Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

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Lurker
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Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

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Tom strolled back into town sweaty but happy, hands bloody and shoulder sore, but happy. 3 rabbits, a brace of squirrels and 4 squabs, all to go into the pot – instead of the beans so often eaten of late. He had spent the day getting used to the shot gun he’d gotten from the trip upstream collecting bounties . The first day in a long time he hadn’t had to fork hay and shovel muck to make sure he had a bite to eat by son down. So he’d gone out into the tracks and trails around town kicking brush and getting used to the shotgun’s heft swing and mule strong kick . It was slower than he liked on the swing up, and he had still failed to hit any doves or quail with it, and he was still slow on pulling the spent shells out of the breech and dropping in new shells – somewhere in Arkansas his gran’paw was turning over in his grave – but in the last hours he’d improved. But the kick, and it was with bird shot … the thought of what it would be with buck shot …. Tom winched at the thought, but he also knew when it came to it, his heart would be pumping and he wouldn’t feel the kick buck shot or not.

Hands washed and leftover game stew cooling in the pot, Thomas Shelby headed to the bar. Again another first in a long while. He hadn’t had to save bits all week to get enough for a single cool beer (a second maybe a 3rd if he helped sweep the floor and dump spittoons). Real silver in his pocket!

He met, Powers, the Professor, and the injun Enapay there , and conscious of his sore shoulder (earning a smirk and joke or 2 from his saddle buddies) and unconsciously ducking his scared left cheek from the dance hall girls – that had seen the scar enough now to hardly even notice it.
The story around the table was of course the taking of the 3 bounties. Them sneaking up on the camp, well most sneaking, the professor stumbling around tangled in the brush at first (followed by Tom sneezing right after he got eyes on the camp). Tom being the first to see one of the 2 outlaws, then after everyone else got ready, he backtracked and grabbed his rented horse. Walking boldly into camp and spinning a yarn to keep the outlaws busy and not notice as the bounty hunter and the other 2 prepared for the shots and getting the 2 to mention their own names and seal their fate.

The rest was a blur, Tom drawing down with his carbine, callin’ out “Drop them boys, your surrounded”; one rifle blast and another. The 2 outlaws on the ground one dead – shot through the head -and the other nearly so – shot in the chest, just missing his heart. A heart beat later Tom was stomping down on the 6 gun on the hip of the wounded outlaw. However, it is kind of funny. Listening to soldiers and veterans from the war of Northern Aggression, they all mention being afraid when the led starts flying, but Tom wasn’t. Just like that night back on the Arkansas Missouri line, Tom, … no fear when the guns start to sing.

The beer starts to relax the young cow hand turned bounty hunter enough for him to smile at a cuteish dance hall madam, until he remembers his scar and so ducks his head and turns away.

He begins to tell the professor what supplies will be needed for a trip into Indian country. The cowboy rolling his eyes at the over educated, but crack shot, professor. Yes we will need at least 2 tarps (unless you want to have rain in one ear and mud on the other when you sleep) 1 lb of beans each, salt and salt smoked pig belly.

“Hay, professor, you don’t expect me to do no diggin’ for them their dinisor bones do you?” Thomas finally blurts out, because no self respecting cow poke would lower himself to climbing off his horse an diggin’ a hole. Maybe for a fence post, if the ranch foreman demanded it and held the weeks pay, but not for no monster bones.
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

Post by Treebore »

Is it OK if a share your write up with the G+ Wild West community and to Kenzer's Aces and Eights forum?
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

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Treebore wrote:Is it OK if a share your write up with the G+ Wild West community and to Kenzer's Aces and Eights forum?

Of course
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

Post by Treebore »

BTW, 3 BP, with me counting some of your compound sentences as 2 sentences.

Thanks for doing this, I get a big kick out of seeing how players see it play out in their heads.
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

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“I swear to God, if any these sons of …. Call me ‘cookie’ “… Thomas mumbled under his breath as jammed the last bag of beans, corn meal, and dried beef into the pack mule’s over stuffed pack bags. Then eyeing the shovels and picks that the professor had dropped off to get loaded, “If you think I’m bending hand to work them you are a bigger fool than you look”. A cow poke may ride all day and most the night, rope and work past exhaustion, and may even walk a stretch, but digging a hole …. Only to lay a friend in for his last long sleep. Other than that a pick and shovel was ill luck and to be avoided.

He did at least pick them up to tie them off to the mule. A beast of burden over packed now, but soon enough the food will be short and there will be plenty of room on the mule’s back. The train ride was easy enough and the stop at the fort too. The professor talked to the commander, and none noticed the lowly cow poke studying the map, memorizing it, remembering how to draw it. But that skill was from 2 years ago, a life time ago to the young cow boy.

2 days later on the banks of the Ole’ Missouri river and the edge of Indian territory, then 2 more days in to the Indians’ land and the base of the bear claw mountain. A few days later the professor and Enapy road into the Indian village below the mountain. Soon enough the cow hand noticed the movement behind a bush, slight but enough. He and the bounty hunter were not alone . Quietly the cow poke let Jacob know to keep and eye out and hand ready to skin iron. Soon enough the professor and Enapy were headed back, with an Indian maid, named sunset, in tow – to help keep camp and to keep an eye on them.

Beans and corn mush were good enough to survive on, but fresh venison, is a real meal. A good day hunting ended with enough to cook, smoke and more to give to the Indians allowing the 4 to hunt on their land. A gesture the cow boy hope does not go unnoticed and unremembered down the road.
As time passed, the professor split time between talking to the chief, riding back to the fort, and poking around for a site to dig on. Soon enough he decided he had a likely spot and pulled out the pick and shovel, and Thomas true to his word found work to do else where besides digging and sweating like some varmint. Spending most of his time caring for the horses and smoking the deer meat and watching the indian maid trying to pick up a few Indian words here and there

That evening just before sundown, the Indians keeping watch came in and passed word to the Indian maid that ’12 bad men we circling the mountain heading deeper in to the peoples’ lands’. This was news the professor had hoped for, and new that the cowhand welcomed –riding even at sunset and into the dark was better than poking in dirt. All were surprised how well the young cowboy road in the fading light and tracked the 12 riders ahead, they not knowing the countless nights the youth had spent riding the Arkansas woods chasing coons and outlaws with his gran pa’.

Before sunrise, the tired party saw the glow of the camp fire ahead. Tying off their horses, and moving through the woods toward the foolish unsuspecting men snoring around the fire. However, the previous day’s work and the nights riding caught up with the 4. Each, as they stalked to the light stumbled and clattered a bit in the pre-dawn gloom.

“Hey, what was that?” “Did you hear something”… The cow poke, and the other 3 stalking along in the woods, rushed to get cover moments before first shots rang out. Shots blind in the dark, but giving the night eyed cowboy easy targets.

The professor yelled once, and more shots answered …”I’m a federal agent and now consider you outlaws, at them boys”

The cowboy smiled as he eased his hammer back and braced against the roc giving him cover took careful aim … But 12 against 4, this may go badly, … but, fools shootin into the dark make easy targets for one that has learned how to watch in the dark …
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

Post by Treebore »

You added a few days to staying at the camp than actually passed. The 12 men came into the territory at the end of day 2 at the camp. Further visits to the Chief were only planned to occur every 2 to 3 days, but a second visit has yet to even occur.

3 BP for the write up.
Since its 20,000 I suggest "Captain Nemo" as his title. Beyond the obvious connection, he is one who sails on his own terms and ignores those he doesn't agree with...confident in his journey and goals.
Sounds obvious to me! -Gm Michael

Grand Knight Commander of the Society.

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Lurker
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Re: Tree’s Aces & 8s Monday night game recap

Post by Lurker »

I just noticed I didn't post the recap yet … here you go late but hopefully worth the wait.

The professor had hardly finished the word “boys” when Jacob pulled the trigger. His shot dropped one poacher/outlaw dead in his tracks. Enapay and Thomas were the net to fire, pulling their triggers nearly simultaneously. The other 2 bandits foolish enough to be in the ring of fire light both fell. The Indian’s target, like the black bounty hunter's, dead before he hit the ground. However, with the lighter carbine Thomas preferred, the Arkansan cowboy's target took a few minutes to cross into the afterlife.

More poachers / bandits came into view, firing wildly in the dark. The professor returned fire, but missed, forcing his target to step behind a tree – right in front of Thomas' sights. Jacob and Enapay both fired, and Jacob prepared to squeeze of an easy shot. However, the youthful cowboy wasn't paying attention to right in front of his muzzle. An ole' rotted dead fall limb. The shot not only missed but showered Thomas with rotted wood and dirt. His face covered and eyes filled with the stuff, blinded, the cowboy rolled behind a bolder for cover. Blinking and tearing while the rest fired.

More shots fired back and forth, the 4, well 3 with Thomas blinded, hitting some and missing some. The outlaws, missing all their shots. Soon, before the cowboy could again fire, the outlaws were either dead or dropping their guns and yelling to stop shooting that they gave up.

Thomas, now recovered from his dirt filled eyes, sprinted through the dark to the outlaws, kicking their guns from out of their reach. Then, with his skill with a rope, tied the hands of those outlaws still alive.

Guns, ammo, supplies and horses gathered, dirt thrown over the dead outlaws, the living tied to horses, the party headed back to the fort outside Indian Territory. The ride gave time for questions ans answers. The outlaws were in the territoriality to hunt and trap, but if the hunting went poorly, the Indian villages would make easy pray. At that, the cowboy from Arkansas slid 4 of the outlaw's oldest pistols to the side to give to the under armed and ill protected Indians.

The party making it to the fort found that some of those killed and captured where wanted with a price on their head. Money, guns, ammo, supplies and horses, filling out the party's needs. Then another trip out to the Indian lands.

The professor and others bent their back to more digging, finding a whole great bear's skeleton in their work. The cowboy refusing to do such lowly work, began to practice with the Indians. Sneaking, watching, tracking, the skills thus far needed to succeed and live.
"And so I am become a knight of the Kingdom of Dreams and Shadows!" - Mark Twain

Forgive all spelling errors.

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