The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Welp, pardner, I got a couple o' things ta say about this fine piece o' work. One, it shure will liven up yer games o' Great Rail Wars. Two, it will force you to speak in an annoyin' pseudo-Weird Western accent like this.

A Fist Full o' Ghost Rock includes new rules and three very nice campaigns for the Great Rail Wars. The rules are things that you didn't realize you were missing, but now that you have them, you can't imagine how you played without them. For instance, the rules for "callin' out" gunslingers. Rules for duels. When you introduce duels to folk like hucksters, automations and Hangin' Judges, life gets REAL interesting, indeed. But it is all there- callin' a halt, findin' the right spot, and slappin' leather. Oh, and cheatin' of course - what did you think, there was HONOR in the Weird West?

Okay, there are some details on things like rogues - things and people who aren't on a side on a gunfight, but take place in the game because they can. Onery things like rattlers and the like fall into this category. Then there are things like giving your posses experience and creating veterans. That's if you are sissy enough to have troops survive a game.

The real meaty part of this book (good eatin'!) are the three campaigns. Each of the campaigns uses some special rules for regrouping and injuries and such - those nice folks at Pinnacle did not leave any thing to guessin'. And, each one has special briefings and events for the players - these are a real treat, but I can't tell you anything without spoiling the surprise. Tough. I'll go over each campaign individually - they've earned it. Don't complain if I don't tell everything you want to know - this book, like everything in Deadlands, excells on keeping things a little bit secret. You'll thank me for leaving you some surprises. (Now be quiet before I try out my new six-shooter on ya…)

The first one, "A Fist Full o' Ghost Rock", is a campaign for up to six players. There is a struggle over the rights to the rails in the town of Trouble, Colorado. Each of the Rail Barons has sent Enforcers to Trouble to work out an arrangement with the mayor. Then, the Drifter - a right dangerous and onery woman - rides into town.

This campaign features three battles, culminating in a real "harrowing" time in trouble. And, the name says a lot about what ends up happening.

The second one is Trail O' Blood. A nasty little campaign, where the retreating forces of "Sterling" Ben Stern are trying to escape the forces of "Bloody" Marty Coltrane. This four-battle campaign features a lot of heroic elements - honorable Ben Stern trying to not leave any man behind, and Marty Coltrane trying squash Ben Stern like a bug. Plus, there are a few surprises. But you'll have to play it to learn 'em.

Lastly, there is The Many Tasks of Grimme. This is the one I can tell you the least about. It has major tie-ins to Deadlands, and I would hate to ruin it for anyone. (I don't need Deadlands GM's putting a bounty on my head) Let me just say that it concerns the City of Lost Angels, the Maze, and Reverend Ezekiah Grimme. Let me just say this: don't expect the City of Lost Angels to be pretty. And pay up your insurance bill.

The drawin's in this book are the usual mixed bag - they set the tone well, but some of them are not as good as the best. The maps are all excellent and help the game right along. As for the illustrations... well, the best ones are the charcter studies - most of them are downright excellent. Others set the mood pretty well, and some...well, some help you turn the page just a little bit faster...

This supplement has a ton going for it. It has fired me up for some serious Great Rail Wars games. It is a quality product, with enough RPG flavor to really get a game going and players INTERESTED. If this is the standard for quality that that Pinnacle is setting for the Great Rail Wars, they are going to keep a lot of players very, VERY happy. Including this hombre.

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

A Fist Full O' Ghost Rock
Author: Shane Lacy Hensley Category: miniature Company/Publisher: Pinnacle Entertainment Group Page count: 80 ISBN: 1-889546-17-8 Capsule Review by Robert E. Allen III on 07/26/98. Genre tags: none	Welp, pardner, I got a couple o' things ta say about this fine piece o' work. One, it shure will liven up yer games o' Great Rail Wars. Two, it will force you to speak in an annoyin' pseudo-Weird Western accent like this. A Fist Full o' Ghost Rock includes new rules and three very nice campaigns for the Great Rail Wars. The rules are things that you didn't realize you were missing, but now that you have them, you can't imagine how you played without them. For instance, the rules for "callin' out" gunslingers. Rules for duels. When you introduce duels to folk like hucksters, automations and Hangin' Judges, life gets REAL interesting, indeed. But it is all there- callin' a halt, findin' the right spot, and slappin' leather. Oh, and cheatin' of course - what did you think, there was HONOR in the Weird West? Okay, there are some details on things like rogues - things and people who aren't on a side on a gunfight, but take place in the game because they can. Onery things like rattlers and the like fall into this category. Then there are things like giving your posses experience and creating veterans. That's if you are sissy enough to have troops survive a game. The real meaty part of this book (good eatin'!) are the three campaigns. Each of the campaigns uses some special rules for regrouping and injuries and such - those nice folks at Pinnacle did not leave any thing to guessin'. And, each one has special briefings and events for the players - these are a real treat, but I can't tell you anything without spoiling the surprise. Tough. I'll go over each campaign individually - they've earned it. Don't complain if I don't tell everything you want to know - this book, like everything in Deadlands, excells on keeping things a little bit secret. You'll thank me for leaving you some surprises. (Now be quiet before I try out my new six-shooter on ya…) The first one, "A Fist Full o' Ghost Rock", is a campaign for up to six players. There is a struggle over the rights to the rails in the town of Trouble, Colorado. Each of the Rail Barons has sent Enforcers to Trouble to work out an arrangement with the mayor. Then, the Drifter - a right dangerous and onery woman - rides into town. This campaign features three battles, culminating in a real "harrowing" time in trouble. And, the name says a lot about what ends up happening. The second one is Trail O' Blood. A nasty little campaign, where the retreating forces of "Sterling" Ben Stern are trying to escape the forces of "Bloody" Marty Coltrane. This four-battle campaign features a lot of heroic elements - honorable Ben Stern trying to not leave any man behind, and Marty Coltrane trying squash Ben Stern like a bug. Plus, there are a few surprises. But you'll have to play it to learn 'em. Lastly, there is The Many Tasks of Grimme. This is the one I can tell you the least about. It has major tie-ins to Deadlands, and I would hate to ruin it for anyone. (I don't need Deadlands GM's putting a bounty on my head) Let me just say that it concerns the City of Lost Angels, the Maze, and Reverend Ezekiah Grimme. Let me just say this: don't expect the City of Lost Angels to be pretty. And pay up your insurance bill. The drawin's in this book are the usual mixed bag - they set the tone well, but some of them are not as good as the best. The maps are all excellent and help the game right along. As for the illustrations... well, the best ones are the charcter studies - most of them are downright excellent. Others set the mood pretty well, and some...well, some help you turn the page just a little bit faster... This supplement has a ton going for it. It has fired me up for some serious Great Rail Wars games. It is a quality product, with enough RPG flavor to really get a game going and players INTERESTED. If this is the standard for quality that that Pinnacle is setting for the Great Rail Wars, they are going to keep a lot of players very, VERY happy. Including this hombre. Style: 4 (Classy and well done) Substance: 5 (Excellent!)

A Fist Full O' Ghost Rock