Combat & Initiative

Combat & Initiative

"When Lead Flies and Fists Fly: Staying Alive in the Weird West"

Violence is common in the Weird West. Outlaws rob banks. Claim jumpers settle disputes with Winchester rifles. Abominations rise from graves hungry for living flesh. Sooner or later, your character will find themselves in a desperate fight for survival. When that happens, you need to know how combat works—how to shoot straight, when to take cover, and when to run like Hell itself is on your heels.

This section covers the rules for gunfights, brawls, and everything in between.

Combat Rounds & Initiative

When violence erupts, the Marshal declares that the game is now in combat rounds. Time slows down as we track every action in excruciating detail.

Each round equals 5 seconds of real time—barely enough time to draw a pistol, squeeze off a shot, and dive for cover. In those 5 seconds, characters act in order based on the Action Cards they draw. (For complete details on drawing cards and determining initiative, see the Card Drawing System section earlier in this book.)

Quick Initiative Reminder

At the start of each round:

1. Everyone makes a Quickness roll (TN 5)
2. Draw cards based on your result (1 card for success, +1 per raise, maximum 5)
3. Marshal counts down from Ace to Deuce
4. Act when your card is called

Faster characters draw more cards and get more opportunities to act each round. This makes Quickness one of the most important Traits in a gunfight.

Movement

Before we get into shooting and stabbing, you need to know how far your character can move during a fight.

Every character has a Pace rating (usually 6-10 yards). During a combat round, your character can move up to twice their Pace in yards. You can split this movement however you want across your actions.

Example: Ronan has Pace 8. He can move up to 16 yards total in a round. If he has 3 actions, he might move 10 yards on his first action, 3 on his second, and 3 on his third. Or 0, 0, and 16. It's his choice.

Running

If your character moves more than their Pace on a single action, they're considered to be running—sprinting like the devil himself is chasing them.

Running Penalty: Running characters subtract –4 from any skill rolls they make that action. It's hard to shoot straight when you're sprinting full-tilt.

Example: Ronan (Pace 8) moves 12 yards on one action. That's more than his Pace, so he's running. Any shootin' or fightin' rolls he makes that action suffer a –4 penalty.

Carrying a Load

A character weighed down with gear can't move as fast. Your Strength die type determines how much you can carry before it slows you down:

Example: A character with Strength d6 (6) carries up to 18 pounds without penalty. 18-36 pounds is a light load (Pace x3/4). 36-60 pounds is medium (Pace x1/2). Over 60 pounds is heavy (Pace x1/4).

Shootin': Ranged Combat

Gunfights are the signature violence of the Weird West. Here's how to resolve them.

Making an Attack

Step 1: Determine Target Number
Start with a base TN of Fair (5), then add modifiers for range, cover, visibility, and other factors.

Range: Each weapon has a Range Increment listed in its stats. For every full increment of range to your target, add +1 to the TN.

Example: A Colt Peacemaker has a Range Increment of 10 yards. Shooting at someone 25 yards away adds +2 to the TN (25 ÷ 10 = 2.5, round down to 2). Base TN 5 + 2 for range = TN 7.

Step 2: Make Your Shootin' Roll
Roll your shootin' Aptitude with the appropriate concentration (pistol, rifle, shotgun, etc.). You need to meet or beat the TN to hit.

Step 3: Determine Hit Location
If you hit, roll 1d20 on the Hit Location table to see where you struck your target. Apply any modifiers (see below).

Step 4: Roll Damage
Roll the weapon's damage dice and compare to your target's Size to determine wounds (covered in the Wounds & Healing section).

Shootin' Modifiers

Lots of things affect your ability to plug a target:

Shotguns: The Great Equalizer

Shotguns work differently than other firearms. Each shell unleashes multiple .38 caliber balls, making them deadly at close range and effective for unskilled shooters.

Shotgun Bonus: Anyone firing a shotgun gets +2 to their shootin': shotgun roll.

Range-Based Damage: Shotgun damage decreases with range as the shot spreads:

Double-Barrels: Most shotguns can fire both barrels on one action (Rate of Fire 2). Roll each attack separately.

Fightin': Hand-to-Hand Combat

When the shooting stops and the stabbing begins, you need your fightin' Aptitude. This covers knives, swords, clubs, fists, and everything in between.

Making a Melee Attack

Step 1: Determine Target Number
Base TN is Fair (5) plus your opponent's fightin' Aptitude level in whatever weapon they're holding (or fightin': brawlin' if unarmed). Some weapons also have Defensive Bonuses that add to this TN.

Example: You're attacking a bandit with fightin': knife 3 who's holding a saber (Defensive Bonus +2). Your TN is 5 + 3 + 2 = 10.

Step 2: Make Your Fightin' Roll
Roll your fightin' Aptitude with the appropriate weapon concentration. Beat the TN to hit.

Step 3-4: Hit Location and Damage
Same as shooting—roll 1d20 for hit location, then roll damage.

Fightin' Modifiers

Hit Locations

Where you hit matters. A bullet to the head does more damage than a bullet to the toe. After a successful attack, roll 1d20 on the table below:

Hit Location Modifiers

Gizzards & Noggins: Hits to vital areas (roll of 10) add +1 damage die. Headshots (roll of 20) add +2 damage dice. Use the same die type as the weapon.

Arms & Legs: When you hit arms or legs, roll another die—odd hits left, even hits right.

Missing Limbs: If the hit location indicates a body part the target doesn't have (a one-armed character getting "hit" in their missing arm), the attack misses entirely.

Prone Targets: Characters lying down are harder to hit. Attacks only hit if they roll arms, upper guts, or noggin on the hit location table. Exception: An attacker standing over a prone target or within 5 yards ignores this rule.

Cover

Smart gunslingers use cover. It's the difference between walking away and being measured for a pine box.

How cover works: After determining hit location, check if that body part is behind cover. If the hit strikes cover instead of the target, roll a die:

• Odd: The attack is deflected and misses completely
• Even: The attack punches through but loses energy (damage reduced by cover's Armor value)

Example: A bandit behind a wooden bar gets hit in the lower guts. That's below the bar, so the bullet hits the wood instead. You roll a d6 and get a 4 (even)—the bullet goes through! Wood has Armor 2, reducing the damage die type by 2 steps (see Armor rules in the Damage section).

Special Maneuvers

Beyond basic shooting and stabbing, there are several advanced techniques:

Called Shots

Want to shoot the gun out of someone's hand or put a bullet in a specific spot? That's a called shot, and it comes with penalties:

If you hit, you don't roll for hit location—you hit exactly where you aimed. Apply any bonus dice for gizzards or noggin as appropriate.

Drawing a Bead (Aiming)

If you spend an entire action aiming instead of shooting, you get +2 to your next shootin' roll. Each additional action spent aiming adds another +2, up to a maximum of +6.

Example: You have 4 actions. You aim for three of them (+6 bonus) and fire on the fourth. With decent shootin' skill and a +6 bonus, you're almost guaranteed to hit.

Fanning the Hammer

Fanning means holding the trigger down on a single-action revolver and slapping the hammer repeatedly with your palm. It's flashy, inaccurate, and puts a lot of lead in the air fast.

Requirements: Single-action revolver, one free hand, at least 1 level in shootin': pistol

How it works:

• Fire 1-6 shots (your choice, up to gun's capacity)
• Make one shootin' roll at –2
• Each success (including the first) hits a target
• First target is your choice; additional hits must be within 2 yards of the previous target
• Roll hit location randomly for each bullet

Limitations: You can't draw a bead while fanning. You can make a called shot on the first bullet only.

Example: You fan 6 shots at three bandits. You roll shootin' at –2 and get a result that beats the TN with 3 raises (4 hits total). You hit your primary target once, then assign the other three hits to targets within 2 yards. Roll 1d20 four times to see where each bullet lands.

Two-Gun Fighting

Firing a pistol in each hand is possible but difficult:

• –2 penalty to each attack (two-weapon penalty)
• Additional –4 penalty to off-hand attacks (total –6 for off-hand)
• Each shot is a separate roll
• You can fire up to each weapon's Rate of Fire per action

Example: You have two Peacemakers and want to fire both once. Your main hand attack is at –2. Your off-hand attack is at –6. Better have high shootin' skill or spend some Fate Chips!

Two-Fisted Fightin'

The melee version of two-gun fighting:

• Make two fightin' attacks in one action
• –2 penalty to each attack
• Additional –4 penalty to off-hand (total –6)
• Roll each attack separately

Vamoosing: Active Defense

Sometimes you see an attack coming and want to dodge it or parry it. That's called vamoosing (or "getting the hell out of the way").

When to vamoose: After an enemy hits you but before damage is rolled, you can spend your highest remaining Action Card (including cards up your sleeve) to make an active defense.

How it works:

• Against ranged attacks: Roll dodge
• Against melee attacks: Roll fightin' (with whatever weapon you're using)
• If your roll beats the attacker's roll, they miss
• If your roll is lower, they hit as normal

Physical Requirements: You must actually do something. Dodging means diving behind cover or hitting the ground. Parrying in melee means backing up 1 yard. If you can't or won't do this, you take a –4 penalty to your vamoose roll.

Important: You can never use dodge against melee attacks, and you can never use fightin' against ranged attacks.

Example: A bandit fires at you and hits with a roll of 14. You have an 8 of Spades left. You discard it and roll dodge, getting a 16. You dive behind a water trough and the bullet pings harmlessly off the metal!

Use cover. Aim for the vitals. And when all else fails, run like hell.