Earl's Court

Just a quick game. It's what Earl does.

Your car broke down within sight of an old farmhouse on County Road 17. The gate was closed, so you opened it, the way anyone would. The horses got out. A ranch hand named Cody rounded them up and brought you to the house.

Inside, supper is on the stove, and before anyone sorts out your car, the old man at the desk would like to play a game. Western trivia. Just a quick one.

Win, and you get your phone call. Lose, and Earl decides.

How it plays

• High Stakes. Sit across from Earl and play for real. The questions get harder the longer you last. His temper rides the thermometer on the wall: keep him calm and you get your phone call home. Push him too far and you get the gallows.

• Open Play. Cody deals the cards face up and you pick what to practice. No Earl, no gavel. Stay as long as you like.

• Ask Cody. When you're stuck, Cody whispers from the window and a wrong answer disappears. Earl doesn't notice. Use them wisely.

• Read his face. Earl says very little. Right answers settle him. Wrong ones don't.

What's at the table

• 600 questions across ten categories, from Clint Eastwood and the Spaghetti Westerns to Deadwood, the modern TV Western and the real West behind the legends.

• Three levels, each setting how patient Earl is when you sit down and how many hints Cody can give you.

• Cody, fully voiced, in your corner all night.

• More than one way the night can end.

• Your game saved between sessions.

A Wheat County story. The county keeps its secrets. Earl keeps company.