PLAYTEST: “The Posse”

[Whiterook]

TURN 2

Concealed Counters Movement: Deputy Fred ands one dummy are detected.
Character Activation:

• Deputy Fred activates, 3 AP; moves up two spaces and halts, to stay out of an out-of-range Miguel (he doesn’t have enough APs to go into ambush);
• Outlaw Ron is up next, 4 APs; and he jumps out of the Rattlesnake River to his left, up two and gives a kiss to a shocked Cathy (Ron is sweet on her!!!), and jumps back into the river before she can haul off and punch him in the gut!
• Boss Billy activates, 3 APs; shifts over to his right into the bushes, picks up the whisky flask and switches his Winchester to his carry-on and dynamite to his left hand, with the whicky now in his right hand for next turn to gulp down (he only has 1 AP left and it costs 2 to drink whichever) …so Billy keeps running up behind his two desperados;
• Deputy Susan activates, 3 APs; she grabs her holstered revolver into her left hand (1 AP), she then fires two shots at Miguel with her right hand gun (1 AP), first bullet misses, but she uses her horseshoe to add +1 for a hit, and her second bullet misses… she the fires two shots from her left hand gun (1 AP) for a miss and a Close Call, and another bullet for a hit and a second wound on Outlaw Miguel; 
  
• Outlaw Miguel activates, 3 APs; he fires at the Sheriff with his Winchester for as miss, another for a hit, and another for a miss, he uses a horseshoe for a re-roll and misses again! He uses his second horseshoe and, misses again!!! Sheesh, too much tequila;
  
• Outlaw Cathy is next, 2 APs, but on a roll of 1 gets an extra horseshoe; she moves in front of Miguel, shielding her wounded ally, and fires her Winchester at the Sheriff for a hit and wound on the Sheriff.

This has been a rough game that took a little time to backtrack and get that double wound bungle that was fiasco corrected. I considered giving Sheriff Susan an extra AP for this round, as I shorted he a firing opportunity doe to that bungle last turn, but in the final analysis, figured it was just better to consider it a missed move… it wouldn’t have been a justice if Miguel bought the fatal bullet because of an extra AP, and having only one wound left, it makes better karma. Then, as I finished this turn, the Proboards server went down   …lost everything, but because of that bungle, I had made a copy of the post text and was able to fudge everything back to make this post… it really messed up the post bullets, but I managed. I’m pretty sure the action is correct, but there was a lot of corrections going on during mid play, so if it doesn’t add up, the maps and cards are definitely right… but I think we’re all OK here 

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PLAYTEST NOTES:

The Double Shot mess had been an issue even when I first started reading the rules. On the one hand, it’s called a “shot”, yet we’re really talking “bullets” expenditure. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but I have a very literal and analytical mind so, it clogs up in internal mind processing… I don’t know if that makes sense to the readers, but I though I’d try and explain where I personally went wrong in misinterpretation. There’s also two game mechanics where a rifle has a double wound and a revolver has a double shot… the graphics on the counter thank goodness help to clarify visually what’s up, so that’s good… I just messed up shot versus bullets.

Horseshoes — I had the opportunity to try out the variant and I really like how it plays just allowing a horseshoe on a dr1 being from the Activation roll. I definitely, now feel that a 1 on a die in a shooting dice roll is not a way I’d want to play it. KISS… keep it simple stu… whereas Miguel had the worst rolls possible in regards to horseshoe re-rolls, Susan definitely benefitted from the in changing a missed shot top a hit on poor Miguel.

The Scenario — dang this is a fun one!!! I am really curious to see if I get past Turn 4, though… it may be off balance for the Outlaws, but tome will tell on that.

Cover — I have been playing one mechanic wrong, which is when trees or bushes are represented by artwork in a small corner portion of a space square, I’ve been treating the whole square as +1 Cover in Hit Calculations. The art only provide cover for someone behind it if the LOS actually goes through it.

[Whiterook]

TURN 3

Concealed Counters Movement: Deputy Alex and one dummy are detected.
Character Activation:

Ooops, need to continue this tommorow night. Well, took a couple nights, but lets get a little play in!

• Deputy Fred is up first, 4 APs; switches his second revolver from his holster to his left hand, so he’s double packin’! Moves one to the top of the boulder with a bead on Outlaw Cathy, takes aim, and fires his right revolver for two bullets, hit and miss. Cathy takes one wound;
• Outlaw Ron is next, 2 APs; moves up the next river square and fires his sawed-offed shotgun at Sheriff Susan, hit, and the Sheriff gets a double wound and is dead in her tracks!
• Deputy Alex is nex, 4 APs; moves down three and holds position out of of LOS of Ron since he the desperado will activated before him next turn;
• Outlaw Boss Billy activates, 2 APs; moves up and into the river behind Ron;
• Outlaw Miguel is up next, 4 APs; and takes an unorthodox approach by running like the wind to the bushes to the right of the boss! Actually, I had a tough time with this one… should I move him up a couple and take a couple shots with his Winchester at Deputy Fred, who has no wounds… or with Miguel already gravely wounded (one more hit kills him), move him out of harms way temporarily, next to the boss and ask for the Boss’s whiskey (to cure one wound)? I chose the latter, as he also see’s the dust cloud coming up from the south, with more lawmen arriving on scene… he can maybe hold them off next turn, if he lives this one!!!
• Outlaw Cathy, 4 APs; decides to unload on Deputy Fred with her trusty Winchester, one hit out of four  , uses a horseshoe for a hit, and another for a miss. Deputy Fred has two wounds;
• Deputy Belle of the Posse arrives in square position 6, second from left, 4 APs; moves up two for 1 AP and dismounts, and fires her shotgun at the Outlaw Boss for two hits on the first shot, and two on the second shot…damn fine shootin’!!! The Boss is dead. Game over.

Oh man… three turns this game. I think that posse is just dang overwhelming!

[Whiterook]

Playtest thoughts after the 3rd game.

I like this scenario a Lot! …but I’ve not been able to get past Turn 4 yet, and the outlaws are gunned down before they can get past the river at the top of the map (…the Boss needs to exit the North map edge in order for the outlaws to win). At first, I wondered if I was spending too much effort with the outlaws in fighting, but looking back, I think they are:

• Just trying to blow a hole through the ranks of lawmen coming from the north;
• They defending themselves;
• They are probably overmatched;
• The Posse being on horseback can close on the outlaws too quickly and are usually the coup de gras kill after the Deputies already onboard softens the Outlaws up.

I’m not sure the “Posse” concept works, in terms of four deputies arriving in a mid-game turn. The Sheriff and Deputies that get revealed from Hidden Markers are essentially, the main “Posse”…

I like the idea of a few late lawmen arrivals at the Southern map edge (…maybe they circled around from the main posse?), however I would recommend the following with the late arrivals at the southern board edge: Let them come in on horses, but only allow movement (1 or 2 square spaces) mounted, up until each onboarding lawman is within two spaces or greater from any outlaw, and a mandatory dismount after that first move onto the board. My reasoning is, the posse onboard at game start obviously caught up with the outlaws and let their horses go; the onboarding lawmen on Turn 3 were sent around to pincer the gang, and arriving near on scene, did the same in dismounting and engaging. 

[mikeh]

At some point I will pick this game up. Just like watching TV every once in awhile I need a good Western.

[Whiterook]

Oct 23, 2024 16:37:25 GMT -5 mikeh said:

At some point I will pick this game up. Just like watching TV every once in awhile I need a good Western.

Absolutely! I used to get the INSP streaming app, which had the best lineup of old tv western shows… when we dumped it, it hurt…but then we got a Spectrum app and it’s one of the channels on it. I was gaga on The High Chapparall for the longest time and is still a fav, and The Virginian… booth of which are on that channel.

This game is a hoot… gives the impression at first as being so simple, but it has a lot of tooth to it! Not complex by any measure, but it has a lot of surprises from the dice! About twenty bucks, you can’t go wrong.