Shrapnel Games Blog

Cowboys: The Way Of The Gun (Worthington Games)

Next to the Middle Ages there is probably no other historical period that is romanticized as much as the Old West. From movies, television shows, novels, and comics the tradition of heroic gunslingers taking on dastardly villains against the backdrop of a the freedom that was promised by heading “out west” is a rich one. Strangely, while ripe for the gaming world, the frontier life has been largely neglected in gaming although two recent systems have sought to change that. Aces & Eights is a new role-playing game from Kenzer and Company that deals with an Old West seen through an alternate history lens (or if you prefer the current buzzword, counterfactual), and then there is Worthington Games’ Cowboys: The Way Of The Gun, a relatively new board game.

Cowboys is a skirmish level board game of individual combat set against the backdrop of both historical and fictional Western scenarios. It is first and foremost a game, and not an exacting simulation, and as such there are elements that may turn off folks who want to see the exact trigger pull weight of a Smith and Wesson 44DA taken into account. If you’re not one of those folks, and you just want to shoot something, you’ll find Cowboys to your liking.

The basics of Cowboys is dirt simple. Each player controls one or more cowboys, set up on a modular board system. Each cowboy has four hit points worth of health, and for each hit point lost the cowboy loses one movement point. There are three weapons in the game: pistol, rifle, and shotgun. Each weapon differs in ammunition and chance to hit, which is computed by rolling 2d6 and taking into account the gun, range, and any die-roll modifiers and consulting the shot chart. A natural twelve is a critical hit and scores two hits, while any other form of successful hit only takes one hit point off the target. And yes, this means a shotgun at point blank range does one point, as would a pistol or a rifle. This may rile some gamers, and there are a number of ways of explaining this away, but it all boils down to this: would it be much of a game if scenarios were decided with one shot? Correction. Would it be much of an enjoyable game?

During a turn a player can either perform a move action or a shoot action with each cowboy, but not both (there is a way around this, but more on that in a moment). Movement actions include moving, mounting/dismounting or moving with a horse, and changing weapons. Shoot actions include shooting (either one or two shots), drawing from a holster and shooting, spinning (change facing) and shooting, and finally reloading. Since you can only do one action at a time on the list it’s important to carefully plan your actions, since having to spend a turn reloading right in front of your opponent is a good way to end up poked full of holes.

And that’s the basics. Either move or shoot. If that’s all there was to Cowboys it wouldn’t be worth the nicely crafted German components (heavy linen counters and map boards, high quality cards) it was printed on. Thankfully Worthington Games adds a few twists to this simple formula with the use of cards, and the extensively varied scenarios and optional rules.

Cowboys comes with a complete deck of playing cards specifically designed for the game. You’ll find all the cards you would normally find in a regulation poker deck, including jokers, but they’re more than just playing cards. Each card is an action card that can be played at various points in the game, depending on the card itself, that will either break the rules or enhance your options.

Card examples include ‘Adrenaline’, which allows one cowboy to either move twice, or move and shoot in the same turn. ‘Speed Load’ allows a cowboy to reload and shoot in the same turn. ‘Health’ gives one cowboy one hit point, and can be played even when the cowboy is hitting zero. ‘Town Folk’ lets a player either add a town folk to his side or take away one from his opponent. Town folk become active participants for the controlling side, armed with a rifle that never runs out of bullets, but only one hit point. Then there’s the ‘Critical Hit’ card that allows a shot to do double damage, and is played immediately after taking the shot and seeing if it hits, which means it is possible to take out someone in one shot after all. Roll a twelve and have the card playable and bam! One dead hombre.

All told there are fourteen different card events, and wild cards that allow you to duplicate any of the fourteen. Besides their role as event actions you can also play poker with them, which is one optional rule for determining who becomes the first phasing player. Unlike many games that include cards, in Cowboys the cards in your hand are not replaceable, but are usable only once. The exact number of cards you receive is dependent on the scenario, but typically it’s one card per starting cowboy, although scenarios with a limited number of cowboys usually give out a few more cards.

The use of cards means that every scenario has the chance to play out differently each time it is played. The timing of playing the cards also greatly enhances gameplay, since you only get one shot with a card. The proper use of ‘Adrenaline’ can make all the difference in the world. Likewise the ‘Speed Load’ card is a godsend when both you and your opponent have blazed away with the last rounds in your chamber.

The included scenarios (and there are rules letting players know the best way to construct new scenarios) are both numerous and a blast to play. There are twenty-six in total that run the gamut from one-on-one saloon gunfights, to an open-ended scenario that supports up to ten players for some maximum levels of mayhem and carnage on the streets of Virginia City, Nevada.

What makes the scenarios enjoyable is the fact that with the exception of the first few scenarios, all include special rules and victory conditions. Some scenarios may be an all-for-nothing shootout, while others may only require a specific kill. As an example, ‘The Ambush of Wyatt Earp At Mescal Springs’ hinges on one side eliminating Wyatt Earp, while the other side loses if “Curly Bill” Brocious is gunned down. There are scenarios involving running a gauntlet and making it off the map, lynch mobs, jail breaks, and of course the quintessential stagecoach robbery. Combine all these scenarios with the cards, and you have plenty of gaming that can be accomplished, and never get stale.

Another nice aspect of Cowboys is the fact that it plays as advertised; fast and fun. Set up for even the most involved scenarios only takes a few minutes (if that), and the game plays out almost as quick depending on the number of cowboys. Even crowded maps should take experienced players less than a half hour to game, making Cowboys a perfect pick up and play game.

It’s interesting how exciting the game can get, even when dealing with something as simple as Jack Mackall attempting to plug Wild Bill Hickock in Deadwood, South Dakota. The scenario begins with Wild Bill’s back to Mackall, who is the phasing first player. It can be quite a rush to watch what should be an easy kill turn to disaster, based on a bad roll or poor cards. It’s here, in the heat of the gunfight, that Cowboys really shines.

Actions must be carefully considered, and targets chosen for the best effect on gameplay. Who’s more of a danger to your side, the ‘slinger carrying the pistol, or the rifle? If you remember Clint Eastwood’s A Fistful of Dollars you know who you should be targeting. What cards do you have? Is Lady Luck with you tonight?

Cowboys: The Way Of The Gun is a great game built around core mechanics that are easy to learn, and easy to teach. The action cards provide plenty of replayabilty, and the scenarios are well thought-out, varied, and exciting. Crafting your own scenarios is a simple matter, and it would be just as easy to create your own house rules. Don’t like the way damage works? Grab some dice and make it variable. It’s always easier to layer house rules on top of a game that is not already drowning in mechanics, and Cowboys fits the bill.

It’s been a long time since we’ve seen a tactical game on the Old West, and Cowboys: The Way Of The Gun is a welcome addition to any gamer’s shelf, especially if you’ve ever felt the need to shoot a man in Reno just to watch him die.