Welcome back to our ongoing game of Plains Indian Wars. The game is entering its sixth round of a 10-12 round game. As this turn opens the Union Pacific is making headway but the Indians are holding their own. The Settlers and Cavalry have made very little progress, Still the Wagon Trains are having great success. Only two have been captured while two more are on the verge of making it into the Rockies.

Sixth Draw Round

1st Draw – The orange Southern Plains Tribes (SPT) token is drawn first and placed on the Token Track.

The SPT player is in an optimal position as she can play two text cards and one War Party card: Geronimo, Lozen and Lone Wolf. Geronimo allows the force nearest St. Louis to ambush both adjacent US held regions with Treaty symbols acting as hits – then escape to Mexico.

The first attack is against the larger US force resulting in three Treaty Hits. The US players remove two settler cubes and one Cavalry cube. Next the SPT player ambushes the Cavalry force to the North scoring one Treaty/Hit for which the US player removes one Cavalry cube. After this devastating demonstration the force is removed to Mexico.

Next the Lozen card is applied. This adds two SPT cubes and allows that region to attack with the same effect as the previous card; Treaty symbols act as hits. Two SPT cubes are placed in the Dodge City region. Finally, Lone Wolf allows two more SPT cubes to be placed and the activation of two regions with movement of up to two regions. Two SPT cubes are placed in the southern region nearest Sacramento and the SPT player activates the Dodge City region to attack the adjacent US occupied region north of the tracks using the Treaty/Hit ability.

Both sides roll four dice. The result presents an odd situation. When both sides roll at least one Treaty the battle ends and the larger force is allowed to displace the weaker force to an adjacent region. However the Indian’s ability turns their two Treaty rolls into hits so the forces remain in place and the US player must remove two cubes, a settler and a Cavalry cube, to the casualty box. The US player would like to retreat but has rolled no retreats (blanks) and no hits. The players roll again, this time the US player is down to three dice. The Indians scores two hits to the US players’ one hit. An SPT, a settler and a Cavalry cube are removed (taken from the largest factions first). Two retreat rolls allow the US player to retreat a settler and a Cavalry cube into an adjacent Cavalry force. This leaves a lone Cavalry cube against overwhelming odds. It is lost in the final battle roll taking no enemy cube with it.

For the final SPT activation the SPT player moves her casualty cubes back into her ready box. The SPT player ends her turn by discarding and drawing three replacement cards. This leaves the SPT player with only a single card in her draw deck. She may well be the player who commits the final card to end the game.

2nd Draw – The black Railroad token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

Bad luck for the rails in the East, as the settler/workers have been beaten back from the railhead. In the West however, the Settler roll (two settler dice per turn when building in the mountains) scores one symbol allowing a mountain-space build. Only one more mountain space to go, then the Sacramento cubes will spill onto the Plains and the Central Pacific will be building at a rapid rate. The Railroad Phase is over.

3rd Draw – The purple Enemies token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

The Cavalry player places one cube in the purple region just north of the Oregon Trail and opts to use his sole activation to move his purple casualties to the Enemies Ready Box. The Enemies Phase is over.

4th Draw – The brown Settlers token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

The Settler player has no Migration (Reinforcing/Movement) cards. She instead plays two text cards. Black Hills Gold allows placement of two Cavalry and three Settler cubes in the Black Hills region. This causes a battle with the two NPT cubes residing there. Since this is solely an NPT force the NPT player ambushes the invaders with one die, hits and removes one Settler cube to the US Casualty Box. Now both players roll . Despite the Cavalry hit, both sides roll treaties. Possessing the larger force allows the Settler player to relocate the two NPT cubes.

She moves them to the empty adjacent eastern region. The Little Blue River Raid card allows the Settler player to remove two SPT cubes (The larger Indian force in the region) from the region where Settler cubes were lost in the recent US disaster along the railroad. The Settler player ends her turn by discarding, drawing and replacing two cards in her hand.

5th Draw – The blue Cavalry token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

The Cavalry player commits his Fort Lincoln card, adding four Cavalry cubes and activating three groups to move up to two regions. He reinforces Sacramento with one Cavalry cube and places the remaining three Cavalry cubes in St. Louis. He activates St. Louis moving four Cavalry and four Settler cubes to the Dodge City region and one Settler cube to the adjacent region north of the tracks. The remaining Cavalry and settler cubes he moves to the Black Hills. He then activates the region north of the tracks and adjacent to St. Louis and moves the group to attack north. The NPT player rolls his one die ambush with no luck. Their battle roll follows. The Cavalry player rolls two hits removing the two NPT cubes. The NPT player scores one hit in return, removing a Cavalry cube. For his final activation the Cavalry player moves his casualties to his ready box after which he discards, replaces the card and ends his turn.

6th Draw – The red Northern Plains Tribes (NPT) token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

The NPT Player commits his Touch the Clouds card adding three NPT cubes and activating three groups to move up to two regions. He places two NPT cubes in the Northern trail-fork region and the remaining cube in his eastern-most group. He activates both mixed forces along the northern railroad border to attack the Wagon cubes located there. The Eastern group goes first. Treaties are rolled on both sides so the battle ends and the wagon cube remains, unharmed. The western group’s attack does no better. For his third activation the NPT player moves his casualties to his ready box, draws a replacement card and ends his turn.

7th Draw – The yellow Wagon Train token is drawn and placed on the Token Track.

All Wagon cubes on the map advance one region along their trails. This allows two wagons to enter the Rockies giving the US players two points (one each to the Cavalry player for the northern trail, and the Settler player for the southern trail). Two wagon cubes are moved from St. Louis. One to each adjacent region and two new wagon cubes are moved to St. Louis from the Wagon Ready Box. The wagon phase now ends as does this draw turn.

All Wagon cubes on the map advance one region along their trails. This allows two wagons to enter the Rockies giving the US players two points (one each to the Cavalry player for the northern trail, and the Settler player for the southern trail). Two wagon cubes are moved from St. Louis. One to each adjacent region and two new wagon cubes are moved to St. Louis from the Wagon Ready Box. The wagon phase now ends as does this draw turn.

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