There are hundreds of tales told in the saloons and watering holes of the Weird West. Some of them are about rough and tumble lawmen; the type who always got their man. Some are about powerful hucksters, who single-handedly took down dozens of crazy critters. Others still concern wild ladies of the Weird West, from their simple or sordid beginnings to wild and exciting careers as regulators, enforcers, or just gunslinging heroines.

One story, however, stands alone. The Legend of Commanche Joe, Bowslinger. One of the deadliest opponents the Rail Barons ever faced.

The man known as Commanche Joe is something of an unusual legend among the varied citizens of the Weird West. Commanche Joe was for a while a noted officer in the Confederate Army - Colonel Joseph Devore - but suddenly abandoned his command and rode off into Indian Country.

Several years after Colonel Devore's unexplained departure, the name of Commanche Joe started circulating among the Rail Barons. He was a brutal man, always refusing to bow to threats and bribes; and he rarely left anyone who tried to threaten or bribe him without an arrow in their chest. In short, Commanche Joe was a problem for the Rail Barons.

Commanche Joe was a white man who joined the Indian Old Ways movement. It was an attempt for the Indians to move back to the ways of their ancestors. If the Rail Barons interfered with this, then Commanche Joe would ride down with some braves and sort them out.

Commanche Joe's first exploits aren't clearly recorded anywhere. Rumor has it that several Rail Baron agents were pressuring Indian villagers to vacate so they could put up a rail station on prime Indian real estate. The Rail Baron agents used the usual tactics of offering a little money (far less than the property was worth, especially to the Indians who had built their homes and lives there), then terrorizing the Indians until they accepted. Commanche Joe heard about this, waited for the Rail Baron agents came to coerce the Indians out... and killed them all. He hung their scalps in the village as an example of what would happen to the next group who threatened his people.

Naturally, the Rail Barons wanted him dead.

This is how they tried to do it.

scenario one

ambush at the forgotten pass

Commanche Joe was a master at appearing where he wasn't expected. He had to know the local terrain better than even the various scouts in the Rail Barons employ - but they made a special point to track him. Finally, they hit paydirt - a forgotten mountain pass that Commanche Joe used frequently to get where he was going quicker. So they laid a little trap...

Commanche Joe and his braves were riding back from a successful raid, but with some troops in pursuit. They don't have a clue about what is waiting for them at their pass.

setup

Exactly like "The Bridge is Out!" on page 68 of The Great Rails rulebook. Each player can place two trees on the table for added cover. Instead of a bridge over a gorge, this represents a narrow mountain pass that Commanche Joe and his braves use to stealthily mount their attacks.

deployment

Commanche Joe and his braves set up on the table edge; they are just riding back from an attack. However, on their way back they get ambushed, and so their attackers get to deploy within 6" of the pass.

bonus

The ambushing forces are looking to put down Commanche Joe - they get double their bounty points if they can do it.

Commanche Joe and his braves, on the other hand, are looking to survive and tell the tale. They can't turn back , as they have troops in pursuit. They have to break through.

special rules

Models cannot draw line of sight past the sides of the bridge - the mountain pass is too sharp. What this means is that models may only choose to fire on people on their side of the pass, or at models on the bridge itself.

Attackers Points: 200

Commanche Joe's forces: Commanche Joe, 3 posses of Braves.

Historical Outcome: Wastach sent a mean force of Automatons and X-Squads, led by a Mad Scientist named Harvey Toss, but Commanche Joe's braves proved too much for them. Commanche Joe called out Harvey Toss, and of Harvey's Lucky Rabbit Foot wasn't too lucky for him, either. Even though Commanche Joe had lost a number of Braves, he wasn't out for the count.

scenario two

bigger guns

After Commanche Joe escaped Wastach's attempt on his life, he became a bit more careful. He took to using all sorts of different routes, and the scouts of the Rail Barons couldn't ever tell if he was coming or going. After five or six attacks on rail workers, the Rail Barons decided on a completely new plan.

They called in Miss Trixster...

... And invited Commanche Joe to a party. 

setup

Roll for terrain as normal.

deployment

The opposing forces come in from opposite sides - Commanche Joe from the bottom of the map; Miss Trixster and her posses from the top. It is a straight up fight, with a few twists.

bonus

Miss Trixster is a Huckster, with a reputation for always getting her man. She has a special hex waiting for Commanche Joe, which she calls Frontier Justice.

Frontier Justice

Range: Smarts
Duration: 1d4 turns

This is a wicked hex - it makes the target see all the faces of all of the people they've put down. In game terms, it forces the target to take a Guts test to prevent being stunned by the horror. In the case of a real bad hombre (who has put down a lot of people) their target number is much higher.

Posse TN - 6
Heroes (including Commanche Joe) TN - 8
Attacker Points: 180, plus Miss Trixster.

Commanche Joe's Forces: Commanche Joe, two posses of Braves, one posse of Dog Soldiers.

Historical Outcome: Miss Trixster, working for Black River, zapped Commanche Joe with the Frontier Justice hex, and he got a head full of Mojo. However, his braves managed to pull him away from the attacks of the wolves and devil bats long enough for him to shake it off. He lived to ride off, but it wasn't a win by anyone's standards. Still, Miss Trixster wouldn't be tossing hexes at anyone ever again.

scenario three

raid off into the sunset

Commanche Joe laid low for a while after the Miss Trixster episode. His entire demeanor changed, like he had had a vision. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was in a voice that his Braves had never heard before. Finally, Commanche Joe declared that they would have one last fight - they would attack a railhead, and either destroy it or die trying.

setup Play the "Raid!" scenario. Roll for terrain normally.

deployment

As normal for the Raid! Scenario. Commanche Joe's troops are the attackers, of course.

bonus

This is the last ride for Commanche Joe - he has seen his death. Therefore, he is attacking the biggest thing that he can, and his troops earn double bounty points for whatever they take down.

Defender points: 300

Commanche Joe's forces: Commanche Joe, one posse of

the great rail wars won this years' origins award and is featured this month alongside a few deadlands articles. we had these two adventures dusted off so you could play with your sets a little more often. Braves, on posse of Dog Soldiers.

Historical Outcome: Commanche Joe fought like an enraged bear, and killed many before he finally fell. His body was never recovered, which greatly worried the Rail Barons, but so far, they haven't heard from him again...

troop information

braves Braves come from various Indian tribes. They are part of the Old Ways movement; rejecting technology and shunning contact with it. They fight against the encroaching railroads and the people that come with them.

Profile
Strength d6
Shootin' d6
Smarts d6
Fightin' d6
Vigor d6
Guts d6
Special: Sneaky, Fleet Footed
Weapons: Bow (Range 24", Damage 2d6 ROF 1), Tomahawk (STR +2)
Cost: 65
Bounty: 13

dog soldiers

The Dog Soldiers are not members of the Old Ways movement; they just fight the railroads for their anti-Indian ways. They fight with Commanche Joe because he is their best hope.

Profile
Strength d8
Shootin' d8
Smarts d8
Fightin' d8
Vigor d8
Guts d8
Special: Sneaky, Brave
Weapons: Musket (Range 35", Damage 2d8, ROF 1), Tomahawk (STR+2)
Cost: 70
Bounty: 14

miss trixter

A noted agent of the Rail Barons; Miss Trixster has the reputation of always getting her man. She is a powerful Huckster, and keeps herself sharp by working up new hexes.

Profile
Strength d6
Shootin' d4
Smarts d12
Fightin' d4
Vigor d6
Guts d10
Specials: Arcane Background: Huckster, Cautious.
Hexes: Corporeal Tweak d10, Soul Blast d12, Shadow Walk d12, Frontier Justice d12
Weapon: Pistol (Range 24", Damage 2d6ROF 2)
Cost: 80
Bounty: 80

commanche joe

Commanche Joe. One of the most hated members of the Old Ways movement, Commanche Joe was Confederate officer who gave it all up to fight the oppression of the Indian peoples. He became their hero, and he ruthlessly took the fight directly to the most flagrant Indian oppressors - the Rail Barons.

Profile
Strength d12
Shootin' d12
Smarts d10
Fightin' d10
Vigor d10
Guts d10
Special: Crack Shot, Fearless, Tough as Nails, Bloodthirsty, Outlaw, Loyal. In the last scenario, he suffers from Death Wish.
Cost: 110
Bounty: 110

That's all for this month, folks. Enjoy.

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