“Gold.. errr.. Copper.. on the Scales” - Game ♠♥◆♣

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 four nefarious looking characters creeping up to the back corner of the hotel/saloon...

Move 1:

First the bad guys: Colt J◆ (card partially obscured), Emmett 10◆, Bart 8◆, Joe 4♠. Then the good guys, Jesse (in the General Store) 9♠, Nugget (in the Hotel)  J♠, Wyatt (on the wagon) 5♣ and finally Waylon (in the Assay Office) 5♥

The four outlaws crept up stealthily behind the hotel, bandanas up...  all looked pretty quiet in Cedar Gulch but across the way they could see the wagon pulled up outside the Assay Office, the horse almost more asleep than the driver..

In the hotel, a dreamy look on his face as a result of the overnight ministrations of the extravagantly coiffured "Hairy Mary", Nugget is contemplating his coffee and the imminent return to his claim up in the mountains when his peace is rudely shattered by the sound of a six gun...

.."four outlaws crept up stealthily behind the hotel"..

Out front of the hotel the gangs boss, Clay, the six gun still smoking in his hand, curses as he sees his shot has only winged the driver. Next to him his second in command, Emmett, also takes a shot but misses completely.

Nugget is not the only one who's surprised by the fusillade of shots. In the General store, Jesse Cassidy - the town deputy - had been chatting amiably with the store owner over a shared pot of coffee while he kept an eye on goings at the Assay Office. 

Dropping his coffee he runs out of the door of the store, and heads towards the shots. Running into the alley between the store and the saloon, he throws himself through a side window and into the foyer of the Hotel where he comes face to face with an old prospector, clutching a cup of coffee, and with an alarmed look on his face.. 

"Holdup at the Assay Office, haul your iron" he shouts before taking up a position at the front window.

Back outside, Colt gestures at Bart, the youngster in the gang, to get down the back of the saloon and General Store and come round from the other side - Bart nods and starts running.

On the wagon, Wyatt has had a rude awakening, spotting the gunsmoke across the street he knows 'it ain't wise staying where he is' and throws himself off the wagon and into the Assay Office for cover. Inside the Office Waylon nods at his partner from his position by the front window and fires across the street at Colt. "Hold up I reckon, mate, but I just got one of them!" he shouts. Across the street Colt grasps at his leg and ducks down.

Joe looks on in horror as he sees his boss hit, but sheer greed drives him to run across the street to the slight rise running along the side of the Assay Office. He takes cover in the scrub where he can get a good view of the front and side of the building.

Mechanics behind the narrative (and in order of activation):

1. Nugget (in the Hotel)  J♠ : with no one in sight, and no issues seen, I played a pass for him this move (but in hindsight I could have allowed him to delay his phase to later in the turn).
2. Colt J◆ : moves to the front corner of the hotel (1 action) and fires at Wyatt once (1 action) - he hits but only scores a "graze" on the to hit table. Wyatt then passes his Toughness (morale) test.
3. Emmett 10◆: moves to the front corner of the hotel (1 action) and fires at Wyatt once (1 action) - he misses.
4. Jess 9♠: moves via the alley by the side of the hotel and jumps through a window to enter the hotel (1 action)
5. Bart 8◆: moves twice down the back of the hotel and towards the back of the General store - two actions
6. Wyatt 5♣: jumps from the wagon (1 action) and moves into the Assay Office (1 action)
7. Waylon 5♥: moves to a window (1 action)  and takes a shot at Colt (1 action). He hits, and gets a leg wound on the to hit table. Colt then fails his toughness test and becomes "lily livered" (ie. "shaken")
8. Joe 4♠: moves twice (2 actions)  to the cover provided by the slight rise, and the scrub.
9. Tension Clock result: 5 (no action)

Move 2:

First the bad guys: Colt 6♣, Emmett Q♠, Bart 5♠, Joe 2◆. Then the good guys, Jesse (in the hotel) 5◆, Nugget (in the hotel) 4◆, Wyatt 3♥ and finally Waylon 8♥

By the side of the Hotel, Colt grunts with the pain in his leg, but he can see the boys are putting up a good show so decides to find out what the crash was that he'd just heard in the saloon - ducking up to the window, he takes a quick glance inside and sees an old prospector, and a guy with a badge - trouble! He fires off a shot and is rewarded with the sight of blood on the deputy's leg! Jesse, spins and returns fire at Colt who's outlined in the window but misses, but Nugget also fires off two shots at him, and is rewarded with a grunt of pain, blood, and Colt disappears from the window.. "no varmint is taking my stash", he grunts..

Emmett, who was that man, decides to get in to cover, and follows his compadre across the street and also takes cover behind the scrub covered rise. Up the street, Bart skids to a halt by the far corner of the General Store. He's got his eye on the Barbers across the street, not for a haircut but to give him cover for an approach to the other side of the Assay Office.

.."Emmett decides to get in to cover"..

Over in the Assay Office Waylon has seen one of the bad guys come running across the street but he can't see him, and buoyed by the success of his last shot he fires twice at the guy who had been standing next to the man he hit - "damn, missed him!" Wyatt reckons it's more than past time he started fighting back, and crosses the Office to the window that faces the rise where Emmett and Joe have taken cover - spotting Emmett he fires off a shot at him but can see he has missed. He ducks down as the wood round the window is splintered by the other outlaw leaving a cut on his cheek..

Mechanics behind the narrative (and in order of activation):

1. Emmett Q♠: swaps his card with Colt (who is "lily livered"/shaken), so Colt goes first but the face card also allows automatic recovery from being lily livered... he moves (1 action) and then fires once (1 action) - hitting Jesse, and getting a leg wound on the the to hit table. Jesse then fails his toughness test and goes "lily livered".
2. Waylon 8♥: fires twice (2 actions) but misses both times.
3. Emmett 6♣: moves twice (2 actions)
4. Bart 5♠: moves twice down the back and up the side of the General store - two actions
5. Jesse (in the Saloon) 5◆: test to recover from lily livered failed (1 action) and fires at Colt (1 action) - short range, hard cover, lily livered = 9+ (on 2D6) and misses (by 1!)
6. Nugget (in the Hotel) 4◆ : fires two shots at Colt (2 actions) - short range, hard cover = 8+. Hitting him once and rolling severe wound and unconscious on the to hit table
7. Wyatt 3♥: crosses the office (1 action) and fires out the side window at Emmett (1 action) - short range but hard cover = 8+, but misses
8. Joe 2◆: moves up besides Emmett (1 action) and fires a shot off at Wyatt (1 action) - short range, hard cover = 8+, hits him but only rolling grazed on the to hit table. Wyatt then passes his Toughness test
9. Tension Clock result: 5 (no action)

Positions in the Assay Office

Move 3:

First the bad guys : Colt Q◆, Emmett 3◆, Bart K♠ and Joe 7♥. Then the good guys, Jesse (in the Saloon) K◆, Nugget (also in the Saloon) 7♠, Wyatt 10♥ and finally Waylon Q♥

Up the street Bart is breathing heavily from his run up behind the Hotel and general Store, but can see the way is clear and runs across the street to the alley between the Barbers and the Assay Office. In the Hotel Jesse pulls himself together and moves to one of the front windows just in time to see Bart run across the street - he fires but misses "damn!"

Waylon, by the front window of the Office has also seen Bart cross the street and can hear him just by the open door - springing up he charges out the door and launches himself at Bart. The ensuring fight is savage, Bart viciously kicks him in the leg and Waylon staggers back badly hurt. Wyatt looking to help his buddy also comes out of the Office and attacks Bart. In the ensuing fight Wyatt is similarly beaten savagely by Bart, and staggers back dazed...

At the hotel Nugget can see Clay just below the side window and taking the opportunity to grab some curtain pulls he climbs out and ties him up..  "you ain't going to do any more harm" he mutters, but as he glances up he sees the outlaws across the way start moving in in on the side of the Office.

"you ain't going to do any more harm"

Emmett's seen what has happened to his boss and is beginning to get angry, "this should have been a push over and it ain't". Crossing the rise he fires off a shot at Wyatt, who's only just recovering from the attack on Bart, hitting him in the leg

Mechanics behind the narrative (and in order of activation):

1. Bart K♠: moves twice (two actions)
2. Jesse (in the Saloon) K◆: gets an automatic recovery from lily livered because of the King activation card, moves (1 action) and fires (1 action) but misses
3. Waylon Q♥: moves twice (2 actions) into contact with Bart - in the hand to hand Bart wins by 1 pt resulting in two wounds to Waylon, and a push back. Waylon passes his toughness test.
4. Colt Q◆: Clint is out cold and with no A's/4's in the group he tests to recover but fails and remains unconscious.
5. Wyatt 10♥: moves twice (2 actions) into contact with Bart - in the hand to hand Bart wins causing two arms wounds - Wyatt passes his toughness test.
6. Nugget (also in the Saloon) 7♠: out of the window (1 action) tying up Colt (1 action) - I made an error on this move - a 7 allows three actions
7. Joe 7♥: moves twice (2 actions) - like Nugget Joe should have had another action
8. Emmett 3◆: moves (1 action) fires (1 action) - hits and gets a leg wound on the to hit table - Wyatt passes his toughness test though he is beginning to look like a pin cushion!
9. Tension Clock result: 5 (that's the third time!) - no action 

Move 4:

First the bad guys:  Emmett J♣, Bart K♥ and Joe A♥. Then the good guys, Jesse (in the Saloon) 10♠, Nugget (standing next to the now bound Colt) 4♥, Wyatt J♥ and finally Waylon Q♥

"How the pendulum swings, and all down to Bart!" thinks Emmett...

By the side of the Office Joe, ducks through the window and fires off a shot at the heavily wounded Wyatt hitting him in the leg. As Joe laughs Wyatt ducks down, but he's looking hunted, and then Bart also opens fire on him, drawing more blood!

Out in the open in front of the Office, Waylon is not doing much better, he's stuck between a rock and hard place - he's got one bad guy in the Office, one ahead of him and another behind him.. and all of them are either out of sight or in cover apart from the guy in the fancy duds.. he turns, pulling his revolver as he does, and fires, but "fancy duds" beats him to the draw, hitting him twice, and killing him outright.. Waylon slumps to the floor

Wyatt groans at the sight, he's had enough - he stumbles to the Barber Shop window and collapses through it into cover just as more shots ring out from the Hotel. 

On the rise Emmett grabs his arm and ducks down.

Mechanics behind the narrative (and in order of activation):

1. Joe A♥ - move 1 action and fires 1 action - he hits and gets a leg wound on the to hit table. Wyatt fails his toughness test and becomes "lily livered"/shaken
2. Bart K♠ - Bart fires twice (at -1 for his Greenhorn status) hitting once but only grazing him on the to hit table
3. Waylon Q♥ - no action as beaten to the draw and killed
4. Wyatt J♥ - moves (1 action), and through the window (1 action) 
5. Jesse (in the Saloon) 10♠ - fires twice at Emmett (2 actions) but misses
6. Nugget (standing next to the now bound Colt) 4♥ - fires twice at Emmett (2 actions) hits once, and gets an arm on the to hit table. Emmett fails his Toughness Test
7. Emmett 3◆ - fires twice at Waylon (2 actions) - hitting in the leg and also a severe wound - the third leg wound is enough to kill him 
8. Tension Clock result: 4 - no action 

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....and I think this is getting long enough for now, so I'll bring this episode to a close...  stay tuned for next weeks conclusion to this bloody tale, children! 😁

 Laters, as the young people are want to say...