Dead Man's Hand at Little Wars 2015

[john]

Howdy Partners,

The Atlantic Gaming Commission will host two back to back games of Dead Man's Hand on Friday, April 24, 2015. starting at Noon.

Since most cowboys think that a centimeter is a "crawly bug", we'll use inches instead of the metric system.

The first game (Noon to 3pm) will feature a bank robbery and the second (3-6 pm) with feature a labor war.

Tom Doniphon (toughest man south of the Picketwire) will make a guest appearance.

john

[john]

I'm not sure if any of my players will have experience with Dead Man's Hand.

I have prepared a few playing aids to help teach "greenhorns" the Law of the West.

Measuring Sticks
Tape measures are unsightly, clunky, and dangerous if broken. I made some measuring sticks from ¼” x ¼” balsawood and painted them in muted colors. I drilled holes on each end of the longer ones for small magnets.
Long Stick (16 inches) with four inch bands for shooting and movement.
Short Stick (4 inches) with one inch bands for detailed movement.

Jump/Climb Card
I keep forgetting the limits on jumping and climbing. I show new players this card and tell them: “you can climb this high and jump this far.”
Plastic card 80mm by 60 mm

Ability Cards
If I have a hard time remembering specific gang abilities, how can I expect new players to remember? I made cards the same size as the DMH deck and printed each separate ability. The abilities are now part of a player’s “hand” and easier to remember.

 Gang ability cards similar to DMH deck

 

John

[john]

Here are some more playing aids

Initiative Chits
I like the way order of play is determined by cards. However, once cards are assigned two problems are created: card clutter and order of cards of the same value. When multiple cards of the same value are revealed, I find it difficult to keep track of which one goes first (i.e. two FOURS and three JACKS). I call this problem “getting full housed”. I use numbered chits to replace cards before any activations, while the order of the cards is fresh in my mind. Any kind of sequentially numbered chits will do. Mine are homemade from “magnetic” bingo chips. I spray painted them tan and applied peel and stick vinyl numbers to both sides. The chips are not themselves magnetized. “Magnetic” bingo chips are a flat ring of steel sandwiched between two plastic discs. By placing a rare earth magnet at the ends of my measuring sticks, I can easily retrieve these chips from any difficult corner.

 

One Sheet Summary
I prepared a one page summary for DMH rules to fit on an 8.5” x 11” sheet of paper. On the reverse I have prepared a one page summary of the card narratives for a specific gang in 20pt font.

I also have a 3-D version of the one page summary in the shape of a Toblerone chocolate bar.

John