SHOOT OUT AT THE BROKEN DRUM SALOON

The 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.

Outlaws

Bill 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

Lawmen

J. 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 2^nd. 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 9^th 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 Bil 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 but still fighting on!

The outlaws turn up a special card and ‘One-Arm’ swigs from his bottle of ‘Rotgut’ and gets extra ‘Guts’!

So, while Jubal Tardy gets liquored up, Deputy J. W. Pepper enters into the action. Hearing the sound of braking glass upstairs (‘Red Buck’ Waightman in the bunkhouse) J. W. decides to investigate. He daren’t run out the saloon bat wing doors with three outlaws directly outside so he elects to exit via the back door and make his way round to the external steps. J. W. is running as fast as he can, particularly with the overwhelming smell of the outhouse. ‘Smoky’ Pete appears to be investigating the source of the smell but I wouldn’t go anywhere near there with a naked flame, Pete!

Meanwhile, Kate fires her Derringer again at Bill Dalton, this time putting a hole in his duster. Kate makes a mental note to improve her shooting skills but it may be too late? ‘Tulsa Jack’ (who has just emerged from the back door of the gun store, sees J. W. run round the corner of the saloon and gives chase.

From his vantage point, upstairs in the Sherriff’s Office, James McParland fires his sawn-off at Chu Wing Phat and wounds the Celestial Bodyguard.

‘Dynamite Dick’ having failed to kill Kate at point blank range with his sawn-off now feels that the more immediate threat is coming from the sawn-off wielded by McParland in the upstairs window rather that the pissant Derringer which Kate is using to try and hit Bill Dalton. Probably the safest place to stand is right in front of where she is pointing it! Dick hits the window with a shotgun blast and sprays McParland with glass but fails to wound him.

Before the shooting started, ‘Dynamite Dick’ had hidden his stash of dynamite in an old crate at the back of the Sherriff’s Office. A stray bullet (activated by a card from the outlaw’s special deck) ignites the dynamite blowing off the back wall of the office.

McParland is once again showered with broken glass as the back windows blow in, however once again he escapes serious injury. ‘Tulsa Jack’ gets an extra activation in this turn as he has a joker in the activation deck as well as his normal two cards. This gives him the chance to gain ground on poor old Deputy J. W. Pepper who has just mounted the bottom steps leading to the bunkhouse. Jack is within 3” of J. W. but no bonus for close range as J. W. is partially in cover. However, this doesn’t cause ‘Tulsa Jack’ a problem as he aims his trusty ‘Mare’s Leg’ and hits the deputy twice, killing him outright. Lord Snapcase is rather miffed to say the least, to see the deputy shot down in cold blood in front of him. His Sharps Big 50 is packed in the luggae compartment of the stage or he might have had a pop at the villain! More doom and gloom for the forces of law and order who are down to one man and one woman. The outlaws still have six men shooting!

Bill Dalton also elects to ignore ‘Big Nose’ Kate, concurring with ‘Dynamite Dick’ that the major threat lies in the Sherriff’s window in the form of hired gun, James McParland and his sawn-off shotgun. Bill fires up at the window and manages to wound McParland. Jubal Tardy advances up Main Street and takes another shot at Kate with his carbine. Surely he won’t miss this time (do ursine creatures defecate in arboreal environments)? His bullet passes through the hem of Kate’s skirt without touching her!

‘Red Buck’ fires at the window across the street trying to hit McParland but McParland is in cover and the shot merely passes through the smoke-filled office.

Bill Dalton now decides he’s had enough of McParland and ascends the steps to confront him. The lawmen get a lucky break from a special card and get an extra activation. McParland shoots through a second window as he sees Dalton reach the top of the steps (I gave him a -1 marksman as the window still had glass in it). Dalton receives a wound from McParland’s shotgun before he can enter the office.

Chu Wing Phat decides to end the threat of Kate once and for all and charges her to engage in hand to hand combat. Thinking his martial arts skills will see the end of this pesky Calico Queen, he forgets the Derringer at his peril. As he tries to lock her in a deadly embrace, Kate fires the Derringer and for once her luck is in. Chu Wing Phat, already wounded, takes a small calibre bullet right through his black heart and dies on the spot.

Jubal Tardy now strides towards Kate with murder in his heart and at close range discharges his carbine. Time for those of you with a nervous disposition to look away. Kate sinks to the ground with a final scream, as dead as a doornail. The feisty Soiled Dove is no more.

At this point the outlaws draw another special card, the errant shot.

A ricochet from who-knows-where flies though the Sherriff’s Office window. The dice are thrown and the already wounded McParland is killed in a final twist of fate. The end of the Lawmen and the end of the game. The five remaining members of Bill Dalton’s gang head towards the Broken Drum Saloon as the sun starts to sink in the sky.

I can assure you all that Shoot N’ Skedaddle is a bloody awesome game and I loved every minute of it. You will see more of this!