Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Old West Roleplaying Games

Well, after only about 3 hours of sleep, I'm awake again.  I feel more rested than I probably should, due to the fact that I had been awake for nearly 32 hours before I took my oh so brief nap.  Oh well, I'm sure I'll be ready for a nap later.

Edited:  After I wrote this I crashed again, and slept about 8 hours.  Now I have yard work to do.  UGH.  I need a Zombie Apocalypse right about now.

Western RPGs

After I discussed wanting to run a Weird West campaign in my last post, I did some research and discovered there are many Western RPGs, some of which are still in print.  There's also a lot of skirmish level miniature rules for western style combat as well.  Plus, there are a few wargames set during that time period.  Check out White Wash City's Wild West Game Rules Link Page!  They've also got some great card-stock PDF models of a typical western town in 28mm scale for sale that looks great.

I have seen Deadlands before, and I knew they covered the Weird West genre.  I was slightly interested, but I was already "invested" into so many other games, I knew I probably would never play it.  I don't know anything about the rules, but it's still in print so they can't be that bad.  Deadlands also seem to have a boatland of modules, and supplements.  Eventually, I'll pick up a copy, and maybe even run a game, but right now I've got a hankering to write my own weird west rules.  In fact, I'll probably put my other RPG rules on the backburner for now so I can work on this.

In fact, I've got a lot already brewing in the space between my ears.  ( I think there's a brain in there, but I  don't know for sure.  I've never seen it. )  I've got a name, Kinship: Weird Meets the Old West, and a lot of basic ideas for NPCs, and scenarios.  I want the game mechanics to be simple, combat fast and fun, with a lot of flavor to enhance the role-playing, and chances for character development.  I don't want a "shoot em up' cowboy game.  Although, gunfights and battles are going to happen, I want it to be a bit more than that.  The primary setting will be Kinship, a struggling town, and it's neighbor, Death Gulch, a town mostly full of the undead, and not just your garden variety undead either.  These zombies will have a more than a passing resemblance to their prior humanity.  They just want to eat your flesh, before they have to tend to the chickens.

It just seems to me it would be fun to play or even run a Weird Old West RPG.  Something different anyway...

4 comments:

  1. "It just seems to me it would be fun to play or even run a Weird Old West RPG..." I'm with you - I just picked up a fairly cheap copy of Boot Hill ('75 version, sans box) to relive some glory. I played it way back when, but never owned it. Call it nostalgia or just curiosity but I really want to see that map again. I'll be shocked if I can find a player though (not to mention the time to play it). It's hard enough finding someone who wants to play OD&D.

    word verification: roxer

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  2. I know! This phrase keeps running through my mind...

    "When a man with a .45 meets a man with a Wand of Fireballs, the man with a pistol will be a dead man. That's an old Dwarven Proverb...and it's true."

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  3. Copied from my blog post recap of Games I played at Owlcon. The makers of Draw! also make a miniatures skirmish Wild West game.


    Draw!

    This is an RPG in development by ... Some company blank_hawg or blank_hog from San Antonio I think. It was fun, but the very most important thing that I now know (also after playing Deadlands CCG) is

    There is absolutely no reason to make or play any western RPG / Game that does not somehow use regular 52 card deck and poker hands as it's primary mechanic.

    None.

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  4. Well, I can think of plenty of reasons, but to each his own.

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