These are some rules ideas, based on a Trading Game that my old compardre Mike Bell came up with for our Code Of The West Skirmish Rules, which I have modified to make a free-form table game. They were tried out at the Bristol January 1995 Renclesvoo and worked well - we had some fun with them for sure! All that's needed is a pack of ordinary playing cards, percentage dice, paper and pens to record progress and some Mountain Men character figures. In fact, we found it could even be played withoutfigures, but obviously they do add interest. They are something of a Work In Progress [WIP] and suggestions and ideas for the as yet missing activities are invited. Set up Each player has one Mountain Man character and starts with $1000, obtained from the sale of plews or as payment for their services in a Brigade. This starting sum can be increased, at the risk of it being reduced instead, by cutting against the deck. If successful the sum is increased to $1250, if unsuccessful it is reduced to $900. They then need to tour the Rendesvoo area to take part in the activities and to equip themselves for next seasons trapping. Each Mountain Man must take part in every activity. Activities The activities cover the range of goings on at a Rendesvoo and comprise either Trading activities that cost money but obtain important items, or Gambling activities that have the potential to make money. Sex doesn't fit either category! Trade Food Horses Weapons and Powder Traps Trade Goods Gambling Shooting Wrestling Running • Riding Fist fight Drinking Cards Indian gambling game Barter Exchange is by barter. At each Rendesvoo, each Mountain Man has a number of Bartering Rolls equal to twice the number of activities [ie 8x2=16] plus one die roll. When he reaches an activity area he consults the appropriate Barter Table to see what his purchases have cost him. The price offered can be accepted or refused. If he refuses he can roll again, if he has more Barter rolls to use, in the hope that the price will come down. He can continue this process until he has run out of Barter rolls. At any point he can accept the trader's offer or drop out of the trading and move on to another activity location. He can return and resume bartering, if he doesn't have the particular commodity, at any time. [We found, however, that it was much easier to control and actually more fun to deal with each activity area in turn for all Mountain Men before moving on to the next.] Movement between activities Mountain Men can move from one activity area to another immediately, ie they do not need to walk or ride across the terrain. Winning The winner will be the Mountain Man who ends up with all his needs satisfied and with most $'s still in his possession Trade Food Food is obtained by barter. Prices varied enormously in the mountains, partly due to the vagaries of the transport system by which traders got their goods there and partly due to the ruthless competition once they got there. In 1836 Osborne Russell records paying $2 for a pound of coffee, sugar or tobacco, $4 for a pint of alcohol. To obtain food and provisions for next season, the Mountain Man uses the Barter roll system using the Food Barter Table FOOD BARTER TABLE DICE SCORE: FOOD OFFERED AT 1-33% $50 34-66% $100 67-99% $150 100% $300 Horses In the mountains a good horse could be sold for as much as $500, but could carry a 180-200 pound load, made up of 2 packs of roughly 60 plews. Each pack was worth between $300 and $600 depending on prevailing prices. HORSE BARTER TABLE DICE SCORE HORSE OFFERED AT 1-33% 300 34-66% 1$400 67-99% 1$500 100% $750 Weapons & Powder Powder was always in short supply and commanded high prices. Good firearms were also an expensive item, though Trade muskets for trading with the Indians were less so. WEAPONS & POWDER BARTER TABLE DICE SCORE WEAPONS & POWDER OFFERED AT 1-33% $100 34-66% $200 67-99% $300 100% $500 Traps Traps usually came in sets of half a dozen and the trap unit is one set TRAPS BARTER TABLE DICE SCORE TRAPS OFFERED AT 1-33% $50 34-66% $100 67-99% $150 100% $300 Trade Goods: [Ideas invited] Gambling This is a chance to make rather than spend money! By taking part in the various activities in this area a Mountain Man can actually add to his pot or try to replace what he has lost or spent elsewhere. The general approach is the same in each contest; the Mountain Man registers his interest in taking part and then participates according to the rules. Side bets can be taken out with other Mountain Man, at odds agreed between the betters. Shooting Match Any number can take part and the entry fee is $50. The contest is a straight forward shooting at a traditional target marked on trees. Each man has 3 shots, fired off-hand le without rest, special sights etc. Each man fires one shot in turn, until all taking part have fired, then each fires a second and so on. Loading between shots is instantaneous. The winner is the man with the highest score after 3 shots. If there 2 or more men with the same score, each man fires 1 more shot each, in rounds, until a clear winner emerges. The winner takes the pot. SHOOTING MATCH TABLE TARGET : SCORE : CHANCE OF HIT Outer : 25 : 75% Inner : 50 : 50% Bull : 100: 20% Wrestling Match All taking part put $50 into the pot. The match takes place in a circular ring marked out on the ground with a length of rope. A minimum of 2 men are needed but any number can take part at the same time and in the same ring.. If there are a number of men wishing to wrestle they simply pair up in twos, with the winners wrestling each other until I man is victorious. To win, a man needs to either succeed in throwing or pushing his opponent out of the ring, or throwing him 3 times in the ring , or forcing him to submit ie concede defeat. A pack of playing cards is used for the wrestling, using the Wrestling Table. Each man cuts a card and the higher card counts. If the same cards are drawn, then neither counts, even Aces and picture cards, unless 1 man has the advantage. The winner is the last man left standing and he takes the pot. WRESTLING MATCH CARD CUT : RESULT Ace : Throws opponent out of ring King : Forces a submission Queen,Jack : 1 Successful throw From the ring Higher non picture card : Gains advantage - if matching cards are cut next time, his will count Foot Race As many as wish to can take part, with each man putting $50 into the pot. The winner [first to cross the finish line - there are no prizes for coming second in the mountains!] takes the pot. The Run Of The Arrow rules are used for racing] but with some Cheating rules added! Cheating Each phase each runner can draw a card; if it is a picture card he can attempt to foul another runner [providing he is within reach ie 2 yards.] The two runners involved each cut the deck: Lowest card trips and stumbles, losing one phase of movement Same cards mean both stumble [This was as far as I got and as much as we used. Any ideas for the remaining sections? ] Horse Race As many as wish to can take part, with each man putting $50 into the pot. The winner takes the pot. The Run Of The Arrow rules are used for racing ] but with some different Cheating rules added! [Ideas?] Fist Fight Use normal Melee or Mikes new Melee rules? [Ideas?] Drinking ContestlCards/Indian Gambling Game - Ideas? Back to MWAN #117 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com