Cowboys and Wizards

[Gerry Sezzler]

Not sure if this is the proper forum for a thread like this but, I'm wondering if there's ever been a game published that combined spaghetti westerns and high fantasy? I'm talking like wizards on top of trains shooting fireballs at gunslinging bandits riding wyverns 'n stuff. Deadlands just doesn't have the feel I'm looking for.

[Dhavaer]

Shadow Stalkers in d20 Past has a wild west adventure, although it tends to be lower magic.

[Wippit Guud]

Werewolf: The Wild West is the closest thing I know of... and it being a white wolf game, could just bring Mage into it...

[Gerry Sezzler]

Well thanks for the suggestions. Frankly I'm surprised it's never been done. It seems so obvious. Perhaps I can gurp up something to my liking.... hmmm

[Sardia]

Perhaps some of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels for inspiration? There's magic, there's a guy with a gun...

[Rahdjan]

Perhaps some of Stephen King's Dark Tower novels for inspiration? There's magic, there's a guy with a gun...

And a train too, but I think he was a pain if I remember correctly.

[Amotis]

GURPS maybe? It can be done certainly.

[Wippit Guud]

And a train too, but I think he was a pain if I remember correctly.

Just tell him a bad joke, cures the pain fairly well.

[TheOOB]

Hmm, the shadowrun system isn't set in the wild west, but changing the setting to accomadate it wouldn't be that hard.

[YPU]

Spellslinger by fantasy flight games is exactly what you are talking about. On the front there is a cowboy on a wyvern chasing a mage atop of a wagon.

[Jayabalard]

GURPS: Fantasy + Old West. Optionally add in Magic, Steampunk, High Tech (don't be fooled by the name, it covers Tech level 4 to Tech Level 7 ie, gunpoweder to current era) and maybe martial arts (if you want to add in some Kwai Chang Caine action).

Personally, I like the GURPS system alot, and I think that it's probably the best system to get a mashed up campaign world. Pick 2 or more books, stir and serve.

[Fax Celestis]

Wyld Wyld West is another good option, if you like White Wolf.

[Altair_the_Vexed]

You could do this with a selection of critters from D&D and the right guns from d20 modern, throw out armour, apply the "Defense bonus by class" modifiers and the "armour is damage reduction" variant rules from the SRD, get a good Old West source book, and go.

All the classes from D&D would most likely fit - except I can't see Bards working - with minimal adjustment (you'll need to call firearms simple and martial weapons - maybe pistols are simple, rifles are martial).
Depending on how fantasy you want your setting, you could replace certain power groups with D&D races, but that could get politically difficult. A good way to cut through that is to use an entirely alternate world, or rather than the "New World" or the West being a new continent, it's a literal New World.

[Closet_Skeleton]

d20 past COULD do it but might not be the best option. Shadowrun seems wrong to me since I think of it as being cyberpunk but I hate that campaign world's premise anyway so my investigations into it have been limited. Any hacker rules would be useless at least.

DnD would work, just add revolvers.

[Wolf53226]

Deadlands, which has a D20 version, although I am not that familiar with it. I play the older version. Has Hucksters(Magic Users, sort of), Shamans(Magic use of a slightly different nature), cowboys and Indians. It is set in the "Weird West", where some Indian Nations, tired of the encroachment of the white man, tried to get some evil spirits to rid the "US" of the white man, but they couldn't control what happened, and thus magic was released out into the word. Magic is more conning these spirits into doing what you want.

[Jack Mann]

He already said Deadlands won't work for his purposes.

[arnoldrew]

Deadlands, which has a D20 version, although I am not that familiar with it. I play the older version. Has Hucksters(Magic Users, sort of), Shamans(Magic use of a slightly different nature), cowboys and Indians. It is set in the "Weird West", where some Indian Nations, tired of the encroachment of the white man, tried to get some evil spirits to rid the "US" of the white man, but they couldn't control what happened, and thus magic was released out into the word. Magic is more conning these spirits into doing what you want.

Okay, this makes me depressed, since I basically thought of this idea about a year ago and have been developing it ever since. Except my version had the entire West cut off from the rest of the world by some kind of mystical barrier.

[Jayabalard]

He already said Deadlands won't work for his purposes.

deadlands and deadlands D20 are pretty different... perhaps he should try the other system if he has only looked at one of them?

[Jack Mann]

They have different mechanics, but I was under the impression that they had the same setting. Since it's the feel of the game that the original poster said wouldn't work, Deadlands d20 wouldn't likely be much better.

Unless I've misunderstood, and they changed the setting greatly for the d20 version?

[Macrovore]

I can't believe noone's said eberron yet. it could do exactly that (including the trains).

[Gerry Sezzler]

Spellslinger by fantasy flight games is exactly what you are talking about. On the front there is a cowboy on a wyvern chasing a mage atop of a wagon.

What manner of beast is Spellslinger mechanically? And what are the odds of me being able to find the books?

[Jayabalard]

They have different mechanics, but I was under the impression that they had the same setting. Since it's the feel of the game that the original poster said wouldn't work, Deadlands d20 wouldn't likely be much better.

Unless I've misunderstood, and they changed the setting greatly for the d20 version?

I thought the D20 version dropped all of the poker mechanics?

that certainly gave the game a different feel than other RPG systems, at least for me.

[YPU]

What manner of beast is Spellslinger mechanically? And what are the odds of me being able to find the books?

Its d20, although it generalizes more. If I remember correctly it has only 3 classes and many skills are classed under one skill. You probably wont find the book in a store. But I think that there are many online stores that sell the pdf. drivetrough rpg has it.
I think its in sale for only five dollar. EDIT: here is the oficial site http://www.fantasyflightgames.com/hr04.html
And there is the Victoriana rp. It is the right age, but the setting is London, but it has all the rules you need. They do use the typical fantasy races with some very cool variation, and magic. worth looking into.

[The Gilded Duke]

Broncosaurus Rex

Abe Lincoln got assasinated before he delivered the emancipation proclimation. The civil war never really ended but both sides eventually freed their slaves. Overtime the Civil war became the Cold War, both sides developing nuclear arms and threatening each other with mutually assured destruction.

The nuclear arms race became the space race, with the confederacy ultimatly being the first to land on the moon. (They used stolen Union technology and kidnapped scientists to do so). Shortly after the first moon landing the confederacy and the union discovered that there were time/space anomolies not far from Earth.

The Confederacy and the Union used these anomolies to teleport settlers to various habitable planets throughout the galaxy. While the confederacy was busy populating the universe the Union realized that they were weakened. The Union attacked the confederacy and was quickly winning. Instead of fighting back or surrendering the Confederacy spread to the stars.

After the Union conquered the Confederacy on Earth they united with the European Union to form the Federation. The European Union began to take over the rest of the world. China and England fled becoming the faction known as the free spacers. Intersteller traders living on giant city ships who will trade with anybody.

One of the planets the confederacy discovered was an enormous planet called Cretacia. For some wierd reason Cretacia seems to have native dinasaurs, nobody really knows why. The Confederacy began colonizing the planet trying to set up a new home away from home. The Union discovered the planet a little later and sent in forces to try and take it.

The confederacy is better fortified and already has some deals with local raptor tribes but the Union has just completed their secret weapon. The Ironclad. The Ironclad is a mechanized armor suit capable of giving its rider great strength and destructive capability.

The war for Cretacia has begun. You can play either a Free Spacer, a Confederate, a Union member, or a savage. Unfortunatly you can't play as a dinasaur although you could probably use some savage species rules.

Cowboys riding Triceratops with Light Sabers. As in the sword is actually a saber.

Almost had a game going, might try again at some point.

[Golthur]

I thought the D20 version dropped all of the poker mechanics?

that certainly gave the game a different feel than other RPG systems, at least for me.

Yes, there's an optional supplement on the Deadlands website to add some of the poker mechanics back in, but they've more or less dropped them from d20.

Too bad, I found it really added to the flavour of the game. Guess that's why I play "classic" instead of d20