Combat System - Projectile

[Casimir]

Boot Hill Combat System

Combat in Boot Hill is simplified for the most part when compared to other RPG's, since nine times out of ten the majority of the fighting will be with firearms rather than melee weapons. However that being said, rules for brawling and hand to hand weapons exist as well, and differ little from firearm combat. We will deal with firearm and projectile weapon combat first, and follow it up with hand to hand combat second.


Projectile Combat

In Boot Hill, combat is broken up into segments called turns. There are two type of combat turns in the Boot Hill system : The "Combat Turn", and the "Shootout Turn". These two different turns are further broken down into segments called "counts".

Combat Turn : The Combat turn is primarily designed for longer range, aimed fire where speed isn't as important as accuracy. Each "Turn" of a combat turn is six (6) seconds long (with no "counts).

Shootout Turn : The Shootout Turn is primarily designed for quick, fast action, like when two or more people decide they want to pull their pistols and immediately begin shooting as quickly as possible. This type of combat turn emphasizes speed over aim and accuracy. Each "Turn" of a Shootout Turn is one (1) second long - divided into six "counts".

Note : It is is completely possible - and in may cases plausible - for a single gun battle to include both types of combat turns before it is resolved.

A note on Boot Hill "Types of Shots"

Boot Hill has four types of shots during projectile combat that any Character can perform. They are listed below for clarification.

* Careful Shot - emphasis on accuracy over speed. Character pulls their weapon, holds it still and carefully aims over the sight.
* Steady Shot - A compromize between accuracy and speed. Character pulls their weapon, and instinctively points the weapon at the target (weapon held still, but below eye level).
* Hip Shot - emphasis on speed over accuracy. Character pulls their weapon and immediately discharges the weapon once it clears the sheath / holster, with aiming being instinctive.
* Fanned Shot - A form of hipshooting with exclusive emphasis on speed. Character pulls their weapon, holds down the hammer, and uses the heel of their offhand to work the hammer immediately upon the weapon clearing the holster. Aiming is instinctive at best. For obvious reasons only revolvers can be fan fired.


Combat Turn Action Sequence :

The following outlines the sequence of the Combat Turn in Boot Hill. All actions are sequential... if person A fires at person B and hits person B, the wound - and any negative modifiers - are applied before person B gets to fire back. The Combat Turn lasts a total of 6 real time seconds.



Initiative determination.
Non-Initiative side Action declaration.
Initiative side Action declaration.
Initiative characters can fire 1 or 2 careful shots (see "Combat Turn - Types of Shots" below). Wound effects are immediately administered.
Non-Initiative characters can fire 1 or 2 careful shots (see "Combat Turn - Types of Shots" below). Wound effects are immediately administered.
Initiative characters may move (Initiative characters may elect to postpone movement until after Non-Initiative characters have moved if so desired).
Non-Initiative characters may move.
Initiative characters who delayed their movement can now move.


1. Combat Turn Initiative :

Initiative in Boot Hill is determined by each "side" rolling a six-sided die - all ties re-rolled. Sides are determined by common goals - which typically is the players vs enemy NPC's - however, it is possible to have more than two sides to any battle, in which case each side rolls for initiative. Any character who has the Tactics skill can make a Skill Check against Tactics at the beginning of the gunfight - if the check succeeds, that character's side can add +1 on all initiative rolls for the entire fight. If the check fails, the character has failed their Tactics Skill and may not roll another check for the remainder of the fight.

Note : For the sake of Play by Post, I am dispensing with the remainder of the Initiative rules. Once initiative is determined, if the players have the initiative, they get the first "move" - while if any NPC sides have the initiative, they get the first "move" before the players do.

2. Combat Turn Action Declaration

When players or NPC's are declaring their action(s) for a Combat Turn, they must state whether they are doing one of the actions below :


Moving, and if so, how fast (see Table 1 : Combat Turn Movement)
Shooting
Moving and Shooting (see Table 1 : Combat Turn Movement)
Some other action (consult Gamemaster)

However - a character can do other non-combat related actions as well. Things such as lighting the fuse on dynamite, loading rounds into a revolver, tip over a table, etc., can be done in a single combat turn. Essentially, anything that can be completed inside 6 real time seconds can be considered an action or a character.

Furthermore, actions can be done that require significantly more time. In this case, these actions are broken down in to a number of turns to complete. Some examples include : clear a jammed breechloading rifle (3 turns), pick a lock (3-12 turns), bandage a wound (3-6 turns), etc. Additionally, at the Gamemaster's discretion, depending upon circumstances at the moment, such actions can take longer or shorter amounts of time - and can also require skill checks.

3a. Combat Turn Types of Shots :

There is only one type of shot possible in a Combat Turn, the Careful Shot. It is explained below -

* Careful Shot - emphasis on accuracy over speed. Character pulls their weapon, holds it still and carefully aims over the sight.

3b. Combat Turn Chance to Hit :

Consult Table 1 : Combat Turn Chance to Hit below to see the chance to hit for any character firing a weapon during a Combat Turn. Since the only type of shot possible in a Combat Turn is a Careful Shot, each character's Coordination Attribute is added to the skill of whatever weapon is being used, as a chance to hit a target. Consult Table 2 : Combat Turn Chance to Hit Modifiers for all possible modifiers to a characters base Chance to Hit score.

[EXAMPLE : Billy has a 13 Coordination and a Pistol skill of 2. This means that he has a base Chance to Hit of 15. If Billy decides to fire on someone who's at point blank range while he's wounded, we find that his 13 base Chance to Hit is further modified by +4 (Point Blank range) and -1 (light wound) for a total of 18.]

3c. Combat Turn Sighting and Facing

Since a Combat Turn essentially lasts 6 real time seconds, a character can fire on any target they wish to fire at during their action turn. Furthermore, a character can switch targets in a turn at will with no penalty.

4. Combat Turn Movement

Movement in a Combat Turn takes place at the end of the Combat Turn. Being mostly self explanatory, please refer to Table 3 : Combat Turn Movement for distances that a declared movement action will allow a character to move in a turn, and all penalties applied as a result of specific types of movement.


Combat Turn Tables

Table 1 : Combat Turn Chance to hit


Type of Chance
Shot to hit
------------------------------------------
Careful Coordination Score

Table 2 : Combat Turn Chance to Hit Modifiers


Range
Point Blank, Pistol +4
Point Blank, Rifle -2
Short 0
Long -2
Extreme -5

Movement (of target)
Running / Trotting -2
Evading / Galloping -4

Movement (of shooter)
Walking -2
Running / Trotting / Galloping -4

Wounds
Each Light Wound -1
Each Serious Wound -4

Target Size
Very Large +4
Large +2
Normal 0
Small -2
Very Small -4

Miscellaneous
Sniping +2
Shotgun +2
Scattergun +4
Target Obscured -2
Using Wrong Hand -2
Firing Two Pistol -6

Table 3 : Combat Turn Movement (yards per turn)


On Foot :
Crawling : 2 yards
Walking : 6 yards
Evading : 12 yards
Running : 24 yards

Mounted :
Walking : 8 yards
Trotting : 16 yards
Galloping : 32 yards

Penalties :
Moving through door : -2 yards
Moving through window : -6 yards + Coordination Check
Moving on stairs : up/down - 1 stair per yard
Mount / Dismount : takes 1/2 movement allowance
Stand Up : takes 1/2 movement allowance
Dive / Fall prone : no penalty
Jump down one story : takes 1/2 movement allowance
Terrible footing : move distance halved

Wound Penalties :
Light wound in leg : move distance halved
Serious wound in leg : walk only, distance halved
Serious wound in both legs : crawl only
Other Serious wound : walk/crawl normal, other halved
[COMBAT TURN EXAMPLE : Jim rides into town, and as he rides around the corner towards the corral down the street, he notices his hated rival and bitter enemy Juan Sanchez 20 yards away. Juan, standing by his horse, notices Jim at the same time. They both reach for their weapons.

Jim has a Coordination Attribute of 13, and a Pistol skill of 3. Sanchez has a Coordination Attribute of 12, and a Rifle skill of 2.

Initiative is rolled, and Sanchez gets the initiative. He elects to fire a shot with his Winchester at Jim, who is mounted. Jim elects to draw his pistol and fire back at Sanchez.

Sanchez is not moving. Jim, still on his horse, is mounted and walking.

Sanchez rolls a d20. His chance to hit is 14, the range is short, and he's not moving. Jim is only walking his horse, so there is no modifier there - so Sanchez's modified Chance to Hit is 14. Unfortunately for Sanchez, he rolls a 17, and misses.

Jim aims at Sanchez. He has a base Chance to Hit of 16, which is further modified by -2 due to his being on a walking horse. The range is short, so there is no further modifier - which brings Jim's Chance to Hit to 14. Jim rolls a 7, which is a hit - and finally gets a lick in for all the years of verbal abuse he's endured at the hands of Juan Sanchez.]



Shootout Turn Action Sequence

The following outlines the sequence of combat in a Shootout Turn. Each Shootout Turn lasts a single, or one (1) second. This second is further divided up into six "counts", which determine the order in which combat takes place.


Initiative determination.
Non-Initiative side Action declaration.
Initiative side Action declaration.
Gamemaster begins count sequence with count 1. Characters who can perform their action on count 1 compare their Character's speeds. The one with the highest speed goes first, followed by the second fastest, and so on. If speeds are tied, the Characters perform their actions simultaneously. After their action, Characters determine what count their next action will take place on.
Gamemaster repeats step 4 for counts 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
Characters who are moving perform their movement.

1. Shootout Turn Initiative

See initiative for the Combat Turn. Initiative determination is resolved in the same manner.

2a. Shootout Turn Action Declaration

A character's choice of actions in a Shootout Turn is significantly more restricted than in a Combat Turn. The actions that a character can perform during a Shootout turn can be found by referencing Table 5 : Shootout Turn Actions below. The table indicates the number of "counts" that a specific action will take to accomplish during the Shootout Turn.

Generally when a player declares their action in a Shootout Turn they are committed to those actions for the remainder of the turn. However, in the event that a Character is mortally wounded or passes out, the player can immediately then declare new actions at that time. Additionally, should a Character be shooting at person A, and they kill person A but then still have actions remaining in the current Shootout Turn, they can then change the remaining actions (provided they were spending the entire declared actions focused on person A).

It is possible that a Character's actions can "carry over" into the next Shootout Turn.

2b. Shootout Turn Speed

In a Shootout Turn, speed is essentially everything. He who gets his shot off first has the possible advantage of giving his opponent a fatal case of lead poisoning before his opponent can shoot back.

A Character's speed equal to their Coordination Attribute. This is further modified by movement or other issues that can cause the Character's speed to be affected. To determine how and if a Character's speed is influenced by specific actions or wounds, please consult Table 6 : Shootout Turn Speed Modifiers.

Note that, upon occasion, a Character's Fast Draw skill may be used in lieu of their speed.

2c. Shootout Turn Fast Draw

"Drawing" in Boot Hill doesn't necessarily apply only to a Character skinning his smokewagon from his hip holster. It is applied at any time a Character decides to speedily bring a weapon to bear on an opponent. This can be in the traditional sense as in jerking a pistol from a hip holster, but can also be applied to things like pulling a rifle from a saddle sheath, a knife from a sash, grabbing a pistol from a bar, etc.

Any time a Character is not in a hurry to bring their weapon to bear in a fight, they can use a normal draw. However, if they are in a hurry to bring their weapon to bear, they can use a Fast Draw. This requires a Fast Draw skill check. If the player rolls the Character's Fast Draw skill or less on a d20, they have successfully "skinned their smokewagon" and have jerked their weapon clear and ready to fire with no delay. A successfuly Fast Draw does not take any counts at all.

However, if the Fast Draw check fails, it then costs the Character 2 counts of the Shootout Turn and leaves the Characters weapon in place. At the end of the 2 counts, the Character can again attempt a Fast Draw, or they can elect to do a normal draw.

Whenever a Character uses Fast Draw to bring their weapon to bear, their speed on their next shot is the number that they rolled for the Fast Draw skill check. After that shot, the Character's speed is once again their Coordination score.

If a Character's Fast Draw skill is higher than 20, they can then use the difference to his Fast Draw skill check. Note that any roll of 20 still requires a Luck check or it will fail.

Note that for a Character to actually be eligible to perform a Fast Draw, they must have the Fast Draw skill itself. A Character who does not have the Fast Draw skill will always perform a normal draw in a Shootout Turn.

2d. Shootout Turn Chance to Hit

A Character's Chance to Hit during a Shootout Turn is determined in the same manner in which Chance to Hit is determined during a Combat Turn. Chance to Hit is determined by adding their Coordination Attribute to the weapon skill of the weapon type being used. Also, consult Table 8 : Shootout Turn Chance to Hit for all modifications to the Character's base Chance to Hit.


Shootout Turn Tables

Table 4 : Shootout Turn Chance to hit


Type of Chance
Shot to hit
------------------------------------------
Careful Coordination
Steady Coordination/2 (rounded up)
Hipshot Coordination/4 (rounded down)
Fanfire 1, or Pistol Skill

Table 5 : Shootout Turn Actions


Action Counts
------------------------------------------
Fanned Shot : 1
Hipshot : 2
Steady Shot : 3
Careful Shot : 6
Fast Draw, Successful : 0
Fast Draw, Failed : 2
Normal Draw : 3
Switch Targets* : 1
Cock a gun : 1
Fire a cocked gun** : 1 less than normal
Movement : -
Notes :
* - A Character can switch targets between turns with no delay.
** - Does not apply to fanfiring.

Table 6 : Shootout Turn Speed Modifiers


Walking, Trotting : -1
Running, Galloping : -3
Light Wound (each) : -1
Serious Wound (each) : -4
Surprised : -2
Completely Surprised : -4
Firing two guns : -2

Weapon is :
Very Slow : -2
Slow : -1
Normal : -0
Fast : +1
Very Fast : +2

Table 7 : Shootout Turn Movement (yards per turn)


On Foot :
Crawing : 1 ft
Walking : 1 yards
Evading : 2 yards
Running : 4 yards

Mounted :
Walking : 1 yard
Trotting : 3 yards
Galloping : 5 yards
Table 8 : Shootout Turn Accuracy Modifiers


Range
Point Blank, Pistol +4
Point Blank, Rifle -2
Short 0
Long -2
Extreme -5

Movement (of target)
Running / Trotting -2
Evading / Galloping -4

Movement (of shooter)
Walking -2
Running / Trotting / Galloping -4

Wounds
Each Light Wound -1
Each Serious Wound -4

Target Size
Very Large +4
Large +2
Normal 0
Small -2
Very Small -4

Miscellaneous
Sniping +2
Shotgun +2
Scattergun +4
Target Obscured -2
Using Wrong Hand -2
Firing Two Pistol -6
[SHOOTOUT TURN EXAMPLE : Luke Short has finally had enough of "Long Haired" Jim Courtright and his racketeering of the saloons. The fight has finally commenced, and both of them walk out into the street and face off, hands just above pistols.

Luke has a Coordination of 16, a Pistol skill of 4, and a Fast Draw skill of 8. Jim has a Coordination of 15, a Pistol skill of 5, and a Fast Draw skill of 3.

Initiative is rolled, and Luke gets the initiative. Jim declares his action to simply stand in the street and shoot at Luke via a hipshot, with a Fast Draw attempt. Luke decides to do the same, and also attempt a Fast Draw.

The range is short for both characters, neither is moving - which means that both of them have their base Chance to Hit essentially unmodified.

The Gamemaster calls for count 1. Both Luke and Jim go for their pistols. Luke rolls a 7 for his Fast Draw check, and successfully whips his pistol out and ready for action immediately. Jim on the other hand miserably fails his Fast Draw check - the Gamemaster determines that Jim's gun was caught up in Jim's watch chain.

This means that for count 1, Luke gets his pistol out and ready to fire, while Jim catches his pistol on his watch chain. It will take Jim until count 3 to be able to disengage his pistol from the chain ("Fast Draw, Failed - 2 counts").

The Gamemaster calls for count 2. Luke discharges his pistol at Jim. His Chance to Hit will be 8 (Coordination divided by 4 for a hipshot + Pistol skill). Luke rolls a 3 and his bullet strikes Jim.]



Shotguns and Scatterguns

Shotguns and Scatterguns are exceptionally deadly weapons at close range, due to the fact that they fire a pattern of shot that can cause severe damage due to multiple pellets or shot striking a Character, each causing it's own wound.

Whenever a Character is hit by a shotgun or a scattergun, a d6 is rolled and Table 9 : Shotgun and Scattergun Wounds is consulted. This determines how much of the shot the Character was hit with.

It is possible that at long and extreme range even a successful to Hit roll can result in no damage at all, as the shot has spread out so much it missed the target.

Furthermore, at long and extreme ranges it is possible for the spread of the shot with a scattergun to catch more than one target in it's pattern. This is possible even if the original target was missed. The chance to hit additional targets is half of the chance to hit the original target.


Shotgun and Scattergun Tables

Table 9 : Shotgun and Scattergun Wounds


Die Roll Short Long Extreme
---------------------------------------------------
1 1 0 0
2-3 2 1 0
4-5 3 2 1
6 4 3 2

Targets NA 2 yds 5 yds



Weapon Misfire - Rolling a 1 or 20

Rolling a 1 on a to Hit roll

If a character's chance to hit is less than 1, a 1 on a d20 for the attack roll still indicates a possible hit. If a 1 is rolled, make a Luck check by rolling a d20 vs the character's Luck score. If the Luck check succeeds, the character has scored a hit on their target.

Likewise, if a character's chance to hit is greater than 20, a roll of 20 on a d20 still indicates a possible miss. A Luck check is rolled, and if successful, the character has hit their target. A failed Luck check indicates a miss.

Misfires, or "Fumbles"

If a character fires a weapon at a target and rolls a 20 on a d20 indicating a miss, another d20 must be rolled and the results cross referenced with Table 10 : Misfires below.

Table 10 : Misfires


Weapon No Misfire Dud Explosion Jam
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Derringer 1-12 13-20
CBR, RCR 1-16 17-20
SAR, DAR, LBR, FDR 1-16 17-20
Shotgun, Scattergun 1-16 17-20
Breechloader 1-8 9-20
Lever Rifle, Carbine 1-8 9-12 13-20
Muzzle Loader, Smoothbore 1-20
Gatling Gun 1-4 5-6 7-20
Notes :
*CBR - Cap and Ball Revolver
*RCR - Revolving Cylinder Rifle
*SAR - Single Action Revolver
*DAR - Double Action Revolver
*LBR - Long Barreled Revolver
*FDR - Fast Draw Revolver

No Misfire : Nothing happened - weapon fired normally.
Dud : Round did not fire. If this occurs with a muzzle loading weapon, the weapon is useless until it can be dismantled and cleaned.
Explosion : Possible only with Cap and Ball revolver or Revolving Cylinder Rifle. The round ignited all the remaining balls still loaded in the cylinder (if this was the last shot, treat as No Misfire). The character suffers a wound in their gunhand. Roll for wound severity on Table #A with a +1 modifier if the cylinder contained 4 or more shots (including the one fired).
Jam : The round fired ok, but the cartridge cannot be removed properly from the chamber. Clearing the jam takes three combat turns (18 seconds) - or two combat turns if the character has Weaponsmithing as a skill and makes a successful Skill Check.



Wounds - the Wages of Combat

Inevitably, someone is going to get either wounded or killed when the bullets begin to fly. Once it has been determined that a Character has been shot, the next step is to determine where the Character was hit, and then how severe the wound was. To determine the hit location, roll one d20 and consult Table 11 : Wound Locations. Then, once the location of the wound has been determines, roll one d6 and consult Table 12 : Wound Severity.

Some weapons have wound modifiers associated with them, depending on the size of the bullet or how powerful the gun is. These can range from negative to positive modifiers - for example, a .22 caliber purse gun would have a -1 wound modifier, whereas a .50 caliber buffalo rifle has a +1 wound modifier. Any modified severity roll that ends up being less than zero (0) means the wound was a mere scratch and has no effect (other than cosmetic).

Modifying Wound Locations

It's possible for Characters the wound location roll when they score a hit against an enemy. If the shot was at short range - or point blank range with a pistol - the player can modify the wound location roll by adding or subtracting their weapon skill. At long range, the modification is half the weapon skill. At extreme range, the modification is 1/4th of weapon skill rounded down.

Additionally, if the shot was a fanned shot with a pistol, no wound location modification is allowed. For a hipshot, the modification is quartered. For a steady shot, the modification is halved. A careful shot uses the full modification.

Mortal Wounds - and Luck

The only way that a Character can be killed in Boot Hill is by receiving a mortal wound. Light wounds do not accumulate to become serious wounds, and Serious wounds do not accumulate to become mortal wounds.

Whenever a Character is shot and the wound severity is determined to be a mortal wound, the Character makes a Luck check. If the check succeeds, something miraculous has occurred and saved the Character's life. The wound is reduced to a light wound causing one (1) point of damage. However - the player has to come up with a good explanation for this. Whatever the explanation, it must at least be possible and plausible.

However, if the Character fails the Luck check, they have been mortally wounded. They then roll a Strength check. If the Strength check fails, the Character was killed instantly. However, if the Strength check succeeds, the character is dying, and completely incapacitated. They can't do much of anything except crawl pathetically or simply lay there bleeding. To determine how long the Character will live before they die, subtract the d20 Strength check die roll from their Strength Attribute. If the difference is 0 to 4, the Character will live for one or two more turns. If the difference is 5 to 8, they will live for several minutes. If the difference is 9 or more, the Character will live anywhere from an hour or so up to several days before dying.

Wound Points

Whenever a Character is wounded, in addition to suffering wound severity, they also accumulate 1 to 5 wound points. If a Character's wound points total up to more than their Strength score, the Character passes out from shock and loss of blood.

The number of wound points accumulated is the modified wound severity roll.

Whenever a mortal wound becomes a light wound due to a successful Luck check, the Character receives only one wound point.


Wound Tables

Table 11 : Wound Locations


1-2 Left Leg
3-4 Right Leg
5-6 Left Arm
7-8 Right Arm
9 Left Shoulder
10 Right Shoulder
11-14 Abdomen
15-18 Chest
19-20 Head
Table 12 : Wound Severity


-1 A Scratch
0-2 Light Wound
3-5 Serious Wound
6 Mortal Wound

+1 if hit is to chest or head
-1 if hit is to arm or leg
+or- weapon modifier
Table 13 : Wound Location Modifiers


Type of
Shot Short Long Extreme
------------------------------------------------
Careful Full 1/2 1/4
Steady 1/2 1/4 none
Hipshot 1/4 none none
Fanfire none none none


Cover

Any sort of obstacle that can stop a bullet is considered cover. Any successful to Hit roll that generates a wound location that is behind cover is converted to a miss instead. Note that "cover", whereas applied to Boot Hill, is only obstacles that can actually stop a bullet. Areas of the Characters body that are not behind the cover itself are still vulnerable to enemy fire. Examples of cover are -

Standing behind a saloon bar - legs, abdomen covered
Crouching behind a saloon bar - legs, abdomen, chest, arms covered
Behind a standing horse - abdomen, chest covered

"Sporadic" cover, such as a rail fence, should have the Character make a Luck check to determine if the shot struck the cover or went through a "hole" to strike the Character.

"Light Cover" is defined as any sort of cover that won't completely stop a bullet, but that will slow it down considerably. Such cover includes things like wooden doors, sides of a stagecoach, thin walls, etc. Bullets that strike this kind of cover have 1 to 3 points (at Gamemaster's discretion) subtracted from the wound severity table.



Reloading Weapons

It is possible for a Character to reload their weapon in either Combat or Shootout turns.

During Combat Turns, the time it takes a Character to reload their weapon is stated on Table 14 : Weapons, under the Reload Rate section.

During Shootout Turns, it takes six consecutive turns to get any benefit from the reloading. Six Shootout Turns are the equivalent of a single Combat turn - so essentially taking the Reload Rate of any weapon on Table 14 : Weapons and multiplying it by 6 will get how many Shootout Turns it will take a Character to reload their weapon.


Table 14 : Weapons


Range (yards) Reload Wnd
Weapon Short Long Extreme Rate Speed Mod
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thrown Knife/Axe 2 4 8 N/A Avg -1
Thrown Spear 10 20 40 N/A Avg -1
Bow / Arrows 15 50 100 1 Slow -1
Smoothbore Pistol 6 20 40 1/3 Slow 0
Indian Trade Mustket 20 65 150 1/3 vSlo -1
Smoothbore Musket 22 75 200 1/3 vSlo 0
Muzzle-Load Carbine 22 75 200 1/3 Slow 0
Muzzle-Load Rifle 25 90 240 1/3 vSlo +1
Breach-Load Carbine 25 80 200 1 Slow 0
Breach-Load Rifle 30 100 500 1 vSlo 0
Revolving Cylinder Carbine 22 75 200 1/3 Slow 0
Revolving Cylinder Rifle 25 90 240 1/3 Slow 0
Buffalo Rifle 30 200 600 1 vSlo +1
Lever-Action Carbine 24 90 200 2 Slow 0
Lever-Action Rifle 30 100 400 2 Slow 0
Shotgun 10 40 110 2 Slow 0
Scattergun 8 16 30 2 Avg 0
Derringer 2 4 8 2 Avg 0
Cap & Ball Revolver 10 20 60 1/3 Fast 0
Single Action Revolver 10 20 60 3 Fast 0
Double Action Revolver 10 20 60 3 Avg 0
Fast Draw Revolver 6 15 50 3 vFst 0
Long Barrel Revolver 12 30 90 3 Slow 0
Any Hipshot 6 12 36 N/A N/A N/A
Cannon 20 60 120 N/A vSlo +3
Gatling Gun 40 200 400 1 vSlo +1



Night Fighting

Night fighting puts several more modifiers on typical gun and projectile combat in Boot Hill. The basics are as follows :

Movement - All movement other than walking or crawlin is halved.
Visibility - Observation Attribute in yards. Modified by ambient light sources.
Surprise - Firing from complete darkness always causes complete surprise.
Accuracy - All shots have a -4 modifier applied.

[Casimir]

Detailed Combat Turn Example

"Montana Jim" Galland and his friend John "Texas Jack" Johnson slowly ride into town on horseback. Two Texas Rangers, they have been hunting for a small gang of outlaws locally referred to as the "Shotgun Kids" due to their propensity to use shotguns when holding up banks and stagecoaches. They are led by the notorious Martin Stanshaw, with "Arkansas Dave" David Coriggan and Richard Eriksson as his companions. As they round the corner of Allen Street, headed for the Buckshot Corral to corral their horses, they notice the gang coming out of a Saloon on the other side of the street about 40 yards away.

The showdown is about to commence.

:: Texas Rangers ::

Montana Jim Galland -
STR-14 ; COO-15 ; OBS-12 ; STA-8 ; Luck-7
Wnd Pts-14 ; Speed-15
Pistol-4; Rifle-5; Fast Draw-3;
Wpns : Long Barreled Revolver, Lever Action Rifle, Bowie Knife

Texas Jack Johnson -
STR-12 ; COO-15 ; OBS-12 ; STA-11 ; Luck-8
Wnd Pts-12 ; Speed-15
Pistol-5; Rifle-2; Fast Draw-5
Wpns : Fast Draw Revolver, Bowie Knife

:: Shotgun Gang ::

Martin Stanshaw -
STR-12 ; COO-16 ; OBS-13 ; STA-12 ; Luck -9
Wnd Pts-12 ; Speed-16
Pistol-8 ; Rifle-5 ; Fast Draw-6
Wpns : Fast Draw Revolver, Double Barreled Shotgun

Arkansas Dave Coriggan -
STR-17 ; COO-13 ; OBS-13 ; STA-12 ; Luck-6
Wnd Pts-17 ; Speed-13
Pistol-3 ; Rifle-4 ; Fast Draw-2
Wpns : Single Action Revolver, Double Barreled Shotgun, Lever Action Rifle

Rickard Eriksson -
STR-13 ; COO-14 ; OBS-14 ; STA-11 ; Luck-7
Wnd Pts-13 ; Speed-14
Pistol-3 ; Rifle-5 ; Fast Draw-2
Wpns : Single Action Revolver, Double Barreled Shotgun, Knife


Montana Jim stops his horse, as does Texas Jack. Jim reaches forward and pulls out his rifle, while Jack pulls out his pistol. "Stanshaw!" Jim calls, "You are under arrest... stand where you are!"

Stanshaw, Arkansas Dave, and Eriksson all turn to see the Rangers stopped on their horses with weapons in their hands. Obviously not wanting to surrender, they decide to fight it out.

Initiative is rolled. The Outlaws win the initiative for the first Combat Turn by rolling a 6. The Rangers roll a 2.

Since the Rangers lost the initiative, they declare their actions first. Both Rangers decide to Shoot and Move, their movement being to dismount their horses.

For the Outlaws, Stanshaw decides to draw his pistol and shoot, while Arkansas Dave will move only this turn, running to his horse and pulling out his shotgun. Eriksson follows suit, running to his horse for his shotgun as well.

Since the Outlaw side only has one shooter this turn, Stanshaw goes ahead and takes his shot. He decides to aim at Montana Jim with a Careful Shot. His base Chance to Hit is 24 - the range is long for a Fast Draw Pistol (-2). There are no other modifiers, so Stanshaw's Chance to Hit for this shot is 22. Stanshaw rolls a 10 and hits Montana Jim.

He then consults the wound location table, and decides that he wants to add a wound modifier to his roll. With a Fast Draw Pistol, 40 yards is long range, which halves his Pistol skill from 8 to 4. Furthermore, since the shot was a careful shot, the full modification can be used. So Stanshaw will make the roll with a +4 modification to the roll. He rolls the dice and gets another 10... which modifies to a 14. A 14 on the wound location table indicates that Jim has been shot in the abdomen.

Next Stanshaw consults the wound severity table, and rolls a d6... getting a 6 on the roll! This indicates that Jim has been shot by Stanshaw in the gut for a mortal wound!

Jim immediately decides to try a Luck check : he rolls a d20, and get's a 17 and so he fails the Luck check. He next decides to determine how quickly he will die, so he makes a Strength check and rolls a 2, a success. This is a difference of 12, so the Gamemaster rules that Jim will take 2 days of agony to die. Jim has ridden into a shootout and hardly had the chance to finish his sentence before he was shot - literally - out of his saddle with a bullet that will slowly kill him over two days.

Since the other two Outlaws are running for their horses (about 5 yards away), there are no further attacks on the Outlaw side. The attack turn shifts to the Rangers.

With Jim having been shot out of his saddle with a mortal wound, this indicates that only Texas Jack will shoot back at Stanshaw. Since he already had his pistol out, he aims and fires at Stanshaw, only partially aware at the moment that his partner has been gunned down beside him.

He is not moving, and neither is Stanshaw, so there are no movement modifiers. 40 yards is long range for a Fast Draw Pistol, so a -2 modifier is applied to his Chance to Hit. Jack's base Chance to Hit is 20, which is modified to 18 because of the range. Jack rolls a 16, and hits Stanshaw.

Jack then consults the wound location table, and decides to add his weapon skill modification to the roll. Since it was a Careful Shot, the full modification will be used, and since the range is long, his Pistol skill is halved for the modification, which makes his wound location roll at a +2. Jack rolls a 11, which is modified to 13, indicating that he's shot Stanshaw in the abdomen.

Next Jack rolls on the wound severity table, and rolls a 6 himself! This, again, indicates a mortal wound.

Immediately Stanshaw makes a Luck check and rolls a 9 - the bare minimum needed! The Gamemaster indicates that the bullet struck Stanshaw's gunbelt buckle and ricocheted off. Since successful Luck checks against mortal wounds still get a light wound, Stanshaw has taken a light wound to the abdomen for 1 wound point.

This ends combat for Combat Turn 1. Eriksson and Arkansas Dave have reached their horses, and Texas Jack has dismounted from his horse - only now realizing that his partner lays in the dust next to him bleeding profusely from his stomach with a mortal bullet wound.

Combat Turn #2 commences. Initiative is rolled, and this time the Rangers beat the Outlaws with a 6, while the Outlaws rolled a 3.

Stanshaw, despite taking a rather miraculous bullet wound to the abdomen, stands his ground and aims at Texas Jack. Both Eriksson and Arkansas Dave both have pulled their double barreled shotguns, and both aim at Texas Jack as well.

Texas Jack, seeing the odds stacking up against him, decides to shoot again at Stanshaw while moving around behind his horse for some cover.

Texas Jack's base Chance to Hit is 20. The range is still long range, for a -2 modification to the roll, and since he is now moving (walking), he also gets penalized with a further -2 modification. His target, Stanshaw, is not moving - so Texas Jack's modified Chance to Hit is 16. He rolls the dice and gets a 13, another hit.

Consulting the wound location table, he again applies his Pistol skill to the roll for a +2 modification (Pistol skill halved for long range, with a Careful Shot allowing for a full modification). Jack rolls a 20... modified to 22... which indicates a head shot.

Texas Jack then consults the wound severity table. A head shot gets an automatic +1 modification to the roll, so Jack's d6 roll of 1 becomes a 2 - for a Light wound. Stanshaw has now been shot twice, once in the abdomen and once in the head, each for a light wound. He also now has 3 wound points (1 for the light wound in turn 1, and 2 (dice roll of 1 plus the +1 modification) for the light wound in turn 2). If he gets 9 more in this fight, he will pass out from shock / blood loss.

Now it's the Outlaws turn.

The Gamemaster determines that, since Stanshaw has just been shot in the head, he will shoot last. The sequence will be Eriksson, Arkansas Dave, and then Stanshaw.

Eriksson aims and discharges one of his barrels at Texas Jack. His base Chance to Hit is 19. The range is long for a shotgun (just barely), so he his hit with a -2 modification due to range. No other modifications apply, so Eriksson's Chance to Hit is 17. He rolls a 6, for a hit.

Eriksson consults the shotgun and scattergun table to determine how many pellets Texas Jack was hit with. He rolls a 1... which indicates that, due to the range, the pattern spread out so much that Texas Jack wasn't hit with a single pellet!

Next Arkansas Dave fires his shotgun at Texas Jack. He has a base Chance to Hit of 17. Long range means a -2 penalty. No other modifications apply, and so Dave's modified Chance to Hit is a 15. He rolls a d20 and gets a 20 - indicating a clear miss. Furthermore, since a 20 was rolled, Dave has the possibility of a misfire. He consults the misfires table and rolls another d20 - and gets a 5... which indicates no misfire. Arkansas Dave's shot completely misses Texas Jack with no ill effects.

Stanshaw has a base Chance to Hit of 24. However, the range is long (for a -2 modifier), and now that Stanshaw has taken two light wounds, he has an additional -4 modifier (-2 for each light wound). Furthermore, he is walking (backwards) for yet another -2 modifier. This gives Stanshaw a Chance to Hit of 16. He rolls a 19 and misses.

With that, movement is completed for Combat Turn 2. Stanshaw (a bit shaken) shot at missed at Texas Jack while walking back towards the saloon, Eriksson and Arkansas Dave are both standing still, aiming their weapons at Texas Jack, while Texas Jack has moved behind his horse.

Combat Turn 3 commences. Initiative is rolled, and the Rangers again win the initiative roll with a 4, while the Outlaws get a 3.

The Outlaws have to declare their actions, and Eriksson and Arkansas Dave will remain standing and fire their shotguns at Texas Jack, while Stanshaw, wounded twice now, begins to move backwards towards the saloon entrance, and will fire at Texas Jack while doing so.

Texas Jack continues to aim at Stanshaw - whom he considers the most dangerous of his opponents.

Texas Jack still has a base Chance to Hit of 20. He aims his pistol over his horse's back at Stanshaw, who is now walking (backwards). Stanshaw's walking doesn't provide a penalty, but the range is still long which provides a -2. So Texas Jacks' Chance to Hit will be 18. He rolls a 13, indicating yet another hit.

Consulting the wound location table, Jack once again adds his pistol score to the roll (long range for 1/2 of score, and Careful Shot for full modification for a +2). He rolls a 17 - which is modified to a 19 - for another head hit on Stanshaw.

Texas Jack consults the wound severity table, again noting that the head shot grants him a +1 bonus, and rolls a 5 - which is modified to by the +1 to a 6 - a mortal wound.

Stanshaw immediately conducts a Luck check - again - and rolls a 15. His luck just ran out. Rolling for his Strength check, he rolls a 13 - which is higher than his Strength Attribute. Stanshaw is killed instantly by a second, mortal, head shot by Texas Jack.

Unaware of their companion's fate behind them, Eriksson and Arkansas Dave prepare to fire.

Eriksson will go first, and his base Chance to Hit is 19. Range is long for a -2 modification. No other modifiers apply - for a Chance to Hit of 17. Eriksson rolls a 7 and hits.

Eriksson consults the shotgun and scattergun table with a roll of 4, which shows that 2 pellets have struck Texas Jack (or have the possibility of doin so).

Consulting the wound location table, Eriksson will apply his rifle score to his rolls. He will get a +2 modification (long range is 1/2 of rifle score, while Careful Shot equals full modification). He rolls a 12 and a 16 - modified to 14 and 18, which indicates a hit to the abdomen and chest.

However, since Texas Jack was standing behind his horse, using it as cover, the horse takes the shot instead. Jack's abdomen and chest are covered by the horse. Both shots are judged by the Gamemaster to hit the horse in the chest region.

Rolling on the wound severity table for both pellets, Eriksson rolls a 1 and a 4. The horse has sustained a light and a serious wound. The Gamemaster rules that the horse jumps at the impacts, and will run away for a few yards. This, of course, leaves Texas Jack without any cover for Arkansas Dave's attack.

Arkansas Dave fires his second barrel at Texas Jack. His base Chance to Hit is 17. The range is long (-2), and neither he nor Texas Jack are moving, which gives him a modified Chance to hit of 15. He rolls a 14, indicating a hit.

Consulting the shotgun and scattergun table, Dave rolls a 5 - indicating two pellets have struck Jack.

Dave then consults the wound location table, and decides to use his Rifle skill as a modifier to the roll. This provides a +2 modification (long range is 1/2 of Rifle skill, Careful Shot is full modification). He rolls a 15 and a 7, which are modified to 17 and 9, for a hit to Jack's chest a left shoulder.

He then consults the wound severity table for each hit. The chest hit will get a +1 bonus to the roll. Dave rolls a 2 for the chest - which is modified to 3 - and a 3 for the left shoulder, which indicate that Texas Jack has taken two serious wounds from Arkensas Dave's blast. This also gives Jack 6 wound points.

The Gamemaster decides that due to Jack having been shot twice for two serious wounds at the same time that Jack must make a Coordination check to remain on his feet. Jack rolls an 8 - and so he staggers back a bit but remains standing.

Combat Turn 4 commences.

Initiative is determined - both the Ranger side and Outlaw side roll a 2. Since it's a tie, they both roll again - this time the Rangers win initiative with a roll of 6, while the Outlaws get a 1.

The Outlaws have to declare their actions first. Eriksson decides to simply drop his shotgun and pull his pistol and fire at Texas Jack. Arkansas Dave decides to begin to move towards the saloon doors to get inside for cover while dropping his shotgun, pulling his pistol, and shooting at Texas Jack.

Texas Jack, now with no cover (since both the wounded horse and Jim's horse have fled due to the gunshots), starts to stagger back towards the corner a few yards away. He decides to shift aim to Eriksson, since Eriksson is not moving.

Texas Jack has a base Chance to Hit of 20. However, now that he is wounded - twice - he now has a -8 modifier applied to the already existent -2 modifier for long range (this is two -4 modifications for serious wounds - multiple wound modifiers are cumulative). Plus he's moving - which grants him yet another -2 modifier. So Texas Jack's Chance to Hit is 8 (20 - 8 - 2 - 2). Jack rolls a 14 and misses.

Eriksson aims his pistol at Texas Jack and fires. His base Chance to Hit is now 17 with a pistol. The range is long, for a -2 modifier... which gives Eriksson a 15 Chance to Hit (Jack's walking does not provide a negative modifier). Eriksson rolls a 16 and misses.

Arkansas Dave, while backing up towards the saloon, aims at Texas Jack and fires his pistol as well. He now has a base Chance to Hit of 16. Long range yields a -2 modifier, and Texas Jack's stumbling back doesn't provide any further modification. So Dave has a modified Chance to Hit of 14. He rolls a 9 and hits Texas Jack with his first shot from his pistol.

Consulting the wound location table, he elects to add his pistol skill to the roll. Since the range is long, his skill is halved (rounded down) for a +1 modification. Since it was a Careful Shot, the modification is not further modified. Dave rolls a 2, which is modified to a 3 for a hit on Jack's right leg.

Dave then consults the wound severity table, and rolls a 3. This is modified by -1 due to the shot hitting his leg for a total of 2. Dave's bullet hits Jack for a light wound. This also adds 2 more wound points to Jacks current tally of 6 - so now Texas Jack has 8 wound points. 4 more and he will pass out.

This completes Combat Turn 4's action phase, and movement is completed. Texas Jack still has a few yards before he can get behind the corner of a building around the street corner for some cover, but Arkansas Dave will be able to pass through the swinging doors of the saloon and get inside the building and out of sight. Eriksson is too intent on killing Texas Jack and doesn't move.

Combat Turn 5 commences.

Initiative is determined - again the Ranger side gains initiative with a 4 on the die roll, while the Outlaws roll a 1.

The Outlaws action declaration is as follows : Eriksson continues to stand his ground and fire at Texas Jack, while Arkansas Dave spends this entire turn moving inside the saloon to the nearest window so he can fire at Texas Jack next turn from cover.

Texas Jack meanwhile continues to stagger back towards the corner, hoping he can make it before being shot again, meanwhile shooting at Eriksson.

Texas Jack still has a base Chance to Hit of 20 - but now it's modified even further. He has 2 serious wounds for a -4 modification each, and now a light wound for a -2 modification. Also, he's moving - which grants yet another -2 modification. Furthermore, the range is still long - for yet another -2 modification. So Texas Jack's Chance to Hit is now a measely 6. He rolls a 6, and amazingly gets a hit on Eriksson!

He consults the wound location table and again decides to add his pistol skill to the roll. This yields a +2 modification (long range = 1/2 Pistol skill, Careful Shot = full modification). Jack rolls a 3, which is modified to a 5, for a hit on Eriksson in the left arm.

Jack then consults the wound severity table. An arm hit yields an automatic -1 modification to the roll, and Jacks roll of 2 is modified to a 1 for a light wound to Eriksson's left arm.

Erkisson takes the hit to his arm while aiming at Texas Jack. He has a base Chance to Hit of 17, but this is now modified by -2 because of the light wound. Furthermore, the fight is at long range for an additional -2 modification. So Eriksson's Chance to Hit will be a 13. He rolls a 14 and misses.

Everyone's movement completes now. Jack manages to get behind the corner of the building, and rather than continuing the fight - now with three bullet wounds, two of them serious, and his partner dying in the street behind him - he stumbles up the street in search of help for his wounds.

Meanwhile, with the possibility of the Law coming because of the gunshots, Eriksson calls Arkansas Dave out from the saloon - and they both mount their horses and gallop away down the street in the opposite direction, leaving their boss, Martin Stanshaw, laying dead on the boardwalk behind them.

[Casimir]

Detailed Shootout Turn Example


Sam looked at Ben, and then looked down at the wanted poster in his hand. "Dirty Dan" McGrew and Quentin "Cool Hand" Luke were wanted men - each with a $200 dollar bounty on their head if taken alive. Essentially stagecoach robbers, they had murdered a man in their last holdup, and their luck had finally run out. Sam and Ben had been tracking them for the last two weeks across Kansas, and finally found them here in Abilene in this shabby little saloon.

Fairly certain there was going to be a fight, they both decided that entering the saloon without their guns drawn might be a wiser solution, with possibly a better chance of the two coming quietly. Sam rolled up the poster, placed it in his vest, and the two of them walked into the saloon.

It was fairly crowded, and quite loud, with several faro games going on in the corners. Sam and Ben immediately noticed their quarry up against the bar with their backs to the swinging doors. They both approached slowly, and when they were about ten feet away they stopped, spread out slightly, and waited for a moment. The saloon began to grow quiet, and then Sam said loudly "Dan McGrew! Quentin Luke! You are both under arrest!"

Immediately the patrons of the saloon bolted up out of chairs, barstools, and benches, frantically pushing their way towards the walls. Dan and Quentin turned around, and before Sam could continue, they both went for their guns.

:: Lawmen ::

Sam McGee, Marshall
STR-16 ; COO-16 ; OBS-12 ; STA-5 ; Luck-1
Wnd Pts-16 ; Speed-16 ;
Pistol-4 ; Fast Draw-4 ;
Wpns : Single Action Revolver (speed : Fast)

Ben Jackson, Deputy
STR-15 ; COO-16 ; OBS-12 ; STA-7 ; Luck-3
Wnd Pts-15 ; Speed-16 ;
Pistol-4 ; Fast Draw-4 ;
Wpns : Fast Draw Revolver (speed : Very Fast)


:: Outlaws ::

"Dirty Dan" Dan McGrew
STR-14 ; COO-14 ; OBS-12 ; STA-11 ; Luck-7
Wnd Pts-14 ; Speed-14 ;
Pistol-2 ; Fast Draw-4 ;
Wpns : Single Action Revolver (speed : Fast)

Quentin "Cool Hand" Luke
STR-12 ; COO-14 ; OBS-15 ; STA-10 ; Luck-8
Wnd Pts-12 ; Speed-14 ;
Pistol-3 ; Fast Draw-4 ;
Wpns : Single Action Revolver (speed : Fast)


The fighting has commenced.

The Gamemaster calls for Shootout Turns, as both outlaws decide they want to get their guns up as quickly as possible.

Initiative is rolled. The Lawmen get the initiative with a 17, while the outlaws lose with a 9.

Since the outlaws lost the initiative, they must declare their actions first. Both of them decide simply to try to fast draw and shoot at the lawmen (Dan at Sam, and Quentin at Ben), either incapacitating or killing them as quickly as possible because there's really no way to escape. The lawmen decide to return fire (Sam at Dan, and Ben at Quentin), half expecting the fight but hoping against it. All four men will attempt to fast draw.

Sam McGee decides on a hip shot, then makes a Fast Draw check, and rolls an 8 - failure. This means he will not get to fire until count #5 (failed Fast Draw = 2 counts, hipshot = 2 counts, and Fast pistol speed = 1 count). Ben Jackson also decides on a hipshot, and makes a Fast Draw check, rolling a 19 - failure. This means that he will not be able to fire until count #4 (failed Fast Draw = 2 counts, hipshot = 2 counts, and Very Fast pistol speed = 0 counts).

Dan McGrew decides to fanfire, and makes a Fast Draw check, rolling a 2 - success! Dan will fire on count #2 (successful Fast Draw = 0 counts, fanfire = 1 count, Fast pistol speed = 1 count). In effort to get the shooting over as quickly as possible Quentin Luke decides upon the same thing; fanfiring, and makes a Fast Draw check, rolling a 10 - failure. Quentin will fire on count #4 (failed Fast Draw = 2 counts, fanfire = 1 count, Fast pistol skill = 1 count).

So, the order of fire will be :

Count 1 - None
Count 2 - Dan (shooting at Sam)
Count 3 - Dan (shooting at Sam)
Count 4 - Ben (shootint at Quentin), Quentin (shooting at Ben), Dan (shooting at Sam)
Count 5 - Sam (shooting at Dan), Quentin (shooting at Ben), Dan (shooting at Sam)
Count 6 - Ben (shooting at Quentin), Quentin (shooting at Ben), Dan (shooting at Sam)

All move and action declarations complete, the Gamemaster begins the count.

Count #1 - No real action occurs other than everyone - most of them startled - reflexively going for their guns. Only Dan get's his up ready to fire however, as everyone else fumbles slightly in jerking their pistols.

Count #2 - Dan discharges his pistol at Sam. Due to Dan electing to fanfire, his chance to hit is 2, his weapon skill only. Range is short (0 modifier), and neither Dan nor Sam are moving (0 modifier), so Dan will have to roll a 1 or 2 to hit Sam. He rolls a 20 - a possible misfire! Dan makes a Luck check and rolls a 3 - success. So while nothing untoward happens to him or his gun, he completely misses Sam with his first shot.

No other actions take place during the remainder of this count other than the other three combatants still attempting to bring their weapons to bear.

Count #3 - Dan again fires at Sam, with a Chance to Hit of 2 (his Pistol skill with no modifiers - no movement, wounds, and at short range). He rolls a 14 and misses.

Count #4 - With three combatants all firing during this count, their Speed comes into play. Ben has a base Speed of 16, which is modified to 18 due to his weapon speed being Very Fast (+2). Dan and Quentin both have a Speed of 14, both modified to 15 due to their weapon speed of Fast (+1). Because they are tied, they will fire at precisely the same time, but Ben will fire just a split second before they do.

Ben's base Chance to Hit is 5, due to his taking a hipshot (COO of 16 + Pistol Skill of 4 = 20 divided by 4 for hipshot; see Table 5). He has no other modifiers, since the range is short (0 modifier) and neither he or Quentin are moving (0 modifier). He shoots and rolls a 9 - a miss.

Quentin has a base Chance to Hit of 3 because he is fanfiring, and his Pistol skill is 3. There are no further modifiers (neither he nor Ben are moving, and the range is short), so he rolls and gets a 10 - a miss.

Dan fires again at Sam. Again he has a Chance to Hit of 2 with no modifiers, and rolls a 16 - another miss.

No other actions take place during this count.

Count #5 - Sam finally gets the opportunity to fire his pistol at Dan. Sam will have a base Chance to Hit of 5 (COO = 16 + Pistol skill of 4 = 20 divided by 4 for hipshot). Neither he nor Dan are moving and the range is short, so there are no further modifiers, for a total Chance to Hit of 5. Sam rolls, and gets a 1 - a hit! Sam will apply his Pistol skill to his wound location roll, which with a hipshot at short range gives him a +1 (his Pistol skill quartered). Sam rolls a 14, modified to a 15 with the +1 modifier - a chest wound.

A chest wound has a +1 wound severity modifier applied to it, so Sam rolls a d6 and gets a 5, modified to 6 with the +1 chest modification - and gets a mortal wound on Dan! Dan immediately makes a Luck check and rolls a 19 - and fails. He then rolls a Strength check and gets a 5 - success, which subtracted from his Strength roll of 14 is a 9, which means Dan will live for a few hours before expiring. Dan slumps back against the bar, falling to the floor where he will lay there for the remainder of the shootout bleeding to death.

Even though Dan was also set to fire a shot this count, Sam is faster (with a modified Speed of 17), and thus gets his shot off a split second faster than Dan and mortally wounds him before he can fire this count.

Quentin fires again at Ben, with a Chance to Hit of 3 (his Pistol skill with no modifiers). He rolls a 17 and misses.

No further actions take place in the remainder of this count other than Dan dropping his pistol, tossed back into the bar due to the impact of the bullet, and toppling to the floor over the next few counts.

Count #6 - Dan is mortally wounded and thus no longer in the fight, so Ben and Quentin will now fire at each other once again. Ben still has the higher Speed and will fire first.

Ben's base Chance to Hit is still 5 (hipshot) and there are no further modifiers to the roll (neither are moving, wounded, and range is short). Ben rolls a 2 - and gets a hit!. Ben cannot apply his Pistol skill to his wound location roll for the same reasons Sam could not, and will not get a modifier on his roll. He rolls and gets a 7 - wounding Quentin in the right arm.

A wound to the arm or leg receives a -1 modifier on the wound severity table, and Ben rolls a d6 for a 3 - modified to 2 - for a light wound. Quentin takes a bullet in the right arm for a light wound and 2 wound points (he has 12 total - down to 10).

Quentin will return fire at Ben. He is fanfiring, and so he has a base Chance to Hit of 3 (his Pistol skill). However, this is further modified now because Quentin has been wounded - a light wound adds a -1 to his roll. So Quentin will need to roll a 1 or 2 to hit Ben - he rolls a 4 and misses.

No further actions take place in the remainder of this round other than Sam shifting his aim to Quentin now that Dan has been shot down. This also completes the first Shootout Turn of the combat sequence. The counts will carry over into the next Shootout Turn as the combat progresses.

The Gamemaster declares another Shootout Turn, and initiative is rolled. The outlaws win initiative this time with a 12, while the lawmen lose with a 6.

As a result of losing initiative, the lawmen have to declare their moves first. They both decide to aim at Quentin and fire hipshots at him until he stops shooting or is dead.

Quentin, only now realizing his buddy lay dying next to him, elects to continue fanfiring at Ben, while beginning to run towards the end of the bar in a desperate attempt to get under cover. He will begin to run to that end.

Since both sides are not letting up on the firing, the counts proceed from the last turn into this one. So the order of actions will be :

Count #1 - Sam (shooting at Quentin), Quentin (shooting at Ben)
Count #2 - Ben (shooting at Quentin), Quentin (shooting at Ben)
Count #3 - Sam (shooting at Quentin), Quentin (shooting at Ben)
Count #4 - Ben (shooting at Quentin)
Count #5 - Sam (shooting at Quentin)
Count #6 - Ben (shooting at Quentin)

All move and action declarations complete, the Gamemaster begins the count.

Count #1 - Sam has a faster speed than Quentin, even with their pistol speed modifiers - and Quentin is wounded anyway. So Sam will fire first at Quenting. He has a base Chance to Hit of 20, the range is short, Sam is not moving, but Quenting is running for a -2 to hit modifier. Since Sam is also hipshooting, that quarters his base Chance to Hit from 20 to 5 - and with a -2 modifier for Quentin running, that gives Sam a Chance to Hit of 3. Sam rolls, and gets a 6 - and misses.

Quentin is still fanfiring, and as such his base Chance to Hit is his Pistol skill of 3. This is modified by -4 because he is running, which gives him less than a 1 chance to hit - so he must roll a 1. Quentin rolls - and gets a 3, not good enough.

No further shots are taken during this count, and Quentin ends it by beginning to run towards the end of the bar.

Count #2 - Ben is also faster than Quentin - and Quentin is wounded, so Ben will fire first. His base Chance to Hit is 20, which is quartered to 5 because he is hipshooting. Furthermore, Quentin is running, for a -2 modifier. The range is short for no additional modifier. So Ben also needs a 3 to hit Quentin - and he rolls a 3, just what he needed, and gets a hit on Quentin again. He decides to add his Pistol skill to the wound location roll, which gives him a +1 modifier (Pistol skill of 4 quartered). He rolls a 12, modified to 13, - and hits Quentin in the abdomen.

Next Ben rolls on the wound severity table. An abdomen wound by itself doesn't get any additional modifiers, so Ben rolls a d6 - and rolls a 1, for another light wound. This also gives Quentin an additional wound point for a total of 3. Quentin now has been shot twice, once in the right arm and once in the abdomen, both for light wounds.

Quentin is still moving and fanfiring. Because of his movement and his fanfiring he will once again need a 1 to hit Ben (Pistol skill of 3 -4 for running). He rolls a 3 - and misses his fifth shot of the gunfight.

Count #3 - Sam will now fire at Quentin again. He has a base Chance to Hit of 20, quartered to 5 because of his shot being a hipshot, and with Quentin running that is modified by -2 for a Chance to Hit of 3 again. He rolls a 2, and gets a hit!

He decides to use his Pistol skil to modify the wound location roll - this will give him a +1 to the roll (Pistol skill quartered for a hipshot at short range). He rolls a 9, modified to 10 - and hits Quentin in the right shoulder. Rolling for wound severity, he rolls a d6 and gets a 4 - modified to 3 because the hit is to an arm - for a serious wound. Quentin now has a total of 6 wound points (2 for the right arm, 1 for the abdomen, and now 3 for the right shoulder) - and he has been shot in the right arm and abdomen for two light wounds, and now once again in the right shoulder, this time with a serious wound. Quentin isn't doing so well.

Since Quentin had already declared his actions for the round, he has to continue. So he fires his 6th shot - which will empty his pistol - at Ben. He has almost no chance to hit - fanfiring at short range means he uses his Pistol skill of 3 as his base Chance to Hit, but this is modified because he's running - a -4 modifier, plus he's been shot three times, 2 light wounds for a total of -2, and one serious wound, for a total of -4. His cumulative modifiers are -10 on a Chance to Hit of 3. So, once again he must roll a 1 - and he misses, rolling an 18.

Quentin is still moving towards the end of the bar, pretty badly wounded now and with an empty pistol. Both lawmen are aiming at Quentin, still firing per their pre-turn action declarations.

Count #4 - Ben will fire at Quentin now. He has a base Chance to Hit of 20, quartered to 5 by it being a hipshot, and with Quentin running that drops it to a 3. Ben rolls a 6 and misses.

No further actions occur, Quentin moves further down the bar.

Count #5 - Sam now fires at Quentin again. He has a base Chance to Hit of 20, quartered to 5, and modified to 3 because Quentin is running (-2 modifier). He rolls a 12 and misses also.

Count #6 - Ben fires at Quentin again. Like his last shot, and for the same reasons, he still has only a Chance to Hit of 3. He rolls a 16, and misses.

That being the end of the Shootout turn, the Gamemaster asks Quentin what he will do. With an empty pistol, and no possible chance of reloading it under cover for the next Shootout Turn - plus having been shot three times already, he decides to give up. He drops his pistol to the floor and slumps down next to it with his left hand up.

The gunfight is over - with one mortally wounded and another shot three times. The entire gunfight lasted 2 seconds, with a total of 17 shots fired for 4 hits - all on the lawmen's side.