Additional Rules
Quick-Draw Duels (Gunfights)
“I’m callin’ you out!”
Although this refrain has long been a western movie cliche, it does have historical precedent. The tradition of challenging rivals to a duel has been part of human culture long before firearms.
But no duel is more iconic than a wild west gunfight.
When two opponents square off in a quick-draw duel, each must have at least one pistol, either kept in a holster or tucked into a belt. More notorious gunfighters often carried two or more pistols.
The Standoff
Te begin, gunfighters stand roughly 25 yards (75 feet) apart and briefly size up their opponent. During a standoff, the player character may try to verbally intimidate or antagonize their opponent to gain an edge (optional). The player describes what their character says and then rolls Will. On a complete success, they gain a bonus on their first attack roll. However, on a failure, they gain a penalty on their first attack roll. (No effect on a partial success).
The Draw
Following the standoff, both opponents draw and fire. The player rolls Agility:
On a complete success, they draw first, fire first, and hit the target. They gain a bonus on their next defense roll. If using two pistols, the player may immediately attack again, although the second attack is made with a penalty.
On a partial success, they draw and fire at the same time, hitting the target and doing half damage. They may not attack again this turn, even with tandem pistols.
On a failure, they draw too slow and miss. They gain a penalty on their Defense roll against the opponent’s first shot.
If the opponent is still alive following the player's turn, the opponent draws and shoots. The player makes a Defense roll and then a new round begins, except with gun(s) already drawn.
The Outcome
Unlike the movies, the first person to draw and fire often doesn't achieve a killing shot with the first hit. It may require an exchange of fire before one gunfighter goes down. They may even have to frantically reload their weapon to finish the job or pull a blade.
If a PC fires first and does significant damage, the GM may optionally make a Morale check to see if the NPC remains in the fight or gives up, throwing down their weapon.
Gambling
Poker was the primary game of chance in the Wild West, with five-card draw being a popular variation. At least two players are needed for a game of poker, but four to six players are preferred. In OS-SIX, dice are used to simulate a game of cards as follows:
1: Putting Money on the Table
First, each participating player must place their money on the table in front of them to show how much they intend to gamble with. Once a round starts, players cannot alter the money they’ve placed on the table, but may collect their remaining money and leave the game after a round ends.
2: Determine Dealer and Ante
Next, determine which character acts as dealer. The deck rotates clockwise to a new dealer after each round. All players must ante. Games typically start with an ante of one dollar. The GM keeps track of how much money is in the “pot.” If playing in person, poker chips or coins can be used for betting.
3: The Deal
To simulate the deal, each player and the GM roll 5D6, keeping their dice concealed. These five dice represent players’ starting hands.
4: Opening Bets
Next, all participating players and GM look at their “hands” (dice) and place bets, starting with the character sitting left of the dealer. Based on the strength of their hand, they either check (pass) or place a bet. Then the next character (moving clockwise) either checks (if there is no bet yet) calls (puts in the same amount), raises (increases the bet), or folds. This continues until all players have checked, called, or folded. When a bet is raised, other players must either match it or fold, acting in clockwise order. Consider implementing two house rules:
$1 minimum bet: Players can only bet and/or raise in increments of $1.
Minimum raise: Traditionally equal to the previous bet or raise, i.e. if someone wishes to re-raise, they must raise at least the amount of the previous raise.
5: The Draw
Once the “pot is right,” the first round of betting ends and all remaining players select up to three dice from their hand and re-roll them (being careful to keep all dice concealed and not accidentally alter the other dice). After re-rolling, the dice are placed back together to form each player’s final hand.
6: Final Bets
All remaining players may place new bets, starting with the character sitting left of the dealer. The process continues, as it did with opening bets, until all players have either called the highest bet or folded. If a player ever bets all their table money, they say “all in,” indicating they will be out of the game if they lose the hand. When a player goes all-in, they may remain in the game even if they can’t match the full bet. In some cases, all but one player will fold. If only one player remains, that player wins the pot and does not have to reveal their hand (dice).
7: The Reveal
If at least two players remain in the game after the second round of betting ends, they reveal their hands (dice) at the same time. The best hand wins the pot. At this point, the deal passes clockwise and a new round begins.
Poker Hand Rankings
Because dice don’t have suits, it’s not possible to achieve a flush.
High Card
One Pair
Two Pair
Three of a Kind
Straight (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Full House (three of a kind + one pair)
Four of a Kind
Five of a Kind (possible with Jokers wild)
Note: In the case of a tie, the tied players split the pot evenly.
Poker Variation - “Hold ‘Em”
In this variation, each player rolls two dice, keeping them concealed (a.k.a. their “pocket dice”), followed by a round of betting. Then the dealer rolls three dice (”the flop”), which sit out on the table, forming the “community dice.” There is a second round of betting. Then the dealer rolls a fourth die (”the turn”), adding it to the community dice. There is a third round of betting. Finally, the dealer rolls a fifth die (”the river”). There is a final round of betting before the reveal. The player with the best five-dice hand (using their two pocket dice and the community dice) wins.
Poker Variation - “Lucky Seven”
In this variation, each player rolls seven dice and must make the best possible hand with five of the seven dice rolled. Because there is no draw phase, there is only one round of betting, which makes rounds go faster.
Tips for Managing In-Game Poker Sessions
As a general rule, it’s best for the GM to only roll dice for one NPC in a game of poker. Rolling more than one set of dice for multiple NPC opponents inherently gives the GM an advantage over the players.
If some players opt to play poker and other don’t, you should alternate between the participating and non-participating characters between rounds, so that no player is ever forced to wait and do nothing until the game ends. Therefore, it’s possible that one or more players could be engaged in a game of poker for a stretch of time while one or more players are doing something entirely different in the game, with the story bouncing back and forth between them.
It’s likely that some players may enjoy poker while others don’t. For this reason, consider limiting games of poker to a few rounds before something happens to end the game prematurely, such as an NPC accusing a winning player of cheating and calling them out for a duel, a big fight breaking out in the saloon, etc.