City o’ Gloom is a
Deadlands boxed set supplement on the World’s most technologically advanced city, Salt Lake City. One word describes this haven of Scientific Romance: Hellstromme.
Why am I reviewing the City o’ Gloom Boxed Set?
After reading other reviews of City o’ Gloom, I decided, that a voice from a native of Salt Lake City would add an unique perspective. Also, my review will also be unique since that I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-Day Saints.
First Impressions
Okay, let me say that I am a supporter of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. That amendment guarantees Freedom of Speech. So I am against the notion of “political correctness.” Which is another term for “you say what I tell you to say and everyone gets along. If you don’t, we’ll brand you for being a -phobe, or hater, or racist.”
The boxed set isn’t Politically Correct in any sense of the word. What the book starts with is the Tombstone Epitaph’s Guide to the City o’ Gloom. The Tombstone Epitaph gives an overview of Church History from the perspective of Six Hundred Pound Sally, a “gentile” resident of Salt Lake City – she’s a gentile all the way, I would say. As I am a Latter-Day Saint, I did find the discourse offensive.
But we are talking about how the World saw the Church in 1877 C.E., not in 2001 C.E. Then the Epitaph goes on with Six Hundred Pound Sally’s guide to Salt Lake City. And incidently, Professor Darius Hellstromme.
Despite City o’ Gloom’s faults, I liked it.
What does the Boxed Set include
The Boxed Set includes the City of Gloom sourcebook, which is separated into three parts: the Posse, No Man’s Land, and Marshal Law. The Posse contains everything the player needs to know about Salt Lake City, including the history of the Latter-Day Saints, a bit of Utah History, and a lot of the common knowledge of the Personalities of Brigham Young, Orrin Porter Rockwell, and of course, Professor Darius Hellstromme and a little about his relationship with the Saints.
Of these three personalities, two are accurately portrayed from the perspective of someone who does not belong to the Church. Brigham Young and Orrin Porter Rockwell. Both were real historical figures of History. Brigham Young is portrayed a complex man in the game, and Orrin Porter Rockwell as a loose cannon. One is the great administrator, and one is the bodyguard. Orrin was the bodyguard and even now his history is controversial. Given my knowledge of Brother Brigham over Orrin, I would portray Brigham Young a little differently that what is written and Orrin as he is written. Doctor Darius Hellstromme is different – a completely fictional character, Hellstromme is portrayed in the book as a Villain who is setting himself up for tragedy. He plays with Science as if it were tinker-toys, not even worrying about consequences of what he is doing. Think of him as Deadlands’ Citizen Kane, I’d portray him that way. After all, there are good reasons why he is doing this, and that is the real tragedy.
Chapter two describes Skullchucker, a free game that comes with the boxed set! I don’t know why the Mormons of Salt Lake City (in DL’s 1877) put up with this in the Junkyard, but what the heck, it’s a free game.
The new archetypes are good. But a Mormon preacher? I thought everyone in my Church gives sermons and talks when asked too, even in 1877. But the concept (to fit a stereotype) fits some people in Church around that time. Now if future editions would just dump that preacher collar . . .
No Man’s Land, Chapter Three, describes the relics of the Desert. From the First Edition of The Book of Mormon to Joseph Smith’s Pistol to John D. Lee’s knife, this describes the relics that some Mormons find and use against the Reckoners. Even Hellstromme’s Blueprints are reprinted from the Marshal’s Handbook (no, wait, isn’t that the other way around?).
The Marshal’s Handbook section details what is REALLY going on in Salt Lake City. Nothing is to damaging to the players, as it describes Brigham Young and his Relationship to Hellstromme and Smith and Robards (which is described in the Smith and Robards supplement). Doctor Darius Hellstrome and his relationship with Young and Smith and Robards. Other than the critter and personnel statistics, everything is safe for the players to read, or for the Marshal to reveal in his own way.
The boxed set comes with two handbooks: one on combining Huckster magic with Technology. Another comes with a handbook on augmenting the human body with mechanical replacements that run on steam, and, get this, Biological Augmentation (the Gills). I think I’ll be wicked on my players and add genetic rejection in my game.
Then there is a poster map. Turn it over and you get the Skullchucker arena. It also comes with markers for your Skullchucker game. After all, Skullchucker is free.
The Good
It wasn’t the Art. It was the content that was good. Everything you need to know about Salt Lake City in the Deadlands. From Salt Rattlers to Utah Culture, to President Brigham Young and Doctor Hellstromme. And even a free game!
But the best part is how Shane L. Hensley handled the description of the Salt Lake Temple, and what goes on there. He said very plainly, he does not know what goes on there. So he leaves it up to the Marshal. Some advice to any Marshal, don’t worry about it. The Salt Lake Temple is there as scenery, and wasn’t really completed until 1896 C.E.
The Bad
The Art is probably the worst part of the boxed set. The picture of Joseph Smith does not look like the Prophet at all. He has the likeness of Peter Lori, not Vincent Price, who played Smith in a movie about Brigham Young.
Another thing bad about the boxed set is not one mention on how bad it gets in Salt Lake City during November or December. If you think the City of Gloom was called that because of the Factories’ soot, wait until you actually come to Salt Lake City during one of our foggiest days. Because of a Temperature Inversion, the Salt Lake Valley gets haze during the summer and fog during the winter. Combine the fog with the smoke from those factories, and what do you get? Smog. That’s right. Gloomy, black smog.
Conclusions
The City o’ Gloom boxed set is perhaps one of Pinnacle Entertainment Group’s best supplements for one of their best games. This is required for any Marshal’s library, with Darius Hellstromme, Brigham Young, and the Mormon Church as it rounds out that part of the Deadlands universe. Besides, where else in the DL universe will you get a city that has Electricity some 40 years early? Paris or London? Probably not. With a 30 dollar price tag, it seems hefty compared to most sourcebooks and supplements. But hey, it comes with a free game.
To round out the boxed set further, I suggest that the Marshal somehow procures a book on Utah History and read through it to get a feel on what happened in the real world. After all, it is a good boxed set, and a little scholarship on the History of Utah won’t hurt the set. It may even actually help it.
I highly recommend it as I am giving it a 5 for content and a 5 for style.
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