Showdown in town, What a Cowboy! game six finale

Tuco's men take position at one end of town

 

While the Earp gang advances from the other end of town

Local pugilists conduct a donnybrook.

A lucky escape for Poole of the Earp gang!

Wyatt in action!

The Drifter observes Tom, a new found ally gun downed by Wyatt

Doc and Ike decide to move along their right flank

Ears still ringing, Poole decides it is better to remain in cover.

The local Undertaker senses an upswing in business!

By the last game the Earp gang was pretty much an unstoppable force. All of them had progressed to Gunslinger status with Doc just on the cusp of becoming a legend. Doc was the most successful character in the campaign.

As for the Tuco gang, well they had their challenges in the campaign. There were moments of brilliance but all too many instances of bad luck. More of their gang members were killed outright than in the Earp gang, This delayed their progress such that only a couple of them made it to the shootist level.

The drifter who was there to add some balance to the gangs appeared in the last two games but did not really factor into results. He was badly wounded in game five and ineffective in game six.

I enjoyed the campaign and I think the players had fun too. There is a lot of randomness in the game, that is for certain, but the randomness in its own way does add a certain charm to the game. This game is not for those who like certainty in how their figures act. Each turn brings a challenge for the player, they may have plans for their figures, but the dice are the ultimate determinator of how those plans will play out.

The penultimate What a Cowboy! game

Game 5 saw the two opposing forces conducting a vendetta against each other. The background was an old mining camp turned small town. Each side selected an opponent to be the target of their rage, and with no other objective they advance upon each other.

Both side took advantage of the terrain

Heavy fire from the Earps drove back their opposition

A Drifter (the man in black) was 'recruited' to fight the Earps and their allies

Tuco and his ally gang up on one of the Earps underlings

New to us boardgame Black Forest

 

So, just after I finished ranting to a friend about how I disliked worker placement games what should my regular boardgaming partner bring over but a worker placement game! However this was not that bad. Unlike other such games each player only has one worker which therefore eliminates the whole nightmare aspect of trying to get your extra workers before your opponent does. 

In the two player game you add a neutral third worker who can be moved around by either player, usually to interfere with the plans of the other player, but with so many options available each turn the Prescence of this third worker is not a game breaker but can be a nuisance!.

The game was fun and easy to learn. It has an intriguing resource wheel (well actually two per player) that tracks what resources you have and has an interesting mechanism to show the interrelationship between raw materials and finished glass. (required to build more advanced buildings) The game sees the players pretty much playing their own game with only limited interaction. The players are trying to develop their demesne, by increasing their flocks, constructing buildings and completing jobs.  

I found it to be a nice game, much like Eminent Domain. Both players just keep working on their plans without the other player attacking and ruining their plans. A very pacifist game.

That same night we also played another game of 5 year mission.

Some new additions

 

Old HO scale Tyco Turbo 'futuristic' train 

Found this in Almonte at an antique store for under $20.00. The tag suggests that it still works, but I have no power pack to test it out. It is a small train, three cars including the engine but it should work for 15mm sci fi well enough.