This article originally appeared in Pyramid #23

Pyramid Pick

Deadlands

Published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.
Written by Shane Hensley
$25.00

Steve swaggered out to the middle of the road, his spurs clanking as he stepped. Turning, he flipped back his duster behind his guns. Puffing smoke from the cigarillo clenched between his teeth, he turned to the Texas Ranger and with a steely look in his eye said, "You can still walk away. Ain't no crime in livin'."

Deadlands is the new roleplaying game about the Weird West. It's not just tumbleweeds, dusters, and six-shooters; it's manitous, undead gunslingers and hucksters who throw hexes with playing cards. More than that, Deadlands is an experience.

There's something about Deadlands that makes you want to go all out and jump into its atmosphere. Instead of just pulling out the necessary gaming material for our playing sessions, we dressed up in gambling hats, dusters and boots, bought an appropriate set of poker cards, smoked cigarillos and rolled unfiltered cigarettes, bought a bottle of whiskey (because it's a man's drink), and played the Deadlands music CD. Then we added the rules and started playing.

The basic premise of Deadlands is a modified history of the Wild West. The game is set in 1876, and the Civil War still hasn't been resolved. People still flock to the Western frontier in hopes of riches, fame, or a simpler life. But life isn't as simple as it used to be. At least not since the Reckoning, when a band of Indians known as the "Last Sons" opened up a gate to the Huntin' . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.



Article publication date: January 1, 1997

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