Unfortunately, the gaming community seemingly missed the reinvention of the genre in other mediums over the same time span, heralded by masterpieces such as ‘Unforgiven’, ‘Blood Meridian’ and ‘Deadwood’. However, there were voices in the wilderness. Diamonds in the rough like ‘Shady Gulch/Coyote Trail’, and ‘Sixgun’ signaled that reports of the genre’s demise might have been overstated. In terms of the OGL and d20, ‘Go Fer Yer Gun’, ‘Sidewinder’ (Sidewinder: Recoiled) and the creatively named OGL Wild West Core rule book demonstrate a desire to see the west presented to a new and broader audience.
The most recent addition to the growing number of western rpgs is ‘Gunslinger’ by Jonathan Clarke and published by Fat Jonny Games. Small press FJ Games produces several games and its two rpgs, ‘Privateers and Pirates’ and ‘Gunslinger’ are both superior products bridging a keen interest in historical context with playability and recognizable clichés.
‘Gunslinger’ is a 94 page (88 text pages) ebook (pdf). The book is divided into ten sections and two appendices. Layout and organization is generally good with the bulk of talent and resources directed to content rather than illustration. While the interior art, mostly ‘historical (public domain) drawings and paintings, is not memorable, neither does it detract from the overall product. Similarly layout is straight forward and mostly logical. ‘Gunslinger’ sports a rather small font and each page is two columns. Importantly, the book is well written and thankfully well edited. In short, there is much text packed into an already comparatively sizeable book.
The Introduction section (only a page) covers the very basics of the genre and provides a glossary of game terms. The next section, Game Mechanics, immediately puts the reader’s new vocabulary to use. Randomization in the game is determined by standard six sided poker dice representing the cards 9 to Ace. For any roll, all five dice are used for the best possible hand. Each character is defined by Traits or abilities. Traits are scaled from 0 (default level) to 5/5. Basically, the trait scale represents the number of dice that may be re-rolled to attempt a better ‘hand’. Thus, a trait of 0 allows no re-roll, 3 would allow up to three dice and 2/1 would allow two re-rolls and up to one re-roll of these. In practice, this is not as tricky as it may sound. Once players understand the ranking of poker hands (‘high card’ to ‘poker) and as soon as they begin to quickly recognize the hands they roll, they will begin to calculate the odds of how many and which dice to re-roll with little delay.
Trait rolls are either ‘opposed’ or set against a nominal difficulty. For an opposed test, the player and the GM both roll and assemble the best hand. Degree of success often matters a great deal here. Alternately, the game provides static target numbers represented by a title (ie Difficult) and a corresponding ‘hand’ needed to achieve success (ie Two Pair). The game also has several situational mechanisms to modify this final hand. In both cases, rolling only a High Card is bad thing, called a ‘botch’.
This ‘poker hand’ system is most certainly an effort to generate a western ‘feel’. However, it is also a risky venture. Simply, the designer must be fluent in the both the principles and mechanics of actual poker. Bad designs such as the ‘Deadlands’ magic and invention system show little appreciation for actual poker odds and only create imbalance and frustration for players. However, ‘Gunslinger’ seems to have solved the riddle, balancing odds with playability. While the ‘5’ and ‘5/5’ levels seem more experience steps that actually usable, after all, no one really re-rolls all five dice, the ‘Nominal Difficulty’ levels have thus fair proven successful.
Character creation, the third section, presents a ten step generation process. Here new characters are given Traits and Quirks as well as several more flavour aspects like gender, ‘race’, nationality and name. Handy random tables (ie. ‘Warhammer Role Play’) are also provided. Characters are either ‘general’ or ‘specialist’, the difference being the number of Traits and the level of their allocation. In total, the game boasts 15 Traits and 72 Quirks which work to accommodate both the ‘jack of all trades’ (ie. cowboy) and the more directed professions (ie. doctor) common to the west. While traits act as skills, Quirks help define the character and in game terms act as the familiar advantage/disadvantage often serving as the means to earn ‘chips’, the mechanism to modify rolls.
‘Gunslinger’ characters are quick yet interesting to create and, while partly random, tend to produce a playable finished product. There are no super characters here. The game’s underlying drive for realism is evident. While starting characters are above average, they are more Charlie Utter than Wild Bill and have built-in frailties and limitations so important to the spirit of the genre. Also, ‘Gunslinger’ characters promote 'Troupe Style' play, a compelling idea given the themes of the old west. Troupe play seems (ie. ‘Ars Magica’) a perfect match for the genre and the possibilities are legion. In play-testing, we’ve re-created a town, a tribe, a troop and even cattle driving cowboys. Arguably, this is game’s best feature.
After creating characters, Combat is presented, a process that employs the concepts and core mechanic. Combat progresses in rounds, beginning with an initiative and ending with damage resolution. Simply, characters make a series of opposed tests subject to a number of situational modifiers to determine success. Degree of success then determine damage. The final result is that more skilled characters tend to inflict more damage and that firearms are deadly. This differs from games that employ either fixed or random (ie. Xd6) damage values and settles a dilemma central to the genre. Guns kill people and they are good at it. While playability is maintained (characters are better at surviving gunshots), it is never a ‘sure thing’. Fixed and random damge values generally fail to represent this inherent lethality. Wild Bill Hickcock, Wes Hardin and Jesse James were all killed by a single bullet from a handgun. In any rpg system with either pre-determined damage values or a ‘level’ experience system, this would simply be impossible. In ‘Gunslinger’, not only is this possible but even likely, particularly in ‘shoot-outs’, the game’s mechanism for the close quarters draw downs cardinal to the genre. Bearing this in mind, when the GM asks: “Are you going to skin that smokewagon or just whistle Dixie?”, smart players may actually debate the question.
The west was a dangerous place and the Environment section presents the various methods by which players may be entertained, tested and tormented. Importantly, staples of the genre as diverse as gambling, shoot-outs, tracking and witty repartee are all presented. Again, the author shows his keen interest in the topic, providing a well-rounded and thorough treatment of even the most mundane, if necessary, subjects.
The game’s dedication to reflecting some measure of historical reality is best demonstrated in the Wild West section. Not only are significant events in the historical narrative outlined but also important locations are detailed and the contours of ‘everyday life’, such a travel times and Law are laid out. Not surprisingly, this section remains somewhat general. However, given that previous games have generally either focused on specific locations, alternate histories or simply provided no context at all, ‘Gunslinger’ presents enough material for ambitious GMs to fill the in the details as required.
The short section accurately titled Belongings provides information on weapons, equipment and sundry other tidbits like wages. The list of weapons, particularly firearms is lengthy, if not exhaustive and allows a certain variety. In terms of layout, this section might have been better placed right after the combat section for ease.
To populate the fictional west, the Folks and Critters section presents NPC archetypes, called concepts, as well as information on just about every animal that walked, crawled, swam or flew across the Great Plains. Folks and Critters are then given a place to roam. The default setting for ‘Gunslinger’ is Harris County, Wyoming detailed in a chapter of the same name. While the information on the county itself totals just three text pages and one map, the obligatory Introductory Adventure further details specific areas of the region. While the section is somewhat short, it serves as an important template and clearly demonstrates the application of ideas presented in the game itself. From another perspective, this open-ended approach suggests the importance of supporting the game with future publications.
The final section, Jawin`, and the two appendices are purely for flavour adding glossaries and suggested reading/viewing lists. Perhaps the most positive aspect of this section is that it proves the only time in the game when words are truncated (jawin’ rather than jawing) so painfully yet consistently over-used in other old west gaming products.
In the final analysis several questions remain. Is it a good concept? Is this is a good game? Who would enjoy it? Why?
‘Gunslinger’ is a good concept on two levels. It is fun, playable and faithful to the genre. It remedies problems inherent in the OGL system. On another level, this is an important game to support because of the author’s willingness risk time and resources on creating a ‘historical’ game. While ‘Gunslinger’ incorporates the well known tropes and universalities of the west, it remains faithful to genre’s peculiarities and uniqueness. In a true sense, ‘Gunslinger’ ‘feels’ like a complete western game rather than yet another unhappy merging of an established gaming system with a new background.
‘Gunslinger’ is a good game as the core mechanic works well. It is well conceived, play tested and versatile. The system promotes discourse over calculations and while more abstract than ‘number crunching’, supports the story flow over endless bookkeeping. Combat is flexible enough to represent both standard gunplay and the ‘shoot-out’ so central to the genre. A skilled gunfighter can end combat quickly yet the mechanic works well in balancing lethality with playability. Characters tend to be themed and specialized while still being capable of functioning within the larger game context. ‘Gunslinger’ casts a wide net in terms of appeal and support for play style. Simply, the rules are generic enough to allow various interpretations of the west to represented. If you’re old enough to remember the ‘Boot Hill’ modules of the 1980s, you will enjoy this game. Fans of traditional westerns like ‘Shane’ can re-create such classic morality tales while those favouring the neo-realism western grit of ‘Deadwood’ will also find the game enjoyable. Those interested in supporting the growth and vitality of independent games, of sponsoring its creativity and unique perspectives would enjoy ‘Gunslinger’. For fans of the genre, this is one of the new products that simply must be owned. Those with a peripheral interest should also consider ‘Gunslinger’. When considering the three cardinal principles of game buying: quality, quantity and cost, ‘Gunslinger’ hits the bullseye.
