"So Carnehan weeds out the pick of his men, and sets the two of the Army to show them drill and at the end of two weeks the men can manoeuvre about as well as Volunteers. So he marches with the Chief to a great big plain on the top of a mountain, and the Chiefs men rushes into a village and takes it; we three Martinis firing into the brown of the enemy".
Kipling "The Man Who Would Be King"
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For me, as a solo player, the narrative is always key, but I accept some find the mechanics interesting as well, so each move has both - you can read one or the other (or both), as required..😁
For the dramatis personae I refer you to the previous post [clicky].. the scene opens with the three good guys exiting the cantina after a quick meal...
Move 1:
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| Characters/order of activation: Jebb (7♤), Clay (4♡), the Deputy (3♤), Weaver (3♧), Shotgun (2♤) and then the Marshall (2♡) |
Shots start to fly as the three men exit the cantina - from across the way one of the bad guys, clearly up to no good, runs across the open ground in front of the cantina. Stopping behind the wagon, he fires at the Deputy as he comes in to sight. The Deputy raises his gun to shoot back, but misses..
"I know him", shouts the Marshall, "that's Jebb Carden! Where he is, Clay Hardin ain't far behind"
Sure enough he spots Clay just behind, who skids to a halt behind Jebb to also fire at his trusty deputy, hitting him in the leg and causing Luke to grunt out in pain, but not stopping him getting off a couple of shots at Jebb. He only graze him, but Jebb looks decidedly shaken.
More shots ring out, and the Marshall also spots 'Long Tom' Weaver in the brush behind them - his Winchester smoking. Luke's definitely the focus of attention - he nods at him to let him know he ain't alone in this.
Then out of nowhere he see's Shotgun run past for the steps of the cantina roof - "damn - he's running!" thought the Marshall but had cause to eat his words when Shotgun reached the roof, leant over the parapet, and fires off a barrel from his shotgun at Jebb - "well done old timer!", he shouts..
Time he took part in this little lead party himself. He fires quickly at Jebb, missing him, but spooking the horses on the wagon who snatch jerkily forward, and causing the strongbox to fall off the back of the wagon!
"What the..!"
..but he has time to react to see Clay now exposed by the movement of the wagon, and fires off a shot at him - he's looking as shocked as Jebb.. pretty clear no one was expecting it to go like this!
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Jebb (7♤) gets 3 actions as a result of the 7.. moves, aims, and fires at the Deputy who attempts to 'get the draw on him' but fails (NB. Jebb gets +1 for trigger finger) but Jebb then throws snake eyes and misses - Horse spook test no effect
- Clay (4♡) moves to join Jebb and also fires at who fails to 'get the draw on him' too and for his pains the Deputy is hit in the leg - Horse spook no effect. The deputy passes his lily liver test (what in 'Ruthless' is the morale check😁) he also has a +1 bonus for the Marshall's 'commanding presence' trait.
- the Deputy (3♤) - fires twice at Jebb hitting once and only grazing him - horse spooks no effect - Jebb fails his test and becomes lily livered
- Weaver (3♧) fires twice at the Deputy - hitting once but only grazing him - horse spooks no effect - the deputy again passes his lily liver test
- Shotgun (2♤) runs up the stairs on the outside of the cantina - leans over and gives one barrel at Jebb - hits him but only grazes him - horse spooks no effect- Jebb is already lily livered so no need to test again
- the Marshall (2♡) is last to react but fires twice - first at Jebb - the shot misses but spooks the horses, causing the wagon to jerk forward 2", and the cash box to slide off the back onto the ground (two 1's in succession on D6s!) - which reveals Clay as a target, so his second shot is at him grazing Clay, and causing the horses to spook again (another 2"). Clay fails his lily liver test
Move 2:
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| Characters/ order of activation: Deputy (K♧), the Marshall (7♢), Weaver (5♢), Jebb (4♢) lily livered/yellow pin, Clay (3♡)lily livered/yellow pin, and finally Shotgun (2♧) - the clear pin marks the strongbox on the ground |
Conditions are getting downright warm and lead rich out in the open so the Deputy dashes back into the cantina taking up position at the slit window where he fires at Jebb - and is rewarded by the sight of a blossom of red on his leg and a cry of pain.
The Marshall see's the deputy move into the cantina, weighs up the odds and agrees that's also the best move for him... he needs some cover! Firing rapidly at Clay he also moves into the cantina to the other slit window.
He sees Weaver across the way in the brush looking for targets, and firing at a target above him.. but then the sound of a shotgun above him on the roof - "well Shotgun's certainly ok" he mutters to the Deputy. He then see's both Jebb and Clay move into cover.. and out of sight.. "now where are those two off to.."
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- the Deputy (K♧) moves into the cantina and fires at Jebb from the side window hitting him in the leg - he is already lily livered so no need to test again, and the horse spook test has no effect
- the Marshall (7♢) has 3 actions as a result of the 7 and fires two times at Clay before following the Deputy into the cantina - he hits Clay twice but only grazes him - he is already lily livered so no need to test again, and the horse spook test has no effect
- Weaver (5♢) fires twice at Shotgun on the roof of the cantina - Shotgun counts partial cover - he hits once but only grazes him.. Shotgun passes his lily liver test - no horse spook test required as they are too far away
- Jebb (4♢) - fails to recover from being lily livered and as a result must move immediately to cover - once there he snaps off a shot at long range and further negative modifiers at Shotgun and not surprisingly misses - no horse spook test required as too far away
- Clay (3♡) - passes his lily liver test and recovers but is alone in the open so moves to cover with Jebb, he fires at long range at Shotgun and misses - no horse spook test required as too far away
- Shotgun (2♧) - fires off his last barrel at Weaver - only grazes him - and drops down behind the parapet wall to reload - the horse spook test has no effect - Weaver fails his lily liver test
Move 3:
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| Characters/order of activation: the Marshall (A ♤), the Deputy (A♢), Clay (A♧),Weaver (10♧), Shotgun (9♤) and finally Jebb (8♧) - yellow pins for lily livered, and the clear pin for the strongbox |
With no other targets the Marshall fires twice at Weaver across the way in the scrub and is rewarded with a shout of pain and Weaver dropping in to cover.. the hammer clicks on an empty chamber - he's out of bullets! By his side the deputy also fires twice, and hears another grunt of pain..
Meanwhile, Jebb and Clay move to the lead horses on the wagon - keeping them between them and the cantina for cover..
On the roof Shotgun reloads.
Weaver is strangely quiet..
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Ace heavy turn.. and yes I did shuffle them.. 😁
- the Marshall (A♤) - at the right of the two windows - fires twice at Weaver in partial/soft cover - hitting him twice in leg and chest - Weaver already lily livered - the Marshall is out of bullets for his revolver - no horse spook test required as too far away
- the Deputy (A♢) - at the left of the two windows also fires twice at Weaver in partial/soft cover - also hitting him twice - in the arm, and for a second time in the chest, killing him outright - no horse spook test required as too far away
- Clay (A♧) swaps cards with Jebb as the Ace is also a 'recover from lily livered' card
- Jebb (now A♧) gets an automatic recover from lily livered and moves twice to the front horse of the wagon
- Weaver (10♧) - dead - though the Deputy and the Marshall don't know it yet
- Shotgun (9♤) - loads both barrels (action) and raises his head over the parapet to see what's going on (action)
- Clay (now 8♧) - joins Jebb at the front of the wagon
Move 4:
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| Characters/order of activation: Jebb (Q♢), the Marshall (K♢), Shotgun (8♡), the Deputy (5♤) - Weaver (red pin) is dead |
At the head of the wagon Jebb and Clay have a quick conversation to agree the plan and Jebb grabs the lead horses collar, and encourages it to step backwards so as to encourage the rest of the team to push the wagon back towards the strong box..
In the cantina the Marshall and his Deputy reload, but are surprised to see Shotgun hurtle down the ladder from a rooftop door and then sprint out the back door.. he just has time to let them know what Jebb and Clay are up to, and "by the way - you plugged the guy in the scrub out back, he's dead"..
At the wagon, Clay moves with it and positions himself by the rear to keep an eye on the cantina door
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Jebb (Q♢) - uses both actions to walk the horses backwards towards the cantina (and the strong box!) - had to play the movement distance by ear as it's not stated, but I assume that with two moves, and the fact that the wagon had only spooked forwards 4" that would be good
- the Marshall (K♢) - spends his two actions reloading
- Shotgun (8♡) - exits the cantina by the terrace door, and the door at the back and run across the open ground up the stairs to the terrace of the second house
- the Deputy (5♤) - also spends his two actions reloading
- Clay (2♢) moves to the back of the wagon - in cover to keep an eye on the front door of the cantina - he takes the action to reload
Move 5:
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| Characters/order of activation: Marshall (A♡), Clay (K♡), Shotgun (Q♡), Jebb (J♡), the Deputy (J♧) - Weaver (red pin) is dead |
Now fully loaded, the Marshall follows Shotgun out of the back door - he can see him on the roof of the house opposite and runs across to the far corner of it to see if he can get a clear line of sight on either Jebb or Clay.
At the wagon, Clay moves, picks up the strong box, and slides it back into the wagon, just as the sound of a shotgun bellows out from the roof of the house opposite the cantina.
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| ..."the sound of a shotgun bellows out from the roof of the house opposite the cantina"... |
Clay shouts "I'm ok... it's done!", and Jebb starts to lead the horses forward, ducking down behind them to get as much cover as possible..
The Deputy meanwhile moves to the front door of the cantina and can see Clay in the open - a clear target! He fires and hits him in the arm...
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| "The Deputy meanwhile moves to the front door of the cantina".... |
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Marshall (A♡) - runs out of the back door used by Shotgun, and across to the far corner of the house opposite to see if he can get a clear line of sight
- Clay (K♡) - uses both actions to pick up the strong box and place it back in the wagon
- Shotgun (Q♡) - moves to the back corner of the terrace and fires at Clay (partial cover/short range), but only grazes him - horse spook test has no effect - Clay just passes his lily liver test
- Jebb (J♡) walks the horses forward 6"
- the Deputy (J♧) - moves to the door and fires at Clay in the open, hits him in the arm - Clay passes his lily liver test - no horse spook test required too far away
Move 6:
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| Characters/order of activation: Jebb (Q♤), the Deputy (J♢), Clay (10♢), Shotgun (8♢), Marshall (4♤) - Weaver (red pin) is dead |
Jebb continues to walk the horses forward he even begins to think they may get away with it!
The Deputy fires twice more at Clay, who turns and raises his gun, fires off a quick shot.. and the Deputy drops to the ground as the world goes black on him...
Clay snatches a quick look to make sure he's down for good, and runs to the nearest cover.. some scrub just behind him..
"Unless we do something that strongbox is lost!" the Marshall shouts to Shotgun.. Shotgun runs down the stairs and across the open ground and finally gets a bead on Jebb - it's long range though - not ideal for a shotgun and he misses. The Marshall does the same, also fires and also misses..
"Damn!!"
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Jebb (Q♤) walks the horses forward 6" - they are at the table edge
- the Deputy (J♢) - fires twice more at Clay in the open, who tries to get the draw on him - neither get +1 for shooting skills as the shooting is not aimed or long range so straight dice roll - Clay wins hits him and inflicts a serious wound knocking the deputy unconscious - no horse spook test required too far away
- Clay (10♢) - uses his remaining action from 'getting the draw' to move to the nearest cover
- Shotgun (8♢) - runs down the stairs and across the open ground and fires at Jebb - long range (-1) and misses - no horse spook test required too far away
- Marshall (4♤) - runs across the open ground to get clear line of sight and fires at Jebb - and also misses!
Move 7:
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| Characters/order of activation: Marshall (J♤), the Deputy (Q♧), Clay (10♡), Jebb (7♡), Shotgun (8♢) - Weaver (red pin) is dead |
The Marshall fires twice more at Jebb, this time hitting him in the leg but it also spooks the horses who jerk forward violently causing the strong box to again fall from the back of the wagon!
By the cantina the Deputy, recovers consciousness and climbs groggily to his feet, checking himself over for wounds..
Clay ducks down and moves quickly behind the scrub to the back of the wagon - "it ain't over yet!" he mutters, as he also sees Jebb move to the strongbox..
With no line of sight to the bad guys because the Marshall is in the way, Shotgun reloads and moves closer to the wagon making sure to get some cover as he does it..
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Marshall (J♤) - fires twice at Jebb - grazes him and also hits him in the leg - the horses spook but also so abruptly they cause the strong box to fall off the back of the wagon again! (I kid you not - 1 on a D6 twice in succession, for the second time in the game!)
- the Deputy (Q♧) - recovers consciousness (successful die roll)
- Clay (10♡) - moves twice to the back of the wagon
- Jebb (7♡) - recovers from being lily livered and then moves to the strongbox
- Shotgun (8♢) - reloads and moves to the side as the Marshall is blocking line of sight
Move 8 (Last Move):
At the wagon the lead again begins to fill the air, as Clay fires desperately at the Marshall, but misses with both shots..
"DAMNITT!!"
Shotgun meanwhile gives Jebb both barrels but can see he's only grazed him, though Jebb is looking far from happy..
He's only going to get unhappier though as the Marshall also sends a couple of shots in his direction, one of which wounds him badly and knocks him out cold. As he slumps to the floor, the wagon jumps forward, the horses spooked again.
Clay can see the game is up, and what's more he can hear the sound of approaching horses and doesn't fancy waiting to see if they are friend or foe.. he runs to the nearest cover, and shortly after the Marshall hears the sound of a fast moving horse..
Mechanics behind the narrative:
- Whatever happened on this move unless the bad guys got the strongbox off the table by the end of it, they would lose..
- Clay (K♤) - fires twice at the Marshall, but misses both times - the horse spook tests have no effect
- Shotgun (10♤) - fires off both barrels at Jebb - hitting him twice but only grazes.. Jebb fails his lily liver test
- Marshall (9♢) - also fires twice at Jebb - hitting him twice - one of which is a sever would that knocks him unconscious - the horses spook - and move forward enough to exit the table
- the Deputy (6♤) - moves to the centre of the yard to clear his sights and fires once at long range at Clay but misses
- Jebb (4♧) - fails to recover consciousness..
Afterword:
As the Marshall stands up from tying up the now conscious Jebb, a fast moving column of cavalry come into view, under the command of a young Lieutenant..
His horse sliding to a halt amidst the dust of the column, the Lieutenant, gun drawn, looks down at the Marshall .. "mind telling me what your up to, Mister"
The Marshall explains that he's on government business, and is able to prove his and his Deputy's identity, and having done so the Lieutenant visibly relaxes, as does the rest of the column.
Over a glass of rough wine in the Cantina the Marshall describes the attempted robbery, and the the Lieutenant explains that they were just out on one of their regular patrols and happened to hear the shooting so came to investigate.
"I can give you an escort as far as Cedar Gulch if that's any use to you?"
The Marshall gladly agrees, and he the Deputy and Shotgun return to the wagon to get her ready to depart..
"Hang on a moment Lootenent, just one small job to do first" says Shotgun.
As the Marshall and the Deputy look at each other quizzically, Shotgun climbs down, goes to the back of the wagon and then ties down the strongbox firmly..
"You can't be too careful" he says, as he climbs back on to the wagon and flicks the reins to get the horses moving..
Post Match Analysis:
- Clay and the boys were SO close! I thought it was all over for them by turn 3 and then Jebb pulled it out of the hat and gave us the close result we got..
- Yes I know the good guys could have shot the horses - but that wasn't going to happen - this is Hollywood for goodness sakes, and they were the good guys! 😁
- A first for me - this entire scenario was generated from ChatGPT - all I asked for was "a simple Western skirmish scenario with two to three characters a side for the Ruthless ruleset" and it came up with this.. I don't think 'Ruthless' is well enough known for the AI to come up with the specific characterisations but it did have a go (from what I can tell I think AI was using 'Red, Dead, Redemption' instead) and the characterisations were mostly generic enough I could retrofit them to 'Ruthless'. Those that weren't generic enough I tweaked - in fact one of them, 'Commanding Presence', was so good that I may add it to 'Ruthless' permanently.
- Butchers bill:
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| NB. This is missing the 'severe wound' Jebb picked up on the last move/turn.. oh, and he's a prisoner so in reality the Outlaws lost two... |
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On my way to the pub the other day I had reason to pass one of the multitude of open green spaces in Portsmouth and happened to notice it was called "Ravelin Park" - aha, thought I - that'll be something to do with the Old Portsmouth fortifications that I bored you with last winter...
Time for some maps... we love a map...
Note the Park and the associated House and their proximity to Landport Terrace.. which allows us to locate the specific Ravelin the park is named for on the 1860 map as Landport Street and Terrace are indicated...
..so it was named after the "East Ravelin". The ravelin is long gone, but the clues remain - fascinating, eh, and another word added to the English/fortspeak dictionary..
Further reading:
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"Mr Bailey retired with Poll [Paul] Sweedlepipe as soon as possible; but some little time elapsed before he could remove his friend from the ground, owing to the impression wrought upon the barber's nerves by Mrs Prig, whom he pronounced, in admiration of her beard, to be a woman of transcendent charms." (from "Martin Chuzzlewit" by "Charles Dickens")
...now tell me Dickens didn't like a good chuckle... 😄
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'Laters', as the young people are want to say...
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