DOCTORIN'

These rules are totally unofficial, and are not endorsed by Bryan Ansell who hasn't even seen some of them. They are just suggestions by various players. (Any comments in blue italics are mine.)

Doctorin' Rules by Walter O'Hara (Burke, VA. USA)

Most Western towns had a resident physician of some sort-- usually a general praticioner of some degree of proficiency (the grumpy but lovable archetype of the movie genre). These country GPs weren't at the cutting edge of medical science but were proficient enough at extracting buckshot, removing bullets, and stitching up knife wounds. Often, the results of their attentions varied dramatically depending on how badly their patients were banged up and also upon the doctors own level of training. Dentists, as well, possessed some minimal level of medical training and can perform some quick "patching up" if a doctor wasn't available. The effects of a hurried "patching up" can be of some benefit to the wounded gunfighter, as is shown in the Doctorin' Table below.

Prerequisites:

Figures

A Doctor or Dentist figure must be on the table. Every four turns, move the figure randomly in a direction away from current gunfire. A doctor or dentist (with the possible exception of Doc Holliday) may be altruistic, but he isn't going to put himself in the line of fire. Use NPC movement rules or just move the figure every four turns or so.

Procedure:

Wounded Gunfighter Movement:

The wounded man must walk, stagger or crawl to within two inches of a doctor or dentist casting. Alternatively, they can be carried there on a horse or wagon. On the next turn, roll on either the Doctorin' (Doctor) or Doctorin' (Dentist) table, as appropriate. A variety of things can happen.

Doctorin' (Doctor) Table: Roll 1D6 DIE ROLL RESULT 1 REDUCE 3 2 REDUCE 2 3 REDUCE 1, DELAY 2 4 REDUCE 1 UNCONSCIOUS 5 WORSEN 1 6 DIE

Doctorin' (Dentist) Table: Roll 2D6 DIE ROLL RESULT 1-3 REDUCE 1 4,5 REDUCE 2 6 REDUCE 1, UNCONSCIOUS 7 CONFUSION 8,9 UNCONSCIOUS 10 WORSEN 1, UNCONSCIOUS 11 WORSEN 2 12 WORSEN 3

Results:

REDUCE: Reduce the level of a wound (i.e., a Serious Wound becomes a light wound, a light wound becomes a graze, etc.

REDUCE +_#: The number is the number of wound "steps" are reduced by the doctoring attempt.

UNCONCIOUS: The doctor uses too much ether.. the patient is zonked for the rest of the game (but lives).

CONFUSION: The dentist becomes confused; extracts a tooth instead-- roll again!

WORSEN: like REDUCE but in the opposite direction... the doctor or dentist fumbled it!

DIE: Pretty much what it says. The Doc really fumbled it!

Adding severity to a wound ("worsening it") is exactly like adding another light wound for every level of severity. So, if a character already has a Serious wound, and gets worsened for three, he now has a serious wound and three light ones. Such is the price we pay for frontier medicine.

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