Thursday, July 12, 2018

INTRODUCING GUNFIGHTER'S BALL!




Gunfighter's Ball wild west tabletop miniatures game is a quick, easy, and fun shootout wargame. Here is a rundown on the game, miniatures, and accessories.

THE SYSTEM
Gunfighter's Ball is a tabletop miniature wargame; each player controls between one and three characters represented by 28mm miniatures and wild west battles are conducted on a table full of model terrain, all of which is produced by Knuckleduster Miniatures in the Gunfighter's Ball product line.

Gunfighter's Ball game at Garycon, 2018
If you're an old hand at wargaming, you'll be relieved to know that these rules incorporate time-honored rule mechanisms that should be very intuitive for you, and they're also easy for newcomers to learn. For instance:
  • The turn sequence is controlled by poker cards; when your card comes up, it's your turn to go.
  • You can perform two actions when your card comes up. The actions are very clearly defined.
  • Movement is performed with dice to introduce an element of uncertainty.
  • Fire is performed using percentile dice and a simple chart. There are options for opportunity fire/reactions that help get around the problem of attacks on static/helpless non-phasing characters that you often get in "I-Go-U-Go" systems.
  • If a hit is scored, wounds are rolled-for using percentile dice and a chart, or "The Black Deck" is used as an alternative to charts.
  • Health it tracked with poker chips. You begin the game with nine "lives" (health points). Each wound you take costs you between 1 and 6 chips (0 and "All Remaining" are also options for extreme results). The last three chips are red and represent the mortally-wounded level, in which you start taking massive penalties on the charts when you try to move or fight.
  • There are rules for special abilities, animal combat, mounted movement, explosives, and other things you might expect. We've tried to give you the most complete options we can for an old west game. 
  • The scenario section includes an extensive discussion of HOW to write scenarios as well as providing examples of scenarios to get you started.
Download the simplified "Greenhorn" version via the link at the right and see what you think.

Check out this video for a more detailed walk-through:




THE MINIATURES
The Gunfighter's Ball miniature line was already extensive before the kickstarter, with over 50 gunfighting characters, and over 30 bystander packs. With the kickstarter, we've added over a dozen new characters, as well as numerous terrain items. The highlight of the project is the addition of more MDF building kits. This part of the product line will grow a lot during 2018. We've even got a photo-realistic neoprene-backed cloth (mousepad) game mat.

 THE ACCESSORIES
The experience of playing the game is enhanced by high quality game materials worthy of the quality of the figures and terrain. There will be several ancillary card decks that can be used to spice up the game (but are not necessary for play). Each character in our product line will have a large-format "tarot" sized card made from a glossy material that can be easily wiped off after notes are made with a dry-erase or transparency marker. The Black Deck can be used to deal out more specific wound results, and a special ability deck called the Pistoleer Deck can be used to add depth to your characters. Finally, the Death Dealer Deck gives the Judge an elegant and evocative way to deal up characters' turns.


Be sure to share this page with all of your gaming buddies and visit us on Facebook, peruse our webstore, and find the game's listing on Board Game Geek.