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Frequently Asked Questions (more coming)

Guns of the Old West: Frontier FAQ

Clearer Rules for Smoother Showdowns

Guns of the Old West was designed to account for the wide range of situations players may encounter across the frontier. To keep the rulebook clear and prevent the trail from becoming an exhausting read, it uses some familiar tabletop terminology without explaining every standard convention in full.

Players of all experience levels have since raised thoughtful questions about how certain rules apply at the table. This FAQ brings those clarifications together for newcomers and seasoned gunslingers alike, organised so you can quickly find the answer you need and ride straight back into the adventure.

Where a mission includes a specific exception, always follow that mission’s rules.

Please note the below order and sections, will regularly be updated as new questions that need to be posted arise. 

Quick Trail Guide

1. Line of Sight and miniature positioning
2. Suspicion, Heat and joining a Gunfight
3. Searching and surrendering
4. Arrest, kidnapping and Guard Mode
5. Combat, defence, Combat Cards and Ammo
6. Protective Fire, terrain and climbing
7. Healing and Critical Wounds
8. Correct rulebook references

1. Eyes Across the Frontier - Line of Sight and Miniature Positioning

Where is Line of Sight measured from, and does positioning within a space matter?

Look directly down at the map and draw a straight, unobstructed line from the exact centre of one miniature’s base to the exact centre of the other miniature’s base.

A player may position the centre of their miniature’s base anywhere legal within its occupied space. Once movement ends, that position remains fixed until the miniature next takes a Move Action.

This means positioning within a space matters. On the irregular outdoor spaces, or inside the Bank, placing a miniature closer to one edge can expose a firing angle, provide a better angle around an obstruction or help the miniature remain out of sight.

That tactical positional element is intentional. We wanted the larger and unusually shaped spaces to feel more cinematic and strategic rather than treating every character as automatically standing in the centre.

Miniature facing does not affect ordinary Line of Sight. Characters effectively have 360-degree awareness. Overwatch direction is determined by the Overwatch token, not by the direction the miniature is facing.

Walls, black-outlined obstacles, closed or locked doors and intervening miniature bases block Line of Sight. Open doorways permit Line of Sight. Trees crossed by the Line of Sight are resolved using the Protective Fire rule explained in Section 6. Always measure from the bases rather than protruding weapons, hats or other parts of the sculpt.

This positional rule applies whenever Line of Sight is required, including attacks, witnessing Suspicion, Detain, Search and Overwatch.

Range remains determined by spaces. An adjacent space is Range 1 regardless of where either miniature is positioned within its space. The wording on page 17 about the “space directly in front of the attacker” means counting range outward from the attacker’s occupied space; it is not a facing requirement.

Rule references: Core Rulebook, pages 14 and 17.