The Inside Scoop on Gaming

So, what's behind the Deadlands hype? A lot of substance for one, partner! And some classy packagin' ta boot!

The system itself is worth the price of the book. At first, I was suprised to see that Deadlands uses all of those weird-shaped gaming dice (save the 30-sided and the 100-sided) that AD&D uses. But I was quickly relieved to notice that their system is very close to White Wolf's, but better. First, all you have to do is roll a certain number of certain dice, and if one reaches the target number, you succeed, sometimes doing better than you had expected. Only if you roll a majority of ones do you "go bust", or blow your attempt. Thus, higher-skilled people succeed more often than lower-skilled people, just like real life! As a bonus, you get to use poker chips (called "Fate Chips") and a deck of playing cards (for character generation, initiative, and to perform some special magic). Sounds complex, but the main rules make everything about this game simple to understand and run. Only lacks an index to make the rulebook perfect.

The Setting is "The Weird West." Picture a spaghetti western invaded by creatures from your worst nightmares. Picture sorcerors who cast magic with playing cards, or people who come back from the dead, or mad scientists who invent science-defying machinery at the price of sanity, or cool, steely gunslingers facing down opponents who are already dead, but don't seem to care. Picture "The Wild, Wild West" meets "Call of Cthulu." Now picture all of this going on during an overextended Civil War, with both the North and the South trying to vie for an advantage while covering up the evil. Throw in some campy Westerns and some "X-Files", and you've got the idea.

The only drawbacks I've seen would be 1) the need for so many different dice, and 2) the skimpiness of any specific location. Most rpg's suggest a locale to start your adventures, but Deadlands decided to concentrate on rules and atmosphere. Besides, plenty of sourcebooks are coming out soon, and the core rules cost $30 as it is!

I give Deadlands a thumbs up, and would go even further to say that this game is a near-perfect example of what roleplaying games should be and how they should be written. Did I forget to mention the cool art inside, or the fact that the game writer obviously enjoyed what he was doing? Hey, I gotta keep some things secret, or you won't want to buy the game!

So, hitch up yer saddle and rope this game! It's a steal at $30, and that ain't me whistling "Dixie," neither!

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

Deadlands
Author: Shane Lacy Hensley Category: game Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group Reviewed by Carl L. Congdon on 03/21/97. Genre tags: none	So, what's behind the Deadlands hype? A lot of substance for one, partner! And some classy packagin' ta boot! The system itself is worth the price of the book. At first, I was suprised to see that Deadlands uses all of those weird-shaped gaming dice (save the 30-sided and the 100-sided) that AD&D uses. But I was quickly relieved to notice that their system is very close to White Wolf's, but better. First, all you have to do is roll a certain number of certain dice, and if one reaches the target number, you succeed, sometimes doing better than you had expected. Only if you roll a majority of ones do you "go bust", or blow your attempt. Thus, higher-skilled people succeed more often than lower-skilled people, just like real life! As a bonus, you get to use poker chips (called "Fate Chips") and a deck of playing cards (for character generation, initiative, and to perform some special magic). Sounds complex, but the main rules make everything about this game simple to understand and run. Only lacks an index to make the rulebook perfect. The Setting is "The Weird West." Picture a spaghetti western invaded by creatures from your worst nightmares. Picture sorcerors who cast magic with playing cards, or people who come back from the dead, or mad scientists who invent science-defying machinery at the price of sanity, or cool, steely gunslingers facing down opponents who are already dead, but don't seem to care. Picture "The Wild, Wild West" meets "Call of Cthulu." Now picture all of this going on during an overextended Civil War, with both the North and the South trying to vie for an advantage while covering up the evil. Throw in some campy Westerns and some "X-Files", and you've got the idea. The only drawbacks I've seen would be 1) the need for so many different dice, and 2) the skimpiness of any specific location. Most rpg's suggest a locale to start your adventures, but Deadlands decided to concentrate on rules and atmosphere. Besides, plenty of sourcebooks are coming out soon, and the core rules cost $30 as it is! I give Deadlands a thumbs up, and would go even further to say that this game is a near-perfect example of what roleplaying games should be and how they should be written. Did I forget to mention the cool art inside, or the fact that the game writer obviously enjoyed what he was doing? Hey, I gotta keep some things secret, or you won't want to buy the game! So, hitch up yer saddle and rope this game! It's a steal at $30, and that ain't me whistling "Dixie," neither! Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)