"What rules to use?" Topic

I'm looking to get into some old west gaming and I'm wondering what rules should I use? Any advice? Thanks in advance.

It will depend, of course, on what kind of game you like. I'd suggest you start looking at:

1) Gutshot: Players run one or two figures. Has a definite Pulp/Hollywood feel, inspired by Roy Rogers. Loads of fun, great support from the publisher.

2) Legends of the Old West: Players run a small group called a "Posse." Uses tried-and-true Games Workshop game mechanics.

3) Desperado: Basic shoot out style rules, grittier and feels more like "High Plains Drifter."

I would recommend the Rules With No Name. They are what I started with and still use 99% of the time. They make quick one-off games easy to do and their combat mechanics keep things interesting. They are pretty easy to learn and let you game both the real and the "reel" West. They are available from Wargames Foundry (which is currently offering free shipping on all orders including books). Or you can get a playtest version free online. The book has a lot of additional material that helps in campaigns and more complex games but for a quick shootout the free ones are great:

mts.net/~gisby/noname.htm

Here is a good site with additional material

mts.net/~gisby/owrule.htm

Foundry also has some additional free stuff on its website and boardgamegeek.com has a pdf of the rules that is somewhat closer to the commercial version. Just type in Rules With No Name and go under files in the page on them and you will find it.

Six Gun Sound by two hour wargames is another good set of rules especially if you want to run a no-fuss campaign but for me the mechanics of Rules With No Name are perfect.

Welcome to Western Gaming (I am fairly new myself),
ALV

Come on Mark. You left out one of most popular sets out there. The Rules with No Name. You can get the rules for FREE or buy the hardback version with all the extras.
If you like to game the things you have seen in the movies TRWNN is your best choice.

Rules and extras here:

link

Thanks,

John

Another vote for TRWNN here.
Good detailed rule system that handles everything from mano-y-mano showdowns to small skirmishes. The ruleset includes everything you're likely to need, it's good value for what you get, and it's a very handsome full-colour hardback with superb eye-candy.
As GWNN & John suggest, the basic version of the rules is available free, so you can 'try before you buy'.

I have TRWNN, Legends of the Old West, Six-Gun Sound, Wanted: Dead or Alive, Gunfighters Gamblers & Villains, and Shootout.

If I had to choose one set to handle all my Old West gaming, it would be TRWNN every time.

@Leahy:

Yeah, I missed Six Gun Sound too. I don't know anything about TRWNN so that's part of the omission…

I enjoy Legends of the Old West, but haven't played the others enough to comment on them.

Well, then you need to jump in one of my TRWNN games. I run them every year.

Thanks,

John

I like Desperado.

Yep, Desperado as well. Played a game on Saturday.

Originally played TRWNN but switched to LotOW. Both are good.

Six Gun Sound: Blaze of Glory is the set we use.

Also Gunfight! by Flagship games.

Howdy! One of the Gutshot authors here. There's a great review/comparison of Gutshot and Legends of the Old West at the D6 Generation podcast:

link

Advance to about 2:43 in (yes, that's two HOURS) to get to the review. It runs about 40 minutes or so, and is quite thorough.

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By the way, I couldn't personally recommend ANY game system (ours or any other) without some more info about the type of game you'd like to play. Do you have any idea how many figures you want to run? Or how many players there will be? And do you want "historically realistic" gaming or something more freeform and exciting? Fill us in on these details and I'm sure we can all work to help you find the game system that's perfect for you (and your group).

I like Deadlands the Great Rail wars, strange I know bvut I like lots of different dice so it fits well. It's also simple and easy, and you can you magic and zombies! Though I seem to remember using magic in TRWNN at Salute a long time ago, or maybe it was another game.

Thanks for all the input guys.

With regards to your questions MMitchell, I like the idea of a posse of figs, like 4-6 or so. I'm more into rules that are fun and have great playability over historiclly realistic. As far as number of players goes, I'ld be really lucky if I could find four, probably more like 2 though.

Again, thanks for the help!

I downloaded the free pdf of TRWNN off the Geek to give them a try, and I checked out the downloads on the Foundry site. I think the Building templates will come in real handy!

DD: In Gutshot, we usually suggest you start out by running one character/figure per person. This makes it easier for you to master more than just the bare basics of combat and get into the fun "cinematic" stuff like bursting through windows, firing two guns on horseback with the reins clenched in your teeth, and stuff like that.

After you're comfortable running one character, it's easy to add as many as you can manage. For example, it's not uncommon for me to handle 9+ characters or NPCs in a single game (but as one of the authors, you might expect that). We have special Character Sheets available for download that are designed to handle 6 characters on a single page.

Many of our Showdowns & Shootouts Adventures can be played by two people: One person runs all the White Hats ans the other runs all the Black Hats. Take a look at our downloads page to get an idea of what types of games lend themselves to just two players: link

A look at our free PDF downloads should give you some idea as to whether Gutshot is worth your investment right now. In the meantime, I'd suggest Six-Gun Sound and the free version of TRWWN as good places to start.

Best of luck, and happy (gaming) trails!

Mike Mitchell
Hawgleg Publishing

Thanks Mike. I remembered that Meeples and Miniatures had done a review of Gutshot a while back so I listened to that today. Taking that, along with your discription of the game and I think that I'm going to have to pick up a copy of the rules.

DD: Cool! We love hearing that. I hope it's what you're looking for in a game. If you have any questions after reading the rules, you can post them here at TMP or over at our forums.

Mike

As a newcomer to wargames I really enjoyed Gutshot. DiceDuke I feel you won't be dissapointed.

Gutshot was my first purchase for Wild West rules and Ive come across LoTOW, TRWNN (free and published), and several other freebie rules.

Though I havn't really played any of the other rules, I feel their lacking (though I think TRWNN looks good) in what Gutshot has to offer ya.

AJ

I have used both Gutshot and 6GS and they both have good aspects. For me though my favorite rule set is Tombstones and Tumbleweeds from Precis publishing. You can handily manage ten or so figures per player and it plays quickly.

I put in an order for Gutshot! at my FLGS last night and I'm looking forward to some wild west gaming soon. Thanks all!

Haven't played 'em, but the Warpaint rules look interesting…

Warpaint has some cool scenarios in it. The concepts are good. The editing and layout are not.

Thanks,

John

Good to hear DiceDuke, glad you found some rules! Be sure to post pictures of your gunfights I rarely play so I enjoy reading and looking at others gaming adventuress.

Havn't heard of Warpaint I believe maybe if I see it I'll recognize might have to look at those. Curious about the name though does it favour Native Indain wargaming?

Warpaint has several Cavalry vs Indian scenarios in it. They are decent. The way the rules handle Indians is nothing to get excited about at all. Indians perform just the same as their opponents which is certainly not correct.

Like I said. The scenarios ARE pretty good. Most of his are in all his rulebooks. The layout and editing borders on criminal.

Thanks,

John
Thanks,

John

Cool thanks alot John appreciate your help

AJ

My Gutshot! rules came in yesterday and I couldn't be happier. The best thing I can say about them is that my wife looked through them and said that not only would she play but, she wanted to paint some wild west figs! Ye-HAW! Can't wait to get this to the table.

Definitely time to let out a rousing YEE-HAW! When you can get the wife involved, you've got it made! I'd suggest picking up some "non-bimbo" female gunfighter miniatures for your game. Monday Knight has some good figs in that category (and they blend well with Artizan and Foundry, although they are a bit smaller, but not so much that they would look out of place).

link

And let me know what you think after you both have a chance to play.