| DougEagle | 17 Oct 2018 7:47 p.m. PST |
A few of us play Infinity and some Guild Ball and a few of my WWII games. But the other day, I was watching Tombstone and got me thinking.
What would it be like to play a different game but in the Old West? Huh! So, after watching a few 'How to play' on You Tube on a few different games, I'd figure I'd come here to ask. Which rules are good for playing out the Old West? Why are gun battles so interesting for this time period? Thanks, Doug |
 StoneMtnMinis  | 17 Oct 2018 8:24 p.m. PST |
You might want to consider these: link BK500 and BK501 Dave |
| rmaker | 17 Oct 2018 10:21 p.m. PST |
Desperado (referenced by StoneMtnMinis) is good, as are The Rules with No Name. |
| OneHuaiTicket | 18 Oct 2018 5:31 a.m. PST |
Fistful of Lead is a helluva great game! Very cinematic and fun.If I was introducing folks to Old West gaming, it would be with FFoL.
Dracula's America is also a great game. Takes a little more effort, but once you get the rules, it flows very well. |
| DrSkull | 18 Oct 2018 5:39 a.m. PST |
I'd second Fistful of Lead |
| Tommy20 | 18 Oct 2018 6:12 a.m. PST |
Gunfighter's Ball by Knuckleduster, hands down. The rules are very easy to learn, and if Tombstone is your inspiration, you can't do better than their version of the Earps and Cowboys. Nobody makes better figures for the Old West. link
link |
| mrwigglesworth | 18 Oct 2018 7:51 a.m. PST |
Fistful of Lead.
The sci-fi version will be out soon |
| 79thPA | 18 Oct 2018 8:18 a.m. PST |
Desperado, Fistful of Lead, and The Rules with No Name always rise to the top when this question is asked. |
| nnascati | 18 Oct 2018 8:22 a.m. PST |
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John Leahy  | 18 Oct 2018 10:31 a.m. PST |
Fistful of Lead and The Rules with No Name. FFOL is a fun and fast set of rules. Each player can run 1 to 6 characters each. It is very fast paced. I ran a game at Cincycon last year with 16 players with 6 characters each. it was completed in 3 hours. The game was on a 6x10' table. The rules with No name is a longtime favorite of mine. If you are running games set from the movies and don't have a large number of figs on the table this is an EXCELLENT choice! I love em! You can readily make the Duke and Clint act like they do in the movies. I really like FFOL! But I have yet to figure out how to do that with those rules.
Scifi version was released a few weeks ago in pdf (at least to Kickstarter folks). We have played a couple of Star Wars games with them. Brutally fast and fun!!!!
Thanks. John |
| Katzbalger | 18 Oct 2018 10:43 a.m. PST |
Boot Hill--but then, I guess I'm just old and crotchety… Rob |
| Samurai Elb | 18 Oct 2018 11:14 a.m. PST |
Another old man preferring Boot Hill from TSR version. Just looking on my game I realized gaming it when 1979 the second edition came out – 39 years ago. |
 Flashman14 | 18 Oct 2018 2:06 p.m. PST |
I like the Warhammer Legends of the Old West. |
| Henry Martini | 18 Oct 2018 4:41 p.m. PST |
Gunfights are interesting because, although a staple of the western movie, they rarely happened in reality. Most shooting in the 'real west' took the form of ambushes and back shooting; more murder than combat – but Old West gamers generally prefer their games to replicate the dramatic and exciting tropes of celluloid fiction than the mundane realities of history. The Indian Wars are a separate case, but you asked specifically about gunfights (between settlers, I presumed). |
| DougEagle | 18 Oct 2018 7:54 p.m. PST |
Thanks for the comments guys. What are your thoughts on Dead Mans Hand? Doug |
| Tommy20 | 18 Oct 2018 9:40 p.m. PST |
Our group enjoyed Dead Man's Hand, but the faction rules lock you into just a few archetypical choices for your 'posses'. Once Gunfighters Ball became available, we didn't look back. You can try a cut down version of the rules here: link No affiliation with Knuckleduster, just a fan. |
| Lee494 | 18 Oct 2018 10:25 p.m. PST |
Then there are my rules. Americas Olde West which works well for gunfights like OK Corral but also for skirmish actions like in the movie Ulzana's Raid or Valdez is Coming … two of my all time favorite Westerns. And yes they may be "Hollywood" but they are really cool to game! Cheers! |
| Heisler | 19 Oct 2018 9:04 a.m. PST |
I have a fair number of the rule sets mentioned listed in a compilation blog post on my site. link Additionally there is an individual post for each rule set as well. |
| Private Matter | 19 Oct 2018 10:49 a.m. PST |
I really like Gutshot by Hawgleg productions. It plays well, is easy to pick up, and I have yet to have a game where all of the players didn't have a good time. I've tried almost all the rules listed but I really prefer Gutshot. link |
| Gone Fishing | 19 Oct 2018 11:04 a.m. PST |
I have FfoL, The Rules with No Name, Boot Hill, Gutshot and Desperado and like them all. Boot Hill has held up very well in spite of its age, and is well worth checking out. Gutshot, though, is one of the very few rules of any genre I read simply for pleasure and inspiration. It's a delight. Great set of rules, too. |
 Herkybird | 19 Oct 2018 4:21 p.m. PST |
I just use my own. link If anything, this thread shows most players know what they want from their games, and use the rules that give them that.
All Hail diversity! |
| Luisito | 27 Oct 2018 8:49 a.m. PST |
I like DMH very much .Very cinematic set of rules. A lot of fun. |
is back from Council of Five Nations.