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The Rules Directory only works if you help. Write a review. Get the review template here. |
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TITLE: What A Cowboy! AUTHOR: John Savage PUBLISHER: Too Fat Lardies PUBLICATION DATE: 2018 WEB SITE/SUPPORT FORUM: Player support can be obtained on the Lard Forum. PRICE (with date): 17.00 GBP (approx $23 in 2023) REVIEWED BY: Mark “Extra Crispy” Severin PERIOD COVERED: The American Old West THE BOOK: What A Cowboy! (WAC) is an 86 page PDF. The graphics are full color thoughout and up to the usual fins standards of all Too Fat Lardies products these days. The rules take up the first 48 pages. There is an extensive character building system as well as a campaign module for playing linked scenarios. SCOPE: WAC is a skirmish level game with players running small groups of 2-10 fighters. ARMY SIZE: A player controls a gang of as few as 2 figures and up to maybe a dozen or so. BASE UNIT: Each figure represents one person. Most figures operate individually but players may also run small groups of “Henchmen” who are essentially treated as a single figure with special rules. GAME SCALES:
BASING SIZES: There are no basing requirements. TURN SEQUENCE: In WAC each figure is assigned a playing card. The resulting deck is shuffled and a card is drawn. The corresponding figure activates and takes its actions. Once done another card is drawn and so on. There are some possible interruptions (see below) but play proceeds through the deck. Once all cards have been drawn, the deck is shuffled and a new turn begins. GAME MECHANICS: Character Levels & Skills: Each character in WAC is assigned a level which determines how well it performs various actions. From worst to best these are Henchmen, Greenhorn, Shootist, Gunslinger and Legend. This is especially important when attempting “Hollywood” type actions (see Aces High, below). Characters may also have special skills. These are determined when “recruiting” your gang and are rolled for randomly. They may result in you being a better horseman, or especially quick on the draw. Or they may make you Jumpy, Soft or Slow. Often you may end up with no special skill at all. Action Dice: Action Dice are the key mechanic to all the activities a figure may perform. When a figure activates, it rolls its 6 action dice. Each roll allows a certain action. For example each roll of a 1 allows a move, a 2 is for spotting, a 3 for aiming, a 4 or 5 for shooting/reloading. A 6 is a “wild card” to perform any action or recover action dice from the Shock Pool. A Gunslinger may change one die to any other action from 1-5, a Legend may change two dice. A Character uses all of its action dice in any order it chooses. Once they have used all their action dice, play proceeds by drawing a new activation card. There are a few rules that allow interruption to this but generally play is one character after another using their action dice. Dice may some times be used in combination, such as using two “Aim” actions on on shot to get an even better die roll modifier. Losses to Action Dice represent a fighter’s stamina. If a Character takes a Shock, he pulls one die from his dice pool and puts it aside in his Shock Pool. A future roll of a 6 on an Action Die will allow him to move it back. When wounded, a Character loses one Action die permanently. Movement: There are two kinds of movement: Basic and Enhanced. Basic is simple movement around the table. A Move die confers 2D6 inches of movement, with subsequent move dice conferring an additional 1D6 inches. To cross obstacles requires spending move dice as well. For example, one move die result in 8” of movement, A Character moves 4” and comes to a major obstacle. To cross it the Character must use a Move die or stop at the obstacle. Enhanced Movement includes any special kind of movement or activity such as climbing, carrying heavy loads, jumping etc. Each of these requires the expenditure of additional Move dice, with failure a possibility. Mounted movement works much the same way. Rough terrain costs the lower of the 2D6 rolled for inches. Mounting requires a Move die, dismounting is free. A Character may mount and dismount in the same turn so long as they have the required Move dice. Some maneuvers require a In Control Test to see if the rider stays in the saddle. Spotting: In order to see and shoot at a target it must be spotted. Figures within 12” in the open are spotted automatically. Spot dice must be used to spot others, with the number of dice required determined by distance, cover, concealment etc. There is no roll to Spot. Simply use the Spot dice and the target is seen. If you do not have sufficient spot dice, the target cannot be seen. Spotting lasts until line of sight is broken. Aiming: Each Aim die used adds +1 to the Shoot die roll for one shot. As many dice as are available may be added to a shot. Shooting: For each Shoot die, one shot is taken and one round of Ammo expended. A D6 is rolled for each shot with a hit scored on a 5 or 6. A 1 is an automatic miss regardless of modifiers, aiming, etc. There are a small handful of modifiers to the die. If a Character is hit it attempts a Dodge. Rolling a D6 a Dodge is successful on a 5 or 6, or a 4-6 if in cover. A Character that successfully dodges is moved up to 4” into cover and acquires a Pinned marker. If there is no cover, the Character goes prone. If the Dodge attempt fails, a D6 is rolled. On a 1-4 the shot has no effect. On a 5 the target is Shocked and must move one Action Die into its Shock Pool. On a 6 the Character is wounded and loses an Action Die permanently. On a 7+ a Critical Wound is scored. A D6 is rolled to determine the result (from KIA to losing Action Dice). If a Character has no Action Dice in its normal pool (i.e. they are all permanently lost or in the Shock pool) the Character is out of the fight and removed from the table. Reloading/Ammo: For each Shoot die expended a Character may add one round of ammo to one weapon. Characters have unlimited ammo supply but shoot and reload one round at a time. Ammo is tracked by weapon so revolvers hold 6 shots, shotguns 2 etc. Aces High: A roll of a 6 on an Action Die is “Aces High.” The player elect to use that die for any other action - Move, Spot, or Shoot. In addition, they may perform a special action:
Should a player roll three Aces High, a random event is immediately triggered. 2D6 are rolled and the Random Event chart consulted. Rolling four Aces High confers on the Character a “Bonanza” token which allows a Character to interrupt another Character’s activation. Brawling: Brawling is resolved by opposed die rolls. Each player rolls several dice based on their level, special skills, and situation. Your base number of dice is your current Actoin Dice pool (excluding those in your shock pool). A Legend takes away 1 die from the pool, a Greenhorn 4. A hit is scored on a 5 or 6. Some weapons hit on a 4 or even a 3! The Character who rolls the most Hits wins, with the difference in hits determining the outcome. Results vary from Draw (each side takes a shock and fights again, to a Critical Wound on the loser. Regardess, any 6 rolled by the loser inflicts one Shock on the winner. Henchmen: Most of the game focuses on individual Characters. But a player may also have anonymous “Henchmen.” Henchmen are recruited in groups of three. They have a single pool of 6 action dice and use dice as a unit. For example, spending a Move die allows all of the Henchmen to move. A Shoot die, however, only allows one shot by one Henchman. Henchmen takes hits slightly differently losing figures as they take Shock or permanently lose Action Dice. Ride or Die: Morale in WAC is also keyed to Character Level. Each Character contributes points to Force Morale. Legends add 6, Greenhorns 1. At the end of each turn players check morale. You add the morale value of all characters in play, deduct for every 2 points of shock, and add for remaining Henchmen. If the final result is less than half the Force Morale, a Ride or Die test is triggered. Depending onthe highest level remaining character a number of D6 will be rolled. You need a 6 on one die to pass. Otherwise your gang has broken and the game is over. Bonanza Tokens & Desperado Cards: Some Characters start the game with Bonanza Tokens, and all Characters may axquire them if they roll 4 “Aces High” dice. A Bonanza allows a player to interrupt another, roll a number of Action Dice and use them. A Bonanza does NOT count as an activation - they may still activate later in the turn. Desperado Cards are dealt out prior to play. They are played at any time and may confer bonus dice, re-rolls etc. (I do not have a deck as it is only available as a physical product and not a PDF). ARMY LISTS/SCENARIOS: There are 6 scenarios included as well as a detailed Campaign system. The chapter on recruiting a gang acts as the “army lists” in WAC. REVIEWER’S COMMENTS: WAC is an easy to understand, well produced rule book, in line with all the Too Fat Lardies products. It includes copious examples and illustrations, and all the mechanics are clear and easy to understand. Because it uses a “one figure at a time” activation mechanic I would limit it to games of no more than 4 players. I have played numerous Old West games like this, and when you have 6 or 8 layers it is very easy to get bored waiting for your card to come up, and you end up spending a lot of time just watching. PLAYER’S COMMENTS: Not played. |
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