Gangs have been released. We're already working on a wiki article for them over at Howdypedia, and I think it should come together in the next few days.

I guess I should be overjoyed about this, but a part of me isn't: After all, before gangs were formally released, I could claim to run the only gang in the game, but now, I just run the gang that happens to be #1 at the moment. I suppose I shouldn't complain, since the Sheriffs were nice enough not to delete the gang, after all, and I can always point to its creation date being two months before any other gang if I want to gloat. Even still, nobody likes sharing toys with other kids; and I liked having my own widdle toy that I could show off to my friends. I guess now all I can do is buck up, write some wiki articles, and keep my gang in first place—there's much bustle-kicking to be done!

The name's Jones. Jacen Jones. I carry a badge. Unfortunately, it's a little rusted and kinds pokes my chest if I turn too wildly on my horse, but I guess that comes with the territory.

I stroll into the Sheriff's office all smug like. "What's the latest bounty mission?" If you aren't a well-read cowpoke, you might have missed Madame Ophelea expert review. A bounty mission is a new addition, where you fight a series of battles against a villain. Beat the three to five mission set and you've nabbed that baddie and earned a cash reward! Of course, these are some of the wildest baddies to ever hit the wild, wild west. I gulp looking over the Wanted posters. Having just brought in schoolmarm Daisy Day after several days of biting the dust on her last mission, I know you can't trust appearances in these parts.

Finally, I decide on trying Dr. Steelius. "That guy!"

Immediately, all the air in the room is sucked up by the incredulous cowpokes in the Sheriff's office. Even Daisy Day is wide-eyes with shock at my apparent bravado. I look a bit confused. What is going on here?

A nearby cowboy rescues me. "You just pointed to the town mayor."

"Upps," I say quickly. "Sorry, I meant... That guy is one fine upstanding citizen! Let's all give him a round of applause."

Approving noises circulate the room. The applause starts slowly, then builds, until it gets to the point where I'd rather be standing next to the Storm Caller than in this room. I sneak past the huddled mass surrounding the mayor and take the mission information.

"That place!" I say, after reading 'Devil's Spine' on the mission briefing sheet.

Everyone stops clapping and gives me looks that could freeze a Wendigo. "Get a grip, people," I murmur as I walk out of the office. I jump on my trusty horse, Morgan, and ride off into the sunset. Well, not 'into' per se, but you know what I mean.

At last, I find Dr. Steelius's hideout. That fiend has allied with two other no-goods to take me out. The Head Deputy, Slomoe, says all I need to do is last long enough for the bad doctor to give up and leave. If I put up a good enough fight and power-up enough, I'll be a success. He mentions it'll be an in-and-out deal. Easy for him to say, all he does is sit around and eat donuts all day!

"Ah-ha!" Dr. Steelius says. It's hard to look threatening when you're holding a cyan umbrella. "It's you!"

"Yes," I say. "And I am..."

"Drats, I know this," Dr. Steelius says. I take advantage of this by claiming the homestead south of me. I then use my other units to try and pick off the enemy units. Steelius however isn't going down easy.

It's a difficult fight, but I figure out the secret to winning. I'm not sharing it though, as part of the fun of these missions is figuring out how to win for yourself. Or at least trying as hard as you can, pulling out all your hair, rushing to the B!H forums, and then waiting anxiously for some more experienced cowpoke to post a working strategy. Not that I've ever done that... much... Anyway, true to the officer's word, Steelius abandons his plan after I complete my objectives. He sees I'm not defeated easily (at least not in this scenario...). I'm not concerned that he ran off though, I'll catch him another day. The important thing is this section of land is safe for the moment. And I'm one step closer to the big cash reward.

Howdy, there. The name's Emufarmers Sangly, and I've been wrassled up to be a blogger 'round these parts. (Or did I ask for the position? That doesn't sound nearly as impressive.) The game's called Bang! Howdy; the developer, Three Rings Design, inc. (OOO for short) It's a game of cowboys and Indians (though OOO's implementation of the theme will probably justify another post in the future), in a tactical turn-based/real-time hybrid; the actual battles are handled with a tick system whose closest parallel might be Final Fantasy. I won't bother giving any more of an overview than that, though: The fetching Ms. Ophelea already provided one in her review, and I'll be giving some links to more information soon enough.

Since this is an introductory post, I guess I should get back to introducing myself: I'm a Bang! Howdy player (I also play Yohoho! Puzzle Pirates). I'm also a forum poster (not to be confused with a wanted poster), and, perhaps most significantly, the host of the unofficial wiki for the game, the Howdypedia. The game itself doesn't really have any external documentation, so this wiki helps to smoothen the learning curve. The wiki is also open to editing, so you can feel free to improve it as you see fit.

The only other thing I really have to say for myself at this point is that I like to pick apart the game client's files: Take a look at my wanted poster ingame (you already downloaded the game, right?), and you'll see one effect of that.