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That's right, this book is written by the many fans of Deadlands™. The company asked for submissions of weird critters and chose the best to make a "monster manual" of over 40 beasties. They range from even more walkin' dead to critters spawned from nightmares to big, nasty insects. But there is also more to the book...

The book has the familiar Posse Territory and Marshal's Handbook. The Posse section opens with how players can create animal companions. Instead of a player getting a human buddy should he take the 5-point Sidekick Edge, he can opt for an animal created in the same manner as a sidekick, with Traits and Aptitudes. The two examples used in the book are: a horse and a dog. Other animals I can think of using are: a wolf, coyote, or bear for a mountain-man archetype or a dolphin for someone in the Great Maze. Either way, the rules are there.

Next, is the descriptions of the critters. This is presented as a Bestiary of North America produced by the Explorers Society. I liked this added bonus. The Society can be used by the Marshal to start an adventure. ("Good day, gentlemen. I have need of a few brave souls to ...yadda yadda yadda... and capture a live Mexican Dragon.") Even a player character could be part of the Society. As for the beasts, well as I said there is a lot of variety. The PEG people did a good job of picking weird ones. Each one-page description of the critters is handy for causing an adventure idea to pop into a Marshal's head. For my tastes though, I found I would use only a handful. However, I believe many people will find most of these creatures useful, because they were created by the fans of the game.

A more detailed background of the Explorers Society is given in the Marshal's section. I found this intriguing and the Society and its members may become a plot device for me. A discussion on abominations, fearmongers and the Reckoners is given to clear up what was printed in the main rulebook. This was handy for me, too. The monsters game stats and extra bits of info for each are presented at the end.

The book gives rules for animal companions, discusses the Explorers Society and offers over 40 creatures for use in your game. It's a good book to have.

Style: 3 (Average)
Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Deadlands: Rascals, Varmints and Critters
Author: Fans of Deadlands Category: game Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Cost: $20.00 Page count: 128 ISBN: 1-889546-06-2 Capsule Review by Martin Ward on 01/04/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Old_West	That's right, this book is written by the many fans of Deadlands™. The company asked for submissions of weird critters and chose the best to make a "monster manual" of over 40 beasties. They range from even more walkin' dead to critters spawned from nightmares to big, nasty insects. But there is also more to the book... The book has the familiar Posse Territory and Marshal's Handbook. The Posse section opens with how players can create animal companions. Instead of a player getting a human buddy should he take the 5-point Sidekick Edge, he can opt for an animal created in the same manner as a sidekick, with Traits and Aptitudes. The two examples used in the book are: a horse and a dog. Other animals I can think of using are: a wolf, coyote, or bear for a mountain-man archetype or a dolphin for someone in the Great Maze. Either way, the rules are there. Next, is the descriptions of the critters. This is presented as a Bestiary of North America produced by the Explorers Society. I liked this added bonus. The Society can be used by the Marshal to start an adventure. ("Good day, gentlemen. I have need of a few brave souls to ...yadda yadda yadda... and capture a live Mexican Dragon.") Even a player character could be part of the Society. As for the beasts, well as I said there is a lot of variety. The PEG people did a good job of picking weird ones. Each one-page description of the critters is handy for causing an adventure idea to pop into a Marshal's head. For my tastes though, I found I would use only a handful. However, I believe many people will find most of these creatures useful, because they were created by the fans of the game. A more detailed background of the Explorers Society is given in the Marshal's section. I found this intriguing and the Society and its members may become a plot device for me. A discussion on abominations, fearmongers and the Reckoners is given to clear up what was printed in the main rulebook. This was handy for me, too. The monsters game stats and extra bits of info for each are presented at the end. The book gives rules for animal companions, discusses the Explorers Society and offers over 40 creatures for use in your game. It's a good book to have. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Deadlands: Rascals, Varmints and Critters