn, or not in his case as more fire from the outlaws hits him again and he goes down like the proverbial sack of excrement. With Joshua being hit again, things start to look very bad for the lawmen as half their posse lies dead or dying in the dust of Main Street.
With the three lawmen dead in the street, the other characters are now free to activate under the scenario rules. ‘Big Nose’ Kate has been watching the slaughter from the Sherriff’s Office and with an anguished wail (she’s secretly in love with old ‘Rooster’) runs out onto the street, pulls her concealed Derringer from between her heaving bosoms and tries to shoot Bill Dalton in the back of the head but only succeeds in blowing his hat off!
Jubal ‘One-Arm’ Tardy now emerges from Roly Deschain’s gun store where he has been hiding during the main gunfight. Tardy by name, tardy by nature! He takes a shot at Kate with his carbine but his aim is way off and the stray bullet would have parted watching Bill Gull’s hair if he still had any on top of his head.
‘Red Buck’ Waightman knocks out a window in the bunkhouse overlooking Main Street and James McParland does the same across the way, in the upper storey of the Sherriff’s Office.
Unfortunately for Kate, she is the only visible presence of law and order in Hog Thief Bend, the other two male members of the posse are currently ensconced indoors! ‘Tulsa Jack’ Blake exits Roly Deschain’s gun store by the back door and seeing ‘Big Nose’ Kate pointing a Derringer at Bill Dalton takes a shot at her with his ‘Mare’s Leg’ and gives her a nasty leg wound. At the same time ‘Dynamite Dick’ moves round to threaten Kate with his sawn-off shotgun. The sawn-off adds +1 Marksman and the close range adds another +1. This cannot be good for Kate, already wounded she faces a close range blast of buck shot from an enraged ‘Dynamite Dick’. Dick lets rip and the air is filled with pellets (5 x d20 gets 5 hits but no damage!). When the gun smoke clears Kate’s bouffant hair-do has been blown to bits as Dick in his fury aimed too high. Kate is hurt but still fighting on!
The outlaws turn up a special card and ‘One-Arm’ swigs from his bottle of ‘Rotgut’ and gets extra ‘Guts’!
More to follow………………………………………………………
09 January 2011, 09:13:30 PM