Deadlands Core Rulebook
Pinnacle Entertainment
Reviews by Greg Kessler
Yippeekia and a Confederate vampire gnawing at the back of my neck it is a good time to be playing western games. When I was a knee high to waterbug there was but one old west game (Boot Hill from TSR), now there are shelves full of old west games that range from strictly traditional to cow pokes ridin’ dinosaurs. Of all the rootin’ tootin’ role playing out there, none come close to Deadlands from Pinnacle Entertainment. For those of you out there who have not been lucky enough to come across this game, this is your lucky day (since we are online, that could be almost any day). Deadlands was born out the chance viewing by Shane Hensley of the aforementioned Confederate vampire at Gen Con deep in the past. By them time her arrive back on the east coast the idea for an old west game with vampires, evil Germans in Zeppelins, and all manner of old west weirdness. Shane did not just see a new setting to drop onto to the oft-used D&D model (although there is now a Deadlands d20 as well as a card game and a GURPS version). Shane created a new system built on simplicity and playability, and just for good measure he threw in the old west standard…a bit of poker to resolve combat and other situations.
Ok the first really cool thing is that Bruce (groovy) Campbell wrote the intro to the book. If anyone knows insanity, it is Bruce. The first thing you notice when you look over the Deadlands line of books is the desire to make the world more and more outrageous and still make it playable.
Character creation is simple and easy. Like most games it is a straightforward system that fits the game nicely. In feeling and vocabulary, the old west scenario is reinforced, Shootin’, fightin’, quick draw, and tale tellin’ Deadlands keeps up the mood (in some ways it reminds me of the GDW game Space 1889). Initial creation is done by drawing cards from a standard deck of cards (what they call a action deck). The cards drawn tell players what kind dice are rolled for specific traits. In terms of detail this is one of the places that this core book excels. Aside from the basic character creation instructions, there are pages of archetypes for players to get ideas from. Everything from cattle barons to hucksters who can throw spells.
Deadlands combat system is one of the more innovative aspects of the game. The action deck is used to resolve all combat. The Marshall (the gamemaster) has everyone deal themselves cards and begins counting from an Ace. Anyone with an ace gets to act, and the Marshall counts down from there. The real comfort of this system is that I can finally get away from the curse I seem to have with dice. I roll more one’s in a single night that most people do in a year. All of this is modified by abilities and the ability to cast spells.
Deadlands solves a problem inherent to most non-fantasy systems. Deadlands does not suffer from the need to be realistic or believable. With the basis of the game being both supernatural and exaggerated anything can be added and any scenario can be played out, and still be true to the old west mood.