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For my first game of BWG, I decided to go with a "Dark Tower" theme. The forces of good consisted of Roland of Gilead (Gunslinger leader), along with a Doctor, Wrassler, and two shootist henchmen. The evil bad guys were the Bloodwolf Tribe, with the exception that the leader was replaced by an Alpha Werewolf. The Werewolf was tuned for aggressive melee, and had the Throat Ripper ability, and Leader's Luck.

The game began with both sides moving cautiously towards the center of the battlefield. Roland and his Wrassler companion moved in front of the Chinese Laundry building, with the rest of the gang covering his advance. The Werewolf's gang was on the other side of the laundry building. The Werewolf and his spearman circled the building to the right, while the shooters went to the left. In one incredible sprint, the Werewolf moved 12" into melee combat with Roland. He immediately dealt two wounds. On the following turn, Roland's team won initiative. The Wrassler joined Roland in melee combat, and injured the Werewolf. However, the Werewolf defeated Roland and wounded the Wrassler. Mohawk peeked around the corner of the laundry and shot the Wrassler in the back.

At the beginning of the next turn, the Werewolf charged into the surviving members of Roland's gang. Even though he was down to his last hit point, he incredibly survived three attacks before killing the Doctor. At the beginning of the next turn, the last surviving good guy finally brought him down with a rifle. However, that left one Henchman against the Bloodwolf's Gunslinger and Doctor. Despite his superior cover, the two enemies managed to flank and defeat him.

The game was fast and bloody. The Alpha Werewolf was a melee monster and tore the Gunslinger's forces apart. While it looked like a lopsided curb stomp, there are actually two key points where the entire game may have hinged on a roll of the dice.

First, I did not anticipate that the Werewolf would be able to make it into melee combat with the Gunslinger in a single turn. The Werewolf rolled a 6 for his run, and had a Skill that allowed him to make his attacks after running without penalty. When we measured it, the Werewolf made it into the Gunslinger's personal space by a fraction of an inch. If he had rolled even one inch less, or started from a position even half an inch away, the Werewolf would have failed to make it into melee and probably would have been shot to pieces by the Gunslinger and his gang.

Second, the Werewolf was wounded but victorious following his melee combat, and charged headfirst into a wall of gunfire. Each of his opponents rolled at least three sucesses on their Ranged Combat checks, but he consistently rolled 5's and 6's for his Defense. If the Werewolf had failed even one roll, he would have been put down and the Gunslinger's gang would have had better odds of finishing the game. It was actually kind of astonishing.

As a play-test of the draft Skinwalker rules, I'd say they are "just right." The Alpha Werewolf was ferocious in melee, as he should be. However, he was not indestructable (as you might see in a GW game) and he wouldn't have fared as well had it not been for his astonishing luck. If we had to do it over again, both sides would have done better by taking their time. The Werewolf could have hedged his bets by slowing down so that he didn't have to make a fourth-and-ten miracle run. The Gunslinger should have sat back and used his henchmen as a screen, so that the gang's Leader would not be the first one to bear the brunt of the Werewolf's attack.

Below: The Werewolf charges into battle in the middle of the street. The rest of his gang is behind the blue building. The soldier next to the well would finally kill the Werewolf, before being defeated himself.

Sounds like it was a fun game glad the werewolf rules worked well. I really want all of the skinwalkers to be really tough in melee combat, but not overpowered. looks like they worked well

I also ran into an "oh crap" moment when I realized that although both sides had a Doctor, casualties of the Throat Ripper ability could not be restored. Next time I play against an Alpha Werewolf, I think I will forgo the Doctor in favor of another Gunslinger!

solosam wrote:
Next time I play against an Alpha Werewolf, I think I will forgo the Doctor in favor of another Gunslinger!

Here's a thought for a new character type: a Priest who can bless your bullets.

I was thinking about making a Preacher profession, but they would give a morale boost. Monster Hunters will get +1 str and a +1D6 to hit supernatural creatures, because they know all about monster lore and how to kill em better than most people. They always have silver bullets and wooden stakes handy.