Since I played the Delta 6 rules by Adam L. Dobbyns earlier, I really wanted to try out the 'Hero section' in these rules with a 'hero going rouge' with a machine gun in a skirmish scenario and cinematic game. I know the rules says "1980's Hero", and therefore suggests some kind of (modern) 'Rambo Character'. I have no 'Rambo' figure, but when when I played and reviewed the Delta 6 rules, I got a feeling that these rules can be amended and used for several other periods as well. This made me think of a figure conversion I made as a 'Machine Gun Hero' last year; The Django looking Gatling armed Cowboy. I think the Delta 6 rules can be amended and played in an 'Old West' scenario. The Gatling will have the LMG stats. I will play the 19th century repeater rifles as the 'assault gun' as they are fast to reload. Other rifles will only score one hit on the roll of a 5. Pistols are Pistols according to the rules (a roll of a 5 can still score 2 hits as it can be 'fanning' the gun).
Preparing the game
I don't think the
'Hero' this game are carrying his Gatling gun on his hip all the time, so I found further inspiration from the Django movie to 3D-print a carrying case for it. This was printed just before the game, so due to time the settings were medium resolution and printed with a
'wood-looking' filament so it was
'ready made'. This
'wooden filament' was really challenging to print, clogging the nozzle and make the print look good. Won't buy it again (!)
Then the printed the coffin was blackwashed:
The Scenario
After a Shootout and killing an
Army patrol of 5 in a shootout in 1884, the gang of
'Sinful Eight' was reduced to the
'Sinful Six', and wanted by the authorities alive or dead. They fled and hide in the small and remote frontier town of Dullstone, where they killed the Sheriff and kept the inhabitants under their 'domination'. Until the day 2 experienced Bounty Hunters who had teamed up for the large reward for the
'Sinfull Six', entered the town. After
another Shootout the outlaws actually managed to take out the Bounty Hunters, but at the same time there was only 2 gang members back. They had to flee Dullstone as just the 2 of them couldn't keep terrorizing the population of Dullstone alone. They got even more wanted and the reward for them got higher after the last 'shootout'. So they're still chased by the law and Bounty Hunters alike.
It's rumored that the 2 last gang members fled only a day of riding away from the Mexican border, where they broke into a house, killing the owner and kept his widow as a hostage. This way they could flee to mexico by horse if they were caught up by the law again.
- Until the day another stranger was passing by...
Forces:
- 2 remaining gang members from the original gang of 'Sinful Eight'. Both having a health of 6.
- 1 mysterious hero armed with a a Gatling gun with a health of 10.
Mission:- Outlaws: To kill the mysterious Hero, or escape by their horses through the pass behind the building.
- Mysterious Hero: To kill the 2 last members of the outlaw gang and free the woman from captivity.
AAR
Time: 20 minutes
Turns: 5
Result: A victory for the Mysterious Hero
Since the Outlaws are unaware of our Mysterious Hero, I let the latter activate first; A stranger is slowly crossing the desert at foot dragging a coffin behind him. He can see a distant house ahead:
When coming closer he uses his Army binoculars to better observe it. Are there any threats ahead? Then he recognize the horses and their saddles and immediately know they belong to members of the outlaw gang of the 'Sinful Eight'. There should be only 2 of them left now after the 'Dullstone Shootout':
He moves in a little closer, and slowly in the cover of some vegetation he opens his coffin and take out a Gatling gun:
Then he opened fire:
He shoots at the Outlaws' horses to cut off the Outlaws' retreat and escape possibilities. I don't let horses roll for a save when hit, and one off them drops dead:
The shooting alerts the outlaws in the building...
...and they rush to the window and door to return the fire:
As the Outlaws discover that they're taken under fire from a long distance, they understand that they'll need to get out of the house and get into more favorable firing positions if they'll manage to meet this threat. One of them gives covering fire...
...so the second one can run into cover and give flanking fire. Meanwhile the machine gunner has advanced further and is now in cover of a fallen tree. Both of the Outlaws are skilled shooters and scores hits on the mysterious machine gunner, but non of them are critical:
The mysterious Hero opens fire with his Gatling again, and take out one of the Outlaws with a
'headshot':
The last Outlaw fires another shot but misses. He's clearly outgunned by the massive fire from the Gatling gun. To continue to exchange fire will be useless and a 'deathtrap':
So the last Outlaw does the only reasonable thing he can; He makes a run for the last remaining horse to try to escape towards the Mexican border:
The mysterious machine gunner are more on the offensive now, and leaves his cover and moves towards the horse pen. He opens fire again...
...and takes out the last horse, and cut of the last Outlaw's retreat possibility:
The last Outlaw now understood that he could not escape this situation, and the only way was to take up the fight. He took cover behind the well and opened fire again. Unsuccessfully:
The machine gunner takes cover and returns fire...
...and successfully take out the last Outlaw with another
'headshot':
Our mysterious Hero silently wraps up his things and slowly continues ahead towards new 'adventures', leaving behind him a 'trail of death':
Conclusion
Even if the Delta 6 rules clearly are made for more modern warfare in mind, I think amending them for a 19th century skirmish or a Old West shootout worked just fine.
Even if the "
1980's Hero" have more health and better close combat skills than
'regulars', he's still very vulnerable as it actually only takes a single unsaved
'headshot' to permanently take him out of action. Perhaps he should be allowed to roll 2 D6 for save rolls as well, keeping the best? - Or give him
'Johns' stats and let him
'Fade to Black'?
I had a good time and enjoyed the narrative and cinematic feeling of this game. Time will show when and where he appears next time, or if I actually get around to acquire a 54mm 'Rambo' figure...
.jpg "Delta 6 are free and easy to play wargame rules by Adam L. Dobbyns. Hero-rules makes you game as Rambo or like I did; Django going rouge with Gatling")
.jpg "Delta 6 are free and easy to play wargame rules by Adam L. Dobbyns. Hero-rules makes you game as Rambo or like I did; Django going rouge with Gatling")
.jpg "Delta 6 are free and easy to play wargame rules by Adam L. Dobbyns. Hero-rules makes you game as Rambo or like I did; Django going rouge with Gatling")
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