Can anyone tell me about the Deadlands RPG?

[malichai]

Can anyone give me any thoughts/opinions about the RPG Deadlands? Pros/cons, Likes/dislikes about the system? I'm not even sure what exact system I'm asking about, either, if there is a D20 version and an original version, then opinions on those separately and together would also be appreciated.

Thanks.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, it's sort of dead.

There was the original game, which took the RPG world by storm about 10 years ago. It was a lot like Shadowrun mechanically (and gameworld wise, actually), only instead of using just d6s, it used all sorts of dice. It also had 10 stats instead of S-Run's 6.

I thought it was okay (I like dice pool games), but that it was too complicated, because it had too many different attributes and I hate games that have a lot of dice types for skill rolls (it's confusing)

I think there were two editions of it.

Then there is the d20 version. I liked it a lot, but I seem to be the only one. The splatbooks for the d20 system were poorly designed mechanically, though, at least the prestige classes.

I don't think it sold all that well, or less then they expected (I think they had unrealistically high expectations - the original Deadlands was a huge seller). They then came out with "Savage Worlds", sort of a multi-genre gereric game system. They are supposed to be making a Deadlands book for that.

Like I said, I thought the world was a lot like Shadowrun, like our own, except that magic came back in the 1860s, not 2011. And it was eviler.

 

[Particle_Man]

Deadlands was a lot of fun when I played (original rules, not d20). I highly recommend it, but you have to go into it with the right attitude. It is not a Western game; it is a Western-HORROR game. Thus you can expect your PC's to die. Horribly.

That said, if you want a party that survives, the only rule of thumb is to ban hucksters from the PC party. The flavour text is that they are in league with dark forces, and frankly, that's about right. Also, eventually the huckster WILL kill the party when a spell goes horribly wrong. Mad Scientists are ok at first, but eventually they go mad (and usually homicidal mad at that) so ya gotta keep a close eye on 'em and a quick hand on yer sidearm. Oh, and if you are shooting zombies, go for head shots, just like the movies.

All that said, I'd play Deadlands again in a minute. Just enjoy the ride, and don't expect to win.

I think you can get the original rules for deadlands for free off of rpgnow.

 

[Majere]

It uses about 6 million dice and 14 packs of cards.
The magic was always a bit.. speculative for me and PCs have a life expectancy that only just outlives how long they take to write up.
That said, its alot of really good fun, it takes a little getting into, and open ended rolling can really shaft the DM and/or players.
Plus its different, and its westerns, and there are zombies.. what more could you want ?

Definately play it, just dont expect it to be as clean as D&D, and its alot less combat based .. because you realyl wanna avoid unnessecary player deaths

Majere

 

[Wombat]

I played the game briefly. It seemed to fall into the "All That 'N' A Bowl O' Grits" school of gaming. As randomizing agents it used dice (of all types)... AND playing cards ... AND poker chips. It was a Old West game ... AND it was a Big Science game ... AND it was Call of Cthuhlu horror ... AND it was a magic game.

My biggest problem with the game, much like Rifts, is that it was all over the board and never really defined itself.

OTOH, it was the only game I knew of where you could start as the Undead ... by accident ... :\

 

[Alcareru]

Ill chime in too. Ive always had a soft spot for Deadlands. The original is better than the d20 version IMHO but the setting has alot going for it. However, theres like a bazillon sourcebooks add ons for it now and 3 (original, Gurps and d20) versions of the game.

Anyway, If you check out http://www.peginc.com/ makers of Deadlands and Weird Wars, youll see that Shane Helmsley maker of DL is doing Deadlands Reloaded, basically an compilation of sorts of the mounds of books and an update of the timeline. The book is for use with the Savage Worlds ruleset, peginc's "generic" rpg.

I personally like the Savage Worlds rules-they are rules lite- and work well in pulp settings. Deadlands would be a good fit IMHO. If youre interested in a non d20 easy on the rules games I highly recommend checking out the forums there.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[malichai]

Deadlands: Hell On Earth?

Did any of you play Deadlands: Hell On Earth? How did it compare with the Deadlands: Weird West original?

 

[trancejeremy]

Hell on Earth is basically the worlds of Deadlands set 110 or so years later. It's more of a post-apocalytpic game, and assumes that the bad guys won. Which I found depressing.

Basically, same mechanics, IIRC, except there was no magic. But lots of wacky mutant powers. (I have just the d20 version of Hell on Earth).

I probably would have liked it better if it weren't related to Deadlands, as like I said, I found it depressing that basically despite the actions of the heros/PCs, the world was doomed. Doomed! But the HOE setting itself actually reminds me of the old computer game Wasteland...one of my favorites (so if not for the connection to the first DL, I probably would have liked it.)

 

[Inconsequenti-AL]

I was a big fan of Deadlands - played it for a few years. As people have said: Wild West horror game with Mad Science - if that appeals then it's worth a look. The 'magic' systems was interesting - some of it was stable... although most of it was potentially double edged. Pretty good fun!

IMO, contrary to what a couple of people said it's the Mad Science that tends to kill parties - get space age technology (time machines, lasers, telsa guns, jetpacks, etc) - with a tendancy to blow up in your face around 10% of the time. Especially avoid dynamite launchers.

Hell on Earth was a post apocalyptic/survival horror version - had some great ideas - radiation priests in particular! Unfortunately they used the same combat system as Deadlands. That worked pretty good with 6 shooters, rifles and shotguns. However, they extrapolated it for automatic weapons, rocket launchers and miniguns - the results were far too lethal - basically stable mad science. If you make it more of a Mad Max level of technology (cars, no machine guns!) then it works OK.

The 3rd and newest version is Lost Colony - Space Western thing set on an Alien Planet. Helped playtest it a little - isn't bad, however introducing even more modern weapons didn't help the lethality much.

I'd say forget the D20 version, the original system is skill based - it was not a game that suited a class/level system at all. Changed the flavour of it completely. We tried it for a couple of weeks and were not happy with the results, so switched back.

 

[arwink]

I tend to have a hell of a lot of fun playing deadlands, although I've only ever really played at cons.

The mass randomizing agents that people have mentioned - dice, chips and cards - seems like a lot, but it tends to blend together pretty seemlessly in my experience, and there's something to be said for playing a semi-western game while holding a handful of cards and stacking a pile of chips in front of you. There's a synchronicity between the mood of the game and the mood of playing that appeals to me.