Doomtown Reloaded: The Dogs And Horses

The core set for Doomtown: Reloaded only has four horses, but each one fills a particular role. Some are great for mobility and others are just good for getting into Shootouts more easily. Right now, Morgan Cattle Company has the most dudes geared toward using Horses, but the movement advantage they provide should not be underestimated. A player who can move around the table multiple times can run around town to the best deeds or get into Shootouts knowing your opponent will have little backup in the fight.

Mustang

The Mustang is the most expensive horse in the game at 3 Ghost Rock. That’s almost the price of another dude! The Mustang gives you the option of one regular move just like a dude normally takes in a turn.

Having the Mustang let’s you make another move even if you get booted by an opponents card effect. If you aren’t booted, you have the mobility to run to an opponent’s important deed. If he doesn’t defend it, he could lose a valuable source of income. If he does defend it, you can stay and fight or just use your horse to leave his dude behind, probably booted and unable to move again. The Mustang also has the lowest card value out of any horse making him the least likely to be run off by the Faithful Hound in New Town, New Rules.

Roan

The Roan comes in as the cheapest horse available and its ability is a fine example of the adage, “You get what you pay for.” For one Ghost Rock the Roan only allows you to avoid booting a dude when they move into a posse. For most dudes, this doesn’t do much, but it can help Wendy Cheng move into an adjacent shootout and still use her ability or any stud would be standing in order to use a Point Blank at the end of the shootout, provided they survive.

Pinto

 The Pinto is the middle of the road horse. At 2 Ghost Rock, the Pinto lets you move a dude into a posse as a Shootout action. This keeps the dude from booting to join the posse, just like the Roan, but has the added effect of being able to move a booted dude into a posse. Since it is a Shootout action, you can use it to bring a strong shooter into a Shootout after your opponent has played all of his good Shootout actions.

With this horse, you can play a more reserved role in Shootouts. Instead of deciding up front, you can wait for the right situation to tip the balance. The Pinto can move a dude into a Shootout from anywhere on the board. Dudes such as Lane Healey or Steven Wiles on a Pinto can limit the fights your opponent is willing to start.

Mechanical Horse

The Mechanical Horse is the only horse that doesn’t need Fresh Horses to be used multiple times. Instead you just need a heap of Ghost Rock and a Mad Scientist. The difficulty of five is easy to achieve and for one Ghost Rock, it behaves just like the Roan.

If you have a pile of Ghost Rock burning a hole in your pocket, the Mechanical Horse can let a dude move around town enough to tire out the entire opposing outfit before you even break a sweat. It still counts as a horse for Fresh Horses and Run ‘Em Down.

Bluetick

Bluetick isn’t a horse like the rest, but he does have a movement ability just the same. For two Ghost Rock, you can get the ability to move to the same location as a wanted dude. This works wonderfully with the Law Dogs who can put bounties where they want them using their outfit card. Pick a dude, give him a bounty and hunt him down. Sloane Gang also makes use of this card since they thrive on earning bounties. In addition to the movement benefits, Bluetick has the Sidekick keyword, allowing him to be used as one casualty in a Shootout.

That alone could protect a dude from being aced in those close fights.

Conclusion

Normal movement in the game is limited. Gaining a movement advantage on your opponent means you will be picking who and where you fight more often. Sometimes there is an opportunity to sneak a win by being the only player with moves left in a turn. Mobility is a strong factor in Doomtown, so don’t forget it.

Check out other Doomtown: Reloaded guides here.