Ha! I've got Aces & Eights!

[Festivus]

For those who have it, can you talk a bit about rules complexity. One of the things I really like with Boothill is that it's really, really simple rules. The drawback of the original Boothill was that there weren't a lot of clear cut instructions for what seems to be included in this book. It was pretty much a gun fighting and brawling sort of game meant to take your favorite western serial and play it on pen and paper.

Given the size of the book I am a bit concerned that the game might suffer from rules bloat. Is it something that one can learn the basics of in a few hours of reading or do you need to study all 800 pages in order to play?

I had really hoped to see this at the FLGS but they didn't have a copy. I am going to try another store next weekend and see if they have a copy of it. I really wish I could have leafed through it.

 

[Jolly_Blackburn]

This is the most beautiful role-playing book I've ever owned or seen. The paper is the absolutely highest quality -- thick, glossy, durable. It gives the book a great "heft" to it that tells you this is a quality book.

The binding is sturdy on the inside, handsome on the outside. It would fit right at home next to the nicest set of high quality encyclopedias (e.g., World Book) and still draw the eyes straight to it.

The interior is clean, well laid out, easy to read -- the pages aren't colored in such a way to dull the appearance of the text. The pictures of the weapons: beautiful.

The artwork is pitch perfect in capturing the feel of the old West. Kudos for including some of the pictures that relate to vigilante justice and the like.

The game systems are new, different, and seem perfectly natural for the genre. As opposed to a generic game with "Western" plastered over it, this game is built from the ground up as a Western RPG, and that integration really shines through.

I love the jury/trial mechanic, and the shot clock especially. The chase system is innovative.

I think for the first time there is now a Western game that is so good, it will make you want to play in the setting. This game will make a believer out of you, and may just convince some of those people who might otherwise not be interested in playing in the Old West...

Just my .02.

Wow. Thanks for the glowing feedback.

 

[scourger]

That's some expensive reading material.

The combat is as complicated as you want it to be. There's the basic system which is *really * basic, and then you add whatever advanced rules you want at whatever speed you feel you are ready for.

-=Grim=-

Yeah it's expensive but I think the "fluff" in this book is worth it. There looks to be an astounding level of detail on otherwise mundane subjects, like horses and cattle branding. Those details are what will ultimately set this game apart.

I read the basic character generation and combat sections. I really like the basic characters but the combat feels like it might get tedious with the count-up in 1/10ths seconds and the application of the shot clock every time a hit is scored. But, it "groks" better than some other systems I've owned, so I'll likely give it a try if I can drum up enough interest. I would like to see the shotgun shot clock in action, too, with the spread pattern.

 

[Michael Dean]

Given the size of the book I am a bit concerned that the game might suffer from rules bloat. Is it something that one can learn the basics of in a few hours of reading or do you need to study all 800 pages in order to play?

You don't have to worry about rules bloat. You can start shooting in about 10 minutes if that's what you want with the basic rules. I think it's even easier than I remember Boot Hill to be. Then you can layer on more options in the advanced rules, sort of like GURPS.

The rest of the book is kind of compartmentalized and easily digestible. There is a pretty expansive character creation and some extensive combat options, but I would say a very large portion of the book is dedicated to giving players the feel of the old west with a twist. Some examples are pictures of each of the firearms in the equipment section, a very detailed chapter on horses, and a large section on the history of the alternate West. There is a great section on the countries in North America that almost has the feel of one of the better atlases you can buy. Each country description has its flag with a side bar giving statistics like population, economic information such as crops and important industries, type of government, etc..

Another section of the book gives you mini-games, such as cattle ranching, cattle driving, gambling, jury trials, and more. Here, you only need to read up on what kind of campaign interests you and the rules are all laid out.

I tell you, I wish I had more time right now to draw up some Deadwood characters (I'm dying to write up Seth Bullock), but every time I sneak a peek at it, I see something new that's pretty cool. I don't know if you like Ptolus, but I was excited all last year for it, and when I got it at Gen Con, it definitely lived up to expectations. Well, A&8's is this year's Ptolus for me.

 

[Jhulae]

For those who have it, can you talk a bit about rules complexity. One of the things I really like with Boothill is that it's really, really simple rules. The drawback of the original Boothill was that there weren't a lot of clear cut instructions for what seems to be included in this book. It was pretty much a gun fighting and brawling sort of game meant to take your favorite western serial and play it on pen and paper.

Given the size of the book I am a bit concerned that the game might suffer from rules bloat. Is it something that one can learn the basics of in a few hours of reading or do you need to study all 800 pages in order to play?

As has been said, each of the sections is pretty much self contained and can be used when/if needed. Nobody prospecting at the current time? No need for the prospecting section. Same with Cattle Ranching, Juries, and so on.

And, as far as gun battles go, the Shot Clock System (tm) is very easy to use in play, so there won't really be any need to keep referencing the rules for combat.

That being said, the rules are *definitely* very crunchy, especially during character generation. (Again, once that's done, though, you don't need that section of the rules until a new character is needed.)

And, gunfights can also get *very* crunchy, especially when you've added all the rules, including advanced shotgun rules. Note though, like the Shot Clock overlays, once you've done a few combats, the gunfight rules become transparent.

Hopefully, they'll be making a GM screen (or downloads) that have more silhouettes (like crouching, lying down, etc.) for gun battles, because not everyone is always standing up.

 

[Baumi]

Can someone tell me a bit more about the Shot Clock System? And what's so special about the subsystems?


THX & ...

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Can someone tell me a bit more about the Shot Clock System? And what's so special about the subsystems?


THX & ...

There are lots of great replies here already, but I'd also like to point out the Aces & Eights website. You can see an animated example of how the Shot Clock works, and lots of other previews that will probably answer a lot of your questions.

 

[Mark Plemmons]

Hopefully, they'll be making a GM screen (or downloads) that have more silhouettes (like crouching, lying down, etc.) for gun battles, because not everyone is always standing up.

No worries - we've got a special print book of new silhouettes and other surprises coming in the near future, and probably a few new downloads as well.

 

[GrimJesta]

That being said, the rules are *definitely* very crunchy, especially during character generation. (Again, once that's done, though, you don't need that section of the rules until a new character is needed.)

The first night that we made characters it took us a while to make them. The next night I decided to make another character and it went by really fast.

-=Grim=-