The campaign allows for two games each round – your fixed game, and another optional one. This way a player can’t race ahead just for having loads of spare time while also giving a little boost to those gangs that need it.
Having only three fighters able to take part after the last game, Al (our Arbitrator) offered to play me at a Shoot-Out since that would get a lot of my gang out of recovery in time for the next round.
Shoot-out works much the same as it did in old Necromunda, but integrated with all the reputation rules, etc. Big Boned Billy’s Revenge now sits at 10 reputation having risen after every game – never falling back.
Al also cooked up a fantastic story. He’d just played against the Rusted Maw, a Genestealer Cult gang with his Goliaths. The two fighters selected for the Shoot-out were a Champion who had been in recovery for that game and a hired gun (Escher). The Champion had been ‘recovering’ trying to impress Hot Shot Liz at a drinking hole that had recently come under new management (wink wink), explaining their suboptimal performance in the Shoot-out (thank you, Delaque territory bonus!)
The Revenge had Billy and Shake (the heavy-flamer Champion), pacing towards the Goliath and his mercenary friend. The Delaques kept their cool, but Shake was unable to get a shot with his flamer before he was taken out of action in combat – taking a Spinal Injury and missing the next game.
Billy on the other hand finished up both attackers without trouble, boosting the Revenge’s reputation still further and taking control of some Old Ruins for bonus income. Rare trade came up well and they replaced one of the earlier casualties (giving him the abandoned long rifle) and adding a sword to Lawrence, the wannabe gunslinger who hadn’t read the rules on pistols in combat before playing…
Now most of the gang is out of recovery, I’ll be looking for ways to make some credits and build back up to strength. Some of the fighters are starting to gain advances too – Dot Junior (the Juve) is training for a future in close combat.