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Howdy everybody! My name's Will. On YouTube some people call me Infranaut, but folks round these parts know me as Calico Heart. I recently 100% finished my Kickstarter—backed game, DEAD IN THE WEST, and I'm here to tell you about it! Please bear with me as I'm bad at self-promotion! Tarnations!!! What is DEAD IN THE WEST? DEAD IN THE WEST is a storytelling-heavy Tabletop RPG set in the Mythic Old West! This is the old west that lives primarily in the hearts and minds of those that love the adventure promised by the Great American Frontier – think old cowboy moves, comics, pulp novels, and serialised adventures! The characters in the Mythic West are LARGER—THAN-LIFE, the action is TOUGH-AS-NAILS, and the world is BRIMMIN'-WITH-WONDER! What can I expect in DEAD IN THE WEST? The unexpected! DEAD IN THE WEST is a game whose mechanics are designed to keep you on your toes. When your GM describes someone reaching behind their back, slowly opening a drawer, or fiddlin' with something in their pocket, you can shout “Quickdraw” to raise irons against them! The rewards for winning a Quickdraw are great, but be careful, though – your GM might be on-the-ball and Quickdraw back! Or... maybe that shady guy was just reaching for his keys. OOPS!  DEAD IN THE WEST also encourages clever, daring, and innovative thinking through the VIGOR system. Whenever a player rolls a “Blunder” (a 1 on an eight-sided dice) the situation becomes more tense and dramatic – and usually in a bad way! Clever players can avoid this with a point of VIGOR, which allows them to re-roll a Blunder. VIGOR is earned whenever a character does something incredibly clever, innovative, unique, bold, or downright-crazy. “Wait, you're saying that to avoid the 1 in 8 chance of something dramatic and crazy happening, I need to act dramatic and crazy?” Welcome to DEAD IN THE WEST! What makes DEAD IN THE WEST special? DEAD IN THE WEST is game that puts character first. Every time I've sat down with a new player, they've been amazed how they quickly they've gone from “no idea who to play as” to “wow, I can't wait to play this guy”! There are mechanics for a character's demeanour, history, ideals, vices, and even dreams! What's more, your character's personality leads their development. In fact, DEAD IN THE WEST is designed so that, after a few gameplay sessions, no two characters will feel the same. Tall order, I know!    This is primarily achieved through ABILITIES. These are unique sills and talents characters earn based on their actions, personality, and the story they find themselves in. For example, if you're a pacifist who uses a whip, you may earn the Ability to whip weapons out of ne'er-do-wells hands in a Quickdraw rather than attacking them. If you're a master thief masquerading as a master chef, you may earn the Ability to cook poisonous dishes that can make people sick, drowsy, or really need the bathroom! If you're from a distance country and have awful social skills, you may earn the Ability to undo a Blunder by simply saying “sorry, my English! Let's start again, shall we?” The DEAD IN THE WEST Game Book includes 60 Abilities, along with examples of how and why a GM might give them to a Player. Moreover, it includes a long, extensive guide that GMs can use to create their own, so every player in every posse can be 100%% unique! Here are some fun examples:       I'm curious! Is there anywhere I can see someone play DEAD IN THE WEST? Yes! There is a fantastic little Podcast called RPG Roulette that recently finished a long campaign of DEAD IN THE WEST. Though they stuck with the shorter, “alpha” version of the rules given to Kickstarter backers, they still played the game together for tens of hours, and had a whale of a time doing so. Additionally, in the original Kickstarter video, there are some clips of my noble and erstwhile friends having a ball with the game!  What's the Book like? It's gorgeous and brimming with character. Every page is full-colour and full-personality. Five incredible artists were paid to create dozens of absolutely spectacular pieces of art that truly bring the game to life. Though they each have dramatically different styles, they all mesh together wonderfully to perfectly embody the feeling of adventure and wonder I wanted the book to impart. Each chapter also begins with a quote from an Ol' West Legend, which is a little detail, but I think really helps set the tone. In addition, a remarkably talented graphic designer was in charge of the overall “look” of the book, filling it with diagrams, liner-sketches, fine-tuning the character sheet, picking flavourful fonts and overall making it a joy to behold. Look, I know I'm biased here, but I got emotional the first time I skipped through the PDF and nearly teared up when I held the book in my hands.       Oh, and if you're thinking this is a light read, think again. You are getting your money's worth with DEAD IN THE WEST, just look at this beefy boy:     !!!GET DEAD IN THE WEST!!! You can pick up both the Digital PDF Edition and Hardback Physical Edition of DEAD IN THE WEST here on Gumroad! If you'd like, go ahead and use the code “goonsgowest” for a rootin-tootin' discount! The Gumroad store also includes downloads for character sheets, GM screens, and damage boards. The Hardback comes with the PDF. I currently have 25 copies of the hardback but am able to order more if there is demand. Is DEAD IN THE WEST an inclusive game? Absolutely. From the GM's section of the Book:  What did you learn Kickstarting a game? That I am just an unconscionable, unbelievable idiot. Some choice lessons include: “no, I cannot write, edit, commission artwork, typeset, and print an enormous game in eight months”, “no, I cannot do all the proofreading myself”, “no, I cannot do everything myself”, “printing is expensive”, “global pandemics are annoying” and, most importantly: “wow, shipping sure does cost a lot”. I am super glad I learnt these lessons for the future, but god drat they make me feel stupid  Why now? DEAD IN THE WEST was completed a little while ago, but I held off on posting about it because, well, I am really bad at self-promotion. I feel like I never know what to say and can feel “phony” really easily. This said, my parents have been going through some really hard times lately, and it's motivated me to try and shift some copies of my silly game to help them out. I wanna know more! If you have any questions, please lemme know here! Alternatively, you can check out the Kickstarter and video here! Phew! This was an exhausting post. Thanks so, so much for taking the time to check out my post! Hope you consider my little game, and Happy Trails!
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Dec 24, 2021 12:07
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| # ? Apr 30, 2024 13:13 |
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I was literally just today talking about how much Warrior on HBO Max whips rear end, and then this shows up with the character portraits right out of that show. I'll be keep an eye on this.
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Dec 24, 2021 14:38
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Book features art from a number of talented people, but I think you're referring to my good mate Patsy, whose work you can see more of here!
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Dec 26, 2021 20:11
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I've been looking for a good western ttrpg for a while now, giving this one a shot! 
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Jan 3, 2022 22:43
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Hard copy arrived in the mail, book looks good!
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Jan 17, 2022 17:47
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Awesome! Canada shipping in my experience can be a bit tricky from the UK, so I'm glad it got there safe and sound.. Lemme know your thoughts and if you got any questions be sure to post em here 
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Jan 18, 2022 23:54
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I'm not big into western RPGs but I do appreciate the inclusion of the camel.
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Jan 19, 2022 01:13
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| # ? Apr 30, 2024 13:13 |
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The Camel Corps are a great, fun little footnote in American history I just had to include. Someone who bought the game told me they’re running a campaign where a player’s goal is to tame a camel. After many sessions the GM tossed one their way but it’s just too ornery for him! ... Just as intended.
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Jan 20, 2022 22:48
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