This Wild West skirmish battle was played using basically the same rules as my “Western Smack Down game.” The players were high school students. The Participants: Pat – an outlaw gang out to free their leader from jail and shoot the sheriff, but not the deputy Joe – an evil gang of outlaw Chinese determined to rob the train depot and abduct a woman Chris – a group of lawless samurai looking to rob the bank and capture the town’s doctor John – the sheriff and his deputies tasked with defending the town Kyle – a group of friendly Indians Henry – the Taco brothers, Mexican cowboys on the side of law and order The Taco brothers started on the roof of the funeral parlor for reasons known only to them. The Sheriff left one deputy to guard his prisoner and the rest of them were out on the streets looking for troublemakers. The Indians were scattered around town, with one near the corral, one by the saloon, etc. The bad guys entered town from the North. As the strangers moved into town the Sheriff terrified the townspeople by pointing his rifle at them and wondering aloud if it would be okay to shoot them on sight. One of the Chinese approached an old man who turned on them, waving his fist and shouting “You git outta mah town!” Two samurai climbed the steps to confront ZZ Gibbons, the bank guard posted on the roof. He backed them down the steps with his rifle. One of the samurai fired an arrow through the back window of the saloon, wounding the bartender. The bar patrons came running out of the bar screaming in terror. The battle began in earnest. The Chinese shot the old man in the stomach. As he lay on the ground in a pool of his own blood he summoned up just enough strength to shake his fist in anger and say “You git outta mah town” before dying. Two samurai charged ZZ Gibbons. He missed with his rifle and began frantically trying to reload while avoiding the flashing blades of the samurai. He managed to get a fresh round into the rifle but it misfired (a well played event card). Frustrated at not being able to hit ZZ, they simply shoved him off the roof. He landed badly (rolled a 20 for his saving roll) on his head with a sickening crunch. A third samurai went into the bank to get the money, killing the bank teller for no particular reason. The fourth samurai grabbed the doctor and marched him out of town at the point of a sword. The Chinese and outlaws were engaged in a wicked firefight with the Indians, lawmen, and Taco brothers, with the Indians taking the worst of it. A stray bullet hit one of the cattle in the corral, upsetting the herd. The Chinese entered the train station only to learn that the money had been moved to the mining office. They registered their displeasure by shooting the manager. One of the Chinese thugs headed for the mining office while another went to the corral to create a diversion. starting a stampede. As the small herd thundered through town everyone ran for safety, except for the Indian known as Psycho Goat. He tried to divert the onrushing beasts before diving into the barn. The cattle had a delayed reaction, but eventually changed course and headed towards the alley between the mining office and the jail. The cattle were driven out onto the street, There was a lot going on in that alley. The Chinese had stolen the money from the mining office and were headed out of town with their loot. The outlaws, not knowing this, entered the mining office, shot the clerk, and were disappointed to find the safe was already empty. The outlaws tossed a stick of dynamite at the jail to free their leader. The stick bounced, leaving the wall damaged but still standing. As their leader tried to break through the damaged wall the deputy calmly walked up to the cell and emptied his gun into the hapless prisoner. This ended the escape attempt. The dynamite blast had aroused a civic minded rattlesnake named Cheesebo. Cheesebo moved to attack the Chinaman escaping with the mining office loot. The snake’s heroic efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspect ended when a dozen longhorn steers stampeded over the slow moving reptile. The Chinaman evaded the herd and completed his escape, untroubled by the arrival of another member of the Taco clan. At this point the Japanese and Chinese had successfully accomplished their primary missions. The Outlaws had failed, but they had come up with a new list of their own and were busy trying to complete it. This seemed to involve climbing the tallest tower in town and shooting the man in the mining office. The Indians were in full retreat. The Sheriff’s men and the Tacos had regained control of the East end of town. The Sheriff called for someone to challenge him to a fight. A local gunfighter obliged him and a photographer was on hand to record the moment. The Sheriff drew first and missed. Before the gunfighter could blast the Sheriff a shot rang out from the Sheriff’s office as one of the deputies put a rifle bullet into the gunfighter’s back. Many townspeople, and the photographer witnessed this act of treachery. The game ended there. Aftermath An investigation by the citizen’s council came down very hard on the sheriff and his deputies. They were run out of town and their jobs were given to the Taco brothers. The surviving Indians managed to round up the cattle and take them back to their tribe. The children had full bellies for a long time. The Chinese returned the doctor in exchange for a large ransom. There are reports that they used their money to buy a lot of land in San Francisco. The Samurai made off with enough money to buy boat tickets back to Japan. The outlaws elected a new leader and continue to disturb the peace. 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