Al Westbrook’s plan is spiraling out of control. He hired a few thugs to stage a bank robbery to distract attention from his ballot-box stuffing, but his rival faction moved the ballot box too far from the polling place to make a fake robbery worthwhile. Worse, it pulled all the local lawmen off to the edge of town, leaving his bank open for betrayal. He’s now out thousands of the townsfolks’ dollars, and the gang that robbed him is running in every direction. Three of the most cowardly didn’t even rob him – they just ran home to momma and took their incriminating testimony with them!
He now has:
- A wounded outlaw leader who might talk
- Three runaway gang members who know too much
- A saloon partner (with muscle of her own) who’s about to realize she’s been used
- Deputies who are suddenly very interested in why the Hellhounds were in town at all
He’s in deeper than he ever intended.
The local lawmen are divided, but they are now an active part of the campaign. What was once a sleepy little frontier town has now become embroiled in several major political scandals, and an inexperienced trio of lawman are left at the center. A bank robbery during an election is no small matter. They’ll want statements, suspect, and explanations. Even if the ballots get counted, the town will be buzzing with rumors, accusations, conspiracy theories, and finger pointing. The Banker’s candidate may win or lose, but either way the town’s trust is shaken. Even if the ballots get counted, the town will be buzzing with rumors, accusations, conspiracy theories, and finger pointing. The Banker’s candidate may win or lose, but either way the town’s trust is shaken. They’ll have to set aside their differences, and work together to keep the peace in the wake of things. For Ginion to survive, there must be law.
For their part, the Hellhounds are wounded, scattered, and angry. Cal is hurt. His backup is hurt. Three of his men have fled. This is a gang on the verge of splintering, and desperate men make desperate choices. They do, however, have a whole lot of money and a whole lot of desire for revenge against the young thugs who abandoned them. Before they can do any of that, they need medical attention, and fast. Cal cannot ride with a nasty hip wound, so dispatches his last good man to return to town that night and drag either the doctor or his daughter out to their hideout in the desert. How everyone else reacts will help set the stage for the success of his endeavor, and determine whether or not he runs into any of the key players in this drama.
If you’re running a Braunstein, this kind of complex scenario is a goldmine for conflict. You’ve got multiple parties running real-time actions against each other, trying to ally with the right people or preparing suckers for betrayal. If you’re a solo wargamer like me, a situation this complex requires a more delicate touch. The key here is to identify three or four key factions and give them each two or three internally consistent plans of action. Randomly select the plan for each, and you simulate the orders process of a multi-faction game. Wildly unpredictable, and out of your control, you wind up reading the dice-given tea leaves to generate the next scenario to play out on the table.
In the case of Ginion, post-fake robbery turned real, here are four factions and three plans for each, which results in a total of 81 different combinations, each just as likely as the next.
The Banker’s Three Most Likely Plans
- Cover‑Up Mode
- Spin the Chaos Into Political Advantage
- Quietly Hunt Down the Hellhounds
The Lawmen’s Three Most Likely Plans
- Form a posse and track the Hellhounds out in the desert
- Lock down the town and round up the three local Hellhounds for questioning
- Investigate the election interference, with an emphasis on the banker
The Three Paths for the Runaway Hellhounds
- Confess and throw themselves on the mercy of the town
- Split Up and Hide With Family or Friends until this blows over
- Try to rejoin Cal in the desert
The Hawthorne Brothers’ Three Options
- Go looking for the Hellhounds to finish the job
- Throw their weight around town
- Try to shake down the banker and saloon owner
As always, I’ll roll the dice on camera, and invite your assistance in untangling the web of plots and plans as they bring Ginion to the brink of civil war.