Showdowns & Shootouts
First adventure in contest series ready for download
April 26, 2007 -- Houston, Texas

Download it on the Showdowns & Shootouts page.

There ain’t no honor among thieves as Pa Burman and his boys turn on their old saddle pals in a deadly game of bushwhacking and revenge.  So grab yer dice and shootin’ irons, pardner, and get ready to play the first adventure selected in Hawgleg Publishing’s Showdowns & Shootouts Adventure Writing Contest, “Ambush at Coyote Canyon!”

Written by Al Theobald (with some help from the Gutshot Posse), this adventure is a classic tale of double-crosses and dry-gulching on the outlaw trail, and is ready for download as a free PDF from the Hawgleg Website. Although it’s customized for use with the Origins Award winning game, Gutshot, it is suitable for use with any Wild West skirmish game.

“Wow, that's great news!” Al responded when notified that his was the first adventure selected in the year-long contest. “I must say I'm surprised, as there were so many great entries, but I don't mind admitting I'm feeling more than a little happy right now. I love the layout of the adventure and the changes you've made look great too.”

Changes were actually quite minor, said Gutshot co-creator Mike Mitchell.

"Since we wanted this to be almost ready to play the minute it was downloaded, we added some character names, set most of the Character Specialties, and whipped up some pre-filled Character Sheets with all the weapons and most of the game stats. As soon as you print this out and fill in a few details, you're ready to ride."

The adventure features two rival gangs of four characters, so it can be played with 2-8 players and it does not require a Game Marshal (referee).  As stated in the title, the game focuses on an ambush in a canyon (25mm coyotes are optional), so terrain requirements are very simple: rocks, brush, and assorted debris to provide cover.

“That was one of the things we loved about Al’s adventure,” said Hawgleg partner Paul Mauer. “It’s a simple set up and a classic Western scene. We think this is a great first choice.”

The adventure may be downloaded on the Showdowns & Shootouts page.

Ready to ride

Hawgleg Publishing announced the Showdowns & Shootouts Wild West Adventure Writing Contest in late January 2007, and since then there have been more than 20 submissions.  The goal of the contest is to find and publish at least 12 adventures this year, and Mitchell has been very vocal about that being the minimum goal. “I would love to publish 24 or more this year,” Mitchell said. “Two per month is not an overly ambitious goal, especially considering the high quality of the submissions we’ve received to date. Whether we have the time to achieve this goal is just something we’ll have to wait and see to find out.”

The initial lag between the contest start and the release of the first adventure was to provide the time needed to create templates for the adventures and to automate the process for adding the material to the Hawgleg Website.  Now that those features are in place, future updates will be coming much faster.

Right now, about to enter May, the Hawgleg team feels a mite behind schedule.

“We are working hard to pull others together and you should expect to see them released very quickly until we’re caught up,” Paul said.

Contest still accepting submissions

In addition to the indescribable thrill and glory of having his name attached to a Hawgleg product, Al (and all other authors published in this contest) will receive a tangible reward.

“We thought the authors might want something more substantial than bragging rights,” Mitchell said with a grin. “So Al, and all other published authors, will receive a ‘La Vaquera’ miniature.”

The miniature is a limited edition 25mm figure of a tequila swilling lethal lady that will be sent to each person who has an adventure published.  Additionally, Al will be eligible for the Judges’ and Jury’s Prizes with a combined value of about $400 in value.

The contest will be accepting submissions through November or December (a final date will be selected near that time), so if you’ve got an idea for an adventure of your own, mosey on over to the Hawgleg Website and enter now, pilgrim!

Special thanks to this month’s featured sponsor,
Hotz Artworks Felt Game Mats!