Deadlands, what do I need to know?

**Zen Master** · 2011-03-10, 03:02 PM (ISO 8601)

So ... in 8 days I'm running a 3 day scenario for Deadlands. I got the plot and characters made and so on - no worries there. But ... it's my first time running the system. So ...

Are there any snags I need to know about?
Any tips and tricks of the trade?
Recommendations?

Thanks in advance for any and all help =)

**ThirdEmperor** · 2011-03-10, 03:02 PM (ISO 8601)

Classic or Reloaded?

**manyslayer** · 2011-03-10, 03:36 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by ThirdEmperor

Classic or Reloaded?

Or, for that matter, D20?

**Swordguy** · 2011-03-10, 05:09 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by manyslayer

Or, for that matter, D20?

There is no d20 Deadlands. It doesn't exist. A figment of your imagination. Swamp gas refracting moonlight shining off a weather balloon.

There is only Classic (or in a pinch, Reloaded).

**CubeB** · 2011-03-10, 05:47 PM (ISO 8601)

Depends on what mood you're going for.

First of all, part of the mystique of Deadlands is not knowing. The Weirdness of the Weird West is supposed to be a mystery.

If your players have peeked in the back of the book? Change things up!

Also, players with Mysterious Pasts shouldn't know what they have unless it's a knack. Especially not the Harrowed, if there is one. Don't tell the Harrowed he or she has a bonus point of Grit. Do it behind the scenes.

Speaking of Harrowed, remember that in the old west, getting shot -hurts-. Combat in Deadlands is supposed to be highly lethal, so cover and tactics are essential.

My GM personally likes to limit each arcane background to one per party. One Huckster, One Mad Scientist, One Blessed, One Shaman, One Kung Fu Master, and One Blood Magus. Harrowed in his game are mysterious past only.

However, the party seems to do best if mystic types are fairly rare. Badass Normals work wonders in this game, and don't have to worry about frying their brains.

**Kaun** · 2011-03-10, 07:20 PM (ISO 8601)

I tend to avoid letting my players start as harrowed. I chr built knowing that they will be harrowed can be major pains in the ass.

Watch out for melee bassed chr's. Done right they can do crazy damage.

I always find the game works better when you hint at the supernatural elements of the world rather then playing them out in the open.

I often have 2 decks of cards on hand, i get one of my players to shuffle it between combats and switch between decks every fight. Tends to speed things up a fair bit.

I all so tend to use [4e] minion like mooks in fights to fill out the combat with out slowing it down to much.

**Zen Master** · 2011-03-11, 06:41 AM (ISO 8601)

Thanks for the replies =)

It's Deadlands reloaded. For reasons mysterious and unknown, the game is not easily available here in the backwaters of reality, and reloaded was the one I was most comfortable buying for download.

I'm making all the characters - so the players will know only their own toon and abilities. I'm thinking a hexslinger, a shaman and a mad scientist, plus three more mundanes. Basically, they are a unit of confederate cavalry caught in a small mining town - inside union land, and without contact with their unit (which has betrayed them anyhow, but they don't know that).

The game feels like a mix of shadowrun (condition monitors, firearms) and Earthdawn (the reckoners are much like horrors). Which ... seems to be a recipe for pure awesome =)

**Pentachoron** · 2011-03-11, 07:03 AM (ISO 8601)

One thing to definitely keep in mind with this game is that the mood/atmosphere of the session can and typically does make or break the session. So know what you're going for going in, and definitely layer on the atmosphere.

**Lhurgyof** · 2011-03-17, 10:00 PM (ISO 8601)

Props. Props are nice. Outfits and such.

**Kiero** · 2011-03-18, 01:53 PM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Acromos

I'm making all the characters - so the players will know only their own toon and abilities. I'm thinking a hexslinger, a shaman and a mad scientist, plus three more mundanes. Basically, they are a unit of confederate cavalry caught in a small mining town - inside union land, and without contact with their unit (which has betrayed them anyhow, but they don't know that).

Are those three the only PC options? What if one of them wants to play a "mundane" cavalry soldier?

**Xuc Xac** · 2011-03-20, 02:08 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Kiero

Are those three the only PC options? What if one of them wants to play a "mundane" cavalry soldier?

Continue reading after "mad scientist".

**Kiero** · 2011-03-20, 06:13 AM (ISO 8601)

Originally Posted by Xuc Xac

Continue reading after "mad scientist".

"Plus three more mundanes" didn't sound like they were even worthy of mention. What are they?

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