I'm opening this thread so that I can untangle all the prep the characters in the "Battle of Blackthorn" thread are doing.

Please give me a list of the tasks you are setting out to accomplish. I'll come up with the rolls needed to set those plans in motions (or handwaves if I don't think rolls are necessary).

We need to put on a map of Blackthorn all the wicked, wicked Home Alone style things we plan to do, and then position each character (and group of Extras).  The rolls are probably going to be based around esablishing these.

We need a full roster of all the actors too.  Example:  Carl, Gus Shaw, 32 Dust Adders, etc.

I have an idea in my head what it looks like but it would take too many words.  I'm basically imagining what we're really doing is making it look like open terrain (save for the buildings), but in reality we're hoping to channel raiders into one particular kill zone in a classic L shaped ambush.  Except instead of machinegun fire, we're going to throw sparkly arcane powers onto them.

And .45 rounds

Why don't y'all channel them directly to the Oriental? It's were the cool guys hang out!

What Wildcat said.

In explanation of what JakeII's doing: having found a ladder in record time, he's up there stripping lead for militia-style buckshot for emergency ammunition*, which won't take long in itself and can even be done during the battle, but requires someone find a bucket of water and the right sort of sieve.

*Carl is vaguely aware that being consecrated with the building this lead is technically holy the same way blessed water is, but has no reason to think they'll need to favour it (yet).

Okay, everyone prepare to laugh.  Remember the answer to any question that begins "Wildcat can you draw..." is NO.

This is really wide, I didn't intend it but it is so here's a link.

http://i.imgur.com/M2Nc6.jpg

Here is a thumbnail.



Yellow areas - all basic directions of attack, more or less, to help me visualize various ways they could come at us.

Town Hall - Civilians hiding here.

Orange box - If Milburne is right, this is what the Comanche will want to hit the hardest.  Warehouse, the stores, etc. are in this box.

Red rectangle - The kill zone, we want to lure them toward here.

Blue lines - The approximate perimeter I can see we need to set up.  We could do more or less but somebody has to suggest a starting point.

I think the basic idea is to dig ditches, pile up junk, string wire, etc. to create a path of least resistance toward the general direction of that red rectangle.

Effective ditches'd take too long...since I've pretty much no work today, I'll draw out and improve Carl's sketch map so y'all can see what he thinks. Hold horses.

Some notes:

1) I'm running this fight with the Mass Battle rules, so keep that in mind as we prepare. Anyone have any Knowledge (Battle)? If not, Arthur has a bit.

2) "32 Dust Adders" is the total strength of the DA's, not the strength they have to devote to defending the town. You'll have 15-20 DA's (not including Wild Cards like Gus, Dave, Jesse, or Carl) and whatever townsfolk you can rustle up in defense. The rest of the DA's are mounting a defense at the Circle W.

1,  WC is a Texas Ranger.  If the question is ever "Do you have this Trait?"  The answer is no.  XD

2.  Well I've no idea how many Dust Adders/other characters there are, hence I asked XD

3.  There's lots of different ways to draw this shape and some would likely be more efficient but we've got to start somewhere.  Carl's dirt sketch would be nice.