So it all began with the Deadlands RPG. That “Weird West” game system which began humbly back in the late 90s has grown to become quite a phenomena in the RPG community. From a single mash-up of genre of Horror in the Old West, Deadlands RPG has spawned a power-house generic roleplaying system and a wide range of settings for the Savage Worlds rules set.
And now that the system has been overhauled in Deadlands Rebooted, Pinnacle Entertainment Group is laboring long and hard to offer even more content for the system. Currently, there is a successfully funded Kickstarter Campaign offering a chance to buy in on a new Setting Book for Deadlands entitled Stone and a Hard Place – a sourcebook and Plot Point Campaign with a ton of new content for the game system. With still three weeks left to go in this Kickstarter, and already entering into its seventh Stretch Goal, PEG has offered EN World Readers a chance to take a closer look at this new content in this Pre-Release Special Review!
Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place
Stone and a Hard Place is a new Plot Point Campaign and Sourcebook for the Deadlands Rebooted setting from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The Plot Point Campaign comes complete with new rules for Makin’ Heroes, which includes new Hindrances, Feats, and special rules for creating Harrowed (undead) characters to the posse. There is complete information and background on the Plot Point Campaign, including Setting Rules and Locales, plus setting information, NPCs, Savage Tales, and more!
Production Quality
The production quality of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is simply excellent, with great writing from the author and a beautiful graphical layout. The author’s writing style is fun and replete with Old West colloquialisms which makes the reading experience enjoyable, and also helps immersion in the setting material. The graphical layout has a colorful backdrop to the pages, and presents the material in a logical format. Headings and titles use a Copperplate-like font in sepia tone which further increase immersion, and side notes are presented on a nifty barn-board graphic.
The PDF comes complete with bookmarks and a table of contents – the latter internally hyperlinked to the appropriate sections of the sourcebook. But the number of PDF bookmarks is a bit scanty, with only ten covering a 164-page book. However, there could be more in the finished product, as the copy used for this review is clearly an advanced - albeit nearly complete - version of the book.
The artwork in Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is also quite impressive, with a dramatic and creepy cover art and a number of very impressive, scary, and imaginative pieces scattered throughout the Plot Point Campaign. The illustrators did a very fine job producing pieces which thematically match the sourcebook, and cover artist Daniel Rudnicki’s has done a fine job with this and other works for PEG.
(For those interested in seeing previous works by the cover artist, a collection of his art can be found here on display.)
I’m your Huckleberry…
While the main goal of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is to feature of a rather epic Plot Point Campaign, it is also a sourcebook which provides details about this particular Deadlands setting for both players and Marshalls (GMs) alike. The PDF is divided into two main parts: a Player’s Section containing new character creation options; and a Marshall’s Territory which offers not only the Plot Point Campaign, but setting rules, Savage Tales (side quests), and much more. Laudably, the player information and GM information are kept nicely separate, so as to try to avoid spoilers and sneak peeks.
Obviously, there is an assumption that players and Marshalls have access to the core Savage Worlds rulebooks to utilize this material. And ideally, the Deadlands Rebooted Player’s Guide and Deadlands Rebooted Marshall’s Guide should be readily available to the gaming group as well.
The introduction to the setting takes the form of The Tombstone Epitaph, beautifully rendered in old newspaper format, which contains a letter from the editor, along with a selection of background information delivered as news stories. As one might guess from this introduction, a feature of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is its starting locale – Tombstone, Arizona - which might make the setting more interesting and exciting for many RPG players! There are about seven pages of background content here for both Players and Marshalls, and all of it hints at some creepy and bizarre happenings around this old West boomtown - not to mention some very famous lawmen in residence!
For those unfamiliar with the Deadlands setting, there exists a spirit world called the Hunting Grounds filled with magic, monsters, demons, and abominations just waiting to be released upon humanity. The worst of these evil entities are called The Reckoners (think Four Horseman), and seek to “terrorform” the world into a Hell on Earth. This “Weird West” setting is a land where the historical Old West meets this other strange and dangerous world of evil and magic. Heroes enter this realm as Lawmen, occult investigators, hexslingers, shaman, and even the undead!
The Player’s Section opens with a chapter called Makin’ Heroes, and it details a number of new Hindrances and Edges to use in character design. In addition, there a whole new set of rules for allowing players to create Harrowed (undead) characters to enhance the macabre of the whole campaign. Harrowed have their own unique Hindrances and Edges, and are quite potent in their own right. But the “deaders” also have a new game mechanic called Dominion, which is a constant battle for control against the evil spirit (or manitou) which powers their un-life. Being a Harrowed also creates many role-playing issues for a player to overcome, such as healing wounds and dealing with NPCs who kill undead on sight!
This section also introduces the Hexslinger, a gunfighter which wields magical powers through a rune-enchanted weapon. This cool new archetype mixes a gunman and arcane spellcaster, and the sourcebook provides hexslingers with one new Edge, two new Powers, and a list of suggested Trappings to design into the character.
The Marshall’s Territory makes up the latter two-thirds or so of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place, and contains a ton of content for GMs to use in game. First is an overview of the background of the setting, called Death’s Domain, and contains a biography of the villain of this campaign, a man called Stone. There is also information here on threats both mundane (Rail Barons and Outlaw Gangs) and supernatural (Fearmongers and Harrowed), along with details on NPCs and allied organizations which might help out the heroes.
Next is a section details Setting Rules for this Plot Point Campaign. Here are rules for weather and dealing with the desert heat, alongside rules for what happens when a Harrowed character’s Donion Score drops into the negatives. (Hint: it’s really really scary!) In addition, there are rules for natural disasters like rockslides and rules for handling the Fame and Notoriety of the characters.
Strange Locales comprises a gazetteer of the Arizona Territory in the Deadlands setting. Major towns and settlements are detailed here, such as Yuma, Tombstone, Virginia City, along with nicely rendered maps of the region and even city maps for a few of the locales. Each locale entry consists of a short introduction, a section called Gettin’ There on how the heroes travel to the locale, and details on Points of Interest in and around the area. In some cases, there is reference to a Savage Tale later in the book which is appropriate for use in the locale. Most importantly, each entry also contains the Fear Level of the area, a game mechanic explained in Deadlands Rebooted: Marshall’s Guide. This mechanic represents the extent to which The Reckoners’ minions have “terrorformed” an area, and ranges from 0 (Tranquility) to 5 (Hellscape).
Adventures in the Wild Southwest provides a Marshall with a series of random encounter tables to use as filler around the Plot Point Campaign. The tables use the Action Deck to provide a general category of encounter, ranging from unusual events to monster encounters, or perhaps even good fortune like discovering treasures.
The Plot Point Campaign itself is contained in the section entitled Stone and a Hard Place, and is an epic struggle against an extremely dangerous servant of The Reckoners determined to bring about Hell on Earth. As previously mentioned, Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place begins the Plot Point Campaign in Tombstone of 1881, just before the fateful fight at the OK Corral, which puts the heroes right into momentous event with the Earps and Doc Holliday as co-patriots! Suffice it to say that the Plot Point Campaign ranges far beyond the environs of Tombstone, but the initial setting of the lawless boomtown will be a great enticement to many gamers fond of Old West legends. Stone is a horrifying dangerous adversary, and the heroes will likely have to achieve Legendary status before daring to face down the avatar of The Reckoners.
Finally, Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place provides two additional sections with more than a dozen Savage Tales (side trek adventures) and over two dozen Encounters. The latter consist of additional monsters and abominations to add to the lists found in Deadlands Rebooted Marshall’s Handbook, along with numerous NPCs both allies and outlaws.
Overall Score: 8.6 out of 10.0
Conclusions
There is a ton of great content in the Stone and a Hard Place sourcebook, and fans of the Deadlands setting are already lining up to get a piece of the action – if the success and numerous Stretch Goals of the Kickstarter are any indication! The writing is sharp, it’s fun to read, and the Plot Point Campaign tells a great and thrilling story of terror and the macabre in the Weird West. There is some great artwork in there as well, and plenty of material for creating some unique new heroes and adventures never before seen in the Deadlands setting.
Right now, the Kickstarter is fully funded and well into some amazing Stretch Goals, and plenty of time left to accumulate some more. Savage Worlds fans are well advised to jump in on this project to stake a claim on a new piece of the Deadlands for their very own!
Editorial Note: This Reviewer received a pre-release review copy of the product in PDF format from which this review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 0 to 10)
Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place
- Written by: Matthew Cutter
- Cover Art: Daniel Rudnicki
- Interior Art: Mike Burns, James Denton, Carly Sorge, Bryan Syme, Headfirst Studios
- Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group (PEG)
- Year: 2015
- Media: PDF (164 pages)
- Price: $20+ (Available in PDF and hardbound format through Kickstarter!)
Stone and a Hard Place is a new Plot Point Campaign and Sourcebook for the Deadlands Rebooted setting from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The Plot Point Campaign comes complete with new rules for Makin’ Heroes, which includes new Hindrances, Feats, and special rules for creating Harrowed (undead) characters to the posse. There is complete information and background on the Plot Point Campaign, including Setting Rules and Locales, plus setting information, NPCs, Savage Tales, and more!
Production Quality
The PDF comes complete with bookmarks and a table of contents – the latter internally hyperlinked to the appropriate sections of the sourcebook. But the number of PDF bookmarks is a bit scanty, with only ten covering a 164-page book. However, there could be more in the finished product, as the copy used for this review is clearly an advanced - albeit nearly complete - version of the book.
The artwork in Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is also quite impressive, with a dramatic and creepy cover art and a number of very impressive, scary, and imaginative pieces scattered throughout the Plot Point Campaign. The illustrators did a very fine job producing pieces which thematically match the sourcebook, and cover artist Daniel Rudnicki’s has done a fine job with this and other works for PEG.
(For those interested in seeing previous works by the cover artist, a collection of his art can be found here on display.)
I’m your Huckleberry…
While the main goal of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is to feature of a rather epic Plot Point Campaign, it is also a sourcebook which provides details about this particular Deadlands setting for both players and Marshalls (GMs) alike. The PDF is divided into two main parts: a Player’s Section containing new character creation options; and a Marshall’s Territory which offers not only the Plot Point Campaign, but setting rules, Savage Tales (side quests), and much more. Laudably, the player information and GM information are kept nicely separate, so as to try to avoid spoilers and sneak peeks.
The introduction to the setting takes the form of The Tombstone Epitaph, beautifully rendered in old newspaper format, which contains a letter from the editor, along with a selection of background information delivered as news stories. As one might guess from this introduction, a feature of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place is its starting locale – Tombstone, Arizona - which might make the setting more interesting and exciting for many RPG players! There are about seven pages of background content here for both Players and Marshalls, and all of it hints at some creepy and bizarre happenings around this old West boomtown - not to mention some very famous lawmen in residence!
For those unfamiliar with the Deadlands setting, there exists a spirit world called the Hunting Grounds filled with magic, monsters, demons, and abominations just waiting to be released upon humanity. The worst of these evil entities are called The Reckoners (think Four Horseman), and seek to “terrorform” the world into a Hell on Earth. This “Weird West” setting is a land where the historical Old West meets this other strange and dangerous world of evil and magic. Heroes enter this realm as Lawmen, occult investigators, hexslingers, shaman, and even the undead!
This section also introduces the Hexslinger, a gunfighter which wields magical powers through a rune-enchanted weapon. This cool new archetype mixes a gunman and arcane spellcaster, and the sourcebook provides hexslingers with one new Edge, two new Powers, and a list of suggested Trappings to design into the character.
The Marshall’s Territory makes up the latter two-thirds or so of Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place, and contains a ton of content for GMs to use in game. First is an overview of the background of the setting, called Death’s Domain, and contains a biography of the villain of this campaign, a man called Stone. There is also information here on threats both mundane (Rail Barons and Outlaw Gangs) and supernatural (Fearmongers and Harrowed), along with details on NPCs and allied organizations which might help out the heroes.
Next is a section details Setting Rules for this Plot Point Campaign. Here are rules for weather and dealing with the desert heat, alongside rules for what happens when a Harrowed character’s Donion Score drops into the negatives. (Hint: it’s really really scary!) In addition, there are rules for natural disasters like rockslides and rules for handling the Fame and Notoriety of the characters.
Adventures in the Wild Southwest provides a Marshall with a series of random encounter tables to use as filler around the Plot Point Campaign. The tables use the Action Deck to provide a general category of encounter, ranging from unusual events to monster encounters, or perhaps even good fortune like discovering treasures.
The Plot Point Campaign itself is contained in the section entitled Stone and a Hard Place, and is an epic struggle against an extremely dangerous servant of The Reckoners determined to bring about Hell on Earth. As previously mentioned, Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place begins the Plot Point Campaign in Tombstone of 1881, just before the fateful fight at the OK Corral, which puts the heroes right into momentous event with the Earps and Doc Holliday as co-patriots! Suffice it to say that the Plot Point Campaign ranges far beyond the environs of Tombstone, but the initial setting of the lawless boomtown will be a great enticement to many gamers fond of Old West legends. Stone is a horrifying dangerous adversary, and the heroes will likely have to achieve Legendary status before daring to face down the avatar of The Reckoners.
Finally, Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place provides two additional sections with more than a dozen Savage Tales (side trek adventures) and over two dozen Encounters. The latter consist of additional monsters and abominations to add to the lists found in Deadlands Rebooted Marshall’s Handbook, along with numerous NPCs both allies and outlaws.
Overall Score: 8.6 out of 10.0
Conclusions
There is a ton of great content in the Stone and a Hard Place sourcebook, and fans of the Deadlands setting are already lining up to get a piece of the action – if the success and numerous Stretch Goals of the Kickstarter are any indication! The writing is sharp, it’s fun to read, and the Plot Point Campaign tells a great and thrilling story of terror and the macabre in the Weird West. There is some great artwork in there as well, and plenty of material for creating some unique new heroes and adventures never before seen in the Deadlands setting.
Right now, the Kickstarter is fully funded and well into some amazing Stretch Goals, and plenty of time left to accumulate some more. Savage Worlds fans are well advised to jump in on this project to stake a claim on a new piece of the Deadlands for their very own!
Editorial Note: This Reviewer received a pre-release review copy of the product in PDF format from which this review was written.
Grade Card (Ratings 0 to 10)
- Presentation: 8.5
- - Design: 8.5 (Great writing; fantastic layout; a wonderful reading experience!)
- - Illustrations: 8.5 (Lovely interior art; plenty of cool maps; the unfinished cover art looks awesome!)
- Content: 9.25
- - Crunch: 9.0 (Great new mechanics; exciting player options; tons of GM material)
- - Fluff: 9.5 (Very intense story; tons of subplots and side treks; a very rich setting!)
- Value: 8.0 (Solid Price for the sourcebook and Kickstarter Stretch Goals)
