Designed by Eric Herman 2009 Version 1.1 grudunza@gmail.com BACKGROUND You are the leader of "The d6 Shooters", a posse who has been hired to escort the infamous outlaw, Billy Griggs, from his current location in the jail of Pyrite, California, to the courthouse in Reno where he is set to face charges for several crimes committed there in recent years. The preliminary hearing is in 40 days and if Billy is not there in time for that, his lawyer will see to it that the charges against him are dropped. So he must be there in 40 days or your mission is a failure and you won t be paid a dime. Certainly, a train would be the fastest method for transporting the criminal, but there have been numerous train robberies as of late, and with Griggs' gang still at large, the threat of a train incident to free Griggs is just too great. So you and your posse must lead Griggs through the outlying California terrain, taking a route off the beaten path whenever possible. However, as you set out and survey the paltry provisions, equipment and weapons you were provided, and hear word of a record heat wave that is hitting California and Nevada, you wonder if taking this job was really a good decision or not. But rumor has it that the path you're taking is ripe with untapped gold deposits, so perhaps if you have any time to do some digging around in the hills and caves, it will have been worth the trouble after all. Well, that is, if you survive... OBJECTIVE Make it to Reno within 40 days. Making it there with some Gold in hand and at least a few other Posse members still alive would be even better. REQUIREMENTS The playsheet. A pen or pencil. 3 red six-sided dice and 5 white six-sided dice (substitute colors as needed). A few extra dice would be helpful at times, but are not absolutely necessary. The Event cards or a sheet with the Event list (optional). STARTING RESOURCES You start the game with 6 Food, 6 Ammo, 3 Gold and 12 Posse members. GAMEPLAY Each turn, roll three Red dice and five White dice. You get three rolls and can lock/unlock as many dice as you want each time, but any 5's or 6's rolled on the Red dice on the first roll are immediately locked, and can't be unlocked! All dice are locked after three rolls, and are then resolved in numerical order (1's first). Always include the Red dice when determining the total number of dice. Dice that cannot be used (e.g. 3's less than a full set of three) are wasted. At the end of each turn, check off one Day on the chart. DICE ACTIONS Move: Move one space for each 1. If movement reaches an Event, resolve the Event before resolving the other dice. If movement reaches a Town, you must stop. Resolve the additional dice for that turn before visiting the Town, however, any additional movement dice (1 s or 4 s) are wasted on that turn. Find Food: Receive one Food for every two 2's Prospect: Receive one Gold for every three 3's Hide, Seek Shelter, Backroads Travel and/or Fight! (You may split up any 4 s rolled among the available choices.) Hide = Remove two 6 s and add 1 Day for each 4 used to Hide. Seek Shelter = Remove one 5 for each 4 used to Seek Shelter. Backroads Travel = Move one space for every two 4's used for Backroads Travel Fight! = each 4 used to Fight will be rerolled for a Shootout (see Shootout!) Extreme Heat! (immediately locks if rolled on a Red die on the first roll) Reroll each 5 that wasn't already resolved by Seek Shelter. For each 3-6 rolled, lose 2 Food or 1 Posse. The Griggs Gang Attacks! (immediately locks if rolled on a Red die on the first roll) If any 4's are used to Fight, then all 6's are used for a Shootout (see Shootout!). Otherwise, reroll each 6 and lose one Posse for each 3-6 rolled.
Shootout! When 6's are rolled, there will be a Shootout if any 4's are used to Fight. Reroll all 6's for the Griggs Gang and add them together. For your Posse, reroll the 4's used to Fight and add them together, plus your current Ammo rating, to get your total. The high score wins (reroll any ties). Remove one die from the losing side and continue until one side has no dice left. If you win, you re safe for now. If the Gang wins, lose one Posse for each remaining Gang die. ** After every Shootout, reduce your total Ammo by one. ** (Note: Ammo total does not go below 0. Ammo represents your combined weapon strength, stamina and ammunition. You can still have Shootouts with an Ammo rating of 0, but it is strictly dice against dice with no Ammo rating bonus.) YOUR POSSE You begin with 11 other people in your Posse, plus yourself. You can regain people for your Posse at Towns and through certain Events, but you can never have more than 12 in your Posse. If you and your Posse are ever killed off entirely, you lose the game. (Note that Billy Griggs is never considered a member of the Posse when counting for Rations, etc.) DAYS Each turn is considered to be one Day. Some turns may end up costing more Days due to Events or other situations. Mark off the number of Days as you go. Your goal is to reach your destination within 40 Days. If a "Hide" action or "Lost" Event adds a Day, mark that off immediately. If that reaches a "Rations" day, Food must be payed immediately before continuing. FOOD Food represents your total source of sustenance, including water. You begin the game with 6 Food. At the end of every 5th Day you must give out Rations and provide one Food to each person in your Posse, including yourself. If you don't have enough Food to feed everyone, you lose as many people as were not fed. If you have no Food remaining when Rations need to be handed out, you lose the game. You cannot carry more than 12 Food at a time. EVENTS Events occur every time you reach one of the E squares on the map. If your movement reaches an Event, resolve the Event before doing anything else. To use the Event cards provided (pages 7-8), either print them out or order them from Artscow and draw them as needed, or roll two dice and compare the numbers rolled to the card, choosing the corresponding card to resolve. (e.g. for a roll of 6 and 5, use the Army Deserters card, labeled 5-6). If you don t have the Event/Item/Poker deck, or do not wish to use the Event cards/list, roll a die when an Event is encountered: 1 = SHORTCUT: Move 3 additional spaces immediately 2 = ANIMAL HERD: You may spend 1 Ammo for 2 food 3 = WAGON TRAIN: You may buy (1 Gold = 2 Food or 2 Ammo) or sell (2 Food or 2 Ammo = 1 Gold) 4 = OPEN ROAD: Nothing happens. 5 = LOST: Add 1 Day and lose 1 Food 6 = DEMANDS: Either lose 1 Posse -or- lose 1 Gold and 1 Food If you cannot fulfill the requirements of an Event (e.g. you are Lost and have no Food left), you lose the game. SPECIAL EVENT Once per game, you may initiate an Event at the start of your turn, no matter where you are. TOWNS At each Town, you can buy Items or play Poker in the local saloon. Movement always stops at a Town, and any additional movement dice (1 s or 4 s) are wasted on that turn. Resolve any other dice from that turn before visiting the Town (i.e. buying Items or playing Poker). ITEMS You may buy as many Items as you wish and can afford, or none if you choose. You may buy Items at any time while in a Town (e.g. you may play Poker first and then buy Items). ITEMS THAT ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE 2 Food for 1 Gold, or 5 Food for 2 Gold 2 Ammo for 1 Gold, or 5 Ammo for 2 Gold Up to 3 Posse Members for 1 Gold each
SPECIAL ITEMS Roll a die to see what Special Item (cost in Gold) is available (only one per Town, reroll if you already have the Item rolled): 1 = Compass (2) Red 1's count as 2 moves 2 = Hunter (3) Counts as a Posse member; when Finding Food/Water, any Red 2's count as 2 dice (Hunter is lost if Posse is ever reduced to 1) 3 = Prospector's Map (3) Gain one Gold for every two 3's rolled 4 = Binoculars (2) May reroll one Red 5 rolled from the first roll 5 = Medicine/Bandages (2) Prevent all Posse loss from a single source, then discard 6 = Better Guns (*) Add +* to your final total during Shootouts (* = the Gold you spent) POKER At each Town, you can opt to play Poker. Wager an amount of Gold, Food and/or Ammo and roll the best hand you can in three rolls with the White dice, then draw the top card from the Event/item/Poker deck (disregard the Event/Item section of the card) and compare your hand to the hand on the card. You win or lose the same amount that you wagered. If there is a tie, start over. Poker hand rankings: Five of a Kind > Four of a Kind> Straight > Full House > Three of a Kind > Two Pair > One Pair > High card Roll a die after your hand is locked to determine the hand you need to beat, as follows: 1 = High card (1 3 4 5 6) 2 = Pair (4 4 6 3 2) 3 = Full House (4 4 4 2 2) 4 = Straight (1 2 3 4 5) 5 = Four of a Kind (3 3 3 3 6) 6 = Five of a Kind (4 4 4 4 4) END OF THE GAME If at any time your Posse is reduced to 0, or it is a Rations Day and you have no Food remaining, or you cannot fulfill the needs of a particular event as stated, the game is over and you lose. The game is also over after the 40th Day, whether you ve made it to Reno or not. You must reach Reno on the 40th Day or sooner to win the game. Once Reno has been reached, any other dice are disregarded for that turn and the game is considered to be over (you do not give out Rations if that would have been a Rations Day). However, if the Event just before Reno is passed with the same turn's movement, that Event must be resolved first before Reno is reached. SCORING (only applies if you reach Reno safely within 40 days) Arriving in Reno = 10 points Each Day you arrived early = 2 points Each remaining Posse member = 3 points Each Gold you have = 2 points Each Food you have = 1 point Every 2 Ammo you have = 1 point EASIER VERSION For a version of the game that should be a little easier to finish, start with 12 Food, 5 Gold and one of the Special Items. SHORTER VERSION For a shorter version of the game, consider Essen to be the destination and 30 Days the time limit. Game designed by Eric Herman Endres 2009 Many thanks to folks at BGG and F:AT for valuable input.
TURN EXAMPLE CURRENT LOCATION & RESOURCES 8 Days have passed. Joe s Posse is three spaces past the Town of Calico. Food is at 4, Posse is at 6, Ammo is at 4 and Gold is at 0. First roll: Joe rolls the three Red dice and 5 White dice and gets 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 on the White dice and 4, 6 and 6 on the Red dice. The two Red 6 s are locked automatically. Joe opts to lock the white 1, 2 and 4 and the Red 4. FIRST ROLL LOCKED Joe rerolls the remaining two white dice and gets 3 and 5, neither of which he wants to keep (it s unlikely he ll roll two more 3 s). He decides to unlock the white 2 to have a better chance at getting more 4 s, which he wants to defend against the 6 s. SECOND ROLL LOCKED Joe rolls the three remaining white dice and gets 1, 2 and 5. Three rolls have passed, so all dice are locked now. THIRD ROLL LOCKED The dice are resolved in numerical order, so for the two 1 s, Joe s Posse moves two spaces, which lands them on an Event. He rolls for the Event and gets a 5, which is Lost: Lose 1 Day and 1 Food. He marks off a Day and discards one Food, bringing his total Days to 9 and his Food down to 3. Next, the 2 s are resolved, but since he only has one 2, that is not enough to gain a Food with, so it is wasted. Joe must decide what to do with the 4 s he has. He decides to use one 4 to Seek Shelter and one to Fight against the attacking Gang members (the 6 s). For the Seek Shelter action, the 5 die is removed, so Joe does not lose any Posse members to the Extreme Heat. Since Joe is using a 4 die to Fight against the attacking 6 s, there will be a Shootout. Joe rerolls his one 4 die and gets a 5, to which he adds the 4 Ammo that he has remaining, for a total of 9. The two 6 s are rerolled and the result is 3 and 4, for a total of 7. Joe has won this round and so one of the attacking dice are removed, leaving one on each side. Joe rolls a 2, adding the 4 Ammo again, to get 6. The attacker s remaining die is rolled for a 6, so they tie and must roll again. Joe rolls a 1 and adds the 4 Ammo to get 5. The attacker s die is again a 6, so Joe has lost the Shootout and loses one Posse member (for the one remaining Gang die). He now has 5 Posse. At the end of every Shootout, Joe must reduce his Ammo by one, so he now has only 3 Ammo left. That ends the turn, so Joe checks off the next Day, which is Day 10, a Rations day, so he must pay Food to each of his Posse. He only has 3 Food remaining, and there are 5 Posse members, so two Posse members are lost, and Joe is now out of Food. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Alternately, Joe might have opted to use a 4 to Hide against the 6 s. He d have been guaranteed not to lose any Posse to the attacking Gang members. However, he would have had to add a Day. He could have also used the two 4 s for Backroads Travel to move an extra space, but that would have left him completely vulnerable to the 5 and the two 6 s.
: EVENT LIST Roll two dice and choose the corresponding Event. (e.g. A roll of 4 and 3 would be 3-4: Posse Demands) 1-1: Tumbling Tumbleweeds. A tumbleweed tumbles on by and runs right into a cactus. 1-2: Stampede! Roll two dice. If you roll lower than the total number of your Posse, lose 2 Posse members. 1-3: Rattlesnakes! Roll one die per Posse member. Add 1 Day for the first 6 rolled. Lose 1 Posse member for any additional 6 s rolled. 1-4: Billy Escapes! Billy escapes while your Posse is resting. You are able to track him down, but it costs you some time. If the nearest Town is behind you, add 1 Day. If the nearest Town is ahead of you, move ahead 2 spaces and add 1 Day. If distance is equal, add 1 Day. 1-5: Deer Herd. A herd of deer passes by, and you see a lot more down across the valley. You may spend 1 Ammo to gain 2 Food. OR You may spend 2 Ammo and add 1 Day to roll a die and get Food equal to the number rolled +2. 1-6: There s Gold in Them Hills! Until you reach the next Town or Event, you may change any one die to a 3 on the first roll of each turn. (Red 5 s and 6 s may not be changed.) 2-2 & 2-3: Wagon Train. You may buy or sell Food and/or Ammo at a rate of 2 Food or 2 Ammo for 1 Gold. 2-4: Slow Train Crossing. No further movement can be made on this turn (with 1 s or 4 s). 2-5: Downhill Ride. You always have an extra 1 die available until you reach the next Town or Event. 2-6: Lost Gunsight Mine: You have found the legendary Lost Gunsight Mine, but the heat of the valley is particularly brutal. You may gain 5 Gold, but if so, then until you reach the next Town or Event, you may not use 4 s to Seek Shelter. 3-3: Shortcut? One of your Posse suggests a shortcut. If you decide to try it, roll a die and subtract 3 from the number rolled. If the total is positive, move ahead that many spaces. If the total is negative, add 1 Day. 3-4: Posse Demands. Your Posse is demanding more money and food. Lose 2 Gold or 2 Food. OR Lose 1 Gold and 1 Food. OR Lose 2 Posse members. If you cannot fully meet one of those options, you lose the game. 3-5: Fishing Hole. Roll a die for each Posse member. Gain 1 Food for each 1-2 rolled. 3-6: Bandits! Bandits attack your Posse. You may give them 3 Gold or 3 Food, or 2 Gold and 2 Food, or 2 Gold, 1 Food and 1 Ammo, or you may try to fight them off. If you fight, there is a Shootout with one die for you and two dice for the Bandits. 4-4: Prisoner. The next time you roll a Red 6, put the die on this sheet to take it prisoner. If you lose a Shootout before you reach the next Town, return the die and lose 1 Gold (if you have it). If you reach the next Town with the die still on this sheet, gain 3 Gold and return the die. While on this sheet, the die does not take part in any Shootouts that occur. 4-5: Campfire Songs. You may spend 1 Food to stop early for the night and make a campfire to share stories and sing songs with your Posse, which would be good for their morale. If you do that, add an extra die to your Fight dice pools for all Shootouts you are involved in until you reach the next Event or Town. 4-6: Critters Everywhere. You always have an extra 2 die available until you reach the next Town or Event. 5-5: Lost Family. You come across a pioneer family that is lost. If you stop to help them, add 1 Day. They have nothing to offer in return but their thanks and a blessing. On your next turn you may lock one White die and one Red die on any number, before rolling any dice. 5-6: Army Deserters. You come across two Army deserters. You may add them to your Posse. The two circles below represent them. (Do not add to your Posse number on the playsheet.) You may cross out the circles to use them for Posse loss at any time. Before each turn, roll a die for each intact circle on this sheet. If you roll a 5, cross out the circle. That person has deserted you. If you roll a 6, cross out the circle and lose 1 Food and 1 Gold (or as much Food/Gold as you have). 6-6: Indian Guide. You come across an Indian who knows this area very well. He joins you for part of your journey, but he is never considered to be part of your Posse. Before each turn, take one Red die and lock it, with whatever number you choose. You may not unlock that die this turn. The Indian Guide moves on when you reach the next Event or Town.