Get started with Shoot N' Skedaddle!

What is Shoot N' Skedaddle?

Shoot N' Skedaddle is a rule set for wargaming small skirmishes in the American Old West.  It began as a private project to produce a simple enjoyable Old West skirmish game after I found I didn't "love" any of the rule sets I had tried.  It snowballed into a retail product after I started playing it more with friends and running it at conventions.

Shoot N' Skedaddle was developed with 28mm-32mm miniatures, but can be adjusted for any scale.  A normal game is approximately 6-8 characters per side - with a heavy emphasis on random character/group generation.

Step 1: Rules

The rules for Shoot N' Skedaddle are available free in an 85-page PDF.  This is available on the links to the left of the blog.  It can be found by itself on Wargame Vault or is listed as a "Download" on both purchase pages on The Gamecrafter.  This rulebook is free to download so you can run through the rules before you decide if it's a game you're interested in.

Step 2: Cards

The key component to Shoot N' Skedaddle (and the main reason the rules are free!) is a set of four decks of cards; Characters, Outlaws, Lawmen, Weapons.  There are roughly 180 cards for use with the game.  These can be purchased from the Gamecrafter links to the left of the blog - either boxed or unboxed.  Shortly a PDF downloadable version will be available for international customers.

 The card decks used with Shoot N' Skedaddle.

Step 3: Materials

Shoot N' Skedaddle is a gaming rule set.  As such players are responsible for their own materials, these include:

- A 3'x3' or larger playing area.
- Miniatures and terrain as desired (played any scale)
- A CD or DVD to act as a blast template (you can see one I sprayed in the image above - easy!)
- The SNS decks (Characters, Lawmen, Outlaws, Weapons)
- The rulebook (downloadable PDF)
- A tape measure or two
- Some markers for "moving fast", "wounded", etc.
- A handful of each of the following: D6, D8, D12, and D20 dice*.
- Two decks of matching playing cards.

*The rulebook PDF includes a link at the very end to allow players to order colour matched dice directly from Chessex if so desired.

Step 4: Play!

Once you've had a read-through of the rules and have gathered your Old West figures and built up a gaming space...take a shot at the game.  I can be reached for questions via this blog or the Facebook page for TurnStyle Games (link to the right).