Wild West Skirmish Rules: Bullets and Boots

Wild West Skirmish Rules:
Bullets and Boots

by Steve Carroll

My rules are historically inspired, but may not accurately reflect reality. I try to make them fun, and that usually means they end up pretty simple (perhaps too simple for some). They are GAMES, not simulations.

These particular rules are what I would call "super-tactical", because you keep track of ammo and wounds for each figure, even down to the specific body area. They are very generic, and so could be used for skirmishes in many different time periods, perhaps with some additions and modifications. These rules work for one to four players per side, with two to four figures per player, and a total of no more than 12 figures per side.

The D20 system for hit calculation is different from many other systems, and might take a little getting used to. A modification to the die roll doesn't really change the die roll, but changes the number of hits to the body part indicated BY the die roll. Even a "miss" result is between two "hit" results that show what body part is affected.

A note on shotguns: they fire two rounds before a reload, and the figure only has 12 rounds.

I use 25mm figures for this game. I have Dixon and Stone Mountain, and a bunch of the new Guernsey Foundry releases as well. All the figures look fine together. I don't have many 25mm horses, so I use 15mm horses like "markers" next to a figure to show if it's mounted. It doesn't look too bad, in spite of what it may sound like. I like using the D20 as a scatter indicator (see the dog rules and the grenade rules), and sometimes I let the horses wander around once the figure has dismounted.

I have run the "Shootout in a One-dog Town" game at a convention. I also ran a convention game just this June using these rules for WWII, with some of the 25mm 1 st Corps figures. The scenario involved a British commando raid on a secret German base. I added a couple of general rules for this, as well as other scenario-specific rules.

Some Additional Rules for WWII Skirmishes

A machine pistol (tommy gun, etc.) attacks two different targets within 45 degrees or 3" of "spread" of each other, whichever is smaller. A single figure may not receive two hits from the same burst. It attacks at +1, with ranges of 8, 16, and 32.

Grenade: Has a 2" blast radius. Can be thrown 10" if standing, 6" if prone, and only 3 " in woods (the limit of visibility). For scatter, roll a D20 and add range, then divide by six, rounded down. Scatter that far in direction pointed to by die. Divide by five if throwing from prone or if have detrimental effect from wounds, or by four if both. A grenade does three unmodified rolls of damage to everyone in the blast radius, or just one or two for a figure in lots of, or some, cover. It takes three action points to throw a grenade.

Bullets and Boots

Wild West Shootout Miniatures Game Rules

D20 Hit Table

Head 1
Head 2
Head 3 = Kill
Body 1
Miss
Body 2
Body 3
Body 4 = Kill
Left Arm 1
Miss
Left Arm 2
Right Arm 1
Miss
Right Arm 2
Left Leg 1
Miss
Left Leg 2
Right Leg 1
Miss
Right Leg 2

If a figure is shooting at a plus or minus to the number of wounds inflicted, adjust accordingly. This means that shots can actually become "Kills", or may have no effect. Additional wounds on a "Miss" result will do damage to the part of the body listed above and below that result.

If a figure moves at all before firing, the first shot is at -1, unless a "resting" action is taken first.

Number of actions: roll a D20 and divide by three, rounding down, to get "basic action number" for a turn. Head and body wounds can reduce this number of actions that a figure receives for the turn.

Figures can get modifications to their rolls for actions as follows:

The greatest number of actions a figure can possibly get is eight, and after all modifications to the roll, the least a figure shall receive is two actions. However, head and body wounds can affect the action number thus derived. This means that two head and two body wounds could reduce the final action number down to zero.

Action point costs: These actions cost one action point: move 2" while up; move 1 " while down. Dismounting a horse, starting HTH combat, shooting, or throwing a knife 2" to 4" costs two. One last shot can be taken with the final single action point, at -1. Mounting, reloading, shooting an arrow, or changing stance each take three actions. Certain complex actions may require more points, and must be determined as the situation warrants.

Weapon Point blank range for all firearms is 1", giving a +2 to wounds inflicted.

Ranges

Short +1 Medium Long -1

Rifle 15 30 45

Musket 10 20 30

Shotgun+1
Hits up to 3 targets individually. 5 10 15

Pistol 8 16 24

Derringer 3 6 9

Bow and Arrow 9 18 27

All shots must be declared before any are resolved.

Turns: Each character is assigned to a playing card. All other cards are removed from the deck. When a figure's card is drawn, it moves. The actions allowed are determined, the player announces the actions that will be taken, and then the actions are performed.

Opportunity fire: Any figure that has not yet moved for the current turn may interrupt the moving figure's actions at any time and take ONE +1 shot with all other appropriate modifiers. This will count as that figure's turn. The result is applied immediately. The moving figure continues if possible.

Hand-to-hand combat: Dice-off, each using a D20. +3 for strength or experience, and for all Indians. +3 for edged weapon. -3 for women, children, elderly. -3 for "down stance". -3 for first round if attacked from behind or while down. Loser each round takes one hit, area determined by D20 roll on hit table.

After first round, the winner of the dice-off roll may elect to break off the HTH combat. That figure takes one random hit (even though he won the roll) and retires 4". A player who is down may get up, but takes a hit. After three rounds, the HTH ends and will continue next turn. All figures involved are considered to have finished movement. There is no shooting into HTH situations. Multiple figures in HTH pair off as much as possible and resolve. One figure may take on two. At the end, survivors choose up or down stance.

A figure that takes three hits from any one other figure in a turn goes to a down stance.

A figure that is down gets a -1 to hits incurred by a ranged attack. A figure in cover, like in a window or behind a heavy fence, gets a -1 to hits incurred by a ranged attack. Woods also provide one point of cover (a figure can see 3" through woods; woods cost an extra 25% for movement). These effects are cumulative. Remember common sense checks; for example, a figure behind a wall can't get hit in the leg, even if that was the roll.

Horses: -1 to attacks at or from a mounted man. Any modified head hit on a mounted man becomes a kill on the horse instead, and the rider goes to down stance and takes one body hit. 20" movement on horseback, if selected before rolling for actions; otherwise, 3" per action.

Scenarios

Shootout in a One-dog Town Scenario

These extra rules are for a simple scenario in which two players with three figures each (holed-up bandits) are defending the small town - about six buildings - of Green Valley against three players with three figures each (the posse). All of the townsfolk have fled. "Controlling" the dog gives the gamemaster something to play while also running the game.

Each group of three figures has one figure with a rifle or shotgun, in addition to the pistol that all figures have. The figure with the longarm is known, but until an enemy is within 12" or is fired on, he doesn't know exactly which weapon it is. The 12" is reduced to even less if the figure is hiding in a window, etc.

Before the game starts, each player rolls a D20. A 1-5 gives him one figure with the +2 action roll modifier. A 6-10 gives him one figure with the +5 modifier. 1 1-15 gives two with +2, and 16-20 gives one with +2 and one with +5.

The bandits set up anywhere in town after the posse secretly decides from which direction(s) it will approach the town. The posse, or any part of it, can enter mounted. The posse is out to kill all the bandits, and the bandits must repel the attack. The posse retreats when down to just two surviving figures.

Dusty the Dog Special Rules

Dusty has been the only dog in town since the peaceful folk left. The bandits don't feed him. He's gotten into some locoweed and is now running wildly through the streets and buildings of Green Valley. Dusty starts in the middle of town. At the end of each turn, roll a D20. Dusty moves the number of inches indicated in the direction the top of the number points.

If Dusty ends up 2" or less from any figure, he "bites", causing one point damage to the nearest leg, then he retreats 6" in the direction from which he came.

Only after the first bite may Dusty be fired on, and only then by figures of the "attacked" side. A shot at Dusty must cause at least two hits, anywhere, to kill him. Any other shot is a miss.

Dusty can jump through windows, move around rocks, and go through doors, taking detours as necessary, to stay on track in the desired direction.

If Dusty bites a mounted figure's horse, the figure is dismounted, down, with one body hit. The horse runs once, like Dusty runs, and stops. On a D20 roll greater than 10, Dusty is trampled. Otherwise, Dusty runs away 6" as usual.

Bullets and Boots Character Record Sheet

Card, Figure, Weapon(s), Attributes

Pistol Ammo OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO

Rifle Ammo OOOOOOOOOO / OOOOOOOOOO /0000000000/ רררררררררר

Head O O O Left Arm O O O O Right Arm O O O O

Body O O O O Left Leg O O O O Right Leg O O O O

Card, Figure, Weapon(s), Attributes

Pistol Ammo OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO

Rifle Ammo OOOOOOOOOO / OOOOOOOOOO / רררררררררר / רררררררררר

Head OOO LeftArm OOOO RightArm OOOO

Body O O O O Left Leg O O O O Right Leg O O O O

Card, Figure, Weapon(s), Attributes

Pistol Ammo OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO

Rifle Ammo OOOOOOOOOO / OOOOOOOOOO / OOOOOOOOOO / OOOOOOOOOO

Head OOO LeftArm OOOO RightArm OOOO

Body O O O O Left Leg O O O O Right Leg O O O O

Card, Figure, Weapon(s), Attributes

Pistol Ammo OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO / OOOOOO

Rifle Ammo OOOOOOOOOO /0000000000/ רררררררררר / רררררררררר

Head O O O Left Arm O O O O Right Arm O O O O

Body O O O O Left Leg O O O O Right Leg O O O O

One box in any area = No Effect
Two boxes in a leg = 1/2 movement
Two boxes in head or body = -1 action
Two boxes in an arm = -1 damage if firing hand; -3 HTH roll
All boxes of any one area crossed off, then KILLED
If three boxes in two areas or two boxes in three areas are crossed off, then KILLED

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