HS1 – The Star Spangled Standoff, a module for Hurled into Eternity

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.

The Frontier beckons.

Link to the Alpha version of: HS1 – The Star Spangled Standoff

Link to the Alpha rules of: Hurled into Eternity

Over the Hills and Far Away: The Essence of Hurled into Eternity

  

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) 

Hurled into Eternity, The Road Ahead

Where We’re At (And Where We’re Going)

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:

1. 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. 

2. 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) 

The Good, The Bad, and the Exploding Jukebox: Why Streets of Fire Is a Western in Disguise

“A Rock ’n’ Roll Fable. Another time, another place.” – That’s your tagline. But make no mistake — this ain’t just a synth-drenched fever dream.

This is a Western, baby. Maybe the most overlooked one of the 1980s

Streets of Fire is it. Yes, I posted about this previously, but this a different look at the movie.

The Stranger Rides In

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

The Inspiration for Hurled Into Eternity

 

Illustration by Edward Borein

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 Ranger soundtrack, 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: Two Decades in the Saddle

Back In the Saddle Again...

“Some games are written. Others are survived.”

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.

In the meantime,  the rules for play-testing can be found here:  Hurled into Eternity Alpha Rules

What Hurled into Eternity Feels Like

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.

—Mark Harter, Creator of Hurled into Eternity

---

Hurled Into Eternity Reborn!

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:

Building Timber Ridge – Northern Old West Town Progress Report

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.

Timber Ridge – My Northern-Style Old West Town for Warhammer Legends of the Old West & More

 

The Old West town of Timber Ridge underway

 

I’ve embarked on the creation of a Western town for such games as Warhammer Historical – Legends of the Old West, my game Hurled into Eternity, and perhaps even Boot Hill.

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!

Will Penny

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.

Boot Hill BH4 Burned Brush Wells – Classic TSR Old West Module

Cover art for BH4- Burned Brush Wells

BH4- Burned Bush Wells
The 4th module of the Boot Hill series certainly has a weird name, at least to me that is. It really, really does not roll of the tongue either.

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 Warhammer Fantasy Role-play and AD&D. For my own part I used to watch a lot of westerns with my father, but drifted away at the time. 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 one of the later Boot Hill modules. I say "later" because the graphic design had changed noticeably from the earlier releases, reflecting TSR's increasing focus on Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons as the company's primary breadwinners.

The power struggles within TSR during the mid-1980s may also have played a role. It's possible there simply were not enough people interested in developing the Boot Hill line. Donald Kaye's untimely death certainly could not have helped the game's long-term prospects, though that is only speculation on my part.

In any event, Burned Bush Wells would become the second-to-last Boot Hill module, following the same general format as its predecessors. It is strange to think that it was released in 1983, with only Range War following in 1984. From BH1- Mad Mesa in 1981 to Range War in 1984, the entire line of Boot Hill modules spanned just four years.

Art by Larry Elmore for Burned Brush Wells

The cover and interior art
Elmore seems to be a polarizing figure for some 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 ponder 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 Game Master is presented with an outline of events rather than a rigid sequence of encounters. Much like a movie, certain scenes occur at the appropriate place and time. As I've discussed with like-minded folks over at the OD&D Pro Boards, it is not so much a "sandbox" as a "jungle gym." The module provides a framework for the players without becoming overly railroaded.

This is an area where all of the Boot Hill modules struggle to some degree. A Western is built around a series of largely self-contained scenes that collectively tell the story and inevitably lead to the final showdown. That structure works well when the adventure is treated more like the script of a Western film than a fantasy sword and sorcery adventure with six-guns and Winchesters.

One thing that stands out in this, and every other Boot Hill module, is the sheer number of NPCs. In most cases, I cannot see this level of detail ever becoming terribly important. The local saloon keeper? Yes, we need to know his name. The names of all of his children? Probably not.

The main action takes place in the eponymous town of Burned Bush Wells during the dead of winter. As the module explains, winter is a lean season in the West, and the wolves are hungry. Since Burned Bush Wells is surrounded by cattle ranches, predators are naturally a problem that must be dealt with. Rules are provided for hunting and trapping wolves, along with the animal rules that seem to make an appearance in nearly every Boot Hill module.

The principal mover and shaker is Lyle Underhay, the wealthiest man in town and the businessman with the widest range of interests. He fills the role of the thoroughly unlikable, power-hungry entrepreneur. Underhay is squeezing smaller businesses and ranchers in an effort to force them out. In response, they unite to form the BBBC, the Burned Bush Business Council, and fight back over the ownership of the Waterhouse deed, specifically the deed to the Old Stage building.

Underhay wants the deed, the player characters will most likely end up with it, and from there the central conflict unfolds. It is a classic Western premise that translates well into an RPG. The challenge lies in locating the former owner of the Waterhouse deed so the transfer can be made legally, thereby foiling Underhay's plans. Naturally, a man as powerful as Underhay is not willing to let matters end there, especially since he effectively has the town's lawmen in his pocket.

The BBBC is a particularly well-conceived idea that echoes real historical events such as theJohnson County War in Wyoming, which eventually drew in the U.S. Cavalry. There, the powerful Wyoming Stock Growers Association found itself opposed by the smaller Northern Wyoming Farmers and Stock Growers' Association. Another obvious parallel is the Lincoln County War, the conflict that famously involved Billy the Kid.

The adventure's most likely course sends the player characters toward Gordon, where the next phase of the story unfolds. The overland journey feels authentic, thanks in part to the random encounter table. Having recently watched Will Penny, I especially appreciated the inclusion of a line rider as a possible encounter. It is a minor detail, but it demonstrates that the author had a solid grasp of the setting.

Another aspect I enjoyed is the inclusion of a ghost town. Gordon, an abandoned mining town, provides an atmospheric backdrop for several of the adventure's key scenes. Ghost towns are common throughout the American West, but we tend to view them through the lens of nearly 150 years of history. In the context of the game, a town that has only recently been abandoned makes the campaign world feel lived in and believable. By comparison, many Western RPGs published over the past two decades have leaned heavily into supernatural horror, largely following the influence of Deadlands.

Finally, a brief word about the maps. They are consistently clear, easy to read, and well executed. Their style matches the cartography found in many TSR products of the era and would have looked perfectly at home alongside the maps that later appeared in Dragon magazine.

Conclusion

Much like the modules that came before it, BH4 plays out more like a script than a traditional adventure. It presents a series of events rather than the dungeon crawls most gamers were accustomed to. I know I sound like a broken record in these Boot Hill reviews, but it is an issue the line never fully solved.

By this point in TSR's history, the company's focus was clearly on Dungeons & Dragons. Add in the growing power struggle between the Blume brothers and Gary Gygax, and it is no surprise that TSR's secondary games, such as Gamma World, Top Secret, Gangbusters, and Boot Hill, gradually took a back seat. Boot Hill was a solid game, and its roots as a miniatures-based skirmish game are evident throughout the rules. It was not until 3rd Edition that it fully embraced role-playing, but by then the ship had largely sailed.

The "cut scenes," labeled I through IX, are well executed and help establish the town and its inhabitants. My favorite section, however, is Waterhouse's Deed. The scene where the player characters are summoned upstairs to meet Underhay, under the guise of legal business, sets the entire conflict in motion. I can easily picture this sequence playing out in countless Westerns. The corrupt land baron confronts the heroes, demands they either leave town or surrender what he wants, they refuse, and from that moment on everyone knows the final confrontation is only a matter of time.

As an aside, by the time 3rd Edition Boot Hill arrived in 1990, my high school gaming group was barely playing AD&D anymore, let alone TSR's other games. We still occasionally broke out Marvel Super Heroes of Twilight 2000, but that was about it.

In a sense, Boot Hill never really entered my gaming orbit. I cannot remember anyone in my high school group owning it, much less suggesting that we actually 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...

Lastly, in order, to date here are my reviews of Boot Hill materials
Boot Hill itself
BH1- Mad Mesa
BH2- The Lost Conquistador Mine
BH3- Bullets and Balllots

On a completely personal note I bid a fond farewell to Eli Wallach who starred in incredible westerns like "The Good, The Bad, the Ugly" and "The Magnificent Seven" to name but a few.

"A coward dies many times, the brave only once."

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!

Next Revision of Hurled into Eternity is up and Beta version printed

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.

Hurled into Eternity- Latest Revision

(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...

Lastly feedback is always welcome.

Hurled into Eternity RPG – Domain Name Secured

 

http://www.hurledintoeternity.com/

As you  an see its not much at the moment, but I have taken the steps to make sure that I have my preferred URL reserved. In the future the plan is to house my online endeavors there with links to my Facebook Page as well as back to this blog.

As it stands right now Hurled into Eternity is being edited as we speak. My next goal is to get it to play testing then onto production for print. Right now a fiend of mine and I are contenplating some custom playing cards to go with the game. That is at the planning stages.

While Im waiting for the editing to be complete I'm hard at work on the first two supplements for the game as well as Let it Beagle Media. Right now its a lot of ideas, but not in a cohesive form.

Stay tuned for more.

Weird West Roleplaying Game Review – The Ultra-Light $1 Western RPG

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.)

Book Review- High Country by Peter Dawson

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).

The Lone Ranger, Mail-Order Dreams, and 1981 in the Rearview Mirror

 

That is what the ad said "Just mail away!" and man, I always wanted one. But for some reason I never actually sent it in. Chalk it up to the distracted priorities of an eight year old.

If you were a comics fan in 1981, you probably saw the massive merchandise blitz for The Legend of the Lone Ranger plastered across the back covers of practically every comic book on the rack. I did not know it at the time, but the movie was a critical and commercial bomb. That did not matter to me. The advertising hit hard, especially for kids.

The toy line that really grabbed my attention was the smaller scale Lone Ranger figures from Gabriel. These were not the old school 13 inch behemoths (those were always a little too bulky for my tastes), but the more manageable, play friendly action figures. You had the full lineup: The Lone Ranger and Silver, Tonto and Scout, Butch Cavendish and Smoke, even historical figures like Buffalo Bill Cody and General George Custer (who was a lieutenant colonel at the time of Little Bighorn).

To this day I wonder how, or if, they crammed all of that into one movie.

I never saw The Legend of the Lone Ranger as a kid (still have not, actually), but the toys were definitely on my radar. The problem? Serious competition. Star Wars was in full swing and I was all in on the Kenner figures. I was just getting into D and D too, poring over my Moldvay Basic Set and trying to figure out hit points. The new 3 3/4 inch G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero line was right around the corner, and that would steal what little toy budget (and attention span) I had left.

Looking back, I wonder if this was the real life early version of Toy Story. Lone Ranger and Tonto, quietly sidelined by Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. Relegated to the back of the toy box, never to ride again.

Still, that mail away town? The play sets? That stuff looked cool. Really cool. And while I did not get in on the Lone Ranger craze, it still sticks with me as one of those "almost" moments of childhood. One of the few times something slipped by me in that golden age of toys and pulp inspired adventures.

Watching The Lone Ranger the other week (yes, that one) reminded me of all this, of a time when the Wild West still had a place in our toy aisles and imaginations, even as the galaxy far, far away was pushing everything else out.

In the end, this is not really about the toys or even the movie. It is about the snapshot of 1981 it conjures. That brief, weird moment in pop culture when cowboys, space wizards, and dungeon crawlers all coexisted in a kid's world.

And if you were eight like I was at the time, that world? It was very cool.

How about you? Do you every see one or actually get the set?

The Lone Ranger Movie Review – Underrated or Box Office Bomb?

The Lone Ranger and Tonto

 

Despite getting scathing reviews, I have to get one thing out of the way first: I enjoyed

This post will not be about the story — I’ll leave that to you when you watch 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 reruns because by the time I was old enough, the show had been off the air for at least 20 years. I was weaned on gritty revisionist Westerns like Unforgiven, High Plains Drifter, and Pale Rider.

So what’s my reaction to a traditional “white hat” Western? It was a fun movie. Both Johnny Depp as Tonto and Armie Hammer as the Lone Ranger turned in very good performances.

The Good:

• The pacing was just about right and never felt like it was dragging.
• Special effects were mostly strong, with only one noticeable instance.
• The soundtrack was excellent. Of course no Lone Ranger movie would be complete without the William Tell Overture, which they used skillfully early on and then during the finale.
• Clever reason for the naming of Silver.
• Shootouts were gripping.
• The finale was awesome.

The Bad:

• At one point I was going to bring my kids, but the Captain Dan Reid scene involving Butch Cavendish changed my mind. I read about it beforehand and decided to keep my young kids away. This partly explains the demographic issues the movie faced.
• The Lone Ranger as played by Hammer comes across as somewhat “wimpy,” especially when contrasted with Depp’s Tonto. Hammer is somewhat overshadowed, but I actually thought his awkwardness was well acted. Some called it wooden and lacking charisma, that’s personal preference.

I can see where The Lone Ranger ran into problems finding the right audience, but I’m not entirely convinced it was entirely the movie’s fault. Hollywood seems fixated on producing mega-hits to maximize returns on every film. I get the business reality, but it’s myopic. Not every movie can be Avatar. Studios would rather swing for the fences every time instead of taking solid singles and doubles. The question becomes: Is it better to clear $50 million on a movie or lose $150 million? This is made worse by the ever-spiraling cost of film making. It’s getting to the point where only $1 billion returns are considered acceptable.

Another interesting point: The last two times The Lone Ranger has been on the big screen (1981’s The Legend of the Lone Ranger- and this one), critics savaged both. I get that the 1981 version was bad, but this time it felt like many critics decided they hated it before it even came out. I fully expect the "box office bomb” label will stick.

In a way it might end up like Heavens Gate, another Western that did poorly against high production costs but whose director’s cut has been reevaluated more positively over time. Of course its hard to mess up on the true story source material: The Johnson County War yet it happened.

I don’t think Westerns as a genre are “dead,” but they do have an image problem. In a world increasingly wary of anything distinctly American, uniquely American-focused movies have a tougher sell overseas. Hollywood now makes films with a global audience in mind, which is smart for returns, but trying to be everything to everyone rarely works.

In closing, I can think of many movies where I wanted my money back after seeing them in theaters. 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 far from Mars needs Moms.

How about you? Bomb or underrated gem?