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CASTThe No-Good, Dirty-Rotten Backstabbing Gang:
For obvious reasons, they are known as "The No-Good Gang" The Shootout Gang:
Game Stats for
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Note: During the playtest, the GM read these notes to the players prior to starting the game.
Oh yeah, the artwork on the above image is strictly temporary. It will
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In the final days of the War Between the States, Barton La Croix stole a shipment of Union Gold. The Army got Barton but not the treasure. Just a few days ago, an old coot revealed an incredible secret: he claims the treasure is hidden in Barton's grave. The story is too incredible to be true but impossible to ignore. Unfortunately, a member of a rival gang overheard the whole tale and he's gonna try to get there first! Who will get the loot, and who will wind up in a grave on Boot Hill? Or will you all suffer a horrible curse from beyond as you embark on an adventure fraught with GRAVE CONSEQUENCES... A daring HALLOWEEN ADVENTURE for Gutshot. Before you play, please make certain you read these VERY IMPORTANT notes and warnings:
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Setup (Victory Objectives)
100 VP + VP for the Gold & kills: Get the gold and get out alive!
50 VP + VP for kills: Partial credit for surviving this very dangerous adventure.
25 VP: To the one who discovers the grave of Barton LaCoix
Each gang started at opposite sides of the graveyard. The gates were open and initiative was drawn normally. The graveyard was boxed in by a high wall that would require the Character stop at its base and then, on his next Turn, could attempt to climb it by making a successful Action Check.
The actual layout of the graveyard really isn't very important. The key features were some small hills, a few rocks, a scattering of graves, and a small shack and corral in the northeast corner. The old gravedigger lives in the shack, and he has a donkey in the corral.
BOOT HILL -- OPEN GRAVES, NO WAITING
The grave yard was about 42 x 24 inches, which helped force the players into quick contact and helped speed things up. Since there was nowhere to run, they started shooting at each other almost as soon as the game began.
The lonesome howl of a coyote echoed down the moon-drenched hills north of Deadwood. Carried by the bitter October wind, the sound seemed to carry for miles, slipping through the shadowy silence as the riders moved cautiously toward the stone walls surrounding the infamous Boot Hill graveyard. The town was miles away, yet the wind was blowing from it, carrying the late-night sounds of revelry, drinking, and gambling that accompanied a night of the miner’s blowing off steam. It was a wild place and, with the wind to carry the sound away from it, no one would hear anything going on here.
As the six riders came up to the gate set in the west wall, Jebidiah noted their construction with an arched eyebrow. The walls were almost 12-feet tall and he could see sturdy red brick through the areas where the stucco had cracked and fallen off. Even though they were marked by age and neglect, he could see they were still a formidable barrier.
“Who the heck bothers to build a wall this big jest ta keep folks outta a boneyard?” he muttered aloud.
If any of his fellow outlaws heard his question, none responded and, almost as one, the six men dismounted and tied their horses to a weathered hitching post near the gate. They collected their sacks and shovels, and pushed the gate open slowly. The rusty hinges let out a low creak as the gate ponderously swung open. One of the cousins, Billy Bob, found a large rock and propped the gate open.
“Looks like we got us a witness,” the other cousin muttered as he used the dull metal barrels of his shotgun to point toward the dilapidated old shack nestled in the northwest corner of the graveyard. They could see smoke coming out of the chimney and the flickering light of an oil lamp through a large space under the shack’s door. Billy Bob Joe got that sick, wicked grin on his dirty face as he eyed the shack with malice. “I’ll take care o’ thet ole coot,” he said to no one in particular. Jeb cast a quick glance over to Missy Longlegs and she returned it with cold indifference and a shrug. She’d learned long ago not to fret about spoiling that boy’s “fun,” as he called it. Jeb kept his sigh to himself. After all, weren’t no skin off his nose if the boy had a taste fer senseless killin’ and mayhem. He, and his equally bloodthirsty cousin, were two of the main reasons they had earned the name, “The No-Good, Dirty-Rotten Backstabbing Gang.”
Of course, for obvious reasons, most folks just called them “The No Good Gang.”
Again, as they advanced, they heard the coyote howl again. And then they all froze as they heard another noise, coming from the other side of the grave yard. The other gate was opening, and they could hear voices!
“Dang it,” Jeb whispered. “It’s them. It’s jest gotta be them! What’re the odds of that other gang making it here the same night and at the same time we did?”
“Hurngh,” Eagle Claw Bob grunted as he drew both pistols. “I don’t know what them odds are,” he said readying to advance, “But I know their odds of making it out of here alive… none. C’mon, let’s go.”Over at the east gate, the members of the Shootout Gang paused as the faint whisper of distant voices reached their ears. Realizing they were not alone, they drew their weapons and entered the grave yard.
Turn One
Turn one was a flurry of activity as the players moved and manuevered throughout the graveyard, avoiding each other and searching the graves. The most exciting, but odd, action was when Billy Bob ran over to the pen behind the gravedigger's shack and spooked the donkey so it would run away. Adam suggested that he was doing it to confuse the other team, but most of us thought he did it just to be ornery. Additional action was taken up by Missy Longlegs who started to aim on an area she hoped the others would cross her path. Sure-shot McGreggor had a similar idea, although he laid down cover fire to suppress the No-Good Gang.
At the end of the Turn, four graves had been examined, leaving 11 more to search.
| Turn Two | |
| Although the War Between the States was long over, the first short were exchanged between father and son. The second Turn opened with a bang as Quick-Draw Dirk (played by Diego Duran) fired on Missy Longlegs (played by his dad, Dion). Both took Damage from the volley: Quick-Draw 2, Missy 3. |
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 KNOCK-KNOCK... YER DEAD! Billy Bob (played by Adam Gesser) didn't want any surprises from the Grave Digger, so he decided to nip that problem in the bud. The red disk under Billy Bob is used to indicate that he was running when he arrived at the door. |
First blood had gone to the Shootout Gang. Marvin, Jebediah, Billy Bob Joe, and Sureshot McGruder all exchanged a few pot shots, but nobody landed any lead. Finally, Missy Longleg’s patience paid off and her aimed shot landed a hit on “Quick-Draw” Dirk. She scored 6 points of Damage on him, but the varmint had the Tough-as-Nails Specialty, so he shrugged off one point. The turn continued with a few minor hits being scored here and there, notably between Marvin and Slim, who each knocked the other down a few points. Now, around this time Billy Bob continued his ornery streak. The Gravedigger was beginning to stir from the sound of all the flame and fury going on out there. He had just come to the door of his shack as the young gunhawk arrived to greet him – with both barrels of his shotgun! He let him have it for a total of 17 points… more than enough to drop the old man before he ever knew what hit him. |
On his next Action, the young man calmly stood there and reloaded, and around him the outlaws continued to trade lead and search the grave markers for clues to where the treasure was buried.
Immediately after that, Slim scored a hit against Marvin, hitting him for 7 points. Marvin’s retaliation shot missed, but in a quirk of fate, Marvin’s name was the next one pulled from the hat. Needless to say, he shot at Slim and, dropped him like a sack of flour.
Whereas the first Turn had been a lot of moving, this Turn was rapidly shaping up to be one with a lot of shooting! Jebediah had climbed up on the roof of the Gravedigger’s shack and had set himself up in a sniper’s position. He quickly drew beat on Sureshot McGregor and scored 5 points of Damage against him. Unfortunately, Sureshot’s retaliation shot wasn’t all that sure… it missed.
His fellow member of the Shootout Gang had a bit more success, though. “Quick-Draw” Dirk planted a slug into Eagle Claw Bob, landing 7 points of Damage on the Indian gunfighter. Eagle Claw returned the favor by dishing out 4 points on “Quick-Draw.”
More lead found its target: Jebediah shot McGruder, and she shot him: taking 4 and 2 points of Damage, respectively. Missy blasted Shotgun Dirk for 4 points… and then disaster struck Shotgun McGruder as he rolled Snake-eyes and shot himself in his own foot! He took 4 points of Damage, which also meant he could not run for the rest of the evening’s game.
The blood feud seemed to be on between the Dirk boys and Eagle Claw Bob. Although “Quick-Draw” had drawn the first blood against the deadly Indian, it was his brother Shotgun Dirk who closed in with both barrels blazing and finished the fight, slamming his target for 16 points of Damage! Even as the icy fingers of death clutched at him, Eagle Claw fired back with a point blank retaliation shot that scored on the man who killed him. And, as the darkness claimed the Indian, he realized the final insult as he saw the Dirk boy shrug off the attack by using his True Grit Specialty. And still, search after search failed to find the clue to which grave held the stolen Union gold. |
 HE'S DOWN! It seemed like son had it in for father as "Quick -Draw" Dirk proved his worth by taking down the Indian gunfighter, Eagle Claw Bob. Dirk was run by Diego Duran, and Bob was run by his dad, Dion. |
Billy Bob Joe tried to avenge his fallen gang member, but his 2 points of Damage wasn’t enough to drop Shotgun Dirk. The No-Good Gang did manage to score the last blood of the Turn, though, as Billy Bob Joe dropped Sureshot McGregor with 7 points of Damage. The lady didn’t go easy, though, and McGregor blasted back, scoring 4 points on her killer.
“Quick-Draw” Dirk ended the Turn as he examined the final grave and, finally, discovered the three crosses that marked the location of Old Barton’s final resting place (earning him 25 VP) … and his stolen gold! But as he called out to he fellow outlaws, his voice was drowned by the distant howling of the coyotes, whose lonesome voices were carried on a sudden gust of chilled wind that seemed to howl and groan as it grew in intensity and force, whipping the dead leaves around and blinding the combatants with stinging dust that seemed to slash at their eyes like angry claws. On either side of the graveyard, the wrought iron gates slammed shut with angry force, and no on had time to pause or wonder how the gate to the west could have slammed shut against the wind…
No time to wonder at anything at all, but the horror that rose before them as the dead burst forth from their graves and walked again to protect the terrible treasure of Barton LaCroix, whose spectre even now was rising above his own grave!
Turn ThreeThe Gravedigger, Sureshot McGregor, Marvin were among the ranks of the newly dead… and they thirsted for vengeance! The knew, in their black, silent hearts, that this was a one-night reprieve. When the sun rose, they would once more fall – this time never to rise again. No, they had one more night to walk the earth, and some were torn with indecision about what to do with the brief, second chance. Should they help their living teammates claim the gold, or seek vengeance on those who had killed them? Or, perhaps, wage a jealous war against anyone still breathing! As the night ticked on, only time would tell.
| Name | Victory | Kills | Cash | Misc. | Recover Buddy |
TOTAL |
| Jebediah Fudd | 100 | 10 | ||||
| Slim | ||||||
| Marshall Dillon | ||||||
| Sureshot McGregor | ||||||
| Shotgun Dirk | ||||||
| "Quick-Draw" Dirk | 25 | |||||
| Eagle Claw Bob | ||||||
| Missy Longlegs | ||||||
| Slim-Jim Barnes | ||||||
| Marvin Scott | ||||||
| Billy Bob | ||||||
| Billy Bob Joe |
| NOTES: | |
| Jebediah Fudd | 10 VP For being smart enough to take the sniper's position |
| "Quick-Draw" Dirk | 25 VP For discovering Old Barton's grave. |
| Billy Bob | Killing the Gravedigger did not earn any VP because he was unarmed. |
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