The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Back East: The North

by Rick Dakan and Jack Emmert

$20

128 pages, perfect bound

ISBN 1-889546-53-4

Back East: The South

by Steven S. Long, Christopher McGlothlin, and Kenneth Hite

$20

128 pages, perfect bound

ISBN 1-889546-55-0

Grade: B

reviewed by Lisa Padol

These books fill a gap that has existed for far too long in Deadlands: The Weird West. The game is set in an alternate world where magic works and the Civil War is still going on in the late 1870s. Until recently, all of the settings described were west of the Mississippi, and the ongoing Civil War was largely kept in the background.

The two Back East books change that. Each contains an issue of the Tombstone Epitaph covering the region in question;, a section on new edges, hindrances, and archetypes; a section telling the GM the truth behind the stories covered in the Epitaph; and an issue of the Deadlands Dispatch containing miscellaneous material for the game.

I preferred The North, but, as a New Yorker, I am biased. Still, it felt more unified, perhaps because the Epitaph section is written by one character, whereas its southern counterpart is written by three.

Or perhaps I'm still annoyed at the emphasis on political correctness in the South book. I have no problem with the idea of slavery ending in the Deadlands South; there are good practical reasons for this. But the book goes further, saying:

Racist characters that do appear in our books...almost always play the role of villains....This may not be the most realistic way to portray people...but it's the way that allows the most players to have the most fun. (Back East: The South, page 4)

Am I and my gaming group that atypical? We enjoy shades of gray more than evil for evil's sake.

I wouldn't even mind the black and white view of the world if the authors didn't feel the need to get up on a soapbox and boast about it, in the process telling me what is and isn't fun. All right, all right. I'll get down off -my- soapbox and back to the game.

Both books describe the major cities of the area. There are plenty of maps, although it would help if the maps indicated the locations of the neighborhoods described in the accompanying text. This is particularly true of the North book.

The North book contains fighting maneuvers for bare-handed fighting, since folks back East don't approve of people carrying guns. I hope that these rules eventually get collected and printed in a book containing the addenda scattered throughout the various Deadlands books.

The Epitaph sections in both books have loads of scenario seeds, including mysterious monsters, spy rings for both sides in the war, and the pervasive forces of the Reckoners. My favorite part of the North book was the material on the Masons. My favorite part of the South book was the convoluted conspiracies surrounding President Davies, although it seemed like the Epitaph writer knew a little more than he should have.

It would be nice if the Epitaph sections were detachable player handouts, but I suspect that this would result in a more costly product. It would also be nice if there weren't so many typos. The art and layout are decent.

Used together, these books allow GMs to run campaigns that never go west of the Mississippi, although the authors make it clear that the East is intended to be a rare change of pace, not a long term setting. (Clearly, mere gamers cannot be trusted to know what they enjoy. All right, no more soapbox.)

Both books are delightful and helpful even if the action never moves back East. After all, the situation in the East affects what is going on in the West, and knowing more about it helps define PCs and NPCs that hail from the East, or that have strong ties there. I do wonder what the rest of the world is like, but for now, I'm satisfied with the information in these books.

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

Back East: North and Back East: South
Author: Back East: The South by Steven S. Long, Christopher McGlothlin, and Kenneth Hite; Back East: The North by Rick Dakan and Jack Emmert Category: game Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group Line: Deadlands: The Weird West Cost: $20 each Page count: 128 pages, perfect bound, each ISBN: North: ISBN 1-889546-53-4 South: ISBN 1-889546-55-0 Capsule Review by Lisa Padol on 09/24/99. Genre tags: Fantasy Horror Old_West	Back East: The North by Rick Dakan and Jack Emmert $20 128 pages, perfect bound ISBN 1-889546-53-4 Back East: The South by Steven S. Long, Christopher McGlothlin, and Kenneth Hite $20 128 pages, perfect bound ISBN 1-889546-55-0 Grade: B reviewed by Lisa Padol These books fill a gap that has existed for far too long in Deadlands: The Weird West. The game is set in an alternate world where magic works and the Civil War is still going on in the late 1870s. Until recently, all of the settings described were west of the Mississippi, and the ongoing Civil War was largely kept in the background. The two Back East books change that. Each contains an issue of the Tombstone Epitaph covering the region in question;, a section on new edges, hindrances, and archetypes; a section telling the GM the truth behind the stories covered in the Epitaph; and an issue of the Deadlands Dispatch containing miscellaneous material for the game. I preferred The North, but, as a New Yorker, I am biased. Still, it felt more unified, perhaps because the Epitaph section is written by one character, whereas its southern counterpart is written by three. Or perhaps I'm still annoyed at the emphasis on political correctness in the South book. I have no problem with the idea of slavery ending in the Deadlands South; there are good practical reasons for this. But the book goes further, saying: Racist characters that do appear in our books...almost always play the role of villains....This may not be the most realistic way to portray people...but it's the way that allows the most players to have the most fun. (Back East: The South, page 4) Am I and my gaming group that atypical? We enjoy shades of gray more than evil for evil's sake. I wouldn't even mind the black and white view of the world if the authors didn't feel the need to get up on a soapbox and boast about it, in the process telling me what is and isn't fun. All right, all right. I'll get down off -my- soapbox and back to the game. Both books describe the major cities of the area. There are plenty of maps, although it would help if the maps indicated the locations of the neighborhoods described in the accompanying text. This is particularly true of the North book. The North book contains fighting maneuvers for bare-handed fighting, since folks back East don't approve of people carrying guns. I hope that these rules eventually get collected and printed in a book containing the addenda scattered throughout the various Deadlands books. The Epitaph sections in both books have loads of scenario seeds, including mysterious monsters, spy rings for both sides in the war, and the pervasive forces of the Reckoners. My favorite part of the North book was the material on the Masons. My favorite part of the South book was the convoluted conspiracies surrounding President Davies, although it seemed like the Epitaph writer knew a little more than he should have. It would be nice if the Epitaph sections were detachable player handouts, but I suspect that this would result in a more costly product. It would also be nice if there weren't so many typos. The art and layout are decent. Used together, these books allow GMs to run campaigns that never go west of the Mississippi, although the authors make it clear that the East is intended to be a rare change of pace, not a long term setting. (Clearly, mere gamers cannot be trusted to know what they enjoy. All right, no more soapbox.) Both books are delightful and helpful even if the action never moves back East. After all, the situation in the East affects what is going on in the West, and knowing more about it helps define PCs and NPCs that hail from the East, or that have strong ties there. I do wonder what the rest of the world is like, but for now, I'm satisfied with the information in these books. Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 4 (Meaty)

Back East: North and Back East: South