As I noted at RPG Pub, the first module for Hurled into Eternity is ready to go: HS1 – The Star Spangled Standoff.
In keeping with the our 250th celebration of America’s Independence, likewise the townsfolk of Liberty Fork find themselves beset by outlaw forces of the Iron Confederation after the devastating Civil War. The good people of the town simply want a respite from the horrors of that conflict, but the Confederation has other ideas, yet somehow the Shattered Union staggers on.
Fortunately for the townsfolk, The Masked Rider and Spirit Hawk, heroes of the dusty trail, are there to render aid and set the wrong things right!
With all that said as an introduction, I invite you to take a look at the free PDF of the module to see just how things work in Hurled into Eternity. But I also add that it is very much a work in progress. What do I mean? Unlike most types of role-playing games, the western genre can’t fall back onto tropes like exploring dungeons and fighting monsters. Westerns are about shootouts and high stakes. But they also follow a script in a way. By that I mean the Judge needs to think more like a movie director to keep the action flowing.
So with all that said, I present the Alpha scenario of HS1 – The Star Spangled Standoff. I very much look forward to feedback because, unlike writing the rules for the game, modules have proved to be trickier. I’m not saying this as a cop out, but rather I think this is the best idea I’ve put forward so far. It needs input to determine if this is the right track.
So there it is. Download it, give it a whirl, and let me know your thoughts.
There’s a moment — right before you turn over the card — where everything hangs. The breath holds, the blood stills, and luck’s got its boot on your throat. Is the Grim Reaper paying a visit? Maybe Lady Luck half smiling?
Who knows for sure?
That’s Hurled into Eternity in a nutshell. It doesn’t hand you anything. You take it. Inch by inch. Scar by scar.
And if there’s ever been a song that understands that journey, it’s Over the Hills and Far Away by Led Zeppelin.
At first listen, it’s a gentle invitation. The acoustic strumming, Plant’s voice light as a breeze. You’d almost think it’s a song of hope. But Zeppelin never does anything directly. There’s always a twist in the trail. As the track unfolds, the strings get harder, the drums dive in, and that soft beginning turns into a relentless push forward. It’s not a song about reaching a destination, well...about the open road. It’s a song about clawing toward it.
And knowing you might never get there.
Sound familiar?
Hurled into Eternity is the same way. The game isn’t about easy victories or cinematic glory shots. It’s about survival — raw, knuckle-blooded survival. It’s about pushing past the odds, when the cards don’t favor you, when the Judge smiles that razor-thin smile, and you know the house always wins.
The line from the song that sums it all up?
"Many have I loved, and many times been bitten / Many times I've gazed along the open road."
That’s every character in Hurled into Eternity. Haunted by the miles behind them, battered by the ones ahead, but still walking; bloody but unbowed same as laid out in Invictus. Because there’s no other choice. You don’t get to sit on a porch and strum about the past. You’ve got to shoulder your regrets and keep going — into the dust, into the dusk, and, if the deck’s kind, maybe into a legend of your own making. You either rise to the challenge, or get ground into the grave.
The Wild Card System that fuels the game feels like that riff. It starts simple — just a deck of cards — but as the game plays on, every draw, every suit, every Joker bite ramps up the stakes. It’s quiet tension turned into roaring momentum. It builds, never knowing when Lady Luck might turn on you.
So, when you sit down at the table, the next time you reach for your deck, put on Over the Hills and Far Away. Let it ride shotgun with you, you won't be disappointed.
Because the trail is long. The deck is stacked. And there’s no one coming to save you.
But damn if it isn’t a hell of a song to walk into eternity with.
(Hurled into Eternity is set to ride the open range, Spring 2026)
It’s been a busy stretch behind the scenes for Hurled into Eternity. If you’re just tuning in, here’s a quick status update on where things stand and what’s coming next.
The core rule book is fully written and internally locked and loaded. Every major system has been reviewed and stress tests are ongoing: the Wild Card System, Luck and Hand of Fate mechanics, wounds and death, professions, and Judge guidance. It’s all there — and it works the way it’s supposed to. Brutal. Clean. No half-measures.
The Wild Card System itself has gotten its final polish. The revised 2.0 version makes card values even more distinct: Jacks always fail, Kings always succeed, Queens are a 50/50 gamble, and Aces are rare triumphs that give you Luck back. Jokers are now better tied to your reputation (Good, Bad, Ugly, or Weird), and they don’t save you — they change the story. It’s all running leaner and tighter now, with a better sense of pacing and dramatic rhythm in play.
Two major expansions are in development:
Weird West – Currently the most developed, this expansion brings dark folklore, ghost stories, and grim Americana into the Hurled framework. Spells are live and deadly. The Reaping & Reckoning table handles catastrophic failures. New professions like Dust Tracker and Witch Hunter are already written and integrated.
It contains a full bestiary of unnatural threats is underway for the Weird West,
starting with ghosts, revenants, scarecrows, and haunts. Each creature
gets a full write up, mechanical profile, and guidance for use in dark
tales of frontier horror.
Gangland – Think 1920s noir with a switchblade in its teeth and a Tommy gun in its hand. Set in a fictional version of a Prohibition-era city, the game trades spells for rackets, bribes, and vice. It’s about loyalty, betrayal, and blood in the streets. You’re not a hero. You’re a name in the paper — if you’re lucky.
The game’s tagline still stands:
Hurled into Eternity isn’t about easy victories or quick glory. It doesn’t meet you halfway — it expects you to bleed for every mile.
That philosophy continues to guide every design decision: brutal but fair, evocative but lean, and always anchored in a tone of desperation, tension, and earned survival.
Ahead are more updates, and perhaps some surprises. For now, shuffle your deck and keep your eyes on the horizon. The next card might change everything.
Previous update and link to the Alpha rules can be found here (I'm trying to avoid linking to the rules multiple times in the blog)
Tom Cody doesn’t make an entrance — he materializes off a subway train like vengeance made flesh. Trench coat,
thousand-yard stare, and a complete lack of patience for
scumbags.
He's the classic drifter gunslinger, just upgraded
with a butterfly knife and a pump-action.
The Damsel in Distress (But Make Her a Rock Star)
Ellen Aim (Diane Lane, somehow both vulnerable and iconic) isn’t
just the town’s sweetheart — she’s the lost flame. Kidnapped
by The Bombers, she's the spark that draws Cody back to the
Richmond.
It’s Shane with synth-pop. And honestly?
That works.
The Villain: Raven Shaddock
Willem Dafoe in vinyl overalls looking like Nosferatu took a
detour through a biker bar?
Check.
Raven is pure menace —
the kind of guy who probably licks knives and monologues to pigeons.
And he's perfect.
The Weapons, the Ride, the Arsenal
Before storming the gates of Torchie’s, Cody stops by Pete’s
garage and loads up like he's prepping for Commando 2.
Shotgun?
Check.
Custom ride stolen from the Roadmasters? Oh hell
yes.
Backup in the form of McCoy (Amy Madigan)? Absolutely.
She's a hard-drinking ex-soldier with a mean right hook — a
sidekick worthy of any spaghetti Western.
The Rescue and the Wreckage
Sneak into the
Bomber's lair.
Deliver a one-liner
to Raven promising the real reckoning.
Gaze longingly
through the window at the captive Ellen while a synth ballad swells.
Blow the place to
hell.
Use a butterfly knife
like a ninja with PTSD.
Escape through a thousand-to-one odds gunfight.
Standard Tom Cody procedure.
The Escape and the Aftermath
Hijack a motorcycle.
Fight with the girl. Kiss the girl. Let
the girl go.
Jump a roadblock.
Shoot at cop cars.
Stop a moving bus with your hands.
All in a night’s work.
The Final Duel: Cody vs. Raven
No guns. No backup. Just two guys. Two sledgehammers.
Industrial
floodlights. Sweat. Rage. Cinematic glory.
Tom could kill him.
Doesn’t. Because Tom doesn’t need to prove anything — he
already did.
That Final Scene…
As Ellen sings “Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young”
(seriously, peak Jim Steinman nuclear-operatic thunder), Cody walks
off into the night.
He could stay. He could cash in.
But
that’s not who he is.
He came. He saw. He exploded some jukeboxes.
And he left like
a myth.
TL;DR
Trench coat? ✔️
Western at heart? 💯
Rescue the girl? ✔️
Sledgehammer duel? ✔️
Ride off alone? ✔️
So yeah. Call it a Rock ’n’ Roll Fable all you want.
But when the neon fades and the synth dies down, you're left with
a gunslinger, a showdown, and a damn fine walk into the sunset.
Tom Cody: Level 10 Fighter, Chaotic Good (with CN
tendencies), weapon specialization in ass-kicking and throwing punks
through windows.
“There’s nothing wrong with going out and looking for a
fight. As long as you know you’re gonna win.” – Tom Cody
In any creative endeavor, there are people who inspire us—who push us to do more or lead us down paths we hadn’t even considered. That’s certainly been true in the development of my game, Hurled into Eternity.
The funny thing is, some of those influences I recognized while building the game. Others I only saw in hindsight—ghosts riding alongside me the whole way, whether I knew it or not.
Movies - Upfront, it's easiest to say the most obvious inspirations are movies and TV. Pale Rider, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and especially Tombstone and Unforgiven absolutely deserve a spot on the short list of influences for Hurled into Eternity. They’re baked into the bones of the game, whether I meant them to be or not. There’s something about their tone: dusty, desperate, mythic—that lines up perfectly with the world I’ve been building for over two decades.
Music- Music. Music is essential. While working on the latest iterations of Hurled into Eternity, I listened to a ton of Western-inspired soundtracks. One of my go-to favorites is The Lone Rangersoundtrack, along with this absolute gem from Ennio Morricone: Guns for San Sebastian.
After a while, though, I needed something fresh—and I stumbled across this original composition by Steven Lynn. It sounds like it could be in Red Dead Redemption 2 its that good!
Terrain and Buildings - Fall and winter are usually when I hunker down at the hobby table. That’s when the brushes come out, the minis get primed, and the terrain pieces start to take shape. Right now, I’ve got the beginnings of a frontier town called Timber Ridge coming together. It’s a fictional outpost set somewhere in a mythic version of Wyoming—a place with its own legends, rival factions, and more than a few bodies buried beneath its streets.
Alongside that, I’ve also got some old model trains that once belonged to my dad, dating all the way back to the 1940s. I need to dig them out. There’s something deeply satisfying about using a piece of family history to help build a fictional world. Somehow, it all connects.
Working with something physical—terrain, paint, tools—also helps get the creative gears turning in a way that’s hard to replicate on a screen.
Why the Southwest Always Wins - If you’ve ever wondered why so many Western RPGs, films, and stories are set somewhere in the American Southwest, I think it comes down to one thing: the Gunfight at the OK Corral.
That single shootout in Tombstone has become the gravitational center of the genre. There were other towns, other legends, and other infamous clashes—but none carry the same mythic weight.
And yes, the title of my game—Hurled into Eternity—isn’t just poetic. It’s pulled directly from the next day’s edition of the Tombstone Epitaph. That headline stuck with me. It said everything the game tries to say: when you draw your last card, you're not walking away.
Cards, Dice, and the Roads Not Taken- Cards have always played second fiddle to dice in most game designs. Dice dominate as the go-to resolution mechanic, and very few systems—maybe eight to ten at most—use playing cards as a core part of their engine, either fully or partially.
Not long ago, I looked up Gunslingers and Gamblers and felt a brief gut punch when I saw it mentioned cards. Then I dug a little deeper and saw it actually uses poker dice. Relief.
To the best of my knowledge, Hurled into Eternity is the first Western RPG that uses playing cards exclusively to run the whole system. And there’s a reason you don’t see that more often: it’s tough to pull off.
Cards offer a lot—tension, unpredictability, narrative weight—but getting them to feel fast and natural at the table without bogging things down? That took years of trial, error, and rebuilding from the ground up.
What I’ve got now feels sharp. It’s dangerous, intuitive, and full of risk and momentum. The way a proper Western should feel.
RPGS- I’ve mostly steered clear of other Western RPGs—and that was intentional. I own the Savage Worlds rules and I’m familiar with how Deadlands uses cards for initiative, but I made a conscious effort to avoid diving too deep into that material. I wanted Hurled into Eternity to remain honest and original, not a remix of someone else’s work.
In fact, it wasn’t until I had the game mostly locked in—around version 7.5 Alpha—that I really started looking into what other Western RPGs were out there. I came across some excellent games, no question. But I’m glad I waited. For better or worse, I wanted Hurled into Eternity to succeed or fail on its own terms.
That said, I didn’t avoid everything. There were a few titles I did check out, mainly for reference—to make sure I wasn’t unknowingly treading the same ground. Those were:
Western City (By Jorg Dunne)
Boot Hill (1st and 3rd Edition)
Go for Yer Gun (By Simon Washbourne)
Weird West (by Stuart Robertson)
Each one offers something different, but I always came away feeling like I was still building something distinct.
Other RPG Influences- While it might not look like it in the form it is in now, the following games had a part in influencing me over the years with Hurled into Eternity:
Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (1st Edition)
FASERIP Marvel Superheroes
Twilight 2000 (especially early on its development)
Gangbusters (An absolutely incredible game!)
There you have it, just where Hurled into Eternity got its nods from.
Hurled into Eternity wasn’t born overnight. It wasn’t forged in a corporate boardroom or churned out to ride a trend. This game has been riding shotgun in my mind for over two decades—long before terms like “narrative-forward” or “OSR” became popular buzzwords. In truth, it was born as a game I never released called Quest in late 1996
It began with fragments. Scrawled notes in the margins of notebooks. Faded maps of ghost towns that never existed. Mechanics scribbled out, rewritten, then scribbled out again. The feel was always clear though—gritty, grim, and unapologetically unforgiving. A Wild West where death ain’t just possible; it’s likely. But if you go out, you’ll go out legendary.
And now, after twenty years of iteration, evolution, and hard-earned grit, Hurled into Eternity is finally approaching the printing press.
Aiming for 2026: The Release
We’re looking at a tentative launch in Q2 or Q3 of 2026—a full-color, hardcover edition worthy of the legends it’ll carry. This won’t be a flimsy pamphlet or a bare bones beta. This is the real deal. A full core rule book steeped in sweat, smoke, and blood.
Expect more announcements leading into a proper crowdfunding campaign. I won’t rush it—but I will finish it.
This ain’t a game about balance. It's a game about reckoning.
You don’t play heroes—you play drifters, gunfighters, soiled doves, and outlaws. Folks clawing for survival, redemption, or one last score. The tone is dark, mythic, and soaked in the kind of hard choices frontier life demanded.
The world has a pulse. Every town has its own laws, its own secrets, and its own hangman. Every trail hides both gold and ghosts. You’ll meet legends—some living, some not. And if you last long enough, maybe you’ll become one.
Mechanics on the Edge
At its core, the game runs on the Wild Card System—a playing card–based mechanic that trades in tension, randomness, and fate. Combat is resolved through card draws, where suits determine severity and Jokers can spell miracles or doom.
Forget initiative—gunfights run on High Noon rules, where the first to flinch might be the first to fall. Skills are grouped into thematic callings (Military, Urban, Rural, Wilderness), with Talents drawn from the deck itself—fate choosing your gifts as much as you do.
Your drifter doesn’t level up like a power fantasy—they claw their way through scars, legends and fortune earned by blood.
There are critical wounds, misfires, brawls and balloon fights, and plunges into the Weird—a realm of spiritual horror and ghost story made real.
A World Rebuilt
Set in a quasi-legendary Wyoming Territory, the world of Hurled into Eternity takes real frontier history and folds it through myth, folklore, and tragedy. Towns like Redstone, Whiskey Gulch, and Crow Ridge exist between fading maps and whispered tales. The railroad doesn’t just bring progress—it brings change, and not always the kind folks want.
There are factions, bounty boards, twisted cults, and fallen lands. If you’re looking for a cinematic frontier where grit matters more than gear, you’ve found your table.
More soon.
Keep one eye on the blog and the others on the horizon. The saddle’s been empty a long time, but not much longer.
Taking a bit of a side track with all the crazy stuff going on in my life I've picked my western RPG, Hurled Into Eternity back to the fore. Its now on version 7 Alpha and will be ready for review, comments and play testing soon.
More to come but for now a look at the FPO/Concept cover. The idea will be a pulpy dime store western novel approach:
The Old West town of Timber Ridge continues to expand
Work continues apace on my Western town of Timber Ridge. As noted, it’s been a busy week (or weeks), so I didn’t get as much progress as I would have liked, but I did get some solid work in with the Marshal’s office and a corral rounding into form.
In addition to the various forms/places of inspiration that have already been mentioned (Tombstone, Pale Rider, etc.), I came up with another one: from 1951–1999 in North Hudson, NY, there existed a great little amusement park called Frontiertown.
My own memories of it are vague, as I went there as a little kid around maybe 4–5 years old, so somewhere around the late 1970s. Perhaps a future blog post. It’s a sad testament in a way — the decline of Frontiertown mirrors America’s shifting views and movement away from Westerns, but I digress.
The Marshal’s office is close to completion at about 60% complete in terms of painting, and the corral is up next.
It looks like the minis will be the last thing I get for the gangs/posses, as I’m still looking over the miniature lines. Right now Black Scorpion minis are leading the pack, but I still have time to decide. I want them to be a bit larger, so they will be at least 28mm.
I’ve looked at the classic lines from Wargames Foundry and a few others, but will still be mulling it over.
I’m also considering what I want to do for wagons and various sundry items. Obviously scale model railroad terrain makes the most sense. Various miniature manufacturers make wagons and carts, but like the minis, I have time to decide.
Unlike most towns people have created out there on the web, this one is not set in the American Southwest, but rather in more northerly climes. (As an aside, I love the movie Tombstone but I wanted a look and feel that was something different for an Old West town.)
A major inspiration for this is one of my favorite movies of all time: Unforgiven.
I’ve only just started on the town itself, so there is not much to show just yet. I anticipate with the pace I’m going at that I’ll complete it by the fall of this year, but we’ll see what happens.
Thus, the start of the town of Timber Ridge, a logging encampment, but full of cut-throats, desperadoes, and gunmen!
Ok, I have to say this first, this is a, great, great western and in my opinion Charleton Heston's finest western role in the eponymous Will Penny.
I've been working on Hurled into Eternity in a diligent manner, and as I often do, I watch westerns for inspiration. In searching on that man's man (Heston) I thought about where he appeared in the genre, and aside from his cameo in Tombstone (see below) I was hard pressed to name amy of his western roles. IMDB was invaluable in pointing me in the right direction, but I had never heard of Will Penny before.
So I rented it off the AppleTV (plug, plug) as it's not easy to find on DVD let alone BluRay. Then I promptly fell asleep watching it, not because it was boring, but because I was that exhausted. The great thing about AppleTV is once you start watching something you can watch it anytime over the next 24-hours. I made it home with an hour to spare before it expired and got to watch the whole thing, I'm glad I did.
I'll admit this was not a movie I knew a lot about and it's not not one of the most well known of the genre or at least one that will immediately come to mind when a western is talked about. Then when one thinks of Heston it's Ben Hur, or one of his equally epic roles.
Charlton plays Will Penny, an aging cowhand, rather then a gunfighter which is a departure from the traditional role of a western leading man. He is even tempered and reliable, a man that can be counted on to do his job and see it through. I can't understate this enough, he's not a gun hand. In the genre of westerns that's huge, rather he is cast as a everyman.
The story starts out just as a trail drive of cattle is ending. With no family and no job lined up he is unsure of what to do. He settles on setting out with Blue, a younger but sturdy cowhand played by Lee Majors and Dutchy. The action starts off fast enough; a day or two after leaving the trail job. After rising early one morning Blue and Dutchy are out stalking a deer before it all goes south of cheese.
The villain of the story makes his appearance, the unhinged clergyman of sorts, Preacher Quint who is played most excellently by Donald Pleasence. His startling wide eyes and rants really set him up. My only regret is that he would have had more screen time because he was fantastic in this role. Quint and his sons set upon Will and his friends early on setting the stage for problems later. In the immediate sense a gunfight erupts over a deer and just who it belongs to.
"My eyes are even crazier in the movie!"
This particular scene oozes with character! After a brief shootout where several of Quint's men are slain and Dutchy is wounded; Blue and Will set out for the nearest town in hopes of getting Dutchy to a doctor for his gunshot wound.
Along the way they stop at a roadside inn/tavern where the two encounter the dark haired beauty Catherine played by Joan Hackett and her son Horace (aka Buttons) on the way out west to join her husband. After her meeting with Dutchy, wounded in the back of the wagon, she forms a decidedly negative view of Will. And just like that she departs with her son being guided by a rather unreliable man.
From there after making it to town and having dropped off Dutchy, Will departs looking for work, or perhaps simple wandering. After recovering a corpse and bringing it to the local ranch he takes work as a line rider. A line rider worked a section of a range herding cattle back to a particular area especially during winter. In almost every case it's solitary work for months at a time. His boss Alex informs him of but a few rules one of hem is to keep settlers moving through the ranch and not letting them stop, of course this will factor in later.
Oddly enough having finished up my read of the Boot Hill Module BH4- Burned Brush Wells at nearly the same time as I watched Will Penny, I was pleasantly surprised to a see a minor nod to a "line rider" in one of the random encounter tables.
In his establishing his shack and hauling up supplies he is started to find Catherine and her son holed up after their guide abandoned them. He is able to talk Catherine down and doesn't immediately kick her out of the cabin.
While out Will is ambushed by Quint and his sons who leave him in the wilderness to die. He somehow manages to make it back to his cabin. Eventually Will returns back to health nursed by Catherine. This being a western of course a romance has to develop. I must say I was pleasantly surprised. At no time did the action drag in my opinion, in fact even during the scenes where they are setting up the romance between Will and Catherine. It moved along well. At first it is clear she is intrigued by him, and he is clumsy about the whole thing. Eventually the two are drawn closer and closer as the form a sort of family with Button. As it mounts Will delivers one of the best lines of the entire movie: "It's just a case of too soon old and too late smart." In a sense we can feel for Will given his upbringing as a orphan working as a boy in the saloons of San Francisco. I often wonder if Will Penny is even his name?
Of course all of this can't last as Quint and his sounds return at the most inopportune time. The shoot outbids brief and Blue and a recovered Dutchy help save the day. I'm glossing over the final fight as that's not what makes the movie, it's what comes after is what makes the movie.
More so then any movie I've seen recently, certainly a western, it does not have a "Hollywood ending" where everyone lives happily ever after. Will knows what his heart is telling him, what he wants to do, but his logic rightly points out that at nearly 50 "he doesn't have that kind of time". In the west, living a hard life outdoors in the rain, snow, heat and dust 50 was ancient. People didn't have life expectancies like we do now. At best he might have another 10, maybe 15 but one filled with hard work.
All too often movies seem to have a contrived ending and the couple is brought together in equally contrived ways. Not so here. Had that happened the movie certainly would have been poorer for it. In a way that's what makes it a great western. I have no issue with giving this 4.5 out of 5 stars; in all its a solid movie.
Some random notes
The movie also introduces us to Lee Majors which is cool as in 6 years before his Six Million Dollar Man TV show. This was one of his first major roles.
While not his first western, it is probably Charleton Heston's best. The last western he would appear in "Tombstone" as a rancher named Hooker in one of his last onscreen roles
On scene in particular I liked was the Christmas scene where Catherine and her son Horace (aka Button) singing "Oh Tanebaum" in German. All to often with the filters of our modern life and especially a seeming reluctance to acknowledge America's past we forget that America was awash with immigrants in the 19th century. Likewise many of us have lost touch with our ancestors. Now I engage in genealogy for my family and have German roots so this spoke to me in a way that it might not to others.
One final thought, Charleston Heston says (according to IMDB) that out of all of his many roles, this was his favorite... It shows.
BH4- Burned Bush Wells
The 4th module of the Boot Hill series certainly has a weird name, at least to me that is. Much like the other Boot Hill modules I did not play Boot Hill back in the day as we were not into Westerns at that time (a shame) and most of our time was spent playing D&D and AD&D. For my own part I used to watch a lot of westerns with my father, but drifted away. A few years back I started watching them again and got hooked on Boot Hill. In any event BH4- Burned Bush Wells is a module produced by Jeff Grubb with some input from Allen Hammock and Brian Blume.
BH4- Burned Bush Wells is a "later" Boot Hill module. I say "latter" in that the graphic design has changed compared to the earlier modules and its apparent that at the time TSR was focusing on D&D and AD&D, specifically as their bread winners. Perhaps the power struggle at the time of the mid 80s also accounted for this. Perhaps there were not enough folks that were that interested in working on the line, Donald Kaye's untimely death not helping matters in terms of Boot Hill overall? Just speculation on my part. In any event it would be the second to last Boot Hill module and akin to the others before it. Weird to think that it was released in 1983, with only Range War to follow in 1984. From BH1- Mad Mesa to Range Wars it was span of 1981-1984 for the entire run of modules.
The cover and interior art
Elmore seems to be a polarizing figure for grognards in terms of TSR era art. In the realm of Boot Hill (and others) I think his stuff is very good and it certain captures the feel well, certainly for a western RPG. Another thing to think about: the American West isn't usually depicted in the winter, whether its a movie or art; usually its baking, scorching hot deserts and cactus. I also like to point out the crop with the snow on the bottom right corner outside the frame. In short, I like it. One thing that detracts is some of his art in the interior. Not that its not done well but a lot of his characters tend to look alike, a certain feel to them if you will. Perhaps this is where people object?
Content
Like BH2 The GM is presented with an outline of events and like a movie certain scenes can happen at the appropriate place and time. As I've discussed with those of like minds over at the OD&D Pro Boards, its not so much as a "sand "box" but more like a "jungle gym". In so much that the idea is to provide a framework for the players but not have it be rail-roady This is a definite area where all of the Boot Hill modules struggle. A western has a number of self compartmentalized scenes, that tell the overall story leading invariability to the showdown. This works if it follows a movie script rather then fantasy sword and sorcery with six-guns and Winchesters instead.
One of the things that stands out with this and and every other Boot Hill module is the vast numbers of NPCs mentioned. In most cases I can't see this ever being terribly important. The local saloon keeper? Yes, we need to know his name, that of all of his kids? Probably not needed.
The main action takes place in the eponymous town of Burned Bush Wells in the dead of winter. As noted in the text of the module winter is a lean time in the west and the wolves are hungry. As Burned Brush Wells has a number of cattle concerns in the area they predators are naturally a problem to be dealt with. Rules are giving for hunting or trapping the critters along with the ubiquitous rules for animals that seem to make an appearance in every Boot Hill module.
The main mover and shaker is Lyle Underway the wealthiest man in town and with the most varied interests of the merchants/businessmen. He takes the role of the thoroughly unlikable power hungry businessman. He is applying pressure to the smaller businesses and cattle outfits in an effort to drive them out of business. The smaller businesses unite to for the BBBC (Burned Brush Business Council)* and retaliate over a deed, specifically the Waterhouse deed as it relates teh the Old Stage building. Underhay wants it, the PCs mostly likely end up with it and the thus a conflict is born. This is a classic western story done well in the form of an RPG. The hitch is the need to find out the former owner of the Waterhouse deed to make the transfer legal, thus foiling Underway's plans. Of course a man as powerful as Underhay is not going to let it just go at that owing to the fact that he has the law of the town in his pocket.
* The BBBC is a well thought idea that echos real like events like the Johnson County War in Wyoming that eventually drew in the US Cavalry. On one side was the Wyoming Stock Growers Association (the WSGA) and the other the smaller Northern Wyoming Farmers and Stock Growers' Association (NWFSGA). Or another parallel is the Lincoln County War of which Billy the Kid was part of.
Thus the most likely turn of events is that the PCs head out on the road to Gordon where events direct them. The overland trek is a realistic one looking at the random encounter table. Having just watched Will Penny recently I like the inclusion of Line Rider as a possible encounter (a very minor detail in the module to be sure but it shows that author had a good grasp of his content).
Another thing I like about the module is the inclusion of a ghost town. The town in question is Gordon and abandoned mining town that is largely just that: abandoned. The scenes that can take place there struck me as a very cool setting for a confrontation. Ghost towns abound in the west in real life but we have the hindsight of nearly a century and a half of space. In the game a town only recently abandoned lends an air of the campaign having been "lived in". Looking at other western themed RPGs, especially the ones of the last 20 years we get horror infused ones owing to Deadlands inspired games.
A minor point is the maps. In each case they are clear and concise, in short well done. They fit the style of the maps that appeared for various publications by TSR at the time as well as examples that appeared in Dragon a bit later.
Conclusion
Much like many of the modules before it BH4 is somewhat of a script, series of events rather then the dungeon crawls most are used to. I know I sound like a broken record in my reviews of the Boot Hill modules but it is something that they never addressed all that well.
By this stage in the run of TSR the focus was clearly on D&D.
When one adds the looming war between the Blumes and Gygax its probably
no wonder that the secondary games of TSR (Gamma World, Top Secret,
Gangbusters, etc) took a back seat or dwindled on the vine. Boot Hill
was a solid game and its miniature quasi-wargame roots show in the
rules. It wasn't until 3rd edition Boot Hill that it became more of a
role-playing game but by that point the ship had largely sealed.
The "cut scenes" (Labeled I-IX) in town as it were are well done. But its the section Waterhouse's Deed that I like very much the tramping up the stairs via the law to meet Underhay that sets in motion the events of the Waterhouse deed. I can easily picture this very event in plenty of westerns: the evil land tycoon/robber baron, etc confronts the hero(es) and tells them to clear out of to hand over what he wants, they refuse and the battle is on or at least coming to a head very soon..
As and aside by the time 3rd edition came out in 1990 my High School gaming group and I were not playing all that much in terms of AD&D let alone any other TSR games other then some side games of Marvel Super Heroes. In a sense for me, Boot Hill wasn't even a thought as I can't remember any of my high school group owning it let alone wanting to play it.
Next up
In my queue to review in the not too distant future is review of the elusive BH5- Range War!
I say elusive as it has been eluding me on eBay (its not worth $75 dollars folks) I should take comfort some wags on Amazon think people are going to pay $400 for it...
On a completely personal note I bid a fond farewell to Eli Wallach who starred in incredicble westerns like "The Good, The Bad, the Ugly" and "the Magnificent Seven" to name but a few.
To what do I refer? I'm talking about the excellent movie Guns of the Magnificent Seven. Now, obviously the original is the best of the four movies, but after being let down by the "sequel", Return of the Seven", Guns more then makes up for it in my opinion. Return is basically the first movie with different actors, done... badly. Guns tells a slightly different story and is much better for it.
Before I go to far here is the order of the movies from best to worst: 1. The Magnificent Seven 2. Guns of the Magnificent Seven 3. The Magnificent Seven Ride 4. Return of the Seven Now of course people will say the Seven Samurai is THE best, well or course it is, it's the source material, but that's not what the topic of this post is about. So with that side track out of the way...
I'm going to assume if you are reading this you have seen the original Magnificent Seven... and if you haven't go watch it come back here and then read the rest of this post! Better yet watch Guns of the Magnificent Seven too then come back. Ok, you're back?
One downside that starts us off, Yul Bryner is not playing Chris Adams. This time around George Kennedy takes the helm as Chris Adams. While not as slick as Yul Bryner he did make for a great leader of the Seven. At first I thought I wouldn't like his portrayal, but I was pleasantly surprised. While I watching it I didn't see him as Chris Adams as so much as George playing another guy named Chris Adams... If that makes sense. In other words it's a good western and a good actor that stands on their own merits. If it hadn't been part of the Magnificent Seven series it would stand on its own merits as a fine movie.
One area I think that helped rive the story is that in this version the viewer actually cares about the assembled Seven, unlike Return where the viewer is left scratching their heads. I especially like a Joe Don Baker's character Slater as a ex-confederate soldier trying to make a
living in the west while maimed from his wartime service which has caused his life to spiral downwards. He doesn't have too many scenes in the movie, but I found myself wanting more of him on screen. Monte Markham stars as Vin Tanner, err make that Keno, Chris' right-hand-man in this version of the series. I found myself liking him in this role and I think he did well rather then the ill fit of Robert Fuller as Vinn in Return. Much like the casting of Kennedy it works. Another point on actors is James Whitmore as Levi Morgan an aging knife thrower/former outlaw who looked old even back in 1969. Most younger people will know him from his role as Brooks in the Shawshank Redemption. Rounding out the thoughts on the cast. In a 2 hour-ish movie it's difficult to get to the other characters but they somehow manage to do it with Cassie a black laborer-physical dynamo, Max the young Mexican (taking over the role/spot of Chico) and PJ the enigmatic clad in black gunfighter who has the least amount of screen time of all of them.
Without spoiling it too much let's say the story is a departure from the normal fair in regards the theme of the Magnificent Seven of helping innocent villagers. The assembly of the seven goes quickly as we hop from member to member without any lag in the story. The use of the Mexican federal military rather then raiding outlaws is a welcome change.Its also cool anytime a western has a Gaitling gun which the bad guys do.
In closing, as the title of the post suggests, the best line is delivered at the very end by George Kennedy in Spanish to a a very young Reni Santoni. What makes this great is that his character Max repeats in back in English (which is a twist on the way his character communicates through the movie; struggling to find the right words in English and reverting to Spanish):
"A coward dies many times, the brave only once."
I give Guns 4 out of 5 stars and if I could, I'd give Return of the Seven zero... Lastly on a side note it looks like Denzel Washington is talking about joining a remake of the Magnificent Seven. Woot!
This post explains why I haven't updated the blog in a few weeks: the first true print out of the rules for Hurled into Eternity, at least in this format. Years ago (as in 15+) when the progenitor to these rules were in its d12 configuration and a traditional fantasy RPG called Quest, I printed sections of it, but never the entire rules themselves.
This is a prototype of the rules. I say
prototype loosely here because I'm not sure I'm going to use this
styling when it gets ready for a potential kick starter. None-the-less, I printed out two copies at the local Office Max as you
can see in color for the covers and the interiors are double sided black and white. Total cost for printing out two copies was under $20 including the color covers.
It weighs in at 78 pages, doubled sided when printed with two more for the covers. All told the entire rule set in terms of page count is 154. Maybe these will be collectors items someday (hah!)
The main purpose of the print out is to help facilitate testing and get a physical copy to make it seem more real. After years of only looking at it in its electronic form its good to finally see a physical manifestation of it. So far it has been very useful as I can reference as I work in the Willmark man cave testing the rules. So far its helped me tweak the rules for the Wild Card System, a bit for the better I hope.
Of course since printing stuff out I've noticed issues with it and changed the Wild Card System to flow better. I think I fixed the obvious problems regarding it. So far gun-fighting is looking very deadly with shotguns being perhaps to much. I'd really like to hear about feedback on the combat sections with the revisions.
Regardless, here is the latest version of the revised rules here.
(Quick Note: No I have not forgot my series of "Playing 1st edition AD&D", next post is almost ready to go but still needs a bit more work).
As promised version 11 of the 2nd generation of the Hurled into Eternity rules (link to download is below). Improvements include clarifications in the following areas:
Clarifications to the Wild Card System.
Modes of gunfire have been streamlined to eliminate the need for 1/2 or 1/3 configurations for gun fighting scores.
Modifiers condensed and streamlined for bonuses and penalties to hit.
Condensing and changing healing rates for Wounds (W) along elimination of differing healing rates for damage.
Early write up of a intro adventure (still not complete).
As always, spell checking and proofing is still on the radar, but not quite there yet as I'm continuing to focus on the rules. The feeling that I have now is I'm inching closer to a finished product. The rules are getting some, good constructive feedback and fixing areas that don't make sense. I saty that every post but two recent rounds of feedback have led to a even tighter game.
As a quick aside every once and a while I get the feedback: "Hurled into Eternity"? That doesn't make sense for a western, it sounds Sci-Fi. Sorry folks, you don't get much more Western then the name of this game! I'll leave it up to you to figure it out...
At 8 pages and $1.00 for the PDF, Stuart Robertson’s Weird West Roplepalying Game Basic Rulebook doesn’t get more spartan — or cheap. But for some reason the price and style feel just right.
Starting off, the cover is cool, though it does mirror the art for A Fistful of Dollars — which, as a fan of the trilogy, I appreciate. The whole PDF is in black and white, and for some reason this works fine. It gives the game a stark, gritty feel. The font used for the title “Weird West” is just right, and of course the tentacle in the logo is a nice touch. It does have a watermark on it for your purchase. I would hope, however, that people don’t feel the need to pirate a $1.00 PDF…
If you are looking for an ultra-light ruleset for your Weird West games, this is it. I can’t say that enough — it takes “rules light” to a whole new level. A PDF with 8 pages (one being the cover and one the opposed fighting chart in the back) means the actual game is only about 6 pages. That has to be some sort of record.
With all this said, for an experienced role-player the ruleset is probably right up their alley. Certainly with years of judging, a GM can easily wing the areas that need filling in. A beginner, however, would likely be lost, as it’s not developed enough for newcomers.
Characters have four attributes and a “path” to guide one’s character — it can probably fit on a 3x5 index card. The game is d20-based and utilizes the d4, d6, and d12. Levels and hit points make an appearance in the form of Stamina Points.
For one’s character, magic and weird west abilities are all lumped together, which in the interest of spartan rules and space probably makes the most sense. There are spells like Electromancy, and then skills which are treated as magic, like “Fastest Gun in the West.” Later still is Shaolin Monk (which to me should be a skill, but it’s not my game). The player has 4 points to split amongst the attributes (Fighting, Grit, Magic, and Skill), but must place at least one into Grit. Leveling is fairly simple — the group decides when to do so (usually between game sessions).
Initiative is handled with a simple mechanic: higher-level characters go first. Combat is fairly straightforward, using the familiar mechanic of rounds and an opposed roll vs. the defense. Modifiers are simple to understand, with firearms ignoring armor — which is a bit puzzling in a Western setting… The Man with No Name in A Fistful of Dollars notwithstanding.
Weapons are broken down by dice, with rifles doing the most damage at d10, the ever-trusty pistol at d8, and the lowest being unarmed attacks at d2. Further, a character’s path (aka class) determines what type of dice they have for unarmed combat: magicians utilizing the lowest and fighters the highest. Once reduced to zero Stamina Points in combat, death is a possibility on a roll of a d6.
Skill checks are easy to resolve, with examples of typical tests appearing on page 6. Also on the final page of text are some pieces of advice for the GM and ideas on how to play.
The main criticism I have is that it is not clear whether or not there is a traditional GM in the game. Only on page 6 does the word “referee” appear. The text seems to assume there is one earlier, but it’s not until later that it becomes clear.
If I go too much further it will reveal the whole game, as it’s so short. Suffice to say I like the system. All in all, it looks like an interesting game. I have no major plans to run it, as I’m well into the creation of my own Western game, but as a source of inspiration it was worth the price. It does have the honor of being one of only three Western-style RPGs I read while creating my own (the other two being Boot Hill and Western City).
Lastly, for my game Hurled into Eternity it will probably become a supplement down the road. (NOTE: As an update — my game is under a number of revisions right now and the version that is up has some new changes coming, making the game even better. Stay tuned.)
After my ultra heavy read of my last book, Atlas Shrugged- by Ayn Rand, I needed something lite. I found it a my friendly local bookstore. It was in the form of Peter Dawson's High Country. I paid 50 cents for it so I can't complain and read it during my lunches at work. I was in the mood for a dime store novel western and found this one.I wasn't disappointed with my first foray into the genre.
I should start out with the writing was solid. And at 137 pages it was a breeze to go through (especially in light of the a fore mentioned monster Atlas). At points it's easy to see where the plot was going, but I was able to
imagine the scenes quite vividly and the book was a surprisingly entertaining read. Dawson does a good job of making the images come to life in such a short space.
The book follows the exploits of Jim Sherrill, a drifter/rancher of sorts and right from the get go he has a problem: someone has stolen his horses and its up to him to get them back. The pacing is good, but its a bit light on the action as a good chunk of the book deals with the cast of characters that surround Jim, some good some bad, some stereotypical. Thats not bad as each character gives you an instant feel for the Old West: A greedy wealthy southern land owner (the commodore) and his requisite southern bell daughter, plus a gang of outlaws. The main bad guy isn't blatantly evil which is a nice touch. In a way it's a bit more natural of a read as the villain(s) are believable and all in line with the 1940s view of westerns.
Jim has to take back what is his and gets some help along the way from his mountain man friend Jake who I especially liked and a few others. There is also an interesting love triangle with Jim in the middle and his affections for the vapid Ruth and the sturdy, but beautiful high spirited Jean. It doesn't take much to see where this one is going... I will warn you it is even complete with the requisite western ending meme...
In terms of the setting, the mental image I had of the town of Whitewater is a good one as is the distances of the involved. I pictured it as a river bank town in the vein of Big Whiskey from Unforgiven. I actually felt as if I was in the Old West along with the action, so the author did right by me there.
I won't go more into the story (as is usually the case) because if you are going to read it, I won't spoil it for you. And ass I'm fully back to my interest in westerns this short read fit right into my busy life. Also it was a good read to inspire me to jot some notes down for the first module that I have underway for my game Hurled into Eternity from Restless Rust Monster Publications (Icebiter Games Publications was too much of an in-joke.) And if you like where Im going with Hurled into Eternity please give me a like on Facebook to help spread the word about my game.
Lastly this book does reflect the times it was written in, namely 1947; so be forewarned: there are some racial stereotypes in the book as well as some words spoken by the characters from the south that are verboten today.
(As I've been mentioning I'm trying to blog more and not just about my game I'm writing so keep looking out for an increase in my blogging activities. More short blog then massive sprawling ones).
Despite getting scathing reviews I have to get one thing out
of the way first: I enjoyed the Lone Ranger. There I said it. This post will
not be about the story; I’ll leave that to you the reader when you see the movie.
Being that I’m not a child of the 1950s who grew up with the
iconic “Hi Ho Silver, away!” I come from a vastly different viewpoint. I didn’t
watch many of the reruns because by the time I was old enough to watch them the
show had been of the air for at least 20 years. I was weaned on the gritty
revisionists westerns like Unforgiven, High Plains Drifter, and Pale Rider.
So with all that said what is my reaction to a traditional “White Hat”
western? It was a fun movie. Each in his own way turned in very good
performances: Johnny Depp’s Tonto and Armie Hammer’s Lone Ranger.
The Good:
The pacing was just about right
and at no time did it feel like the movie was plodding.
Special effects were for
the most part good and only one instance were they noticeable.
The soundtrack was excellent.
Of course no Lone Ranger movie would be complete without the William Tell
Overture which they used skillfully early one and then during the finale.
Clever reason for the
naming of Silver.
Shoot outs were gripping
Finale was awesome.
The Bad:
At one point I was going
to bring my kids to see it but the problem arose with the Captain Dan Reid
scene involving Butch Cavendish. I read about it before hand and decided
to keep my young kids away. This in part explains the issues with demographics
I outline below.
The Lone Ranger as played
by Hammer seems “wimpy”. Contrast this with the performance of Depp as Tonto and
he is certainly overshadowed. I found Hammer’s awkwardness as the Lone Ranger
well done and well acted. Some people have said he was wooden and had no
charisma; again that is personal preference.
I can see where Lone Ranger falls into issues with finding
the right demographic for this movie but I’m not entirely convinced that it’s the
movie that’s
at fault rather then Hollywood as a whole. Right now it seems that Hollywood is
fixated producing mega hits to maximize the return on every movie. I get that
one should always strive for this in any business but at the same time it’s myopic.
Not every movie is going to be Avatar.
So rather then go for “small” returns the studios are attempting to hit a grand slam
everytime the are at bat. The question that Hollywood will have to ask
themselves is it better to say clear 50 million on movie or be 150 million in
the hole? This is to say nothing of the every spiraling cost of movies
themselves that will only acerbate the situation. Its getting to the point
where they only see returns of 1 billion as the only outcome worth pursueing.
Another interesting point is that last two times the Lone
Ranger has been out on the screen (the Legend of the Lone Ranger- 1981) and
this time out the critics savaged it. I get that the 1981 version was bad, but
this time the critics seemed to decided they didn’t like it before it even came out. I
fully anticipate that "box office bomb” will or already has been ahem saddled to it. In a way it might
end up much like the movie Heavens Gate, another western that did poorly
against (for then) very high production costs but in later years the directors cut has been seen as actually a quite good movie. Of course its hard to mess up on the true story source material: The Johnson County War.
I don’t think westerns as a genre is “dead” per say, but rather they have an imagine
problem. In a world worn out and now wary about anything American, uniquely
America focused movies will have a much tougher sell outside of the US. This
has always been a problem but has become more of an issue the last few decades.Now Hollywood makes movies with a global audience
in mind as it offers a bigger return when it appeals to the entire globe.
Problem is trying to be everything to everyone is not going to fly in most
cases, or only very rarely.
In closing I can think of many, many more movies that I
wanted my money back after watching them at the theater, this wasn’t one
of them.I’d give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, it’s not
perfect by any means but it’s not Mars needs Moms or 13th Warrior bad.
