First, the game is a pretty big hit here. Western games do well, but this one is a favorite. I will say Way Out West is great also, but Lawless works as a better filler type game and is easier to teach. Way Out West fits into Warfrogs great collection of games, but is more of heavyweight game. Yes, I like Way Out West a lot, but will find Lawless will get played more. Second, I would put the game in a midrange affair. It is along the lines of Guillotine but the Showmanager/Atlantic Star draft method works to give it more strategy. Players have money and action points to manage, and this creates some tension. It isn't in Way Out West's league as far as depth goes, but it has more depth than the typical filler games. Third, on the chaos issue. I will say the game is very fluid, and players can go up and down in a hurry. I like this about the game. This fluid nature leads to one thing, the endgame is critical (the stuff leading up to the end game plays tie breaker). Do not be dropping a lot of stuff if you can help it. I find a bunch of ranges can be dropped, and cowboys second. The money is also another semi-permanent feature, although less stable than the other two. And the cattle is the least stable of all. Each of these represent categories players score in, so, players must plan accordingly. Also, I will add that I have played the game two to three times already and won all of them by late round maneuvering. I will give it more of an argument for strategy than you have. And I was repeatedly targeted, had stuff shut down, screwed with and so on, and still was able to win. All and all, I do like the game a lot better than you have given it credit for. In the filler+ category, it is one of the better titles. I would put it in a similar class as King of the Elves in this regard. It is not a hardcore strategy game, but a filler game that borrows some cool German Game elements, to make it more than a game like Naval War or Family Business or Guillotine. I would detest Lawless if it were like these, but it is not. And yes, the rules are unclear on some points. Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 3 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com