Deadlands Reloaded

Deadlands is an odd game. It is set in the Wild West, only in a different version of our world - one where, instead of the North winning the Civil War, something supernatural happened, allowing the South to regroup after Gettysburg, and effectively letting them put the North into stalemate. Now the cause of the supernatural hysteria, a substance called ghost rock, can be mined out west (especially in the Great Maze of canyons and tunnels that is much of California after a devastating earthquake), but other things are happening; the dead rise up in odd places, bizarre new creatures are emerging, and the world is moving in very strange directions - and nobody seems to know why, only that it's probably bad. So you play a wanderer out in the West, trying to make a living, or find out what's going on, or to make a quick buck, and sometimes you can do it with supernatural help.

Deadlands uses the Savage Worlds system, which is also on my list, and which I'll get to at another time. It's actually a fairly easy method of character generation, so I'll get to it. Since I absolutely loathe the idea of playing a Confederate (see my previous opinions on such in my quasi-review of Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood), I'll play an ex-Union soldier now working as a freelance gun, making his way in the Weird West. I have 5 main attributes: Agility, Smarts, Spirit, Strength, and Vigor. They each start at a value of d4, and I have 5 points to spend; each point raises an ability one die type. Since I'm going to be a gunslinger, I'll put 2 points each in Agility and Vigor, with the last point in Spirit; I won't be the smartest gun in the West. I then have 15 points for skills; these also start at d4, and I can purchase them up to the die size of the attribute they are tied to for 1 point per step; anything beyond that is 2 points. Being a gunslinger, I'll want Guts (Spirit), Fighting (Agility), Riding (Agility), Shooting (Agility), and maybe a little Stealth (Agility). I'll put 3 points in Guts, 2 points each in Riding and Stealth, and 4 each in Fighting and Shooting.

I have a couple secondary statistics now; Charisma is set at +0, Pace is at 6, Parry is set at 2+half my Fighting die, which is a d10, so 7, and Toughness is equal to 2+half my Vigor die, which gives me 6. I also have one point of Grit. Then we get to Special Abilities. I can take a number of Hindrances no,w, either to give me extra points to spend or to let me purchase Edges; being human, I get one Edge for free. I'd like to put at least one point each into Strength and Spirit, so I'll need at least 4 points of Hindrances - coincidentally, the maximum I am allowed. I think I'll go with the Code of Honor Major hindrance (I have to keep my word, treat prisoners well, and try to act like a gentleman), the Loyal Minor Hindrance (I never leave a man behind), and Doubting Thomas (I have trouble believing in the supernatural). This gets me the points I need to add 1 each to Strength and Spirit. Then I get my free human Edge; I'll take True Grit, raising my Grit by 1.

I then have $250 for equipment; a set of clothes (with obligatory duster and Stetson hat) will cost about $30, then I'll want a backpack ($2), a bed roll ($4), canteen ($1), and a mess kit ($2). Then on to the fun stuff. As a gunslinger, I'll need a gun belt ($2), and a quick-draw holster ($11). I'll also pick up a rifle boot ($3), for when my shootin' iron ain't enough. That leaves me $195 for firepower. I'll buy a Colt Frontier for $8, and a Colt Revolving rifle for $24, and 100 rounds for the pistol, along with 50 for the rifle, for $11. This leaves me with $152, enough for a horse with $2 to spare - and I'll have to ride bareback. Ouch.

After this, I would normally fill out my background and then my character's worst nightmare, but that's not necessary for the purposes of this, so I'll leave it at this:

Jim Stirling
Ex-Union Gunslinger
Agility d8
Smarts d4
Spirit d8
Strength d6
Vigor d8

Skills
Guts d8
Fighting d10
Riding d8
Shooting d10
Stealth d8

Secondary Statistics
Charisma +0
Pace 6
Parry 7
Toughness 6
Grit 2

Hindrances
Code of Honor (Major), Loyalty (Minor), Doubting Thomas (Minor)
Edge
True Grit

Equipment
Clothing (pants, shirt, boot, duster, Stetson), backpack, bedroll, canteen, mess kit, Colt Frontier, Colt Revolving Rifle, 100 rounds pistol ammo, 50 rounds rifle ammo, horse