Deadlands
Deadlands 1st edition cover, featuring cover art by Brom.
Designer(s)	Shane Lacy Hensley
Publisher(s)	Pinnacle Entertainment Group
Publication date	1996
Genre(s)	alternate history, western and horror, Steampunk
System	Other

Deadlands is a genre-mixing alternate history roleplaying game which combines the Western and horror genres. Steampunk elements are also prominent. It was written by Shane Lacy Hensley and published by Pinnacle Entertainment Group. Image File history File links Deadlands. ... Brom seen here amongst several of his works at San Diego Comic Con 2004. ... Great White Games is a publisher of role-playing games owned and operated by Shane Lacey Hensley. ... Alternate history (fiction) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Western fiction is a genre of literature that is typically set in any of the American states west of the Mississippi River and between the years of approximately 1860 and 1900. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... A rocket lands on the moon in Le Voyage dans la Lune, the film adaptation of Jules Vernes From the Earth to the Moon. ... Genre fiction is a term for fictional works (novels, short stories) written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to the fans of that genre. ... Alternate history (fiction) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A roleplaying game (RPG) is a type of game in which players assume the roles of characters and collaboratively create stories. ... Western fiction is a genre of literature that is typically set in any of the American states west of the Mississippi River and between the years of approximately 1860 and 1900. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... A rocket lands on the moon in Le Voyage dans la Lune, the film adaptation of Jules Vernes From the Earth to the Moon. ... Great White Games is a publisher of role-playing games owned and operated by Shane Lacey Hensley. ...

The eight-times Origins Award-winning setting has been converted to many other systems over the years and is available in the original Classic Rules, the revised Classic Rules, d20 System, GURPS, as well as a Savage Worlds version called Deadlands: Reloaded. The Origins Awards, presented by the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design, are presented at the Origins International Game Expo for outstanding work in the game industry. ... d20 redirects here. ... The Generic Universal Role-Playing System, commonly known as GURPS is a form of a role-playing game (RPG) designed to adapt to any imaginary gaming environment. ... Savage Worlds is a universal generic role-playing game and miniatures wargame, written by Shane Lacy Hensley, and published by Great White Games doing business as Pinnacle Entertainment Group. ...

Deadlands: The Weird West Background

The game is set in the United States in the last quarter of the 19th Century. The canonical year for the first edition of Deadlands is 1876. A later supplement, Tales o' Terror, advances the game's backstory and metaplot ahead one year, to 1877. The second edition of Deadlands uses the updated backstory of 1877 as the canonical starting point. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1876 (MDCCCLXXVI) is a leap year starting on Saturday. ... In narratology, a back-story (also back story or backstory) is the history behind the situation extant at the start of the main story. ... The metaplot is the overarching storyline that binds together events in a role-playing game. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

The basic rules provide for characters and settings that could be expected to appear in the "Wild West" genre of movies and pulp fiction, and most of the in-game action is presumed to occur in the wild frontiers of the American West, or in barely-tamed frontier towns like Tombstone, Arizona or Dodge City, Kansas. However, later supplements expanded the in-game adventuring area to include places such as the Deep South, the Mississippi River, Mexico, and the Northeastern United States. These supplements often provide for adventures set in urban areas such as New Orleans, New York City, or Boston. Great Basin region, typical American West The Western United States has played a significant role in history and fiction. ... Pulp magazines, often called simply the pulps, were inexpensive text fiction magazines widely published in the 1920s through the 1950s. ... Tombstone in year 1891 Tombstone is a city located in Cochise County, Arizona, USA, founded in 1879 in what was then the Arizona Territory. ... Dodge City is a city and county seat of Ford County, Kansas. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... The Mississippi River, derived from the old Ojibwe word misi-ziibi meaning great river (gichi-ziibi big river at its headwaters), is the second-longest river in the United States; the longest is the Missouri River, which flows into the Mississippi. ... Regional definitions vary The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Big Apple Location Location in the state of New York Government Counties (Boroughs) Bronx (The Bronx) New York (Manhattan) Queens (Queens) Kings (Brooklyn) Richmond (Staten Island) Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Geographical characteristics Area     City 1,214. ... Flag Seal Nickname: City on a Hill, Beantown, The Hub of the Universe (The State House, according to Oliver Wendell Holmes, is the hub of the Solar System), Athens of America Location Location in Massachusetts Government Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas Menino (Dem) Geographical characteristics Area     City 232. ...

The canonical, basic setting is referred to as the Weird West due to the juxtaposition of the Western setting with the horrific and fantastical elements of the game. The history of the Weird West is identical to real-world history, up until July 3rd, 1863. On this date, a group of American Indians from various tribes, led by a Sioux shaman known as "Raven," performed the Great Ghost Dance in an effort to drive out the European settlers. This ritual created a conduit to a spiritual realm populated by powerful malicious entities known as the "Reckoners." The events surrounding and immediately subsequent to Raven's ritual is known as "The Reckoning." 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... An Atsina named Assiniboin Boy Photo by Edward S. Curtis. ... The Sioux (also: Lakota) are a Native American people. ... The shaman is an intellectual and spiritual figure who is regarded as possessing power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, primarily that of a healer ( medicine man). The shaman provides medical care, and serves other community needs during crisis times, via supernatural means (means... The Ghost Dance by the Ogalala Lakota at Pine Ridge Noted in historical accounts as the Ghost Dance of 1890, the Ghost Dance was a religious ritual incorporated into numerous Native American belief systems beginning in 1889. ...

The Reckoners feed on negative emotions, particularly fear. Sufficient levels of fear in the population of a given location allow the Reckoners to begin subtly altering the environment of that location: the sun shines a little less brightly, trees become stunted and "evil" looking, rock formations take on the appearance of corpses or monsters, and so on. The more powerful the fear, the greater the environmental changes.

The ultimate goal of the Reckoners is to turn the entire Earth into an evil, haunted wasteland -- literally a Hell on Earth. However, the Reckoners cannot directly enter Earth's realm unless the overall fear level of the entire planet becomes sufficiently high. To this end, they use their powers to create monsters, madmen, zombies, and other creatures and villains that will sow fear and terror throughout the land. Earth (often referred to as the Earth) is the third planet in the solar system in terms of distance from the Sun, and the fifth in order of size. ... Medieval illustration of Hell in the Hortus deliciarum manuscript of Herrad of Landsberg (about 1180) Hell, according to many religious beliefs, is a place or a state of pain and suffering. ...

The first instance of this occurred on July 4th, 1863, shortly after the Great Ghost Dance when, at the site of the Battle of Gettysburg, dead soldiers from both sides of the conflict rose from the battlefield and began indiscriminately attacking the surviving soldiers and civilians. Since then, undead gunslingers, hostile Indian spirits, strange cults, and deadly creatures have begun terrorizing the world. The American Civil War drags on thanks to the machinations of the Reckoners, and the country remains divided into U.S. and Confederate sections, while federal agents and Texas Rangers struggle to deal with the eldritch menaces while hiding the awful truth from the general public. July 4 is the 185th day of the year (186th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 180 days remaining. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America Commanders George G. Meade Robert E. Lee Strength 83,289 75,054 Casualties 23,049 (3,155 killed, 14,529 wounded, 5,365 captured/missing) 28,000 (3,500 killed, 18,000 wounded, 6,500 captured/missing) The Battle of... Undead is the collective name for all types of supernatural entities that are deceased yet behave as if alive. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederate) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties Killed in action: 110,000 Total dead: 360,000 Wounded: 275,200 Killed in action: 93,000 Total dead: 258... Motto: Deo Vindice (Latin: With God As Our Vindicator) Anthem: God Save the South (unofficial) Dixie (popular) The Bonnie Blue Flag (popular) Capital Montgomery, Alabama February 4, 1861–May 29, 1861 Richmond, Virginia May 29, 1861–April 9, 1865 Danville, Virginia April 3–April 10, 1865 Largest city New Orleans... Official crest of the Texas Ranger Division The Texas Ranger Division, commonly known as the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction based in Austin, the capital city of Texas, in the United States. ...

The unleashing of the Reckoners has had a number of important side effects. Magic was revealed to be real, although it involves challenging otherworldly spirits, "manitous". These same manitous can possess a recently deceased body and reanimate it, creating a "Harrowed". Harrowed beings are sometimes under the control of the spirit (who uses the opportunity to spread fear) and sometimes under the control of the deceased being. Scientific progress rapidly advances as the Reckoners support experimental designs that normally would not work. This progress drives Deadland's technological level from historical levels to a "steampunk" setting. The Reckoners create "ghost rock," a mineral that burns hotter and longer than coal and supports the steampunk technology. A rocket lands on the moon in Le Voyage dans la Lune, the film adaptation of Jules Vernes From the Earth to the Moon. ...

Players take on the role of various mundane or arcane character types, including Gunfighters, Lawmen (such as U.S. Marshals or local sheriffs), Hucksters (magic users), Shamans, Blessed (those of faith), and Mad Scientists in an attempt to learn about the Reckoning and the mysterious beings behind it. Categories: Stock characters | Stub ... The United States Marshals Service (sometimes incorrectly spelled Marshals Service), a bureau within the United States Department of Justice (see ), is the United Statess oldest federal law enforcement agency. ... A huckster is a seller of small articles, usually of cheap or shoddy quality, or one engaged in haggling or making petty bargains. ... Specifically, Shaman (saman) is a term in Evenk, Manchu and other Manchu-Tungus languages for an intellectual and spiritual figure; who usually possess power and influence on other peoples in the tribe and performs several functions, one of which is analogous to the function of a healer in other cultures. ... Caucasian, male, aging, crooked teeth, messy hair, lab coat, spectacles/goggles, dramatic posing — one popular stereotype of a mad scientist. ...

Unique aspects of the Deadlands game

Deadlands features a unique way of creating playing characters for the game. Instead of spending character points, or randomly rolling dice, a character's abilities are determined by drawing cards from a standard 54-card poker deck (jokers included). The cards drawn determine the character's Traits, (their basic attributes). The game also uses polyhedral dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, and d20) which are referred to as the "Bones", and a set of red, blue and white poker chips. Poker Room at the Trump Taj Mahal, Atlantic City, New Jersey Poker is a card game, the most popular of a class of games called vying games, in which players with fully or partially concealed cards make wagers into a central pot, which is awarded to the player or players... Rolling dice Dice (the plural of the word die, probably from the Latin dare: to give) are, in general, small polyhedral objects with the faces marked with numbers or other symbols, thrown in order to choose one of the faces randomly. ...

In a Deadlands game, the Game Master is called The Marshal, and the players are called The Posse. Deadlands uses a system of die roll resolution that is somewhat similar to Shadowrun and The Storyteller System. A character rolls for successes with a handful or dice and hopes that at least one of the dice rolls the Target Number or higher. Rolling the highest possible number on any of the dice is known as "rolling an ace", and that die may be re-rolled, with the total being added to the initial roll value. In most cases only the highest single die's value (with "aces" added) is compared to a target number. For each five points over the target number the character is considered to have a "raise" which typically makes the character's action more effective. When attacking someone, raises give the attacker more control over where on the victim's body the blow or bullet strikes. When attempting to quickly a gun, each raise allows another round of ammunition to be loaded in a single action. In role-playing games, the game master or GM is the organizer, storyteller, and arbitrator. ... Shadowrun is a cyberpunk-urban fantasy cross-genre role-playing game, set in the years 2050, 2053, 2060 or 2070 (depending on the game edition) following a great cataclysm that has brought use of magic back to the world, just as it begins to embrace the marvels (and dangers) of... The Storyteller System (now called The Storytelling System), is the basic set of game mechanics in the role-playing games published by White Wolf Game Studio. ...

Spell Casting

Players with huckster characters use a deck of playing cards in addition to dice to cast their spells. A successful skill check allows the player to draw five or more cards and makes the best possible poker hand with those cards. The strength of the hand determines not only whether the spell was successfully cast, but also the strength of its effects. In the game world, this mechanic is explained as the huckster literally gambling with a magical spirit in order to get it to do his or her bidding -- a high ranking poker hand means the huckster has won, and the spirit causes the spell to be cast as desired; a low ranking poker hand results in failure. Both jokers are present and wild, increasing the chance of a good hand, but the black joker means that the spirit does something harmful to the huckster. A hand in poker can mean any of the following: A synonym for round, a unit of play consisting of a deal, betting, and possibly a showdown. ...

Action Decks

Instead of rolling for Initiative as in most other RPGs, the players make a "speed" roll on the bones -- the exact number and type being rolled determined by each character's stats -- and then draw a number of cards from a community playing card deck based on the results of that roll. The Marshal then calls out card values, starting from Aces and going all the way down to Deuces. The card's suit indicates who goes first if the same value of card is drawn.

Fate Chips

Along with Bones and Cards, characters get Fate Chips which are typically poker chips, although colored stones or coins can also be used. These are drawn from a hat or some other container that the player blindly chooses at the beginning of play. Each player draws a certain number of Fate Chips at the beginning of the game from the Fate Pot, modified according to player actions and Marshal preference. Fate chips provide things like bonus dice to use during certain rolls, or regain health at a critical moment. The drawback is the Marshal can draw chips as well for the badguys.

Bounties

At the end of a gaming session, players can cash in unused Fate Chips for Bounty Points. These are like Experience Points in other systems and are used to improve Traits and Aptitudes. The Marshal may also award additional Bounty Points at the end of the session for completing the mission objectives and any exceptional role-playing that had been done on behalf of a player.

Spinoff Games

The "Weird West" mark is used to distinguish the primary game setting from the various other settings:

• Deadlands:The Great Rail Wars -- a tabletop wargame with miniature figures.
• Doomtown -- a collectible card game. A sourcebook for the town described in the game was released under the title "Doomtown or Bust!". A secondary sourcebook, detailing the town after the events of the CCG, was released under the title "The Black Circle". A third sourcebook titled "The Collegium", detailing the Mad Scientist faction of the same name, was also released.
• Range Wars -- a tabletop wargame that used a collectible cardboard disks instead of miniatures. As much a spin-off from Doomtown as Deadlands, it used many of the same factions. The base set: Doomtown: Range Wars was released, and a single expansion, Ghost Creek. Material from this game was incorporated into the "Black Circle" sorcebook.
• Deadlands: Hell on Earth -- a role-playing game set in one possible future of the Weird West, where the Reckoners succeeded in turning the entire Earth into a haunted wasteland. This game features elements from the Western genre as well as elements from Mad Max-esque post-apocalyptic fiction and, of course, horror.
• Deadlands: Lost Colony -- a role-playing game set in the same future as Deadlands: Hell on Earth, except on another planet. This game features sci-fi, Western, and horror elements.
• Savage Worlds -- a miniatures and generic system derived from The Great Rail Wars.

Three Warhammer 40,000 Miniatures. ... Doomtown (originally Deadlands:Doomtown) is a collectible card game, a companion to the Deadlands roleplaying setting. ... Collectible card games (CCGs), also called customizable card games or trading card games, are played using specially designed sets of cards. ... This article or section should be merged with Deadlands: The Weird West aka Deadlands Hell on Earth is the first campaign supplement for Deadlands: The Weird West. ... Mad Max is an Australian apocalyptic science fiction film starring Mel Gibson. ... Apocalyptic science fiction is a sub-genre of science fiction that is concerned with the end of the world or civilization, through nuclear war, plague, or some other general disaster. ... Deadlands: Lost Colony is a supplement for Deadlands: Hell on Earth, which adds a space-faring element to the popular alternate history RPG. Lost Colony is set on the world of Banshee, recently colonised by humans before the War to End All Wars, when earth was devastated by Ghost Rock... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Savage Worlds is a universal generic role-playing game and miniatures wargame, written by Shane Lacy Hensley, and published by Great White Games doing business as Pinnacle Entertainment Group. ...

See also

• List of Deadlands character classes
• List of Deadlands Sourcebooks
• List of Deadlands Monsters

A character class represents a characters archetype and career in some role-playing games. ...

External link

• Pinnacle Entertainment Group