The plan for the Wild South West

The consensus of opinion on Table E has been that the Fistful of lead rules were written for Wild West skirmish games, and would

probably be at their best in that period.  Since I have both the "Core" and "Reloaded" rules this seems like a great project.   With my birthday approaching I decided that a small outlay would be a reasonable way to test this hypothesis.

My aim would be just that, a small game, with a 20 figure limit. It would also require the use of existing terrain, mainly my Peninsular war buildings.  That restricts the setting to the South Western States and Texas.  

Actually, given a free hand, I think I would go for a setting in Canada, the Dakotas or Montana, snow and grizzly bears.  Legends of the Fall, Deadwood, or Aces and Eights.  My terrain says otherwise.  I'm looking at the Wild Bunch, Magnificent Seven and a range of Spaghetti westerns.

Unfortunately for price the figures I wanted were the expensive Pulp range from Northstar.  Generally 20 or so figures isn't going to break me on price, but I needed some Seven Years War Redcoats in this order,  and it ended up at the ouch side of the spending scale. 

Unfortunately no sooner had I put the order in than the Gunfighters Ball range from Knuckleduster were pointed out to me.  OK, well Magnificent Seven was in my list, so I bought those guys too, the sculpts honouring the original movie cast.  Works of art.  

More Northstar

The figures will give me seven Northstar Vaqueros Americanos, my Wild Bunch, lead by Bill Holden with Ernie Borgnine, Ben Johnson Warren Oats and Robert Ryan.  One of these will be the bounty hunter Angel Eyes, or Colonel Mortimer on formal occasions, and Blondie in his poncho. 

I also get Tuco, the "Ugly" bandido and eight of his compadres.  The addition of the "seven" gives me a group in the classic cowboy look, so gunmen or a posse chasing the other two groups.  Maybe lead by Marshal Angel Eyes from the third magnificent seven movie leading his posse into Mexico to avenge the death of his sister... or something... The plot was always thin.

In a look to the future I would add a group of Federales, and some mexican Peones. 

Given that my birthday is six weeks away I have time to sort out terrain and work out my games.  I have a few buildings, but a church and cantina (open roof of course, will be needed.  I also intend to build a village fountain and sufficient walls to keep Tuco and his Banditos inside the killing zone of the village.

For special builds I will need a guy sitting sleeping under the shade of a huge sombrero, a busty senorita, a group of mexican children who will adopt one of my gunmen and so there best to get him killed and a nun who is actually a soiled dove who looks a lot like Shirley Maclaine.  That last one is a big ask for milliput. I'll also have a go at a hunchback gunfighter with Marty Feldman like eyes, who can be insulted by and plot revenge on a gunman.

In terms of animals I need a savage village dog, probably rabid, a group of scrawny chickens and a mule for the locals to insult.  

Cactus are interesting as a scratch build.  Paperclip and milliput I think.  Half a dozen of these, as well as rocky terrain from my existing desert setup. 

There are probably half a dozen locations for games.  By planning these in advance I can get the terrain ready to go.

The dry gulch.  Rocks, cactus and sand

The poor village  walls, houses, fountain, cantina

The Ranchero.  Walls, ranch and bunkhouse.

The Rio Grande   River, Ford,  rocks, cactus sand.

The church and graveyard  church tower, gravestones and boards, walls

The desert trail.  Sand cactus and rocks

For me, there is only one truly
great Spaghetti Western Actor,
the incomparable Lee van Cleef

The Campaign Plan

Three (later six) groups of 5 to 9 figures.  Each group has named characters with skills.  Names reflect the actors or movie characters.  Characters will be on the scale of good, bad and ugly.  "Good" is of course open to interpretation.  

"Bad" are Boss level guys like Angel Eyes.  Most characters are just plain "Ugly" with bounties on their heads.  They will also have "Reputation" that will rise with the notches on their guns.

Plot Aims drawn from movies, lots of them.  Plot complications drawn from movies, lots of them.  Plot rewards will be bounties and a roll on the winners reward table, that will have some eye watering inclusions.

Characters are grouped into gangs, but may be required to act alone in a scenario if the dice so dictate.  Roll a location;  Roll an aim; Roll for plot complications; Roll for scenario rewards.

The Nine part plot

The opening scene

Introducing the main characters

The first challenge

The unexpected attack

A skunk in the woodpile

The big gunfight opening shots

The big gunfight reinforced

The big gunfight's bloody conclusion

Rewards and the end credits

Notes: a work in progress

The Mexican kids try to get you killed

Cross dressing Mexican youth.  It's a girl?

Chico the Villista supporting gunman

Burying the Native American on Boot Hill

The Wild Bunch and the bank job gone wrong.

The posse pursuit across the border, revenge for the Colonel's sister

Chico's plan to rescue the villagers held as slaves

Captain Quincy Whitmore and his posse, Jubal and young Earl chase the renegades

Chato and his war party in his land

Tuco the Magnifico bandito escapes justice

The grave of Arch Stanton...

The ACW and the bridge in no man's land

A safe in a wooden cabinet

Tuco's men wreck the Cantina

Colonel Mortimer and Blondie hunt bounties

Blondie and Chief Dan vs the Comancheros

The Rio Grande boat ride

Gone to Texas, Senator Red Legs chases renegades 

Revenge: the Wild Bunch vs Federales

Seven Pistoleros vs the Outlaw Josey

Kissing Kate Barlow comes to town

Young guns in a Blaze of Glory

Big John Cannon comes a'courtin with Buck, Blue boy and Manolito as company