The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Okay, having finished an Unreal deathmatch with my coworkers, the last thing in my thoughts was 'hey, I think I will sit down with a book-- in fact, make that an old west solitaire adventure'. Far better to farm this out to one of the other reviewers with more time and... hey, wait, what's this, the starting scene is historical?

As in, based on real-world Old West? Yea gods, this is... engrossing. Riveting. Fascinating, even. Okay, maybe I'll give this a try.

[Time passes]

Woo hoo! This rocked. Despite my apprehensions, I had a rompin' good time. This is a very well made adventure. Okay, let's get into details.

What:

It's a solitaire adventure book, as in, you sit down by your lonesome and read through, making decisions and flippin' to different pages based on the outcome. Sometimes you'll roll a handful of six-sider dice, sometimes you have to keep track of how much money ya got left, but the bookkeeping ain't the point. It's solidly rooted in decisions-- not luck, not arbitrary calls by the writer, not the whims of Dame Fortune. Instead, the author really seems to have thought out the consequences of one's actions.

Who:

You're the protagonist, U.S Marshall "Red" Lewis. Red's one of the few fictional creations here, as we'll see in "Where", but I thought the name was a nice touch. Sure, the book uses the generic 'he', but one can in theory be a chick deputy holding her own in the Old West, with a bit of a stretch.

Where and When:

You're in Abeline, Kansas, in 1871. After a nice intro event (that actually happened), you're on the trail of a wanted man, Johnny Cohron. Simple. eh?

How:

Once you grab the book, you're really all set. I like that you don't need the Knuckleduster rules or the twelve clan sourcebooks or the specific manuals. Despite being unencumbered by such, this book still keeps the roleplaying flavor alive. Unlike a video game, there's more depth to the interactions, more social choices (beyond just "plug 'em or let 'em live"), and a fascinating town.

You also get a good sense that time is flowing, and that clues are building. The story is in part a set of interconnecting mysteries, of who did what to whom and when. As a Marshall, you gotta make the right calls, or people will start closing you out.

Production Values

With decent cover art and interior illustrations, in a nicely made book with good paper stock and clean printing, this was an easy book to sit down with. Plus, it wasn't something I'd be ashamed of being caught with by a non-gamer, which is always a plus. Besides the clean organization, there are also nice little historical footnotes sprinkled liberally in the book, letting you know what "real" history said about a given scene.

Real History

It's the very real flavor of the history that makes this that much more appealing. You really get the sense of being part of a larger world, not just a rat in a box. And there's the extra kick of seeing how you rate compared to the way the past originally played out. It's really almost like being there.

Educational?

Rather than give this book the kiss of death by claiming it's educational or (god forbid) 'edutainment', I'll simply say that, were I a history teacher, I could do a lot worse than buying a gross of these to give out to my students for an "Old West" unit. In fact, the mood itself within the game is so geared towards realism and real history, that a lot of the western cliches are rather deflated. The book's portrayal of prostitution, for example, is both cold and accurate, and I admire it for being honest. Likewise, the take on the virtues of law enforcement should be required reading for anyone doing re-enactment work.

Fun!

Ultimately, this was fun to play. And play again. Although it's just one goal ('get your man'), it escapes the binds of linearity by having side plots, red herrings, different avenues, and multiple approaches. In fact, by constraining it to a bounty hunt (instead of, say, a generic 'find fortune' or 'become powerful'), they've given themselves enough room to really flesh out the world and the options you can do. So this book has good repeat playability.

In case you haven't figured out that I liked this yet, I'll mention the price. Cheap. $17.95. For lots of pages, good replayability, nice pass-along value (as in, something you can loan others to enjoy, too), and really low overhead (for when your gaming group are too busy and you need your fix).

They've got a free version up at Kuckleduster.com, for those too cowardly to leap up and buy it outright. But take it from me straight: if a feller comes up to you and says to buy it, or eat hot lead, it's a good time to bring out that money. But even if that don't happen, getting this book is a fun course to take.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Devil's Addition
Author: Forrest Harris Category: game Company/Publisher: Knuckleduster Publications Cost: $17.95 Page count: 136 ISBN: 0-9667046-0-6 Playtest Review by Sandy Antunes on 01/25/99. Genre tags: Historical Old_West	Okay, having finished an Unreal deathmatch with my coworkers, the last thing in my thoughts was 'hey, I think I will sit down with a book-- in fact, make that an old west solitaire adventure'. Far better to farm this out to one of the other reviewers with more time and... hey, wait, what's this, the starting scene is historical? As in, based on real-world Old West? Yea gods, this is... engrossing. Riveting. Fascinating, even. Okay, maybe I'll give this a try. [Time passes] Woo hoo! This rocked. Despite my apprehensions, I had a rompin' good time. This is a very well made adventure. Okay, let's get into details. What: It's a solitaire adventure book, as in, you sit down by your lonesome and read through, making decisions and flippin' to different pages based on the outcome. Sometimes you'll roll a handful of six-sider dice, sometimes you have to keep track of how much money ya got left, but the bookkeeping ain't the point. It's solidly rooted in decisions-- not luck, not arbitrary calls by the writer, not the whims of Dame Fortune. Instead, the author really seems to have thought out the consequences of one's actions. Who: You're the protagonist, U.S Marshall "Red" Lewis. Red's one of the few fictional creations here, as we'll see in "Where", but I thought the name was a nice touch. Sure, the book uses the generic 'he', but one can in theory be a chick deputy holding her own in the Old West, with a bit of a stretch. Where and When: You're in Abeline, Kansas, in 1871. After a nice intro event (that actually happened), you're on the trail of a wanted man, Johnny Cohron. Simple. eh? How: Once you grab the book, you're really all set. I like that you don't need the Knuckleduster rules or the twelve clan sourcebooks or the specific manuals. Despite being unencumbered by such, this book still keeps the roleplaying flavor alive. Unlike a video game, there's more depth to the interactions, more social choices (beyond just "plug 'em or let 'em live"), and a fascinating town. You also get a good sense that time is flowing, and that clues are building. The story is in part a set of interconnecting mysteries, of who did what to whom and when. As a Marshall, you gotta make the right calls, or people will start closing you out. Production Values With decent cover art and interior illustrations, in a nicely made book with good paper stock and clean printing, this was an easy book to sit down with. Plus, it wasn't something I'd be ashamed of being caught with by a non-gamer, which is always a plus. Besides the clean organization, there are also nice little historical footnotes sprinkled liberally in the book, letting you know what "real" history said about a given scene. Real History It's the very real flavor of the history that makes this that much more appealing. You really get the sense of being part of a larger world, not just a rat in a box. And there's the extra kick of seeing how you rate compared to the way the past originally played out. It's really almost like being there. Educational? Rather than give this book the kiss of death by claiming it's educational or (god forbid) 'edutainment', I'll simply say that, were I a history teacher, I could do a lot worse than buying a gross of these to give out to my students for an "Old West" unit. In fact, the mood itself within the game is so geared towards realism and real history, that a lot of the western cliches are rather deflated. The book's portrayal of prostitution, for example, is both cold and accurate, and I admire it for being honest. Likewise, the take on the virtues of law enforcement should be required reading for anyone doing re-enactment work. Fun! Ultimately, this was fun to play. And play again. Although it's just one goal ('get your man'), it escapes the binds of linearity by having side plots, red herrings, different avenues, and multiple approaches. In fact, by constraining it to a bounty hunt (instead of, say, a generic 'find fortune' or 'become powerful'), they've given themselves enough room to really flesh out the world and the options you can do. So this book has good repeat playability. In case you haven't figured out that I liked this yet, I'll mention the price. Cheap. $17.95. For lots of pages, good replayability, nice pass-along value (as in, something you can loan others to enjoy, too), and really low overhead (for when your gaming group are too busy and you need your fix). They've got a free version up at Kuckleduster.com, for those too cowardly to leap up and buy it outright. But take it from me straight: if a feller comes up to you and says to buy it, or eat hot lead, it's a good time to bring out that money. But even if that don't happen, getting this book is a fun course to take. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

The Devil's Addition