Arrests in Way out West

In Way out West the Sheriff and Deputy can (via an ability) arrest other characters. There are various ways in which someone can escape arrest, one of which is that the restrained player gets outside help.

Way out West wanted poster

We’ve recently been asked if the player providing the outside help needs an ability to cut the ropes/unlock the door and help the restrained character to escape.

If we’re presented with this situation during a game, we ask how the helping player plans to release the arrested character. If they have an item which will obviously help, that’s great: but if they have a good enough imagination, then they don’t need to have a specific item. After all, Way out West is set in the Wild West town of Cactus Gulch and there are lots of other things lying around which aren’t represented on the item cards.

So if they need something particular for their imaginative plan, and it’s reasonable that they might find it in Cactus Gulch, we let them succeed.

Basically our guideline is: if it feels ‘fair’ that they should succeed, because they’ve put in some effort to find items or to invent a good plan, then they should succeed.

2 Comments

  1. Lee

    When it does succeed and they escape, it says the Sheriff can rearrest them without using another of his three arrests. How do you prevent an endless loop of Arrest > Escape > Immediate Re-Arrest > Immediate Re-Escape…? Essentially keeping the arrested character in jail for the whole game.

    Reply
    • Mo

      Hi Lee,

      Characters should aim to not be arrested early in the game, which means trying to commit any new crimes where there are no witnesses. Otherwise, yes, they will probably get rearrested if they escape.

      Later in the game, though, the sheriff/deputy will most likely be too busy to be re-arresting people who escape.

      Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Written by

Category: Party Tips
4 February 2013

Recent posts

Using our murder mystery games for Christmas

Using our murder mystery games for Christmas

While we have a few murder mystery games for Christmas, written with a specific festive theme, you can host any of our games during the festive season. And with a few adjustments, you can make them Christmassy as well!

Murder mystery office game

Murder mystery office game

Hosting a murder mystery office game can be a fun and engaging way to bring colleagues together, offering numerous benefits for team dynamics and workplace morale.

What Our Clients Say
102 reviews