Logos: Chris Libey, Charles Ryan, & Ron SpencerSpecial Thanks to: Thousands of Rail Wars fans who demanded the return of our award-winning game!

Deadlands created by Shane Lacy Hensley.

Dedicated to:

Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.P.O. Box 10908Blacksburg, VA 24062–0908www.deadlandsl.com(800) 214–5645 (orders only)

Visit our web site for free updates!

Deadlands, Weird West, Dime Novel, the Great RailWars, the Deadlands logo, all characters andlikenesses herein, and the Pinnacle logo areTrademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

© 2000 Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.All Rights Reserved.

Printed in the USA.

™

Written By:

Shane Lacy Hensley, John R. Hopler, John “Bayou Vermillion” Goff, Matt Forbeck,And a Cast of Thousands

Interior Art By:

Paul Daly, Kim DeMulder, Dave Dietrick, Barry Doyle, Geoff Hassing, Chris Libey,Ashe Marler, Andy Park, Charles Ryan

This Product is Free from PinnacleEntertainment Group. It May be Freely

Distributed with No Alterations.Enjoy!

Welcome, partner! High Noon is a rip-snortin’ fast and furious miniaturesgame set in what we like to call the“Weird West.” It’s a world where the CivilWar drags on into the current date of1877. California fell into the sea back in‘68, creating a “Great Maze” of toweringsea-canyons and exposing a superfuelcalled “ghost rock.” This miraculousstuff has led to all kinds of wackyinventions—from flamethrowers tosteam tanks.

The “Reckoning” that started all thismayhem has given rise to humanity’sworst fears: monsters, haunts, and spiritstorn from nightmares and legends givenlife. Werewolves are real, vampires stalkthe night, and zombies erupt from thegraveyards.

The heroes who fight against theseterrors are brave souls indeed. Deadlygunfighters, mad scientists with infernaldevices, mysterious hucksters castinghexes powered by demons, and therighteous blessed fighting back theforces of darkness with hickory sticksand hoglegs.

Sometimes, if they’ve got enoughsand, these desperate heroes can evencome back from the grave!

The following chapter delves into thebackground behind all this mayhem. Ifyou’re already familiar with the WeirdWest, you can skip right on to ChapterOne.

If you want a truly detailed accountof the Weird West, you need to pick upthe core books from our sister game,Deadlands: The Weird West, available atany decent game store, as well as onour very own Weird Website(www.deadlands.com).

That’s enough gabbin’, friend. Let’s getto talking about why the West’s so darnweird.

How the West Got WeirdOn July 4th, 1863, an event called the

Reckoning unleashed evil spirits intothe world. These spirits, called“manitous” by the Indians, feed the rawenergy of human fear to greatermasters—the Reckoners.

These ancient and mysteriouscreatures take some of the energy fed tothem and return it to the world,sparking the occasional creation orinspiration of sinister monsters,

Introduction:

Welcome to the Weird West

4 High Noon

fanatical cultists, and pure horrors,essentially planting seeds of fear thatwould produce even more fear later on.

The incredible energy unleashed bythe terrible battles of the American CivilWar caused any number of strangehorrors to rise in their aftermath.Though kept quiet from the public, thecommanders realized something strangewas afoot and delayed their offensivestime and time again. This gave thewaning Confederates a much-neededbreak that has stalled the conflict into asort of cold war, with occasionaloffensives flaring only every other yearor so, particularly around election time.

By 1868, the West was weird. Horrorslurked in every dark corner. Only a fewknow the truth about the Reckoning,but everyone knows the shadows are alittle darker than they used to be, andthe ghost stories told around theircampfires are a little more real.

The Return of Magic

One of the strangest effects of theReckoning was the return of spiritualenergy—magic—to the world. Thestrongest shamans and mystics had

been able to cast simple enchantmentsbefore, but the flood of supernaturalenergy—and the ability to freelyconverse with the spirits and themanitous—gave incredible power tothose who had even the slightest arcaneaffinities.

Gradually, men and women began todevelop and enhance their magicalpowers. The blessed call upon the powerof the Almighty Himself. Shamans tradefavors with nature spirits in exchangefor supernatural abilities. “Hucksters”learned Edmund Hoyle had coded thesecrets of magic in his original Hoyle’sBook of Games. Now they use theknowledge to cast spells in flurries ofspiritual poker cards. Even madscientists—who believe their powercomes from science—actually drawinspiration from the whispers of themanitous for their infernal devices.

Most of those spellslingers and madscientists use their powers for good, orat least for personal gain with few cruelintentions. But there are others who dofar worse things with this power.Witches, warlocks, cultists, evil priests,houngans, and worse have all arisen inthe Weird West. Though their beliefs aremany, their powers actually come fromthe Reckoners themselves.

A shaman named Raven is one suchtwisted soul. It was he who freed themanitous. Later, he used his dark powersto shatter the coast of California.

High Noon 5

Great Quake

The “Great Quake” struck the westcoast in 1868, shattering California into alabyrinthine maze of sea canyons.Thousands died and tens of thousandswere left isolated and alone in this now-desolate wasteland. But in the wake ofthe Great Quake, a new mineral—called“ghost rock” because of the eerie,groaning vapors it produces whenburned—was discovered in the fracturedcliff faces of the “Maze.” It proved to bea superfuel. Those who experimentedwith it, dubbed “mad scientists” by thepress, could make incredible devicesyears ahead of their time. The Mazeflooded with hundreds of wild-eyedacademians and thousands of desperateminers hoping to get rich by finding thenext great vein.

Ghost Rock

Ghost rock was later found elsewhereas well—the Black Hills, the WasatchMountains around Salt Lake City, andeven what were formerly thought to becoal reserves Back East. In fact, itseemed the stuff popped up anyplace itcould cause trouble.

The first group to truly realize ghostrock’s potential for destruction was theConfederate army. They developed newand terrible weapons at their secretbase in Roswell, New Mexico. In 1870,Rebels armed with flamethrowers androcket packs, backed by massive steam“tanks” and flying machines, raided theUnion capital in the famous “Battle ofWashington.” The bluebellies eventuallywon their capital back, but the nature ofwarfare had changed forever.

A stable supply of ghost rock was thekey to victory. President Ulysses S. Grantdeclared that the first company to builda transcontinental railroad to the Mazewould receive the exclusive governmentcontract for ghost rock—a prize worthbillions. The Confederate governmentquickly followed suit, and the race to thecoast was on. No one guessed thetrouble this would cause.

But they realized their mistake a fewyears later when the Great Rail Warscame to full steam and did to the Westwhat the Civil War had done Back East.

The Great Rail Wars

Six companies proved contenders inthe race to the coast. They were notfriendly competitors. The race West wasexpensive. The railroads needed spurs toevery valuable stop along the way.When Rail Gangs competed for thesame “right of way,” battle ensued,starting what the papers came to callthe “Great Rail Wars.”

At first, the Rail Gangs were filledonly by grim gunmen and desperateoutlaws, but some of the Rail Baronscommanded darker forces. Soon, theirarmies were augmented by the walkingdead, devil bats, and even hulkingmechanical men.

The Barons were careful to keep suchbizarre monstrosities away from towns.If civilians ever discovered a railroadhad allied itself with such dark powers,it would lose both passengers andcargoes. When someone occasionallydiscovers the true nature of the RailWars, the Rail Baron’s enforcers silencethem quickly. Only a rag called theTombstone Epitaph dares report thetruth. Unfortunately, the public is eagerto read this tabloid, but scoffs at the“wild stories” that appear within itspages.

The Story Has Only BegunThe fearsome battles of the Great Rail

Wars have now engulfed the Weird Westin a firestorm of blood and profits. It’stime to choose sides, partner.

The next few chapters tell you how toplay the Great Rail Wars in miniature. Toactually play, you’ll also need the GreatRail Wars Army Book, also availablecompletely free on Pinnacle’s WeirdWebsite, www.deadlands.com.

Happy Trails!

Welcome to Deadlands: High Noon,partner. We hope this little journey intothe world of Weird Western miniatureswill be the most thrilling ride you’veever been on—at least on a tabletop!

We’ve tried our best to make this thefastest, wildest miniatures game you’veever seen. If you’ve played other gameslike this, we think you’ll find High Noonis similar enough that you can hop rightin and start playing, and differentenough that you’ll be comparing othergames to this one from now on.

To get started, read through this bookto see just how we do things out here inthe Weird West. Don’t worry—it’s a fast,fun read. We’ll have you up on thetabletop blasting Perdition out of yourbest friends in no time.

Those of you who are familiar withthe Deadlands roleplaying game alreadyknow quite a bit about the world andcharacters behind all this madness andmayhem. If you’re new to the “WeirdWest,” don’t worry, we’ll bring you up tospeed shortly.

So strap on your six-guns, partner. It’stime to ride.

What You Need to Play

This is the High Noon: Great Rail WarsRulebook. This book covers all the rulesyou need to fight one of the greatestconflicts the Weird West has ever seen,as well as complete statistics for thetroops who fight it, their ghost-rockpowered weapons of war, arcane spells,and even the bizarre creatures some ofthe gangs use to terrorize their foes.

What we can’t give you as adownload you have to rustle up on yourown. In particular, you need:

Troops: Pinnacle makes both leadminiatures (available only from ourwebsite) and Cardstock Cowboys. Ifyou’re using Cardstock Cowboys, you’llwant the Deadlands: Starter Pack andthe Legends of the Great Rails Warsexpansion. See the Smith & RobardsOrdering Center at www.deadlands.com.

Dice: Every player needs a handful ofdice in the standard “gaming” sizes.That’s d4s, d6s, d8s, d10s, d12s, and d20s.

Battlefield: A playing area, such as atable or a patch of floor. We recommenda space that’s four feet wide by eightfeet long. If you’ve got more spaceavailable, use it, partner.

Chapter One:

Setup

8 High Noon

Scenery: You’ll need some sceneryfor your troops to fight over, like treesfrom a model railroad set, hills madeout of styrofoam, or some rocks likeyou gather from right outside your door.

Poker Chips: Fate plays a stronghand at High Noon. To represent it, weuse poker chips. Specifically, you need20 white, 10 red, and 5 blue chips. Ifthese aren’t available where you live, usegaming beads instead. As long as youcan drop your tokens in a cup and drawfrom them randomly, you’re in fineshape.

Poker Cards: Each player also needsa deck of poker cards. Leave the twoJokers in each deck, and mark one asthe Red Joker and one as the BlackJoker. Be sure to look for the officialDeadlands double poker decks at yourlocal Smith & Robards(www.deadlands.com in case you forgotit, tinhorn!)

Step One: Create TheBattlefield

Once you’ve read the rules and knowhow to play, you need to create yourbattlefield. If you’re going to play apredesigned scenario (several areavailable on Pinnacle’s Weird Website),simply copy the map as best you can.

Otherwise, roll or choose one of thescenarios below, set up any specialterrain it calls for, then you and yourfriends can place whatever other terrainyou feel like over the rest of the gametable.

Scenarios

d6 Scenario1-2 Last Thing Standing3-4 Raid!5 Scavenger Hunt6 Twisted Tale

Scenario DescriptionsThere are four basic types of

scenarios. All of these have a standardformat for telling you how to get started.

Setup is where you find specialterrain pieces needed for the scenario. Ifit says to generate the rest of theterrain normally, you and your friendscan simply put out whatever terrain youhappen to have on hand.

Troops tells you if you must haveany particular figures in your Gang. Inpredesigned scenarios, it might list yourentire force plus any named characters.

Deployment tells you where theplayers may place their troops at thebeginning of the game. For most games,each player should roll 1d20. The lowestrolling player sets up first, placing hisgame along any table edge in a spaceabout 2” long and 8” deep. No otherplayer’s zone may start within 12” (that’sone foot, partner) of his DeploymentZone. Once the low-roller has chosenhis zone, the next lowest-rolling playermay choose, and so on. Don’t place anytroops until everyone has chosen theirstarting area, however.

In defensive games, one player mayplace his forces in the center of thetable, but still no more than 12” fromany other player’s Deployment Zone.

Special Rules describes any out ofthe ordinary rules that are in effectduring the fight.

Bonus tells you how to get extraBounty Points over and above the usualpoints given for causing casualties. Notall scenarios have Bonuses.

Multiple Players gives you some tipson how to run the game with more thantwo players.

Last Thing Standing!

Gangs in the Weird West are meanerthan rattlers and twice as slippery.When these sidewinders meet, the leadstarts flying.

There’s nothing fancy about thisscenario. The side with the most BountyPoints wins.

Setup: Roll a die. On an odd number,there is an unfortunate town in thecenter of the board.

Troops: 500 points or more each.Deployment: Standard.

High Noon 9

Bonus: There are no specialobjectives other than to put down everyvarmint in sight.

Multiple Players: This one worksgreat for teams or as a free-for-all.

Raid!

A cowhand can’t get a decent rest inthe middle of a range war. In thisscenario, one Gang has holed up in atown when another launches an attack.

The defender in this scenario gets25% more points to buy troops withthan the attacker.

Setup: Roll 1d6. On an odd result, theattack takes place at night.

Deployment: The defender sets upfirst anywhere in the middle of theboard, no closer than 8” to any otherplayer’s Deployment Zone.

The attacker deploys in any of thestandard Deployment Zones. He maysplit up his troops and attack fromseveral sides if he chooses.

Special Rules: None.Bonus: Every time a player uses an

Area Effect template, roll 1d10. On a 10,the attack has hit an innocentbystander, causing the careless gang tolose 1d6x10 Bounty Points.

Multiple Players: If there aremultiple players, one “side” should beplaced in town, the attackers are alsoallied, though allies may not shareDeployment Zones (the troops of twodifferent players cannot walk onto theboard from the same zone).

Scavenger Hunt

The Gangs are always looking forvaluable ghost rock strikes, treasures, ormagical relics to give them an edge.When two or more Gangs go after thesame treasure, there’s going to be bloodand grieving widows for some, cigarsand dime novels for the rest.

Setup: Place a Strange Locale (seeAppendix E) in the center of the table.

Deployment: Each player’s troops setup in a standard Deployment Zone.

Special Rules: The first troop toreach the Strange Locale discovers whatawaits inside. Beware! The things thatlurk inside ancient ruins, haunted mines,and Indian burial grounds rarelywelcome visitors!

Bonus: See the Strange Locale tables,partner.

Multi-Player: A Scavenger Hunt isthe perfect set up for a free-for-all!

Twisted Tale

Twisted Tales are scenarios outsidethe usual “find the bad guys and plug‘em” routine. These are unusualmissions that tell a story of the WeirdWest in all its gory glory.

You’ll find a number of them on ourWeird Website from time-to-time, andthe book Fistful o’ Ghost Rock (now outof print but you might find one in yourlocal game store) features 3 wholecampaigns. Another campaign book isRaid on Roswell, available for freedownload on the web.

Setup: See the scenario for details.Deployment: See the scenario.Special Rules: Per scenario.Bonus: Again, see the scenario.Multi-player: At the risk of being

redundant and repeating ourselves, seethe scenario, partner.

Step Two:Hire Troops

Once the table is set up, it’s time tobuy troops. Start by having everyoneannounce which Gang they’ll be playing.

Buying troops in High Noon is verysimple. Simply look over your Gang’stroop list in the Great Rail Wars ArmyBook. For most games, each playershould have at least 500 points worth oftroops. Medium-sized games feature 750-1000 points worth of troops per side,and large games start the bidding at2000 points worth of sidewinders.

Each group or “troop” representseither 5 figures (Posse), a single figure(Single or Hero), or a Crew of some sort.The number of figures in a Crew varies.Check the troop description in the GreatRail Wars Army Book to find out howmany figures make up the Crew.

10 High Noon

Enforcers

You can hire any of the troopsregularly available to your Gang, thoughyou must include at least one Hero. Thisis the leader of this mission, called the“Enforcer.” If you have multiple Heroes,name one of them as the Enforcer.

Experienced Troops

Some gangs come in both regular andexperienced versions. If you’d like to buyexperienced troops, simply pay that cost.There’s no limit on how many of yourtroops can be experienced in a regulargame. It’s your Gang’s “money”—spend ithow you want.

Troop SheetsOnce you’ve selected your troops,

copy each of them down on a standardTroop Sheet (provided at the end of thisbook). Give each troop its own card onthe sheet as you’ll be placing countersand cards upon them. When you’re done,place your Troop Sheets face-up. It’snow public knowledge what unsavorytypes have signed on to your Gang.

Name is, well, what we call thisparticular rascal.

Traits are a rating of the troop’s rawabilities: Strength, Smarts, Vigor, Shootin’,Fightin’, and Guts. These are expressedas a type of die, from a lowly d4 up to ad12 (the higher the better, partner)..

Number tells you how many figuresare in the troop, either Single (1), Hero (1),Posse (5), or Crew (Variable).

Special Abilities are unusual tidbitsabout the troop that don’t fit anywhereelse, like whether or not these goonsare undead or have the scout ability..

Weapons are the means the troop hasto shoot at or fight with other troops.“Basic” means the troop can have anymix of pistols, rifles, or shotguns youchoose. In many Posses, for example, 2pistols, 2 rifles, and 1 shotgun is astandard mix (so that’s how we packageour metal miniatures). You can changethis to 5 shotguns, 4 rifles and ashotgun, or whatever mix you decidebest suits your battle-plan. All basicweapons are pretty much equal—depending on the terrain and how youuse them—so feel free to mix them asbest suits your particular gang.

Cost tells you how many points itcosts to add this troop to your army.The cost is for the whole Posse, Crew, orSingle figure—whatever’s listed.

Bounty lists how many Bounty Pointsyour opponent earns when she putsdown a figure from this troop. Pay

Strength Smarts Vigord6 d6 d6

Shootin’ Fightin’ Gutsd6 d6 d6

Weapon Range ROF DamPistol 12 2 2d6Rifle 24 1 2d8Shotgun 24 1 Spec.Special Abilities: None

Gunmen

5 50

Name

Traits

NumberPosse Special Abilities

Weapons

Cost Bounty

High Noon 11

attention, ‘cause this is the good stuff.Each enemy figure your boys put downis worth a bounty as well.

AlliesThe Gangs are often forced to forge

temporary alliances with their foesagainst even more powerful rivals. Thesetruces last about as long as the battle,but during that time, a solid ally canmean the difference between victory anddefeat, or even life and death.

There are two types of Allies: rivalgangs and independent factions. RivalGangs are other Rail Gangs that aren’tcurrently involved in your battle. Whatwe mean is that if you’re playing UnionBlue and another feller is playing DixieRails, Wasatch, Bayou Vermillion, IronDragon, and Black River are available asallies.

Independent factions are forces likethose of Reverend Ezekiah Grimme,Danites, or the various Indian Tribes.You’ll see some of these rascals as theRail Wars roll on.

Hiring Allies

Up to 1/4 (25%) of your army may beallies. If you’ve got a 1000 point army, forinstance, you can spend 250 on variousallies.

Ally Leaders: Allied troops musthave their own Hero to lead them. Thisindividual keeps the rest of the rabble(monsters in some cases!) in line. TheHero can be an unaligned character (aHired Gun) or one from the allied Gang.He cannot be a Hero from another Gang.

Chaos: A player may only havetroops from one other Gang. He cannothire troops from two or more differentGangs besides his own. It’s hard enoughto keep two groups from plugging eachother. Any more than that is impossible.

Bidding For Allies

Quite often, several players want tobuy allies from the same Gang. Here’show you decide who gets the first shotat hiring them.

Everyone who wants to buy alliessays so. Then each player writes downthe Rail Gang or faction they’reattempting to bribe into helping them

fight. You also need to place one ormore Fate Chips (of any color) underyour bribe and place it on the table.When everyone’s done, reveal all thechoices.

The player who bid the most for anyparticular gang or faction gets them asallies. Count white chips as 1 point, redchips as 2, and blue chips as 3. Nochips, no allies, amigo.

Should two players tie for the samefaction, they’re both out of luck.

All Fate Chips bid for allies are lost,whether you get them or not.

If you win, by the way, you don’t haveto actually hire any allied troops. It’sperfectly legal to bribe a rival to stayout of the way until this fight is over.

Chapter Two:

The Rules

We’re about to show you how to blastyour foes to Hell (and sometimes back),but first we need to explain how thebasic mechanics work, what thosefunny numbers on the Troop Cardsmean, and what those cool poker chipsare for.

Skill ChecksLet’s start with those fancy numbers

on the Troop Cards. We’ll start with Traitand skill checks.

When you are told to test a troop’sTraits, such as “make an Easy (4) Gutsroll,” roll the die listed under Guts onthe Troop Card versus the TargetNumber (or TN, for short) listed inparentheses. There are only two TargetNumbers in High Noon: Easy and Hard.

Target Numbers

Difficulty TNEasy 4Hard 8

If your die roll meets or beats the TN,the troop succeeds in whatever it wastrying to do. If the roll comes up lessthan the TN, the troop failed.

Raises: Rolling 4 points higher thanthe Target Number, such as rolling an 8when you only needed a 4, cansometimes gain you an advantage ofsome sort. Getting a raise when one ofyour figures is trying to recover from“Eatin’ Dirt,” for instance, lets him notonly get up, but act that round as well.

Check the rules for whatever you’retrying to do to see if a raise has anyspecial effects.

Modifiers

Die rolls can be modified by certainsituations. The most common modifiersare added or subtracted in combat.Firing at a prone figure, for instance,incurs a –1 penalty. These are added orsubtracted directly from your die roll.

For example, say your Hero is takinga shot at a sniper lying prone in thedistance. The TN for long range is 8, andyou roll an 8. Normally, this would hit,but since you must subtract –1 fromyour die roll, the shot misses.

14 High Noon

Aces

The more mathematically adept ofyou out there may be wondering justhow you can beat a TN of 8 if you havea d4 or d6 Trait. Never fear. We’ve gotyou covered. If you roll the maximum ona die, called an “Ace,” you get to roll thatdie again and add it to your total.

Say you need an 8 and you’re rolling ad6. If you get a 6, then you roll againand get a 2, your total is 8.

If you get an Ace on your reroll, youcan roll that again too, and so on. A d8roll of 8, then another 8, then another 8,then a 3 is (8+8+8+3=) 27.

No Aces: Aces only count on Traitand damage rolls. Don’t use them onspecial tables or running rolls.

Fate ChipsFate Chips are what we call your

poker chips, gaming stones, or whateveryou’re using. You should have 5 blue, 10red, and 20 white (or whatever colorsyou happen to have in the same mix). Asyou might have guessed, blues are best,red chips are second-best, and whites

are the red-headed stepchildren Fatespat upon God’s Green Earth.

At the beginning of the game, put allthese chips into a cup of some sort. Wecall this the Fate Pot ‘cause we’re funnythat way. Whenever you’re told to drawa chip, grab one randomly from the pot.No peeking, sidewinders!

At the beginning of the game, everyplayer draws three Fate Chips.

Callin’ on Fate

Fate Chips are used to give you rerollsand keep your most valuable troopsalive. They can only be used on Traitchecks. They may never be spent ondamage, rolls on special tables, or thelike.

Let us repeat that one ‘cause we’vesure answered enough mail about it inthe past: You may not spend FateChips on damage rolls!

The exact function of each chipdepends on its color.

White Chips: White chips let youreroll a die and try again, keeping thebest of your rolls. You may spend awhite chip, roll, spend a chip again, etc.until you are satisfied.

Red Chips: Red chips let you reroll adie and add the result to your currenttotal. For example, if you rolled a d6 andgot a 3, you could spend a red chip toroll again. If you got a 4, you’d have atotal of 7. The catch is that anytime you

High Noon 15

spend a red chip, your opponent gets todraw a chip from the Fate Pot forherself. (In multiplayer games, only onerandomly chosen foe gets to draw.)

Blue Chips: Blue chips work just likered chips, but when you use them, youropponent doesn’t get a draw from theFate Pot. Use these carefully, since theyonly come along every so often.

Other Limits: You must spend anywhite chips before using a red or bluechip, and you can only use one each ofa red or a blue chip on any roll. Gotthat, compadre? You can’t spend a red ora blue and then use a white to reroll it.You have to spend any whites beforeyou jump to reds or blues.

Playing the GameIn High Noon, we impose a little law

and order on the otherwise Wild Westby breaking each turn up into twodistinct and separate phases: Draw! andAction! Read on, hombre, and we’ll tellyou how they work.

Draw!The beginning of each turn is called

the Draw! Phase. Don’t go reaching foryour pistol, partner. We mean “draw” asin “from a deck of cards.” These cardsdetermine when each troop acts in theupcoming turn. Aces act first, thenKings, then Queens, and so on, all theway down to a lowly Deuce (two). Moreon this in a heartbeat, muchacho.

Each player gets her own deck ofpoker cards to draw from. In largegames, you might need more than onedeck for each player. (If a player needsmore than 27 cards at the beginning ofeach turn, add another poker deck forevery 27 cards she needs. And hey,thanks for buying so many figures!)

Deal one Action Card face-up ontoeach of your Troop Cards on the TroopSheet. That’s when each of those troopswill act, and why you should make sureyou’ve filled out a card for every Posse—even if you have several of the sametype.

After everyone has completed all theiractions for the turn (after the Deuce),shuffle the cards and start all over.

Fortune and Calamity

Red Jokers represent some sort ofFortune on the battlefield. Black Jokersrepresent Calamities. Drawing either oneduring a battle means good luck forsomeone, and bad luck for another.

Whenever a troop is dealt one ofthese cards, roll 2d6 on the Fortune orCalamity Table (at the end of thischapter) to see what happens!

Besides any other results, a Red Jokeralways allows the troop to go first inthe upcoming Action! Phase.

A Black Joker is always discarded,and the action is lost.

Action!Once all the cards are dealt in the

Draw! Phase, it’s time to move on to theAction! Phase.

To start, count down from the Ace.Any troops with Aces take their actions,then troops with Kings act, then thosewith Queens, and so on, down to theDeuce (one last time, that’s a 2, partner).

Troops act whenever their cardscomes up. In a single action, a troopmay move and: fire, cast a spell, or use aspecial ability.

If a troop ever gets a second ActionCard somehow (usually the result of asupernatural effect or a lucky Fortuneroll), he gets to act and move normallyon each card.

Ties: If two troops have the samecard, the highest suit acts first. Theorder of suits, from highest to lowest isreverse alphabetical:

Suit Order

SpadesHearts

DiamondsClubs

Suit & Ties: We’re not talking aboutyour Sunday-go-to-meetin’ clothes,friend. We’re talking about ties withcards of the same suit and number.

If two troops have the same card andthe same suit, they must roll a contestof Smarts. The winner (the troop withthe highest roll) goes first. That meanszombies (God love ‘em) and the like area little slower on the draw than sometwitchy gunslinger.

Only roll one die for each troop, nomatter how many figures are in it. Don’tmake the Smarts check until the ActionCard comes up. We like the suspense.

MovementAll troops can move up to their Pace.

Unless the Troop Card says otherwise,humans have a Pace of 6 and horseshave a 15. Weird critters have a Pacescore listed in their troop lists. Some ofthose bizarre varmints can reallyskedaddle when they get going!

Moving TroopsIndividual figures can move any way

they want. A figure can start facingnorth, move a few inches and turnsouth, fire, then turn north and moveagain with no penalty to its movement.None of the turns or actions slow thefigure down in any way.

Posse Power: Each figure in a troopof 5 is also free in how it can move,except that it must stay within 4” of atleast one other figure in the troop. Thatdoesn’t mean every cowpoke in a possehas to be within 4” of everyone else,just anyone else in his posse. Got it?

Getting Left Behind: If a figure isever separated from its troop (usuallybecause it’s squirming in the dirt from abelly-wound), it must use its fullmovement to get back with itscompadres the next chance it gets. Afigure that’s Eatin’ Dirt (see Damage)doesn’t have to crawl toward itscompanions, but it can if the playerwants it to. Should several figures in atroop get separated, they need to movetoward the majority. If a troop isseparated evenly, you can choose whichfigures move toward the others. Don’tget all complicated on us, amigoes.

Moving Backwards: Most of thetime, figures won’t need to movebackwards because they can turn duringtheir movement at no cost at all. If itever becomes an issue, though, a figurecan move backward as if each inch wasactually two (which works just likeRough Ground).

Running

Sometimes your troops need toskedaddle faster than their Paceotherwise allows.

Troops can run by sacrificing anyother actions (like shooting) to get anextra d6” of movement. The onlyexception to this is that a running troopmay still make a hand-to-hand attack,but only at the end of its movement. Seethe Fighting section for details.

If there are multiple figures in a troop,roll for them all at once. They all get thesame running bonus.

Horses: Troops on horseback cansacrifice their other actions to get anextra d10” of movement.

FacingA figure’s front is whichever way his body

is facing. For most cowpokes, figure thedirection the chest is pointing in is the front.Anything behind the character’s chest isbehind him.

Critters and other monsters (usually) havefacings too. You just need to figure out whatthe front and back arcs are based on themodel itself. Just try to make it as obviousas possible so there’s no confusion.

Figures can attack and act on anything intheir front arc.

For those technical players out there,figures have a 180° front arc. If you’re reallypicky about these kinds of things, you canpaint your bases to show a figure’s precisefacings (though we don’t recommend it,tinhorn).

A figure can attackanything in it’s front arc, asshown in this diagram.Anything to its rear issafe—for the moment.

High Noon 17

Rough Ground

There’s a lot of treacherous ground inthe Weird West. Rocky fields, muddystreams, steep slopes, and tangled scruball slow a cowpoke down.

All of this is collectively labeled“Rough Ground.” When a troop movesthrough it, each inch of actualmovement counts as two inches.

You and your compadres need todecide which of your terrain piecescounts as Rough Ground, but thefollowing should always fall under thisrule: forests, wadable water, really steephills, and fields full of crops.

Obstacles

Getting over obstacles slows a fellowdown. A cowboy hopping a barbed-wirefence too fast might find himself singingHome on the Range in soprano.

It costs 3” of movement to get overobstacles that are chest-high (relative tothe figure) or lower. Larger obstacles upto the figure’s height cost 6” ofmovement.

Slow Pokes: If a troop doesn’t haveenough Pace to top an obstacle in oneturn, it can keep working at it until itmakes it. For example, a troop with aPace of 3 that needs to get over a highobstacle (requiring 6” of movement)needs to use two turns worth ofmovement. If the troop decides to quitpartway over an obstacle, it costs halfas much movement to get back (rounddown) as it did to get that far in the firstplace.

Contraptions: Rigs and wheeledguns can’t scramble over obstacles ofany height.

Climbin’

Higher obstacles can be climbed ifyou’re really desperate. Think hard onthis, because you’ll very likely lose someof your troops.

To climb, each figure in a troopmakes a Strength roll for every 6” ofvertical height. The TN is almost alwaysEasy (4) as there are usually hand-holdsin rock-faces, gutters or window ledgeson buildings, and so forth. Only if ascenario tells you otherwise, or all

players have agreed a surface is reallyflat, should the TN be Hard (8).

Each figure who fails the roll takesdamage as shown on the Falling Tablebelow. A figure that was already 6” up acliff, for example, falls from 6” if hefailed the next climbing roll.

Climbing Pace: Those who make theroll move as if on Rough Ground.Climbing figures cannot “run” or attack.

Contraptions: Horses, rigs, andwheeled guns can’t climb. Honest!

Jumping

Not every fool who hits the grounddid so accidentally. Let’s talk about that,amigo. A figure that deliberately jumpstakes less damage, as shown on theFalling Table. Figures can leap up to halftheir Strength in inches horizontally.

Death From Above: A figure whojumps on another from above makes aFightin’ roll against his opponent asusual. If he fails, he lands beside the foeand takes jumping damage as usual(and this ends his action). If he wins, hetakes half the usual jumping damageand adds +4 to his hand-to-handdamage roll. Halve the dice beforerolling, not the total.

Falling & Jumping Damage

Falling JumpingHeight1 Altitude2 Damage Damage

1”-3” Low 1d6 03”-6” Low 2d6 1d66”-12” Medium 3d6 3d612”+ High 6d6 6d6

1Read Height as “from 1” up to 3”, from 3” up to 6”, and so on.2Altitude is used with flying rigs. See the Derailed Supplement.

18 High Noon

Going ProneSometimes even the bravest cowpokes

have to duck. Troops can go pronewhenever they want. Standing up costs2” of movement, however.

Lay any prone figures face-down toshow that they are prone (face-upmeans they’re Eatin’ Dirt—described lateron). As you’ll see under Shooting,enemies shooting at prone troops mustsubtract –1 from their attack rolls.

Use common sense to determinewhether or not something can go prone.Horses, animals, automatons, gun crews,and the like just aren’t capable, or aren’tsavvy enough to know when a hunk o’lead is heading their way.

Point Blank Range: A prone targetdoesn’t gain any benefit if the bad guysare standing right on top of him. Troopswithin 3” of a prone target can ignorethis modifier.

Prone in Melee: Troops caught ontheir belly when an opponent rushesinto hand-to-hand automatically standup and fight.

Crawling: Prone troops may crawl asif their Pace was half its normal value.Yes, that means a troop who “ran” whilecrawling could move half his Pace plushalf the roll of a d6 (round up).

Hiding

To hide, simply position your figure inor behind whatever cover is available. Ifthe figure can’t be seen, it can’t be shotat. Indirect weapons such asflamethrowers and explosives might stilldo the job, but otherwise it cannot betargeted. and even then your figureusually gets cover (see Shooting).

Unfair Knowledge: Assume theenemy knows your hidden troops are “inthere somewhere.” Your opponents canact on the knowledge (because playerscan’t help but see your figure), they justcan’t directly target it. Only withbushwhackers does the enemy truly nothave any idea where the figures are (andthe players won’t either).

Pop-Up Attacks: If you want to havea figure hide, rise up, shoot (or performsome other action), and then hide again,that’s called a “pop-up” attack. Themodifiers are covered under Shooting.Just be aware that the only way anopponent can take a shot at a troopwho “pops up” is with a Hold maneuver(described next).

HorsesThis being the West, there are lots of

folks riding around on horses. Here’show to handle these noble critters.

Horses have a Pace of 15. They arealso fleet-footed, meaning that they roll1d10 when running instead of 1d6.

Troops with horses can mount anddismount one time each in a singleaction. That means a Gunman who getson his horse, rides a ways, thendismounts, can’t mount his horse asecond time this action.

Mounting and dismounting costs 2” ofmovement, both for the horse and therider.

Horses can’t be used actively—theowner can’t move them or have themattack. They just sit there without arider in contact with the animal.

On defense, they have the followingstatistics: Strength: d8; Smarts: d4; Vigor:d8; Shootin’: —; Fightin’: d4; Guts: d6.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?:Anytime a mounted figure is shot by aburst-effect weapon (like a flamethroweror shrapnel round), the horse is hit too.If the attack came from a direct-fireweapon like a pistol, rifle, or shotgun,assume the rider is the victim unlessthe attacker specifically targets thehorse (it’s the low-down, dirty, horse-shootin’ skunk’s choice).

Bounty: Killing a horse is neverworth Bounty Points. It just doesn’tmake the headlines.

Hey! Wait for Me!

When a rider’s horse is killed or runoff, the rest of the posse often can’twait for the unmounted loser. As usual,this fellow needs to do his level-best tokeep up with the rest of his amigoes assoon as possible.

High Noon 19

Eatin’ Dirt: A mounted cowpokewho Eats Dirt does not fall onto theground. He simply slumps in the saddleand allows Trigger to carry him on withthe rest of the posse.

Riderless Horses: When a figuredismounts, his horse stays where heleaves it. It can be attacked and killed,or even stolen by other figures as longas they have the horse ridin’ specialability.

Fear: If a creature with fear or terrorgets within sight and 6” of a riderlesshorse, the animal immediately movesdirectly away from the threat at its fullrunning speed.

Holding ActionsSometimes troops want to wait and

see what happens before they cut loosewith their hoglegs. Maybe they’recovering their buddies dashing acrossMain Street, or maybe they’re waiting fora pack of stinking zombies to comebusting through the barn doors at them.

A troop that hasn’t moved and takesno other action can place a Holdcounter on its Troop Card.

At any point until its next action—even in the middle of another troop’saction—the troop can discard the Holdcounter and claim its held action.

Holding troops can fire their weaponsor move up to half their normal Pacewithout penalty. The troop can evenmove into contact with another troopand start fighting. They can even run,but you must halve their running bonustoo (round down).

If a figure on Hold moves and thenfires, subtract –1 from its Shootin’ rollfor the hasty shot. This penalty doesn’tapply to hand-to-hand attacks.

Posses: All the figures in a possemust not move or act to take a Hold.Similarly, if any figure uses the heldaction, the entire unit loses its Holdcounter. In other words, individualfigures in a Posse or Crew can’t Holdwhile others act.

Holding Holds: A posse that hasn’tused its Hold action in the Draw! Phasedoes not get a new Action Card. A troopcan never Hold multiple actions. If itgets an additional Action Card fromsome other troop’s Fortune or Calamity,

it must use its held action before theextra action comes up or lose the Hold.

Timing: If troops on Hold want tointerrupt other troops’ Hold actions,everyone involved must make Smartstests. Start with the last troop to declareit is coming off Hold, then the nextplayer rolls, and so on.

The troop with the highest result goesfirst, then the next highest, and so on.Regardless of who won, everyoneinvolved loses their Hold action.

Line of Sight

For the most part, a cowpoke must be able tosee a target before he can attack it. This is calledhaving a “line of sight.”

High Noon uses “true” line of sight. You canfigure out if your figure can see a target byhunkering down to the table and looking foryourself. If your Gunman can see over theClockwork Tarantula in front of him to thezombie beyond, he can fire away. Similarly, if ahuckster sees a Witch firing balls o’ doom from asecond-story window, he can cut loose on herwith a soul blast, though in this case she’d gethard cover for the window frame.

Most of the time, determining line of sightshould be pretty clear. If there’s ever adisagreement, you can run a tight string from theattacker to the target, or use a laser pointer oreven a homemade periscope if you have them(lots of miniature gamers do these days). If not,don’t let a silly dispute ruin your game. Roll a die.On an odd result, the shot is blocked. On an evenresult, the attacker has line of sight.

Shooting

Troops armed with ranged weaponscan make shooting attacks. Amazing,huh? Those without must whip out theirknives and check out the Fightingsection.

A figure can make a Shooting or aFighting attack in one action, but notboth. The attack is always made to thefigure’s front.

Picking TargetsPicking targets ain’t like picking your

nose, hombre. So pay attention.Troops can fire at any point in their

action—even in the middle of movement.Troops with multiple shots may fireeach shot at any point in their move.

When it’s your troop’s turn to slingsome lead, tell your opponent that yourthugs are going to fire, and then pointout their prospective targets.

A figure can only fire on a target toits front, and only at targets it can see.High Noon uses true line-of-sight (seethe sidebar, amigo), so hunker down andeyeball the shot it if you have to).

Since each action is only a fewseconds of real time, you must point outall your targets for each troop at once.Once you’ve nominated targets andstarted rolling dice, you can’t add inother attackers. This keeps you fromwaiting to see if your pistolero kills oneenemy before saying who your riflemanin the same posse is shooting at. You’vegot to decide for them all at once. Namea posse’s targets, resolve its hits, thenmove on to the next Action Card.

Range

Once you’ve declared your troop’stargets, you next measure the rangefrom the shooters to the targets. (Youcan’t measure the range first, amigo.)

Anything up to and including half theweapon’s Range statistic is short range.Anything up to and including the Rangeis long range. Anything over that is outof range and cannot be targeted.

If the target you named is out ofrange, you’ve wasted the shot. Again, nofair measuring beforehand.

The TN depends on the range. Rolleach figure’s Shootin’ die, add orsubtract any modifiers, then comparethe result with the proper TN, as shownbelow.

Range TNs

Range TNShort 4Long 8

Rate o’ Fire

All weapons in The Great Rail Warshave a “rate o’ fire,” or ROF. This is howmany times a figure can fire it on asingle action.

In general, pistols have an ROF of 2,while rifles and shotguns have an ROFof 1. Certain special weapons (likeGatling guns) have an ROF of 3.

Multiple Shots: A figure planning tofire multiple shots must declare all itsshots before resolving any of them.Multiple shots may be split amongtargets, and may be resolved at differentpoints in the attacker’s movement.

ModifiersThere are many factors that can affect

your cowpoke’s ability to hit his targetwhen firing his hogleg. Let’s take a lookat the most common.

Cover

There are two types of cover: lightand hard.

Light cover comes from concealmentand thin obstacles. A figure half-obscured by scrub, a sparse forest, or arail fence can claim light cover. A troopfiring at a target in light cover subtracts–1 from its Shootin’ roll.

Hard cover is bestowed by larger,thicker obstacles such as buildingcorners, windows, or trees. A shot at atarget in hard cover subtracts –2 fromthe Shootin’ roll.

In either case, if the shootercircumvents the cover (by movingaround the back of a cowboy lurkingbehind a stone wall, for example), itdoesn’t count anymore. The cover mustcome between the shooter and histarget at the time the shot is actuallyfired for it to affect the die roll.

Mounted Attackers

It’s hard to aim when your horse isbouncing all over Creation. Mountedattackers subtract –1 from their Shootin’rolls. A figure can dismount to avoidthis penalty.

“Pop-Up” Attacks

Sometimes a figure might want topop up out of cover, fire, and thenreturn to cover. That’s perfectly legal anda smart way to keep from getting acowpoke’s noggin blown off.

The only way the enemy can shootsomeone doing a pop-up attack is witha Hold action. Then it can plug thesneaky varmint in the pun’kin (that’s thehead, partner) as soon as he comes

around the corner or looks out over thatwindow sill.

Since neither party gets much chanceto aim at each other, however, both thepopper and anyone shooting at himmust subtract –1 from their Shootin’rolls.

Prone

A figure lying on its belly (or on itsback if it’s wounded but not quite deadyet), is harder to hit than a standingtarget.

Troops must subtract –1 from theirShootin’ rolls when firing on a pronetarget. Troops Eatin’ Dirt get this bonustoo.

You can ignore this if the attackergets within 3” of a prone opponent. Atthat point, laying down just means acowpoke doesn’t have as far to fall.

Two Guns

Figures with two pistols can fire both.They can even fire both guns up to theirmaximum ROF and split the shots up asthey choose.

The player must declare (beforeshooting) if the figure’s going to fireboth guns. If he does, all the firstpistol’s shots are made at –1, and thesecond’s are at –2.

Two-Fisted: The two-fisted Edgeallows a gunslinger to ignore thesemodifiers. See Appendix A for details.

Firing into Melee

By and large, the Rail Gangs treattheir troops as cannon fodder. Thismeans firing into a wrasslin’ match

Shooting Modifiers

Situation ModifierTarget prone –1Target behind light cover –1Target behind hard cover –2Pop-up shot –1Shooting at a popper –1Shooter is mounted –1Shooting two guns:Regular hand –1Off hand –2

where the shooter might hit his ownbuddy isn’t really a problem. Say aGunman is tangling with a couple ofmean Nosferatu. His buddy, bravelywatching nearby, isn’t likely going towait and see who wins before he startsfanning his hogleg.

When shots are fired into a melee,see if the shot hits first. If it does, rollrandomly among all possiblecombatants to see who got hit.

Area Effect: Area-effect weapons,such as cannons and some spells, hiteveryone within the template as usual,friend or foe.

Large Opponents: Use a littlecommon sense when firing into a meleewith opponents of mixed sizes. AWendigo that’s twice as large as anormal human-sized figure shouldcount as 2 “targets” when determiningwho catches a round.

Fighting

If your troops don’t have a rangedweapon, they need to whip out theirknives (or claws or fangs!) and startcarving.

A figure is considered in hand-to-hand combat when its base touches anenemy figure’s base.

When contacted, prone figuresautomatically stand to fight, and figureshit in the “rear” automatically turn toface their opponents.

A figure in hand-to-hand combatmakes its attack on its action. Thefigure and its opponent each roll theirFightin’ die. If the defender’s Fightin’total is higher than the attacker’s, nodamage is done. If the attacker’s total ishigher, he has scored a hit and shouldnow roll damage (see Damage).

“Charging”There is no actual “charging

maneuver” in High Noon, other than thata figure can run and still make aFightin’ attack in one action. This is anexception to the normal rule onrunning, which says you must sacrificeyour other actions for the extramovement.

Firing at Chargers: Opponents canfire on charging troops if they’re Holdingan action. If a Holding troop interruptsan opponent’s move, the defending troopmay fire if they haven’t already done sothis action. Finally, the chargers mayhave to make a Guts check if any ofthem is Put Down (see Guts) on theway in.

Fightin’ with Pistols

A figure can use its pistol in hand-to-hand, and it uses its Shootin’ skill asusual. The gunslinger can even take twoshots, as usual.

Here Comes the Cavalry

The power and speed of a good horsegives an attacker a bonus in hand-to-hand combat.

Mounted attackers add +2 to theirdamage rolls, even against othermounted opponents.

High Noon 23

“Florentine”

A figure with two weapons (such astwo knives) may make two Fightin’ rollsif the player chooses. In the old days,they called this “Florentine” style.

The first attack in this style is madeat –1; the second is made at –2.

If the fighter is in contact withmultiple foes, he may direct his attacksto any two of them. He can even turn toattack targets on either side on hisaction.

Two-Fisted: A two-fisted gunfightercan ignore all this nonsense and carvethe Christmas goose with both handsand no penalties.

Multiple Opponents

When a troop moves in for a hand-to-hand brawl, the figures are placedwherever the moving player sees fit. Ifshe wants to gang three figures up onone and ignore several others, that’s herbusiness. Of course, on the defender’sturn, he may do a little rearranging ofhis own.

Being buried under a flurry of fists,claws, or knives isn’t much fun. Forevery opponent after the first in contactwith a figure, it must subtract –1 fromits attack and defense rolls.

Facing: An outnumbered figure candirect its attack at any opponent to itsfront. Models in its rear cannot betargeted, though it may turn to face anyfigure it chooses on its action. (This isusually only important when a figurehas more than one attack per action.)

Withdrawing

Troops who are really desperate toget away from the big bad man can turntail and run for it.

Here’s how being a yellow-belliedcoward works. The figure moves awaynormally, but each enemy figure incontact with it gets one (and only one,even if frenzied) free attack before thefigure escapes. If that makes the figureEat Dirt or Puts it Down, he’s paid theprice for his yellow-bellied cowardice.

A figure that has just withdrawn fromcombat can’t do anything else thataction.

Damage

Now it’s time to listen to yourenemies squeal.

Shooting DamageOnce you’ve determined one of your

thugs has actually hit the broad side ofthe barn, you need to roll the weapon’sdamage. Like skill rolls, damage rolls areopen-ended. If you get an Ace, roll itagain and add it to the total. Now youropponent must make a Vigor test. Ifyour damage roll is higher than hisVigor test, he’s wounded (see Wounds).

Fate Chips: Note that Fate Chipscannot be spent on Shootin’ damagerolls—but they can be spent on Fightin’damage (see below).

Shotguns

Shotgun shells scatter as they getfurther away from the gun, and so dodamage a bit different than other guns.

A shotgun’s range is 24”. The basedamage of a shotgun is 3d6 for anytarget within 6”. For targets in the next6”, the damage is 2d6. Any targetsbeyond that (which is long range) takeonly 1d6 damage.

Fighting DamageDamage from a hand-to-hand

(Fighting) attack is equal to theattacker’s STR plus the weapon’sdamage bonus. A figure with a STR ofd6, for example, rolls 1d6 and adds theweapon’s damage bonus (usually +1 or+2) to get his total damage.

Note that unlike other types ofdamage, since a STR roll is involved(and Fate chips can be spent on Traitchecks), you could spend Fate Chips onthe damage roll!

As with Shooting, the victim mustmake a Vigor check higher than thedamage total or he’s in trouble (seeWounds).

24 High Noon

Wounds

So just how many chunks does abuffalo rifle blow off the walking dead?And how big a gash does a Bowie knifecut in a Devil Bat’s hide? We’ll tell you,compadre.

Once you’ve rolled damage above atarget’s Vigor roll, subtract the Vigortotal from the damage and find thedifference on the table below.

Wound Effects

Difference Result1–4 Eatin’ Dirt

5 or more Put Down10+ Pushin’ Daisies

(Heroes & Rigs)

Eatin’ DirtThis result means the victim was

forced to take cover, got his skin grazed,or maybe just banged his knee on theway to the ground while avoiding somesidewinder’s attack.

Lie the figure on its back to show it’sEatin’ Dirt. Any Hold counters are lost,and on its next action, the figure musttry to recover by making an Easy (4)Vigor test. If successful, you can set thefigure back up on its feet if you like, butit cannot move or attack on that action.It may act normally on any lateractions.

A really tough or lucky figure whogets an 8 or better on the recovery testcan act normally right away.

Crawling: Figures that can crawl maydo so after attempting to recover,regardless of whether or not they weresuccessful. This way a cowpoke who’smade to Eat Dirt out in the open cancrawl toward safety to catch his wind,count his bullets, and get back tofighting.

No Mercy

A figure that’s Eatin’ Dirt isparticularly vulnerable in hand-to-handcombat. In fact, a Fighting attack on anyAction Card after the one in which theopponent was wounded automaticallyPuts Down any figure that’s Eatin’ Dirt.Even Heroes can be killed if they’recaught in this predicament.

Say two Gunmen from the sameposse are carving up a huckster withtheir Bowie knives. The first makes thehexslinger Eat Dirt. The second cowpokecan’t kill him automatically, since hisattack is made on the same Action Card.He can still attack the hucksternormally though. The huckster had besthope he has an action left this turn, orgoes before the killers in the next,because if he’s still Eatin’ Dirt when theGunmen go again, either cowpoke cango for the “No Mercy” kill.

Shooting: You can shoot at a figureEatin’ Dirt too, but there’s no extra effectfor it. It’s just another chance to makethe loser push some daisies.

Guarding: The only way to prevent acharacter who is Eating Dirt from being“no mercied” by the enemy is to move afriendly figure in contact with thewounded one. That way, any enemytroops who want to finish off thedowned figure must fight the guardianinstead. This counts even if the guardianis at one “end” of a downed figure(assuming he’s human sized) and theattackers touch the other. Assume thedefender is standing “over” his fallencomrade and can cover him.

Put DownThe tough hombres of the Weird West

know they’re going to Boot Hillsomeday—maybe soon. Most just hopethey’re buried with their boots on.

A figure who is Put Down has takena real wound, one so bad it’s removedfrom the table. The loser may not bedead, but he’s definitely out of the fight.

When Heroes are Put Down by adamage roll of 5-9 points higher thantheir Vigor total, they roll on the CriticalHit Table instead (see below).

Vehicles that are Put Down suffer acritical hit, as explained in the Derailed!supplement.

High Noon 25

Hero Critical Hits

2d6 Location2 Flesh Wound! This hombre’s been hurt worse

shaving. Ignore the damage and immediatelytake one free shot (or whack) at the varmintwho nicked him for revenge.

3 Groin! The Hero takes an embarrassing butnonlethal hit. He’s Eatin’ Dirt until he makes aHard (8) Vigor roll.

4 Weapon Arm! The character Eats Dirt and mustsubtract -2 from his Shootin’ and Fightin’’. Thisis cumulative, so put a Winged! counter on hiscard for each wound.

5-9 Guts! The Hero Eats Dirt and is Put Down unlesshe makes an Easy (4) Vigor roll.

10 Leg! The Hero catches one in the knee anddevelops a serious hitch in his getalong. He EatsDirt and his Pace drops by 2” to a minimum of1”. Put a Lame! counter on his Troop Card torepresent the wound. A Hero can only have hismovement reduced twice.

11 Gizzards! Uh-oh! Something important got hit!The Hero Eats Dirt and is Put Down unless hemakes a Hard (8) Vigor roll.

12 Head Shot! The Hero’s head explodes like amelon. He’s dead (permanently Put Down), andhas no chance of coming back Harrowed.

Pushin’ DaisiesHeroes and rigs (again, see Derailed!)

that take 10 points of damage over theirVigor or Durability roll are automaticallyPut Down. They’re out of this fight(though Heroes may come backHarrowed—see Appendix B).

Marking WoundsWe’ve made it so that you don’t have

to clutter your pretty, blood-soakedbattlefield with lots of counters andmarkers. You can put those thingsdirectly on the Troop Cards, instead.

Even better, for the most commonwound results (Eatin’ Dirt and PutDown), you can use the figuresthemselves to mark their condition.

Positions

Prone Lie the figure on its frontEatin’ Dirt Lie the figure on its backPut Down Remove the figure from

the table

GutsMost troops rustled into fighting for

the Gangs have stared the Reaper in hisempty eyesockets before. The ones wholive to tell it are sometimes those smartenough to run away.

Doing that takes Guts. Troops mustmake Guts checks on two occasions:when they lose one of their own andwhen one of their Gang’s Heroes bitesthe dust.

Casualties

Figures in a troop that loses a figureoften start wondering about their ownmortality. At the end of an actionsegment in which a figure that was partof a troop is Put Down, its troop mustmake an Easy (4) Guts check. Only oneGuts test is made for all the figures leftin a Posse or Crew.

Multiple Casualties: The troop mustonly make one Guts check per Action

Card (roll only after all attacks againstit have been resolved). If the troop losesan amigo on a later Action Card, theyhave to test again.

Halting a Charge: Also, a troop thattakes a casualty while moving intohand-to-hand combat must make aninstant Guts check after any and allHold actions are used to fire on it. Iffailed, the troop stops in its tracks.Otherwise, they can keep moving in toattack. If the chargers lose a figureduring the attack (which might happenif the defenders were Holding an action),they must check again after the melee

is resolved.

26 High Noon

This is the only way in which a troopcan be forced to make more than oneGuts check on a single Action Card.

Death of a Hero

Most of the mercenaries hired by theRail Barons could care less whathappens to those outside their posse.But even these folks flinch when arenowned Hero falls beside them.

Any troop within 6” of a Hero who isPut Down must make an Easy (4) Gutscheck. It’s hard for the average Gunmanto make a stand when a legend of theWeird West gets gutted like a trout bysome slavering horror.

The Guts CheckA troop that makes its Guts check

suffers no ill effects. If the troop’s rollfails, however, it becomes Shaken.

Going Bust: If the troop’s Guts totalis 1 or less (after modifiers and FateChips), it immediately becomesPanicked.

Shaken

A Shaken troop is starting to lose itsnerve. The cowpokes aren’t ready to runaway yet, but their shaky trigger fingersand jumpy nerves are rubbing everyonein the troop the wrong way.

Place a Shaken marker on the TroopCard. Until it rallies (see below), all of itsrolls are made at –1.

If a Shaken troop is forced to make aGuts check and fails, it becomesPanicked.

Panicked

These troops are getting the Hell outof Dodge. Get in their way and they’llput a bootprint on your head as theyhightail it home.

Panicked troops immediately rundirectly away from their enemies or thesource of their terror (even if they’vealready moved this turn). They stopwhen they reach the board edge or aspot behind cover where they can’t beattacked. Troops that panic while inhard cover—and not engaged in hand-to-hand combat with enemy figures—canchoose to hunker down on the spotinstead of running away.

Panicked troops cannot attack or takeany other actions besides running orhiding. If they are caught in hand-to-hand, they cannot attack, and the enemygets +2 to hit and damage.

High Noon 27Rallying

A troop must rally to improve itsmorale. This is a Guts check, and the TNdepends on whether the troop is Shakenor Panicked.

Rallying takes a troop’s entire action,during which time it cannot do anythingbesides move or run.

If a troop makes its rally check, itimproves one step. Panicked troopsbecome Shaken, and Shaken troopsbecome normal.

Penalties: A Shaken troop does notsubtract –1 from rally checks, by theway. This is the only time it can ignorethe Shaken penalty.

Bust: Rolling a 1 or less whenrallying does not cause a troop topanic. We’re not that mean, partner.

Rallying

Morale TN to RallyShaken 4Panic 8

End GameAll good things must come to an end.

High Noon comes to an end sometimeafter the 4th turn. That’s when nightfalls, the cavalry arrives in force, themilitia shows up, or whatever.

At the beginning of the 5th turn, oneplayer should roll a d6. On a 6, the gameis over. Every turn after the 5th, subtract–1 from the Target Number. (On turn 6,the battle ends on 5 or more, on turn 7the game is over on 4 or more, and soon.) This allows you to finish a game ina single evening (a couple of hours onceyou know how to play).

The Rule of One: A roll of 1 alwaysmeans the game lasts at least anotherturn, however. This way, no one knowswhen the game is going to end,preventing a player from throwing awayhis troops just because he knows it’s thelast turn.

Victory!

When the smoke has cleared and theday is done, the player with the mosttotal Bounty Points wins.

Bounty Points come from twosources: wiping out the bad guys andcompleting scenario objectives.

Bounty PointsMost of your Bounty Points come

from taking care of the bad guys in thatpermanent, bullet-ridden fashion.Whenever you Put Down an enemyfigure, increase your Bounty Points bythe Bounty listed on its Troop Card.

Putting an enemy Gunman out ofaction, for instance, is worth 5 BountyPoints. Keep track of points on a pieceof paper, an erasable white board, aneasel, or somewhere that everyone cansee. That way everyone knows whatthey need to do to win.

ObjectivesThe value of battlefield or mission

objectives are always listed in thescenario description. These BountyPoints add to your total just like thosegained by offing the bad guys.

Spending Bounty PointsBesides determining who wins, once

per turn, you may buy a draw from theFate Pot by spending 50 Bounty Points.You can do this at any point in the turn,whether your troops have an action ornot.

It’s a tough call whether or not youshould blow your lead to gain somechips, but that’s probably the only wayyou can keep valuable Heroes alive ifFate’s gone the way of the dodo.

28 High Noon

Fortune

2d6 Result2 Freak Event. Roll on the Freak

Event Table.3 Twist o’ Fate! Take 1 Fate Chip at

random from an opponent of yourchoice.4 The Quick & the Dead! Take any

one of your opponent’s cards and give itto any of your troops. Return it at theend of the turn.5–6 Rally! If you have a Shaken orPanicked troop, it rallies and can actnormally on its action. Otherwise, justdraw an additional Action Card for thistroop.7 Hand o’ Fate! Draw a Fate Chip.

8–9 Spirit o’ Battle! Draw anadditional Action Card for the fortunatetroop immediately.10 Heroic Effort! Draw an additionalAction Card and give it to any of yourtroops immediately.11 Iron Will! Roll 1d6. That many of

your figures who are currently Eatin’Dirt recover immediately and may actnormally on their next action. If youdon’t have any figures Eatin’ Dirt, treatthis as a Heroic Effort instead.12 Jackpot! Take your pick, partner.

Calamity2d6 Result2 Freak Event. Roll on the Freak

Event Table.3 Fate’s a Bitch! Give your highest

card to your opponent. He may give it toany troop on the table as he sees fit.4 Busted. Choose one of your cards

and give it to your opponent for theturn. He must immediately assign it toone of his troops.5–6 Dirt Slow! The troop loses all itsactions this turn.7 Reload! The troop has to reload

or hesitates for some reason. Discard theJoker as usual, but there’s no othereffect.

8–9 Fickle Finger o’ Fate! Youropponent (roll off in multiplayer games)gets to draw a Fate Chip.10 Confusion! Your opponent maygive the Joker to any other troop underyour control. This troop now loses itsaction, but the troop that originally gotthe Joker gets the lost cards.11 Yeller! A close call with death

makes the troop think twice about thisfight. It must make a Hard (8) Gutscheck immediately.12 Bad Moon Risin’! Your opponentgets to pick your result, amigo.

Freak Event1d20 Result1 Dust Devils! A fierce wind whips

across the dusty battlefield. All Shootingattacks are made at –2 for the rest ofthe game.2 Militia! A gang of locals has

decided to lend its guns to your side. Aposse of Gunmen pops up at a randombuilding (or a random board edge ifthere are no buildings). They can act onthis card segment, and they are dealtAction Cards normally next round.3 Whims of Fate! The player with

the least number of Fate Chips gets todraw chips until he has the samenumber as the player with the most.4 Rain! It begins to rain. For the rest

of the battle, no troop can see furtherthan 24”, and all Shooting attacks aremade at –2.5 Brother Against Brother! It

turns out one of your Heroes has arelative or former friend fighting for theother side. Pick one of your Heroes androll randomly for your foe’s Heroes.These two Heroes are either related orhave worked closely together in thepast. They refuse to cause the otherharm no matter what.6 Worms! All the ruckus disturbed a

Mojave rattler. The giant worm pops upout of the ground and tries to eat oneof your opponent’s Heroes. Rollrandomly to see which one. If the Herocan’t make a Hard (8) Strength roll, he’sworm food. Afterward, the wormdisappears back into the dirt.7 Hired Gun! A grim gunfighter

pops up in the middle of a town or train(or a random board edge otherwise). All

High Noon 29

players secretly place Fate Chips in theirhands. The player who bids the mosthires the grim gunfighter. In a tie, thegunfighter wanders off and joins noone. Use the standard Gunfighter Herofrom the Great Rail Wars Army Book.8 Inspiration! Your side gives out a

big yeehaa! Any 1’s rolled for the next1d4 turns may be rerolled. You can evenreroll your rerolls if they’re 1’s.9 Out of Ammo! The troop cannot

make a Shootin’ attack until it findsammo. This can be done by visiting anybuilding or retreating off your side ofthe board for 1 turn. Other troops refuseto share their ammo. Get yer own!10 Downpour! A sudden storm endsthe battle at the end of this turn. Dowhat damage you can in the meantime!11 Betrayal! If this card was dealt to

a player’s ally, that ally betrays hisemployer and turns on him. Youropponent may take control of thesetroops for the rest of the game.12 Restless Dead! The violence ofbattle causes the dead to rise from theearth! Place the Boom! Template at thecenter of the table, then move it byrolling a deviation of 3d6 inches in a d12direction. This turn, a posse of Walkin’Dead arises from this spot. The nextturn, two posses rise from a newlocation (roll a new deviation from thecenter of the table), and so on. Eachposse of the restless dead attacks theclosest enemy troop as usual.13 Yeller Bellied Cowards! Any andall troops currently Panicked rundirectly off the board and don’t comeback.14 Sand! For the next 1d4 turns, all ofyour troops may roll their Vigor twiceand take the best of the two rolls whenresisting damage.15 Good Press! Your side’s actionstoday will make the papers. Increaseyour Bounty Points by 25% of theircurrent total.16 Curse of Fate! You may dictatethe result of any one of your opponent’sdie rolls this game. This includes a rollon a table, a Shootin’ roll, or anythingthat requires a die roll.17 Wily Wizard! Someone woke a

cranky and mysterious huckster fromhis sleep. This enigmatic figure appearsin a random building or train (or at arandom table edge otherwise). He’s out

to prove he’s better than all the otherhexslingers on the board. Roll among allhexslinging Heroes to determine whohis first target is. The opponent controlsthe huckster until that target is nolonger available (dead or removed fromplay). Then the wizard moves on to thenext target. When the hexslingers are allgone, the huckster stalks off into thesetting sun. Use the standard HucksterHero from the Great Rail Wars ArmyBook.18 Jackalope! A jackalope stalksyour forces. While it’s on the table, allyour side’s skill rolls are made at –1. Theenemy gets to move the jackalopearound (Pace of 10; running bonus ofd10”). Anyone attacking the jackalopedoes so at a total of –5 (which alreadyincludes that –1 penalty.) Once thecritter’s killed, the first side to get to itscarcass gets a lucky rabbit’s foot thatgives the Hero, Posse, or Crew +1 to alltheir die rolls for the rest of the game.19 Stampede! A stampede of buffalo,cattle, wild horses, or some other largecritters rumbles across the field. Thestampede originates from a corral orlivery if there is one, or the center of arandom table edge otherwise. The herdis 10” wide and 20“ long. It appears atone end of the table and runs 10” a turn.Roll below for direction. The stampedealways steers around major obstacles,but it loves to trample the forces of theRail Barons. Any figure hit by thestampede takes 3d10 damage.d6 Path1–2 Veers 45° left3–4 Straight5–6 Veers 45° right20 Lucky Day. Choose any FreakEvent and have a field day.

We’re about to dig into the actual rulesof Grim Crusade. If you’re new to theworld of Deadlands, or to miniaturesgames in general, there’s a mess ofstrange words you’re going to run into aswe mosey along. Here are some of themore notable ones. Refer to this listanytime you see a term you don’tunderstand.

Action: The moment at which a troopcan move, shoot, fight, or try toaccomplish something else. Action orderis determined by drawing cards.

Crew: Crews operate big guns such ascannons, and rigs such as Velocipedesand Ornithopters. The exact number offigures in a Crew is listed on its TroopCard. A Gatling Gun, for instance, has aCrew of 2, and thus says Crew (2) on itsTroop Card. Crewmen are completelyinterchangeable—a Gatling gunner canman a cannon or even a weapon on a rig.The only restriction is that Crewmencannot operate rigs or weapons availableonly to another Gang. Chapter XXX hasthe complete lowdown on Crewmen ifyou need to know more.

Dice Terms: Grim Crusade uses sixdifferent types of dice (which areincluded in the boxed set). They’reabbreviated as d4, d6, d8, d10, and d20,with the number after the d telling youhow many sides the die has. If there’s anumber before the d, that tells you howmany of that kind of die you need to roll.For instance, 2d6 means to roll 2 six-sided dice and add them together. Othermodifiers can pop up too. So 3d4+2means “roll 3 four-sided dice, add themtogether, and then add +2 to the total.”For 3d4–2, you would subtract 2 from thetotal.

Gizmo: The Reckoning and thediscovery of ghost rock (see above) hasled to the invention of all kinds ofinfernal devices. Collectively, any gadgetwith supernatural undertones or that is

ahead of the real-world tech-level, iscalled a gizmo.

Hero: A single “named” figure, such asRonan Lynch. Heroes are a little betterthan most other troops. They takewounds differently and usually get to domore in a turn.

Measurements: Inches and feet areoften noted with ” and ’. Two inches is 2”,and two feet is 2’.

Posse: A troop composed of 5 figures,such as Gunmen.

Relic: Magic items. Most can only beused by Heroes, but there are someexceptions.

Rig: Any kind of vehicle, includingwagons, steam buggies, velocipedes,ornithopters, trains, and even boats.

Segment: All the actions that takeplace on a single card. Troops who draw8’s, for instance, all act on the sameSegment.

Single: A unit composed of a singlefigure, such as a Muckraker.

Spells: All the magical abilities troopscan use, whether they are Shaman’sprayers or black magic rituals, are calledspells in Grim Crusade.

Target Number (TN): The numberyou’re trying to meet or beat with a dieroll. It’s often abbreviated as TN.

Troop: This is the generic term for aunit. In Grim Crusade, units are eitherSingle figures (such as a Sawbones),Posses (5 figures, such as a group of fiveScouts), Heroes (single “named” figureslike Nevada Smith), or Crews (variablesized groups such as Gatling Gunners). Ifwe say “the troop must start in the jail,”then the whole unit, whether it’s onefigure or five, follows these instructions.Check the Troop Card (just under thetroop’s picture) to find out whether it is aSingle, Hero, Posse, or Crew.

Turn: A whole Action! Phase, from Aceto Deuce.

Rules Glossary

Special troops and Heroes havebizarre powers, talents, and unusualskills that we collectively call SpecialAbilities. Beneficial abilities are calledEdges, and harmful ones are calledHindrances. When you see one of theselisted on a Troop Card, look it up hereto see how it affects your game.

Many of these abilities apply mostlyto Heroes. Others can only be used byAbominations and other critters. Don’tfeel like you need to read all these rightnow—you can always look them up asyou need ‘em.

A Note on Heroes

In the previous version of the GreatRail Wars, we let you make your ownHeroes. We’re going to design Heroes foryou from now on. Why? Because thePony Express delivered an awful lot ofmail to us about sidewinders cheatin’and buying certain killer advantages fortheir Heroes. Most of ‘em didn’t makeany sense and just tended to anger therest of the folks trying to play the game.

So you’ll find a passel of Heroes inthe Great Rail Wars Army Book, as wella few unique characters as well.

Accursed

The Hero’s family bears a terriblecurse. Draw 1 less Fate Chip at thebeginning of the game for each of yourHeroes with this Hindrance

Ailin’

The troop has some sort of ailment.Its Vigor has already been reduced byone die type to a minimum of d4.

All Thumbs

This Hindrance affects a troop’sgizmoes. Whenever the troop rolls onthe Malfunction Severity Table, add +2.

Aquatic

The troop is a natural swimmer. Itdoesn’t have to make the usual Strengthrolls to avoid drowning when in deepwater.

While in the water, it can swim equalto its Pace plus its aquatic die. Forexample, a Maze Dragon can move 10”(its Pace) plus another 1d10” whileunderwater.

Appendix A:

Special Abilities

Howdy, partn

er! This is

an

Appendix for High Noon! If y

ou

haven’t go

t it alre

ady, download it

from www.deadlan

ds.com!

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 2

Arcane Background

The Hero is a hexslinger or madscientist of some sort. See Appendix Cfor more information, compadre.

Armor

Scaly hides, bulletproof vests, andsteel plates hidden under a poncho canall act as armor.

The amount of armor a figure has issubtracted directly from an opponent’sfinal damage roll. Thus armor 4subtracts –4 from some ornerycowpoke’s damage roll before youcompare it to the target’s Vigor.

Artillery

This is the skill and knowledge usedto fire big guns like cannons andGatlings.

Artillery is always followed by a dietype. This is the troop’s skill when firingan artillery piece. Don’t use the troop’sShootin’ skill—that’s used for theirsidearms when they choose to firethem.

Bad Eyes

This hombre can’t see well, even withspectacles. Subtract –2 from its Shootin’rolls.

Bad Luck

Someone cursed this unlucky cuss.You may never spend Fate Chips for thisloser.

Bad Karma

This Hindrance only affects darksorcerers, houngans, hucksters, andwitches.

The Hero has a bad name in theHunting Grounds—so bad, in fact, thatjust about every manitou is itching totake a lick at her! Any time she suffersbacklash, roll twice on the Backlash

Table and your opponent gets to choosewhich result affects her!

Big Britches

These fools believe they’re unkillable.They won’t use cover even when they’resurrounded by it.

Troops with big britches never benefitfrom cover modifiers, even when they’rein cover. They also won’t go proneintentionally, though they still receiveprone modifiers if they’re shot at whileEatin’ Dirt (and even that makes ‘emreally mad!).

Big ’Un

The Hero’s had too many vittles. HisPace is 4, though he may run normally.On the plus side, he adds +1 to his Vigorrolls, too.

Bloodthirsty

Bloodthirsty troops never takeprisoners. When they make someoneEat Dirt, they have to keep attacking thesame poor sod until he’s Put Down.

Born on Horseback

The troop is a natural horseman. Thefigure can ignore the usual penalty forShootin’ rolls while mounted.

Brave

The troop gets two chances to makeany Guts checks.

Brawny

Add +1 to the troop’s Vigor rolls whenresisting damage, and +1 to any Fightingdamage.

Burrowin’

Creatures that burrow can tunnelunderground and reappear elsewhere. Inbetween these points, they cannot beattacked, even by those with Holdcounters. They could be attacked justbefore going underground or afterthey’ve emerged, however.

The distance a creature can burrow ina turn is its Pace plus its burrowin’ die.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 3

A Young Rattler, for example, canburrow 6” plus 1d10”.

If a burrowin’ creature moves its fullPace or more and then emerges frombeneath an opponent, it gains +4 on itsFightin’ roll.

Buildings: Burrowers may surfacethrough the floor of a building.

Hiding: Burrowin’ creatures do nothave to return to the surface each turn.

Deployment: Unless a scenariostates otherwise, burrowin’ creaturesmay begin the game underground,though they must still start within theplayer’s Deployment Zone.

Bushwack

A troop with bushwack may hide inambush until the owning player decidesto reveal it.

Before the battle begins, each playermust write down where hisbushwackers are hiding. This can be aterrain feature such as a building or thebig rock near the stream, or“coordinates” such as 10” due east of theold mine.

In a game in which one player startsalready deployed on the board, he placeshis troops and records his bushwackers’locations. Then the other players recordthe locations of their bushwackers,though they must be at least 12” awayfrom any of the first player’s visibletroops.

Deal the bushwackers in as usualfrom the start of the game. They canemerge and act normally on any oftheir actions.

Hiding in Plain Sight: Bushwackersmay be hidden most anywhere,including out in the open, as there’sassumed to be tall grass, shallow sand,or some other cover even in “open”terrain. They stay hidden there even ifan enemy unit walks right over them.

Hiding Again: Once revealed,bushwackers can’t hide again. They justdon’t have time to prepare such a goodhidey-hole. Use ’em wisely.

Cautious

The troop must make a Hard (8)Smarts roll to charge into Fightingcombat.

Clueless

Duh. The Hero’s Smarts has beenreduced by a die type (minimum of d4).

Crisis o’ Faith

This Hindrance only applies to Heroeswith the arcane background: blessedEdge.

The Hero has seen a few too manyghastly sights and has begun to doubthis calling. All his rolls to cast miraclesare at –1.

Climbin’

The troop adds +2 to its Strength rollswhen climbing.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 4

Clown

In an Indian tribe, a clown has acertain honor afforded him. Thecharacter’s contrariness grants him astrength of spirit. The Hero gets a +2bonus to all Guts rolls.

Indians Only: Only Indian charactersmay have this ability.

Crack Shot

When a crack shot scores a criticalhit on a Hero (or rig, see Derailed!), shemay adjust her roll on the Critical HitTable by 2 points in either direction.

Damned

Sometime in the past, the Herostepped on some powerful entity’sboots, and now she’s paying for it.Maybe she accidentally shot a priest,stole from the Church, or ate a sacredcow she shouldn’t have. Whatever thecase, no beneficial spells of any sortwork on the poor damned soul. Suchmagics automatically fail, regardless ofthe spell roll. Of course the harmfulones work just fine!

Death Wish

For whatever reason, some troops areeager to meet their makers.

Troops with a death wish refuse to gointo cover or go prone, and they nevergain the benefits of such protection, justlike those with Big Britches.

Doubting Thomas

Those who don’t believe insupernatural creatures are steady souls—at least until they are faced with theundeniable truth.

Doubting Thomases add +2 to theirGuts checks when checking against Fearor Terror. Should they roll a 1 on such acheck, however, they see the true face ofhorror and know it for what it is. Theirview of the world shatters, and they

become immediately Panicked. Theycannot rally in this game and rundirectly off the board to gather theirwits.

Drivin’

This is the ability of a troop tomaneuver any regular vehicle and anyvehicles particular to his faction as well.A figure must have this ability to drive arig, as you’ll see in Derailed!

Eagle Eyes

The troop may ignore the –2 penaltyfor firing on troops with the sneakyEdge.

Enemy

At the end of Turn One, choose oneof your opponent’s Heroes. This is yourtroop’s sworn enemy.

Announce this to the other player. Ifeither of the enemies puts the otherdown, the winning troop gains a blueFate Chip and double the foe’s BountyPoints for its player.

Familiar

Some spellslingers have found waysto forge mystical links with animals,called familiars. This bond allows thecaster to draw on the animal’s strength,adding +1 to their spell die rolls.

Fannin’

A figure with a single pistol and thisability can “fan” by holding back thetrigger on her pistol while slamming thehammer back with her opposite hand.Fanning throws a rain of lead into theair, but it isn’t a particularly accurateway to go around shooting.

Fannin’ counts as an entire attack, soa Heroine can’t fire one of her pistolshots and then fan on her second. Also,Fannin’ requires she have one hand freeto work the hammer, so even a two-fisted gunslinger can’t use two pistolswhile fannin’.

To fan, a Heroine declares her attackand rolls 1d4+2. This is the number ofshots she gets this action.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 5

Accuracy: Because fannin’ is soinaccurate, each shot is made at a -2modifier to the Shootin’ roll.

Arc of Fire: Because of the rapidnature of the shots, all the targets mustbe to the Heroine’s front.

Fear

The troop forces any other troop itcharges or who charges it to make anEasy (4) Guts check. When troops arecharged by feared opponents, they canbe Shaken or Panicked normally.

Charging Feared Opponents:Figures that try to charge such anopponent don’t become Shaken orPanicked if they fail—they simply do notmove this action.

Been There, Done That: Once thefigures makes their Guts check to entercombat with a feared opponent, theydon’t have to roll again as long as atleast one figure remains in contact withthe enemy. If the whole troop breaks itoff and then wants to charge again, thegroup has to make a new Guts check.

Fearless

The troop never has to make Gutschecks and cannot become Shaken orPanicked.

Fleet-Footed

The troop may roll a d10 whenrunning instead of a d6.

Flight

The troop can fly. The Pace is listedimmediately after this special ability.Mostly, this just means the varmint canignore terrain. Derailed! has moredetailed information on flying varmintsand machines if you’re interested.

Frenzy

The model can make two Fightingattacks every action. The defendermakes a defensive Fightin’ roll only onceper opponent, and both attacks arecompared against this total.

Geezer

There are some cantankerous oldcoots fighting for the Gangs.

The troop’s Pace is slowed to 4, andits Strength has been reduced by one dietype to a minimum of 1d4.

Greedy

Whenever the troop enters an emptybuilding or Puts Down a foe in hand-to-hand combat, it must stop to fill itspockets with loot. This takes one entireaction.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 6

Grim Servant o’ Death

This troop acts like a lieutenant forthe Grim Reaper himself. Any livingmodel harmed by the servant subtracts–2 from its Vigor roll when resistingdamage.

Unfortunately, all those alliesunfortunate enough to side with himsuffer as well. Friendly troops within 12”of the Hero suffer a -1 modifier to theirVigor rolls.

Hankerin’

The troop has a hankerin’ forsomething like alcohol, tobacco, orsoiled doves.

Roll a die each turn. On an evennumber, nothing special happens. On anodd number, the troop suffers from theshakes this turn and must subtract -1from all of its rolls.

Heavy Armor

Troops or rigs with heavy armorignore small arms fire (pistols, rifles,shotguns, and Gatlings) and most allFightin’ attacks. The only weapons thatcause damage are Flamethrowers,Cannons (including pom-poms),steamsaws, and explosives such as ballso’ doom, dynamite, or rockets.

Heroic

The Hero sees it as his duty to goafter the worst of the bad guys beforehis “lesser” companions are killed bythem. They don’t call them Heroes fornothing.

Whenever your Heroic Hero PutsDown an enemy Hero, an individualtroop with fear or terror, or the lastfigure of a posse with fear or terror, youget a draw from the Fate Pot. Not bad,eh? This may not sound like aHindrance, but it is, since you’ll likelyjeopardize your Hero more often to goafter chips.

Infiltration

The Bosses sometimes place spies—orworse—within their opponent’s Gangs.This Edge allows the troop with thepower to infiltrate an enemy troop. Thisinfiltration does not take place duringthe game—it was accomplished longbefore the scenario began.

Since infiltrators can never stand upto close scrutiny, they can only pose asfaceless hired guns. A troop with theinfiltration ability can use its ability onany hired gun Posse (those that aren’tGang-specific). That means yourinfiltrator can sneak into a band ofBuffalo Hunters or Scouts, but not aCannon Crew, Sawbones, or Tong Gang.If your opponent has no hired guns, thetroop with infiltration is lost for thegame—most likely infiltrating elsewherein the Weird West.

The infiltrator’s target must bewritten down and placed beneath itsTroop Card at the end of the first turn(once you’ve seen all your opponent’stroops.) For instance, at the end of TurnOne, you might name as your target “theshotgun guy from the leftmost posse ofGunmen.”

Demasking: The infiltrator (or atleast the figure that the infiltrator isgoing to replace) fights against his ownside normally until the playercontrolling the infiltrator wishes to dropthe disguise and start wreaking havoc.The infiltrator does not receive anyseparate Action Cards prior to revealingitself, and it is in all respects treatedjust like a normal troop owned by youropponent.

When you’re ready to reveal yourinfiltrator, just point out the enemyfigure it will replace. At that point, theenemy model is replaced by theinfiltrator.

Action Cards: In the turn it’s firstrevealed, the infiltrator acts on theAction Cards assigned to the troop ithas penetrated. Due to surprise, theinfiltrator acts first, then the betrayedtroop can respond to the treachery.

At the beginning of the next round,deal the infiltrator its own Action Cardas usual.

Hiding Troop Cards: You usuallyhave to place your Troop Cards outwhere everyone can see them. Troops

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 7

with the infiltration ability can bewritten up on a separate Troop Sheetand revealed only when they activate. Asharp opponent may figure out you havean infiltrator once you field your forceshy a few points on the table, however.

Double Infiltration: If two (or more)players in a multiplayer game choosethe same target to infiltrate, theimposters roll Smarts. The winner is theinfiltrator, and the loser is gone. If theresult is a tie, both infiltrators are lost.

Kid

This fellow’s under-age. His Smartsand Fightin’ have both been reduced onedie type (minimum 1d4).

Lame

The troop’s Pace is 4, but it can runnormally.

Law Dog

This ability is only available toHeroes. A law dog is a duly authorizedagent of the law—at least on one side ofthe border.

This Hero brought along a posse ofGunmen with him. This costs you nopoints, and can be used however youwish.

Limit: A player can only get one freeposse of deputies, no matter how manylaw dogs he has, even if a rival Ganghas characters with the outlaw ability.

Law o’ the West

This honorable troop won’t shoot at afoe’s back, no matter what.

Leadership

Leaders command other groups ofmen. The specific kind are listedimmediately after the leadership ability.A Union Blue Officer, for example, leadsonly UB Troopers, so that’s what wouldbe listed after his leadership.

To use leadership, the leader has to bewithin 4” of any member of the troop(normal “cohesion” distance). When heis, the entire group acts on whichevertroop got the highest Action Card. If theOfficer got a 10 and the Troopers got a

Jack, for example, they could discard the10 and all act on the Jack (as if theywere one unit).

If the leader dies, whether he was aHero or not, the rest of the troop mustmake a Guts test (just as with the TheDeath of a Hero).

Legendary

Legendary Heroes are just that. Theseare famous Heroes of the Weird West,like Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday, whohave gotten caught up the middle of theGreat Rail Wars.

Just as Heroes are a cut above youraverage gunmen, these individuals aretruly exceptional—even for Heroes. Eachbattle, legendary Heroes may draw threechips for their own personal use. Thesechips may only be spent for rolls madeby and for the Hero.

Level-Headed

Every Draw! Phase, the troop candiscard its Action Card and drawanother if it chooses.

Jokers: You cannot discard Jokerswith this ability.

Malfunctions: If a Deuce is drawnand the troop has the malfunctionHindrance, it must still check formalfunction, but can then draw a newcard as usual. If this card is anotherDeuce or a Joker, the troop must checka second time. Be careful, amigo!

Loco

This Hero is plumb loco. There areseveral varieties:Delusional: The Hero believessomething that just isn’t true. And it’sreally weird. Heroes with this Hindrancehave special rules in their descriptionrelating their peculiar beliefs.Paranoid: The Hero won’t get within 6”of any other figure, friendly orotherwise. If other figures approach him,he must use his next action to moveaway.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 8

Manic-Depressive: He’s got a DeathWish.Phobic: The Hero believes every otherperson and thing is tainted with evil. Hetreats all opponents as if they had fear.Against creatures with fear and terror hesubtracts –2 from his Guts roll.Schizo: He’s got multiple personalities,and one of them works for youropponent! At the start of each turn, rolla d6. On 6, turn the Hero over to youropponent for the turn. He returns to youat the beginning of the next turn, unlessyou roll a 6 on the Schizo check again.

Loyal

A loyal Hero won’t leave hiscompanions when the going gets tough.

When there are friendly troops within12”, the Hero can’t run away whenPanicked, even if you want him to. Hekeeps on fighting at –2 until he’s deador his companions have moved away. Ifthere are no companions around, heruns when Panicked, just like any othercowpoke.

Luck o’ the Irish

Whenever you spend a blue or redchip for this troop, roll two dice insteadof one and take the better of the tworesults.

Magic Resistance

Magic just doesn’t take well to somefolks. Any type of magic, whetherbeneficial or not, has a hard timeaffecting this troop. They gain theirmagic resistance level in armor againstany magical atack.

Also, should someone cast a spell ofany sort directly on the figure, thecaster must subtract the magicresistance rating from his Smarts roll.This would not apply to spells like ballo’ doom, which targets the groundinstead of the figure (though they wouldget their armor modifier against that

spell). It would affect mind twist, soulblast, and similar spells, however.

Malfunction

The troop has a gizmo that is subjectto malfunctioning. Sometimes, the troopitself is the gizmo. See Chapter xxx fordetails.

Martial Artist

The character has one or more kungfu powers. These are listed immediatelyafter the martial artist special ability. Inaddition, he may add +2 to his Fightin’attack rolls and damage (although nothis Fightin’ defense rolls).

Mean as a Rattler

Even their momma’s don’t love ’em.Troops who are mean as a rattler take

great offense at being shot at. The firstenemy troop to cause this figure orsomeone in his posse to Eat Dirt or getPut Down becomes their sworn enemies.

If at all possible, the mean troopsconcentrate their attacks on their swornenemies. They can only attack otherenemy troops if their original targets areout of sight or range.

Once this troop’s hated foes are dead,the next enemy troop to cause it to EatDirt or worse gains its ire.

On the plus side, every time the angrythugs kill a sworn enemy who’s a Heroor the last member of a posse, they giveyou a draw from the Fate Pot.

Miser

The Hero’s gear is cheap, causing it tomalfunction occasionally. When he isdealt a Deuce or a Joker, he must checkfor malfunction just as if his gear weregizmos. Normal gear has a malfunctionrating of 1d6. Relics have a malfunctionrating of 1d12. Should these devices failthe check, they simply don’t work thatturn.

Gizmos: Gizmos that already havemalfunction numbers have already hadtheir rating lowered by a step, to aminimum of 1d4.

Gear Defined: Gear includesfirearms, hand-to-hand weapons, andeven horses. If the Hero is mounted

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 9

when his horse “malfunctions,” the tiredold nag can only move at half its totalPace plus running bonus.

Mechanically Inclined

Since weird gizmos are prone tobreaking down, somebody needs toknow how to fix them. A mechanicallyinclined individual may fix gizmos thataren’t entirely destroyed, acting asSawbones on mechanical troops likeAutomatons and Clockwork Tarantulas.See the sawbones rules to see exactlyhow this works.

Nerves o’ Steel

If the troop becomes Panicked, it maychoose to stand its ground instead ofrunning away. It suffers a –2 modifier toall its skill rolls while Panicked,however.

Night Terrors

Even the hardened souls who fight forthe Rail Barons reel at the horrors ofthe Weird West.

Roll a die each turn. On an evennumber, your troop suffers no ill effects.On an odd number, the Hero’snightmares catch up with her. Shesuffers a –1 to all her die rolls this turn.

Occult

A few of the Weird West’s hardestveterans know things man was notmeant to know. Such knowledge canmean the difference between victory anddefeat when an abomination of theReckoners is on the loose.

A troop with occult knowledge knowsdark secrets about the Reckoning andits minions. These resourcefulindividuals use magic bullets, weirdscientific gizmos, or blessed weapons toPut Down unearthly beings (see below).They can kill such horrors even withtheir normal weapons, regardless of theabomination’s particular weaknesses.

Old Hand

This Edge is only available tohucksters. A spellslinger with this Edgehas been around long enough to know

when to hold ‘em and when to fold ‘em.Anytime the Hero rolls an unmodified

1 on his spell die, he has a chance toavoid Backlash. If he succeeds at a Hard(8) Smarts roll, his spell simply fails, andhe doesn’t suffer from a supernaturalpower surge. If he fails, he takesBacklash as normal.

One-Armed Bandit

The Hero’s lost an arm somewhere inthe Weird West. His Strength and Fightin’have been reduced by one die type to aminimum of 1d4.

Two-Handed Weapons: One-armedbandits can’t use rifles, shotguns, or anyother two-handed weapons.

Outlaw

The troop is wanted for a crimesomewhere and there’s a bounty on hishead. Putting this dirty dog down netsthe attacker double the usual bountypoints (which should already beaccounted for on its Troop Card).

Pacifist

The troop won’t shoot at any humanthat hasn’t attacked it or its friends yet.Undead, animals, and machines makefine targets, however.

Paralysis

Certain creatures and poisons canmake a foe fall to the ground and startdoing the “kickin’ chicken.” Once theydo, they’re easy prey for their mercilessopponents.

After a successful hand-to-handattack in which the target takes nodamage, the victim must make a secondVigor check against an Easy (4) TN. Iffailed, the model Eats Dirt anyway.

This doesn’t work on nonliving troopssuch as Automatons or Walkin’ Dead. Itdoes work on living creatures such asMojave Rattlers, Devil Bats, and the like,however.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 10

Poverty

The Hero has shoddy equipment thatfails to function on occasion. Treat thisjust like he’s a miser.

Rank

There’s something about a uniformthat inspires folks—particularly on abattlefield.

The Hero may spend an action toattempt to rally a friendly Shaken orPanicked troop within 12”. The trooprolls a Guts check against the RallyingTN for their current morale, and adds +2for the figure’s rank. If it’s successful, it’smorale improves one level.

Renown

The Hero is so well-known he attractsa body of wanna-bes. You get a freeposse of Gunmen, but they must staywithin 12” of the Hero for the durationof the battle. Only one renowned Heroper side gets the free posse.

Sand

The Hero adds +2 to her Vigor checkswhen trying to recover from Eatin’ Dirt.

Sawbones

A skilled doctor can quickly patch upa wounded figure and get it to fightingagain. A figure who is Eatin’ Dirt with asawbones within 2” adds +2 to its Vigorroll to recover. If there are multiplewounded figures in the sawbones area,they all get the bonus.

If a living, human figure is Put Downnear a sawbones, leave it on thetableuntil the end of the turn. If thedoctor gets to the figure before the endof the turn, he can make a Hard (8)Smarts roll. If failed, the victim isremoved as usual. If successful, themodel is simply Eatin’ Dirt instead.

A sawbones can even run and stilluse this ability. If your doctor goes earlyin the turn, it’s a good idea to put himon Hold so he can help his companionslater on.

Treating Heroes: A sawbones canalso heal specific wounds on Heroes. Acharacter who was winged or madelame can be healed if an adjacent figurewith this ability makes an Easy (4)Smarts roll.

Scrawny

The troop subtracts –2 from its Vigorwhen resisting damage.

Slowpoke

The troop cannot run.

Sneaky

Sneaky troops use all the cover theycan to keep themselves from being seen.Troops making ranged attacks onsneaky foes subtract –2 from their rolls.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 11

Area Effect Weapons: Area effectweapons that cover an area (such asdynamite and flamethrowers) ignore thesneaky penalty.

Squeamish

The Hero doesn’t much like the sightof blood. Especially his own. Subtract –2from the troop’s Vigor rolls when tryingto recover from Eatin’ Dirt.

The Stare

The glaring eyes of a gunslinger cansend lesser men scrambling for cover.

The troop can use an action to staredown an opponent within 12”. The targetmust make an immediate Guts check ifit hasn’t already made one this segment.

Fearless: Fearless figures areimmune to The Stare.

Superstitious

The Hero is even more afraid of thesupernatural than most. He mustsubtract –2 from his Guts checks whenconfronted by creatures with the powerof fear or terror.

Tale Tellin’

The exciting stories told by taletellers can build the fame of your Gang.With a little luck, your Heroes mighteven find themselves the subjects ofdime novels.

A Hero with this ability adds hisBounty to your total Bounty Points atthe end of the game—assuming he’s stillaround to do so.

Non-Heroes: If the tale-teller isn’t aHero himself (such as a Muckraker), hehas to follow around a Hero to get thereal scoop. If this is the case, pick oneof your Heroes for your tale-teller at thebeginning of the game. The muckrakermust stay within 4” of him to catch theaction first-hand. If he gets forciblyseparated, he has to catch up as fast ashe can.

The Last Tale: If the Hero dies, youcan still claim your Bounty Points aslong as the tale-teller is still alive at theend of the game. Running defenselessMuckrakers to safety when the subject

of their next tale is dead is a perfectlylegal tactic.

Terror

Terror works just like the fear ability,except the TN is Hard (8).

Thick-Skinned

The Hero adds +2 to her Vigor checkswhen trying to recover from Eatin’ Dirt.

Thin-Skinned

This is the same as squeamish.

Tough as Nails

The troop adds +2 to all its Vigorrolls.

Two-Fisted

Some folks do things equally wellwith both hands. The character can firetwo pistols or use two knives in oneaction at no penalty to either attack.

Tuckered

The troop gets tired easily. Divide itsrun rolls in half, rounding up.

Ugly as Sin

This cowpoke’s so ugly his mommahad to tie a mouse to his leg to get thesidewinders to bite. Human troopscharging him in melee must make aGuts check as if he had fear.

Undead

Undead go about dying the hard way.Most need a lot more killing beforethey’re ready to return to the ground.

To reflect this, add +2 to their Vigorrolls when resisting damage andrecovering from Eatin’ Dirt.

AbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilitiesAbilities 12

Unearthly

A few rare creatures of incrediblerenown have occasionally been tricked,controlled, or drafted into the armies ofthe Gangs. Such abominations are trulyhorrible sights when they emerge on thebattlefield.

Unearthly creatures cannot be PutDown by normal means. When they arehit by an attack, roll damage normally.Ignore Eatin’ Dirt results, and treat PutDown results as Eatin’ Dirt.

Weaknesses: Some Unearthlycreatures have specific weaknesses aswell. A Hangin’ Judge, for example, canbe Put Down by any duly-authorizedlawman, such as a law dog or even alaw dan’s posse.

Occult: A troop with the occultability can Put Down any kind ofUnearthly being. These folks havefigured out the creature’s weakness andknow how to kill it.

Vengeful

This is the same as mean as a rattler.

Wall Walker

The troop has the ability to climb upsheer surfaces as if they were RoughGround. No roll must be made, and themodel can even climb over roofs andacross ceilings (upside down) if itwishes.

The Voice

When some Heroes give orders, thosearound them jump to make sure theyhappen.

On any of the Hero’s actions, he canutter a threat to any enemy human Herowithin sight and 12”. The enemy mustmake an immediate Guts check.

Making a threat is a “free action,” sothe Hero can plug his rival after makinghim shake his boots if he wants to.

Yeller

Lily-livered gunfighters don’t last longin the Rail Gangs. Trouble is, you neverknow who’s got sand until the shootingstarts.

The troop subtracts –2 from its Gutschecks.

The Gangs have developed a wholemess of infernal devices to blow thesnot out of their rivals. This sectionteaches you how to handle thesedevastating war machines in your table-top battles. Most of these machines areavailable in glorious lead from the finefolks at Smith & Robards(www.deadlands.com). We also make aCardboard Cowboy set featuring severalwar machines. Infernal Devices is alsoavailable from the website, as well asyour local S&R reseller. (Your local gamestore, partner. Try and stay with us.)

CrewsIn their relentless pursuit of victory,

the Gangs have used all manner ofdevices to blast their foes to jerky. All ofthese devices are crewed by mercenarieswho risk life and limb to fire thesemassive guns. Collectively, we call thesewild-eyed lunatics “Crews.”

What defines a Crewman (or woman)from any other cowpoke? Easy. Twosimple skills, artillery and drivin’ (we tellyou what drivin’s good for in Derailed!).Any figure with the artillery skill can

Appendix B:

The Big Guns!

fire any type of “heavy” gun used in thegame, from Gatlings to cannons,whether they are mounted on carriagesor strapped to the side of somehorseless-carriage.

Heroes: A Hero figure can also mana gun or drive a rig, but he must alsohave the appropriate skill (artillery forfiring guns and drivin’ to pilot a rig).

Foreign Devices: There is anexception to the rule that Crewmen canhandle any gun. Crews cannot man agun that is unique to another Gang. IronDragon’s Celestial Thunderer (whichyou’ll see in the near future), can onlybe manned by Iron Dragon’s Crewmen.In general, if a gun is unique to oneGang, none of the other Gangs’ Crewscan operate it (even if they are Heroesor Allies).

Using Crews

Here are some general guidelines forhow to position Crew figures around theguns and rigs they man, as well as whatto about about removing casualties andreplacing them with other Crewmen.

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For guns with 4 Crewmen, you must placethe figures as evenly as possible between thefront and rear of the gun. This allows two ofthe figures to load the weapon while the othertwo aim and fire it.

Placing your Crewmen appropriatelyis very important, because those bighonkin’ guns they fire give them coverfrom enemy attacks. Treat the gun justlike any other obstacle. If it blocks thefigure or gives him partial cover, thengive the Crewman his due.

2-Man Guns: Small direct-fire guns,such as Gatlings typically have 2Crewmen. Both of them are placedbehind the weapon.

4-Man Guns: Cannons and otherlarge guns typically have four crewmen.Two of these are placed at the rear ofwhere they aim and fire the gun. Theother two are placed near the barrel,where they load shells into the muzzle.(See the diagram.) If the Crew wants totake cover behind the gun and fire theirpistols instead, they may do so.

Replacing Crewmen: You can’t buyextra Crewmen to stand around andreplace casulaties, but you can tradethem off. The Civil War and the RailWars have produced a cadre of hiredguns who can fire cannons, drivesteam-powered vehicles, and even flysuch infernal devices as Ornithoptersand Autogyros. All of these Crewmenare interchangeable. If a Gatling Guncrew has been wiped out, a nearbyCannon Crewman could replace him.Similarly, if the enemy abandons anautogyro near any of your Crewmen,they can swipe it and get airborne.

To man a vehicle or gun, simply moveany of your Crew in contact with thedevice.

Shootin’

Crews don’t use their Shootin’ scoreswhen firing big guns—they use theirartillery ability instead. A Cew withartillery d8, for example, rolls 1d8 whenfiring their cannon at an opponent.

Sidearms: So what’s a Crew’sShootin’ Trait for? No artillery crew inits right mind would wander onto thebattlefield without sidearms.

Crews always carry pistols, and theycan fire these instead of their big gun ifthey choose. Sometimes this is the mosteffective way to deal with bad guys whoget in too close to the artillery.

Casualties

Remove whichever casualties are hitas usual. When the cannon’s turn comesup, reposition the crew as evenly aspossible betwen the front and back.

Mixed Crews: If a Crewman with ahigher artillery score joins a lessexperienced Crew, use the artillery scoreof the lowest team member.

TemplatesIn the back of this book are a couple

of templates.. These are used todetermine which figures are affected byexplosions and other area effectweapons. Print these suckers (in color ifyou’d like), mount them on some solidcardstock, and keep ‘em with yourfigures.

When you use a round template,simply place it so the center of thetemplate is at the point where the blastor spell effect goes off. Any figure that’seven partially under the template is hit.

33333 BiBiBiBiBig Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg GunsCover from Explosives

If any figures under the Boom!Template have cover or are prone, treatthe protection as armor instead (see theHigh Noon Rulebook), translatingnegative cover penalties into positivepoints of Armor.

Thus a prone troop always has 1 pointof Armor from an explosive, and afigure lying in a boulder field (prone inhard cover) has 3 points of armor.

Sneaky: Sneaky troops gain noadditional protection against burst effectweapons such as these (they do not gettheir sneaky bonus as armor).

Complete Cover: If a figure is pronebehind a wall, inside a building, orotherwise completely shielded from anexplosion, he takes no damage from it.Basically, if the center of the template ison one side of a wall, stone fence, orother solid obstacle, and the figure is onthe other, ignore the attack. That’s whatwalls are for. If the cover is less solid,give him the appropriate cover bonusand roll damage normally.

Big GunsThere are several varieties of big guns

available to the Gangs—everything fromcannons to rockets. We’ll includedynamite in this discussion too since itworks the same.

CannonsWhen the Great Rail Wars started, a

few outdated smoothbore cannons weresold to the Rail Barons by the armies ofthe North and South. These slow,inaccurate, and unwieldy guns are finefor defensive works. These days,however, the Gangs need faster, lighter,guns Lugging a 12-lb “Napoleon”smoothbore across the High Plains justisn’t practical. When heavy firepower isneeded, however, lighter 6-lb “horse” or“flying artillery” can be quickly andeasily set up and fired.

Crew: Cannons are served by 4Crewmen. Half the team loads the gun,the other half aims and fires it.

Line of Sight: Firing a cannon is justlike firing any other kind of gun. Youjust get down behind the cannon and

eyeball along its line of fire to makesure it’s got a straight shot at its target.You can’t arc shots over obstacles ortroops, but if the cannon is at a higherelevation, it can fire over them as usual.

Rate of Fire: A Cannon’s Rate of Fireis 1 until there are only 2 crewmenremaining. At that point, those men leftmust spend an entire action doingnothing else but loading the gun beforeit can fire it again.

Ammunition

Cannons can fire 3 different types ofshells: solid shot, shrapnel, and canister.You can pick the type of ammunitionevery time your Crew fires the gun.

Solid Shot: Solid Shot is just that: biground balls made to batter walls or takeout really big or tough targets (likeAutomatons or rigs).

To fire, the player puts a marker downon his target (a die works well). The TNdepends on the range as usual. If theartillery roll is made, the shot hits thetarget.

If the skill roll is unsuccessful, theshot deviates d10” in a d12 direction (usethe Boom! Template to figure this,pointing the 12 directly away from thecannon). Trace a straight line from thecannon to the new target spot, thenextend the line from the target spot tothe end of the cannon’s range. The firsttarget under the shot’s path is hit.

Solid shot fired from 6lb cannonscauses 3d10 damage. Yowch!

Shrapnel: Shrapnel is an explosiveshell filled with metal balls, nails, andother scraps. This “shrapnel” is hurledoutward when the shell explodes,shredding lightly armored targets in ashower of steel.

To determine the effects of a shrapnelshot, the attacker first places the Boom!Template where he wants it to land. TheCrew must have a clear shot at the spotit’s firing at, though it could place theshot on a wall and therefore hit anyfigures hiding behind it.

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Deviation

We put the clock directions right on the Boom!Template to make things easy for you. Just pointthe 12 directly away from the attacker, and you’reall set.

Maximum Deviation: When a shot deviates, itcan’t deviate more than half the distance it wasoriginally fired or thrown. This keeps short rangeshots from going behind the shooter.

Obstacles: If a shot devitates to an“impossible” location, you’ll need to do someadjusting. Say you’re firing a shrapnel round at atarget hiding at the corner of a building. If thedeviation puts the round behind the building(meaning it somehow “curved” around the targetto a target point to which it had no line of sight),that’s obviously an impossible shot. In thesecases, simply draw a line between the weaponand the “impossible” point. The first target biggerthan a person and higher than a fence stops theshot and becomes the new target point.

the cannon through the target spot.Place the Boom! Template at the tip ofthe cannon and move it all the way tothe end of the canister’s range. Everytarget that falls beneath it isautomatically hit for 2d8 damage.Targets prone or in cover subtract thosemodifiers from the damage as usual.

If the artillery roll is failed, the targetspot deviates d4” to the left or right (rollodd or even to determine which way).Retrace the canister shot based on thisnew path and hope your own troopsdidn’t get in the way!

Limbers

Limbers are simply wheeledcontraptions used to haul artillerypieces around with horses or mules.Those gizmos that can be limbered upsay “may be limbered” smack in theTroop List. One of the crew drives thelimber and the rest ride along on the rigor the gun itself. Limbering orunlimbering costs 4” of movement.

Limbers have two horses and have aPace of 9”. They can get along anotherd6” if the animals run. Reduce the Paceto 6” if one of the animals is slain.

Running with limbered guns can bedangerous, however. These are hugehunks of metal racing along with littlein the way of brakes, and the terrain isoften less than ideal. If the running d6comes up a 1, the gun bounces hardenough to wreck the whole rig, gunincluded. Any crewmen riding on the rigtake 2d8 damage. You can ignore thisrule if running on a good road.

Guns must be unlimbered to fire. Thehorses just won’t put up with beingstrapped into something that makesthat much noise and smoke.

Moving and Firing: Heavy gunscannot be fired in a turn they wereunlimbered. Assume a gun is heavyunless it says flying artillery in theTroop List.

Flying Artillery: Light guns withgood carriages can unlimber and fire inthe same turn. 6-pound cannons,Gatlings, and similar weapons all fallinto this category, so you needn’t worryyour purty lil’ punkin about it. If a gunis too big to move and fire, we’ll tell youthat in its description.

Measure the range to the center ofthe template and fire as usual. The shotexplodes on impact under the Boom!Template. Every target beneath thetemplate is hit for 2d10 damage.

If the shot misses, the shell lands d10”in a d12 direction (see Deviation,below).

Canister: Canister is a shell made todetonate inside the barrel of thecannon. The jagged metal inside the“canister” then sprays out of the cannonto shred anything within its deadly cone,sort of like a giant shotgun.

To determine the effects of canister,place a tape measure or string betweenthe cannon and a target point 12” away.If the crew makes an Easy (4) artillery’roll, the path is set as desired.

Once you’ve determined the path ofthe canister burst, retrace the path from

55555 BiBiBiBiBig Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg Guns

Canister

This canister shot hitsGunmen A and B, but Gunman C issafely outside of the line of fire.

Canister Deviation

A canister shot that misses can deviate up to 4”off its intended line of fire.

Shrapnel DeviationShrapnel DeviationShrapnel DeviationShrapnel DeviationShrapnel Deviation

A shrapnel shell is fired at thefigure in the upper right, but the

Artillery roll is blown. Rolling a d12,the firer gets a 7, and she rolls 8” for

distance. The shell lands in the lowerleft instead, smack in the middle of a

group of very unlucky Gunmen.

Gatling GunsThe terror of the Plains is the Gatling

Gun. This murderous device has mademassed formations suicide and changedthe nature of warfare forever.

Essentially, a Gatling Gun is nothingmore than a number of rifles set on arotating wheel. As the barrels rotate, abullet is first chambered then fired inquick succession. Anyone standing infront of this hail of bullets quicklybecomes Swiss cheese.

Crew: Gatling Guns have 2 Crewmen.One of the gunners rotates the handlethat fires the rifles while the otherkeeps the ammo cylinder loaded andcan take over if the gunner should fall.These Crewmen have pistols and canfire these as well if that’s ever needed.

Rate of Fire: Gatling Guns have avery high but variable Rate of Fire. Eachtime your troops fire the weapon, roll2d6. The higher of the two dice is thenumber of shots the gun fires thisaction. If you roll a 3 and a 4, forinstance, the gun fires 4 effective shots.Declare all your targets (even turningthe gun if you need to between shots),then make a Shootin’ roll for each shotin the standard manner. Anyone hit by around from a Gatling Gun takes thenormal damage for a rifle (2d8).

If only one Crewman is available tofire the weapon, roll only 1d6. Needlessto say, the Gatling is much faster whenboth gunners are up and in a non-bleeding, squirming, and yelling forMama kinda way.

Snake Eyes: If both dice come up 1’s,the gun has jammed and does not fire.Up to 4 figures per action who haveeither the artillery or mechanicallyinclined skill can attempt to make Easy(4) Smarts roll to clear the jam on theiraction. The gun does not fire untilsomeone clears the jam, so get thosewrenches pounding, muchacho.

Limbers: Gatling Guns may havelimbers just like cannons. See thoserules for the number of horses, thedangers of running the team, and so on.

Flying Artillery: Gatling Guns mayalways fire, even if they moved,unlimbered, or went to a Sunday-danceon the same turn.

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Other Weapons of MassDestruction

There are three other types ofweapons that cause massive damage butare not manned by Crews. They arecovered here because they use many ofthe same rules as cannons and GatlingGuns, but the troops who wield themare always highly specialized. Dynamite,for example, is very unstable in theWeird West, so it is only employed bysome Heroes and the expertDemolitionists of Black River. The samegoes for rockets. They are far tooinaccurate for most, but the wizards ofIron Dragon seem to have little troubledevastating their opponents with them.

DynamiteAny figure armed with dynamite can

throw it up to its Strength in inches,plus 2”. A figure with a d6 Strength, forexample, could throw dynamite up to 8”.

As with any other ranged weapon,half the thrower’s maximum range isshort range (TN 4). Between short rangeand the thrower’s Strength is long range(TN 8).

Place the Boom! Template where youwant the dynamite to go and make aStrength roll. If you make the TN, theBoom! goes off where you wanted, andeverything beneath the template takes2d10 damage.

If you miss the roll, the dynamitedeviates 1d4” (half a d6 roll) in a d12direction.

Duck!: As you can see, throwingdynamite can be dangerous. A cowpokehas to be careful not to catch himself inhis own blast. Since most everycowpoke is aware of this, a figure withdynamite can go prone immediatelyafter chucking it at the enemy (and hecertainly will do so if he’s smart!).

Bows: Some really smart cowpokesattach sticks of dynamite to arrows andfire them from bows, giving them muchgreater range. Black River’sDemolitionists are famous for this. Suchattacks are resolved normally. Simplyplace the Boom! Template where youwant it to land, then make a Shootin’roll for the troop. If successful, thedynamite goes off where you intended.Otherwise it deviates normally.

FlamethrowersThe Confederate geniuses at the

“secret” base in Roswell, New Mexico,supposedly designed these incendiaryfountains of death just before the Battleof Washington in 1870 (Dr. Hellstrommeclaims they merely copied one of hisprototypes).

In any event, it has become adevastating weapon, and a staple of so-called “mad scientists” and fanaticalthugs looking for an edge to help getthem hired.

The way they work is very simple.When you want a figure equipped witha flamethrower to fire, simply lay theFlamethrower Template so that the

77777 BiBiBiBiBig Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg Gunsg Gunssmall end is at the nozzle of theweapon, and the large end coverswhatever targets you want to immolate.

Everything beneath the Templateautomatically suffers 2d10 damage—thereis no Shootin’ roll to hit.

Cover: Troops that are prone or incover gain armor for their cover modifieras usual. Troops inside buildings orother “sealed” cover take no damageunless a window, door, or other openingto their location also falls within theTemplate.

Malfunction: Flamethrowers are alittle ahead of the technical curve, andwere made with a bit of hoodoo by madscientists of the Weird West. They’retainted by this process, and thus subjectto malfunction, described in the Gadgetsand Gizmos appendix. They have amalfunction rating of d8.

RocketsRockets are rare in the Weird West,

but one occasionally sees them arcingacross the battlefield, screaming deathand destruction from above. Iron Dragonis particularly fond of rockets.

Rockets work just like shrapnel shellsfor cannons. The firer nominates atarget point, places the template, andmakes an artillery roll. Their standardrange is 48”.

Since rockets continue to burn evenafter they’re fired, they tend to deviatemore than most other types of artilleryrounds. Measure the range to the centerof the template and fire as usual. If theshot misses at short range, it deviates2d6” in a d12 direction. At long range, itsdeviates 3d6” in a d12 direction.

Rockets cause 2d10 damage toeverything under the template.

Blowing Things UpNow you know how to blast people

into people parts, but what aboutsterner stuff? In High Noon, bridges andtrestles, buildings, and trains arecommon targets for an hombre with amad-on.

You can usually only blow up thingsthis big with fire and explosives likethose detailed above. Bullets and hand-to-hand attacks, even when you getlucky and roll a really high damage

total, just don’t inflict the kind ofdestruction that’s likely to take down ahouse.

Small buildings can generally take 50points of damage per story before theycollapse and are demolished. So itwould take 50 points of damage toknock down a one-story barber shop,but 100 points of total damage todestroy a two-story saloon (which isbound to make the locals angry, by theway—you just don’t go blowing upsaloons or brothels in the Weird West!).

Small arms (pistols, rifles, andshotguns) don’t do any damage tobuildings.

Damage to Figures: Figures inside abuilding when it is detroyed take 3d6damage, plus an additional 1d6 per story.Cowpokes in a 2-story hotel thatcollapses, for instnace, take 4d6 damage.

The Ruins: Those figures whosurvive can keep fighting from the ruinsand generally get hard cover.

Firing Into Buildings

Your troops don’t have to blow thingsup to get at the ornery sidewindersinside. They can always fire shrapnel,rockets, and other explosives intobuildings as well.

Firing into a window or doorincreases the normal TN by +2.

Remember the rules on Deviationwe talked about in the sidebar on page20? Consider this a bit of an exception.When a troop fires a shot at a door orwindow of a building and misses,resolve deviation from the openinginstead of the target point. This meansit’s likely the round simply detonatesagainst the side of the building (anddamages it as usual). It might also gothrough the opening as intended, butonly if it deviates to 12 o’clock (straightahead).

Just use common sense, muchaco. Ifyou and your amigoes can’t figure it out,just say it hits the building and get onwith the game.

Appendix C:

Magic!

Don’t think every cowboy fighting inHigh Noon is a gunslinger with a six-gun on his hip. There are some hombreswho have learned darker skills. TheseHeroes have mastered the eldritch arts,and have the arcane background specialability. They call themselves madscientists, hucksters, priests, shamans,houngans, and dark sorcerers, and theirpowers are as deadly as any gunslinger’spistol. This chapter details these WeirdWestern wizards, their powers, and inthe case of mad scientists, their infernaldevices.

After that, we’ll jump right intoanother type of supernatural Hero—the“Harrowed.” Sometimes even death isn’tenough to keep a hombre down. When aHero dies, there’s a chance he’ll comeback as an undead creature called aHarrowed. These characters arepowerful, but dangerous to their friendsas well as their foes. Why? Because thesource of their power is a demonwiggling around inside their undeadcorpse. We’ll describe these unusualindividuals last.

Arcane Heroes

In High Noon, there are several typesof Heroes who have the ability toperform magic of one type or another.Mad scientists do not cast spells, butinstead use their powers to buildimpossible devices. All the rest usespells, hexes, miracles, or rituals to calldown power from the Hunting Groundsand channel it for specific effect in thephysical world.

Some of these spellslingers use themanitous to help them channel eldritchenergy. Others use the favor of divinebeings or friendly spirits. The followingsection tells you how a specific type ofspellcaster works in the game, as wellas any special rules for the way hechannels his power.

The Blessed

The blessed are pious individualschosen by the Almighty to be His vesselon the Earth. They are not givenincredible powers, but instead benefitfrom augmentations of their ownpersonal strength and willpower. Since

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they do not rely on manitous to channeltheir power, however, the blessed neverhave to worry about backlash or otherspell failures.

The blessed are most often priests,rabbis, nuns, or holy men or women,but they don’t have to be. A gunslingerwho lives a good life but never steppedfoot inside a church might be chosen asa champion by the power of goodness.

The blessed are most commonlyChristians just because Deadlands takesplace in the American West, but theydon’t have to be. Muslims, Hindus,Chinese monks, and others have allproven themselves blessed by higherpowers.

Dark Sorcerers

These spellslingers don’t fool around.They have asked for power from thedark forces and received it. Someworship dark or false gods, othersbelieve their power comes from strangesources such as animals or even ghostrock. In truth, all dark sorcerers drawtheir power directly from the HuntingGrounds, courtesy of the Reckoners.

Not all of them know they’re evil, butmost do, and they enjoy it. Those whobelieve they follow the path ofrighteousness are unfortunatelymisguided. Even if their ends are good,their means have dragged them into thedark gaze of the Reckoners andrewarded them with unholy power.

The Reckoners do not appreciatefailure, however. Dark sorcerers aresusceptible to magical backlash just likehucksters.

Hucksters

Hucksters gain their magical powersby engaging in games of wit and chancewith the manitous that lurk in theHunting Grounds. When they cast theirhexes, physical remnants of theirspiritual game materialize about theirhands then quickly vanish in a flash ofenergy. In the Weird West, mosthucksters envision their mental duels aspoker games, so these remnants mostoften take the form of poker cards.

Sometimes hucksters lose theirgames—badly. Since they draw theirpower from dark sources, failure causesthem to suffer the devastating effects ofsupernatural backlash.

Shamans

A shaman is a Native Americanmedicine man (or woman), skilled in theways of magic. Like other types ofspellcasters in Deadlands, a shamandraws his powers from the HuntingGrounds. However, he isn’t as foolhardy—or just plain foolish—as a huckster.

Instead of engaging in dangerousgames of chance, a shaman contactsnature spirits and other denizens of theHunting Grounds. By means unknown to“civilized” folk, he petitions theseentities for supernatural aid, and these

33333 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicentities respond by granting favors(spells).

Like the blessed, shamans don’t haveto worry about backlash when they failto appease the nature spirits. Their spellsimply fails.

Choosing SpellsWhen you purchase a spellslinger, its

Troop Card either lists the character’sspecific spells, or says something like“Any 3,” or “Any 5.”

If the spells are listed, simply look upthe spell in this book or on the spellcards that come with Cry Havoc!. If theyare not, you may choose any spell thattype of character is allowed to have.(Remember, mad scientists have gizmosinstead.)

Casting SpellsA spellslinger uses his Smarts to cast

spells. Casting a spell takes a singleaction and is resolved immediatelyunless the spell’s description saysotherwise.

Roll the figure’s Smarts die and checkthe spell’s description to see whathappens. The higher the roll, the betterthe effect.

Spell Descriptions

A healthy dose of eldritch power(spells, partner) are listed over the nextfew pages.. You’ll find even more,including deluxe full-color spell-cards,in Cry Havoc! Here’s what the statisticsfor all these nasty incantations mean.

The TN is the Target Number aspellslinger needs to get a particulareffect. Most spells have one effect if thefigure makes an Easy (4) Smarts roll,and another effect if the roll is Hard (8)or better. Unless the spell saysotherwise, the figure does not have todeclare which effect she is going for. Shesimply rolls the die and compares theresults to the spell’s possible effects.

The Range is how far away thespellslinger can affect a target with herspell. If the range is equal to the caster’sSmarts, it is read as a number of inchesequal to the die type. So a huckster withSmarts of d10 would have a range of 10inches.

The Duration of each spell hasseveral possible entries. Most spells areinstant. The figure casts the spell,resolves the effects, and moves on.

Other spells last for a variablenumber of rounds. Mark how manyrounds a spell lasts by placing a die onthe spellslinger’s Troop Card. Reduce thenumber showing on the die at thebeginning of every new round to showwhen it expires. A spell that lasts 1round, for example, expires in the Draw!Phase of the very next turn.

Some spells list the duration as“Concentration”. This means the castercan keep the spell going until the endof the game, but there is a cost.

First, when casting a new spell, youmust subtract -1 from the figure’s Smartsroll for every spell he is currentlymaintaining (though the figure may dropa maintained spell at any point in hisaction).

Second, If the spellslinger is hit by anattack but resists the damage with asuccessful Vigor roll, he can maintainhis concentration by making an Easy (4)Smarts roll for each maintained spell (donot subtract -1 for other maintainedspells from this roll). If the spellcaster ismade to Eat Dirt, the TN for maintainingeach of his spells is Hard (8). If thespellcaster is Put down, heautomatically loses concentration andthe spell’s effects end automatically.

Substitution helps translate Deadlandsrole-playing characters into High Noon.You can ignore this if you’re onlyplaying the miniatures game. Role-players should use this list to help thempick equivalent spells.

BacklashSome spellslingers draw their energy

from the Hunting Grounds—a mad, evilplace of nightmare and eldritch energy.Messing with such incredible power isnot always without some cost.Miserable failures cause a “backlash” ofsupernatural energy that can cripple,madden, or even kill the caster.

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Priests and shamans deal with the“Happy” part of the Hunting Groundsand never suffer from supernaturalbacklash. There are some benefits forworking for the right side. If thedescription of a spellslinger type saysthese sort of characters are susceptibleto backlash, they have to roll on theBacklash Table whenever they try tocast a spell and roll a natural(unmodified) 1.

Fate Chips: Fate Chips can never bespent to change this roll, though theycan be spent on any rolls resulting fromthe Backlash Table, such as a Smartscheck made to resist the damage of aSupernatural Surge!

Armor o’ Righteousness

TN: Easy (4): 2 points of armor; Hard (8):4 points of armor.

Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Blessed, Shaman

This miracle armors the spellslingerin the strength of her faith, whether itbe in the powers of light or darkness.

The caster gains the Edge armor for theduration of the spell. The level is basedon her spell die roll.

Substitution: This spell alsosubstitutes for turtle’s shell (favor) anddark protection (black magic).

Ball o’ Doom

TN: Easy (4): Range of 24” or less; Hard(8): Range up to 48”

Range: 48”Duration: InstantTypes: Witch

This spell is a Black River witch’sbread and butter. It combines the twothings Black River is famous for: sorceryand explosions.

The caster fires a ball of glowinggreen energy at her target. Place theBoom! Template on the target. If thecaster makes her spell TN, which isshown below, the Ball o’ Doom landswhere she wants it and everyone underthe Boom! Template takes 2d8 damage.

If she misses her spell TN, the arcaneexplosion still happens—just not wherethe spellslinger had planned. Determinethe ball o’ doom’s deviation by rolling1d12 for direction and 1d10” for distance.

As the explosion is magical, damagemodifiers for cover or being prone areignored.

Beastmaster

TN: OpposedRange: Smarts x2Duration: ConcentrationType: Huckster, Shaman, Witch

Beastmaster lets a spellslinger takemagical control of animals alreadypresent on the battlefield. Thisoccasionally happens when roguecreatures appear, or when a friendly (orrival) spellcaster uses the call o’ the wildspell.

The caster must roll her Smartsversus the animals’ Smarts. If she wins,she controls the entire troop for thespell’s duration.

If the troop is under the arcanecontrol of another spellslinger—forexample from a call o’ the wild spell—the caster must roll against the othermagician’s Smarts instead.

Backlash

2d6 Result2 Spontaneous Combustion! The spellslinger is

consumed in a fiery display of arcane energy.He’s toast and cannot return Harrowed.

3–4 Brain Burn! The spellslinger’s mind is fried. Heforgets this spell and can’t cast it for theremainder of the battle.

5–9 Supernatural Surge! The spellslinger mustmake a Smarts roll versus 2d6. The difference isread as damage.

10–11Eldritch Calamity! The spell backfires in a bigway. The nearest opposing figure acts as if it justcast the spell with the best possible effect. Theopponent can choose any targets of the spell.

12 Dementia! The spellslinger goes completely mad.The enemy controls the figure for the next 1d4turns.

55555 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicBlack Lightnin’

TN: Easy (4): Damage 1d6+2; Hard (8):Damage 1d8+2

Range: SmartsDuration: Until bolts are exhaustedType: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

This spell creates 1d6 crackling blacklightning bolts the caster can instantlyhurl at her foes. Each bolt automaticallystrikes any eligible target in range—noroll to hit is necessary.

Black lightnin’ is also effective inhand-to-hand combat. Black lightnin’does double damage to the caster’s foewhen the caster makes a successfulFightin’ attack. This damage roll replacesthe normal Strength damage roll.

Metal armor—like bulletproof vests orthat of an Automaton—doesn’t protectagainst this spell. (Iron Dragon Samuraiand Pyro Masters do have bits of metalin their armor, by the way, and so gainno protection from this spell.)

Call o’ the Wild

TN: SpecialRange: UnlimitedDuration: ConcentrationType: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

This spell summons creatures of thewild to fight for the caster. Thecreatures appear on the board edgeclosest to the caster at the beginning ofthe next round. They remain under hiscontrol as long as he continues toconcentrate.

There is no limit to the spell’s range.The statistics of creatures without TroopCards are listed below. Simply transcribethese onto a copy of the blank TroopCard provided in this set.

Once a spellslinger drops hisconcentration, the animals flee the tableas quickly as they can.

Call o’ the Wild

Creature TN1 Bear 8

5 Wolves 85 Rattlers 4

5 Mountain Lions 8

Bear: Strength d10, Smarts d4, Vigor d10,Shootin’ -, Fightin’ d8, Guts d10;Damage: STR+2; Brawny.

Rattlers: Strength d4, Smarts d4, Vigord4, Shootin’ -, Fightin’ d8, Guts d10;Damage: 2d6 (unliving targets areimmune); Fleet-footed.

Mountain Lions: Strength d8, Smartsd4, Vigor d6, Shootin’ -, Fightin’ d8,Guts d8; Damage: STR+2; Frenzy.

Cloak

TN: Easy (4): TN 4; Hard (8): TN 8Range: Caster onlyDuration: ConcentrationTypes: Blessed, Huckster, Shaman

This spell conceals the caster fromsight. Any figure making a ranged attack(including Shootin’, spells, and so on) atthe caster must make a Smarts rollversus a TN determined by the caster’sroll.

If the attacker makes her Smarts roll,he can make a normal attack.

If the Smarts roll is failed, theattacker can’t find the caster and losesthe rest of his action, though he maystill move normally.

Substitutions: This spell alsosubstitutes for incognito (hex) andinvisibility (favor).

Consecrate Weapon

TN: Easy (4): TN 4; Hard (8): TN 8Range: SmartsDuration: BattleType: Blessed

Many preachers consider the veryexistence of many abominations ablatant affront to their god. It’s onlynatural that they should bless weaponsto rid the world of such creatures.

A consecrated weapon is capable ofkilling an unearthly creature. Treat thisjust as if the wielder of the weapon hasthe occult edge.

Such weapons are also more capableof hurting Harrowed and other undeadfolks. Add +1 to the damage roll of anyhit inflicted with a consecrated weapon.

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This roll doesn’t apply to the Shootin’roll—only to the damage done.

The miracle’s TN determines who itcan affect—TN 4 for a single figure’sweapons and TN 8 for aposse or Crew-served weapon. When the miracle isworked on a posse, it affects everyfigure in it.

Consecrated weapons cannot betraded among troops. Nor can they betaken from the bodies of the fallen.Once the wielder is Put Down, thepower of the blessing fades instantly, asit comes from the ceremony theweapon’s owner took part in, not fromthe actual weapon itself.

Corporeal Tweak

TN: Easy (4): +1 step; Hard (8): +2 stepsRange: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

Corporeal tweak imbues living troopswith energy to make them stronger andtougher. It has no effect on unlivingbeings. Choose Strength, Fightin’, orVigor. The Trait of the entire troop israised by one or two die types,depending on the caster’s spell roll. Ifthis raises a troop’s physical Trait overd12, it becomes d12+1 or d12+2,respectively.

A troop affected by any kind of tweakor twist is entirely immune to any othertweaks or twists.

Substitutions: Endure (miracle),fortitude (miracle).

Corporeal Twist

TN: Easy (4): -1 step; Hard (8): -2 stepsRange: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

Corporeal twist calls upon mysticalpower to weaken a foe. It actually lowersan enemy troop’s Strength, Fightin’, orVigor Trait by 1 or 2 die types to aminimum of d4. It only works on livingtargets.

A troop affected by any kind of tweakor twist is entirely immune to any othertweaks or twists.

Dervish

TN: Easy (4): 1 extra attack per action;Hard (8): 2 extra attacks per action

Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Blessed

This spell turns the spellslinger into averitable whirlwind in hand-to-handcombat. The caster gains extra attacksin Fightin’, depending on her spell roll—1extra attack at TN 4 and 2 extra attacksat TN 8. Of course, this means the wilywizard must actually get in a fight,something most sorcerers don’t excel at.

Dispel

TN: Easy (4): Single or Hero; Hard (8):Posse or Crew, or area of effect spell;or Opposed (Smarts)

Range: 24”Duration: InstantTypes: Blessed, Houngan, Huckster,

WitchMore than once a spell has snatched

victory from the jaws of defeat. It seemslike just about every Boss has aspellslinger or two to foul up hisopponents’ strategies with one arcanesorcery or another. Fortunately, dispelcan remove the effects of a lasting spellplaguing your side.

The spell can be cast in two ways.The first is to cast it at any troop who’sunder the effect of another spell such ascorporeal tweak or puppet. It can alsobe cast at an area currently affected bya spell like texas twister. If dispel issuccessfully cast, the other spell and itseffects are immediately ended. The TNfor dispel depends on who or what theother spell is affecting (TN 4 for Singlesor Heroes, TN 8 for Posses, Crews, orarea effect spells).

The second way to cast dispel isagainst a spell being cast by a rivalsorcerer. In this case, dispel affects anyrival spellcaster the interruptingspellslinger can see. To use it, he simplydiscards a Hold counter or Action Cardand allows the rival to roll his spell die.Then the dispeller gets to roll his own

77777 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicspell die. If the dispeller rolls higher, therival’s spell automatically fails.

Substitution: Censure, dispel, disrupt,foil.

Draw

TN: Easy (4): Single or Hero; Hard (8):Posse or Crew

Range: SmartsDuration: SpecialTypes: Huckster, Witch

This spell lets the caster draw anAction Card and give it to a friendlytroop in range. If the card is higher thanthe current Action Card “segment,” thetroop must use it immediately.

The spellslinger can target herself,but there’s not likely to be muchadvantage to doing so.

Flight

TN: Easy (4): Pace 12”; Hard (8): Pace 24”Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1 TurnTypes: Witch

This spell lets a Black River witchlevitate herself off the ground and racearound the battlefield. When combinedwith ball o’ doom, the witch becomes adeadly airborne troop-buster.

If successful, the witch may fly,ignoring all terrain for movementpurposes. The spell’s TN determines thewitch’s Pace for the Turn. The castercan’t run while under the effects of thisspell.

Haywire

TN: Easy (4): Single or Hero; Hard (8): Rig,Posse or Crew

Range: 24”Duration: SpecialTypes: Huckster, Witch

Haywire gives a single gizmo a visitfrom gremlins. This spell affects anydevice with a malfunction die. Thisincludes Automatons, ClockworkTarantulas and the like, as well ascomplicated rigs like Ornithopters andBattlesuits (see Derailed!)

If the spell is successful, the affectedtroop must make an immediate Hard (8)malfunction roll for every gizmo in thetroop.

Substitutions: Rust (hex)

Helpin’ Hand

TN: SpecialRange: SmartsDuration: PermanentTypes: Blessed, Huckster, Shaman

A spellslinger can cast this spell tokeep one of his comrades from kickingthe bucket.

If used on a figure that is Eatin’ Dirt,the spell’s TN is 4. If the spell issuccessful, the figure recoversimmediately and may act on its nextaction.

If you would like to try and save afigure that was Put Down, simply leavethe figure on the table until the end ofthe current turn. Once the 2 of Clubspasses by, you have to remove any PutDown figures. They’re beyond hope now.

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When used in this way, the TN of thespell is 8. If successful, the model isonly Eatin’ Dirt and can attempt torecover normally on its next action.

Helpin’ hand can also be used to heala Hero’s wounds. Healing a Winged orLame Hero requires a spell roll of 4.

Holy Roller

TN: 8Range: NoneDuration: InstantTypes: Blessed, Shaman

By praying to the Heavens (or thehigher power of the blessed’s choice),the miracle worker can call upon Fateto smile down on the supplicant and hisflock.

The TN for this spell is 8. It’s alwaysdifficult to pull off, and there is noaffect for beating a TN of 4.

If you make the roll, you get to take adraw from the Fate Pot.

If you roll a natural 1, though, youinstantly lose your worst Fate Chip(white, then red, then blue).

Hurry Up!

TN: SpecialRange: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Huckster, Shaman, Witch

The target of this spell gains a burstof speed. There are two possible effectsof the spell roll.

On an Easy (4) TN, anytime the targettroop runs, it may roll double the usualrunning dice and take the best result.

On a Hard (8) TN, the target troop canroll double the usual running dice andadd them together.

This spell works equally well onsingle figures, Heroes, or posses. Hurryup! can be cast on any troop. The spellhas no effect on vehicles, although itdoes work on horse-mounted troops.

Substitutions: This spell alsosubstitutes for speed of the wolf (favor).

Martyr’s Mirror

TN: Easy (4): 4 attacks; Hard (8): 8attacks

Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Blessed, Houngan, Huckster,

WitchThis spell lets the caster get a little

arcane payback on an opponent.After this spell is cast, a figure doing

damage to the caster takes a likeamount of damage. It doesn’t protect thecaster from any of the damage, howeverit only inflicts the same back on theattacker. For example, a gunman shootsa huckster protected by martyr’s mirror.He does 8 points of damage to thehexslinger, so he takes 8 points ofdamage as well. The spell isn’t much onprotection, but it’s great for revenge!Especially for a well-armored orotherwise protected mage.

For crewed weapons like cannons andGatling Guns, a single crewmember isselected at random as a target for thedamage.

The spell only mirrors one or twoattacks. The exact number is determinedby the caster’s roll. Once this number isreached, the spell ends, regardless of theduration.

A spellslinger can only be under theeffect of a single martyr’s mirror at atime.

Substitutions: This spell alsosubstitutes for retribution (miracle).

Mental Tweak

TN: Easy (4): +1 step; Hard (8): +2 stepsRange: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

Mind tweak strengthens the psyche tomake living troop strong-willed, steady,and brave. It has no effect on unlivingbeings.

Choose Smarts, Shootin’, or Guts. ThisTrait is raised by one or two die types,depending on the caster’s spell roll. Ifthis raises a troop’s mental Trait overd12, it becomes d12+1 or d12+2,respectively.

A troop affected by any kind of tweakor twist is entirely immune to any othertweaks or twists.

99999 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicMental Twist

TN: Easy (4): +1 step; Hard (8): +2 stepsRange: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

Mental twist mystically lowers anenemy troop’s Smarts, Shootin’, or GutsTrait by 1 or 2 die types to a minimumof d4. It only affects living troops. Atroop affected by a tweak or twist isimmune to other tweaks or twists.

Substitutions: Bedazzle, hinder,nightmare realm, strike blind (miracle),and temptation (miracle).

Missed Me!

TN: Easy (4): -2 penalty; Hard (8): -4penalty

Range: SmartsDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

This surrounds a troop in a shield ofenergy that deflects Shooting attacks.All shots against the troop subtract themodifier from the Shootin’ roll. Fightin’and area attacks are unaffected.

Phantom Fingers

TN: Opposed (Strength)Range: Smarts x 2Duration: InstantTypes: Huckster, Shaman, Witch

Phantom fingers gives the caster apair of mystical hands to cause havocwith his foes. It has three possible usesin High Noon. Phantom fingers is alwaysused against a single figure.

First, it can be cast on a figure’sweapon, causing it to lose its ActionCard. This is an opposed roll of thecaster’s Smarts versus the figure’sStrength.

Second, phantom fingers can pluck arelic from the hands of a foe. This isalso an opposed roll versus the figure’sStrength.

Finally, if used against a rig, it can beused to yank the steering wheel, throwa lever, or hit the brakes at aninopportune time. This is an opposedroll versus the driver’s Strength. If thecaster wins, the rig immediately goesOutta Control (see Derailed!, partner).

Protection

TN: 4Range: 6”Duration: ConcentrationTypes: Blessed

This useful miracle calls upon theblessed’s higher power to keep undeadand unearthly beings at bay.

If the spellslinger makes his spell roll,no undead or unearthly being may getwithin 6” of him, nor may they castspells, use powers, or fire on anyonewithin the caster’s protective circle. Evena distant target is safe if the circle ofprotection comes between thesupernatural attack and its target. Thecircle of safety is inviolable by those itwards against.

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Creatures that were already within theprotective circle are not affected, thoughthey cannot enter it again should theyotherwise be forced out.

Puppet

TN: OpposedRange: SmartsDuration: ConcentrationTypes: Houngan, Shaman

One of the nastier tricks in aspellslinger’s bag is puppet. This spelllets the caster attempt to take controlof another person’s body.

The spellslinger rolls a contest of hisspell die against the target’s Smarts. Ifthe caster wins, he takes control of thefigure for the rest of the turn.

The victim still acts on its normalAction Card. At the start of each action,she must try to break free by winning acontest of her Smarts against thecaster’s Smarts. If the victim issuccessful, she is released from thespellslinger’s control and can actnormally that turn.

The caster must be in range when hefirsts attempts to control a victim, butthe range is ignored once the victim iscontrolled. A spellslinger may only evercontrol one victim at a time, and hemust follow all of the rules forconcentrating while the spell is in effect.Finally, the caster may choose to releasehis victim at anytime.

Crewmen: Puppet can be used on aCrewman as long as the caster can seehim. That rules out the crews of Trains,Steam Tanks, Battle Suits, and AirCarriages, since the crews of these rigsare completely enclosed.

Rapid Fire

TN: Easy (4): Single or Hero; Hard (8):Posse or Crew

Range: SmartsDuration: 1 roundTypes: Huckster

This spell magically speeds up afirearm’s Rate of Fire. It only affects

normal rifles, pistols, and shotguns.Rapid fire has no effect on gizmos orartillery pieces.

The affected weapon has its Rate ofFire raised by +1 for the round. The TNfor the spell depends on who the casteris trying to affect.

Substitutions: Infernal Machine

Reanimate

TN: Easy (4): Eatin’ Dirt; Hard (8): PutDown

Range: SmartsDuration: PermanentTypes: Houngan, Huckster

Sometimes even the undead need ahand—a helpin’ hand, that is! This spellworks just like the helpin’ hand spell,except it only heals the undead. Anyundead, including a Harrowed, can behealed or even brought back to unlife byreanimation.

Reassurance

TN: Easy (4): 1 level; Hard (8): 2 levelsRange: SmartsDuration: InstantTypes: Blessed

If there’s one thing the blessed aregood at, it’s saying a kind word at theright time. This spell lets the casterboost the morale of a broken troop.

The caster can improve the conditionof a Shaken or Panicked troop.Depending on the blessed’s roll, she canraise the morale by +1 or +2 levels.

This spell has no effect on a troopnot already Shaken or Panicked.

Reflect

TN: OpposedRange: Caster onlyDuration: InstantTypes: Huckster

This spell acts as a mirror to otherspells, turning an opposing spellslinger’smagic back onto her. It can only affectspells that actually target the Herohimself.

The caster must have a Hold counterto be able to use reflect. When anotherspellslinger attempts to cast a spell onthe Hero, he discards his Hold counter,casts reflect, and attempts to turn thespell on the caster.

1111111111 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicAfter the enemy spellslinger rolls her

spell die and cranks it up as high as shewants with Fate Chips, the caster ofreflect rolls his spell die. He can alsospend Fate Chips to boost his number. Ifhis final number beats hers, her spellbounces back and has full effect on her.Otherwise, the original spell has fulleffect.

Area Effect: Area effect spells notcentered on the Hero can’t be affectedby reflect, so a ball o’ doom cast 1” to theHero’s right couldn’t be bounced back atthe caster.

Shadow Man

TN: 4Range: Caster onlyDuration: ConcentrationTypes: Huckster, Shaman

This spell wraps the spellslinger inshadows, camouflaging her so sheappears to be part of her surroundings.This allows her to move around moreeffectively during the battle.

If the spellslinger makes an Easy (4)TN, she gains the ability sneaky for theduration of the spell.

Substitutions: This spell alsosubstitutes for wilderness walk (favor).

Shadow Walk

TN: Easy (4): Range up to Smarts x 2;Hard (8): Range over Smarts

Range: See belowDuration: InstantTypes: Houngan, Huckster

Shadow walk allows the spellslingerto move from one spot to another onthe tabletop without having to actuallycross the distance in between. The TNof the spell roll determines just how farthe spellslinger can zap herself throughspace.

Velocity: When a hexslinger shadowwalks, he actually steps quickly throughthe Hunting Grounds and back outagain. This brief change brings hisvelocity to zero, so if he stops on or ina vehicle, he gets hit by it. Basically itwould have the same effect of someonestepping off of a platform and onto amoving rig.

The long and short of it is that ahexslinger can shadow walk onto amoving vehicle, but he automatically

suffers Crash damage from doing so.Thus a huckster who shadow walksonto a Steam Wagon moving at FullSteam takes 3d6 damage—and he wouldprobably lose his favorite hat.

Shapeshift

TN: 4Range: Caster onlyDuration: SpecialTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Shaman,

WitchThis spell lets the caster change her

form to that of a normal living animal.The caster can select any normalanimal listed for call o’ the wild andgain all of that creature’s Traits andspecial abilities for the duration of thespell. The caster can also choose a birdshape. The profile for an average bird islisted at the end of the spell description.Only the caster’s Smarts, Guts, andmental Edges and Hindrances remainunchanged. The caster can’t cast anyspells while in the animal shape. Thecaster is subject to any spell whichaffects normal animals while under theshapeshift.

Shapeshift lasts until the caster EatsDirt, is Put Down, or spends an ActionCard to end it.

Substitution: This spell alsosubstitutes for: skinchange (hex).

Bird of Prey (Single)

Strength d4 Smarts * Vigor d4,Shootin’ — Fightin’ d6 Guts *Weapons: Claws and Beak (Strength +2)Special Abilities: Eagle Eyes, Fleet-

Footed, Flight (Pace 15).*Trait is as caster’s.

Smite

TN: Easy (4): +2 to Fightin’; Hard (8): +2 toFightin’ and damage

Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1d6 turnsTypes: Blessed, Shaman

1212121212 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagic

This miracle gives the spellslinger aheapin’ helpin’ o’ muscle to pummeltheir foes. The spellslinger can add abonus to his Fightin’ and damage,depending on the spell rating.

Smite

Bonus TN+2 to Fightin’ rolls 4

+2 to Fightin’ and damage rolls 8

Soul Blast

TN: Easy (4): Range Smarts; Hard (8):Range Smarts x 2

Range: Twice the caster’s SmartsDuration: InstantTypes: Houngan, Huckster, Witch

This is the spell that makesspellslingers the equals of deadlygunfighters. It sends a ghostly bolt ofethereal force smashing into the verysoul of the wizard’s foe.

Soul blast has to hit the target justlike a firearm (TN 4 at short range, TN 8at long range). The huckster must alsoaccount for such modifiers as cover andthe like. The damage of the soul blast is2d6 plus the difference between the TNand the caster’s hex roll. So if thehuckster needs a 4 to hit and rolls a 6,he does 2d6+2 damage.

Immunities: Undead, buildings,machines.

Strike Blind

TN: OpposedRange: 6”Duration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Blessed, Houngan

This spell blinds a single figure. Thetarget must make a Vigor roll againstthe caster’s spell roll. If it fails, thefigure is blinded. Blinded figures receivea –4 penalty to all Shootin’ and Fightin’rolls, move at half pace and no runningis allowed.

Stun

TN: Easy (4): TN 4; Hard (8): TN 8Range: Caster onlyDuration: 1d4 turnsTypes: Houngan, Witch

This wicked little spell makes eventhe weakest spellslinger a dangerousopponent in hand-to-hand combat.

For the duration of stun, wheneverthe caster makes a successful Fightin’attack, he has a chance to paralyze hisopponent. First, resolve any damage asnormal. Then the opponent must makea second Vigor check against a TNdetermined by the caster’s spell roll. Iffailed, the model starts Eatin’ Dirt.

Unlike the paralysis ability, stunworks just as well on nonliving troopsas it does living ones.

Substitutions: Spiritual backhand(miracle).

Texas Twister

TN: Easy (4): TN 4 twister; Hard (8): TN 8twister

Range: SightDuration: ConcentrationTypes: Huckster, Witch

This devious hex creates a dust devilthe size of the Boom! Template. Anytroop inside the twister must win acontest against the twister’s Strength (asdetermined by the caster’s roll) to act onits action. A troop that loses the contestis blinded and forfeits its action.

Once created, the twister can bemoved 2d6” per round as long as it staysin sight of the huckster.

Texas twisters can never be createdindoors.

Tweak

TN: Easy (4): +1 step; Hard (8): +2 stepsRange: SmartsDuration: 1d6 turnsTypes: Huckster

Since mad scientists unwittingly drawtheir inspiration from the manitous, itonly makes sense those same beingscould make a gizmo even more effective.This spell boosts the level of a troop’smalfunction die by +1 or +2 steps. Theincrease depends on the caster’s roll.

1313131313 MagicMagicMagicMagicMagicZombie

TN: Easy (4): Single or Hero; Hard (8):Posse or Crew

Range: SmartsDuration: PermanentTypes: Houngan

The spell can only be cast on a deadhuman troop. The troop must have beenkilled in this battle and had to be livingto start with. Zombie can’t bring theundead back. The TN for this spelldepends on the number of troops thehoungan is turning into zombies.

If the spell is successful, the trooprises at the beginning of the next turnas Walkin’ Dead. All its Traits are d6,and it has the special abilities fear,fearless, and undead. Any other specialabilities the troop may have possessedare lost in the fog of undeath. Thenewly risen Walkin’ Dead are armedwith the weapons they had in life—evenif they carried gizmos likeflamethrowers!

Mad scientists are special folks.Unlike others with the arcanebackground, they construct gizmosinstead of casting spells. Theirconnection to the arcane is through theghost rock they use, not any mysticalknowledge.

All mad scientists automatically comewith the mechanically inclined specialability as well.

GizmosThose crazy mad scientists didn’t get

their nickname by making toasters.Nope. These demented geniuses earnedtheir monikers by creating incredibleweapons, infernal devices, and wildgizmos. You’ll find a number of thesedangerous gadgets listed hereafter.

When you buy a mad scientist Hero,his Troop Card either tells you whichgadget to arm him with, or it allows youto choose. Here’s how some of theseclever devices work.

Malfunctions

All troops armed with gizmos taketheir lives in their own hands. Theseincredible machines are deadly effectivewhen they work, but have oftendisastrous backfires when they don’t.

All gizmos have the malfunctionspecial ability. This means thatwhenever the troop is dealt a Deuce ora Joker in the Draw! Phase, the playermust make a malfunction check foreach device. The die rolled is alwayslisted immediately after the malfunctionspecial ability. The higher the die type,the more reliable the device. AnAutomaton for instance (which is agizmo itself), has a listing of:malfunction d6. That means it rolls a d6when dealt a Deuce or a Joker.

The TN of the malfunction checkdepends on whether the troop was dealta Deuce or a Joker, as shown on theMalfunction Table below.

If the roll is equal to or greater thanthe TN, there’s no effect and playproceeds normally.

If the roll is failed, the device suffers amalfunction of some sort. Roll again on

Appendix D:

Gadgets & Gizmos!

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22222 GizmGizmGizmGizmGizmososososos

the Malfunction Severity Table to findout how bad the malfunction is.

Once you find out whether the devicesuffered a minor, major, or catastrophicmalfunction, check the device’sdescription and resolve the effectsimmediately.

Malfunction TNs

Card TNDeuce 4Joker 8

Malfunction Severity

2d6 Result2-4 Major Malfunction5-9 Minor Malfunction10-12 Catastrophe

Air Catchers

No matter how good a pilot is,sometimes she’s going to have to bailout, and it’s a mighty long drop withoutan Air Catcher.

An Air Catcher is huge piece ofcanvas that allows a figure to waftsafely to earth—assuming it deploys thatis. When first deployed, roll anautomatic Malfunction. On a Minor orMajor Malfunction, the chute opens. Ona Catastrophe, the chute fails, and thetroop falls to the ground taking normalFalling damage.

A rig or figure descending by AirCatcher drops one Altitude level on itsfirst action each turn and drifts 1d6” inthe direction of the wind.

While in the air, a figure can fire anypersonal weapons it has a –2 penalty,plus any other penalties for height.

Chainsaw

This is a version of the Smith &Robards labor-saving device which hasbeen modified to be attached to a BattleSuit. The saw replaces one of the Suit’sgripping claws. If the driver wins aFightin’ roll, the saw does the driver’smodified Strength+8 damage.

A chainsaw is subject to its ownspecial malfunctions as described below.

While this particular version isdesigned for use in the Battle Suit, asimilar gizmo can be bought for Heroeswith the Belongin’s Edge. These aresmaller, however, and cause onlyStrength+4 damage. A Catastrophe withone of these smaller saws causes only2d6 damage instead of 2d8. Eitherversion of the chainsaw can affectHeavy Armor.

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: The chain jams.The weapon is useless unless the drivercan make a Easy (4) Smarts roll.

Major Malfunction: The chainbreaks, or the tank runs out of fuel. TheChainsaw makes a bad club (Strength+1).

Catastrophe: The saw’s steampackexplodes, doing 2d8 damage in the areaof a Boom! Template centered on thesaw.

FlamethrowerFlamethrowers were first invented by

the Confederates for the Battle ofWashington in 1870. The Rebels turnedup the heat on the Union and sent themrunning with their tails between theirlegs—at least until the Rebels ran out ofghost rock.

To use the flamethrower, just placethe flamethrower template at the tip ofthe figure’s flamethrower. You can rotateit anywhere in the figure’s front. Anyfigure that is even partly beneath thetemplate is hit for 2d10 damage.

You don’t need to roll to hit thefigures beneath. Just break out themarshmallows!

33333 GizmGizmGizmGizmGizmosososososMalfunction!

Minor Malfunction: A sudden windblows the pilot light out. Theflamethrower fails to function until theuser makes an Easy (4) Smarts roll torelight it.

Major Malfunction: The user takesa stray round. He takes 2d6 damage andspins around in pain. Rotate the flametemplate around the figure and torcheveryone it touches.

Catastrophe: The flamethrowerexplodes. Place the Boom! Template overthe unfortunate figure. The wielder is hitautomatically for 4d10 damage. Everyother figure beneath the template takes2d10 damage.

Gatling WeaponsSince the advent of the Gatling Gun,

many inventors have taken to applyingthe same principals to hand-heldfirearms like pistols, rifles and shotguns.After all, if one certain kind of gun canbe improved upon, why not every othersort?

While most of the entire class ofGatling weapons were not actuallypersonally developed by Mr. Gatling,enough regular folks plastered theseunusual new guns with his moniker tomake the name stick. Since then,

Gatling weapons have become thetrademark weapons of diligentPinkertons across the Weird West.

A Gatling pistol allows a figure to fireup to three times per action. Gatlingrifles and shotguns can each fire up totwice per action.

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: The weaponjams until the user makes an Easy (4)Smarts roll.

Major Malfunction: The weapon isuseless until the user makes a Hard (8)Smarts roll.

Catastrophe: The weapon fires onits own. Six shots ring out before theweapon burns itself out and becomesuseless. Make Shootin’ attacks at 6random targets, chosen from among allpossible targets in short range, evenfriendly ones.

44444 GizmGizmGizmGizmGizmososososos

Rocket PackThe Flying Buffaloes of Fort 51, Utah,

made these devices famous. They usethem on their daring raids on tonavigate the dangerous passes ofApache Canyon, New Mexico.

A rocket pack allows a troop to makeshort jumps across the battlefield. Eachfigure can jump 10+d10” in anyhorizontal direction (ignore the verticaldistance), soaring over any obstacles inits path.

On landing, the figure must make anEasy (4) Smarts roll. If failed, he deviatesfrom his intended touchdown point 1d6”in a random clock direction (use theBoom! Template and roll a d12, friend).Make the Smarts check and determineany deviation for each figure separately.

Landing on top of an enemy for anattack requires a Hard (8) Smarts roll. Iffailed, the figure deviates as usual.

If the roll is made, the target is sosurprised by the assault that the jumpercan attack at the end of his jump andadd +4 to his Fightin’ roll. The FlyingBuffaloes call this maneuver “Deathfrom Above.”

Note that enemy troops with Holdorders can fire on a troop using a rocketpack in mid-jump. That’s why the TexasRangers sometimes derisively call thisfoolhardy maneuver “Dead from Above.”

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: The jet packcoughs, sputters, and wheezes to anoisy halt. It refuses to work again untilthe user spends an action making anEasy (4) Smarts roll.

Major Malfunction: Oops! The jetpack fires on its own, launching thefigure 10+1d10” in a random direction. Ifthe figure doesn’t make an Easy (4)Smarts roll, the unexpected jump causeshim 2d6 damage.

Catastrophe: The figure launchesunexpectedly into the air and performs aspectacular airburst. Place the Boom!Template over the figure’s final landing

point, rolling deviation as with a majormalfunction. The jumping figure is hitfor 3d10 damage. Any other figure underthe template is hit for 2d10 damage.Needless to say, the rocket pack isentirely destroyed.

Improved Rocket PackSmith & Robards is rightly proud of

its latest model of the rocket pack.Taking a cue from the suggestions ofthe troops in the Flying Buffaloes unitbased in Fort 51, Smith & Robards hasimproved on the original model. Nolonger limited to short hops on thebattlefield, this improved rocket packgives individual troops extendedmobility.

Unlike the original model of rocketpack described in The Great Rail Warsrulebook, this pack actually lets thewearer fly.

Figures wearing Improved RocketPacks have a Pace of 5/10/20. Rocketpacks move in the same way as regularfigures, and rocketeers can perform Pop-Up attacks just like a normal flyingvehicle.

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: The steeringcontrols jam. Roll on the Outta ControlTable.

Major Malfunction: The pack’sthrusters stutter. The wearer drops 1Altitude Level immediately. If the figurereaches the ground, it takes Fallingdamage.

Catastrophe: The steam vesselruptures in an explosion. Center theBoom! Template over the pack.Everything under the Template takes2d10 damage. If the wearer survives theexplosion, he falls to the ground takingnormal Falling damage too.

55555 GizmGizmGizmGizmGizmososososos

In the Weird West, death is not alwaysthe end. Especially for legendary heroes.

When one of your heroes bites thebullet, leave his Troop Card on the tablefor the following turn and deal it in asusual. If the hero is dealt a Joker, he’scoming back from the grave. We callthese undead heroes the “Harrowed,”which means “dragged forth from theearth.”

The hero arises at the end of the turnhe got the Joker, so he’s always out for atleast one turn. If the game ends beforethen, you have a brand-new Harrowedhero for your next battle.

Powers of the Harrowed

A Harrowed starts with the Undeadability and one special Harrowed power,rolled randomly.

Below are a few powers to get thingsstarted. You’ll find a ton more in CryHavoc!

The Beast Within!The down side of being Harrowed is

that there’s a manitou crawling aroundinside your rotting husk. This mischievousdemon is always out to wreak havoc andchaos on the battlefield.

Once per turn, any one of youropponents can spend a blue Fate Chip tomake your hero test his control over thething inside him. Your opponent rolls ad12 and cranks up the number as high ashe can with Fate Chips in the usualmanner. (The blue Fate Chip he spent toinitiate the test doesn’t count.)

The number your opponent gets is themanitou’s “Dominion,” a measure of howhard the creature is trying to take control.

Your hero now has to make a Smartsroll equal to or higher than this. If youbeat it, nothing happens. If you fail, youropponent gets to control your hero forthe rest of the turn! You get him back atthe start of the following turn—but in themeantime—he’s likely ro raise someserious Hell.

Harrowed Powers

d20 Power1–3 Cat Eyes4–8 Claws9–10 Ghost11–12 Soul Eater13–16 Stitchin’17–20 Supernatural Trait

Appendix E:

The Harrowed

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2 Section

Cat Eyes

The Harrowed can ignore penaltiesfor shooting at Sneaky troops and anyother penalties due to nightfall, rain, orany other “vision” modifier.

Claws

The Harrowed does Strength+2damage with his bare hands. He caneven make two attacks with them,though at the standard penalties.

Ghost

The Harrowed can walk rightthrough physical objects such as rocks,walls, other troops, and even machines(including automatons!).

Soul Eater

Every time the Harrowed putssomeone down in hand-to-hand, he canraise his Strength or Vigor by one dietype (say from d6 to d8) to a maximumof d12. This only lasts until the end ofthe battle.

Stitchin’The hero is particularly resistant to

damage. Add +2 to his Vigor checkswhen attempting to recover from Eatin’Dirt.

Supernatural Trait

Permanently increase any one of thehero’s Traits (your choice) by one dietype.

The rail barons sometimes stumbleacross the most eerie places theDeadlands has to offer. These “StrangeLocales” harbor grave dangers for thetroops who must explore them, andfabulous rewards for their employers.

In the sections below are descriptionsof six Strange Locales. After eachdescription is a table detailing thecontents of the location.

As soon as the first troop enters thearea, roll 1d6 to find out what’s lurkingthere. Unless the description saysotherwise, the contents are only rolledonce, no matter how many times thelocation is entered during the course ofa battle.

Sometimes, a Strange Locale alreadyhas inhabitants. These could beanything from a horde of Walkin’ Deadto a posse of outlaws on the run. Theymay attack the first troop they see, orthey may sell their services to thehighest bidder. These creatures arecalled “rogues.”

Rogue troops emerge as possesunless the location says otherwise.Assume these bushwackers were onHold, just waiting to pounce on the firsttroop foolish enough to blunder into

them. So who controls them? Theplayer’s opponent, of course. In amultiplayer game, everyone should roll ad20. The highest-rolling player gets tocontrol the bad guys. They’re not part ofhis team, but the enemy of your enemyis—well—not your enemy for themoment, at least.

(more on rogues)

BiddingFrom time to time, a Strange Locale is

inhabited by a troop willing to fight—ifthe Rail Baron can offer the right price. Inthis case, the location’s description callsfor a bid.

Whenever such a bid is called for, anyplayer can bid Fate Chips to gain thetroop. The player who bids the mostchips (count whites as 1s, reds as 2s, andblues as 3s), gets the troop for theremainder of the game.

Appendix F:

Strange Locales

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Strange Locale

d6 Strange Locale1-2 Deserted Cabin3 Graveyard4 Ancient Mound5 Eerie Clearing6 Weird Tree

Ancient Mound

Long before Europeans came to theNew World, the natives constructedstrange hills. These are burial mounds orsacred sites.

1 Secrets cowpokes weren’tmeant to know! The troop is facedwith some horror beyond itsunderstanding. The troop must makea Hard (8) Guts check or runscreaming off the nearest board edge.Regardless, the poor saps pick up theHindrance Loco (Paranoid). Fearlesstroops just lose an action.2 Rattlers. Your cowpoke put his bootin a nest of rattlesnakes. They attackimmediately (see their stats below).3 Bust. It’s just a big pile of dirt.4 Collector of rare antiquities. Adashing and daring archaeologist bythe name of Illinois Johnson isexploring the ruins. He’s had little luckof late and needs to bankroll his nextexpedition. He joins the highest-biddingplayer’s side (and his stas are below).5 Solid-gold goodies! It turns outthis mound was a mighty ruler’s burialsite. The first troop onto the moundfinds loot worth 50 Bounty Points.6 Ancient temple. The playercontrolling the first troop to reach thetop of the mound immediately gets twodraws from the Fate Pot.

Rattlers

Traits: Strength d4; Smarts d4; Vigor d4;Shootin’ —; Fightin’ d8; Guts d10

Weapon: Poison fangs (2d6, unlivingtargets are immune)

Special Abilities: Fleet-FootedBounty: 5

Illinois Johnson

Traits: Strength d6; Smarts d8; Vigor d8;Shootin’ 10; Fightin’ d10; Guts d12

Weapon: Pistol, Whip (+2 STR)Special Abilities: Crack Shot, Luck o’

the Irish, HeroicBounty: 70

CaveThis dark hole in the ground could be

some critter’s lair, or maybe it’s home topotential allies. Caves are always situatedin two- or three-level hills (the placerchooses which). Any troop hiding in acave gets the benefit of hard cover.

d6 Result1 Let sleeping bears lie. One to

two bears charge out at the troop thatdisturbed their slumber.

2 Mad hermit. A crazed oldhermit attacks any “claim jumpers” onhis land. He’s a tough old coot—treathim as a hero—but killing him gives a–25 Bounty Point penalty. Killing“defenseless” old men makes the RailBarons look bad!

3 Empty.4 Mountain men. A posse of

mountain men (treat like BuffaloHunters) are holed up in the cave.They’re down on their luck and joinup with the highest-bidding side.

5 Hidden treasure. An outlawgang has hidden its take from arecent bank job here. The Loot! isworth 25 Bounty Points.

6 Wise hermit. An old sorcererhas taken up residence here. Hepasses on some of his knowledge tothe first troop to enter his abode. Ifthe troop investigating the cave hasArcane Background, he teaches herone spell (appropriate to thespellslinger’s type) of the player’schoice. Otherwise, the player can takea draw from the Fate Pot.

Deserted CabinA lonely cabin sits in the middle of

nowhere. Any troop within the cabin hashard cover. Time has taken its toll on thebuilding, however, and the cabin can onlytake 25 points of damage beforecollapsing. (Remember, only cannons,dynamite, and other explosives candamage buildings.)

Chapter Name 3

d6 Result1-2 Outlaw hideout! A

posse of outlaws is hiding out fromthe law. They’ve been down on theirluck lately and have no Loot! Theystay holed up in the cabin and fire onthe closest troop in range.

3 Empty. But still good cover.4 Outlaw gang. As above.

However, these gunmen are willing tohire out to the highest bidder!

5 Claim map. This cabin used tobelong to a prospector, and he left hismap here. Any troop with the mapcan use the local terrain moreeffectively. The troop gains the sneakyedge for the length of the battle.There’s also a sample of his find—abag of loot worth 25Bounty Points.

6 This was once the house of agreat person. Roll to see who.

d6 Result1 Mad scientist. A gizmo of your

choice hangs over the fireplace.2 Gunslinger. You find his prized

weapon. Any Hero may use thishogleg—adding +2 to their attack anddamage scores.

3 Sorcerer. Choose a spell. Thefirst spellslinger to the cabin can readthrough the arcane tomes here to gainthe spell.

4 Preacher. A holy man oncedwelt here. The first Blessed hero toenter the cabin gains a new miracleof his player’s choice.

5-6 Treasure. Your troops findjewelry or other goodies in the ruins.The Loot is worth 25 Bounty Points.

Outlaw Gang (Posse)

Traits: Strength d6; Smarts d6; Vigor d6;Shootin’ d8; Fightin’ d6; Guts d8

Weapon: PistolsBounty: 12

Eerie ClearingThe clearing is always found in forest

terrain, so surround it with thick woodsor scrub.

d6 Result1 Bokkor. Whoops! You’ve just

interrupted a houngan whipping up anasty gris-gris. He doesn’t leave theclearing, but he does attack any troopin sight of it. While he’s in his

clearing, he gets extra protection fromspirits he’s bound. All Shootin’ andFightin’ rolls against him get a –2modifier, and all his Vigor rolls are at+2.

2 Get off my land! A posse ofhunters has laid claim to this parcelof ground. Treat them as BuffaloHunters. They don’t leave the clearing,but they do take pot shots at anytroop they can see.

3 Empty.4 Swampers. A posse of Cajuns is

resting in the clearing after anunsuccessful hunting trip. They hireon with the highest-bidding player.(Treat them as Gunmen if you don’thave either Fistful o’ Ghost Rock orDogs o’ War 2).

5 Southern comfort. In thecenter of the clearing is a crudemoonshine still. Any troop that takesa swig of the contents must make aHard (8) Vigor roll. Roll once for theentire troop. If they succeed, the liquidcourage gives them a bonus of +2 toall Guts and Vigor rolls. If they fail,the homebrew hooch knocks them ontheir backside, Eatin’ Dirt. There’s onlyenough for one troop in the still.

6 Voodoo magic. A lone houngansits at the edge of the clearing. Hegives the first hero to reach theclearing a Voodoo Doll. The herochooses one of her opponent’s heroesto be represented by the doll, whothen has a -2 to all actions as long asthe owning hero is alive.

Houngan

Trait: Strength d6; Smarts d10; Vigor d8;Shootin’ d4; Fightin’ d4; Guts d8

Weapons: Shotgun, Dagger (STR+1)Special Abilities: Arcane Background:

Houngan. Spells: If you have CryHavoc, his spells are deadly creepers,phantasm, puppet, and soul blast. Ifnot, he has soul blast, puppet, andcorporeal and mental twist.

Bounty: 70

4 Section

Field o’ BonesThis flat area is covered knee-deep in

sun-bleached bones. The field is treatedas difficult terrain.

The spirits of the slain haunt thearea. Any hero slain in the field ofbones draws five extra cards to see ifshe comes back Harrowed.

d6 Result1 Spirit possession. The ghosts

infesting the field attempt to seizecontrol of the trespassers. Any troopentering the field o’ bones must roll acontest of Smarts against the spirits.The spirits have a Smarts of d8. If thetroop loses, it gains the Edge Fearlessand becomes rogue, attacking thenearest troop.

2 Skeletal guardians. The spiritshaunting the place animate a posseof skeletons to attack any interlopers.Treat these as Walkin’ Dead. Theycome after the trespassers with theirbare bones. These undead get a bonusof +2 to all Fightin’ attacks. When thetrespassers leave the area, the bonesdrop lifeless to the ground. New onesreanimate the next time the field isentered.

3 Desolate. Nothing but a wholepassel of bones.

4 Ghostly champions. The spiritsof the fallen warriors smile on thefirst troop brave enough to enter thefield. The troop gets a +2 to all rollsfor the remainder of the battle.However, the spirits’ influence alsocause the troop to becomebloodthirsty for the rest of the battleas well.

5 Supernatural fortune. The firsttroop entering the field inadvertentlyputs the tormented ghosts to rest. Ingratitude, they grant their owner ablue Fate Chip from the pot.

6 Fallen heroes. Amid thecarnage, the first troop to brave thefield finds a Battle Banner relic.

GraveyardAn old graveyard sits out in the

prairie or on a lonely hill. The placercan choose where to place this BootHill.

The eerie surroundings give Guts rollsmade in the graveyard a –2. Thetombstones provide light cover to anytroop brave enough to take refuge here.

d6 Result1-2 Haunted! Walkin’ Dead

erupt from their fresh graves andattack. These zombies don’t have anyguns, but they attack the nearesttroop with their bare hands.

3 Empty.4 Medical “Researcher.” A

demented sawbones wanders amongthe graves, looking for new subjects.He needs funding for his “research,”and is willing to work for the highestbidder. Treat the doctor as a hero.

5 Grave robbers! A group ofunsavory characters have beeninterrupted in the process of robbingthe dead. Chasing them out of thegraveyard earns a bonus of 25 BountyPoints.

6 Arcane treasure. A crypt in thecenter of the graveyard holds thelegendary book of the dead, TheNecronomicon (see the Great Rail Warsrulebook for details). Unfortunately, it’sguarded by a posse of Walkin’ Dead.They’re unarmed, but they attack anylooters with their bare hands.

The Doctor

Traits: Strength d4; Smarts d12; Vigor d6;Shootin’ —; Fightin’ d8; Guts d10

Weapon: Saw (+2 to Fightin’ damage)Special Abilities: Sawbones, Frenzy,

Bloodthirsty.Bounty: 70

Grave Robbers

Traits: Strength d6; Smarts d6; Vigor d6;Shootin’ d6; Fightin’ d6; Guts d6

Weapons: Pistols, shovels (+1 to Fightin’damage)

Bounty: 10

Chapter Name 5Indian Burial Grounds

Burial grounds are more than justIndian cemeteries. They are places ofgreat spiritual importance, andtransgressors are seldom welcome.

This site is either on a small hill oron a flat area (placer decides). Theraised burial platforms provide nospecial cover, but even the densestcowpoke can sense the power of thespirits. All Guts checks made in the areaare at –2. Additionally, the spiritsoccupying the burial ground frown onthe unnaturalness of the living dead.Undead troops, including Harrowedheroes, suffer a –2 to all of their skillrolls while in a burial ground.

d6 Result1 Shaman’s spirit. A powerful

shaman’s ghost curses any troop thatenters the sacred burial ground. Thetroop receives a –2 to all of its skillrolls for the duration of the battle.

2 Burial ceremony. The trooptrespassing on the burial ground hasinterrupted an ancient and sacredceremony. It’s immediately attacked bya band of angry Indian braves! Thesebraves can’t leave the burial ground,but they attack any troop entering thearea or attacking them.

3 Empty.4 Renegade comancheros. A

posse of Comancheros (treat asScouts) are camped in the burialgrounds. They are in need of someloot, and they are willing to fight forthe highest bidder.

5 Valuable artifacts. The troopfinds rare Indian relics. The Loot!Token is worth 25 Bounty Points.

6 Shaman’s fetish. The troopfinds the medicine bag of a powerfulshaman. If you can get a hero to thesite, she can use the bag to perform asingle Shaman spell of your choiceonce.

Braves

Traits: Strength d8; Smarts d6; Vigor d8;Shootin’ d8; Fightin’ d8; Guts d8

Weapons: Muskets, tomahawks(Strength +2)

Special Abilities: SneakyBounty: 14

Mine ShaftThis mine could hold a rich strike or

nothing more than fool’s gold. Theentrance of the mine is located in amedium- or large-sized hill (placerdecides).

Any troop taking cover in the minegets hard cover. The mine opening cavesin if it takes 50 points of damage fromheavy weapons like cannons orexplosives.

d6 Result1 Devil Bat lair. There’s a reason

this mine’s abandoned. A posse ofDevil Bats has taken up residencehere! These rogues attack any possethat moves within 12” of the mine.The Devil Bats return to the mine ifthe intruder moves outside of 12”.

2 Trigger-happy Forty-Niners.This mine is still in use, and theminers don’t want anybody cutting inon their claim. The miners attack thenearest troop and any other troopsentering the area. The miners’ statsare given below. The Forty-Niners willalso attack any troop type attackingthem without entering the mine. If theminers are dispatched, any troopspending a turn in the area can digup loot worth 25 Bounty Points.

3 Empty.4 Miners. These miners have

struck nothing but dirt, and they’renone too happy about it. In order tomake up for their loss, they abandontheir mine and fight for the railroadthat pays them the most. See belowfor their stats.

5 Secret tunnels. This mine haslong been abandoned, but shaftsriddle the region. Any troop enteringthe mine can move through thesetunnels to any other point on theboard on its next move.

6 Mother lode. This mine isabandoned, but there’s still gold inthese hills. Each action the troopspends in the mine dig loot worth 25Bounty Points.

6 Section

Miners

Trait: Strength d8; Smarts d6; Vigor d6;Shootin’ d6; Fightin’ d8; Guts d6

Weapon: Shotgun, pickaxe (Strength +2)Bounty: 11

Rattler PitThis isn’t any old rattler pit—it’s a

Mojave Rattler pit! It may hold valuableRattler eggs or even a shrine for theCult of the Worm—and there’s always achance the Rattler is home.

The pit is a hole in the groundsurrounded by steep cliffs. Any trooptrying to enter the pit has to make anEasy (4) Strength roll or fall for 1d6damage. Once inside the pit, the troopcan’t be seen except from the rim of thepit.

d6 Result1 Worm attack! A huge Mojave

Rattler bursts into the pit and tries togobble up the unfortunate troop. Ofcourse, these things have hugeappetites, so it spends the rest of thebattle filling its belly with any troopit can find.

2 Enraged cultists. These Cult ofthe Worm loonies actually worshipRattlers. Maybe they’re angry beinginterrupted or just embarrassed abouttheir kooky religion. Whatever thereason, this rogue posse attacks thenearest troop.

3 Empty.4 Cultists. A band of cultists (see

2, above) offers to join the highestbidding railroad.

5 Rattler egg. The troop finds anunhatched Rattler egg. This Loot!token is worth 50 Bounty Points.Unfortunately, this baby’s nearhatching. If a Freak Event occursduring the remainder of the battle,don’t roll for it. Instead, a YoungRattler replaces the Loot! Token, andbegins attacking the nearest troop.Once the Young Rattler appears, theLoot! Token is lost.

6 Altar. The troop stumbles upona sacrificial altar of the Cult of theWorm. An unscrupulous troop canuse the altar to send a Rattler toattack any troop on the board, as inWorm Attack!, above. Once it’s PutDown the entire troop (or is Put Downitself), it leaves. However, the troopusing the altar automatically loosesone of its own members as ‘payment.’

Cultists

Trait: Strength d6; Smarts d6; Vigord6; Shootin’ -; Fightin’ d4; Guts d8

Gear: Dagger (STR+2)Special Abilities: Arcane Background:

Cultist (The cultists know geyser. TheCultists cast spells like heroes butmust combine their power to do so.To cast a spell, roll the Cultist’sSmarts. Add +1 to the roll for everyactive Cultist over 1 in the posse. Forexample, with 1 of their number PutDown or Eatin’ Dirt, the cultists wouldadd +3 to the Smarts roll. On a 1, rollbacklash separately for each cultist.Casting Geyser takes the entireposse’s Action. Occult.

Bounty: 11

Mojave Rattler

Trait: Strength d12+10; Smarts d8; Vigord12+12; Shootin’ —; Fightin’ d6; Guts —

Weapon: Teeth (STR+2)Special Abilities: Armor 2, Burrowing

+d10, Fearless, Terror, Pace 15Bounty: 50

Young Rattler

Trait: Strength d6; Smarts d4; Vigor d8;Shootin’ -; Fightin’ d6; Guts d6

Weapon: Teeth (STR+2)Special Abilities: Burrowing +d10, Fear,

Pace 6Bounty: 10

RuinAn abandoned monastery, Spanish

fort, or some more ancient and sinisterstructure looms at this location. Theoriginal owners may have long sincegone (perhaps even centuries ago), butdoes something else lurk within itsweathered walls?

Chapter Name 7

The ruin may be on flat terrain or aone- or two-level hill (placer’s choice).The ruins offer hard cover to any troopwithin its walls.

d6 Result1-2 Vampire lair! Apparently,

the original owners haven’t left theruins. A posse of rogue Nosferatuattack the trespassers.

3 Empty.4 Children of the night. As

above, a posse of Nosferatu hides inthe ruins. However, these bloodsuckersare a little more intelligent than mostand offer their unique abilities to thehighest-bidding railroad.

5 Hidden treasure. The troopfinds a chest of lost Conquistadorgold. Whoever carries it off the boardgets loot worth 50 Bounty Points.However, it’s quite heavy and takes acombined Strength of 18 to carry it.

6 Ancient magic. A strange relictransforms the first troop that entersthe ruins. The troop becomes undeadand gains the Edges fear and fearless.If the troop is a hero, it becomesHarrowed, with one random Harrowedpower. The troop is still controlled byits owner.

Strange TowerThis odd, stone tower rests atop steep

cliffs. Climbing the cliffs takes an Actionand two Easy (4) Strength rolls. Anytroop failing the Strength roll takes 2d6damage.

d6 Result1 Avalanche! Climbing the cliffs,

the troop dislodges a boulder.Unfortunately, this brings the wholecliff down—including the tower. Thetroop takes 4d6 damage. The towerand cliff are now rubble. The areacounts as difficult terrain andprovides hard cover to any troop in it.

2 Devil Bat nest. A posse of DevilBats has nested in the tower. Theyswoop down and attack any figurethat approaches within 12” of thetower. Any troop managing to reachthe top of the tower (another Easy (4)Strength roll) finds loot worth 25Bounty Points.

3 Empty, but the troop can usethe tower for hard cover.

4 Mad scientist. A mad scientisthas made the tower his laboratory.Scientific research needs funding,however, and he employs his talentsfor the highest-paying railroad. Heeven throws in “Frankie”—an artificialman!

5 Abandoned creation. The firstplayer to get a troop into the towergets control of a single Automaton.

6 Gizmo! The troop finds a singlegizmo of your choice with amalfunction of d12. Give the prize toone of your heroes.

Mad Scientist

Trait: Strength d6; Smarts d8; Vigor d10;Shootin’ d8; Fightin’ d4; Guts d8

Weapon: Acid GunSpecial Abilities: Arcane Background,

Mechanically Inclined, Loco,Malfunction d6

Bounty: 70

“Frankie”

Trait: Strength d12+2; Smarts d4; Vigord12; Shootin’ —; Fightin’ d6; Guts —

Weapon: NoneSpecial Abilities: Fear, Fearless,

Undead, SlowpokeBounty: 70

Weird TreeA strange, old tree sits atop a lonely,

one-level hill. Is it a hangin’ tree? Or isthere something even more sinisterlurking in its tangled branches?

Roll when the first figure gets within3” of the tree to see what happens.

d6 Result1 Hangin’ tree! The tree is

actually an evil abomination. Anytroop within 3” of it must make aHard (8) Strength roll or be snatchedup and killed by one its noose-liketentacles. Destroying the tree takes 50points of damage from artillery,explosives, or fire. Folks nearbyconsider killing the tree a heroic deed

8 Section

and award the side doing so 50Bounty Points.

2 Hangin’ Judge’s court. AHangin’ Judge appears to pronouncesentence. The rogue Judge attacks thenearest troop.

3 It’s just a tree. Don’t be soparanoid!

4 Lawmen. A posse of dulydeputized gunmen sell their guns andbadges to the highest bidder. They aremounted.

5 Notorious outlaw. A low-down,wanted outlaw lurks around the tree.The yellow-belly surrenders to thefirst troop to approach the tree. Ifyour troops can escort him off of thenearest edge of the board, the rewardis a Loot! Token worth 50 BountyPoints.

6 A man hangs from the tree. Ishe dead, or just undead? Save himfrom this grisly “death,” and aHarrowed hero joins your side.

Deputies

Trait: Strength d6; Smarts d6; Vigor d6;Shootin’ d8; Fightin’ d6; Guts d8

Equipment: Rifle, horse.Bounty: 13

Harrowed Hero

Trait: Strength 6; Smarts d6; Vigor d6;Shootin’ 10; Fightin’ d6; Guts d8

Gear: Any basic weapon of your choice.Special Abilities: Undead, and one

random Harrowed Power.Bounty: 80

The following pages detail thenefarious hirelings used by the RailBarons to wage the Great Rail Wars.

Each entry starts with the soldier’sTraits (Strength, Smarts, Vigor, Shootin’,Fightin’, and Guts). Record these ontothe blank Troop Cards found at the endof this chapter.

The next listing is what kind ofWeapon the troop is armed with. If thelisting says Basic, you may choose howto arm your team, whether with basicPistols, Rifles, or Shotguns. You can’tbuy unusual weapons (such as Buntlinesor flamethrowers) for troops armed withBasic Weapons. Note also that mostartillerists and Crew members havepistols in addition to whatever piece ofequipment they happen to be operating.These come in handy when someornery varmint tries to rush anexpensive cannon or vehicle fromoutside its arc of fire.

The next entry is the troop’s SpecialAbilities. Here’s where you’ll find outwhether something is undead, is subjectto Malfunction, and so on.

Bounty is the number of VictoryPoints an opponent gets when he putsdown a single member of this team. If

Appendix F:

Weird Warriors!

you add additional equipment (horses,extra guns, and so on) to this team,don’t recalculate the Bounty—it stays asis regardless of any additional costs.Write the troop’s Bounty in the bag onthe Troop Card.

The Cost is the money it takes tohire this troop. If it says $50, forexample, it costs 50 points to hire theentire Crew, Posse, Single, or Hero. Writethe troop’s Cost in the round circle inthe lower right.

A Note to VeteransFor those of you who played the old

Great Rail Wars game, there are a fewimportant differences in this newversion.

First, note that you don’t recalculateBounty Points. If you add a limber to anartillery piece, it doesn’t change itsBounty, only its Cost.

Second, guns have no Bounty of theirown—only the Crewmen do. And yes, ifyou can get one of your Crewmen overto a functioning gun or vehicle (as longas it’s not gang-specific), you can use it.

Finally, notice there is no “Speed.” Alltroops get one action per turn now.

2 Section

Hired Guns

The following troops may be used byany of the Rail Gangs, and there’s nolimit on the number you or any otherrascal can hire.

ArtilleryArtillerists who once served in the

Confederate or Union armies often headWest when their term is up. Some retirehonorably, others desert their posts forthe Rail Barons’ gold.

Limbers can be had for any of thesestandard artillery pieces (Gatlings and 6-pounders) for 10 extra points. Mark theTroop Card with a Mounted counter whenlimbered, and remove it once the gun isdeployed. Remember that this doesn’tchange the Bounty.

Gatling GunTraits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: PistolSpecial Abilities: Gatling Guns may

have limbers for 10 additional points.They may unlimber and fire.

Number: Crew of 2.Bounty: 10 per CrewmanCost: 25

Six-Pound CannonTraits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Pistol.Special Abilities: 6-lb. cannons may

have limbers for 10 additional points.They may unlimber and fire.

Number: Crew of 4.Bounty: 10 per CrewmanCost: 40

Buffalo GalThese wild and wooly women are the

loudest whipcrackers on the High Plains.Their beauty and fearlessness in theface of a male-dominated West make

them strong allies in the Great RailWars.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d8, Guts d12Weapons: Rifle, whipSpecial Abilities: BraveNumber: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

Buffalo HuntersThe buffalo-hunting craze means there

are plenty of hunters with big riflesroaming the plains. The Rail Baronssometimes hire groups of theseunscrupulous Hunters to bring down evenbigger game—their opponents.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Buffalo rifles (Sharps Big

.50s) and Bowie knivesSpecial Abilities: NoneBounty: 13Cost: 65

Gunmen

The rabble of the West make a goodliving killing for the Rail Barons. Theyare often the core of any gang. Someare murderers, others are war veterans,and a few honestly believe they’re doingsomething good for their country.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: BasicSpecial Abilities: None.Number: PosseBounty: 10Cost: 50

GunslingerMore skilled than the average

Gunman, Gunslingers have proventhemselves in more than a few HighNoon shootouts.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d12, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: 2 PistolsSpecial Abilities: Crack shot, fannin’Number: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

Chapter Name 3Muckraker

While these intrepid journalists aren’tmuch for fighting, their stories can winthe Rail Barons fame and fortune. Orturn the public against them in aheartbeat.

Muckrakers follow around therailroads’ fastest guns, hired hexslingers,and other heroes. After a good fight, theheroes are immortalized in countlessdime novels and penny dreadfuls bythese forgotten writers.

Most Muckrakers send their stories tothe Tombstone Epitaph. It pays the mostand has the largest circulation, but mostreaders believe it lies at worst andexaggerates at best.

Killing Muckrakers has become apopular pastime for some of the RailBarons. Bayou Vermillion and BlackRiver are both notorious for murderingmembers of the press. The strangetroops they employ make it unwise forthem to allow reporters on theirbattlefields.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d8, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: NoneSpecial Abilities: Pacifist, sneaky, tale-

Tellin’Number: SingleBounty: 25Cost: 25

PreacherHoly men of all denominations often

round out the Rail Baron’s forces. Thesepious priests look to fight evil in all itsforms.

Preachers may not be hired by BayouVermillion, Black River, or thoseheathens at Iron Dragon.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d8, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: PistolSpecial Abilities: Arcane background

(blessed), brave, occultNumber: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

SawbonesThe sawbones of the Rail Barons are

by-and-large disreputable fellows. Manyhave been run out of their hometowns

by angry townsfolk tired of theirmischievous malpractices. Others weremustered out of the Union orConfederate armies Back East becauseof their incompetence. Theseunscrupulous hacks can find work onlywith the desperate railroads.

Still, a good doctor can shove afellow’s guts back inside and get himfighting again. That’s why you’ll find afew of these maniacal medics standingknee-deep in blood at the thick of anylarge battle of the Great Rail Wars.Traits: Strength d4, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d4, Vigor d4, Guts d8Weapons: Saw (STR +1)Special Abilities: Pacifist, sawbonesNumber: SingleBounty: 10Cost: 10

Sioux BraveA very few lone wolves are willing to

work for the highest bidders. Thesefearsome fighters follow the Old Waysmovement and will not use guns, buttheir bows, tomahawks, andfearsomeness in battle more than makeup for their inability to sling lead.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d10, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: Bow and arrow, tomahawk

(STR+2)Special Abilities: Brave, frenzyNumber: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

Sioux ShamanVery few shamans make their way

into the Great Rail Wars, but there aresome who have followed the advice ofspirits—malevolent or benign—andentered the employee of the Rail Barons.

No Sioux Shaman would be caughtdead working for Bayou Vermillion.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d10, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: Bow and arrow, tomahawk

(STR+2)

4 Section

Special Abilities: Arcane background(shaman), eagle eyes, occult

Spells: Any 4Number: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

ScoutsScouts are used mostly between

fights to help the Rail Barons find theiropponents and choose theirbattlegrounds.

During a battle, Scouts sneak aboutand try to bushwack their oblivious foesfrom behind. It’s not a particularlycourageous way to live, but the sayingamong these veterans of the frontier isthat honorable Scouts never die of oldage.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: BasicSpecial Abilities: Bushwack, sneakyNumber: PosseBounty: 13Cost: 65

Undead GunslingerThe restless dead sometimes arise

and stalk the High Plains. These feircefighters can sometimes be persuaded towork for the Rail Barons—at least for awhile.

No player may have more than oneUndead Gunslinger in his force.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d12+,

Smarts d6, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Gutsd8

Weapons: PistolSpecial Abilities: crack shot, fannin’,

harrowed, supernatural ability(Shootin’ +2)

Number: HeroBounty: 25Cost: 25

X-SquadsGunmen and other servants who fail

in their duties to Doctor Hellstrommeoften wind up in his infamous X-Squads. These are groups of doomedmen who must test the doctor’s latestexperimental devices in the field.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Choose Flamethrowers,

Rocket Packs, or Gatling Weapons(see Appendix D) for each squad. Ifyou choose Rocket Packs, the X-Squad has basic weapons as well.

Special Abilities: Gizmos, tinkerin’ d6.Bounty: 12Cost: 60

Bayou Vermillion

Doc BayaeuxUnlike most houngans, Doc Bayaeux

hails from New Orleans society ratherthan the backwater swamps. He onceserved as a doctor, but had to flee thecity when it was discovered his amazingcures were the result of “black magic.”Now he fights on the frontier where hecan finally practice his trade withoutthe restraints of “polite society.”Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d8, Guts d12Weapons: ShotgunSpecial Abilities: Arcane background

(houngan), occultSpells: Any 4Number: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

NosferatuRumor has it these hideous vampires

were discovered in an ancient ruinsomewhere out West. Baron LaCroixcaptured the creatures, then set themloose in a specially designed train ridinghis opponent’s rails.

But these Nosferatu were too powerfulto control. So Baron LaCroix performedobscene experiments on a few capturedNosferatu, drained their blood, and fed itto some unsuspecting victims.

Chapter Name 5The result was an entirely new breed

of bloodsucking Nosferatu. While theyare not quite as invulnerable as their“parents,” they are far less independentand will work alongside the rest ofBayou Vermillion’s troops.

It doesn’t take wooden stakes or holywater to kill these “lesser” Nosferatu,but since they are undead, they are stillformidable opponents, particularly oncethey’ve tasted blood. Just before a battle,LaCroix’s men throw freshly killed gameto the Nosferatus to whip up their“blood frenzy.” Once they’re set loose,their gnarled claws and gruesome fangswill not rest until they’ve tasted humanblood.

Unlike most undead, Nosferatu arenot fearless. In fact, they act more likecraven ratlings than true horrors of theReckoning. Still, it is their strong senseof survival that keeps them “alive” whenthe rest of LaCroix’s groaning undeadare dropping like flies on rancid meat.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d4, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Claws (STR+2)Special Abilities: Fear, frenzy, undeadNumber: PosseBounty: 8Cost: 40

Walkin’ DeadThere are no more fearless scum in

the Great Rail Wars than those whohave already died fighting for the RailBarons. Walkin’ Dead are BayouVermillion’s most numerous and terribletroops. In fact, every time LaCroix’sliving troops lose a battle, his undeadhorde grows that much stronger.

The Baron uses a secret voodoopotion to resurrect the dead. Onoccasion, his trains transport drums ofthis concoction to reinforce his gangsalong his lines. One such train wassabotaged in Nagodoches, Texas, and thefoul tonic found its way into the localcemetery. The locals never found outBayou Vermillion was responsible forthe “Night of the Walkin’ Dead.” If theyhad, they would certainly have strungthe Baron’s crewmen up by their necks.

Walkin’ Dead come with a standardweapon mix of 2 pistols, 2 rifles, and 1shotgun. You can change this mixhowever you like.

Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smartsd6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts —

Weapons: BasicSpecial Abilities: Fear, fearless, undeadNumber: PosseBounty: 13Cost: 65

Skin WalkersDeep in the swamps of southern

Louisiana dwell the dreaded skinwalkers. These horrible creatures skinliving beings and use their hides asdisguises to infiltrate enemy troops.

LaCroix somehow recruited a few ofthese dreadful creatures into his ranks.They serve him willingly and well fornow, but no one knows how long thatmight last.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts -Weapons: As per victim, plus bite

(STR+2)Special Abilities: Fearless, infiltration,

terrorNumber: PosseBounty: 25Cost: 25

Black River

Diva DevlinDiva is Mina’s only daughter, though

it’s ambiguous whether or not her fatherwas truly Mina’s former husband. Thereare those who say Diva has a darkersire, one whose true inheritance has notyet been passed on to his beautiful anddeadly daughter.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d10, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d6, Guts d10Weapons: Pistol, whipSpecial Abilities: Arcane background

(witch), occultSpells: Any 4Number: HeroBounty: 25Cost: 25

6 Section

DemolitionistNext to black magic and devilish

sorcery, Mina Devlin’s next greatest loveis fireworks. Anything that goes boom islikely to find its way into her arsenal ofweapons. (In this way, she hassomething in common with Kang otherthan ruthlessness.) In fact, she’s evenrecruited strong archers to launch sticksof dynamite into her opponent’s ranks.She calls these individualsDemolitionists.

Firing dynamite from a bow worksjust like firing a shrapnel shot from acannon. Simply nominate the targetpoint, make a Shootin’ roll based on thedistance, and if missed, check deviation.Every figure under the Boom! Templateis hit for 2d8 damage.

Carrying bundles of dynamite arounda battlefield can be more than just alittle bit dangerous. If a Demolitionist isever dealt a black Joker, his quiver hasbeen hit by a stray round and explodes.Place a Boom! Template over the figure.The Demolitionist is killed instantly.Those under the template take 2d8damage as usual.

Demolitionists can fire their bowswithout dynamite as well, should theychoose to.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Bow, dynamiteSpecial Abilities: Demolitionists carry

dynamite and can launch it with theirbows or throw it manually. They mayalso fire their bows normally.

Number: SingleBounty: 20Cost: 20

Devil batsThese creatures dwell in the Badlands.

In a land ruled by more than oneabomination, they are kings of the skies.

Mina pays a band of rugged trappersto capture the creatures, then her darksorcerers somehow bind the Devil Batsto her evil service.

Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ -, Smartsd4, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6

Weapons: Claws (STR+2)Special Abilities:

Flight: Pace of 15”Death from Above: If a Devil Bat

wins a Fightin’ contest against aman-sized (or smaller) opponent bymore than 4 points, it grabs him,soars up into the sky, then dropsits prey for 6d6 damage at the endof the turn. Armor does not protectfrom a fall. The prey can continueto fight or shoot at its captor if ithas any actions later in the turn,but such attacks are made at -2. Ifthe bat is wounded in the sameturn it picked someone up, the preyis dropped at half the height andtakes only 3d6 damage.

Number: PosseBounty: 10Cost: 50

Hangin’ JudgeOf all the strange creatures Mina

Devlin has managed to subdue, coerce,or ally her railroad with, the Hangin’Judges must be the strangest. They arealso the most powerful.

The first Hangin’ Judges were a bandof five Confederate judges who formed asecret alliance to ruin their rivals. Theyused the courts—and the local gallowsin particular—to terrorize those aroundthem into submission.

Fate eventually caught up with theseselfish men. They were strung upthemselves back in ’69, leaving only ablack memory in the minds of all thosewhose lives they ruined.

But the Reckoners don’t let such darkmemories die easily. These enigmaticbeings resurrected the Hangin’ Judgesand set them loose on the Chisholmtrail. There they stalked innocents in thefalse name of justice, whisperingimaginary offenses as they gunned themdown or strung them from the treeslining the trail.

Mina Devlin caught wind of theJudges in ’72. Her Witches went to work,and within two years they had made adark pact with the Judges. The horrificcreatures would come to Black River’said when summoned, but only if Mina’s

Chapter Name 7Witches would sacrifice a lawman tothem in return.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d12, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Guts —Weapons: 2 pistols with scythes

(STR+2)Special Abilities: Fearless, terror, two-

fisted, undead, unearthlyWeakness: Hangin’ Judges can be Put

Down by any duly authorized lawofficer. This includes Pinkertons,Texas Rangers, and heroes with theLaw Man Edge and their deputies.

Unique: There are only 5 Hangin’Judges. Though they can returnfrom battle to battle even if PutDown, Black River may never fieldmore than 5 of them in a battle.

Number: SingleBounty: 75Cost: 75

WolvesDevlin’s dark conjurers have enslaved

and trained several fierce wolf packs.Their incredibly fast gait and powerfuljaws make them more than a match formost hired guns—providing the wolvescan get close enough to sink their teethinto their prey.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d4, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Fangs (STR+2)Special Abilities: Fleetfooted, frenzy,

Pace 8”Number: PosseBounty: 6Cost: 30

Dixie Rails

CSA TroopersThese hardy troopers are usually

young recruits dragged out of theConfederate Territories to defend DixieRails in the Weird West™. Like theircounterparts Back East, they’re naturalwarriors who won’t usually back awayfrom a fight.

By and large these are hardy Texasgunmen spoiling for a fight, or veteranfrontiersman drafted from the newConfederate territories. By necessity, allare excellent shots with nerves of steel.

Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d8, Smartsd6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d8

Weapons: RiflesSpecial Abilities: None.Number: PosseBounty: 12Cost: 60

CSA SharpshootersConfederate Sharpshooters are just as

deadly as their Union counterparts,crack shots one and all. When two ofthese units spot each other on thebattlefield (usually from quite adistance), they consider it something ofa contest. The winners live. The losersare dragged off the field later.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d10, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: RiflesSpecial Abilities: Crack Shot, sneakyNumber: PosseBounty: 16Cost: 80

Ranger Duncan McCraeRanger Duncan McCrae was born on

Christmas. Folks in the west Texas hillswhere he was raised say that meansdark hoodoos won’t work on him. Thatseems to be true, for ever since joiningthe Rangers, evil magic cast against himhas had little effect. McCrae is muchappreciative of his gift, and oftenvolunteers for those assignments wherehe knows his knack might come inhandy. Frequently, that means he’sassigned to Dixie Rails to help stave offthe eldritch attacks of Black River andBayou Vermillion.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d8, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d10, Guts d10Weapons: PistolSpecial Abilities: Magic resistance 2,

occult, tough as nailsNumber: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

8 Section

Texas RangersKnown far and wide as the pride of

Texas, the Texas Rangers’ reputationextends far beyond the borders of theirmassive home state. The saying goes,“One riot, one Ranger.” Imagine how bada whole posse of them are.

In the Great Rail Wars, Rangers huntin relentless packs, stalking thebattlefield like cunning wolves.

Every Ranger carries two pistols. Theyaren’t two-fisted, however, so if youchoose to fire both guns, you have totake -1 from the first two shots and -2from the second two.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: 2 pistols, Bowie knifeSpecial Abilities: Occult.Number: PosseBounty: 16Cost: 80Cost: 20

Iron Dragon

MitsubishiThis dark samurai is another of

Kang’s Japanese “imports.” Rumorsabound that before taking on the nameof Japan’s most poisonous snake,Mitsubishi was a high-level advisor toDaimyo Aratake—who was assassinatedshortly before Mitsubishi fled to theStates.Traits: Strength d10, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d12, Vigor d10, Guts d10Weapons: Sword, bow and arrowSpecial Abilities: Armor 2, martial arts,

nerves o’ steelNumber: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

PyromasterThese madmen love their toys,

particularly ones that scream likebanshees and explode. Kang broughtseveral masters of these devices fromthe Far East to aid him in the Maze, andhe’s found them useful on the HighPlains too.

Pyromasters carry satchels of smallbut powerful rockets. They launch theseinto the center of tightly packed, lightlyarmored troops for ultimate carnage.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d8, Fightin’ d4, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: RocketsSpecial Abilities: Armor 2, artillery d10Number: SingleBounty: 30Cost: 30

RoninKang’s influence reaches even to

Feudal Japan. When he finds roguesamurai willing to join his cause, hequickly ships them West and adds themto his colorful army. Ronin are utterlyloyal to Kang, whom they see as arevolutionary leader rising from thearistocracy of the Orient.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d10, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: Katanas (STR+2)Special Abilities: Armor 2, Frenzy,

Martial ArtsNumber: PosseBounty: 11Cost: 55

Tong GangThe ruthless warlord has many

devout followers. His most fanatical arethe Tong gangs, fierce fighters whopummel their foes in a flurry of hand-to-hand combat. Tong Gangs are full ofyoung immigrants Kang takes in andgives shelter, food (scarce in the Maze),and—most importantly—training in themartial arts.

In return, these fanatics attack Kang’srivals in the Great Rail Wars. Theirfoolhardy charges have come to befeared by all. Scores of martial artistsmay die in such a charge, but there arealways more behind them.

Chapter Name 9Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ —, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: Hand weapons (STR+2)Special Abilities: Frenzy, Martial ArtsNumber: PosseBounty: 6Cost: 30

Union Blue

Buffalo SergeantMost buffalo soldiers are former

slaves fighting for freedom. Some of thetoughest are those who joined theUnion Army.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: RifleSpecial Abilities: Brave, frenzyNumber: HeroBounty: 15Cost: 15

PinkertonsThe Pinkertons have created many

special posses to fight the horrors ofthe Weird West. The most common arefull-time agents armed with the latesttechnological gizmos and sent hurriedlyto Union Blue’s defense.

The weapons Pinkertons use havebeen tested in secret governmentlaboratories, and so are better thanthose found in the hands of most MadScientists. The Malfunction die is d10instead of the usual d6.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d8Weapons: Gatling pistols, rifles, and

shotgunsSpecial Abilities: Occult, malfunction

d10Number: PosseBounty: 14Cost: 70

Nevada SmithOne of the Pinkerton’s most

successful secret agents is NevadaSmith, though that is likely not his realname.

Nevada is most active in the City ofGloom, where his mastery of disguise

has made him the single greatest thornin Dr. Hellstromme’s side. Nevada isclose to uncovering the secret of theAutomatons. If he does, Union Blue maysoon have clockwork soldiers of theirown.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d12, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d8, Vigor d8, Guts d10Weapons: Gatling pistol (Nevada may

use this even if using his infiltrationability)

Special Abilities: Infiltration, occult,malfunction d12 (for Gatling pistol),sneaky

Number: HeroBounty: 14Cost: 70

USA TroopersJoshua Chamberlain’s status as the

hero of Gettysburg gives him friends inhigh places. President Grant has orderedUnion forces in the West to dispatchtroops as necessary to protect UnionBlue’s interests.

Few outposts can afford to send morethan a handful of men when troublearises, but these diehard Troopers arealmost always available to protectChamberlain’s railroad.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d8Special Abilities: None.Weapons: RiflesNumber: PosseBounty: 11Cost: 55

USA SharpshootersFederal Sharpshooters are the bane of

opposing heroes throughout the GreatRail Wars. There are few things moredemoralizing than watching a company’stop hired gun winning the day when asniper’s bullet comes out of nowhereand drops him like a sack of rottenpotatoes.

Besides being naturally goodmarksmen, Sharpshooters use only thebest rifles, scopes, and enhanced sights

10 Section

to make sure they hit their unfortunatetargets. The US government makes surethey have the best equipment availableat all times.Traits: Strength d6, Shootin’ d8, Smarts

d6, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d6, Guts d6Weapons: RiflesSpecial Abilities: Crack Shot, sneakyNumber: PosseBounty: 15Cost: 75

Wasatch

Professor PyroProfessor Pyro was once Norman

Lesman, a shy, retiring teacher at asmall university Back East. After beingbullied and passed over for promotionone too many times, Norman set fire tohis school, fled West, and changed hisname to “Professor Pyro.” Now he livesup to his colorful nickname by carryinga customized flamethrower and roastingDr. Hellstromme’s enemies to the bone.Traits: Strength d4, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d10, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d8, Guts d8Weapons: FlamethrowerSpecial Abilities: Arcane background

(mad scientist), malfunction d10, occult,tinkerin’ d12

Number: HeroBounty: 20Cost: 20

AutomatonsBy far Hellstromme’s most expensive—

and most effective—minions are thenearly legendary Automatons, oddcreations of the good doctor’s weirdscience that walk, run, and fight like aman. Within these polished metal shellsare a mix of weird science and, somesay, vile necromancy.

The hulking monsters are slow butfearless, dim-witted but powerful. TheirGatling arms and armored hulls can

easily best an army ill-prepared for theirarrival.

Mad Scientists across the West talk inhushed whispers about the secret of theAutomatons. The clockwork gears thatmove and fire its weapons are simpleenough to understand, but how amachine makes decisions and reacts tothe world around it remains a mystery.

The mystery surrounds a sealed“braincase” within the automaton’s head.This steel case sits directly behind thething’s bulletproof black-quartz visor. Noone knows what is inside this case, forwhen an Automaton is about to bedestroyed, a massive explosion wrecks itcompletely.

Some say that inside the braincasesits a human brain, kept alive byblasphemous scientific sorcery. No oneknows for sure, since Dr. Hellstrommenever allows his insane blueprintsoutside his assembly plants hidden highin the Wasatch Mountains surroundingSalt Lake City, also known as the Cityof Gloom.

When an Automaton is destroyed, itblows up. Place the Boom! Template ontop of it. Everything under the templateis automatically hit for 2d6 points ofdamage.Traits: Strength d8, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d4, Fightin’ d4, Vigor d8, Guts —Weapons: Gatling gunSpecial Abilities: Armor 4, fearless,

malfunction d6, slowpokeNumber: PosseBounty: 30Cost: 150

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: TheAutomaton’s Gatling gear is knockedout of whack. It cannot fire until itmakes an Easy (4) Smarts roll.

Major Malfunction: The Automatongoes haywire and stops. It can fix itselfif it spends an action making a Hard (8)Smarts check.

Catastrophe: The Automaton’sghost-rock-powered boiler explodes,causing 2d8 damage to everythingbeneath the Boom! Template.

Chapter Name 11Clockwork Tarantulas

Another of Hellstromme’s “living”gizmos are the Clockwork Tarantulas.These small but deadly creatures arewound up like clocks, then sentscurrying toward the enemy. Their acidic“bite” is sprayed through a long needle.

How they receive their orders anddetermine friend from foe is anothermystery like that of the Automatons. Itis a secret Hellstromme will keep, forthe Tarantulas release their acid andmelt themselves when destroyed. Whena Clockwork Tarantula is destroyed,every figure in base-to-base contactwith it takes 2d6 damage.Traits: Strength d4, Shootin’ d6, Smarts

d4, Fightin’ d6, Vigor d4, Guts —Weapons: Acid (ignores Armor and

works in both missile and hand-to-hand combat)

Special Abilities: Armor 2, fearless,malfunction d6, wallwalker

Number: PosseBounty: 12Cost: 60

Malfunction!

Minor Malfunction: The tarantulahalts and refuses to move until it makesan Easy (4) Smarts test, which it mayattempt at the beginning of each of itsactions.

Major Malfunction: The tarantula’sacid tank ruptures, melting it instantly.

Catastrophe: The tarantula gets itssignals crossed and leads its entiretroop at the nearest friendly troop. TheTarantulas attack this troop unless theymake a Hard (8) Smarts test, which theymay try at the start of each action.

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage

Strength Smarts Vigor

Shootin’ Fightin’ Guts

Special:

Weapons Range ROF Damage