On the Table Today...

On the table today features a collection that has not seen the table in about 25 years.  Yes, 25 years!  My Old West collection hits the table in a five-player game set in the New Mexico Territory.  Wanting to give the fellas a break from historical refights, today's action takes a step back into the Old Southwest, Hollywood style.  The Rules of Engagement for today's action is an old (1998 by the date stamp on my file) playtest copy of Wargames Foundry's The Rules With No Name.  Getting the figures out after so many years will be good fun.  Reacquainting myself with the rules while incorporating slight adaptations for grid play has been enjoyable too.  Hopefully, I can muddle through the rules in a remote setting with five players.   

On to the scenario!  

Gunfight at Adobe Wells Station, 1909

Up in the Mogollon Mountains of the New Mexico Territory, the mining town of Mogollon was experiencing one of a number of recent labor disputes.  Workers in the Little Fannie Mines were prone to protesting working conditions and generally slowing production.  With a new method of precious metals' extraction under testing, work stoppages were becoming quite costly.  Without better labor organization, these rebellions were easily and mostly peacefully squashed.  This time was different.  Labor leadership finally was able to organize a work stoppage.  With the mines idle, tempers rising, and profits falling, company leadership decided now was the time to step in and put an end to such nonsense.

When labor troubles arise and cannot be handled internally, the company to call to deal with such security issues and labor disputes was the Pinkerton Agency.  Company officials and the Pinkerton’s decided it important not to cause alarm in Mogollon before all of the pieces were in place to put down the strike.  Over the last week, the daily stage run between Silver City and Mogollon had been dropping off crates of weapons and cyanide (used in the new extraction process) at the Adobe Wells Swing Station.  Only a handful of Pinkertons were on guard at the station as the inventory grew.

This activity at Adobe Wells did not go unnoticed.  A number of groups had an interest in gaining control of growing weapons and cyanide stockpiles.  Real “entrepreneurs” were motivated to grab the stockpile to sell to the highest bidder.  Miners in Mogollon would be happy to learn of the disappearance of these tools of the industrial trade.  The Apaches would be most eager to gain several crates of first-rate weapons.  Which group would get to Adobe Wells first?

Rules: The Rules With No Name

Figures: 25mm

Table: 5 inch hex grid.

Number of Players: Five (Two Pinkertons and three gang members).

Number of Characters per Player: One. We may recycle characters if any go down quickly.

Cast of Characters:

Character Attributes: All characters are classified as Gunman.
Victory: Last man standing.
Starting Positions: Pinkerton agents begin in Adobe Wells Station compound. Band of outlaws enter at any table edge.