Dead Man’s Hand: Desperados

For a look at the changes to this gang in the 2024 release – check out Dead Man’s Hand Redux: Desperados

The rest of this post is about the gang under the original rules.

Onto the last of the gangs from the Core rules for the Dead Man’s Hand Wild West skirmish game available from Great Escape Games, lets have a look as the Desperados (cue mariachi music).

The rules for them are available for in the original rule book and their stats can be downloaded from Great Escape Games website, and are also suitable for use with characters you can create using either Gunfighter plastics or Gunfighters 2 plastic box set.

Their gang specific cards are included in the Core Card set – which comes with the rules or can be bought separately.

Now I don’t own this set of metal miniatures, so I’ve decided that these guys are so desperate they are continuing after death and have chosen to use my Foundry Undead gunfighters for this gang, oh and one interloper.

So what are we told about the Desperados?

There’s plenty of crazy, good for nothin’ lowlifes and ruffians that do all their business at the end of a hand cannon. Most of ’em’s are destined for a permanent stay at the bone orchard, specially if the law has somethin’ to say about the matter.

Some gangs of Desperados terrorise whole communities of good, God-fearing folk, fully heeled and raisin’ hell all liquored up with neck oil.

These fellas are just plain dangerous and love nothin’ more than pulling out the shootin’ irons for a row. Mark my words, they ain’t afraid of dyin’

Dead Man’s Hand Core rules – Great escape games

Well definately not my lot as they are already dead :-)

As with most gangs there are 4 Desperado Character types

Boss- a gang must have 1 of these and they are armed with a pistol – Dead Eric, just refuses to lie down and believes his big score is just round the corner.

The Killer – mine is known as “No scent” Sean – a gang doesn’t have to have a Killer but can take upto 1, who is then armed with two pistols. Sean has no sense of smell and so hasn’t realised those he rides with are rotting away.

Bandits – the gang must have at least 2 of these, they can be armed with a shotgun, pistol, rifle or repeater. But only 1 may have a shotgun.

Low lifes – the gang can include upto 4 of these, they can have pistols and upto half can have rifles.

So 2 pistols – basically this means that the only way the Killer runs out of ammo is if someone plays the “for a few bullets more” cards (no 2)

The Desperados are special – they have 3 special rules

• LIFE AIN’T WORTH SPIT – desperados may shoot into hand 2 hand fights. The desperado character fires as normal for each successful shot a card is drawn on an even number (2, 4, 6 , 8 or 10) a friendly model has been hit , otherwise an opponent has been hit. So odds are in your favour :-). They also ignore the negatives associated with the outlaws hostage card.
• A HOG KILLIN’ TIME – this can only be used by a model armed with a pistol who is not benefitting from substantial cover. Once they have ended their actions the player may declare its “HOG KILLIN’ TIME” and take a further shoot action. At the end of the action the shooting character takes an under fire marker.
• CRAZY AS A LOON – this is a once per game rule. It must be declared at the start of a turn after initiative but before any model has activated. For the whole turn no desperado model takes a nerve test, each model that should have takes a marker to show they have dodged a test. At the end of the turn all these dodged tests count as failed and are replaced with under fire markers. This of course could mean that several of the desperados drop dead at the end of the turn, or in the case of my gang become inanimate dead rather than animated dead :-).. (just my own interpretation)

Their Jack, Queen, King and Aces cards also bring some interesting options

• ACE – “I’ve always been lucky when it comes to killin’ folks” – this can only be played on a desperado that has announced at least 2 shooting actions. If the final shot hits, then upto 3 further shots can be taken at the same target or another target with 10cm of the first if the first goes out of action. Each of the additional shots takes a further -1 to hit.
• KING – “We started together, we’ll end it together” – this can be played at any time during the turn, from then on all desperados ignore the negative to hit modifiers for under fire markers.
• QUEEN – “The Shootist” – this card is played when a desperado is activated. All shots from this model against a single nominated target count as aimed and ignore negative modifiers for movement. This played alongside the KING and if you’re very lucky the ace would provide a deadly round of firing.
• JACK – “Stand like a man… and give some back” – this is a powerful card as it stays in play until one of the players gang fails a nerve test – but what does it do you ask – well it allows you to take nerve test with no negative modifiers.

Now thats all the gangs from the core rules looked at. I will now have a look at the extras that Legend of Dead Mans hand introduce.