"Looking to get started need recommendations" Topic

I'd love to get started in the Old West. Need recommendations on figures, either 25/288 or 15mm and detailed skirmish rules.
Thanks for the help

hi Dennis. I can recommend Dead Mans Hand and the 4 Ground buildings are great…. DMH (Great Escape Games have sets of figures, but i also use artizan and Foundry….
Hope that helps
Mike

Deadmans hand, while a gresat set and the main one I play is in no way a detailed set, much more a fast play set. Desperado is a bit more detailed, and I believe six gun sound is more detailed still. I say believe because I own but have not plsyed them.

Another approach that may fit what you are looking for is the RPG Aces and Eights. Again i own but have not played it, but it look quite detailed.

A kknown problem on TMP for a rookie is when you aslk for rules recomendations we tend to offer our favorite rules that may or may not actualy meet your wishes. Deadmans hand is likely a case in point. They are a very fun fast play set. Just did a con game with them thjis weekend with 8 people in the game and everybody had a great time. But detailed they are not. All six guns are the same. As are all other weapons in thier own groups. A rifle is a rifle. No hoit locations, just under fire and when you get to many of those you are out. But, you can gain back from hits, something one noirmaly does not do from a hit bya real .45 colt. So really good game for what it does, but perhaps not what you are looking for.

As for scale i have found a lot more variety in the 25/28mm Stuff. If everybody matching size is important do a little research as there are large and small figures out there. I have at least a few figures from most of the companys and use them all, but i have not gotten any from the know larger ones yet. I may get a few soon and use them as a few larger fellows as are mentioned in many western books. But not more than a few/.

For buildings, have settled onm MDF from mostly knuckleduster and Sarrissa. These best fit my needs. But I have Old Glory, 4ground Architects of war and several others. I like all of them, but 4ground are very expensive, and the resin ones tend to get broken up if you travel with them. As I take mine to cons this is a big consoideration. If you con travell then that is less of a problem, unless you have butterfingered friends.

If cost is a consoideration, I think Sarrissa isabout the cheapest and the esiest to build forthe buildings. Desparado is probably the cheapest game at about $15. USD For figures old glory are thecheapest, but you get a lot of repeats. Old Glory also has the westwind line whicxh while not cheaphas both mounted and dismounted versions of the same charecter. I have some of them and over time will own them all.

A big consideration is what you want to do. if it is mostly gunfights, thena half dozxen figures rules and a couple of buildings will get you going. I have become obsessed with doing a full town so I have over 30 buildings ands over a hundred figures. I dont think most people have banjo players ands cancan girtls but they are out there and can really add to the look of a setting if that is what you are after.

Please ask any and all additional questions here. you will get replys, some of which wont quite answer what you ask but will help narrow your search. And some will give you just what you are looking for.

happy gaming

Owen

I have Aetherworks buildings as well as Gamecraft Miniatures, one Plast-craft and some Worldworks. I can least recommend the Plast-craft as it is completely flat and any texture will need more advanced modelling/painting to put some on as there is none. The cheapest solution would be the Worldworks items but you may wish to make them tougher by building a wood understructure for them as they are downloadable papercraft, as are Fat Dragons' Rio Draco range and Hotz Artworks' Whitewash city, though that last lives up to its name too much for my liking. I have yet to try Sarissas Western range. I cannot recommend 4Ground much except on their looks, as they are titanically expensive. If you really want resin then there are some buildings in the Rustyrail range. (Look in the O scale castings lists.) Also there are still some Plasticville items out there, I have a water tower and there are other rail buildings and a log cabin there somewhere.

For figures, I can best recommend Old Glory, Black Scorpion or perhaps Reapers Chronoscope range; the last at least will require less sifting through fantasy items to find one that looks like a normal cowpoke or townsfolk than would be required from Wyrd.

As to rules, you could try some free ones to see if they suit you. There are some here:
link

The only commercial set I have is the more fantastical Deadlands: the Great Rail Wars. And Malifaux, which is COMPLETELY fantastical and not right for you if you are simply looking to play a Western.

Just a quick note. Black Scorpion are beautiful figs. However, they absolutely do not fit in with Dixon, Old Glory, Foundry and other 25mm/28mm figs.

You can scratch build your own buildings if you like. Foundry provided plans in the new 'The Rules with No Name' rule book. They were also downloads. I have them if you want them. I also suggest with two thumbs way up that The Rules with No Name. You can get a copy for free on the Yahoo group I inherited.

link

I started gaming the Old West in the 80's. TRWNN are by far my favorite set. You can see some video here of one of my games.

YouTube link

Everything people have said is good advice. Can you tell us a bit more what you look for in a game? The beauty of the Old West is that almost all of the rule sets offer something unique.

When you say "detailed skirmish" I start to think Gutshot because it's probably the most capable of delivering an RPG-feel in a tabletop game.

Figures wise, I used to recommend Black Scorpion but I despise resin so I won't be buying any more of their products most likely. They are big (they work fine with some ranges but tower over "proper 25's" like Knuckleduster figures etc.).

Great Escape Games recently released several nice (but pricey) sets for Dead Man's Hand. There are loads Old West options for minis – predominantly in 28's, though some people play in 15mm.

Buildings are available at almost every level of budget. I use 4Ground stuff but that's because I promote my game at conventions and I suck at scratchbuilding. As mentioned there are loads of downloadable paper buildings, several excellent MDF/wood options now (I like Sarissa and 4Ground personally).

Lots of stuff out there. The rules to my game, Shoot N' Skedaddle are free on the Gamecrafter page which sells the decks for it, but I don't quite think it would fit "detailed" skirmish. You can check em out for free though via the pdf on the page.