There were several things that inspired this scenario. It started with a fun western game run by Leo Walsh at Cold Wars. Charlie, Tom and I played the Mexicans. We had so much fun terrorizing the townsfolk that finding some good Bandito figures became a top priority. Four great figures from Brittania Miniatures became the Rojo (red) Sombreros. Then I saw a profile of Elfego Baca on the History Channel. This courageous lawman stood up to the cowboys that were abusing the local Mexican farmers. The title is, of course, inspired by that silly movie "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes."

This scenario was designed to use Blood & Swash rules, with our house rules and modifications.

The place of action is called Cow Town. The town consists of a single dusty road with building on either side. Most of the buildings are from ERTL's Cow Town Play Set. They include a saloon, livery stable, storage shed, and sheriff's office. Two adobe building serve as the bank and funeral parlor.

The citizens of Cow Town are unusually ornery. They've seen many gunfights and have been known to fire off a few shots of their own. Put 3 or 4 Town cards in the deck. When one of the cards is pulled you may pick one of the fine residents to take an action (but only one action per figure each turn). Use them to keep yourself entertained and to complicate things for the players.

Irish Mike is the bar tender. He frowns on any damage to his saloon and he'll clobber someone from behind with his cudgel if he's given an opportunity. Maverick is a degenerate gambler that will flee at the first sign of trouble. Reverend Jim is a lunatic that likes to use his sword to punish the wicked. English Bob is a notorious gunslinger looking for a fight.

The Undertaker will rush about dragging the corpses to his establishment so he can give the bill to the survivors. He is fearless. The Banker will of course defend the bank. Blackie the blacksmith is a crazy old man. Anyone with a weapon that gets near his shop will get a warning, then the bullets will start flying. Huey, Duey, and Louie are cowhands in town for a little fun. They will return fire on anyone that points a gun in their direction. A few days ago Lusty met an attractive Mexican woman on the trail. Her escort became belligerent and Lusty shot him in self-defense. The girl, Maria, accompanied Lusty back to Cow Town where she has been enjoying herself. The lawmen (Wyatt, Virgil, Doc, and Clem) consider the killing a justifiable homicide.

They are friendly with the cowboys because they spend a lot of money in town (Wyatt and Virgil are part owners of the saloon). But now it looks like there will be trouble. A suspicious Mexican has been hanging around all day long and a citizen just ran into town saying a gang of Mexicans is headed your way. Supposedly the gang includes the notorious "Rojo Sombreros" gang of outlaws.

The cowboys have been brutalizing and exploiting the local Mexican population. The lawmen always side with the cowboys. Two days ago the cowboys went too far. They murdered one of Dandy Don DeMarco's employees and kidnapped his daughter Maria. The wealthy landowner has gathered his four sons, the famed freedom fighters known as the "Rojo Sombreros" and a band of gunmen. DeMarco plans to rescue his daughter and take vengeance on the cowboys and corrupt lawmen. Your spy has reported that the cowboys are in town and are holding Maria in the saloon. It's time to strike. Their objective is to rescue Maria (move her off the board), kill the no good sheriff and the cowboy known as Lusty.

The first time we played the scenario it was a bloody massacre. The Mexicans joined forces outside of town and made a beeline for the back door of the saloon. The lawmen intercepted them. The Mexicans met them with a hail of bullets. All the lawmen were killed in the exchange except Virgil. He blasted away with the shotgun until he ran out of shells. When he retreated to the sheriff's office for more ammo the Sombreros attacked the saloon. The shootout took a deadly toll on the innocent citizens of Cow Town that were caught in the crossfire. To everyone's horror a stray bullet killed Maria. Oh the tragedy! It didn't help matters that her father fired the deadly bullet. The Sombreros proved to be bullet proof. It wasn't long before the only ones alive in town were the Sombreros and Virgil (holed up in the sheriff's office). The surviving Mexicans decided to call it a day.