12 Games July: Deadlands (Week 4)

Well the time has come again for my overall thoughts on this month's game.  Given what all I had to say LAST WEEK it shouldn't come as a surprise, but for those of you that wait till now to see what I think here it is. Get this game.

As I've said before, Deadlands is basically the father of my favorite system Savage Worlds and it shows.  So many of the great concepts there are here too, but at the same time nothing is at all the same.  If the cinematic nature of Savage Worlds isn't your thing though this also has you covered as the older system has a lot more meat on its bones.  The best comparison I can draw is like thinking of the editions of Dungeons & Dragons with Deadlands being 3.X and Savage Worlds being 5th edition.  They both run great for what they offer and while feeling familiar offer a very different experience. I don't want you to be confused though.  These games are nothing like D&D, just the difference in complexity and depth I find to be a good comparison.  If you're not familiar with the mechanics at play here I suggest looking at my Week 3 Review as I break down some of the basics there.

Personally if I had to pick between one game or the other I would still pick Savage Worlds, but that's ONLY because if it being more easily converted to different settings.  Deadlands doesn't do that, but what it does do it completely immerse you in the setting it has and it's definitely one worth checking out.  The Wild West meets Demons and Magic is a blast of deadly horror.  Focusing on one setting also means much deeper rules for everything that setting has to offer so your players that lie much more detailed rules, tables, and charts will have plenty to do.

While the crunch can be nice, it also runs perfect if you just use the bare bones playing somewhat fast and loose which to me is a sign of a solid game.  This also means you can learn the basics of the game then slowing build up the complexity allowing for an easier curve to bring in new players.  With out completely breaking down the rules all I can really say is every aspect of them feel like the Wild West with a roleplaying game that comes off almost as much as hands of poker as it does dice and charts.  IT's a fun change of pace and something I think any fan of gaming should check out if for nothing else than some very different looks at mechanics like initiative and character generation.