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Dust Devils Revenged
Dust Devils Revenged is the latest version of the classic Wild West storytelling game by Matt Snyder. It is a rules light game with heavy emphasis on storytelling, narration and creativity rather than character optimization and heavy tactical maneuvering. The system itself is simple and eloquent, using a card mechanic based on poker hands. While the rules are minimalist, they do an excellent job of empowering the player to be who they wish and character to do what they wish, without placing unduly restrictions.
I haven't seen the original Dust Devils and so I will not be pointing out any differences between editions.
The Physical
This is a review of the electronic edition of Dust Devils revenged which I purchased from the Chimera Creative Website. It is a 70 page .PDF file with a full color cover and black and white interior. The illustrations for the main chapters are decent quality and capture the Wild West feel fairly well while the illustrations for the alternate settings are a bit flashier. The file prints out well on standard paper with text in a single column and doesn't drain your printer with excessive amounts of black on a page. The fonts are very readable and the header and example fonts have a feel of a faded old wanted poster.
The text itself is clearly written, often with a feel of Old West slang. This style adds flavor to the text without making it unpleasantly difficult to read. Rules are explained in a straightforward manner and everything was easy to understand on the first read through. Throughout the character creation and rules chapters there are many thoroughly detailed examples to aid understanding.
Introduction
The first few pages of the book present you with a table of contents and a brief introduction to the concepts of the game, giving a few quick references and examples from popular culture and how they relate to the games premises.
Character Round Up
Character creation is a quick and easy process that should only take a few minutes and leave you with an interesting and personalized character. Characters are comprised of four Scores, two Traits, a Past, a Present and a Devil. The most involved part of the process is thinking up a background. Working out the mechanical details should take five minutes or less.
The four Scores are your basic ability scores and include Hand (physical actions), Eye (wit and intellect), Guts (stamina and courage) and Heart (social), each with a numeric rating between one and five. Players are given a set number of points to divide up amongst the Scores as they see fit.
Traits are phrases, similes and descriptors to emphasize certain aspects or qualities of a character and are made up by the player. They are similar in concept to aspects in the FATE system or traits from Over the Edge.
Past and Present are short job titles or descriptions that indicate the character's previous and current roles. Examples include gunslinger, rancher, bartender, sheriff or Apache scout. These also have an associated numerical rating.
Finally, everyone has their Devil. This is the major shortcoming or the darker side of the character. Of all the aspects of the character, this one needs to be the most thought out, as it should be a major factor in the character's story. The Devil should be something that remains with the character and is not easily resolved; it should be a source of constant struggle throughout the game. Player's choose a numerical rating for the Devil characteristic at the beginning of each session which determines how much of an effect the Devil will have on the character during that session. A new player might want to choose a low rating for his or her Devil initially while a grizzled veteran of Western role-playing might want to play it to the hilt and take a high rating.
A sample Devil from the book is Cold-hearted: After his wife took everything he had, he doesn't give a damn about anybody anymore. For a character I wrote up, a smooth talking gambler, I used Just a bit more: Whatever he's got isn't enough, he always wants to push just a little harder or try for just a little more. The nature of the Devil will play a factor in how often it comes into play but the assigned rating will determine how big of an effect it has.
That's about it for character generation! Players are encouraged to write up a background and use it to come up with ideas for the above items. The thought put into the overall concept and background should take more time than actually "statting up" the character.
The Laws of the West
Whenever storytelling alone doesn't get the job done and the players and Dealer disagree on what should happen next, a conflict ensues. The basic mechanic used to settle conflicts between two or more characters (both PCs and NPCs) is a nifty card-based system where the highest hand wins. There is no turn by turn combat system instead each conflict is resolved in a few simple steps. First there is the initial deal, hands are adjusted, then a discard and draw and finally a resolution step (these are expanded a bit more in the rules and have slightly different names). At the end of a conflict there should be a clear-cut winner and the effects of everyone’s actions should have been resolved.
Using a standard deck of cards and chips (or coins, tokens, beads) gives a definite Old West saloon feel. Gamers who can't live without dice are going to be disappointed here because no dice are used at all in the game, it's purely card based. There isn't any skill involved in the card playing itself, and players don't have to bluff or try to read opponents. Not being a good poker player or not even knowing how to play poker shouldn't affect your ability to play and enjoy the game.
When a conflict comes up everyone states their goals, keeping their intentions to simple things like "I Shoot Crazy Tom". The GM (referred to as the Dealer in this game) matches up everyone in the scene and decides who is opposing who. Each opponent involved is dealt a hand of cards. The number of cards dealt initially is equal to the sum of two Scores the character is using in the conflict. Players present their case and suggest how their character is approaching the situation, recommending which Scores they think should be used, but the Dealer has the final say.
If Six Gun Sally is trying to get Slim Atkins to back down in a stand off at gunpoint, Sally's player might suggest using her Guts Score (to indicate her resolve and determination) and her Hand Score (to represent her deadly aim with a pistol). If the Dealer agrees they are appropriate, Sally would be dealt a number of cards face down equal to her Guts and Hand ratings. Slim, on the other hand, may try talking his way out of the situation and appealing to the crowd around him in order to persuade Sally to back down. The Dealer may determine Slim Atkins gets dealt cards equal to his Eye (smooth talking) and Heart (social) Scores.
Characters may then receive extra cards if one of their Traits would be relevant to the conflict. Likewise, a character's Devil may influence the size of the hand, giving extra cards for acting in accordance with the Devil and taking cards away for going against the Devil.
If a character's Past or Present is relevant to the situation, the player may discard and draw a number of cards equal to the associated numerical rating.
When the dust has had a chance to settle the character with the highest five card poker hand will win (don't worry, a list of poker hand ranks is included).
A very important concept is that of the high card. Regardless of who wins the conflict, the character with the single highest card in his final five card hand is the Narrator. The Narrator is a very influential position and might affect which cards a player chooses to play in his final hand. The Narrator has influence in determining how the winner's Harm (damage) effects opponents and describes how the winner's goals have succeeded. There are a few other privileges as well and being narrator is a very desirable position to be in.
Harm is applied to character's Scores, based on the suits of the cards played in the winning hand. When a Score drops to zero, The End is near. When the next conflict arises that uses that particular Score, the player's story ends after that conflict (called in game terms, appropriately, The End). At The End, the character automatically becomes Narrator in order that she may truly go out in style. A character also has opportunity to do extra Harm or Redemption (healing) to other characters. In Dust Devils, The End doesn’t necessarily mean death for a character; it could mean settling down, moving back East, going mad or pushing up daisies.
Chips are another element of the core mechanic and are similar to fate points, action points, or plot points from other games. Chips are earned from activities like acting against a Trait or acting in accordance with a Devil. Chips may be spent to receive additional cards, back out of a conflict, become Narrator or receive other benefits.
Reach For It
Next comes a helpful eleven page chapter of useful advice for players and Dealers, rules for Hazards and quick adventure set up.
The advice is short and sweet, yet very important. The concepts are brilliantly simple and drive home a few key points. Players are encouraged to raise hell and find trouble rather than simply let the Dealer bring trouble to them. Dealers are encouraged to base stories and situations around the character's, their backgrounds, and most importantly, their Devils.
Hazards are situations and obstacles to overcome like crossing a raging river or stopping a stampede. Minor NPCs who aren't fully fleshed out are handled as Hazards as well. The mechanics for Hazards are the same as for conflicts using different sized stud hands (no drawing) to represent the Hazard.
The adventure set-up provided is a brief description of a time and place, a complicated situation, several supporting characters (NPCs) and a few hooks to get the characters going. The main thrust of the scenario is a Romeo and Juliet type story involving two powerful feuding cattle barons. It is not an entire fleshed out adventure, rather just a set up. The Dealer is presented with the background info and given three ideas for encounters to get things going. I personally would like to have seen a little more here with a few more encounters presented in more detail.
How the West Was Won
An overview of many popular Western films is given and the author does an excellent job of pointing out specific examples of themes and situations that can be applied to the game. This chapter was a lot of fun for me to read and it's clear that Matt really has a handle on the genre.
The second half of the chapter provides some basic history of the American West with attention to those themes, events and aspects which can be used by both players and Dealers in creating memorable characters and stories.
Beyond the West
Three alternate settings are presented, each using the same basic system as Dust Devils with only minor tweaks. These add-ons aren't truly settings unto themselves but rather rules for adapting the Dust Devils system to different genres. Each one is comprised of a full page illustration and three to five pages of game information.
In the first setting, called Deathwish, players are James Bond or Mission Impossible style secret agents. There are still four Scores, but they are called Aim, Wits, Guts, and Cool. The new scores have slightly different descriptions than those in the core game but how they are used is identical. Past and Present are replaced with two Specialties (like surveillance or interrogation) and the Devil is replaced by the Deathwish, which is the thing the character struggles with most in the story. No actual setting information is provided; it is assumed the players and Dealer are familiar with the genre already.
The second alternative, Ronin by Jason Blair, similarly offers tweaks to the base system to accommodate role-playing in feudal Japan. Again there is no real setting information, but a brief paragraph discussing some references and sources for inspiration. The four Scores used in this version are named after elements, water (martial ability, tactics), wind (intellect), earth (physical strength, endurance) and fire (passion and aggression). Traits are replaced with Honor (standing in feudal society) and Spirit (general demeanor). Past and Present become Talents, including the mandatory Bushi and choice of another such as horseman or thief. The main characteristic is Duty, which replaces the Devil and represents the major driving force behind the character.
The third add-on is Concrete Angels by Jared Sorensen. It is intended to be a rules variation for playing gritty modern day crime fiction and cites Sin City as one source of inspiration. Trade (dexterity), Resources (ability to procure stuff), Violence (capacity for violence including physical and mental aspects of it) and Emotion (charisma, empathy) are the four Scores used, and there is a brief explanation of the slight variations to their game effect compared to the standard Scores. Another difference is that in this variant players choose one of four Archetypes, which provides a one chip benefit when using the Archetype Score and suggests several Traits and Angles. Traits are vices and virtues and Angle is an occupational specialty that replaces Past and Present. The Devil is called the Zero in this variant, and represents the darker side of the character and should be a major focus for building stories around.
The Rest
The last few pages of the book contain an afterward from the author, a few handy quick reference sheets and summaries and a character sheet page. Unfortunately there was no index.
Comments, Opinions and Criticisms
The overall production quality of the book was good and the artwork was decent. The writing was easy to follow and there are plenty of examples to illustrate game concepts and mechanics. I definitely appreciated the examples as it really solidified the concepts for me. One small complaint I had with the writing is that several terms and mechanics are mentioned early on before they are ever defined or discussed, which made the first read through slightly awkward as I had to keep flipping ahead to read what a certain term referred to.
The lack of an index was disappointing as well, but the PDF bookmarks served as a reasonable substitute. The table of contents at the beginning isn't extremely useful and so there really isn't a good way to search for specific information with a printed version. Since the book is relatively short and the number of rules is few, this isn't too big of a headache.
I really like the basic game mechanic. I'm a big fan of rolling and was a little leery at first but the more I read the more I liked. If you absolutely can't stand card-based mechanics then this game won't be for you, but I think you'd be missing out. A standard deck of cards with jokers is used along with some sort of chips or counters. I'll repeat my earlier opinion that this poker based system definitely gives a cool Old West feel to the game. A bit of familiarity with poker might make things slightly easier, but is in no way required to play the game well and to enjoy it. The player's skill in poker should in no way affect the competence of the character.
Character generation is a quick and easy process and the most critical factor is an interesting background and concept. Once that has been worked out, coming up with the game details is a snap and shouldn't take more than a few minutes. The biggest story element on the character sheet is the character's Devil, darker side or thing which tends to undo the character. This is a cool concept and has a solid implementation into the game, drawing attention to a major theme in the fiction and films of the genre.
The rules of the game are simple and straightforward. There is very little crunch here and extensive tactics used in other games aren't as important as creative narration and storytelling. What rules there are really seem to work well for this narrative approach. If you are looking for turn by turn combat with spelled out rules for a variety of tactical options, you're not going to find it here. Instead, character's state their goals, play their cards and abilities and after the hand is played the outcome of the conflict is narrated.
One shortcoming of the game is that it is a little light on quantity, although I can't quite put my finger on exactly what type of "more" I want out of it. Character creation and system mechanics are certainly adequately explained. Perhaps I feel that there should be more rules, but what type of rules I have no idea. Just about every situation can be handled with the conflict and hazard systems given. There is a reasonable amount of setting material but since the game is set in the historic American West, there really isn't a need for too much. A few example locations would have been nice; perhaps a write-up of a typical small town with a map, descriptions of more NPCs and a short list of possible plot hooks. Matt does do a nice job of pointing you toward some excellent Western films and takes care to point out important themes and concepts to inspire you.
I was disappointed with the add-ons at the end, mostly due to false expectations. What are given are not settings at all, rather rules tweaks for using the Dust Devils system to play in other genres. The few pages of information did little more than say "If you want to run a spy/samurai/Sin City game with the Dust Devil rules, here's how to do it. I would have liked to seen at least a one page setting description with a little twist or gimmick. A more in depth discussion on how to get the most out of the Deathwish, Duty, or Zero would have been helpful as well. As it is, these three appendices work on the basic assumption that you can generate a setting yourself and know how to run games and write stories for those settings. What they do is tell you how to adapt the Dust Devils rules to suit the genre.
Conclusion
Overall I really liked this game. The card mechanic for conflicts really hit home with me and the simple character generation suits my current tastes in gaming. If I want to sit down with people of varying levels of role-playing enthusiasm and have a fun pick-up game with little GM prep time on my part, this will be a perfect fit.
If you are looking for a game that uses miniatures and maps for combat, has a detailed list of skills, ability scores and weapons to choose from, then Dust Devils probably isn't what you are looking for. If you like a game where you can sit down and work up a character in a short period of time and play in a loose, narrative fashion, this game will be right up your alley.
I'm a bit undecided how exactly to rate the game numerically. For style, I think I'll go with a 3. The layout, presentation and artwork are decent and about average. The way Matt approaches the game, the story-oriented system and the cards all definitely have style (Or do they have substance? I'm confused). For substance, the rules are well explained and seem to handle things pretty well. I couldn't find any major rules flaws or loopholes although I think there could have been a bit more included in the book. What substance was present was stylish in its approach and so I'll go with a 4 for this category, mostly due to the fun factor.
Good job Matt on a fine product and I hope people out there give this game a try and have fun playing!
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