Characters
Henry Beauregard - The Sheriff of Hobbs. He's a good man, a bit of a workaholic, but since the death of his wife, he's been having some trouble with alcohol. An intelligent, clever, and brave man.
Lilly Von Schtupp - A Madam, and friend of Elle Lockwood, who operates out of the Lockwood Stop tavern, letting the patrons and her prostitutes frolic together, for the right price.
Quentin Clay - A Wanted man. Quentin has held up 5 different towns, raping and pillaging with his crew. The crew itself is of unknown size - rumours and testimony put it between 5 and 20. What we do know is that they're dangerous.
Richard Commstock is the grizzled, old veteran reporter of the Hobbs Informer. Folks respect him but generally don't like how pushy he can get when he thinks he needs to know something. He makes them feel guilty and accused at times.
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Brief Rules
This game will work similar to Dungeon World or any of the other *World games that we have played. In some ways it will be closer in style to something like DCC. You will only have 4 Attributes that will cover everything. When you want to do something, you'll roll 2d6 + the relevant attribute. As with Dungeon World, a 6 or lower is a failure, 7-9 is a partial success, and 10+ is a full success. Unlike Dungeon World, you won't have set moves, and won't generally get to choose what happens on a 7-9.
So for instance, say that you're lost in the desert and you're looking for water. In Dungeon World, you'd roll Discern Realities and ask "What here is useful or valuable to me?" In this, you'd include what you're looking for in your post, and roll 2d6 with your score in Diamonds. On a 10+, you might find an oasis, on a 7-9, you might find a cactus, which has water in it, but less, and is tougher to get to.
The drawback to the more freeform notion of this is that a success is not a guaranteed "you find it". If we're in the middle of the desert and you're looking for an ocean, a success could simply mean "You are absolutely sure that there is no ocean to be found here". This is similar to how searching for traps works in Dungeon World - success doesn't necessarily mean you find any, because there may not have been any there to find.
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Combat Rules
Combat is going to work similar to Dungeon World, where there won't be initiative or turns. It should flow the same as the rest of the game. However I do feel the need to point out that combat in this is going to be harsher than Dungeon World, though not as harsh as Apocalypse World. You will all only have ~6-14 HP.
It is also worth noting that heavy armour is not a thing in this. People in the Old West didn't walk around in Plate Mail. You will generally have 0-1 armour as you run around - especially since default armour doesn't protect against gunfire. Thus, taking Cover will actually be more important in this than in other games. Running at someone who is shooting you can prove quite dangerous.
Simple cover is things like horses, poor weather, barrels, wooden store fronts, and that's all worth 1 armour. Simple cover doesn't really impede movement, but does slow you down a bit.
Complex cover covers brick store fronts, awful weather, running from room to room, and can include multiple levels of simple cover (eg: hiding behind a bar in a wooden store front). It's worth 2 armour, but tends to heavily impede movement and slow you down quite a bit, since the cover itself is immobile and it's often tight quarters.
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Grit Rules
Everyone will start with 10 Grit, which is your Resolve. Before or after any roll, explain how you succeed through sheer Will / Spirit / Nerve / Being a Badass, and spend up to 3 Grit. Each point of Grit spent gives you +1 on the roll. Grit is difficult to regain, so be careful spending a lot at once. As your Grit declines, interesting things will start happening to you.
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Character Creation
1. Assign this array to your Attributes: +2, +1, +0, -1
2. Choose your Class and mark the appropriate Skill.
3. Choose 2 Abilities from your Class and mark those.
4. Choose 1 additional Skill.
5. Calculate your HP. (You start with 2d6+4)
6. Choose your look and appearance.
7. Choose a Devil.
8. Choose your equipment (You start with $40).
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Attributes
Assign the following values to each of your four attributes: -1, +0, +1, +2.
HEARTS are the symbol of the clergy. They represent your Presence and Charisma.
Common Rolls:
- Bribing, Seducing, Convincing, Manipulating, or Deceiving someone.
- Sensing (Deception / Moods of others)
- Performing (instrument, singing, etc)
SPADES are the symbol of the working class. They represent your Dexterity, Finesse, and Coordination.
Common Rolls:
- Pickpocketing / Stealing
- Balancing / Sneaking
- Identifying / Using Tools. (Disarming traps / picking locks)
- Defending yourself.
DIAMONDS are the symbol of the nobility. They represent your Intelligence and Perception.
Common Rolls:
- Knowledge (As well as understanding languages and identify symbols)
- Figuring out how wounded someone is.
- Searching (for something in particular), Spotting (something out of the ordinary)
CLOVERS are the symbol of the poor. They represent your Strength and Endurance.
Common Rolls:
- Running / Athletics / Physical Power
- Willpower / Stamina
- Constitution (Not dying from poison / bleeding out.)
Additional common rolls:
- Helping someone else is Hearts if you're trying to inspire them, Spades if you're supplying tools that would be useful, Diamonds if you know more about it than they do, and Clovers if you're able to help them physically. In all cases, it's worth a +1 on a 7-9 and a +2 on a 10+.
- Gambling such as in a card game is with Hearts (for bluffing), unless you're cheating, in which case it's Spades.
- A pistol duel is Spades if you're being dishonourable, and Diamonds if you're playing fair.
- Attacking is Spades with a thrown weapon or bow, Diamonds with firearms or crossbows, and Clovers with melee weapons.
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Classes
Choose one class. Mark down the Skill that it gives you, and choose two of the abilities presented.
CIVILIANS are people like Preachers, Doctors, Homesteaders, or anything else. They start with the First Aid skill. Choose two abilities: Commune, Diplomat, Hardy, Fisticuffs, Mend, Trained
CRIMINALS include Brawlers, Deserters, and Murderers. They start with the Deception skill. Choose two abilities: Backstab, Fisticuffs, Hardy, Slayer.
DRIFTERS include Scavengers, Thieves, Merchants, and Explorers. They start with the Lore skill. Choose two abilities: Appraise, Forage, Linguist, Rover, Tinker.
ENTERTAINERS are Magicians, Musicians, or Saloon Girls. They start with the Influence skill. Choose two abilities: Allure, Daredevil, Disguise, Perform, Smuggler.
GUNSLINGERS are everything from Outlaws to Veterans to Sheriffs. They start with the Perception skill. Choose two abilities: Challenge, Deadeye, Trained, Reputation, Slayer
NATIVES are Braves or Shamans. They start with the Survival skill. Choose two abilities: Berserker, Commune, Pet, Rover, Weather Sense.
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Abilities
When creating a character, choose two abilities from those presented by your class. You can choose any abilities when gaining a level that grants an ability. You can only take each ability once.
ALLURE: When you seduce someone, you can make them reveal intimate secrets about themselves despite their better judgment. You can also attract someone’s attention with only a glance.
APPRAISE: You can tell the approximate value of artwork and trade goods once you've inspected them.
BACKSTAB: Attack with melee from hiding for +3 damage.
BERSERKER: You can unleash a frenzied fury that gives you +2 armor; but you risk losing control of yourself on failed rolls during the trance, and act foolish or plain mad. Once the trance is over, you feel weakened, and lose 1d6 HP.
CHALLENGE: When you lock eyes with someone, you may force them to make a choice: freeze, back off, or draw.
COMMUNE: When you meditate with spirits or fall into deep prayer to your deity, you can attempt to seek their counsel, though their answers may be puzzling, disturbing, or conditional.
DAREDEVIL: +1 Armour when heading into danger despite the odds.
DEADEYE: +2 Ranged Damage.
DIPLOMAT: You can enter negotiations, bargain, or parley, even with the most disagreeable of people, as long as they are intelligent enough to understand you.
DISGUISE: When you use costumes and makeup, you can attempt to convincingly imitate other people, or ensure your own identity is unrecognizable.
FISTICUFFS: When unarmed, you do +2 damage, and you're considered to have a weapon in your offhand.
FORAGE: When you are in the wilderness, you always find enough food and water for yourself to survive.
HARDY: Gain +6 HP.
LINGUIST: Can understand all common languages, and interpret rare ones.
MEND: You can attempt to neutralize poisons, cure disease, or mend wounds quickly. With a few minutes rest you can heal someone d6 Hit points.
PERFORM: You can attempt to impress people in a singular way. Choose whether you play songs, recite poetry, play an instrument, do magic tricks, etc. When you entertain a crowd, you can earn d6 Dollars per Level each day. However, should any die roll a 1, the audience turns nasty and you won’t be allowed to perform for at least a week without having rotten vegetables thrown at you.
PET: You have a local and effective animal companion.
REPUTATION: Your authority is officially recognised for good or ill.
ROVER: When you run through the wilderness, you do so without leaving obvious tracks or a trail.
SLAYER: You are trained in the pursuit and destruction of particular people or animals, such as Mexicans, Lawdogs, coyotes, etc. When fighting them, add +2 to your damage.
SMUGGLER: You can choose one reasonably-sized item to stash on you so well that no amount of searching it will find it.
TINKER: You can attempt to quickly pick a lock, pick a pocket, dismantle a device, or disarm a trap.
TRAINED: You’re trained in two additional skills.
WEATHER SENSE: Once per day, tell the GM what the weather will be and it's true
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Skills
When you have a skill and you are taking an action related to it, you cannot miss. A roll of 6 or less counts as a partial success, but with a bigger compromise or complication than a typical 7-9 result. You do still mark XP since you technically rolled a failure and get a harsher complication. You start with one Skill from your class, and choose one additional one.
Athletics
Deception
Engineering
First Aid
Influence
Lore
Navigation
Perception
Stealth
Survival
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Look
Because of the nature of this game being descriptive, feel free to go all out with your character appearance. These are some ideas to get you started.
ETHNICITY: English/French, African, Asian, Mexican, Native, Mixed, Hidden
GENDER: Woman, Man, Hard To Tell, Woman in Man's Clothes.
BODY: Slim, Gorgeous, Stout, Muscular, Stocky, Gaunt, Bony, Broken
CLOTHES: Fancy, Handmade, Scavenged, Rugged, Oversized, Work
HAIR: Messy, Short, Bald, Long, Styled, Braided, Battered Hat
EYES: Calculating, Quick, Caring, Bright, Indifferent, One-Eye, Mad
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Devils
Devils are personality flaws or complications. Choose one now, but you can switch to a different one as your character changes.
DEVILS: Cruel, Lazy, Cowardly, Reckless, Drunkard, Loner, Wrathful, Lecherous, Hopeless, Proud, Traitorous, Bully, Greedy, Spiteful, Brash, Racist, Jealous.
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Equipment
You start with $40.
Unarmed ($0): d6-2.
Light Weapon ($5): d6. May be wielded as a secondary weapon, allowing you to re-roll damage once per attack. Includes pocket knives, hatchets, tomahawks, and the like. Generally easy to conceal.
Martial Weapon ($15): d6+1. Must be wielded in main hand. Includes sabers, bowie knives, spears, etc.
Great Weapon ($20): d6+2 damage. Uses two hands. Includes picks, axes, sledgehammers, etc.
Shortbow ($5): d6. Also slings etc.
Light Pistol ($10): d6. May be wielded as a secondary weapon, allowing you to re-roll damage once per attack. Derringers, light revolvers.
Pistol ($15) - d6+1.Colt Navy or Dragoon. Also Crossbows.
Heavy Guns ($30): d6+2 Damage if firing from a stationary position. Includes Shotguns, Rifles, and heavy Bows.
Light Armor ($15): Armour 1. Treated leathers, dusters, animal hide. Protects against knives, fists, wild animals, but not gunfire.
Trail Gear ($2 each): 20ft Rope, Iron Spike, Chalk, Flint/Steel, Tent, Dice, Caltrops, Bandages, Travel Rations, Waterskin, Flask, Lantern, Alcohol (10), Tobacco (10).
Tools ($5 each): Crowbar, Hatchet, Animal Trap, Lockpicks, Pen & Pot of Ink, Fishing Pole, Shovel, Grappling Hook, Pickaxe.
Fancy Items ($20 each): Mirror, Telescope, Sand Timer, Board Game, Fancy Clothes, Holy Symbols and other Charms.
Carts: Cart ($30) to Wagon ($100).
Town: $1 to Sleep, $1 to Eat, $1 to Get Drunk. $1 to stable your Horse. $5 for a train ticket. $20 for company.
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Leveling
You gain XP each time you fail a roll. You can also get bonus XP. Gaining a level costs 10 XP + 2x the new level. So 14 XP for level 2, 18 XP for level 4. When you level up, you must have time to rest. Reset your XP to zero. Depending on your level, you gain different perks.
LEVEL 1: 2d6+4 HP, 1+1 Skills, 2 Abilities
LEVEL 2: +1 HP, +1 Ability
LEVEL 3: +1 Skill
LEVEL 4: +1 HP, +1 Attribute (Max +3)
LEVEL 5: +1 Ability
LEVEL 6: +1 HP, +1 Skill
LEVEL 7: +1 Attribute (Max +3)
LEVEL 8: +1 HP, +1 Ability
LEVEL 9: +1 Skill
LEVEL 10: +1 HP, +1 Attribute (Max +3)
