Author: Shane Lace Hensley
Category: game
Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Cost: $30.00 U.S.
Page count: 224
ISBN: 1-889546-01-1
Playtest Review by Joe Van Ginkel on 03/09/99.
Genre tags: Fantasy Science_fiction Horror Old_West

Now, it's my bet that almost anyone who reads this review sheet each week knows about the original Deadlands. Some of you may not. I just recently tried it myself and it was THE A-1 BOMB. The game is set in a really screwed-up version of the old West, and the characters (such as gunfighters, magicians called "hucksters," Texas Rangers, and other nutcases), must do battle with evil spirits called manitous to save the old West from their bosses, the Reckoners. The game's mechanics are simple and use lots of dice (I always find a game more fun if I get to chuck handfuls of dice, even if I only get to use the highest result). Another cool part of the game is character creation. You use a deck of cards to get your character's attribute scores. Definitely original.

My advice to you is to hunt down this game, and give it a whack.

Style: 5 (Excellent!)
Substance: 5 (Excellent!)