Dinosaur Cowboys – Tabletop Skirmish Game

I’m hoping to use this scenario in a game soon, instead of the usual stand up fight. I’m thinking of re-using the posses from my Keyes, Oklahoma Street Fight since they seemed well matched.

But yeah the basic idea is to have a fight over dinosaur eggs (dinoeggs), with the random element of a few wandering dinosaurs thrown in. Stealing a dinoegg awards more than the standard for killing an enemy, so that should motivate players to focus on the eggs. This is the first scenario I’ve tried to formally write up, so bear with me in terms of layout and balance.

Anyways here are the details of the scenario:

Scenario: Dinoegg Heist
Dinosaur eggs are prized possessions in the new wild west. Unhatched young of certain rare breeds can fetch hundreds of Neodollars, whereas common eggs are full of enough nutrients to feed a family for a week. This scenario represents two wandering posses stumbling across the same clutch of dinosaur eggs, and then trying to steal as many as they can.

Posse Restrictions: No Dinosaurs allowed.
Dinoegg stealing is a delicate matter and having a friendly dinosaur present can disrupt the process. The scent of another dinosaur can enrage the dinoegg parents or a stampeding beast can trample the precious dinoeggs.

Table Size: 48″ long by 36″ wide
In other words “My Kitchen Table”.

Table Setup: Setup the terrain as normal. No buildings should be used (as dinosaurs tend to avoid nesting near structures).

Posse Setup: Roll to randomize which Posse deploys at which long table edge. Roll again to see who deploys first.

Deployment: 2 members of the Posse must be placed within 4″ of the center of the table. The remaining 1-3 members are deployed within 6″ of their table edge.

Dinoeggs
Deploying Dinoeggs: D6 dinoeggs will be placed. Mark the center of the table, and place each dinoegg 2D12″ in a random direction (roll a directional dice or a D12 to represent the clockfaces to choose direction).
The 4 Posse members that deployed near the center of the table start with 1 Dinoegg each.
I recommend using Mini Eggs to represent dinoeggs – plus the players can literally eat their spoils after!

Using Dinoeggs: A Dinoegg has AR 4 and HP 4.
A single dinoegg can be carried by a character at no penalty.
Picking up, dropping, or transferring (to an adjacent ally) a dinoegg can be done for 1 Action Phase.
If an entity carrying a dinoegg is taken out of action, the dinoegg is dropped where they fell.
If an entity carrying a dinoegg voluntarily moves off a table edge they have escaped with the dinoegg.

Oviraptors
Deploying Oviraptors: At the start of each new Turn after the first roll a D12. On a roll of 8+ an Oviraptor appears to steal dinoeggs! The Oviraptor is deployed 6″ in from a random table edge.
A maximum of 3 Oviraptors can be in play at once.
The Oviraptor has the following modified “Ripper” statistics:

Oviraptor
Size S, MV 6, AR 1, MMC 7, BRV 6, HP 8, 2-2 A-D
Note: Can carry 2 Dinoeggs at once

Using Oviraptors: The Oviraptor is not controlled by either Posse, and is a mainly after dinoeggs. All Oviraptors act at once, and do so after all other Posse members have finished. The Oviraptor will move towards the nearest dinoeggs or nearest entity who is holding a dinoegg and try to pick up the dinoegg. Once the Oviraptor has 2 dinoegg it will move in a direct line towards the nearest table edge. If it reaches the table edge it has escape into the jungle with the dinoegg!

Victory Conditions: The game ends when either Posse is entirely taken out of action or off the table, or all the dinoegg are destroyed or off the table.
Aside from the usual Improvement Point benefits from a battle award the following:

6 IP and $30 = Dinoegg taken off the board or in possession.
-6 IP = Dinoegg destroyed.
1 IP (in addition to standard +3) = Killing an Oviraptor carrying 1 or more Dinoeggs.