A VARIANT SET OF RULES FOR TRIGGERNOMETRY, BLOODSHED & MAYHEM IN THE OLD WEST, COMBINED WITH THOSE WONDERFUL MOVIE MONSTERS OF YORE
PARTICULARLY WELL SUITED TO UTILIZE THE WEIRD WEST FIGURES THAT ARE FLOODING THE MINIATURES MARKET
INTRO
The following article is a flight of fancy. I've been playing with Brian Ansell's excellent RULES WITH NO NAME for three years now, and have run many convention games and events at home with them. TRWNN is fast, fun, easy to learn, and most important, adaptable. With very little tinkering, you can use TRWNN for many different milieus and settings.
SCARY MONSTERS OF THE GOLDEN WEST is born out of one my passions, old horror movies. In particular, old Universal and Hammer era horror movies that feature the "famous" monsters that populate our subconcious: Vampires, Golems, Zombies, Werewolves, and Mummies. After watching the excellent NEAR DARK* one evening, I got the notion of how fun it would be to add vampires to a Western setting, like in BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA (an awful movie, but it does present an interesting scenario). I started sketching out how a vampire would be defined in TRWNN terms. Then I added Frankenstein's Monster (renamed a "Flesh Construct" here), and then zombies, and, and... well, I'm not even done yet.
The other passion driving this effort is me being so cheap. I love the idea of an Arcane, "Weird West," but don't have the dough to jump into Pinnacle's DEADLANDS with both feet. So I made my own.
I've playtested Scary Monsters for the last year or so, and have corrected some of my assumptions and tinkered with the rules sufficiently that I'd like to share it with the rest of you. Consider this to be a DRAFT.. I'll continue to revise it and post revisions to the Wild West Skirmish Game website, at:
- http://underworld.fortunecity.com/descent/738/wwest.htm
My plan is to continue to expand the SmotGW rules to include some Form of magic (throwin' hexes), Madmen, and Mad Scientists. if people like it of course.
Please note that Scary Monsters is not meant as a treatise on occult subjects such as vampirism or raising the dead, devil worship, etc. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Scary Monsters! Is presented very much tongue in cheek, and is meant to Expand the play of TRWNN in a mode enhanced by the consumption of Malt beverages and crunchy, salty baked items. I mean no offense.
If you have any questions or requests for clarification, send 'em to hotspur@rocketmail.com, pardner.
* Yes, I know Gail Heard's NEAR DARK is set in modern times ... yet it has a certain cool and creepy Western feel to it.
Introduction
This is a variant for Bryan Ansell's The Rules with No Name (TRWNN), though with a little effort it could be used with other Wild West or generic skirmish games systems. With the plethora of "Weird West" figures and accessories on the market today, I thought it might be fun to explore adding a horror element to my Wild West games. (Note Bene: Though there are many concepts presented herein that are familiar to RPG enthusiasts, this article isn't an attempt to create a new RPG. Think of SM as a toolbox for adding unusual critters to gunfight settings.)
This module will examine combining the classic "Hollywood film monsters" with a Wild West skirmish game. The era I'm visualizing is the Hammer/Universal era of filmmaking; the movies that created monster legends are the source for this article. In transplanting the creatures of Cinema lore to a Western setting, I have had to take enormous liberties with setting, but tried to keep somewhere in the general universe of the Wild West. Therefore, I will focus on the following creatures in this installment:
Constructs
Artificial people made out of a variety of materials: usually straw, mud or pieces of corpses. Human constructs are brought back to life through the vehicle of a perverted form of science; straw constructs (scarecrows) and mud constructs (golems) are animated from various forms of wizardry.
Mummies
the Aztec kind. Animated remnants of a long-dead empire, brought back to life through a form of New World wizardry. Brittle and dry as dust; they are vulnerable to fire but can be quite dangerous to wounded men.
Vampires
The classic European "Nosferatu", transplanted to the American West in search of new blood. Easy to pick out from their preference for solid black clothing, ebony-handled pistols, and their odd habit of wearing glasses with dark colored lenses in broad daylight. (Yeah, Yeah, I know... vampires and sunlight. I just don't want to worry about that. I figure a Vampire has enough smarts to avoid sunlight... so why right a lot of complicated rules about night fighting, LOS, etc? Just assume you are playing at dusk if you need justification.)
Zombies
Dead bodies resurrected to serve their voodoo masters. Slow, terrible shots, but almost unkillable unless you shoot them to pieces or are lucky enough to blow their heads off.
Werewolves
Spirit Warriors from the Plains Indian tribes that possess the unique ability to commune with the Wolf Spirit to such a degree that they actually transform into wolves themselves under certain situations.
We will investigate how to modify the TRWNN combat tables to accommodate supernatural critters, how to animate and destroy them, resurrect them and control them.
Scale & Definitions:
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, assume that one model/figure equals one "critter", "controller," or "minion." in Scary Monsters. Scale should be identical to TRWNN in all respects that matter: distance, time and basing. "Critters" are the actual scary monsters of the title; "Controllers" represent a figure that directs the more brainless types of monsters' actions (Mad Doctor, Evil High Priest, Hougouns); and "Minions" are members of the Controller/Critter's gang, and are usually human (gypsies, Igor, etc.).
Activation:
Activation of figures happens in the same fashion as in TRWNN. A single card is placed in the Fate Deck per figure (exception: unless the Deck is shuffled, and the Dealer flips the cards, one by one, and calls the current fate card. Note the certain critters can take advantage of the extra action cards available in the basic game (Vampires, namely). Certain other creatures have minions or controllers that might be added into the deck as individual characters (and played as such). If you opt for a simple deck of standard playing cards for activation purposes, you may assign a card/suit combination to individual critters or groups of critters (as well as controllers and minions, as appropriate).
Who should play what:
One person will assume the minor deity-like powers of the Referee, and the others present will run individual figures. It would be wise to set all figures run by human players at the Shootist level. Unless agreed upon between the Referee and the players, Critters are to be run by the Referee-or by players in a convention game. Certain critters have controllers (the Constructs' MAD DOCTOR, EVIL HIGH PRIEST or HEXSLINGER, or the Zombies' HOUGOUN) or minions (The Vampires' GYPSIES, YGOR, etc) that can be "player characters" to use a roleplaying term.
Most critters, however, have too many strengths to be much fun in this setting-- though it can be a lot of fun to play a monster from time to time, stomping a hapless Western town. I have added some weaknesses to each Critter's section, for the sake of play balance and to keep things "on topic." Use of these is up to the individual referee, of course. NOTE: Repeated playtesting has changed my mind on that last point. I think getting the players to play monsters is just great, as long as there is adequate numbers on both sides.
The Big Equalizer: The Angry Posse
The West, of course, had a homegrown variant of those angry villagers you see swarming the Mad Doctor's castle during the denouement of so many classic horror films. The Western version is the Angry Posse, and instead of being armed with torches and scythes, the Posse is armed to the teeth! The Angry Posse is formed at the Referee's discretion, but a good guideline is to count how many corpses the marauding critter has sent to Boot Hill (or, in some cases, have come back from Boot Hill). If this number exceeds 10, an Angry Posse is formed.
The Angry Posse will be led by a Sheriff, who acts like a Shootist level BOSSMAN. The Posse will always use group movement, and will contain between 8 and 10 CITIZEN level citizens armed with rifles and the odd shotgun. When a Posse member gets killed, roll a 1D6. On a 5 or 6, the dead posse member is replaced with another figure, representing the ardor of these stouthearted Western yeomen. If the Posse suffers more than 50% casualties in two turns, it disbands and runs for it. All figures will seek the closest cover, except for the Sheriff who will continue to fight as an individual NPC style figure (until killed).
Angry posses will strive to kill rampaging critter(s) first, then burn down any associated buildings (the Mad Doc's house, the Vampire's hideout, etc.) using Kindling Rules.
The Nervous Citizenry
Now, it's not at all normal for creatures of the night to be stalking around the suburb you live in, how do you think the folks in a 19th Century rural town feel about it? Most citizens (Meaning "the occupants of a Western Town" not necessarily with the RANK of Citizen. Anyone, including Legends, may skeecladdle at the sight of Critters for the first time.), when encountering a supernatural critter, are likely to find themselves running in the opposite direction just as fast as their bandy little legs will carry them.
To simulate this effect, have ANY figure run by players perform a NERVE CHECK (as per the classic TRWNN procedure) the first time they encounter a TYPE of Critter on the board. That's once for Werewolves, once for Zombies, etc. Each subsequent encounter receives a bonus to the Nerve Check as if the figure was one rank higher (example: after the first encounter with a critter of any type, a Shootist would perform nerve checks on any other critters he encounters as if he were a Legend). NPCs have it a little worse. They must perform a nerve check ANY time a supernatural critter comes within 5" of them, as if they were citizen rank. This rule of thumb may be overridden by specific scenario requirements.
Critter Types Section
Parts is Parts: The Construct in the Wild West
Constructs are, simply put, artificial people, created by do-it-yourselfer types with a few spare parts or dross lying around. The classic construct is based upon a certain luckless creature straight out of the laudanum-addled brain of Mary Shelley: he is the human, or Flesh construct. These critters can be most unpleasant, as they are constructed out of the parts of dead human beings (and smell bad). The other two types of constructs are Straw Men (animated scarecrows) and Mud Men (Golems). Through some electrochemical process we couldn't begin to understand, or perhaps through a manipulation of physical processes in a fashion indistinguishable from magic, these monstrosities have been animated in a parody of humankind. The Constructs of the Old West Setting are more closely derived from the Universal Pictures interpretation of Shelley's creation. They are brutish, shambling, nearly mindless creatures of immense strength. They can take a lot of damage (the Mud Men and Human Constructs at least, the Straw Men a little less). Constructs should be approached with care.
Construct Prerequisites:
Ideally, you should create a "Mad Doc" figure and possibly a lab setup
somewhere if you want to add an Angry Posse scenario to your Wild West
game. Note that the lab building really is for some form of continuing
campaign you may have going-all the nasty elements of construct
animation (digging up bodies, sewing them together, etc.) are presumed
to take place offstage in some secluded spot (e.g., "Doc Frankenstein just
bought that ol' tumbledown Harrison Ranch. I hear he's a forriner or some
such. Sounds like a nice dude, but he's got some heavy baggage. It took
up an entire boxcar."That sort of thing takes too long in game
turns to be playable in a skirmish setting.
How to play Constructs
Activation and Movement: The Construct will be found alone, or in the company of a controller. Constructs are activated and moved at the same time as regular TRWNN figures. Alternatively, the Construct may move at the same time as the Mad Doc (using the BOSSMAN skill), but never twice per turn. A card must be created for the Construct, the Mad Doc, and any secondary minions like Ygor. These cards are shuffled into the Fate Deck in the normal way. Constructs move 2D6 maximum, turning at the juncture of the die rolls. Mad Docs and Ygors move at the same rate of Gunmen.
Combat: Constructs are immensely strong (except for Straw Men, which have a normal strength), and possess the STRENGTH SKILL. They are also STOOPID when not in the presence of a controller figure. The reanimation process has wiped out large portions of the creature's individual initiative, empathy and personality (if they ever had one). Constructs can be taught simple tasks like firing a gun, but only in a rudimentary fashion.
When a construct engages in fire combat, the following restrictions are in effect:
- Only Human Constructs and Mud Men may fire guns, and then only pistols.
The Flesh Construct fires by blazing away, at GUNMAN level. The Mud Man fires by blazing away, at CITIZEN level.
If Uncontrolled, the Construct will fire at the nearest threat, referee's call.
Construct will never reload when unloaded, but will use a discarded pistol in melee, clubbed fashion. Constructs will seek to have their guns reloaded from their controller when unloaded.
Constructs do not duck back when facing gunfire (fire from torches is another matter; see the fire section).
When a construct engages in melee, the following restrictions are in effect:
- The Straw Man fights with a cleaver or sickle exclusively, at a SWORDSMAN Skill level. Human and Mud Man constructs fight with pistols first, then with their fists, or a choke, squeeze or clubbed pistol attack.
- Flesh and Mudmen Constructs attack with their Fists at 6 dice, Defend at 5 dice. Straw Men attack with their Fists at 4 dice, defend at 3 dice. When attacking with a clubbed pistol, they attack at 4 Dice, Defend at 4 Dice.
- Mud Men Constructs will attempt to trample a prone figure.
- "Strong Skill" bonuses are extra, and apply to Human and Mud Man constructs only. Straw Man constructs fight at Human Strength.
- DAMAGE: All constructs do not take damage like human figures in TRWNN... they literally have to be shot to pieces during a game. Note that all Flesh Wound, Grazes and Scratches are icinored. It takes TWO "Instant Death" results on the fire table to kill a Flesh or Straw Construct, THREE for a Mudman. 2 Serious or Terrible wounds to the Arm or Leg will cause it to fall off on a special extra die roll (result 3-6).
For all of their strengths, Constructs have weaknesses, and serious ones. ( Weaknesses: This term is applicable to ALL critters, and some can be used on more than one critter, hence the generic wording in this text. Weaknesses will be summarized in the appendix, but all subsequent references to weaknesses refer back to the numbered weaknesses as they occur in this document.)
Weakness 1: Stupidity
When not in the company of a controller figure, as mentioned earlier,
the Critter is Stoopid, like the Stoopid skill. Being Stoopid seriously
limits one's options. See the skills section in classic TRWNN for a
description of the effects of stupidity.
Weakness 2: Music Fascination
Music soothes the savage beast, so they say. One characteristic of
certain critters is that lilting melodies have a tendency to quell their fighting
ardor. If a player has a figure with PICKIN/FIDDLIN' skill (see New Skills), he
can attempt to CHARM the construct critter as an action. The figure must have a
Banjo or Fiddle as equipment, and it will take an action to ready it. The Musician
figure must be within 6" of the critter figure on the table. When attempting to
charm a critter, the musician player rolls 2d6 on the following table:
- 1-4 Nothing happens, and the Critter continues on his path of
mindless violence. You may try again as next turn's action.
5-8 The Critter stops in place, standing slack-jawed.
9 The Critter gets a big monster equivalent of a happy grin,
10 stumbles about swatting at imaginary butterflies.
11 Monster shuffles into a grotesque dance that will last 1-3 turns.
12 A CRITTER HOEDOWN!
Table 1: The Charm-the-Critter Table
On the CRITTER HOEDOWN result, roll another 1D6. If a 5 or 6 are rolled, the following results apply:
- If the Critter is a construct, a major body part (such as a limb or head) falls off, a victim of poor stitching. The Construct is immobilized or dead for the rest of the game-it makes no difference.
- If the Critter is a Zombie, the Zombies spin around in circles until they keel over with happy undead grins on their rotting faces, dead at last.
- If the Critter is a Werewolf, it goes unconscious, and reverts to Injun form in the next turn. The musician figure MUST be playing a silver stringed instrument for this result to occur, though.
Weakness 3: Flame Phobia
The critter is deadly afraid of fire. Open flames repel the critter in question,
and attacking it with a torch, faggot, or firebrand will cause a dramatic reaction.
To start a torch, the figure must sacrifice 1 turn's action lighting it. (That's an Action
to light, an Action to threaten, and an Action to Melee, though not necessarily sequentially. You can
Threaten a Critter, but not Melee with it.)
The figure can use the torch as a melee weapon. When threatening a critter with flame (counts as an action), the figure with the fire source must be within 2" distance. To threaten the critter, roll 1d6 and check this table:
Table 2: The Threaten-a-Critter-with-Fire Table
- 1-3 Critter retreats (moves straight back) 5"
4 Critter retreats (moves straight back) 2"
5 - critter -stays Put and fights another turn
6 Critter flies into Beserk Fury, adding 2d6 to his melee attacks.
Weakness 4: Flame Vulnerability
Straw Man constructs (and Aztec Mummies) are incredibly vulnerable to
fire damage. If a one of these ornery critters is struck by a pistol or rifle shot at
POINT BLANK RANGE, check 2D6, the "Critter Kindling Roll." If the player rolls
an 11 or 12, the critter will catch fire, and be consumed with fire within 3 turns
(unless someone puts the fire out with a bucket of water). If the critter is struck
with a burning torch or some sort of firebrand in melee, he will kindle on 9, 10,
11 or 12. Once a critter is on fire, it will attempt to attack everything in sight,
randomly, using a direction roll procedure (such as when we lob dynamite).
Hits by flaming critter hands are +1 on the results roll, because of fire damage.
On the third turn, the critter pitches over and burns into a pile of ashes. Indicate
a critter is on fire by placing a small cotton ball next to the figure.
Table 3 : The Flaming Critters Table
- 11 or 12 Shooting at a Strawman/Aztec Mummy Point Blank
9, 10, 11 or 12 Striking a Strawman/Aztec Mummy successfully in Melee with a flaming object such as a torch or firebrand.
As Dry as Dust: The Aztec Mummy in the Old West
It wouldn't be fair not to include mummies in this pastiche, but how to justify them when Egypt is on the other side of the Atlantic? Simple. There was another ancient empire in this hemisphere that built monument edifices, and left behind avenging revenant corpses to prey upon the living. No, not Hollywood... Mexico! According to a long series of "Mexican Wrestling Women" movies produced in Mexico during the 60s and 70s, the Aztec Empire left a huge proliferation of wizened corpses that came to life under the aegis of an unholy animation spell.
Aztec mummies are the reanimated corpses of the long dead priests of Quetzacoatl. Physically, they resemble man-shaped or slightly smaller beings, with severely desiccated flesh, glowing red eyes and invariably wrapped around the body with a swaddling of rotting, foul smelling rags. A.M.'s are solitary creatures, usually found alone but occasionally found in groups of 1-3. A good Mummy scenario for a Western setting might be that a medicine show man has rumbled through the town and is charging a nickel to see the remnants of the dead Aztec Empire. Some wandering evil minions of Quetzacoatl witness this, and conduct the reanimation rite in secret, to avenge the affront upon the entire town...
Aztec Mummy Movement and Activation
Aztec Mummies move 2D6 per turn, in a straight line. If on fire (see below), they move 3D6, and they can change direction between die rolls.
Aztec Mummies activate the same way regular players do; when their card turns over in the Fate Deck.
Aztec Mummy Prerequisites
An individual figure will be needed for the Aztec Mummy; regular (Egyptian) mummies should do nicely.
- In non-convention play, the Referee runs the Mummy figure.
- The Aztec Mummy will attack with the SQUEEEZE or CHOKE attack in Melee, or regular CLUB attack as per the TRWNN rules.
- You may wish to add a CONTROLLER figure (an evil high priest or some such), though the Mummy does not suffer from the lack of control, as other Critters do, because of their sing le-mindedness.
- Aztec Mummies have a Weakness, presented at the end of this section.
- Animation of Mummies, like the construction of Constructs, takes place offstage and out of scope of this game.
- Each Aztec Mummy in play has a corresponding card in the Fate Deck for purposes of activation.
Aztec Mummies in Combat
Aztec Mummies date from a time before firearms. An Aztec Mummy (A.M.) will have no vestigial memory of how firearms work. The weapons of choice in prehistoric Aztec-land were spiked clubs and obsidian daggers. Therefore, an A.M. will revert to type during combat. The A.M. will try to obtain a dagger from the nearest figure on the board. (This being a rugged Frontier-style setting, everyone is assumed to have a knife of some sort... from a "Arkansas Toothpick" used for killing rattlesnakes down to a Barlow clasp knife for paring fingernails.)
The A.M. will attempt this theft through hand to hand combat, or with a club of some sort. The A.M. prefers a spiked obsidian club, of course but since there aren't many of those North of the Rio Grande River, he'll settle for any blunt object he can melee with. As previously stated, gunfire is alien to any A.M., and has very little effect upon them. Only head shots and leg- breaker wounds will stop an A.M., and that's an iffy proposition (See Combat Chart, regular TRWNN rules). A.M.s tends to be pretty implacable once they are on the board. Unlike other critters, the A.M.'s actions are governed by centuries of religious ritual. During combat, the A.M. will attempt the following actions in this order:
- Find a club or dagger of some sort; flint or obsidian preferred.
- Find a victim of some sort, in this order of preference:
- 1. Unconscious Figures
2. Wounded Figures
3. Healthy CITIZENs, children
4. Healthy CITIZENs, female
5. Healthy CITIZENs, elderly
6. Healthy GUNMEN
7. Healthy SHOOTISTs or LEGENDs
8.Mexican Wrestling Women (hey, maybe there's some figures out there ... ) - The A.M. will attempt to club the victim unconscious, if needed, and will drag them to the tallest natural feature in town (Boot Hill?).
- The A.M. will then cut a hole in the victim's chest and pull out his or her heart as an offering to Quetzacoatl. The victim, naturally, expires.
- Repeat steps 1-4 until A.M. is blasted, burned, or suffers an arm falling off.
- Aztec Mummies will Melee with a Tomahawk or Knife (preferably) a Sword (if nearby). Otherwise, they have PUNCH! REND! and SQUEEZE.
Being the of the Dry and Dusty persuasion, all A.M.s have a particular weakness that can be exploited:
Weakness 4: Flame Vulnerability
A.M.s share this weakness with Straw Man type constructs. See Weakness 4.
Bloodsucking Ghouls of the Wild Frontier: Vampires in the Rules With No Name
The classic Nosferatu character fits in pretty well in the Old West. Unlike most other Scary Monster critters, the Vampire is intelligent, malevolent, and downright mean. Unfortunately, they are also the hardest critter to kill. It's a good thing for the inhabitants hereabouts that they are pretty solitary critters on average.
Physically, Western Vampires are the same species of critter that you read about in those dime novels like Varney the Vampire. Vampires can generally be detected by their aversion to sunlight (though it doesn't tend to kill them, contrary to rumor), dislike of spicy foods, affinity for all-black clothing and black-handled pistols, glowing red eyes, fangs, pale skin and a rather fetid smell. They also have a hard time shaving and combing their hair due to problems with mirrors, but that's out of scope of these rules.
Movement and Activation
Vampires move and fire weapons identically to SHOOTISTS (3D6 running, 2D6 Walking) in the regular game, and activate via the Fate Deck mechanism.
Prerequisites for Vampires
- You will need a vampire figure for the game. There are several companies that make fitting vampire figures, Grenadier and RAFM come to mind. Choose a miniature that has roughly 19th century appearance, and one that isn't too monstrous.
- You will need to create 1 Fate Deck card per vampire figure, plus 13 Resurrection cards per vampire.
- Vampires can fire weapons, as SHOOTISTs, either pistols, rifles or shotguns. Vampires prefer pistols, with black ebony handles.
- In Melee Combat, Vampires can choose the REND! Attack at 2/1 Attack/Defense, or the special VAMPIRE BITE attack, which can be instantly fatal (and creates more vampires). They can do a regular CHOKE attack as well.
- Vampires RESURRECT Damage, per the section on Monster Resurrection, below. If hit by a wooden bullet (see weakness, below), they will take normal damage.
- Vampires have Weaknesses, as outlined at the end of this section.
- Vampires have the following skills: TERRIFYING, MESMERIZE and BOSSMAN. See "New Skills."
- Vampires often are followed by an entourage of minions, regular flesh and blood types that assist the Vamp in moving from town to town, and acting as his/her conduit to the outside world. They are usually gypsies. Minions have 1 card per figure in the Fate Deck, but can also GROUP MOVE using the BOSSMAN skill.
Vampires in Combat
Vampires are intelligent. Vampires are ornery. Vampires can draw upon centuries of old world experience, occult skills and the power of their minions. In a word, vampires suck (har har)... In combat, the usual number of Vampires encountered is 1, plus whatever minions he has enslaved to him a the moment. Sometimes, a vampire may have created an Undead Minion (another Vampire) or Bride (another Vampire, but a good looking one that has plusses for MESMERIZING).
Vampire Minions and Vampire Brides are "lesser vampires" that are more recently created, and therefore, weaker. The Minions do not possess MESMERIZE, but the Brides do. Minions and Brides fight like GUNMEN.
Guns hold no secrets for Vampires, and they use them as SHOOTISTs. Vampires have both the TERRIFYING (If you are running a SCARY MONSTERS! Campaign, don't use TERRIFYING for both monsters and regular humans. I think TERRIFYING unbalances the game.) and MESMERIZING (new) skill, both of which will give them an edge in combat.
In Melee, the Vampire really shines. Vampires are exceptionally strong, per the STRENGTH skill, but with only 2 extra dice in Melee combat. Vampires have the special VAMPIRE BITE attack, which does the following:
- 1. Renders the victim unconscious.
2. Victim lays unconscious for 3 full turns, in a state of total catalepsy.
3. The Victim Expires: There is rumored to be a painful, dramatic cure that is talked about from time to time, involving applying a firey coal to the bitten area and lathing it with liberal infusions of Holy Water, but I've never seen it done.
If your gaming group is running campaigns, the body will be back in three days as a vampire minion.
Vampires will always seek to close and melee with an opponent, but can fire at long range at will. Vampires will usually have 1-3 gypsies as minions. These will be placed activated and fight with antiquated black powder weapons and/or swords and daggers, at the GUNMAN level of experience.
The Vampire has many and varied weak points, as outlined here:
Weakness 5: Vulnerability to Wooden Objects used as Weapons
There are many ways to fight a vampire. First and foremost, vampires are susceptible to a wooden weapons. A blow from a blunt wooden object like a club won't kill a vampire, but it will do damage. Pounding a sharp wooden stake through a vampire's heart will do the job, of course, but it does require moving within Melee range and doing a STAKE ATTACK (see amended Melee Table). Special, extremely rare Ironwood bullets have been fashioned to combat vampires with muskets, but they are incredibly rare and expensive. Ironwood bullets are only accurate at SHORT and POINT BLANK ranges.
Weakness Number 6: Vulnerability to Holy Water
Holy Water attacks work surprisingly well on a vampire, having roughly the equivalent effect as throwing a bucket of battery acid in their face. A Holy Water attack is performed in Melee, using the special new HOLY WATER attack. If you hit the vampire in the face with Holy H20, it will blind vampire until such time as a Regeneration card is turned.
Weakness Number 4: Vulnerability to Fire (see Aztec Mummies)
The Vampire is vulnerable to fire in a fashion similar to the Mummy, but not quite as dramatic. It will take THREE sources of fire to kindle a vampire... and he will need to be completely immolated to be destroyed. The Vampire may not cooperate.
Weakness Number 7: Fear of the Holy Symbol, Mirrors
A Holy Symbol, such as a crucifix, will always make a Vampire retreat 2-6 inches, unless he rolls a 1 saving throw. Vampires have a revulsion to mirrors, because MESMERIZE may not work when the vampire is being viewed through a mirror.
Zombies: Or What To bo With All Those Zombie Cowboy Figures At Last!
Zombies are the reanimated corpses of dead men. They are usually grotesque, shambling caricatures of humanity. They are slow, vulnerable to music, and (if they remember how) can't shoot worth beans. On the other hand, they are extremely hard to kill and numerous. On the gripping hand, the prerequisites for Zombies are tough, limiting them somewhat.
Movement and Activation
Zombies move at a flat-out 1D6 per turn and can change facing at the end of the turn, like the CITIZEN level. If their Hougoun (see below) remains motionless and concentrates, they can manage a semi-swift 2D6, but only in a straight line. Zombies move in group mode only and make use of the BOSSMAN move order. Zombie GROUPS are activated by drawing one card in the Fate Deck. Losing members of the group does not decrease or increase movement in any way. A Hougoun Controller is required to be activated before the Zombie group moves to make them change actions; if the Zombie card is drawn first, the group will do whatever it was doing last turn again, this turn.
Zombie Prerequisites
- One Zombie miniature is required for each figure, plus 1 Hougoun figure for each group of zombies in the game. The Hougoun acts as a CONTROLLER. The Foundry's DARKEST AFRICA line has a nice set of Witch Doctors that are excellent for this use.
- Zombies require 1 action card per group and I action card per Hougoun.
- Zombies are created out of scope of the skirmish game time frame, just as constructs and mummies are. Bringing zombies back from the grave is presumed to take place at some distant lonely graveyard, and it isn't instantaneous.
- Zombies have weaknesses, as presented at the end of this section.
- Zombies have a vestigial memory of guns, but they are so rotted they suffer a negative modifier in gun combat.
- Zombies are hard to bring down. Only head shots and limbbreaking shots in the TRWNN fire table can stop a zombie.
- Zombies can be destroyed by stuffing their mouths with consecrated hosts and sewing their lips shut. This generally requires a lot of cooperation from the Zombie.
- Zombies fire attack as CITIZEN (with modifiers), pistols only.
- Zombies melee attack with the BITE!, REND! and SQUEEEZE! attacks.
- Zombies usually appear in groups of 4-6 (1-3: 4, 4-5: 5, 6: 6) unless otherwise mentioned in a scenario.
- The Controlling Hougoun fights like a GUNMAN even if he is a Shootist by trade (any nationality can be a hougoun).
Zombies in Combat
Zombies will attempt to shoot at any warm-blooded creature, randomly, if they have a loaded gun in their rotting hands. Unfortunately for them, they always blaze away, and always at a CITIZEN level modifier- - gunfire is more instinct than science when you're undead, you know. If a zombie unloads, it won't attempt to reload. The Hougoun does that usually.
Hougouns must be within 12" of a Zombie group during combat.
If a Hougoun is killed or incapacitated, the Zombie Group loses cohesion and splits into individual creatures, which will attempt to close and melee with anything warm blooded, in order to feast upon some warm-blooded flesh. They will no longer fire weapons but will attempt Melee solely.
Zombies have weaknesses:
Weakness 1: Stupidity
As per
Constructs
Weakness 2: Music Fascination
As per Constructs... you've heard about that Zombie Jamboree that
took place, haven't you?
Weakness 8: Rotting
Any time a Zombie is struck with a Sword, Club or Shotgun Fire, it
rolls a 2D6. On a 10-12, it has lost something vital on the ground. Check for
body location on the Firearms chart. If the blow lands on the head, legs or
arms of the Zombie, it falls off.
Weakness 5: Holy Water Aversion
Holy Water also affects Zombies as it does
Vampires. See the description in the Vampires section.
The Beast Within: Indians and Werewolves
Indians provide their own special addition to the Scary Monsters! Milieu. The Indians of the Great Plains worshipped their own breed of Nature Spirits; much of American Indian mythos derived from the Native American visualization of how he fit in with his environment. Some of the rituals associated with nature worship were quite painful. Many tribes of the Scary Monsters! Universe elevate their most proficient warriors to the exulted status of "Wolf Warrior, brother to the Sky Wolf" through the Sky Wolf ritual. The ritual involves having the Indian (who must be a Spirit Warrior level) suspend himself painfully with thorns passed through his pectoral muscles and tied to thorns. He is then hoisted in midair as a pack of wolves is released nearby. If he is worthy, he can commune with the wolves and remained unharmed. If he is unworthy, the wolves tear him to shreds.
The survivor of this ritual can for all intents and purposes be called a Werewolf. During periods of meditation and contemplation, the Wolf Warrior Indian can voluntarily transform into a large Dire Wolf. This transformation can also take place during periods of great stress, such as gunfights.
There is another form of Werewolf, the Lycanthrope, that is a normal (non- Indian) character that has been bitten (and survived) by a Wolf Warrior Indian or another Lycanthrope, These critters are more taller, more humanoid, and vulnerable to Holy Water attacks. Other than that, they attack as Wolf Warriors do.
Movement and Activation
Wolf Warriors activate by single card or by pack card. A single figure will move and act as an Indian Spirit Warrior level figure (when human) and as a wolf (when transformed). Wolf packs move all cards in the pack simultaneously, in a straight line, for 3D6 running.
Wolf Warrior Prerequisites
The transforming character must be an American Indian Spirit Warrior. For every other round in a combat (stressful) situation (i.e., bullets are in the air), check the Wolf Warrior's stress level on a 2D6. The first time the character beats the Stress Threshold, he transforms. Note that the transformation process is all he can do that turn. Transformed creatures drop their clothes, weapons, and baggage in a heap. You will need to create a card for every figure, plus a pack card, plus a handful of Resurrection cards.
Werewolves have perfect knowledge of guns when human, an almost animal like intelligence when transformed.
Werewolves appear in groups of between 3 and 6 normally. Often, they are led by a Chief, who acts as a superior form of Wolf Warrior (Legend Level).
Silver bullets can kill a werewolf; other Silver plated/Silver stringed items can check or destroy a Werewolf.
Werewolves suffer from music fascination.
Werewolves RESURRECT, as per the rules for Critter damage and Regeneration (below).
Werewolves in Combat
Werewolves are quite human looking and acting. The Indian with Wolf Warrior Spirit will be able to mix well with the rest of the crowd.
When the Indian transforms into a killer direwolf, the following changes are noticed:
Where there was a human, there's now a giant ravenous beast with big fangs and teeth. The werewolf will always attack on the Melee table, using BITE! And REND! attacks.
Transformation is a factor of combat stress. Every turn the Wolf Warrior is either in combat of some sort (melee or fire combat), or is within line of sight of combat, he rolls a 2D6 and attempts to beat his STRESS THRESHOLD for that turn. The first turn, he has to beat a 10 to transform . The third turn, he has to beat an 8, the fifth he has to beat a 6, the seventh he has to beat a 4, and from turn 8 onward the conversion is automatic.
A Wolf Warrior can Voluntarily change to a Werewolf if a Pack Leader Shaman is within line of sight.
Weakness 6: Silver Phobia
Werewolves are struck with an unreasoning fear of silver objects. Use
Table 2: Threaten a Critter with Fire Table (above) to determine how a
Werewolf will react to silver.
Weakness 7: Silver Vulnerability
The werewolf can only be killed by Silver Bullets, a silver headed blunt
instrument such as a cane, or literally blasted, burnt or shot to pieces
before he gets a chance to Resurrect.
Weakness 2: Music fascination
The same as Music fascination by constructs, but you can only roll on
the Charm table if (and only if) your banjo or fiddle has silver strings.
New Skills for the Scary Monsters Setting
Doctorin' not the profession of being a doctor (as per the optional rules expansion), but the ability to perform first aid to patch up a wounded or hurt comrade or even one's self. Once PER GAME, the Doctorin' skilled character can roll on the DENTIST TABLE to heal wounds.
MAD Doctorin':This is more of a long range campaign skill, but it has its uses in a skirmish setting. Mad Doctors cause FEAR, can roll on the DOCTOR table once per game to heal someone, and most important, can create constructs.
Magus: Another Campaign Setting skill. This is the ability to practice a form of hedge magic. Magus can cast HEXES (discussed in the followup to this article: HEXSLINGER), or create Straw Man or Mud Man figures.
Lycanthropy: Represents the Curse of the Wolf as transferred through the bite of an existing (Injun) werewolf. PC characters do not need to be Indian to become a Lycanthrope in this fashion. Functions identical to Wolf Warrior spirits, but with this one limitation: Holy Water attacks work versus the Lycanthrope. Holy water has no effect on Wolf Warrior style Lycanthropes.
Fiddlin'/Pickin': A character can play the banjo, fiddle or guitar. Character can SOOTHE various critter types and even cause a Critter Hoedown! (See Weakness 2: Music Fascination for details). For the fascination to work on Werewolves, the Character must have a silver stringed instrument.
Mesmerize the ability to hypnotize another player's character for 1 turn, three times per game. Only vampires get this ability. Mesmerized characters roll a Nerve Check, and if they fail, they're mesmerized. Mesmerization Effects: Roll 1D6: 1-4) Stand Still for a turn. 5,6) Do the Mesmerizer's bidding for a turn. This means perform any standard TRWNN action, up to and including attacking friends (but not one's self). Mesmirization uses up an action for this turn.
A Weapons Budget for Scary Monsters!
If you utilize a Weapons Budget (see Rules Addendum) and are playing a Scary Monsters campaign, include these prices into the table:
Table 4 The Handy Stuff for Scary Monsters! Campaigns Table
| Item | Budget Price |
|---|---|
| Stakes, Wooden | $5 per 6 |
| Club, Wooden | $free* |
| Special Silver Bullet RELOAD** | $5 each |
| Special Ironwood or Ebony Bullet RELOAD | $3 each |
| Holy Water Flask, full | $3 or free*** |
| Holy Symbol | $7 |
| Bag of Consecrated Hosts & Sewing Kit | $5 or free*** |
| Steel Mirror | $5 |
| Banjo/Guitar | $35 |
| Fiddle | $50 |
| Add Silver Strings | +$25 |
| SilverPlated Sword | $100 |
| Silver-Headed Walking Stick | $25 |
| * (Free, presuming the character can fashion one himself out of nearby dross.) | |
| ** (Reloads: Since TRWNN doesn't track ammo, consider a reload to be enough bullets to load your weapon ONCE.) | |
| *** (Free, presuming handy access to the local churcl, in advance of (or even during) the gunfight.) | |
Resurrecting Damage for Scary Monsters! Critters
Most of the critters defined in this document are pretty hard to kill. If you are using regular weapons, you literally have to blast them into pieces to get anywhere. Some, like the Zombie or Mummy, move so slow that unless you make a mistake, or get badly outnumbered, you shouldn't be too hard pressed to avoid them, but will still have a hard time killing them. Other critters, like the Vampire and Werewolf, RESURRECT damage. This can be a rather sticky wicket, being presented with the spectacle of an opponent who can shrug off your gunfire after a moment or two have gone by.
The process is called RESURRECTION, and is handled in this game by (what else?) card play. Simply create a fistful of "RESURRECT" cards (max of five per figure, realistically). For every Flesh wound, Serious Wound, or potentially LETHAL wound, mark the location and Severity on the player's Character Sheet as they happen. At the end of the turn, shuffle into the fate deck RESURRECTION cards for all SERIOUS WOUNDS, LETHAL WOUNDS, and DEAD (Belly Location) Wounds. Place TWO cards in for every lethal result. You may wish to make the REGEN cards slightly different (or mark them with a sticky or something) to account for multiple regeneration attempts happening simultaneously. As the Regeneration cards are called, erase the wounds on the character sheet in this order: Serious First, Lethal Second. It takes TWO REGEN cards to regenerate lethal damage, and the first one pulled is treated like an extra action card. If the Joker is pulled before the second Regeneration, the critter does not regenerate that turn. If the Critter cannot regenerate that turn for any reason, and has drawn a normally lethal result, he will die.
For RESURRECTING critters, Grazes are ignored; Flesh wounds are presumed to heal automatically between turns. Knockdowns still happen, but the critter gets up next turn as his action.
Gradually, the regular flesh and blood folks have to blow RESURRECTING critters to pieces. The exception to the RESURRECTING rule lies in the weaknesses of the two Resurrecting Critters: Wood For Vampires, Silver for Werewolves. If the player is using weapons or bullets made of wood or silver, the two Resurrecting critters will take normal SERIOUS and LETHAL damage.
The Other Three types of critters are pretty straightforward:
- Constructs take damage normally as do regular people, but they ignore Grazes and Flesh Wounds (few nerve endings working there, I'm afraid). It takes TWO instant Death results to kill a Flesh Construct, THREE for a Mud Man, and ONE for a Straw Man.
- Mummies ignore virtually every hit except for a head location Flesh, Serious and Lethal Shots, or shots that would deprive them of mobility (limb break).
- Zombies ignore every hit except for a head location Flesh, Serious or Lethal Shot, or "limb breaker" shots.
Table 5: The Monster Damage Table (See Key Below)
| Critter | GRAZE | FLESH | SERIOUS | DEAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampires R | N/E | N/E | Y (W) CR | Y (W) |
| Werewolves R | N/E | N/E | Y (S) CR | Y (S) CR |
| Constructs | N/E | LB only | Y C | Y C |
| Zombies | N/E | HO/LB | HO/LB | HO/LB |
| Mummies | N/E | HO/LB | HO/LB | HO/LB |
Key:
R: Ressurecting Critter
N/E: No Effect on this Critter
Y (W): Yes (Wood Only)
Y (S): Yes (Silver Only)
CR: Compounds/Ressurection Effect (Ressurect Cards) possible
C: Compunds Damage
HO/LB: Head Only/"Limb Breaker" shot possible. Critter will not be
able to walk for the rest of the game (if leg) but will crawl towards the
nearest threat at 1D6-2 for the rest of the game until killed.
Modified Melee Chart For Scary Monsters
Table 6: Amended Melee Table for Scary Monsters!
| THE FIGHTING CHART | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DICE ROLLED | THROW FOR EFFECT | |||||||
| WEAPON | Attack | Defend | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| REND! | 3 | 2 | A MERE SCRATCH | SERIOUS WOUND | DECAPITATED | |||
| BITE! | 4 | 1 | A NIBBLE, Nothing More | FLESH Wound | SERIOUS WOUND | DEAD | ||
| Vampire Bite | 2 | 0 | A LOVE BITE | SERIOUS WOUND | DEAD | |||
| SQUEEEZE! | 4 | 1 | INEFFECTUAL | FLESH WOUND | SERIOUS WOUND AND KNOCKED OUT 1 | |||
| CHOKE! | 3 | 1 | YOU SEIZE THE VICTIM'S
TRACHEA BUT HE PROVES TOO TOUGH FOR YOU! | KNOCKE D OUT 2 | SERIOUS WOUND & KO 1 | DEAD | ||
| HOLY Water Attack | 2 | 0 | HIS ROTTING VESTMENTS
PROVIDE SOME PROTECTION FROM SERIOUS HARM | FLESH WOUND 2 SOME PROTECTION FROM SERIOUS | SERIOUS WOUND | |||
| HOLY Symbol vs. Vampire | 3 | 0 | HE SNEERS AT
YOU! "YOU'LL HAVE TO BETTER THAN THAT, PUNY MORTAL!" | VAMPIRE
COWERS IN FEAR! "TAKE THAT OUT OF MY SIGHT!" | RUN AWAY! | |||
| STAKE attack vs. Vampire | 5 | 0 | OOPS! MISSED THE
HEART YOU'RE IN TROUBLE NOW! | SERIOUS WOUND 3 | DEAD Good Show! | |||
Notes:
1: Knocked Out doesn't apply to Mummies, Zombies, Vampires, Straw men or Mud Men. Treat as a flesh wound instead.
2: Vampires and Werewolves ARE effected by Holy Water damage, the other critters just get soggy.
3: Vampires feel attacks by wood as normal
CHEAT SHEET
Table 7: The Critters' Achilles Heel Table
NAME : DESCRIPTION
1 Stupidity: Critter can only continue doing what he was doing last
turn, this turn, without a controller pr sent.
2 Music Fascination: Players with Fiddlin'/Pickin' Skill may attempt to
CHARM a critter using the Charm a Critter Card
3 Flame Phobia: Critter is deathly afraid of being burned. Will react negatively to flame in close proximity.
4 Flame Vulnerability: Critter burns up quickly as a result of being burned.
5 Wooden Object Vulnerability: Critter susceptible to damage from
Wooden Objects/Weapons/Bullets
6 Silver Object Vulnerability: Critter susceptible to damage from
Silver Objects/Wea pons/Bullets
7 Holy Object Phobia: Critter does not like Holy Objects, crosses,
etc. Players roll on the Melee table for Holy Object attack.
8 Rotting: Critter will lose a limb under certain conditions, if struck by
axe or sword during melee
9 Holy Water Aversion : Attacks with Holy Water (see Melee table) will
cause damage to this critter.
10 Silver Object Phobia: Critter is deathly afraid of being touc silver. Will react negatively to flame in close proximity, rolls on the "threaten
critter with fire table".
Table 8: New Skill Chits
Doctorin'
MAD Doctorin'
Magus
Lycanthrope
Fiddlin'/Pickin'
Mesmerize
Appendix: Scary Monsters Critter Summary
| Critter | GRAZE | FLESH | SERIOUS | DEAD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vampires R | N/E | N/E | Y (W) CR | Y (W) |
| Werewolves R | N/E | N/E | Y (S) CR | Y (S) CR |
| Constructs | N/E | LB only | Y C | Y C |
| Zombies | N/E | HO/LB | HO/LB | HO/LB |
| Mummies | N/E | HO/LB | HO/LB | HO/LB |
Key:
R: Ressurecting Critter
N/E: No Effect on this Critter
Y (W): Yes (Wood Only)
Y (S): Yes (Silver Only)
CR: Compounds/Ressurection Effect (Ressurect Cards) possible
C: Compunds Damage
HO/LB: Head Only/"Limb Breaker" shot possible. Critter will not be
able to walk for the rest of the game (if leg) but will crawl towards the
nearest threat at 1D6-2 for the rest of the game until killed.
Also, See Resurrecting for a description of how this critter recovers from damage supernaturally.
Sources for Critter Figures and Buildings n' such
Item: Source
Mad Doctor's Lab Equipment: For my money, the best lab setup available is Ral Partha's "Mordenkainnen's Lab" set which comes with a standard Mad Doctor, a Ygor figure, a Human Construct and all sorts of Lab goodies.
Mad Doctor's/ Evil High Priest's Building: A large building with an open area inside. Any one of the larger TCS hollow houses will do; also the livery stable (or jail) from the ERTL Cow Town set might work. If you want to get fancy, buy a used plastic castle form a toy set and put it on the edge of town.
Mad Doctor/Ygor Figures(Controllers): RAFM's Cthulhu line (out of production but still-available here and there) had some excellent mad scientists. Reaper had a set of "classic horror monsters" that included a Colin Clive lookalike, and a Ygor figure. Ral Partha has some figures in the Ravenloft series that will do nicely (there are Mad Doc and a Ygor in the lab set, as mentioned above).
Evil High Priests (Controllers): Even though they look suspiciously like members of the Ku Klux Klan, I found some nifty evil priest figures from (I think) Hallmark. They have pointy hoods and knives and sickles and things. Reverisco also makes actual Klansmen "bad guys," with the appropriate paint job (I suggest black with red trim), they could look more evil than they already do. One of them actually has a shotgun, which fits it into the Western theme nicely.
Hougouns (Controllers) : The Foundry's DARKEST AFRICA line has some Witch Doctors that are perfect for this sort of thing. Demonblade has a "Techno-shaman" which I like, but it would have to be heavily modified to get rid of the futuristic gun on his belt.
Zombies: Many different manufacturers make zombies. I have "traditional," (non gunslinging) zombies from Grenadier and Ral Partha. I also have a pack of the Foundry's Zombie Cowboys. They're great.
Werewolves: There aren't as many of these as I thought! I'm not fond of the RAGE figures from (I think) Ral Partha, as they are too large. I settled on a pack of Direwolves from Ral Partha, which do nicely. Reaper has the classic Lon Chaney Jr. style werewolf -- which is pretty small.
Mummies Reaper has 3 or 5 different mummy castings, one of which comes with a sarcophogus. They are a tad small, and fit the Pass of the North true 25mm scale more than the inflated 28mm Foundry size. Ral Partha has a pack of mummies in the Ravenloft line. You can always throw some old Heroquest mummies on the table if you have them!
Constructs (Human): Reaper makes "Frank" and "Bride of Frank" figures in their Classic Monsters set. They are sculpted in the classic Karloffian/Lanchester mode. Harlequin has a Frankenstein figure, but it's rather large, like true 30mm. Hard to game in scale. The Magic: the Gathering line has a Frankenstein's monster figure that's worth looking at, and Rai Partha's Flesh Golern is a perfect construct. There's also one included in the lab set, but it looks more like a mummy than a construct.
Constructs (Straw): I got the idea of the Straw Man from Ral Partha's evil scarecrow figure (there are three of them). I recommend the one with the pointy hat and the pumpkinhead. Wonderfully sculpted figures.
Constructs (Mud Men): Ral's Earth Golem (packaged with the Flesh Golem, above) works well for a golem figure. I also have one sculpted along the lines of the classic silent movie Der Golem, made by a German company whose name escapes me. Enigma? Hallmark?
Vampires: Where to start? There are many vampire figures available today. The trick is to find one that fits in with the time period (i.e., it isn't modeled with a boom box or something). Reaper's classic movie monster line once again has been helpful, with a Lugosi lookalike figure in it. The Ravenloft line is a veritable treasure house of monster figures of all sorts, as well as Vampire Hunters.
Appendix: Wooden and Silver Firing weapons
Wooden firing weapons are either Crossbows firing bolts or Muskets adapted to fire Hardwood bullets. Wooden weapons have the same effect as lead vs. Vampires. The Hardwood Bullet is considered a special (very expensive) reload. A Musket-loading weapon is REQUIRED to fire the wooden bullet due to the abnormally large bore of the wooden bullets. All rules for musket reloading from the published version of TRWNN do apply. A Wooden Firing weapon fires at SHORT or POINT BLANK RANGE ONLY, due to the light weight of the projectile.
Silver firing weapons are fired as per normal weapons in every respect (silver having a similar weight to lead for game purposes). The bullets are just a little more expensive.
Appendix: Werewolf Transformation
Note there are two types of werewolves in Scary Monsters. The spiritual (Indian Wolf Warrio ) kind, and the type that are created through the disease of Lycanthropy. The Wolf Warrior can cause Lycanthropy in his victims by performing a BITE and having the victim survive the attack. A Lycanthrope can perform the same function.
See the notes in Werewolves about how werewolves transform during combat.
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