Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Action at

Shotgun Flats

Jay Ainsworth was the game-master of this desperate struggle to save the town of Shotgun Flats.

A band of red men rides aimlessly on the table top.

The Indian players were:

The Cavalry players were:

Jay Ainsworth was the game-master of an old west battle which we called "Shotgun Flats" after the name of the miserable little town. The native americans in the area had long been incensed by the inability of the town barkeep to supply fire-water in large quantities and his reluctance to take buffalo chips as legal tender. They decided to reallocate his inventory and set up a new not-for-profit retail distribution center (steal all his likker!). The town's mayor telegraphed to the territorial govenor who rushed a platoon of militia infantry to the town and asked the U.S. Cavalry to intervene. Four troops of cavalry departed fort LePetomayne along with three wagons of class IV potable supplies (3 wagons of likker). The indians had to stop the cavalry from reaching the town. The cavalry had to stop the red men from taking the town and stealing all the likker! There was a point value system for dead figures on both sides in case neither side could figure out who won.

The wagon train made entirely of toy wagons from a Stuckey's roadside tourist trap pulled by Dixon horses races towards the town.

The black horse cavalry (Jay Stribling's command) moves forward, screening the left flank of the wagon train. The scout in the background soon spotted a war party raising a dust cloud as it came riding "hell-for-leather". The black horse cavalry turned to face the hostiles and defeated them by fire from horseback. The Indians failed morale to close and departed with more than half the party wounded.

Indians try to rush the town. Many fall dead to the infantry rifles of the defender.

Impassively, the Indians watch the action. Simpson Whitfield (on left) and her dad, Robert (Whit) Whitfield (on right). Both are watching as yet another Indian unit fails morale to close.

Just a slice of Jody McDonald (a cavalry player) is visible on left. A representative of of HOBBYTOWN USA attracted by the Indian War-whoops and the cavlary bugles peers at the battle. Game-master Jay Ainsworth, in striped shirt, watches the action.

Indian chiefs Brian Thompson and Fred Diamond (arms crossed) watch the progress of the attack on Shotgun Flats.

A guard on the wagon train "riding shotgun" in the rear of the center wagon. These vehicles were toy pencil sharpeners for $2 each, converted by Jay Ainsworth.

Jerry Lee Ainsworth, age 6 (the game-master's son), ran the wagon train and "the scout". He was anxiously awaiting an encounter with the redskins so he could have the guards on the wagons blast away with their double-barrelled shotguns. Alas, his mom came to pick him up before he got into range!

A warband rides through a defile between two low hills.

Chief "Whit" rolls dice, testing morale as the Jackson gamers watch with great interest. From left: (seated) Simpson Whitfield, Fred Diamond, Jay Ainsworth; (standing) Whit, Brent Voorhees, Sean Pitts, Jim Pitts - wearing yellow "1st Cavalry" hat.

Captain, look! On the ridge - Injuns, lots of em!

An indian warband charges for the "Black horse cavalry". Note ring showing 1 indian brave is already lightly wounded.

A dim print, showing the second cavalry unit charging mounted onto the occupied hill. The indians fled before them.

Overwhelming numbers of red men had attacked the town and the 10-man strong infatnry unit was whittled down. After 4 turns only a single infantry man was left, his morale cracked and he ran into the dusty street, seeking vainly for escape. Momentarily startled by this unexpected move, the Indians quickly used him for target practice and the last of the foot soldiers fell dead in the street.

The indians now moved everything against the relief column but the mounted indian bands had already been repulsed and by the time the braves on foot came in sight of the column the morale of the chiefs was gone. The indians fulfilled one of the victory conditions (take the town) and the cavalry won more points (by killing more indians than cavalrymen lost). Many of the cavalrymen were wounded, but many of the indians had gone to the happy hunting ground. A draw was proclaimed, the figures and terrain were packed away, and the players ajourned to the buffet at the local Chinese restaurant.

In this game, we used a new system based on an idea found on the "Colonial Games discussion list". Each Indian warband rolled at the start of the game to decide the "mode" that it was in. The three possibilities were: SKIRMISHING, SHOOTING, and SCALPING. Each turn when the move card for that war band was drawn, the unit would be tested to see if it remained in it's current mode, went "up" to a more agressive move (SHOOTING to SCALPING for example), or went "down" to a less agressive mode (SHOOTING to SKIRMISHING). Everyone agreed that this was interesting, but it's true effect on the game is still under discussion. Every single indian charge failed morale and did not close, but it is uncertain if the above SKIRMISH/SHOOT/SCALP system had much effect on this outcome.

The town has falled to the thirsty red men. Now the chiefs try to turn them against the relief column.

Everyone is grinning as Redskin David Causey makes a move. From Left: Fred Diamond (seated) David (in black jacket), Brent Voorhees (as head only, behind David) and Jim Pitts (as head only, in 1st Cavalry Division cap).

Go to our Old West Period Page

Return to the Master Index of Photos and Games

Return to the Jackson Gamers' Homepage

Angelfire - Free Home Pages
Free Web Building Help
Angelfire HTML Library
htmlGEAR - free polls, guestbooks, and more!

Thank you for visiting The Jackson Gamers' pages at Angelfire. Please come back and visit again!