Gunslinger (board wargame)

Hexes have always been used to regulate movement and range, but here they have finally been relegated to their proper positions as tools of the game designer, subordinated as needed to the realities of the true terrain.

Each character has a name, and is defined by shooting and brawling skill, endurance, special abilities, ambidexterity, and standard weapons carried.

The scenarios cover most Western-themed combat situations, including High Noon- and OK Corral-type gunfights, bank robberies, and barroom brawls.

[2] Gunslinger was designed by Richard Hamblen, and was published by Avalon Hill in 1982 as a boxed set with artwork by Charles Kibler, Scott Moores, Dale Sheaffer, and Chris White.

An identically named game of Western gunfighting had been published by Richard R. Sartore & Associates five years previously, but this had no connection to the Avalon Hill product.

He liked the combat system, and also admired the quality of the game components, noting that the ability mix and match town and rural elements meant that "the possible configurations are innumerable."

"[1] Writing for Black Gate, Ty Johnston pointed out that rules are not simple, but on the other hand, "gameplay is actually pretty fast once you’ve got a feel for the Gunslinger system."

Johnston also believed that "the meticulous rules of this game make it one of the more realistic small-scale combat systems I've run across, far surpassing any rpg and bringing a strong dose of realism."

"[3] On the website Do You Remember, Michael Johnson called this a game that "was actually really well thought out ... great at creating that old western cliché of the gunfight.