Rulebook v1.3 Released!

Well here we are again for another point release, in this case v1.3! It feels close on the heels of v1.2 but that’s because I haven’t been posting as much, since it’s actually been two months since a release.
Get the Dinosaur Cowboys Rulebook v1.3 here.

---

Version 1.3 Rules Changes
The main reason for this new version was to get the Neotechnoist allegiance fixed (as mentioned), and also to fix a Saloon bug around Dusters. There are some other changes so check out the list:

- Added $10 Neotechnoist Wealth Refund on first weapon purchase as a bonus of the Allegiance, to balance with the other three. Also moved the version number up to 1.3 from 1.2
- Removed a lot of items from the table of contents to streamline its size. Might have gone too far though.
- Clarified Snap Attack to ensure it’s obvious that a melee weapon needs to be equipped to make a Snap Attack
- Minor reword around Facing to better clarify that if the attacker isn’t facing their target at the start of their Action Phase, they’d have to spend their Maneuver Phase to turn
- Reordered the combat modifiers table (also on the QRS) to be more readable and easier to follow a process, instead of a hodgepodge of modifiers.
- Another slight touchup of the Charge wording
- More minor editing, especially around the later sections that don’t get as much reading. Discipline, Variant Rules, etc.
- Made the close combat / melee combat writing consistent
- Minor change to remove a note about cauterizing

Version 1.3 Saloon Changes
As with every release The Saloon was updated to use the latest rules, and also had a few bugfixes of its own:

- Factored in the Neotechnoist Wealth Refund for their first weapon purchase, and also remembered it for remote url loading
- Added a Save to Text option that will export the Posse in a consistent plain text format, useful for battle reports or posting directly to forums.
- Fixed three main bugs. First of all a Leader decreasing their BRV from 7 to 6 rewards no IP, as compared to the previous of +6. Also now a Duster costs 10 IP to change from MV 3 to 4, instead of the previous incorrect 5 IP. Finally a remote loaded posse will have their stat flags mirrored so that flags like hasIncreasedArmor will still apply, which stops an AR 1 character from increasing their AR to 2
- Changed the recent posse list to have a scheduled executor that will check the posses.txt file for changes and re-load the recent list in memory. This is necessary in case I want to make changes manually to the file (like deleting a junk posse someone created) but don’t want to have to restart the app. Also we now write the posses.txt file on every new addition, instead of just on shutdown
- Cleaned up the validation of a posse to ensure a name and author are always present both when saving and when loading, and the general logic has been compressed into a single method

Next Up
I still have the general idea of writing a basic campaign for players to try out some linked, story driven battles. I’ll also keep on keepin’ on with my battle reports and post those when I can. As usual more minor editing and fixes are always in my mind. I wouldn’t mind getting someone to update the rulebook formatting to be more professional instead of a plain black-and-white document.

Neotechnoist Allegiance balancing

I found a bug in The Saloon design program that caused me to re-evaluate some of the math around Allegiances.

First of all the bug: On the Statistic Improvement Costs page going from 3 MV to 4 MV is 10 IP. However because of how I have to handle refunds in The Saloon, Dusters were only paying 5 IP to go from 3 to 4 MV. What this bug meant was Dusters were getting 12 IP worth of bonuses (+2 HP) but only 5 IP worth of penalties (-1 MV). Instead it should have cost Dusters the correct 10 IP to go from 3 MV to 4 MV.
This lead me to look at the math around Allegiances in general. Luckily it worked out better than I had expected, but it still exposed a glaring problem with Neotechnoists.

Here are the bonuses and penalties each Allegiance (besides the no effect Bandit) apply, as well as the IP cost to restore any penalties to the level of the default statistics.

Duster: +2 HP (12 IP), -1 MV (10 IP to restore)
Savage: +1 MV (12 IP), -1 RMC (10 IP to restore)
Neotechnoist: -1 RMC (10 IP), -2 HP (12 IP to restore)

What this shows is that Neotechnoists lose out in the sense that their bonus is only 10 IP worth (compared to 12 for Duster and Savage) and their penalty costs 12 IP to restore (as compared to 10 IP for the other two).

The end result is the current v1.2 (and earlier) Neotechnoist Allegiance is weaker than the other three.

Now for the fix. I could try to redo the math and make it all work out, or I could go for the easier, more flavorful approach. And that is to give the Neotechnoists another benefit that will take effect in v1.3 of the rules:

Neotechnoist Allegiance in v1.3: -1 RMC, -2 HP, $10 Wealth Refund from first weapon purchase

So basically the very first weapon a Neotechnoist purchases will be $10 cheaper to represent their wealth and easy access to technology, armor, weapons, equipment, etc. I think this is a great mechanism to further differentiate the Allegiances and to draw an even bigger line between the “well off” people inside The Wall and the struggling folks outside it.

Technically if we’re going by the 1 IP = $10 rule of thumb the Neotechnoist is still unbalanced, but I think the math doesn’t have to match up exactly, especially when RMC is one of the main statistics people are always eager to improve, so if the Neotechnoist became a clear Allegiance choice without any drawbacks you’d just see Posses brimming with them. This brings the Allegiance up to a similar power level, but still doesn’t dominate as a “must have” choice (which I always dislike seeing in games).

In other news look for v1.3 of the rules coming to a PDF link in the near future!

Rulebook v1.2 Released!

Well after some more tweaking, balances, and editing I am releasing Dinosaur Cowboys v1.2. Hooray!
Get the Dinosaur Cowboys Rulebook v1.2 here.

---

Version 1.2 Rules Changes
In terms of changes here are the highlights, straight from the Subversion commit log. The biggest change was around the stats of the dinosaurs, plus the two new classes (Terror and Fin), plus some new weapons.
- Increase Wrangler trait damage to +2 per stage for Lasso
- Renamed Aimed Shot to Placed Shot and made Aimed Shot now hit at -1 RMC
- Switched the Advancing a Posse and Statistic Improvement Cost pages
- Changed mx HP from 50 to 40
- Reduced Needler weapon cost from 400 to 250
- Added Spine Blade (Motor Blade equivalent)
- Added Skinning Knife as an alternative for Machete, and renamed Knife to Hunting Knife
- Reduced Armored HP from 22 to 20, and Plated from 24 to 23. Going to stop poking at them now
- Changed the Panic MV header to PMV in the dinosaur list to better match how the roster sheet and other abbreviations are used.
- A bunch of dinosaur changes. First of all King was moved to a new class, and the old version was renamed Terror. A new Fin dinosaur was added. A bunch of stats were modified as well, mainly HP and MV adjustments to balance everyone.
- Renamed the Game Master (GM) to the Sheriff to add a bit more flavor
- Added an Aimed Shot variant rule, made a note of recommended variant rules, re-added the brainstorming variant rules.
- Added a new rule for multiplayer games where each entity gets +2 HP per player beyond 2, to increase survivability against more enemies.
- Also added a combined image of the common weapons to the Weapon Description section.
- Cleaned up the table of contents to remove some superflous items
- Clarified some of the combat modifiers since there was a description for Crossfire but not Cover or Elevation
- Renamed the Movement Phase to Maneuver Phase, since the Action Phase isn’t called the RMC Phase, so the Movement/Maneuver Phase shouldn’t be named after a stat too. The downside is it’s tougher to spell.
- Cleaned up Charge wording
- Cleaned up Activating an Entity and the Uneven Activation example since they were written a long time ago
- In the Falling Damage example removed the specific 4 inch distance of the knockback, since it’s confusing when we just want to focus on the 3 inch fall

Version 1.2 Saloon Changes
Also The Saloon received a bunch of bugfixes which I’m really happy with, plus of course all the v1.2 changes were ported into it.
- Added an asterick after a weapon name if it has a special ability. Also added the Spine Blade (Motor Blade equivalent)
- Fixed a really annoying bug around Bonus RMC trait, where it would miscalculate the IP cost
- Fixed a silly mistake where the wrong ‘I’ was being cut because I did indexOf instead of lastIndexOf, so something like ‘Inspiring Shot I’ would cut the first ‘I’ instead of the proper stage ‘I’
- Glaring remote url load error where the 4th member would be ignored (used < instead of <= in the loop)
- Changed the PDF export so excess weapons (over 2) are listed in the inventory instead of being lost to the ether
- Lots of changes around Traits. Previously some of the non-stat Passive traits weren't being applied, such as Clear Sight which modifies ranges of weapons. This actually ended up being a bit of a hassle because we needed to clone the Weapon object, manage string based range brackets, etc.
- Improved some title text for weapons and the allegiance/breed
- Ensured we have an author in the field
- Put version number in intro message

Next Step
As before I don’t have any drastic plans for the rulebook. Maybe some tweaking and formatting and editing here and there, but as I promised with v1.0 the core mechanics will stay the same. I’ve been thinking of adding some items that have more of an in-game effect, like a Bugle or Trumpet that let’s a non-character use the Yeehaw! ability. Maybe various types of alcohol that can be used like drugs in other games to provide bonuses for a turn.
One goal I do have is to make a standalone campaign module for Dinosaur Cowboys, complete with Hexographer maps, scenarios for each location, general plot twists, etc. That might be more of a pipe dream than a goal, but I could see it being fun and adding a lot of value to the game.

v1.2 Dinosaur Changes

I’ve been making some minor changes to the current rules, and as I’ve mentioned in the past this will eventually result in a v1.2 release of the Dinosaur Cowboys rulebook. The most recent change was adding two new classes of Dinosaurs, a $400 herbivore (to match the Raptor) called “Fin” (aka Dimetrodon). The second big class change was reworking King to be Tyrannosaurus specific, and cost $700 (to match the Horned dinosaur which also costs $700), and then I made the old King class into “Terror” and had it focus on the Allosaurus, Ceratosaurus, etc. So basically more options for the “in between” priced dinosaurs.
I also added a note to the start of the Dinosaurs section in the rulebook stating how totally scientifically inaccurate everything around the dinosaurs are. I made the tough choice a while back to not try to be too accurate in my representations of dinosaurs, I went for the popular culture view of the main ones instead of getting into nitty gritty differences. I think for a game with cowboys and lasers it should be fine though But yeah, the Dimetrodon especially highlighted this since it’s not even a dinosaur! Haha, yeah.

Anyways I also made a bunch of other stat tweaks, so let me talk about them below in detail, and then show you how the new Dinosaur List looks!
Plated HP 28 to 24, Armored HP 26 to 22, Armored MV 4 to 3, Horned HP 24 to 26: Basically tweaking the $500 herbivores to be a bit fairer. Previously Armored was clearly the best choice because that AR 4 just DOMINATES. Now he’s a bit weaker to compensate for that.
King (now Terror) HP 24 to 20: With the “nerfs” to the herbivores I thought the King (now named Terror) needed to be reduced a bit. I figured changing any of his other stats would give him a different feel, so I opted for reducing the HP.
Ducky HP 17 to 18: With the new Fin class and a close look at the Ducky vs the Raptor I thought he needed a slight boost, so +1 HP it was. I mean his DIS 3 is already crippling enough, but what can you expect for $300!
Ripper HP 11 to 12: This boost was done to differentiate the Ripper a bit more from the Runner. Previously the comparison looked fair on paper, but in practice the Runner’s MV 10 is a significant advantage, similar to how the Armored looked fine until you really start thinking about AR 4.
Raptor attack from 2A-4D to 1A-6D: I changed this to make the Raptor act similar to the other carnivorous dinosaurs, with one single attack that does a lot of damage. I really think that helps distinguish their style from the herbivores. I visual it as the herbivores stomping and slamming the target, whereas the carnivores go for the neck in a powerful bite or claw.
Thickskull HP 18 to 21, MV 7 to 8, DIS 7 to 6, MMC 7 to 6: I needed to make Thickskull a viable $500 alternative, and still give him a unique feel. Due to his smaller size I figured making him an “advanced Runner” (aka slower but buffer) would be an interesting approach. So he got a few more HP, a bit more MV, better MMC, and slightly worse DIS.
Renamed King to Terror and made a new $700 carnivore and Fin ($400) class: I wanted a $400 Herbivore and a $700 Carnivore so an option was available for each price bracket, so these guys were created. I had a tough choice finding a way to split King and Terror, but focusing on the Tyrannosaurus a bit more doesn’t seem like a particularly unpopular choice.

And here is the list from the upcoming v1.2 rulebook. Eventually The Saloon will reflect these changes as well, and have the new classes. I imagine once I actually release v1.2 I’ll do that, since there is no point having new rules that are different than the PDF.

So as you can see some minor tweaks, and some exciting new additions. I don’t think anything of these changes really modify how the game is played, which is great because at this point (really since v1.0) I just want to make minor tweaks and improvements, and save anything drastic for a Variant Rule.

Website News
In other news my recent posts about Dino Storm have really helped traffic (some of which came from Facebook, which makes me consider making a Facebook page for Dinosaur Cowboys sometime in the future?). Most importantly today beat my all time record for “Views Today” with 193 (previous record was 132), and best of all my total views broke 10,000 late last night! Hooray! Thanks to everyone for their support and interest in the game, I’m happy to report that this blog is now dominating the search results for “dinosaur cowboy”, which makes me quite happy!

Variant Rule: Dual Wielding

I decided to add a new official Variant Rule for Dual Wielding, as such:

Dual Wield: Two identical Small melee or ranged weapons can be dual wielded, which uses the same statistics with a +1 Attack bonus.

So yeah, a character could have two 80kW Six-Shooters and would use 5A-0D instead of 4A-0D, or similarly two Brass Knuckles at 3A-3D instead of 2A-3D. Simple and flavorful, and an excuse to post a wicked Clint Eastwood picture, plus you can technically have a character with two Sawed Off Shotguns. Just saying…

Rules Release v1.1

v1.1 is here with two very small changes (although one of them affects posse building quite a bit) plus various edits. The first is moving the Game Overview above the History section so new players can see what exactly they are getting into before they are overwhelmed with a few pages of background information. The second and most important is recruiting the first Member is now free, and the second and beyond still cost $200 (or $250 later) as before. So basically this gives you $200 more to equip your posse with! Players who intend to use their posse in a long, ongoing campaign can always modify this, of course. But for one off games I find $1,000 with the old rules to be a bit low, whereas now there is plenty of money for equipment and weapons beyond a basic loadout of six-shooters.

As for the edits here’s the list:
- Noted that PMV doesn’t affect Run or Charge.
- Noted that Dinosaurs can move too after being dismounted.
- Fixed copy-paste duplication on Fan the Hammer ability.
- Changed how Fleeing while Mounted works, now Flee with the mount instead of dismounting.
- Noted the minimum Run of 1 inch.
- Added three variant rules: Last Man Standing (no Bravery or Discipline for last entity of a posse that is alive), Initiative Choice (choose to activate first or last when winning initiative), and Fast Target (additional +1 to hit if target moved 10 inches or more)

So yeah, small changes but they affect the game enough (and are reflected in The Saloon) so I thought I’d release the PDF:
Get the Dinosaur Cowboys Rulebook v1.1.

Dinosaur Cowboys v1.0 Released!

It’s with great joy that I announce version 1.0 of Dinosaur Cowboys, just in time for my self imposed Halloween deadline. The project has taken two years to reach this point plus numerous revisions and playtests. I’m really happy with the result and think the game is lots of fun.

Download the free v1.0 rulebook PDF!

I don’t know where Dinosaur Cowboys will go from here. With this release the core rules are done (unless I find some glaring omission I somehow missed during editing). I might add “expansion” rules (like vehicles, dinosaur equipment, flying units, etc.) but that would be far in the future. For now I’m going to focus on filling out the background of the world through Nanowrimo (which conveniently starts tomorrow).

As for this blog I won’t have as much to say on rules development, but I’ll try to post monthly battle reports at the very least, plus any cool pictures or fiction I stumble across.

Anyways if you have any feedback or ideas for the future let me know.

EDIT: The rules have been touched up and revised since this release. The core mechanics truly are complete and done with the v1.0 release, but I’d still recommend grabbing the latest version.

Caught in the Crossfire

A new rule for your reading pleasure today. The basic idea is if you can draw a line between two allies and there is a target in between they are “caught in a Crossfire” and both allies get +2 bonus Attacks. That bonus is pretty high, but that helps act as a motivator to maneuver and position Posse members on the battlefield. This one will require some testing before it makes it into v1.0, but it should be a fun improvement if it works out okay. My main motivator was Flanking in Dungeons and Dragons and all the player focus around achieving a flank. I think rewarding tactical play (already done with Surprise Hit where a bonus is given for attacks from behind) is a good method for ensuring the match doesn’t turn into a slug fest of entrenched characters.

---

Crossfire
When trying to catch a target in a Crossfire first measure a straight line between the attacker, the target, and an allied character. If both attackers have ranged weapons (that are in range) and none of the entities involved are in Melee then the target is in a Crossfire.
While the target remains in a Crossfire both attackers gain +2 Attacks.

Preview of v0.91

NOTE: v1.0 was released on October 31st, 2011, so use that version instead.

Since I’ll be working hard on getting a final release out by October 10th I thought I’d show folks how the rulebook has been shaping up since v0.91.

There a bunch of minor changes and editing, but the biggest two changes are: Dinosaur rules have been hugely updated (Discipline, Breeds, new roster layout, etc.) and I tried putting in my historical sepia images. Here are some other highlights:

• Added Dinosaur Discipline, Breed, and other rule changes and clarifications.
• Added historical images throughout the rulebook for flavor.
• Added fan made Overland Map thanks to Felix.
• New headers and example box formatting and page numbering style.
• Changed Stopped/Stunned to disallow the Movement/Action phase respectively.
• Clarified Fleeing through an enemy entity is considered impossible so Stunned instead.
• Added Fan the Hammer special ability to Six-Shooters.
• Added Scattergun, 10-Pound Cannon, and Field Gun weapons.
• Changed AR 4 armor to reduce MV by -1 (instead of 0), cascaded change down to AR 7.
• Edited and updated the History section.
• Capped Hitpoints at 50 instead of Unlimited.

Anyways I’d like some feedback on the image integration (does it look good, does it print well, how do you feel about the increased file size, etc.) and the new Dinosaur rules (does Discipline work over Bravery, is Panic Movement fun or tedious, etc.). If all the rules make sense and continue to playtest well this is probably what v1.0 will look like. I mean I’ll have some more eye-for-detail editing and dozens of re-reads to make sure everything makes sense and flows well, but yeah, getting close!

Download the Dinosaur Cowboys Rulebook v0.91 Preview and let me know what you think!

(Note: Scheduled vacation post. Back October 4th)

Rule Changes for Dinosaurs (Discipline, Breeds, etc.)

You would have though v0.9 would be late in the game to change any rules significantly, and yet here we are! I just did some pretty major revisions around the rules for Dinosaurs.
This all started when I considered having dinosaurs ignore difficult terrain last week. I realized that they have some unique characteristics to differentiate a dinosaur from a human cowboy…but not really enough cool things about them. They were basically bulky melee fighters who had a lot of HP and could transport people.

With this in mind I changed two main features of Dinosaurs: Discipline and Breed. Before I get into those let me dazzle you with the new Dinosaur Type List from the updated rules:

Dinosaur Discipline
Bravery didn’t make a ton of sense with Dinosaurs because they hardly ever took over half damage from a single attack (like in the case of a 30+HP monster). I still wanted a way to show how controlled and trained a Dinosaur was, so I added the “Discipline” stat as a replacement. Instead of duplicating a description of this stat I’ll just paste an excerpt from the rulebook:

---

Discipline represents a dinosaur’s ability to perform in combat while suffering pain, surprise, fear, and other trying emotions of battle. A higher discipline means a dinosaur will be able to maintain a consistent pace and direction and obey any rider’s commands. A lower discipline means the dinosaur is more likely to circle in panic and stumble around in fear.

How to use Discipline
If a dinosaur suffers damage greater than or equal to their Discipline value from a single ranged or melee attack they will panic.
Mark them with a “Panic” token. Multiple Panic tokens can be placed on each dinosaur.
For example a Horned Dinosaur has a Discipline of 8. They are hit by a Rotary Rifle for 11 damage and are therefore marked with a Panic token. During the next Activation they are hit by a Bundle of Dynamite for a further 8 damage, so another Panic token is added.

Effect of Panic
When marked with one or more Panic token dinosaurs will use their Panic Movement, as recorded on the Posse Roster.
For example a Runner Dinosaur has a Movement statistic of 10 and a Panic Movement of D10. If they were marked with a Panic token they would have to roll D10 to decide how far they can Standard Move, instead of using the static 10 value.

Recovering from Panic
At the end of the dinosaur’s Activation remove 1 Panic token.
If the dinosaur is mounted remove an additional 1 Panic token.
For example a King Dinosaur (with two passengers) has 3 Panic tokens at the start of the turn. Eventually it Activates, rolls D6 for it’s Panic Movement with a result of 2. The King performs a 2″ Standard Move and then a rider fires. The King’s Activation is done, so 2 Panic tokens are removed (1 default with a bonus 1 removed because the King is mounted).

---

What this means is if a dinosaur takes damage >= Discipline they use Panic Movement instead, which is a random amount similar to their maximum static Movement (so a MV 6 dino gets D6 Panic MV). Nice and simple, and the idea of stacking multiple Panic tokens is fun because it really rewards pouring fire into a dinosaur. Plus it’s an elegant way to have an easy benefit if there is a rider present (as compared to having to manually modify the Discipline stat).
To support this I had originally aimed for Trained/Untrained as a choice you could make when buying a Dinosaur. Trained would give +1 DIS, -2 HP and Untrained would be -1 DIS, +2 HP. But then Kyles Games on The Forge forums pointed out that having a version that doesn’t modify stats at all would be nice. I instantly thought of the Bandit Allegiance for humans, and then I thought “Hey why not have Allegiances for dinosaurs!” After I had completed a preliminary sketch of those rules I changed the name from Allegiance to Breed, to once again distinguish dinosaurs that little bit more.

Dinosaur Breed
Again an excerpt from the rulebook is probably easiest for this:

---

Choose a Breed for the dinosaur (similar to Allegiance for a human) from the available four detailed below. Apply any modifiers to the default base values for each statistic.
When marking the Breed on the Posse Roster, circle the corresponding letter in the box to the left of the Dinosaur Name field (for example “T” for Trained).

Trained
Trained dinosaurs are born in captivity or raised in a human environment soon after birth and make ideal companions. They are disciplined mounts well versed in accepting a rider and carrying them safely through battle. However they are slightly gentler after having their primal instincts suppressed.

Effect: +1 DIS, -2 HP

Untrained
Untrained dinosaurs have some exposure to humans but not enough to be fully broken into a saddle and harness. This majority of dinosaurs are this type of breed, and such an upbringing has no positive or negative effect on their performance.

Effect: None

Feral
Feral dinosaurs are wild and free and hunt through the jungles and deserts of the world. They tend to be tougher and less disciplined and think more with their stomachs than brains.

Effect: -1 DIS, +2 HP

Plains
Plains dinosaurs roam across the flat scrub land, desert, and dust bowls outside the volcanic jungle. As a result they are exceptionally fast and agile, but are less competent in a fight because of their tendency to outrun foes instead.

Effect: +1 MV, +1 MMC

---

After all these changes I also hugely cleaned up and edited the Dinosaur section in general to be clearer. I also had to update the Dinosaur Type List table to include Panic MV, Discipline, etc. as you saw above. And then of course the Posse Roster needed to be changed to handle all this new dinosaur info, which worked out great because it makes the Dinosaur section at the bottom just a tiny bit different looking…I’m going to laugh if later I go “Ugh these rules are ALMOST the same why don’t I just merge them?” and basically undo all my work.

But anyways here’s an example of the Dinosaur statline on the Posse Roster:

Now I’ll just playtest these rules and then you might see a v0.91 or v0.95 coming to a download near you

Fanning the Hammer

A staple of spaghetti westerns, “fanning the hammer” is a technique used to rapidly shoot a revolver. It is sometimes used in modern trick shooting competitions. It’s hard on the gun and the shooter’s hand, but looks cool. Basically you hold down the trigger of a single action revolver, then pull back the hammer with the palm of your hand. The hammer will naturally slam forward when let go, hitting the firing pin of the bullet current in the chamber. Fanning the hammer back with the palm again will rotate the cylinder and prepare a new bullet. In this method shooting can be achieved as fast as the firer can crank that hammer, without having to worry about pulling the trigger.
For Dinosaur Cowboys I figured even laser six-shooters would have support for this. To that end I added a new “Fan the Hammer” special ability to the 100kW to 400kW Six-Shooters. I figured the 80kW Six-Shooter was too cheaply made to handle the rigors of constant fanning. Straight from the rulebook this ability does:

Fan the Hammer: Can only be used at Short Range or closer. Roll 6 Attacks and use 2" Knockback for the next attack, but mark with a Reload token.

This is similar to the “Both Barrels” feature of the Double Barrel Shotgun (it gives +2 Attacks and marks with Reload), except that I figured the Knockback would be from the force of that many shots. Sure you could argue that lasers wouldn’t knock a target back, but why spoil my fun? Anyways I like the Short Range requirement as well (Both Barrels can be used at max range, which is only 9″ on the Double Barrel Shotgun, but still) since it gives a feel of a duel. I also like that it gives 6 full Attacks since, you know, Six-Shooter and all. Plus since they all have 4 Attacks as a base it’s still only +2 Attacks.
Thanks goes to Red_Starrise on the DakkaDakka forums for the original spark of the idea with a “Gunslinger” Trait he had suggested to me.

Also the 400kW Six-Shooter (the most powerful Six-Shooter there is) got a slight boost. It was previously 3A-4D, but I changed it to cost more and have 4A-4D, which continues the nice and smooth progression of the Six-Shooters. Plus it makes the Six-Shooter a viable “high level” weapon. I know I wouldn’t want to walk into a 6A-4D 2″ Knockback Fan the Hammer attack at close range, ouch.

Due for a release…v0.9 is here!

As I was writing up the most recent battle report I realized all those little changes since v0.8 have added up, and v0.9 is different enough that I feel I should release it so people can base their opinions on the most modern version I have. So without further ado:

---

Download the Dinosaur Cowboys Rulebook v0.9 (PDF)

---

I still didn’t reach a satisfactory setup for pictures in the rulebook, so it’s still just plain text (aside from the logo). I might just do a “printable” version that has the pictures or something, but we’ll see. As with the last release the rules are looking and playing really solidly, so there won’t be any sweeping changes going forward. Just more small tweaks and fixes based on playtests and feedback (um, feedback, remember? Someone email me one of these days?).
Once I reach v1.0 (closer and closer!) I’ll put the game on RPGGeek and spread as much notice around the forums of the world as I can.

Changelog
Here’s how the Subversion log looks, and again this is the closest I have to a changelog:

————————————————————————
r1607 | svn | 2011-08-04 17:29:02 -0600 (Thu, 04 Aug 2011) | 1 line

Made Slowed also stop people from Charging, not just Run
————————————————————————
r1606 | svn | 2011-08-04 00:57:58 -0600 (Thu, 04 Aug 2011) | 1 line

Minor change to the maximums for some statistics
————————————————————————
r1605 | svn | 2011-07-19 12:46:47 -0600 (Tue, 19 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Formatting fix. The Modifiers Table keeps getting shifted
————————————————————————
r1604 | svn | 2011-07-18 15:10:37 -0600 (Mon, 18 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Another quick reference sheet minor fix
————————————————————————
r1603 | svn | 2011-07-18 15:07:45 -0600 (Mon, 18 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Fixed up quick reference sheet typo and formatting
————————————————————————
r1601 | svn | 2011-07-06 11:33:32 -0600 (Wed, 06 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Made Weather an optional rule
————————————————————————
r1600 | svn | 2011-07-06 11:25:11 -0600 (Wed, 06 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Made the Additional Ideas subheading under Variant Rules a bulleted list
————————————————————————
r1599 | svn | 2011-07-06 11:19:34 -0600 (Wed, 06 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Added Variant Rules section that fleshes out some alternative approaches for AR, Fumbles, Running, Melee, etc.
————————————————————————
r1598 | svn | 2011-07-06 11:15:29 -0600 (Wed, 06 Jul 2011) | 1 line

Added Variant Rules section with a few different ideas
————————————————————————
r1597 | svn | 2011-06-29 13:21:58 -0600 (Wed, 29 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Removed border from the top fields on the editable PDF roster
————————————————————————
r1596 | svn | 2011-06-23 15:16:57 -0600 (Thu, 23 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Split the Posse Roster into a form and blank version. The form could eventually be filled automatically using the Java iText library
————————————————————————
r1595 | svn | 2011-06-22 22:06:10 -0600 (Wed, 22 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Made winning an encounter award 30ND instead of 20ND to match what a kill gives, so it’s basically like a free kill.
————————————————————————
r1594 | svn | 2011-06-22 01:33:20 -0600 (Wed, 22 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Modified the Dinosaur HP IP cost table to have a matching header to the rest of the statistics. Woa and it’s 2am, whoops
————————————————————————
r1593 | svn | 2011-06-21 15:54:24 -0600 (Tue, 21 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1592 | svn | 2011-06-21 14:11:07 -0600 (Tue, 21 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1591 | svn | 2011-06-21 13:56:41 -0600 (Tue, 21 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1590 | svn | 2011-06-21 13:54:15 -0600 (Tue, 21 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Clarified the character/posse creation section so that spending IP is under the Posse instead of under the character, so that creating a character is basically Name-Allegiance-DDefault Stats
————————————————————————
r1589 | svn | 2011-06-21 13:32:23 -0600 (Tue, 21 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added an example of creating a character (Quidel) to clarify that process. Also put in an IP cost for 3 to 4 MV (10) in the case of Dusters
————————————————————————
r1588 | svn | 2011-06-20 10:50:39 -0600 (Mon, 20 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Some editing and formatting, very minor
————————————————————————
r1587 | svn | 2011-06-17 11:20:06 -0600 (Fri, 17 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Changed token removal to just mention Moved and Acted, since other tokens normally persist
————————————————————————
r1586 | svn | 2011-06-17 11:16:02 -0600 (Fri, 17 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Removed Roar ability for Dinosaurs to keep them as pure melee only. This also meant their default RMC could be removed.
————————————————————————
r1585 | svn | 2011-06-17 00:46:43 -0600 (Fri, 17 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Put the main rulebook under a non-commercial Creative Commons license, which is useful to stop people from selling the rules. Also a minor reformat to ensure the List of Traits fits on a single page (by using the Posse Roster page layout and margins)
————————————————————————
r1584 | svn | 2011-06-17 00:11:17 -0600 (Fri, 17 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added a Derringer, Saber, and Cutlass. Also modified some of the prices and damages
————————————————————————
r1583 | svn | 2011-06-16 23:45:04 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Bunch of minor updates and changes based on the playtest tonight. A few clarifications or exceptions added.
————————————————————————
r1582 | svn | 2011-06-16 23:36:39 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Make Dinosaurs have a default 8 RMC (for Roar)
————————————————————————
r1581 | svn | 2011-06-16 20:31:28 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1580 | svn | 2011-06-16 19:49:50 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1579 | svn | 2011-06-16 19:47:44 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Increased Horned HP since they cost a ton already
————————————————————————
r1578 | svn | 2011-06-16 19:43:49 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Renamed Leadership to Yeehaw, for a bit more flavor
————————————————————————
r1577 | svn | 2011-06-16 19:37:46 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Include D6s as necessary items, for Charge
————————————————————————
r1576 | svn | 2011-06-16 19:36:16 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Minor change to ensure IP and dollar values per kill are even
————————————————————————
r1575 | svn | 2011-06-16 17:03:50 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Fixed wording of Pulled ability
————————————————————————
r1574 | svn | 2011-06-16 16:57:22 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Made ND less rare
————————————————————————
r1573 | svn | 2011-06-16 16:54:44 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Removed Levels. Instead Posses match on IP and ND. In addition killing an enemy gives +IP and +ND, as done winning an encounter, instead of going by Kills. I attempted to maintain the values of each, so that Posses should grow in strength at a similar rate to before. The Roster had to be updated to reflect the new fields.
————————————————————————
r1572 | svn | 2011-06-16 16:23:00 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Touched up some of the riles
————————————————————————
r1571 | svn | 2011-06-16 16:13:58 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Changed and clarified how Charge works. Now it’s an Action that you can do if an enemy is within 6 inches. It gives +D6 inches of movement (in a straight line) and they can make a free set of Melee attacks with the Charge bonus afterwards. Basically the best way to enter close combat.
————————————————————————
r1570 | svn | 2011-06-16 16:03:32 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added Natural Weapons as an item section. This includes Brawl and Beast types, basically unarmed attacks for humans and dinosaurs.
————————————————————————
r1569 | svn | 2011-06-16 15:43:41 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Made the Charge move grant an extra D6 inches if the target is not adjacent but is within 6 inches (aka they just fell short of the charge). The attack bonus is the same still
————————————————————————
r1568 | svn | 2011-06-16 15:26:28 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added a few more traits to make the total list 56 items. Wowy zowy
————————————————————————
r1567 | svn | 2011-06-16 15:13:28 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added a bunch of new Traits (some were Guild Wars inspired), so the total list has nearly 50. Had to format the doc a bit differently to fit them on one page, which meant adding a West Test header
————————————————————————
r1566 | svn | 2011-06-16 14:23:22 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Made the Bola an alternative to the Stun Gun
————————————————————————
r1565 | svn | 2011-06-16 14:16:41 -0600 (Thu, 16 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Cleaned up the Items. Got rid of Blind, added Slowed and Pulled. Made some custom Lassos. Added a Stun Gun, made Whip have Slowed. Added note in rules about Minimum Range. Added a note about Falling damage. Made Knockback be like Explosion in that it’s X” Knockback instead of always 1D6 inches.
————————————————————————
r1564 | svn | 2011-06-15 16:47:43 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Made some of the long range weapons have no Short range, namely those with Minimum ranges. For example Lever-Action rifles now have no Short range, instead a 4-14 Medium range
————————————————————————
r1563 | svn | 2011-06-15 16:07:10 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Clarified that an attacker can target either the dinosaur or passenger, and cleaned up the Mounted Combat section in general
————————————————————————
r1562 | svn | 2011-06-15 15:42:20 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

————————————————————————
r1561 | svn | 2011-06-15 15:14:54 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Minor font size tweak. Injected refonted Items list into main rulebook
————————————————————————
r1560 | svn | 2011-06-15 15:10:31 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Forced some Courier fonts to Courier New. Also made the Items headers West Test. I think that’s all.
————————————————————————
r1559 | svn | 2011-06-15 14:35:16 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Renamed Quick-Reference.odt to match its name of Quick-Reference-Sheet.odt
————————————————————————
r1558 | svn | 2011-06-15 14:33:54 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Forgot Charge mod on the Quick ref sheet, which then needed to be ported to the rules. Copy pasting 3 times for one change sucks.
————————————————————————
r1557 | svn | 2011-06-15 14:30:32 -0600 (Wed, 15 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Added a Quick Reference sheet, which basically has the modifiers, turn options, combat procedure, etc. Also added Charge the Modifier table to ensure everything is listed. Reworded the Modifier descriptive text to suit.
————————————————————————
r1554 | svn | 2011-06-14 16:46:27 -0600 (Tue, 14 Jun 2011) | 1 line

Let’s get started on v0.9, woot
————————————————————————

Alternative Formats
I’m trying to move away from some of the harder-to-support file formats, but if you want you can still get the rules as ODT or DOC.

Scenario: Dinoegg Heist

I’m hoping to use this scenario in a game soon, instead of the usual stand up fight. I’m thinking of re-using the posses from my Keyes, Oklahoma Street Fight since they seemed well matched.

But yeah the basic idea is to have a fight over dinosaur eggs (dinoeggs), with the random element of a few wandering dinosaurs thrown in. Stealing a dinoegg awards more than the standard for killing an enemy, so that should motivate players to focus on the eggs. This is the first scenario I’ve tried to formally write up, so bear with me in terms of layout and balance.

Anyways here are the details of the scenario:

Scenario: Dinoegg Heist
Dinosaur eggs are prized possessions in the new wild west. Unhatched young of certain rare breeds can fetch hundreds of Neodollars, whereas common eggs are full of enough nutrients to feed a family for a week. This scenario represents two wandering posses stumbling across the same clutch of dinosaur eggs, and then trying to steal as many as they can.

Posse Restrictions: No Dinosaurs allowed.
Dinoegg stealing is a delicate matter and having a friendly dinosaur present can disrupt the process. The scent of another dinosaur can enrage the dinoegg parents or a stampeding beast can trample the precious dinoeggs.

Table Size: 48″ long by 36″ wide
In other words “My Kitchen Table”.

Table Setup: Setup the terrain as normal. No buildings should be used (as dinosaurs tend to avoid nesting near structures).

Posse Setup: Roll to randomize which Posse deploys at which long table edge. Roll again to see who deploys first.

Deployment: 2 members of the Posse must be placed within 4″ of the center of the table. The remaining 1-3 members are deployed within 6″ of their table edge.

Dinoeggs
Deploying Dinoeggs: D6 dinoeggs will be placed. Mark the center of the table, and place each dinoegg 2D12″ in a random direction (roll a directional dice or a D12 to represent the clockfaces to choose direction).
The 4 Posse members that deployed near the center of the table start with 1 Dinoegg each.
I recommend using Mini Eggs to represent dinoeggs – plus the players can literally eat their spoils after!

Using Dinoeggs: A Dinoegg has AR 4 and HP 4.
A single dinoegg can be carried by a character at no penalty.
Picking up, dropping, or transferring (to an adjacent ally) a dinoegg can be done for 1 Action Phase.
If an entity carrying a dinoegg is taken out of action, the dinoegg is dropped where they fell.
If an entity carrying a dinoegg voluntarily moves off a table edge they have escaped with the dinoegg.

Oviraptors
Deploying Oviraptors: At the start of each new Turn after the first roll a D12. On a roll of 8+ an Oviraptor appears to steal dinoeggs! The Oviraptor is deployed 6″ in from a random table edge.
A maximum of 3 Oviraptors can be in play at once.
The Oviraptor has the following modified “Ripper” statistics:

Oviraptor
Size S, MV 6, AR 1, MMC 7, BRV 6, HP 8, 2-2 A-D
Note: Can carry 2 Dinoeggs at once

Using Oviraptors: The Oviraptor is not controlled by either Posse, and is a mainly after dinoeggs. All Oviraptors act at once, and do so after all other Posse members have finished. The Oviraptor will move towards the nearest dinoeggs or nearest entity who is holding a dinoegg and try to pick up the dinoegg. Once the Oviraptor has 2 dinoegg it will move in a direct line towards the nearest table edge. If it reaches the table edge it has escape into the jungle with the dinoegg!

Victory Conditions: The game ends when either Posse is entirely taken out of action or off the table, or all the dinoegg are destroyed or off the table.
Aside from the usual Improvement Point benefits from a battle award the following:

6 IP and $30 = Dinoegg taken off the board or in possession.
-6 IP = Dinoegg destroyed.
1 IP (in addition to standard +3) = Killing an Oviraptor carrying 1 or more Dinoeggs.

Official Variant Rules

I had previously posted some ideas on optional variant rules for Dinosaur Cowboys. Basically it was a list of neat ideas that just barely didn’t make it into the core rules for a variety of reasons. In most cases it was because they would overly complicate the core rules, or slow down the game, or overwhelm the players with options. But all the ideas are still very valid and interesting.
So I cleaned those up and formatted them and put them in the v0.9 rules as a new “Variant Rules” section. I’ve also pasted that section below so you can see:

---

Variant Rules

These optional rules can be used by players to give a different feel to certain situations in the game. Both players have to agree ahead of time on which rules (if any) to use. Most of these variants were created where they may have added too much complexity to the game or changed the overall flavor.

Fumbles: Any unmodified rolls of 1 count as -1 Hit, to a minimum of 0 hits.

Armor Damage Reduction: Instead of modifying Miss Chance, Armor directly reduces damage equal to the Armor Rating.
For example being hit for 5 damage with Flak Armor (AR 3) would mean only 2 damage is done.

Miss Chance in Melee: Instead of using RMC for ranged weapons in melee, use MMC instead. Still apply the “In Melee” penalty.

Running Target: +1 Miss Chance against targets that Ran.

Variable Run: Instead of Run providing an additional 1/2 Movement statistic, roll a D6 as inches instead.

Purchasing IP: 1 IP can be bought for $10.

Mount Protection: Any riders add the Dinosaurs AR to their own when attacked while Mounted.

Downed at 0 HP: Instead of removing an entity when they reach 0 HP or less, place them face down instead. They can take no actions and cannot be attacked, but an ally can heal Hitpoints (using a Medpack, Whiskey Drop, etc.) to restore the Downed entity.

Yeehaw Action: Instead of allowing 1 re-roll in 12″, this ability can provide one free Action Phase to any entity (even one who was already Activated) in 12″.

Additional Ideas
Here are some other possible variants and improvements the players could extend and elaborate.

• Can buy and set Traps like spiked pits, tripwires, etc. Deployed before battle and the X-Y coordinates (in inches) are marked down to keep them hidden from opponents.
• Some kind of “quick draw” with Six-Shooters that lets you roll off / duel an opponent within short range.
• Gatling Gun (or similar) that has variable D6 or D12 Attacks instead of a set number.
• Fire rules for Molotov cocktails (maybe a X” wide patch that lasts until the end of the turn?), get same attack if target enters or is pushed into it
• Weather effects (sandstorm, acid rain, etc.) and hazardous terrain (lava, quicksand, etc.).
• Dinosaur equipment upgrades (armor plates, extra saddle, etc.).
• Weapon upgrades (laser sight, etc.) that grant additional benefits to the gun, such as +1A or +1D.
• Non-Dinosaur beasts (Sabertooth cats, Woolly Mammoths, etc.).

Creating a Character Example

I realized that in my Posse creation posts I’ve kind of (incorrectly) assumed the subprocess of creating a character was clear. Well, a post on DakkaDakka helped show me that the section is only 100% clear to me because I wrote the rules. When I try to read it through anonymous, first-time-player eyes I can see a few issues. The main one is that the actual spending of IP is kind of buried and convoluted. Plus the page with the actual IP costs isn’t labelled very well, so it’s just this random page full of charts.

So what I did was re-arrange and clarify that section. Now Creating a Character is basically choosing a name and Allegiance. Spending IP is done under Step 4 of the Creating a Posse process, and the charts are labelled better. What I might end up doing is just combining the two sections, since the whole back and forth between Posse and Character is confusing and seems slightly unnecessary now.

Anyways I also made a Creating a Character Example that steps through filling in the sheet for someone. I thought I’d replicate that section below so everyone can see how you make a member of the Posse.

---

Creating a Character Example

This example will demonstrate the process to create a character. Included is choosing and applying the Allegiance, improving statistics, selecting a Trait, and buying equipment.

Name: We name our character “Quidel”, and he’ll be the Leader of our new Posse. Since he’s a Leader he automatically gets +2 HP and +1 BRV, which means his starting statistics are:

MV 4, AR 0, RMC 8, MMC 8, BRV 7 (6+1), HP 10 (8+2)

Allegiance: Quidel grew up in Nevada and only knows the hardship of life outside The Wall. Therefore his Allegiance will be Duster. This means he has an additional +2 HP, but -1 MV. His statistics are now:

MV 3 (4-1), AR 0, RMC 8, MMC 8, BRV 7, HP 12 (10+2)

Statistics: The plan for Quidel is to advance across the field firing his ranged weapons before closing into melee. Therefore he’ll be passably trained in shooting and close combat without being overly specialized in either.
The first statistic to improve is Ranged Miss Chance. We’re improving from 8 to 7, which costs 10 IP (as shown in the table above).
Increasing his Melee Miss Chance from 8 to 7 is a similar cost of 10 IP. His statistics are now:

MV 3, AR 0, RMC 7 (8-1), MMC 7 (8-1), BRV 7, HP 12

Since he’s our Leader some additional survivability would help. To this end we purchase +3 HP. At 6 IP per +1 HP, we’ve spent an additional 18 IP. We’ll also give him a base Armor of 1 for 10 IP. His final statistics are:

MV 3, AR 1 (0+1), RMC 7, MMC 7, BRV 7, HP 15 (12+3)

Traits: Let’s decide to allocate a Trait to Quidel. In this case we’ll choose “Berskerer”, a solid Active Trait option that gives +2 Melee Attacks once per encounter.

Equipment: Finally we need to equip Quidel. A basic gun will do to start, so we check out the Ranged Energy Weapons list and decide on the 80KW Six Shooter (4A-0D) for $10. It’s cheap and relatively effective.
However Quidel deserves a better melee weapon, so $60 is spent on a Spear (4A-3D).
To maintain the survivability theme we’ll buy him a suit of Cloth Armor (AR 1) for $50, which increases his total AR to 2.
Finally we’ll give him a Small IRP for $10, which can be used to restore D6 HP.

In total we spent 48 IP and $130 to create this character:
Quidel - Duster Leader
MV 3, AR 2, RMC 7, MMC 7, BRV 7, HP 15, Berserker
80KW Six-Shooter, Spear, Cloth Armor, Small IRP