A bit off topic, but you guys are the best people to ask…
Originally shared by Matt Balara (108madmonkies)
What’re your recommendations for a kickass western game? I’ve always been a fan of westerns, and lately I’ve been consuming one movie a day, and I’d like to run a game of gunslingers. What system(s) are worth looking at?
Aces & Eights.
And what’s so cool about it?
Dogs in the Vineyard is a really solid choice, although it is specifically telling the stories of Mormon gunslingers judging the morality of the faithful.
I’ve also heard really good things about Dust Devils, although I haven’t read that one yet. Hopefully someone else can offer more on that.
Depending on what kind of style you’re looking for, you should check out Fate Core or Fate Accelerated Edition. Both can be bought as PWYW on DTRPG.
Matt Balara Aces & Eights has a very fine alt history setting, which can totally be ignored for a traditional setting. Lots of very useful info on many subjects (raising cattle, stage coaches, costs of things, etc) Also uses a very cool mechanic to resolve gun fights. You place an over lay over a silhouette. From there you use a deck of cards to resolve combat (as memory serves). Kesner and Co produced it a while back, might want to check out their forums for more info.
Oh, Dust Devils isn’t bad, either. 🙂
For a single session, I have run Fiasco with the Boomtown playset to great effect.
Savage worlds Deadlands only one I know of apart from using Gurps or Chaosium BRP.
How about Sidewinder: Recoiled? It’s based off of D20 Modern. I ran it once at a convention and it was very fun.
See? I knew you guys were the best ones to ask. 🙂
From what I’ve seen & heard so far, I think I’ll pick up Owl Hoot Trail (because Pelgrane and fantasy gunslingers) and Dust Devils (because poker) and see what I think.
World of Dusters is a World of Dungeons hack and works really well for western adventures.
My wife Willow Palecek wrote Apocalypse West, a hack of Apocalypse World she ran at a Chicago Games Day. She just did this for fun. 🙂 Here are the playbooks: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B9cu0IVYfHtidFprbE9ScGlFNXM/edit
She has a bunch of other rules changes that I will ask her to post here.
Tim Jensen That’s some very nice stuff there. Do have her post the rules changes!
Here’s the playbooks, and the revised stuff chapter. The GM moves etc. are exactly the same as in Apocalypse World, so you’ll need that book.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dagolfjhdxmpbyc/Apocalypse%20West.zip