First Game The Dusters employed an unusual strategy - sneaking up on innocent bystanders and shooting them. This worked for a while, but soon the bystanders realized what was happening and began to fight back. The Southerners tried to strike a deal with some of the other outlaw teams. Then they lured the owner out of his office and shot him, starting a shoot out with the other bar employees. The Southerners won that gunfight, and seized control of the gun cabinet, providing them with additional firepower and ammunition. The Pistoleros moved immediately to abduct Lili, the dance hall girl. They quickly dealt with her bodyguard and whisked her out of the bar. Then, for good measure, they kidnapped one of the bar maids. The Cowboys visited the photographer for a picture, and then tried to rob the prospectors. They succeeded in eliminating both of the prospectors, but the mule turned ornery. Several mule kicks and bites later they had the gold and escaped with it. The Chinese sent their best man, Rayden, to challenge Mongo, the saloon's bare knuckles champion. After a brutal fight Rayden emerged victorious. As the Chinese celebrated their victory the Christian Women's Temperance League invaded the saloon, determined to destroy the pool table. Rayden attacked, vaulting off a table to deliver a vicious kick to one of the women. She was a tough old lady, though, and retaliated by blasting Rayden with both barrels of her shotgun. Gut shot, and bleeding heavily, Rayden had just enough strength to dispatch the lady before leaving the saloon. The other Chinese outlaws made short work of the Temperance League, then robbed the executive poker game. The Indians had a subtle plan. Three Indians guarded the door while one of them snuck into the owner's bedroom where a dozing bear was guarding the money chest. Their stealth paid off, and they made off with the chest and three cases of whiskey, escaping out the back door. This gave them an impressive forty points; a score that they hoped would be enough to win the game. Back in the saloon the bear finally woke up and came charging out of the back room, attacking the first man it saw. Finally the Sheriff showed up with his deputies. They put up a good fight before the guns of the Southerners and their allies wiped them out. The doctor attempted to help out one of the Southerners but he only made the wound worse. Given the choice of joining the gang or a bullet in the head he picked up a gun and threw in with the Southerners. It was just in time as the US cavalry arrived to restore order. A vicious firefight ensued, with the cavalry getting the worst of it. Eventually the Southerner's allies turned on them, but this still wasn't enough to stop them. The game ended and the points were tallied. The Southerners beat the Indians by a narrow margin. Second Game: A couple of players stuck around to play again, so with the new players we had a very crowded saloon. Once again the Chinese challenged Mongo. They had him on the ropes when one of the Cowboys decided to back shoot the champ, robbing the Chinese of their victory points. The Earps had settled in up on the balcony where they were content to watch the battle, as long as their drink orders were delivered on time. Their poor bar maid was forced to run a gauntlet of gun fire, stepping over numerous dead bodies to delivery their drinks, long after the rest of the staff had been killed or run away. Eventually her luck ran out and a stray bullet struck her down. The Earps were incensed and opened fire from the balcony, taking pot shots at anything that moved. Three of the cowboys decided to have their picture taken. They got in position and held their pose while the photographer went through the long process of making the photograph. As they waited, frozen in their poses, the cowboys watched helplessly as one of the Mexicans walked up, smiled and waved, then shot the photographer. Another Mexican approached the gunslinger guarding the executive poker game. He offered to show the man a trick with his gun, which ended with the guard being shot through the heart. One of the cowboys rushed into the poker room, grabbed the money, and tried to jump through the window. Unfortunately he was too clumsy, and he ended up crashing to the floor amid a shower of broken glass. The Mexican was able to walk in, shoot him, pick up the money, and step through the broken window. David, who ran the Mexicans, was a highlight of game two with his quick wit and cheesy accent. A brave Chinese outlaw ran into the owner's bedroom, grabbed the money chest, and made a run for it. He didn't make it. The owner blasted him with a shotgun as he ran by, and another outlaw was waiting outside the office to finish him off. The owner was able to recover the money chest and drag it back to safety while the bear, awakened by the gunfire, went on a rampage. The cavalry arrived under the command of Bill Molyneaux, who had been knocked out of the game on an earlier turn. Bill knew what he was doing. The cavalry formed a skirmish line and began systematically picking off the outlaws. Anyone that raised a gun in their direction became their primary target. It wasn't long before order had been restored. Victory points were tallied and Mic was the winner. More Western Smack Down Historicon 2003 Introduction Rules for the Game Victory Points: Referee's Information Victory Points: Player's Information Battle Report Saloon Construction: Graphics Additional Graphics Back to Table of Contents -- Junior General Report #3 Back to Junior General Report List of Issues Back to MagWeb.com Magazine List © Copyright 2003 by Matt Fritz. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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