Pyramid Review
The Great Rail Wars Miniatures Battle Game
Published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Written by Shane Hensley
144 pages; $25.00
The Great Rail Wars Miniature Battles Game, written by Pinnacle Entertainment Group's Shane Hensley, is the second edition rules for the popular miniatures branch of the Deadlands line. Players deploy enforcers from the Bayou Vermillion, Black River, Dixie Rails, Iron Dragon, Union Blue, and Wasatch Railroads or the forthcoming Army of Lost Angels, the Mexican Army, and Indian forces, and fight over treasure and territory in the Weird West. The miniatures for these forces are available in both boxed sets and as individual units, although the latter will only be available at a future date via the Pinnacle web site. The rules are easily understood and play well. While proofreading errors will make some of the more advanced material, especially the spell lists, difficult to navigate, these rules are sound and enjoyable.
The Great Rail Wars allows you to command both posses of troops (five figures each) or single figures in battles set in Pinnacle's Weird West setting. Those unfamiliar with this setting will find a brief but solid introduction in the first portion of the rulebook with more than enough information to play the game. In brief, the technology level is a blending of the Civil War and World War One through the use of steampunk technology. In addition, magic has returned to the world, and the creatures . . .
This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.
Article publication date: July 20, 2001
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