5.1 Violence - Free-for-alls

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Free-for-alls

Free-for-alls represent any other violence on the Frontier - unstructured violence between one or more belligerents, using fists, melee weapons or firearms. Examples include:

• the Posse being attacked by wild dogs and driving them off with firearms;
• the Posse being ambushed by bandits and engaging them in combat; or
• a barroom brawl breaking out which the Posse are involved in. 

Escalation

Although the type of unstructured violence represented by a Free-for-all is not as central to the identity of the Frontier as a Shootout, there is still one important metaphysical and narrative restriction imposed during a Free-for-all: that of Escalation:

• if the Posse finds themselves in a situation where the opponent is fighting with fists, and using fists in return is the appropriate social response (such as in a barroom brawl), then the Posse must respond with fists only;
• if the Posse’s opponents are using blackjacks, knives, sabres, whips or other melee weapons during a Free-for-all, then the Posse may respond in kind;
• if the Posse’s opponents are using firearms, or if the opponent includes animals or supernatural entities, then the Posse should use any weapon at their disposal.

Note that this does not mean the Posse always has to ‘fight fair’. If the Posse has already made enemies with a criminal gang who have threatened them with death, then the Posse is entitled to track them to their meeting spot and ambush the gang, using any weapons at the Posse's disposal.  

Similarly, this does not mean the Posse must be passive or reactive. If they are storming the hideout of a dangerous criminal gang, they can assume that they will meet with resistance and can use firearms accordingly.

However if the Posse bumped into that same gang in a bar and a fist-fight broke out over a game of cards, the Posse could not pull any sort of weapon without Escalating.

Escalating

If the Posse escalates beyond the above guidance (for instance, if they pull a pistol during a barroom brawl), then the Frontier always ensures a narrative response in the following ways:

• some NPC will always respond with a commensurate threat: for example, if a PC uses brass knuckles during barroom brawl, one of their opponents might draw a hidden knife from their boot. If a Posse member pulls a firearm then the opponent might pull a hidden pistol,  or the bartender might retrieve their blunderbuss from beneath the bar;
• the Posse will always suffer in some way from this trespass, narratively and socially, if there are any witnesses: the sheriff will be called, onlookers will consider the Posse cowards or criminals, and/or previously-established relationships will be damaged;
• if a player escalates by drawing a pistol, then at the Dealer's discretion this may instead result in a Shootout,  as the Dealer describes an NPC who is equipped appropriately and reaches for a pistol in response. The results of this Shootout should end the violence, with all parties retiring in response to this sudden and cathartic conclusion.

Initiative and Lookouts

When a free-for-all breaks out, one member of the Posse must nominate themselves as Lookout. This should not be a debate or discussion - the first player to nominate themselves as Lookout takes the role. Remember that players cannot reveal the contents of their hands.

The Lookout determines whether or not the Posse successfully gains the Initiative in the ensuing Free-ror-all. The Lookout should immediately resolve cardplay, opposed by the NPCs participating in the Free-for-all. If successful, the Posse seize the Initiative, otherwise the NPCs seize the Initiative. 

Pistols are always Trumps when resolving Initiative. 

Turn Structure

Free-for-alls are broken down into two phases: the Posse Phase, and the Enemy Phase. These alternate, and the cycle continues until the Free-for-all is concluded (when all combatants on one side have fled the scene or been incapacitated, or some narrative interruption ends hostilities).

If the Posse seized the Initiative, then the Free-for-all begins with the Posse Phase, otherwise it begins with the Enemy Phase. 

During the Posse Phase, each posse member may act once, in any order as determined by the Posse,  with the exception that the lookout must act first during the first turn of the Free-for-all.  The order which the players act in should not be a debate or involve prolonged planning or discussion - the next eligible player to nominate themselves to act should do so. 

During the Enemy Phase, each NPC may act once, in any order as determined by the Dealer,

When acting, a character may choose to:

• fire a ranged attack;
• move to an adjacent zone if required, and initiate Brawling;
• move to an adjacent zone if required, and take cover;
• move to an adjacent zone if required, and use an Invocation or take a sundry action;
• move to an adjacent zone and then to another adjacent zone, assuming none of the zones moved into contain hostile combatants;
• flee the Free-for-all - only if no hostile combatant is in their current zone, and that character has a genuine route for escape.

Movement and Zones

Texarkana does not require a tactical map when resolving violence, and is instead mostly resolved through narrative 'theatre-of-the-mind'. In order to structure the physical space of the Free-for-all, however, the Dealer should interpret the physical environment of the scene to describe one or more connected 'zones' - discrete, specific areas which have some division between them and which the characters might move between. The Dealer should describe whether or not those zones have line-of-sight to one another, how to access neighbouring zones, and their appearance and contents (if the Posse has line-of-sight to them).

As an example: consider the archetypal barroom brawl which breaks out on the ground-floor of a hotel. In this instance, all combatants would start in the same zone - the barroom area on the ground floor. Connected zones would be: 

• the mezzanine level (narratively accessible via a staircase) which has line-of-sight to the ground floor, and; 
• the street outside (narratively accessible by the saloon doors), which does not have line of sight to either other zone.

The Dealer should not describe zones beyond those adjacent to and accessible to current combatants - there is no need to plot out the broader surrounding area. When a character moves to a new zone, however, any adjacent zones and how to access them should be described.

For instance, in the above example with the barroom brawl, when a character uses the saloon doors to move into the street, the Dealer might describe a route east or a route west along the road as two new potential connected zones. Similarly if a character moves upstairs to the mezzanine, the Dealer might describe several guest bedrooms and an office as potential new zones. 

If the layout of the Free-for-all becomes complex due to characters operating across multiple zones, the Dealer should make a rough sketch or diagram of the zones and how they connect. 

If a character's action allows them to move (see above), then they may move to a connected zone before resolving that action.

Brawling

If a character is in the same zone as an enemy, they may initiate Brawling against that enemy. Brawling always uses fists, melee weapons or pistols. 

To resolve Brawling, initiate cardplay between the two characters, with Clubs cards as the Trumps suit. The victorious character inflicts damage to the losing character equal to their weapon's Damage rating, and the losing character also gains one Injury chip. 

Every melee weapon has a modifier to cardplay when brawling, and deals damage equal to its Damage rating. Every melee weapon requires certain proficiency to use:

Melee Weapons	Required Rank	Brawling bonus	Damage	Notes
Cane or walking stick	D Clubs	0	2	May incapacitate or disarm rather than deal fatal damage.
Blackjack or knuckle duster	C Clubs	+1	2	May incapacitate or disarm rather than deal fatal damage.
Stiletto	C Clubs & C Masks	0	3	Masks count as Trumps, may be thrown up to short range - if so Pistols or Masks count as Trumps
Tomahawk	B Clubs	+1	3	May be thrown up to short range - resolve as a ranged attack with Pistols as Trumps.
Bullwhip	B Clubs & C Horns	0	2	Horns count as Trumps. May grapple instead of inflicting damage.
Bowie Knife	B Clubs & B Horns	+1	3	Horns count as Trumps.
Baton	B Clubs	+1	2	May disarm or grapple rather than deal damage. May incapacitate rather than deal fatal damage.
Wrench or hammer	C Spades	0	2	Spades count as Trumps, may incapacitate or disarm rather than deal fatal damage
Shovel, Pick or Lumberjack's Axe	C Clubs & C Spades	0	3	Spades count as Trumps
Cavalry sabre	B Clubs	+1	3	Increase brawling bonus to +2 if mounted.

Point-blank shots

Pistols may be used as weapons during Brawling, either to fire at point-blank, or to pistol-whip an opponent (see below). Be cautious of Escalating when using a pistol in this way.

When firing at point-blank, use the pistol's statistics, rules and Damage rating when resolving cardplay.

When making point-blank shots, Pistols cards do not count as Trumps. As these attacks are made as part of Brawling, Clubs cards will count as Trumps during Brawling attempts. 

Unarmed attacks

When brawling unarmed, Player Characters always deal one damage. 

When Brawling, NPCs deal damage equal to the Brawling rating in their entry. If the Dealer requires guidance, typically when fighting unarmed an NPC will:

• deal one damage when they are a human or small animal;
• deal two two damage when they are a highly-skilled human or larger animal;
• will deal three damage when they are a supernatural entity.

Note that only the first successful unarmed attack against any given target in a scene will require that target to gain an Injury chip (unless that unarmed attack was inflicted by a supernatural entity).   

If a character would die as a result of an unarmed attack, that character is instead Incapacitated (see below).

Grappling

After successfully Brawling while unarmed (or while wielding a bullwhip or baton), rather than inflicting damage you may grapple your target.

While grappled, the target may take no action other than to break the grapple, which requires a successful Brawling test. Breaking a grapple inflcts standard damage for unarmed brawling in addition to breaking the grapple.

On your turn, if you are grappling another character, you may make a Brawling attempt against the grappled character - taking any other action breaks the grapple. On a success, you inflict your unarmed attack damage on your opponent, on a failure the grapple is broken.

Any other character who initiates Brawling against a character who is either grappling or grappled gains +2 to their attempt. 

Incapacitation or Disarming 

Some game effects give you the option of Incapacitating or Disarming, often in lieu of dealing damage while Brawling.

If you choose to Incapacitate, your opponent loses one less Grit than normal as a result of your attack and does not acquire any Injury chips, but is instead unable to act until the end of the Free-for-all, and is at the mercy of the winners of the Free-for-all once the scene resolves. If an attack which incapacitates would kill an opponent due to loss of Grit, that character instead survives on 1 Grit. 

If you choose to Disarm, your attack inflicts no Grit and your opponent acquires no Injuries, but instead one weapon they possess of your choice cannot be used until the end of the scene. 

Improvised weapons

If a character is fighting unarmed, they may wish to use a nearby piece of the environment as a makeshift weapon. The player should describe the weapon they are using, for which the Dealer should note a Damage rating of either 2 or 3, depending on the weapon's size and lethality. Consult the weapon table to find comparable weapons for guidance on these Damage ratings.. 

Improvised weapons count as using a melee weapon for the sake of Escalation. 

Pistol whipping and rifle stocks

Characters may brawl using a pistol grip or rifle stock as a weapon. These count as improvised weapons, with Damage ratings of 2.

Taking Cover

A character may use the 'take cover' action if there is any appropriate scenery or piece of the environment to position themselves behind or within; and there is no enemy in the same zone. 

A character who has taken cover will gain +2 to any tests to evade ranged attacks.

If an enemy enters the same zone as a character who has taken cover, that character will be forced to leave cover. 

Ranged Attacks

A character may choose to make a ranged attack, so long as they do not share a zone with any enemies. Who a character may fire at is determined by their weapon's range:

• a pistol or short-ranged may fire at any character up to one zone away;
• a medium-ranged weapon can fire at any character up to two zones away;
• a long-ranged weapon can fire at any character within sight.

In order to fire at another character, you must have line of sight to your target.

Making a ranged attack uses the standard cardplay resolution, with the following considerations:

• Pistols cards count as Trumps when making a ranged attack;
• Masks cards count as Trumps when evading a ranged attack;
• if the attack is successful, it deals damage equal to the weapon's Damage rating, and the target gains one Injury chip.

Every ranged weapon has a modifier to cardplay when making attacks, and deals damage equal to its Damage rating. Every ranged weapon requires certain proficiency to use:

Ranged weapon	Required Rank	Attack bonus	Damage	Range	Notes
Derringer	D Pistols	0	2	Pistol
Revolver	C Pistols	+1	3	Pistol
Service pistol	B Pistols	+1	4	Pistol
Coach gun	B Pistols	0	4	Medium
Bow	C Pistols and B Horns	+1	3	Long	Horns cards count as Trumps
Blunderbuss	B Pistols	+1	3	Short	One-shot, ignores cover
Lever-action rifle	C Pistols	+1	3	Medium
Service rifle	B Pistols	+2	3	Long range

Ammunition

As a narrative game, it is not necessary in Texarkana to track a weapon's specific number of shots or remaining bullets. The only time a weapon should be considered 'out of ammo' is as a consequence of Trumping when making a ranged attack but still ultimately missing (see Trumping during Violence, below)

Fleeing

If a character does not have any enemies in their zone, and has a clear path to escape, they may wish to flee the scene and no longer take part in the free-for-all.

If a character flees the scene while any enemy is able to fire on the fleeing character, those enemies are each able to initiate a ranged attack against the fleeing character prior to that character successfully fleeing. Even if the attack is successful, the fleeing character will still be able to flee (assuming they are still alive).

If a character flees the scene while an enemy is no more than one zone away, and has a free path to chase the fleeing character down, then a chase will occur. Resolve cardplay as normal, with Spades cards as Trumps (as a chase is a matter of exertion and endurance). 

If the fleeing character is successful, the chasing character only follows the fleeing character as far as one zone beyond the one they were fleeing from, then abandons the chase. 

If the chasing character is successful, they run the fleeing character down in the next zone beyond the one they were fleeing from, having successfully Grappled the fleeing character.

Sundry Actions

Players may declare any other action that could be resolved relatively quickly - talking to opponent, forcing open a door, lighting a fuse - these should be adjudicated by the Dealer on a case-by-case basis, using the standard rules of cardplay if required. 

Trumping during a Free-for-All

When brawling, or either making or being targeted by a ranged attack, if a character Trumps but is still ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt then some further consequence should occur. This might include:

• if a character was attempting to dodge a ranged attack, they are hit by that attack and take one additional damage;
• if a character was making a ranged attack, their weapon runs out of ammo;
• if a character was brawling, their opponent disarms or grapples them in addition to dealing damage;
• if a character was attempting to flee, while being shot at, they are incapacitated by the shot and captured as well as suffering damage.

The Dealer may wish to devise other similar additional effects after a failed Trumping attempt. 

Next: Ending the session

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