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Strange Bedfellows
Deadlands Dime Novel/module #4
Crossover with rules for Werewolf: the Wild West

Author: Matt Forbeck
Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

First Impressions: "Strange Bedfellows," like the rest of the Dime Novel series, is half short story, half module. This one, however, is part one of the "Under a Harrowed Moon" trilogy crossover with White Wolf's new "Werewolf: the Wild West" system. Here the Weird West and the Savage West clash with a deafening burst of gunfire and ferocious snarls.

Content: The short story focuses on the further adventures of Ronan Chantry and his erstwhile companions Velvet Van Helter and "Bad Luck" Betty McGrew. The trio have to deal with the a villian from the Savage West who threatens both worlds. This is a useful way of giving GM's an idea how their game could possibly turn out without out and out telling them.

The writing is solid and manages to get the job done without a lot of polish. I've read several of the earlier Dime Novels and each time the writing gets better. If the trend holds, I expect a full fledged novel from Matt Forbeck sometime in the next year or two.

Both the module and the story are set in Monument Valley, Arizona. There aren't very many places that are majestic enough to provide a suitable background for the end of two worlds, but Monument Valley has to be one of them. It also provides a nearly endless array of hills and valleys that don't require any particular mapping due to the scale. This is good because most Deadlands maps are more artistic than useful.

Evaluation: I'm rather surprised at the lack of detail in this module. While it is a rather simple story, I've grown accustomed to having Bounty Points clearly marked and clues scattered throughout. The few bits of local color don't make up for the scanty information provided for the supporting characters. The main NPC's are fully documented with their history, motivation, and stats for both Deadlands and Werewolf, but the generic gun-totin' guards were given basic combat stats. I may be a bit of a stickler, but with so many effects in both game systems that can target attributes I would have appreciated something more than one ranged weapon skill and one melee skill.

It appears that the attention was directed to the rules converting Werewolf: the Wild West characters over to Deadlands. Here you can convert your favorite Garou over for use in the Weird West. The rules are fairly simple and do a good job of converting the characters. There are a few places that they seem thin, but nothing that should break a game.

For someone looking to pick up a hook to drag players into a pregenerated story arc, "Strange Bedfellows" does the job. The supplement is equally suited for Werewolf or Deadlands games as it's not too hard for a group of elders to order a young pack into the Umbra to hunt down a criminal.

Conclusion: Despite the lack of detail, this module is still suited for use by starting Marshals/Storytellers. The story is simple, yet engaging, and there's enough random details to pull anyone into the old west. The $4.95 cover price does a lot to soothe any ire as these days you're lucky to pick up a GM's screen for less than $10.

Style: 4 (Classy and well done)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Strange Bedfellows
Author: Matt Forbeck Category: game Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. Cost: $4.95 Page count: 64 Playtest Review by James McPherson on 06/06/98. Genre tags: none	Strange Bedfellows Deadlands Dime Novel/module #4 Crossover with rules for Werewolf: the Wild West Author: Matt Forbeck Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. First Impressions: "Strange Bedfellows," like the rest of the Dime Novel series, is half short story, half module. This one, however, is part one of the "Under a Harrowed Moon" trilogy crossover with White Wolf's new "Werewolf: the Wild West" system. Here the Weird West and the Savage West clash with a deafening burst of gunfire and ferocious snarls. Content: The short story focuses on the further adventures of Ronan Chantry and his erstwhile companions Velvet Van Helter and "Bad Luck" Betty McGrew. The trio have to deal with the a villian from the Savage West who threatens both worlds. This is a useful way of giving GM's an idea how their game could possibly turn out without out and out telling them. The writing is solid and manages to get the job done without a lot of polish. I've read several of the earlier Dime Novels and each time the writing gets better. If the trend holds, I expect a full fledged novel from Matt Forbeck sometime in the next year or two. Both the module and the story are set in Monument Valley, Arizona. There aren't very many places that are majestic enough to provide a suitable background for the end of two worlds, but Monument Valley has to be one of them. It also provides a nearly endless array of hills and valleys that don't require any particular mapping due to the scale. This is good because most Deadlands maps are more artistic than useful. Evaluation: I'm rather surprised at the lack of detail in this module. While it is a rather simple story, I've grown accustomed to having Bounty Points clearly marked and clues scattered throughout. The few bits of local color don't make up for the scanty information provided for the supporting characters. The main NPC's are fully documented with their history, motivation, and stats for both Deadlands and Werewolf, but the generic gun-totin' guards were given basic combat stats. I may be a bit of a stickler, but with so many effects in both game systems that can target attributes I would have appreciated something more than one ranged weapon skill and one melee skill. It appears that the attention was directed to the rules converting Werewolf: the Wild West characters over to Deadlands. Here you can convert your favorite Garou over for use in the Weird West. The rules are fairly simple and do a good job of converting the characters. There are a few places that they seem thin, but nothing that should break a game. For someone looking to pick up a hook to drag players into a pregenerated story arc, "Strange Bedfellows" does the job. The supplement is equally suited for Werewolf or Deadlands games as it's not too hard for a group of elders to order a young pack into the Umbra to hunt down a criminal. Conclusion: Despite the lack of detail, this module is still suited for use by starting Marshals/Storytellers. The story is simple, yet engaging, and there's enough random details to pull anyone into the old west. The $4.95 cover price does a lot to soothe any ire as these days you're lucky to pick up a GM's screen for less than $10. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 3 (Average)