Deadlands d20
To make a fair review, I must begin saying I'm a longtime Weird West fan. I bought Deadlands (the non d20 version) when it was published, in 1996/97. I have searched a wertern game for years, but I didn't like the two I had found (Boot Hill by TSR and Outlaws, for Rolemaster). I loved Deadlands. I found their vision of the Wild West new and well thought. To me, it was like crossing and old John Wayne movie with a Call of Cthulhu tale. So I loved that old game...
But I couldn't ever find enough people to play a good campaign with it. Maybe in the US it was easy, but here in Europe... So I had my deadlands books, sometimes I played an adventure or two but never arrived to DM a good campaign with it.
Some months ago, Pinacle Entertainment announced the Deadlands d20 project. They were highly criticized by the Deadlands 'purists', it was seem almost like if they were selling themselves for a few bucks... But for me it was a great idea, merging one wonderful setting with the most popular ruleset, so I pre-ordered it, and I received it two weeks after GenCon. And since then, I have began a campaign. I have found many players willing to try it, because they musn't learn a new set of rules, and those who try it, repeat...
So, let's start with the serious review:
Setting
Well, the Deadlands d20 world was alike our world until something went horribly wrong at Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Supernatural evil forces were freed with an urge for chaos and revenge and their minions, demons and spirits called 'manitous' by the Indians, spread on the world. From that day everything changed. Monsters from nightmares become real, occultists and shamans find their magic boosted, and dead that come back form their graves, with a hunger for living flesh and tentacular horrors roam out there.
The Battle of Gettysburg ended when the thousands of deads rose up and began to kill both North and South soldiers, so the Civil War never ended. Governements, fearing the public reaction to this occult uprising, tryied to hide it, and created two special Secret Services to study supernatural facts and hiding them, the North created the Agence (aka Men in Black) and the South put there their Texas Rangers.
The Indians shamans took advantage of their new spiritual powers, so the Indian Wars never were won by the White Men, and neither the Union nor the Confederation could take Indian holy lands from the tribes.
And what about gold fever ? Well, California got half sunk in the sea after a earthquake, and in the shattered remainings, the Maze, a new mineral was found, the Ghost Rock. A mineral with an energetic potential thousands of times stronger than coal. Using it, a new breed of (mad) scientists, have begun to build crazy gozmos as steam cars, steam robots or even flying machines.
I know what you're thinking, such a mixture couldn't work... It's like a bad series B movie, a pastiche of Cthulhu Mithus, Jules Verne tales and John Wayne movies. But it works! And it works great! You can play investigation type adventures (I've played some with more investigation than a Call of Cthulhu game) or classic western adventures, from Zorro to The Night of the Living Dead.
In my oppinion, one of the secrets of the succes of Deadlands is their refusal to take themselves seriously. Their game is meant to be gritty, and horror is omnipresent, but there are a comedy vein that mix very well. Even the rules are written using a fresh western slang, and form the first page to the last one, reading the rules is an funny experience.
Chapter by Chapter
>Chapter 1: The Tombstone Epitaph
As most of Deadlands classic books, the first chapter of Deadlands d20 is an 'in character' introduction. The Tombstone Epitaph is the most know tabloid in the Weird West, and here we have a special edition of the Newcomer's Guide to the West. When you read it, you will have a basic perspective of the life in the west, as people see it. You will find they think there're something bizarre, but they don't know what. It's a nice introduction, an it's the only material a new player needs to know.
Classes
Deadlands d20 don't use any of the d20 standard classes, they have a whole new classes set:
Brave: A bit like d20 Barbarian, the Brave is the ideal class for an Indian warrior.
Blessed: Cleric equivalent class, this faithful man (Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddist...) is the moral core of a party. And its healing center too, with his clerical spells.
Gunslinger: the most typical western character, from the white hatted sheriff to the black hatted bandit. Fast and deadly...
Huckster: The sorcerer like character, the hucksters get their spells winning intelligence contests with the evil manitous. They learn his powers from a old book of card gambling, so they use cards as spell components.
Mad Scientists: They use Ghost Rock and occult power to build bizarre gizmos. The 'mad' of mad scientist is the consecuence of dealing with this occult forces.
Maverick: They are rogues, gamblers, spies and scoundrels. They know a cunning will or a beautiful face can arrive further than a revolver... but they have a revolver too if more subtle methods fail.
Rowdy: Tough as nails. They are the true cowboys. Now as deadly with a revolver as a gunslinger, but tougher and stronger, you will want a Rowdys on your side in a bar fight or when trying to stake a vampire. They can use almost every existent weapon , not only these firearms.
Scout: From the indian scout to Grizzly Adams, scouts are people used to live in the wilderness. They can follow trails, they can hunt, they can sneak behind you without you ever notice.
Shaman: White men ways have corrupted Indian spirit, but these Shamans, with their refusal to White Men life and their taking of the Old Ways, are in contact with spirits and can ask them for help.
To be continued... Soon. Very soon
To make a fair review, I must begin saying I'm a longtime Weird West fan. I bought Deadlands (the non d20 version) when it was published, in 1996/97. I have searched a wertern game for years, but I didn't like the two I had found (Boot Hill by TSR and Outlaws, for Rolemaster). I loved Deadlands. I found their vision of the Wild West new and well thought. To me, it was like crossing and old John Wayne movie with a Call of Cthulhu tale. So I loved that old game...
But I couldn't ever find enough people to play a good campaign with it. Maybe in the US it was easy, but here in Europe... So I had my deadlands books, sometimes I played an adventure or two but never arrived to DM a good campaign with it.
Some months ago, Pinacle Entertainment announced the Deadlands d20 project. They were highly criticized by the Deadlands 'purists', it was seem almost like if they were selling themselves for a few bucks... But for me it was a great idea, merging one wonderful setting with the most popular ruleset, so I pre-ordered it, and I received it two weeks after GenCon. And since then, I have began a campaign. I have found many players willing to try it, because they musn't learn a new set of rules, and those who try it, repeat...
So, let's start with the serious review:
Setting
Well, the Deadlands d20 world was alike our world until something went horribly wrong at Battle of Gettysburg in 1863. Supernatural evil forces were freed with an urge for chaos and revenge and their minions, demons and spirits called 'manitous' by the Indians, spread on the world. From that day everything changed. Monsters from nightmares become real, occultists and shamans find their magic boosted, and dead that come back form their graves, with a hunger for living flesh and tentacular horrors roam out there.
The Battle of Gettysburg ended when the thousands of deads rose up and began to kill both North and South soldiers, so the Civil War never ended. Governements, fearing the public reaction to this occult uprising, tryied to hide it, and created two special Secret Services to study supernatural facts and hiding them, the North created the Agence (aka Men in Black) and the South put there their Texas Rangers.
The Indians shamans took advantage of their new spiritual powers, so the Indian Wars never were won by the White Men, and neither the Union nor the Confederation could take Indian holy lands from the tribes.
And what about gold fever ? Well, California got half sunk in the sea after a earthquake, and in the shattered remainings, the Maze, a new mineral was found, the Ghost Rock. A mineral with an energetic potential thousands of times stronger than coal. Using it, a new breed of (mad) scientists, have begun to build crazy gozmos as steam cars, steam robots or even flying machines.
I know what you're thinking, such a mixture couldn't work... It's like a bad series B movie, a pastiche of Cthulhu Mithus, Jules Verne tales and John Wayne movies. But it works! And it works great! You can play investigation type adventures (I've played some with more investigation than a Call of Cthulhu game) or classic western adventures, from Zorro to The Night of the Living Dead.
In my oppinion, one of the secrets of the succes of Deadlands is their refusal to take themselves seriously. Their game is meant to be gritty, and horror is omnipresent, but there are a comedy vein that mix very well. Even the rules are written using a fresh western slang, and form the first page to the last one, reading the rules is an funny experience.
Chapter by Chapter
>Chapter 1: The Tombstone Epitaph
As most of Deadlands classic books, the first chapter of Deadlands d20 is an 'in character' introduction. The Tombstone Epitaph is the most know tabloid in the Weird West, and here we have a special edition of the Newcomer's Guide to the West. When you read it, you will have a basic perspective of the life in the west, as people see it. You will find they think there're something bizarre, but they don't know what. It's a nice introduction, an it's the only material a new player needs to know.
Classes
Deadlands d20 don't use any of the d20 standard classes, they have a whole new classes set:
Brave: A bit like d20 Barbarian, the Brave is the ideal class for an Indian warrior.
Blessed: Cleric equivalent class, this faithful man (Christian, Jew, Muslim, Buddist...) is the moral core of a party. And its healing center too, with his clerical spells.
Gunslinger: the most typical western character, from the white hatted sheriff to the black hatted bandit. Fast and deadly...
Huckster: The sorcerer like character, the hucksters get their spells winning intelligence contests with the evil manitous. They learn his powers from a old book of card gambling, so they use cards as spell components.
Mad Scientists: They use Ghost Rock and occult power to build bizarre gizmos. The 'mad' of mad scientist is the consecuence of dealing with this occult forces.
Maverick: They are rogues, gamblers, spies and scoundrels. They know a cunning will or a beautiful face can arrive further than a revolver... but they have a revolver too if more subtle methods fail.
Rowdy: Tough as nails. They are the true cowboys. Now as deadly with a revolver as a gunslinger, but tougher and stronger, you will want a Rowdys on your side in a bar fight or when trying to stake a vampire. They can use almost every existent weapon , not only these firearms.
Scout: From the indian scout to Grizzly Adams, scouts are people used to live in the wilderness. They can follow trails, they can hunt, they can sneak behind you without you ever notice.
Shaman: White men ways have corrupted Indian spirit, but these Shamans, with their refusal to White Men life and their taking of the Old Ways, are in contact with spirits and can ask them for help.
To be continued... Soon. Very soon