Deadlands: The Weird West Core Rulebook

Tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) are enjoying their day in the sun with new games being released regularly as well as spin-off films and video games storming the public consciousness. Generally speaking, swords and sandals-style high fantasy have dominated as the setting of choice for these games. However I ask you: Have you ever wanted to hunt a sasquatch on the range? Duel an undead gunslinger at high noon? Face the devil over a pack of cards in a dusty saloon?

If you answered yes to any of those then congratulations, you are the target market for ‘Deadlands‘. Now sit back as I spin a yarn or two about the TTRPG that, to the best of my knowledge, has more “yee-haw” than any other!

WHAT IS IT?

‘Deadlands‘ is an alternate history role-playing game combining Western action with a horror twist and a healthy sprinkling of steampunk technology on top. The ‘Deadlands: The Weird West Core Rulebook’ gives you the lowdown on the setting, how to create a character including their gear and a few secrets for the DM to play with as they see fit. You just need to combine your Core Rulebook with the ‘Savage Worlds Adventure Edition’ and you’ve got everything you need to run your own game in the Weird West!

THE SETTING

The central ‘Deadlands‘ setting is in the last quarter of the 19th century on an alternate Earth much like ours. Or, rather, was much like ours up until July 3, 1863. On that day, a group led by the Sioux shaman ‘Raven’ performed a ritual that summoned ‘Reckoners’, powerful malevolent spirits. Due to their influence, the American Civil War was prolonged allowing several new powers: the Sioux Nations, the Mormon-claimed Utah as the Independent Nation of Deseret and the Coyote Confederation to rise to power whilst the Union struggled to overcome the Confederacy.

The dawn of the ‘Reckoners’ also unleashed a surge of magical energy into the world which has had consequences such as the discovery of ‘ghost rock’ (in a word, super-coal), seismic activity that ravaged California and the appearance of spirits known as ‘manitous’. The power of the ‘Reckoners’ is drawn from the fear of the populace setting the scene for a desperate struggle between them and the authorities who are trying to thwart the ‘Reckoners’ ultimate objective of all Hell on Earth`

HOW DOES IT PLAY

The latest version of ‘Deadlands‘ uses the Savage Worlds play system that encourages free-form improvisation over extensive preparation so if you’re the type of GM (or ‘Marshal’ as it’s called round these parts) that prefers to give your party (‘Posse’) a compass direction and see what mischief entails, this should be right up your alley.

The Savage Worlds system prides itself on it’s fast-paced nature making it simple to pick up. As with other TTRPGs, dice are used to represent the random chance of outcomes

however here expertise usually manifests as rolling with a higher-sided dice rather than adding a flat-rate bonus. For example, an hardened Agent would make a ‘Fighting’ check with a d12 whilst a pacifist Blessed would use a d4. As a result, checks are fast affairs with none of the lengthy mathematics of other TTRPGs. I’m not accusing any but I reckon we’re both thinking of similar culprits….

In addition to the dice, a 54 pack of cards (including Jokers) is essential for the game. These are used for initiative order in encounters as well as the central mechanism for ‘Hucksters’ to play their infernal game of Poker against manitous to earn their magical powers.

SUMMARY

‘Deadlands‘ is a game which is all about fast and frantic fun and encourages players to not let mechanics get in the way of a good time as they immerse themselves in the Weird West. This does have certain drawbacks such as the Core Rulebook being written mostly in character which can lead to confusion when understanding how specific circumstances unfold but, if you have a respectful relationship between Marshal and Posse, you can find a way to make them work so everyone can have a fun time.

To summarise, ‘Deadlands: The Weird West Core Rulebook’ is an absolute must for anyone wanting an introduction to a fast-paced game where a diverse range of campaigns in a fascinating setting await you. Once you’ve picked up the basics from the Core Rulebook then it is really just a quick step before you can mount up and hit the trail!

A NOTE ON CONTEXT

It is impossible to have a game set in the American Wild West-era without mentioning the appalling bigotry and harmful stereotyping of many groups in this period. The Core Rulebook does a reasonable job in not hiding away from this by presenting the Weird West as a homage to an era with certain adjustments and not attempting to copy and paste a damaging aspect of history. The important part to remember is that ‘Deadlands: The Weird West Core Rulebook‘ provides you with a game setting and mechanics, nothing more. As the players, you choose how much you wish to engage with any side of it and can use this to build whatever variation you want from the core parts.

Anyway it’s about time for me to make tracks so however you decide to play Deadlands, happy hunting partner and I’ll see you around!