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COYOTE GULCH:
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 PLANNING FOR VICTORY Jared Lamb works out a strategy as Chris Trevino, David Burlin, John Black, and David Michael look on. |
"The more eyes we have on these rules, the better the game will be," he said. "The challenge is to take all the feedback and put it in the correct light. We can't make a game that will please everyone -- and we're not gonna try -- but we can look and listen and observe what works and what doesn't" |
"Last year's playtest was invaluable," Mitchell said. "We really learned a lot and made lots of adjustments and changes based on player reaction and input."
Last year's campaigns were held at Midnight Comics & Games and featured the Midnight Riders. Mitchell still hopes to return to the Midnight Riders this fall, but for now he needed some "new blood" to get a fresh look at things. So he moved the game to Enigmas Games.
Additionally, Mitchell said he was glad to finally be "back in the saddle" after his recent surgery. He had surgery on June 21 to remove some infected tissue, and he's finally back "on his game," so to speak.
"I had originally planned to start the campaign in July, but my surgery made me delay until I had recovered. I'm still a bit sore, but other than that, I'm fine," he said. The Enigmas Campaign is currently scheduled to run every Sunday afternoon in August, and will very likely spill a week or two into September. There are currently seven players (taking a break from an ongoing D&D campaign), but more are welcome. |
 HOOFING IT John Black moves his character toward the edge of the board... and to victory. |
"If you've got enough gumption to ride the Outlaw Trail," Mitchell said, "then mosey on down on Sunday afternoons at 2 p.m. at be ready to Get Gutshot!"
Based on the game scale of 1-inch = 2 yards,
this small town was about the size of a modern football field.
There were 7 Characters and 5 NPCs involved in combat.
The game lasted three Turns and a fourth, accelerated Turn to finish up
loose ends.
Setup (Victory Objectives)
The Silverado Mining Company has its payroll in the Bank.
Go get it and take it off the east (right) side of the table. If you get
away with the bank loot, everyone who survives (and escapes off the right-side
of the table) will earn 50 VP, plus VP for kills, loot, and other feats
of daring-do! You will also earn an additional 5 VP per Character if you
manage to accomplish this without killing anyone (good luck on that one!)
The Sheriff was in the jail doing paperwork, Stumpy was outside the jail sitting on the porch (Ole Bessy, his shotgun, in his lap), the banker and clerk were in the bank behind the counter, Pedro was on top of the Doctor's Office taking a siesta, Deets as in the corral, Clayton the gambler was at a table in the saloon sitting with a "sporting woman" and idly shuffling his deck of marked cards. There were other sporting girls (okay, they're whores) in the saloon, but none of them would get involved in this fight.
The Players positioned their Characters throughout the town. Splintertooth Jim stopped outside the front of the Sheriff’s Office and chewed the fat with “Stumpy” McGrew, the one-legged Deputy. He was there to keep an eye on the town’s favorite old “character.” “Took a bullet at Shiloh,” he told Jim. “Ain’t let it slow me down much. I ‘spect I kin still do muh job… long as I got ole ‘Bessy’ here,” he said patting his sawed-off double-barrel shotgun. As the old coot sat chewin’ the fat with old Jim, he failed to notice that Buckshot Bill was hiding around the corner of the Sheriff’s Office, shotgun ready to take out Stumpy or the Sheriff.
Shady Jay was lurking by the Doctor’s Office, Shirley was at the Livery Stables, minding the getaway horses, while Buckshot Buddha prepared to go into the Longhorn Saloon to keep an eye on the whores and gamblers. Bob and El Gallo Negro, however, were locked and loaded outside the bank, ready to make a withdrawal.
Shady Jay quickly climbed the stairs to the roof of the Doctor's Office. There he found old Pedro, the gravedigger, taking a siesta. Looking out from under his sombrero, he asked, "Hey gringo, you wanna buy some morphine? El Doctor won't miss a little bit." Jay thought about it for a minute and, a few actions later, said he was interested and asked him to go get it. Pedro left the roof Shady (Jay was awarded 10 VP for being clever enough to get rid of the old Pistolero without firing a shot). Shady Jay then took up a sniper position right across the street from the bank.
Elsewhere, Shirley was at the Livery Stables, minding the getaway horses, while Buckshot Buddha prepared to go into the Longhorn Saloon to keep an eye on the whores and Clayton the Gambler. Bob and El Gallo Negro, however, were locked and loaded outside the bank, ready to make a withdrawal.
 YOU CAN BANK ON IT Bob bullies the bank owner and clerk while El Gallo keeps both guns trained on their hapless victims. |
As the others milled about town, keeping an eye on the locals, Bob and El Gallo entered the bank. Bob was the first to draw his weapon, quickly followed by El Gallo, who drew both his pistols. “This is a hold up!” Bob shouted, ordering the terrified bank owner to “Open the safe!” Meanwhile, in the saloon, Buckshot Buddha got in a friendly game of cards with Lamont Clayton… and promptly lost $2. Shirley, at the Livery Stable, tended to his horse, mounted it, and rode over to the bank. |
Back at the saloon, Buckshot Buddha reversed his losing streak and actually
won 50 cents. "Must be a high roller," mused Clayton the gambler.
Bob opened the second Turn by violently bashing his pistol butt across the bank clerk's nose, busting it open for 3 Pain. The clerk promptly displayed a little backbone, so Bob bashed him again (4 Pain). Shirley rode up the street toward the bank. Splintertooth Jim made a wasted effort to talk Stumpy into letting him hold Ole Bessy, but the old codger wouldn't let her go. "Would you loan out yer best girl, eh? Well, me neither!" Buckshot Bill held his ground, Buckshot Buddha managed to break even at cards, and then all hell broke loose in the bank!
| Upton the bank clerk pulled a loaded pistol out of the safe and took a shot at El Gallo.. and missed. El Gallo fired off a Retaliation Shot and also missed! Smoke hanging in the air, everything depended on whose name came out of the hat next, and it was El Gallo! The bandito let the banker have it with both pistols and scored two hits for 15 points of Damage: exactly enough to kill him! When the smoke cleared, Upton lay in a pool of his own blood... and the outlaws knew that they only had seconds to act before the law would arrive! |  OOZING LIFE Mr. Upton lay in a pool of his own blood -- cut down by the vicious El Gallo Negro (The Black Rooster)! |
 HUH? Clayton the gambler hears the ruckus outside and ponders if something might be wrong... |
The first one to hear the commotion was Clayton the Gambler, who was next door in the Longhorn Saloon. Before Buckshot Buddha could stop him, he hopped up and made it outside... Meanwhile, back at the bank, Bob was busy stepping over the oozing body of the banker and cleaning out the safe. |
Outside, Shirley heard the gunfire and waited patiently outside the bank
on his horse, ready to grab the loot and make a run for it.
Out in the street, Stumpy began to move. The crafty old sidekick stunned everyone by hobbling at full speed through the back alley behind the general store. Even though the old codger could only move two-thirds as fast as a normal man, he hobbled at astonishing speed behind the buildings, determination (and the Spontaneous Specialty) letting him get farther than anyone imagined he could. Likewise, in short order, Clayton the gambler positioned himself between the buildings and looked through the Bank window... making himself a target for Shady Jay, who promptly blasted him for 8 points of Damage. Stumpy had already made it past the outhouse before Splintertooth Jim could even react. Stunned by the old coot's speed and tenacity, he decided that it might be better if he let him go, so he headed to the Livery Stable to fetch his horse. |
 LOOKS LIKE TROUBLE The gambler sees the carnage and gets ready to take a shot, not knowing that he, too, would soon be counted among the dead. |
 EAT LEAD, LAWMAN! Buckshot Bill opens up with both barrels right through the window of the Sheriff's Office. |
This Turn opened with a ban -- Buckshot Bill jumped around the corner of the Sheriff's Office and pumped both barrels of his double-barreled shotgun right through the window into Sheriff Pettigrew Jackson, who was just getting up from his desk to investigate the gunfire he heard in the streets. The deadly hail of lead would have cut down a lesser man (13 points of Damage), but the Sheriff had True Grit! The Specialty let him shrug off the wounds from that attack. Of course, this only works once per game, so from now on , every wound would count! Shady Jay was busy trading potshots with the gambler (who was down to one point) as Bob finished stuffing the loot into a bag and rushed it to the front door and handed it off to Shirley, who was ready to ride. |
Buckshot Buddha finally made it out of the saloon and finished off the gambler with both barrels of his shotgun (a little bit of overkill since the gambler only had one point left and he dished out at least 16 points of Damage). Clayton the gambler was now just a gooey red mess on the side of the bank.
Things got more hectic: Splintertooth Jim was riding up on Stumpy, who was getting ready to climb the stairs to take out Shady Jay even as El Gallo and Bob mad it out of the bank and were trying to mount their horses. Buckshot Buddha, of course, decided to take the time to loot the gambler, relieving him of some money, a gold watch, and a deck of marked cards.
BLOOD IN THE STREETS!
And outlaws on the loose, as the tiny town of Coyote Gulch proved no match
for the young guns of The Redleg Gang.
Even though Splintertooth Jim got a shot off on Stumpy, the feisty deputy decided he needed to take out the sniper, so he rushed up the stairs and emptied on barrel of ole Bessie right into Shady Jay's gut. The 10 points of Damage wasn't enough to finish him off, though. Jay managed to get off a shot on Stumpy, leaving him with only 6 points left.
Meanwhile, back at the sheriff's office, the lawman couldn't shoot for spit: he missed a point-blank shot on Buckshot Bill, who had the brass balls to just stand there and reload his shotgun, even as the Sheriff readied for another shot and Deets closed in from the Livery Stable with a rifle, ready to lend a hand.
Sheriff Jackson finally scored a hit, only to find that Buckshot Bill also had the True Grit Specialty, and he shrugged off the 7 points of Damage. Apparently, even in the Old West, turnabout was fair play. |
 RIDE, MAN, RIDE! Jared contemplates his options; should he just ride past the Sheriff and Deets, risking two shots, or should he just make a mad dash for it and hope to escape quickly?
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 THE MEASURE OF A MAN Chris Trevino measures the distance his horse can move at a mad gallop through the streets of town. |
El Gallo and Bob were finally on their horses and were making a mad dash for the hills of Mexico. The Turn ended with Deets shooting Bill for 6 points, and the aptly-named outlaw emptied both barrels into Sheriff Jackson for 14 points -- leaving the lawman with just one point, barely clinging to life. |
This Turn brought split the action between Stumpy and the fleeing outlaws. Shady Jay made a break for it off the roof of the Doctor's Office as Stumpy took the time to reload. Even as his fellow outlaws fought the valiant deputy (or "that one-legged gimp with a shotgun," as they called him), Shirley stayed focused and achieved the Victory Objective: he rode off the east edge of the table with the Mining Company Payroll! Buckshot Bill made a break for it on foot, realizing that if he could make it to the badlands that he would be safe (and one of his buddies could pick him up). Dashing through a hail of bullets, El Gallo and Bob both managed to make it off the board, and to victory. |
 I'M OUTTA HERE! David Burlin measures the distance as his Character, Bob, gallops toward freedom. |
Shady decided to make a break for it and quickly mounted it. He was ready to ride off just as Stumpy came hobbling down the steps and let him have it for 8 points of Damage: Jay fell to the ground clutching his chest and squeezed off one ineffectual shot before he faded into darkness -- dead.
With most of the outlaws safely out of town (and Shady Jay now just a pulpy red mess), the action was fast and furious as the brave deputy stood alone against Splintertooth Jim and Buckshot Buddha. Both Stumpy and Buckshot Buddha desperately reloaded. Jim was taking a few potshots with his pistol, but it really came down to whose name was next out of the hat.. and it was Stumpy!
Then the gimpy lawman made a fatal mistake. Fearing that he would have to stand alone against Buddha with an empty shotgun, he emptied only one barrel into Splintertooth Jim, counting on Ole Bessie to finish him off. But, Lady Luck proved to be fickle that day and the trusty shotgun only delivered 9 points of Damage... not quite enough to finish his foe. And even as the Lady frowns on one man, she smiles on another -- Splintertooth Jim rolled BOXCARS! Splintertooth Jim dished out 9 points of Damage, and Stumpy was down!
THE GIMP IS DOWN!
Even though it was really delivered with a lucky shot from a pistol, the
legend grew in the telling. No one ever believed that a simple Colt could
take out Deputy Stumpy McGrew... so as the tale spread from town to town,
so did the size of the gun, until most everybody believed that Jim had
used his shotgun that fateful day in Coyote Gulch.
Buckshot Buddha and Splintertooth Jim loaded Shady Jay's body on a horse and headed out of town to join their fellow outlaws.They also paused to reflect on the man they had taken down, and did him a form of tribute: they stole Stumpy's crutch, peg leg, and Ole Bessie.
On the way out, Buddha punctuated their visit and squeezed off a shot at Deets the Livery Stable hand, and finished him off, too. The Sheriff (a coward in the eyes of some, a practical man in the eyes of others) stood by his jail, clutching his pulsing, bloody wounds, and watched the last members of the Redleg Gang ride off into the badlands of Mexico.
| Name | Victory |
Kills |
Cash | Misc. |
Recover Buddy |
TOTAL |
| Bob | 50 |
16 | 2 | 68 | ||
| Buckshot Bill | 50 |
16 | 2 | 68 | ||
| Buckshot Buddha | 50 |
12 | 19 | 10 | 91 | |
| El Gallo Negro | 50 |
4 | 16 | 70 | ||
| "Shirley" | 50 |
16 | 5 | 71 | ||
| Shady Jay (no VP because he's dead) | - |
- | - | - | - | na |
| "Splintertooth" Jim | 50 |
25 | 16 | - | 10 | 101 |
NOTES:
Bob earned 2 points for brutalizing the Bank Clerk
Buckshot Bill earned 2 points for a good shot on the
Sheriff
Buckshot Buddha earned 8 points for killing the Clayton
the Gambler, 4 points for Deets, and 10 points for helping to recover
Shady Jay's body, earned an extra 3 VP for the money he got from Clayton's
body.
El Gallo earned 4 points for killing Upton the banker
Shirley earned 5 points for being clever enough to wait
on his horse outside the bank to get the loot from El Gallo and Bob.
Splintertooth Jim earned 25 points for killing Stumpy
and 10 for recovering Shady Jay's body.
