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)
