Six-Gun Justice: Game Overview

Six-Gun Justice is a gritty skirmish-style miniatures game set in the Golden Age of the Old West. It brings the rugged frontier to life through historically inspired scenarios and fast, character‑driven action. From the end of the Civil War to the closing of the frontier in 1890, this era was defined by expansion, hardship, and the relentless pursuit of opportunity. Cowboys, settlers, lawmen, and outlaws carved their destinies across vast prairies, booming rail towns, and untamed wilderness. Frontier Redemption captures that spirit of independence, danger, and dusty‑booted heroism. The game puts you in command of the legends who shaped the American frontier.

About the Game of Six-Gun Justice

What You Need to Get Started

• Dice: You’ll need at least 6 ten-sided dice (d10s). Optional: d6 dice for tracking health.
• A Measuring Tool: A tape measure or other tool. All distances are measured in inches.
• Table & Terrain: A 3’×3′ play area works for most games up to 50 points. Larger tables are helpful for bigger battles or mounted/wagon/train scenarios. Terrain makes the game shine.
• Tokens and Markers: Use tokens, dice, or chips to track statuses, wounds, and special effects. Anything works as long as both players agree on what each marker means.
• Activation Cards: Each player has a custom deck of initiative cards for activation order. These are included in the starter boxes or addons. You can also get PDFs of the decks and print them yourself.
• Miniatures: The games use 3–8 miniatures per player. The system is miniature‑agnostic and supports 15–32mm scales. Any base shape works; 25mm rounds (or 25×50mm for mounted models) are recommended. It is encouraged, but not required, that you try to use minis with weapons matching the Character’s stats so it easier for your opponent to know what they are facing.

Unit Types and Models

Each player creates a force, known as a “gang”, consisting of 3-8 models on average. In campaign play, these Characters can advance, gaining new equipment, abilities, and resources.

There are 5 types of Characters in the game.

• Boss: The leader of your force that can give other models actions and bonuses.
• Elite: Unique Characters representing specific named historical figures such as Doc Holliday or Nat Love.
• Core: An archetype of a Western character (e.g., Sheriff, Bandit, etc.). Multiple units of this type can be used in your force.
• Support: Less common archetype characters. You may only take 1 Support Character for every 2 Core or Elite models in your Force (round down).
• Hired Hand: These are generic Character types available to every faction in the game (e.g., Wagon Drivers, Doctors, Scouts, etc.).

Factions and Playstyles in Six-Gun Justice

There are six primary factions in the game, with others planned for the future. Each major Faction also includes 3 sub-factions for additional flavor and playstyle.

• Lawmen: This faction represents town sheriffs, deputies, and organized posses. They typically field smaller numbers of higher-quality units. They play as disciplined, steady operators who hold ground and maintain control.
• Outlaws: This group includes bandits, rustlers, thieves, and other frontier criminals. They are usually well-armed and aggressive, but they struggle with fatigue and morale. They rely on large gangs conducting quick strikes, dirty tricks, and quick getaways.
• Cowboys and Cattlemen: Classic frontier all‑rounders and a jack-of-all-trades faction. They offer balanced capabilities and gain strong benefits with horses and close‑quarters brawling. They adapt well to most situations and reward flexible play.
• Banditos: A Hispanic‑themed force that favors ruthless tactics and heavier weapons. Their troop quality is generally lower, but they compensate with brutal close‑range firepower and ambush‑driven aggression.
• Native Tribes: These forces represent a diverse range of regional cultures, each with its own battlefield approach. An elite playstyle, they emphasize mobility, terrain mastery, skirmishing, and sudden, decisive strikes.
• US Military / Troopers: This force consists of professional soldiers trained for coordinated action. They offer disciplined troops, reliable shooting, and strong mounted elements, making them effective in organized combat and sustained engagements.

Initiative Style

The Initiative Phase becomes a fast, cinematic mind‑game where teams use their custom-built Initiative Decks to seize control of the battlefield.

• Custom Initiative Decks: Before the game, players build their own initiative deck from general-use and Factions specific initiative cards. This turns initiative from a passive, random dice mechanic into an active strategic layer.
• Strategic Planning: Each turn, both sides secretly draw and choose from a hand of five Initiative Cards, revealing them at the same time to determine activation order. These cards do more than decide who goes first; they unleash tactical effects that influence movement, attacks, and key command choices. Players must balance the risk and reward of using the highest card to seize the opening move, and or delaying actions for well‑timed abilities that may shift the momentum of the battle.
• Tactical Decisions: The system keeps every round sharp and unpredictable, rewarding fast decisions and turning initiative into a weapon. If both sides play the same value, the edge goes to whoever committed their card first

How the Game Plays

The game system uses a fast, structured turn cycle built around three phases that play out over 10 turns.

• The Initiative Phase: Teams draw a hand of five cards from their custom Initiative Decks, secretly choose one, and reveal simultaneously to determine activation order and trigger special effects. Teams may try to activate sooner to take critical actions or risk delaying the initiative to gain rewards of stronger bonuses.
• Activation Phase: This is where the battle actually happens. Players alternate activating Units one at a time, taking two actions, reacting to threats, and pushing the mission forward. The team that won initiative goes first, setting the pace for the entire round.
• Reactions Keep the Game Dynamic: Between each action, the active player must pause to allow opponents to declare Reactions. Reactions let enemy Units move, shoot, or reposition in response to what’s happening on the table, creating a fluid, back‑and‑forth feel rather than a static “I go, you go” structure.
• The End Phase: At the end of each turn resolves hazards, status effects, reinforcements, stratagems, and scenario triggers before checking victory conditions. The game ends when one side is eliminated, a scenario objective

Fate Points

Fate Points are a limited resource representing a force’s overall skill, luck, and heroics on the battlefield. Each force begins with 6 Fortune (modified only by certain characters) and cannot regain any once spent. A single Fate Point may be used at any time to trigger one of these effects:

• Re‑Roll: Reroll all dice from a Test or roll immediately after seeing the results. The reroll is final, and each roll may only be rerolled once.
• Mulligan: Discard any number of Activation Cards and draw replacements at any point during the turn.
• Gunfighter’s Gambit: Once per turn, interrupt play to take one free Action of any type (not mid‑action). Other players may counter with their own Fortune, triggering a Duel of Fates: all involved roll a d10; the highest acts first, then the next highest if still alive.
• Parting Shot: When a Model is killed, you spend a Fate Point for it to make one final Shoot action before being removed.

Game Types / Style of Play

Six-Gun Justice is designed to teach quickly, play smoothly, and reward smart decisions. You can play it with a group, solo, or in a multi-session campaign mode

• One Off Game: fast, tactical skirmishes with tight balance
• Solo: Don’t have a local gaming group? No problem! Take on AI‑driven enemies and narrative missions with solo mode.
• Narrative Campaigns: Linked scenarios formed into campaigns that evolve with your choices.

Why Six‑Gun Justice Stands Out

Six‑Gun Justice delivers the kind of tense, cinematic gunfights that define the myth and reality of the Old West.

• The rule system is built to create dramatic moments with last‑second dives into cover, desperate shootouts, and bold plays fueled by grit and luck.
• The alternating activations and reaction mechanics keep both players constantly engaged, with no downtime and no scripted turns.
• Custom initiative decks add a layer of mind‑games and timing that rewards clever play over pure list‑building via forces.
• Fate Points let heroes pull off the kind of daring stunts that make a story worth telling.
• The game is miniature‑agnostic, fast to learn, and endlessly replayable.

Whether you’re running a one‑off skirmish, a solo mission, or a full narrative campaign. Six‑Gun Justice isn’t just about winning, it’s about the tales your gangs leave behind.

How to Buy or Get Six-Gun Justice

Six‑Gun Justice is currently in the playtesting phase and should be launching on Kickstarter later this year. In the meantime, you can register for our mailing list to be among the first to know when we launch.

Apply to Join the Playtesting Team

The next cycle of playtesting for this game begins in May.  We’re looking for new playtesters.  If accepted, you’ll get early access to the game’s Core Rules, Force Unit Stat cards, and feedback channels to help refine the game system. 

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