I've painted up some Peter Pig cowboys recently to use as pretty counters on the game Gunslinger by Avalon Hill. Gunslinger is a fast paced Western-era shootout game, and it doesn't use dice. Instead all results are determined through cross referencing the information found on the card at the top of the draw pile.
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| My Marshall and Sheriff with mandatory big moustaches and both carrying invisible bag pipes. Or they both have a stitch. |
The characters actions are assigned by the player in the form of cards from your permanent hand. Each character has a different selection of the cards available making them all feel like individuals with different strengths and weaknesses. The turn is split into 5 phases and each action card takes a number of phases before being performed (there are some that take 1 phase like draw, cock etc) and are set down at the start of the turn and everybody reveals what they are doing phase by phase. This makes gunfights simultaneous and bloody. This is a game that takes nerve (as much as the death of a cardboard chap can provoke at least) as aiming takes time and you don't know if the other players will shoot first. Often gunfights are over in a few seconds in real time , and it's rare anyone gets out scot free.
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| I have two identical chaps in the same pose (but bent by me for variety) and painted in similar colours as generic cowboys/bandits/gunslingers. |
It's not too hard to find as a second hand game but it is a much loved classic and often commands a high (ish) price. But worth every penny, cent or phnobian dong. There is an updated fan version
here which is streamlined and free to download and print yourself. There's also a vassal module.
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| Rifles are deadly in gunslinger and far outdistance the best handguns. |
I don't know why I forgot to photograph one of them. They all look the same to me (is there a name for cowboy racism?) and the three gunslingers are purposely dressed in blues, browns and a spot of red for one group, and with the law men in greys and black.
I'm going to do a few more when I next need an escape from germans but I'll try and play a simple game of Gunslinger and put it up. I also purchased this rather fine windmill last week for 20% of it's original price. I know it is 1/87 but was wondering if I took the top rail off and modified the doors whether it would look ok.
I've nearly finished some barbed wire and other barriers and they'll be up next. As a final note I went into my FLGS this morning and picked up Human Fighter Male v2 from Otherworld Miniatures. They are nice, classic D&D art fantasy but would mix well with most things. The sculpt is crisp and the pose believable. He'll be lucky enough to get based ASAP as I haven't painted 28mm in ages, especially not a miniature that just made me buy it. He will adventure into many AHQ dungeons.
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| It's been a long time since I've seen a miniature and impulse bought it at anything other than car boots and bring and buys. |
Thanks for taking the time,
BALM.
