Balboa vs. Creed; Friday Night Fights Match

With the movie Creed only weeks away, I decided to run a FNF match with my Renegade Boxing League Champion Rocky Balboa defending against Apollo Creed.  This is actually the third time these two faced off in my game.  In the first (using 1st. Edition FNF rules), Rocky won the RBL Title by KO.  In the second (played under 2nd. ED rules), Rocky also won by KO.  This match was once again played using the most-recent rules, but with a couple of house rules as well, including fighting styles, which influenced when they use Bonus Dice.

And now the match:

Rocky wore his signature black and gold trunks, while Apollo wore his red,white, and blue trunks.  Both had trained hard and were treating this match very seriously.

Round 1:

 Balboa started by lunging right into Creed's face, but Creed backed off, circled Balboa, and started unloading with punches,  After 2 minutes of jabs and crosses, Creed sent Balboa to the mat with a powerful cross at 2:29.  Balboa made it to his feet at 6 and the two circled each other in the closing moments of the match.

Winner:  Creed 10-8 U

Round 2:

Both men took things slower in this match, with Creed attempting to frustrate Balboa with jabs and dodges.

Winner:  Creed 10-9 S

Round 3: 

Here's where things got interesting!  Creed unleashed an assault that sent Balboa crashing to the mat at 1:05.  Balboa stood at the count of 4, and Creed continued with his attack.  He drove Balboa into the ropes and started throwing jab after jab.  But when he swung a hook, Balboa ducked and counted with an uppercut that stumbled the challenger.  Balboa then rushed forward with a hook that sent Creed to the mat at 2:10.  Creed barely made it to his feet by 9, and even then, he had trouble standing!

Winner:  Balboa 10-9 U (I decided both KD's cancelled each other out and scored the match by everything else.)

Round 4:

Creed, who was still shaken from the previous round, spent the next few minutes doing his best to avoid Balboa, while the champ managed to land only a few weak shots.

Winner:  Balboa 10-9 S

Round 5:

Getting his second wind, Creed went ballistic and quickly dropped Balboa to the mat (0:43).  Once the champ got to his feet at 8, Creed drove him again into the ropes, but he walked right to a cross-hook combo that caught him off guard.  The champ unloaded and drove Creed to the mat at 2:47.  The challenger managed to stand at 8, but he was still shaken.

Winner:  Creed 10-9 U (Creed got ahead on points with his opening salvo.)

Round 6:

Creed lunged forward and rocked (no pun intended) the champ with multiple strikes, eventually opening a cut above Balboa's eye.  Balboa managed to shrug off the assault though and fight back.  He then drove Creed into the corner and unloaded a series of punches to the ribs that caused the challenger to fold like an accordion at 2:46.  While he made it to his feet, Creed was in bad shape.

Winner:  Balboa 10-7 U

Round 7:

While the two exchanged punches, no one could gain an advantage.  Creed was visibly favoring his ribs though.

Winner:  Creed 10-9 S

Round 8:

Creed tried to gain an early advantage, but he got overconfident and drove Balboa again into the ropes, only for the champ to fight back and send Creed tumbling again at 1:26.

Winner:  Balboa 10-8 U

Round 9:

The round started at a slow pace, with the two exchanging weak punches.  Calling up some reserve strength, Balboa overpowered Creed, and sent him again to the mat at 2:18.  But to everyone's astonishment, Creed leaped to his feet at 3!  Unfortunately, he didn't have enough to fight back the rest of the round.

Winner:  Balboa 10-8 U

Round 10:

Exhaustion set in big time as the two spent the entire round circling each other and throwing weak punches.  Some stupid fans began yelling, "Boring!"  Disgusted, Paulie shouted back, "Let's see you jerk-off's get in here and face these guys!"  Even Creed's corner applauded Paulie for that one.  

Scoring:  10-10 E

Round 11:

Both fighters were still tired, but Creed managed to land some punches while Balboa managed to avoid some.

Winner:  Creed 10-9 S

Round 12:

Trying for a KO, Creed unloaded with everything he had left.  Balboa shook the damage off, dug deep, and blasted the challenger with everything he had left.  With only seconds left on the clock, Creed clinched Balboa to avoid another knockdown.

Scoring:  10-10 E

Final Judges' Decision:  

Winner and Still RBL Champion:  Rocky Balboa (114-111 Split Decision).

Overall, another brutal match between the two.  Creed has definitely become more aggressive since his death at the hands of Ivan Drago, while Balboa continues to take on and defeat all comers.

This match was played using Friday Night Fights 2nd. Round from Two Hour Wargames.  If you like boxing, and you're looking for a tabletop version of the game, I highly recommend this over pretty much everything else out there.  If you order it now, you can hopefully get it just in time for Creed!

Note:  Rocky characters are not included with the game, but you can find unofficial stats for them here:

http://site.twohourwargames.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=2343

CR 2015: Star Wars: First Battle of Kashyyk

(Note:  This adventure includes some minor spoilers from the book; Aftermath.)

"All right, listen up," Hathis said to her team, "We've been ordered by Command to join the fleet at Akiva for a major engagement against the Empire."

"We can handle it," Morano said.  "The rest of our squad is already en route."

Hathis nodded.  "That's true, but we may have another mission instead."  She looked to Roork, who brought up a hologram of another planet.  "This is Kashyyk, home of the Wookiees.  Now, the Empire had a blockade around the planet and numerous troops on the surface.  But since they've pulled most of their forces away to fight us at Akiva, the planet is lightly-defended at the moment.  Our contact has requested assistance in helping to free the wookiees and fight off the Imperials. "

She looked sternly at the others.  "This would not be an official mission.  In fact, if we took it, we'd be basically ignoring direct orders from Command.  Therefore, you're all free to say no."

"I've seen what the Imperials do to slaves," Morano said, "and I'm not good at following orders to begin with . . well, except for yours."

Rorrk thought for a moment.  "It would bring me one step closer to romancing a wookie."

All eyes turned to Rorrk, but Hathis merely shrugged.  "Whatever floats your freighter, my friend."  She then looked to the newcomer.  "Azra, while you're on loan from Fist Squadron, you're still under orders from them, I believe."

Azra nodded.  "Correct.  However, Azra prefers to follow greater order, which is to help those in need.  Azra believes that would be the natives of the planet Kashyyk."

"Then, we're in."  Hathis turned to her pilot.  "Morano, set course for Kashyyk."

"I'm not it."  Morano started for the door, then paused.  "One question; who's our contact and do you trust him?  Okay, technically two questions."

"I trust our contact," Hathis answered, "but at the moment, I'm not permitted to reveal any information on the person, at least for now."

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Hours later, the group landed in a forest and assembled inside the remains of one of the huts.

The team:

Hathis:  Rep 6 Rebel Leader; Sniper Pistol.

Rorrk:  Rep 5 Duro Tech Specialist; Pistol.

Morano:  Rep 4 Human Pilot; Heavy Pistol.

Azra:  Rep 4 Gand Findsman; Shotgun.

  "Here is a video of the Imperial base," Rorrk said, show them his computer pad.

"This stations serves to relay communications from the various bases.  If we were to assume control, we would deprive them of contact with each other."

"Sounds good," Morano said.  "But you didn't noticed we're slightly outnumbered, did you?"

Rorrk nodded.  "Actually I did notice, but our contact according to Commander Hathis has revealed possible allies for us."  He pressed a button, and the image changed.

Hathis stepped in.  "Our contact said these four were captured and are set to be executed as an example.  If we set them free and arm' em, we'll have a little help."

"But it's just four more," Morano said in disbelief.

"These four have a rep as trouble-makers," Hathis answered.  "They should be able to do enough damage to help us."

"According to this," Azra observed, "the wookies may express their anger in random directions.  Will you be safe?"

"Fortunately, I speak their language," Rorrk said.  "I'll let them know what we plan to do."

"Sounds good," Hathis said.  "You and Azra free the wookiees.  Morano and I'll try and distract the others."

(For this encounter, both teams must reach different locations and perform skill challenges to succeed.  For the first team, it will be a Mental Challenge to free the wookies.  For the second, it will simply be to keep the rest of the Imperials busy.)

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Azra and Rorrk approached the entrance of the base.  Finding a door, the paused and peeked through a window.

"They turned the operations pit into a detention center," Rorrk said.  "However, the moment we open the door, they will notice us."

"Understood," Azra said.  Lifting his shotgun, he aimed it at the window.

"Be careful," Rorrk said, "Between the tint and glare, firing through the window may prove more difficult than simply peering through it,"

Azra nodded.  "Agreed, but one moment."  He took a deep breath, then fired his weapon twice.  "Please proceed."

Rorrk entered to find two dead stormtroopers, along with four astonished wookiees behind a force field.

(Mental Challenge:  Rorrk passed 2d6).

Reaching the computer, Rorrk pressed some buttons and the force field dropped.  The four wookies lunged forward, but Rorrk managed to communicate to them that they were there to help.

He turned to Azra.  "They need their weapons, and they said they thought the Imperions placed them nearby."

Azra closed his eyes.  (Mental Challenge with the Force:  Pass 2d6).  Opening them, he pointed to a large cylinder.  "Their weapons are hidden beneath that."

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(Technically, the first few rounds of this scene happened at the same time as the above one.)

"Good job," Hathis said over her comlink.  "Are they still able to fight?"

"Correct," Rorrk answered.  "However, I believe on their leader, Arrilanna is a soldier.  She just recruited the rest because of their personal hatred for the Empire."

"You're kidding."

"I am not."  Rorrk continued.  "Gooron crafts quilts and blankets, Kalova likes to explore, and Geyynik apparently passes for what you humans call Comedians.  However, Arrilanna vouches for them, insisting she trained them to fight."

"Good enough," Hathis said.  "We're about to enter the base here.  Try to slip in a flank them"

"It appears our new allies will be joining you soon.  They thought it was the quicker path."

The wookiees:

Arrilanna:  Rep 4 Wookiee Warrior; Meteor Hammer, Rifle.
(The meteor hammer is a melee weapon that can strike opponents at short range.)
Geeynik:  Rep 4 Wookiee Scoundrel;  Rifle.
Gooron:  Rep 3 Wookiee Tech Specialist; Bowcaster.
Kalova:  Rep 3 Wookiee Scout; Bowcaster.

"Great," Hathis said, "we've got company, whether we want them or not."

Morano nodded.  "Until they get here, we'll need to distract the Imps."

"You're right."  Pulling out a thermal detonator, Hathis tossed it at the wall.  It exploded, and when the smoke cleared, the noticed several storm troopers and Imperial soldiers looking at them in shock, and one trooper on the ground, covered in debris.

"Well that worked!"

The two slipped back behind the wall as about a dozen troopers appeared from a side door, entering the grass.  The two groups exchanged fire until Hathis and Morano heard roaring behind them.  turning, they spotted the wookies rushing in, weapons blazing.  Arrilanna even swung her weapon out, decapitating one trooper.

The fight is on!

The rebels managed to down several troopers, and the wookiees pushed forward.  Suddenly, a second squad appeared from a hidden bunker and opened fire.  Geeynik got caught in the back and fell (OOF) while the remaining warriors continued on.  Hathis spun around and caught the shooter while Morano took out the others.

Meanwhile, they heard blaster fire inside and saw another trooper drop as Azra fired from inside.

The remaining troopers started to fall back as Azra appeared from the hallway.

A moment later, Rorrk joined them.  "I have blocked all communications into and out of this station so they cannot request assistance."

"Good," Hathis said, "let's finish this."

The wookiees meanwhile, rushed right and, continuing to drop troopers left and right.  They took out the remaining troopers, reducing them to piles of broken, bloody armor.

Racing in, Morano froze as he surveyed the damage.  "I hope you got all that out of your systems!"

Hathis, Azra, and Rorrk joined the group, and Arrilanna growled an inquiry to Rorrk.

"Those were the remaining forces located at this station," he answered.

Immediately, they turned and rushed outside to their fallen comrade.  Hathis and the rest joined them, with Rorrk doing his best to tend to Geyynik's wounds.

(Recovery Table:  Pass 2d6.)

"He will feel discomfort for some time," Rorrk said, "but he will recover."

Arrilanna growled a comment and Rorrk turned to Hathis.

"She thanks us for rescuing them and asks how they can help."

Hathis looked to the wookiee leader.  "Well, our contact asked us to take over this base and wait for orders..  No doubt, more troops will arrive to find out why they lost contact here, which is probably the plan.  Will you help us when they arrive?"

The tall leader nodded and rumbled a response.

"She says they'll be happy to mutilate more Imperials," Rorrk translated.

"Then let's scour this place and prepare for the next fight."

Arrilanna roared and raised her weapon in the air, indicating they were ready for anything.

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Elsewhere,

The Imperials, indeed knowing the rebels had taken control of their base, began assembling a squad to regain it.  And they stood tall and ready as their leader arrived.

(After Battle improvements:  Hathis advanced to Rep 7; Rorrk advanced to Rep 6; Azra advanced to Rep 5.)

Haunted Hotel - High Moon with Insanity Rules

Using my Insanity rules with THW's High Moon, I decided to send my three heroes into the Death's Kiss Hotel (nothing bad could come from a place with that name, right?).  My heroes are:

Ace:  Rep 5 Star:  Marksman, Slow to React, Pistol.
Cade:  Rep 4 Townsperson:  Slow to React, Pistol.
Joseph:  Rep 4 Indian Warrior:  Brawler, Rifle.

Ace (Red), Cade (Green), Joseph (Blue)

Ace and Joseph entered the hotel at around 8 P.M., along with their guide, Cade.  Their job was to see if stories about the hauntings were true or simply legend.  and for that, they'd stay and explore the hotel from 8 P.M. until 8 A.M.  Let's hope they survive.

 
They entered one room when Ace froze in his tracks.  "Did you hear that?"  Sneaking out into the hallway, he peeked into the next room.

PEF #1:  Pass 1d6.

"What is it?"  Joseph asked, his rifle entering the hallway before him.

Eyes peering left to right, Ace shrugged.  "I guess just my imagination.  I could have sworn-"

PEF #2:  Pass 1d6.

"Did you hear that?"

Cade entered the room, pistol shifting as he glanced around.  "I heard that too.  Something's here, just not sure it's a ghost."

"It's like the walls have eyes that watch our every move," Joseph said with a shudder.

Backing out into the hallway, Ace nodded.  "That wasn't the wind.  I thought I heard talking."

PEF #3:  Pass 2d6;  4 Opponents total.

Ace again entered the room and paused as he thought he heard movement all around them.

PEF resolves as ghosts.  Ghosts act first and split into two groups.

"I don't see anything now," Ace said.

Just then, Cade and Joseph spun around to find a spectral being staring at them.  Cade froze in his tracks (gains Insanity point) while Joseph fired his rifle.  To their surprise, the creature disappeared into the room, and the two men gave chase.

Ace, meanwhile, encountered three ghosts in one bedroom.  He opened fire, but suddenly, all three shrieked, and Ace stumbled back, head spinning.  (2 Insanity Points gained.)

11 P.M.

Cade and Joseph chased the ghost through the hallway, with Joseph getting a few shots off.  Finally corning it in a bedroom, Joseph slowly entered.  He fired but missed, and suddenly, the walls begain wailing at him.

Seeing his friend in pain, Cade pointed his pistol and fired.  Hearing a thunk, he thought, 'I got you, so son of a-'

Then he saw Joseph hit the ground (OOF) and he realized his horrible mistake.  Before he could check on his friend, the ghost lunged forward, and Cade bolted for the hallway.

Cade found Ace in a nearby room, collapsed in the corner (4 Insanity Points, but saved by Star Power).  Helping Ace to his feet, the two took off down another hallway.

(At this point, only the heroes activated for three turns.)

2 A.M

As the ghosts gave chase, Ace and Cade opened fire, driving the beings off.  They continued circling from room to room, and both were having problems focusing.

5 A.M.

However, the spectral presence was begging to take its toll, and not long after, Cade collapsed unconscious.  (OOF.  Ace survived again thanks to Star Power, but he was down to 3d6.)

Finding Joseph, he did his best to tend to the man's wounds (Passed 1d6 on Recovery table), before taking up his rifle and continuing on his way.

6 A.M.

Just have to last two more hours, Ace thought.  Spotting a shrieking shadow, he fired, and it vanished, but then he heard howling from the room next to him.  He ducked just as a ghost flew over his head and put his back to the wall as a third approached.

Wait, he thought, is my back glued to this wall?  He pulled himself away, but now the lights were screaming at him, the paint was taunting him, his own gun even cackled when he tried to pull the trigger.  (Gained another Insanity point for 5 total.)

Dropping the weapon, he fell to his knees and covered his face in his hands.  He tried shaking his head, but it did no good.  (Star Power failed). 

Collapsing on the floor, he opened his eyes to find three hideous specters watching him with glee.  And the last thing he heard was their high-pitch cackles.

Ace, Cade, and Joseph were never seen again.  Their bodies were never found.  And no one ever entered the hotel at night again, until its location was long forgotten.

Does Death's Kiss Hotel exist today?  Possibly.  It could even be one you stay in next.  But when the sun goes down, just keep reminding yourself that's possibly all a myth.

Unless of course, the walls really are watching you right now!

Clownin' with Cowboys - a High Moon AAR

I ran this game mostly just to blow off steam, and to test out the Monster Clown for High Moon.  Rep 5.  Quick Reflxes for random Attribute.  1H Weapon.  

Here he is now:

Meet Risi

Risi (short for, 'Risible') has entered the town of Cactus Valley to rescue his buddy Pokes (a Mangler) from the clutches of the so-called innocent people of the town.  This is a Raid encounter, with his goal being the jail in Section 1.  Once again, I used the scale of 1 Section = 10."  And since Risi is armed only with a single jagged, rusty blade, subtly will probably be the best approach.

Time for some fun!

Risi entered the town early in the morning, when everyone was still recovering from a festival the night before.  He snuck around, searching for the nest way to the jail.  

(Note that I started with with 4 PEF's instead of 3 to make it a little more challenging.  Also, if Activation ends up as Doubles and 4 or less, then another PEF appears).

A lone cowboy appears, making a trip toward the outhouse.

(In Sights Check.  Pass!)

Good morning, sunshine!  And good night!

His buddy then heard the noise and rushed out.

Let's just say it wasn't pretty!

(The last PEF didn't resolve so Risi eventually made it to the jail.)

Violets are blue, blood runs red.

(In Sights check - Pass)

I see you, my pretty, and now you're dead!

At that point, another PEF appeared and resolved as a cowboy.

I'll let Pokes handle this.

(Pokes, a Rep 3 Mangler, won Charge into Melee and Melee, and hacked the cowboy to pieces.)

As they left the jail, however, they encountered some trouble.

Gunman Rep 4

Cowboy Rep 3

Cowboy Rep 3

Towns persona Rep 4.

Wanna see a magic trick?  No?  Fine then, die, you spoil sport!

The rest of the group fled behind the general store, and Risi and Pokes followed.

Although Risi got another kill, the remaining cowboy dropped poor, misunderstood Pokes.

Risi snuck behind the duo, but then realized they were joined by the town's blacksmith.

I don't suppose we could talk this over a spot of tea?

Although Risi managed to remove the cowboy from the equation, the blacksmith pulled out two pistols and filled the poor monster clown with bullets.

So no on the tea then?

They buried Risi by nightfall and told the town that a maniac gunman had plowed through the town, but he was executed on sight.  No reason to scare anyone with stories about monster clowns, right?

Add caption

That night, they visited the grave and paid their final respects to Risi.

(Not Quite Dead test:  Passed!)

Apparently, though they weren't aware that the only way to truly kill a monster clown is to completely destroy its body.  Burying one is usually a no no.

I will be laughing,
you will be hurt,
and I'll be dancing,
while you breathe dirt!

Singing his little song, Risi sent the blacksmith face-first into the grave and then pulled out his knife, grinning wickedly.

As the bartender ran, he screamed for help, but the people knew the truth of that night and remained in their homes.  They were all too aware of the creature with metal on his face and blades on his hands.  And they knew all too well of the clown dancing around.  So no one emerged to help the poor man.

He managed to make to to his house before a large foot tripped him.  Risi then dragged him gleefully (Risi, not the bartender) to the pond.

Oh don't worry.  I promise you'll float . . . unless of course, I tie rocks to your feet and jump up and down on your chest!

(Since Risi failed in his mission, and well technically, he did not receive any Increasing d6.)

The next morning, the people found the bodies and faced the terror for the first time.  And no one saw Risi the clown or the body of his friend.  But sometimes at night, people claimed to hear cackling in the wind.  

Did you hear it?  Was it the wind or something else?  Hopefully he doesn't know you're listening.  And he's probably not real anyway.  

But just in case, look over your shoulder.

No, your other shoulder . . . 

The Great Paine Robbery! - AAR for High Moon

Here's another AAR for the new High Moon game.  This time I wanted to try the Bank Robbery encounter, but with a twist; I'd be robbing the bank with monsters!

Here's my group:

Ursula:  Witch (Star);  Rep 5 - Quick Relexes
Morgan:  Smart Zombie; Rep 4;  Pistol
Lucy:  Werewolf;  Rep 4; Pistol
Gravid:  Vampire; Rep 3; Pistol.

Since Vampires don't usually work well with werewolves (and neither is fond of zombies), I hard Ursula hire all 3 allies.

This is essentially a Raid encounter, expanded as a Bank Robbery.  The four start outside the Tim Paine Bank.  When we started, Lucy peeked into the window to identify those inside (Mental Challenge).  When she succeeded, I resolved the PEF's.

Two of the PEF's didn't resolve (one Passed 1d6).  The last resolved as a Gunman (Rep 5; Red), Cowboy (Rep 4; Red; top right corner), and 3 bank workers (Townspeople Rep 3; Blue and Green).  The one in the top left corner atop the d6 was guarding the $.

Lucy picked the lock (Mental Challenge), and we won In Sight.

 Entering the bank, Ursula approached the teller and successfully cast a Suggestion spell.

"Go show your friends the stampede outside."

Sure enough, he approached the cowboy and gunman and tried to get them to look out the window.

"Look!  Stampede!"

Both men failed their Mental Challenge and looked.  This left the other two tellers unguarded.

Morgan sneaked up to the one closest to the door and 'silenced' him, and Lucy did the same for the one guarding the door.

As we tried to escape though, the cowboy and gunman heard us (successful mental challenges) and drew their guns.

Gravid tried to eliminate the cowboys, but his guns missed, and they returned fire.  They scored direct hits, but luckily, none of them used silver bullets (They apparently hurt both vampires and werewolves in the West).

Ursula then jumped in and took out all 3 with magical bolt spells.  Our group then took off into the night.  Afterward, I rolled for the loot and Rep improvements.  Ironically, Gravid improved to Rep 4 while no one else did.

Since that encounter ended too quickly, we robbed 2 more banks.  Those got a little bloodier, especially the third, when I decided the gunfire attracted the law who attacked from outside the bank.  All 4 of us survived, but only Gravid and Morgan advanced.  Ursula and Lucy (who got the highest kill counts) failed each time.

Next time, things could get a little darker.  Apparently, our actions have attracted the attention of Alabama Adams, a singing cowboy and the bane of all innocent creatures of darkness.  Upon hearing of darkness falling on the town of Westbrook, Adams immediately went to work assembling a posse to help him.

But Ursula is assembling some help as well.

Until next time . . .

Terror on the Prairie - a High Moon AAR

Sheriff Rogers looked up as the newcomer entered the bar.  He had a shotgun slung over his shoulder, a pistol in one holster, bags that sounded like rattling bullets in the other, and a book under his arm.  

Nearby, leaning against the bar, Bad Tad York, chuckled.  "He don't look like nothin.'"

"Behave, Tad," Rogers said.  "He's going to help us."  "Hey, over here," he called out to the stranger, kicking out the chair across from him.

The stranger sat, placing his book and Rogers pushed a mug over to him.  "This whiskey's the strongest this side of Rockies.  When the man ignored the drink, Rogers pulled it back.  "So you're the one known as Gothe."  His eyes fell on the book.  "Your Bible?"

"Book of legends and tales," Gothe answered.  "What's the job?"

"Well recently, we've been hearing of strange things up in those hills," Rogers answered.  "Last night, something massacred an entire militia."  He took a drink and Gothe noticed the sheriff's hands trembling.  He continued.  "Now I heard you've dealt with things like these before, and you got a debt to pay off.  Now, I haven't got much for you to go by, but-"

"A thousand," 

Rogers looked at him, stunned.  "What?"

"My price," Gothe said again, "a thousand.  You said yourself  it took out a militia."

The sheriff sighed.  "Fine, a thousand, once the deal is done of course."

Just then, Tad sauntered by the table.  "Why don't you give me the thousand, 'stead of this here runt."

"Not now," Rogers said, pinching the bridge of his nose, "this is not a good time, Tad."

Gothe started to stand, but Tad placed a hand on his shoulder.  "What's the hurry, tough guy?  You too good for whiskey?"

"Remove you hand, please," Gothe said, keep his voice steady.

Tad burst out laughing.  "Please?  Why this pearly white city boy's got manners.  I wonder if he's got a pair though.  Care to show me, Mr. Manners?"

Gothe shook his head.  "Some other time, now again, please remove your hand."

He reached for his book, when Tad snatched it.  "Well look what we have here.  Mr. Manners fancies himself a reader!  You wanna read to me Mr-"

Suddenly, Gothe grabbed Tad's arm, twisting it, and slung the larger man into the air, sending him crashing onto his back.  Lifting the book, he glared down at Tad.  "Do not touch my book."

As he walked out, Tad looked over at Rogers, who simply shrugged.  "All that," the sheriff said, "over a book called Fantasmagoriana."

Gothe:  Rep 5 Gunman; Quick Reflexes, Nerves of Steel; Shotgun w/ Silver bullets if needed.

For this game, I combined the Prairie Walk and Confrontation encounters.  The object was to find the cause of the attacks and deal with it.  I also used a couple house rules as follows:

• When I resolved a PEF with a roll of Doubles, that PEF would be the main threat.
• If I didn't encounter it after resolving all 3 PEF's, I'd start Gothe back in Section 9 with 3 more (treating it as a new area).

I added the second rule after my third PEF turned out to be a cowboy who said hi and walked away.  I then started a new location.

After greeting the cowboy and wishing him well, Gothe continued exploring the forest until he heard screams.  Spinning his shotgun around, he spotted several people (PEF resolved as multiple townsfolk) running toward him.

"Monsters!"  they screamed as they rushed past him, not slowing for a moment.

Continuing in the direction they ran from, Gothe spotted a young man hiding behind a tree and reloading his pistol.  "You all right?"

The young man continued reloading bullets and didn't even look up.  "It ate my ma and pa!"

"Which way?"

The kid pointed.  "I'm going with you.  I owe whatever it is a bullet or two."

Gothe shrugged.  "Suit yourself."

Readying his pistol, he nodded.  "Friend's call me Lucky."

"Gothe."

As the continued, they heard a strange groaning and peered ahead.

"Zombies?"  Lucky gave a chuckle and pointed his pistol.  "This shouldn't be so-"

Gothe yanked him back just as a bullet struck a nearby tree.

Lucky gawked.  "They got guns?"

"One of them at least," Gothe said, watching the grinning zombie as it pointed a pistol at him.

Before it could fire though, Gothe point his shot gun and dropped both of them.

Lucky studied the two dead creatures lying on the ground.  "Those things didn't kill my folks.  They're too small."

As if on cue, they heard a pair of howls and two creatures emerged from the brush.

"A werewolf!"  Lucky said, his voice breaking.  "And a . . . what the hell is that?"

"Were-coyote," Gothe answered.  He pointed his shotgun, but the werewolf lunged forward, knocking him off his feet.  It tried to dig its fangs into Gothe's neck, but he smacked it with the butt of his gun and rolled away (Saved by Star Power).  The coyote-like creature lunged at Lucky.  He got a shot off, but it didn't flinch.  It reached the younger man, who fought to keep it at bay.

Taking a step back, Gothe aimed his shotgun at the werewolf and fired, taking the thing's head clean off.  He then turned to see the were-coyote attacking Lucky and kicked it off before firing again and dropping the creature.

Helping Lucky to his feet (Lucky Passed 2d6 on Recovery table but failed the Infection test).  "I feeel weird," the boy said.

"You've got the infection in your blood," Gothe said.  "Go seek out one of the tribes up the mountains.  They might be able to help you."

"If not," Lucky held up his gun, "I'm dealing with this any way I can."

The two parted ways and Gothe collected the werewolf head, bagged it, and returned to town for his reward.

(Gothe got 4d6 Increasing d6 and improved to Rep 6.)


And that was a High Moon Game.  High Moon is the newest game from Two Hour Wargames, and it mixes the wild west with the supernatural.  Expect your cowboys and Indians to encounter zombies were-creatures, vampires, witches, and lots of other creatures of horror.  High Moon is a stand-alone game that needs no other game rules.  It even plays well as a straight-up western game if you're not a fan of horror.  But where's the fun in that?

You can find High Moon at:

http://www.twohourwargames.com/himodere.html