Having said all that, I personally wouldn't blow my stash on horses to start with. The only time I take more than one is when I'm playing Cowboys (because they're cheaper), Plains Indians (because they're awesome) or US Cavalry (because you have to). More than one and your Posse starts to shrink. Try an all-mounted Posse when you don't have rules like Cavalry or Expert Rider, and you're asking for trouble.

When a man with a rifle meets a man with a pistol, The man with the rifle will win.
So goes the movie quote, anyway. In Legends of the Old West, this is partly true, providing your rifles have decent fields of fire and don't get snuck up on. Again, initially the problem with rifles (and repeaters) is one of cost. That useful range and strength is phenomenally good, but only as long as the opponent doesn't outnumber you (Bandidos), or close the gap with horses (Cavalry or Native Americans), or sneak around terrain out of sight (Apache or Mountain Men). In most scenarios, there are ways around this, but remember that the rifle outlay is wasted if you play a Bar-room Brawl.

The question of arming your Posse is one of personal choice. I like to take a 50/50 mix of longarms and sidearms. If a longarm is cheaper for Henchmen than Heroes (or vice versa) then take the cheapest option and hope that you roll a Shootin' advance early on. A tough cadre of riflemen will be worth their weight in gold later in the campaign - again, think of the long game.

Playin' the Game
Once the all-important Posse selection is out of the way, you just need to win a few games. Easier said than done! What follows is some general advice for playing scenarios.

Play to your strengths. Sounds obvious, but it's amazing how many people try to mismanage their Posse, like trying to drive a square peg into a round hole. If your style is for close combat, then why play Lawmen or Cowboys? You'd be far better off using Mountain Men, US Cavalry, Texas Rangers or Chinese Tong. Likewise, if you favour longarm shooting, go for a Posse with high Shootin' values, like US Infantry, Cowboys (or those pesky Texas Rangers again).

Extreme example, I know, but remember that every Posse intentionally has a major strength, and if you identify that strength, and arm them and play with them to emphasize it, you'll reap the rewards later.

Approaching Scenarios.
Before the campaign, take a little time skimming through the different scenarios in the rulebooks. Most campaigns generate scenarios in the regular way (by rolling on the tables). Some make it easier by only drawing scenarios from one or two books instead of the whole set. Find out in advance and plan ahead.

Try to get a feel for the scenarios, as they all work slightly differently and encourage certain types of play. Horses might well be useful for those Open Range games, for example, while explosives make the Jailbreak scenario that much easier. Also, when you're not just playing a one-off game, it's important to think about how to maximise the Experience points you'll earn, too. Some scenarios, like the Bank Robbery, don't allow Henchmen to gain experience for putting enemy models out of action. This is to encourage Posses to get stuck in with skirmish actions rather than relying on long-range shooting, so bear things like this in mind when you turn up to play.

Bottling out.
In one-off games, it generally doesn't matter if half your Posse lies dead and the rest run away, as long as a good time is had by all. However, in a prolonged campaign, the more models you have taken out of action, the more chance there is of some models not pulling through. Voluntarily Heading for the Hills is a part of the rules that many players overlook, or view as cowardly. In a campaign, it can be the only way of saving face. If you're severely outgunned and your models are dropping like flies, weigh up the situation at the start of your next turn. If the odds are still stacked against you and you can't see a way of achieving the scenario objective, then swallow your pride and high-tail it out of there!

Sportsmanship.
I don't want to labour on about sportsmanship, as there are countless essays about it online and in various wargames mags. What I will say is that people's ideas of sportsmanship vary wildly, as do their definitions of 'rules lawyering' and 'beardiness'. This only really becomes an issue in those 'tornado' campaigns, when a bunch of people who've never played each other before are brought together in a competitive environment.

When you do something unusual in a game, a masterful tactic or extreme-instant-death-combo, look at your opponent's face and check yourself for a moment. If you find that their idea of fun isn't the same as yours, try cutting them some slack and resist the urge to jump up and down with glee as the stagecoach and half the opposing Posse run over your three vials of nitro and explode in flaming death.

Gamesmanship versus narrative.
On a related note, there is a difference (though sometimes a minute one) between sound tactics and beardiness. Some players are just great at the game - they view the measurements, statistics and odds of a situation in an almost Matrix-like array of numbers and manoeuvres. Bear in mind, however, that while sound gamesmanship is commonplace in a tornado campaign or Swiss tournament, you'll probably get hog-tied if you go all-out to win in a narrative campaign.

Stick to the plan.
Finally, when it comes to winning games, there's an age-old wargaming tactic. Formulate a plan and stick to it! Of course, don't take this advice too literally, as all the best plans need to be flexible. The idea is that you come up with a very broad strategy, such as "I'll split my Posse into two groups. Group A will rescue the hanged man, while Group B stand back and cover them." However detailed your plan, make sure that you do more innovating than reacting - you know you're onto a good thing when all of your opponent's moves are geared towards countering yours, because that means he doesn't have a solid plan of his own.

Experience
For many players, the most enjoyable part of playing in campaign is watching your Posse grow and evolve. Unsurprisingly, there are some tactics to employ here, too. Players who buy all the expensive and shiny equipment without giving their purchases any real thought will generally come second place to those who think about complimentary purchases and advances. Here are my top tips for a better Posse:

Characteristic advances.
While most players crave a Skill advance for their Heroes, or The Kid Done Good for their Henchmen, it's the characteristic increases that are the most common - and the most important - experience gains in a campaign. Sometimes you'll just get given an increase, but more often than not you'll have to choose between two, such as Shootin' or Fightin', or Strength or Grit. What you choose generally depends on your Posse and playing style. Close combat Posses will want Fightin' and Strength increases, while rifle-heavy Posses will be after Grit and Shootin' advances. Before making your choice, however, look at the Wounds chart in the back of the book. Let me explain.

As the cheapest firearm is the sixgun, and the average Strength of a starting fighter is 3, we can assume that most hits you'll take in a game will be at Strength 3. If your fighter is at Grit 3 to start with, then a Grit increase will offer that bit more protection (your opponent will then need 5s to wound, rather than 4s). However, if you're already Grit 4, you won't notice much of a benefit by taking another Grit increase, unless you can get up to the heady heights of Grit 6.

The same principles apply to Strength increases. If the average Grit value is 3, then you'll need a Strength of 5 before it starts getting easier to take models out of action in close combat.

Hired Guns.
Now, once you start earning loot, you'll be eager to turn to the Hired Guns section in order to bolster your Posse. Before doing this, take a quick look at your Posse list to see if there are any areas you could strengthen on the cheap. This is especially important if you've lost a Hero during the campaign. Buy another ASAP!

Legends.
All of the points I made about Hired Guns apply equally to Legends - more so, in fact. If you can find a Legend, and if you can afford them, they can be one-man armies (depending on whom you pick, of course). Their retainers are often as much as - or more than - the recruitment fee of your average Hired Gun, so if you plan on having them in your Posse for more than one game, try to save some loot between games.

Although it's often tempting to save up for Wild Bill or Doc Holliday, spare a thought for the cheaper Hired Guns. John Wesley Hardin is great value considering his store of 3 Fame and 3 Fortune. Likewise, Curly Bill Brocius is a good investment for an Outlaw Posse. Military Posses could do worse than hire Benteen rather than Custer. I'll say it again, because I can't stress it enough - spend the loot you save on more Henchmen.

Rare Items.
The only rare items that most Posses look for in the first few games are weapons, and more exotic items are kept for when the stash has grown a little more. Most rare items are incredibly useful, some are just for fun, but in the context of a campaign really come into their own. I organise items by means of three factors - items that fall into more than one of these categories are at the top of my shopping list: (1) Increase the staying power of the whole Posse (Night on the town, fancy duds, medicine pipe); (2) Increase the offensive potential of the Posse (US Flag, explosives, rifle scopes); and (3) Protect the Boss (boilerplates, heavy furs, medicine shields).

Losing fighters to a bad case of death.
The last thing anyone wants in a campaign is to lose fighters outright. Sadly, it really is down to the luck of the draw. In the last Warhammer Historical campaign day, I played six games and lost six models outright, two of which were Heroes, and one of whom was my leader. It worked out that half the models I had taken out of action in the whole campaign died. There's just no accounting for luck like that!

You can, however, try to minimise the effects of death on your Posse. Remember to buy back dead Heroes as quickly as possible. Try hiring a Prospector (if you can afford him) to boost your income next game so you can buy more Henchmen. Sell off equipment if necessary just to get more bodies on the table. If you still end up severely under strength, then remember what I said about voluntarily heading for the hills earlier - it might be the better part of valour. Finally, I've seen several players start new Posses halfway through campaigns. This can work out for you, but you're unlikely to claim the top spot if you do. As a general guide, if ever you find yourself with fewer than two thirds your starting number of models, and no money in the stash, it's worth considering starting afresh.

Winning the Campaign
When all's said and done, the only way to come out of a campaign as top dog is to have the highest Infamy rating. Here's how to get it:

Important rules for a healthy Posse:
The best way to secure a high Infamy rating is to do well (not necessarily the best) throughout the campaign. Following the tips on Posse selection, playing to your strengths and choosing advances and equipment wisely, you'll (hopefully) have managed that. Now, to put the final polish on that rating.

First up, the number of models is the most important factor in boosting the rating. Buy more Henchmen. I'll keep saying it because it's important. I'd even go so far as to hire a Cookie at the end of the campaign just so I can exceed the maximum size of the Posse.

Next, experience points and Hired Gun bonuses are added to the rating. Far be it from me to encourage the illicit, last-ditch recruiting of Hired Guns after the final game of the campaign, but it does seem to do the trick! However, the best way to get that experience bonus is to be savvy during the game. If you want your Heroes to earn more experience, be careful how you resolve fights. Keep them out of unnecessary harm. Better still, look at how you can earn bonus points in the scenario objectives. It's worth only spending your Fame points to claim a kill, just for the +1 experience point it guarantees you.

So there you have it, my tips for a better campaign experience. Now, if only I can follow my own advice next year. And bring along my loaded dice.