™

By: Shane Lacy Hensley

The Great Rail WarsSa

mpl

e file

The Great Rail Wars

Written & Designed by: Shane HensleyEditing & Layout: John HoplerCover Art: Ron SpencerInterior Art: Paul Daly, Kim Demulder, Barry Doyle, Ashe Marler, Andy Park, & Loston WallaceMaps: Chris LibeyCover Design: Zeke Sparkes & Chris Libey

Logos: Charles Ryan & Ron SpencerSpecial Thanks to: Lee Bansen, Michelle, Caden, & Ronan Hensley, Christy Hopler, Tom Huntington, Jay

Kyle, the Listserv Rowdies, Jason Nichols, Pat Phalen, Allan Seyberth, and Dave WilsonDeadlands created by Shane Lacy Hensley.

Dedicated to: Dave Ross and his cronies.

™

Visit our web site for free updates!Deadlands, Weird West, Dime Novel, the Great Rail Wars,

the Deadlands logo, and the Pinnacle logo are Trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

© Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Inc.

This electronic book is copyright Pinnacle Entertainment Group.Redistribution by print or by file is strictly prohibited.

This book may be printed for personal use.

Sam

ple

file

Table o’ ContentsTable o’ ContentsChapter One:

Welcome to the Weird West ....................5How the West Got Weird ....6The Great Rail Wars ................ 7In the Beginning ...........................8Bayou Vermillion .......................13Black River ....................................... 15Dixie Rails ......................................... 17Iron Dragon ...................................... 19Union Blue ........................................21Wasatch ...............................................22

Chapter Two: Setup ................................ 25Step One: Create the

Battlefield ...................................26Step Two: Hire Troops ........27Step Three: Deployment ...29Grudge Match! .............................30Rules Glossary .............................31

Chapter Three: The Rules ................... 33Troop Cards ................................... 33Skill Checks ...................................34Fate Chips .........................................35Playing the Game ....................35Draw! ......................................................35Action! ...................................................36Movement ..........................................36Going Prone ....................................38Horses ....................................................39Combat .................................................40Shooting ..............................................40Fighting ................................................43Damage ................................................44Wounds ................................................44Guts ..........................................................46End Game .........................................47Victory! ................................................47

Chapter Four: Big Guns ..................................49Crews......................................................49Templates ...........................................51Big Guns .............................................52More Mass

Destruction ...............................54

Chapter Five: Magic ..............................57Arcane Heroes .............................57Gizmos ..................................................60Relics .......................................................61The Harrowed ...............................62

Appendix A: Special Abilities .. 65

Appendix B: Spells ................................79Consolidated

Spell Lists .................................. 101

Appendix C: Gizmos ..........................105

Appendix D: Relics ..............................109

Appendix E: Terrain ............................113Terrain Placement .................. 116Weather .............................................. 118Strange Locales .......................120

Appendix F: Rail Warriors! .......125Hired Guns .....................................125Bayou vermillion .....................129Black River ....................................130Dixie Rails ......................................132Iron Dragon ...................................133Union Blue .....................................134Wasatch .............................................135

Fortune Table ............138

Calamity Table .........138

Freak Events Table ...............................139

Master Tables............140

Troop Cards ..................141

Counters & Templates ..................142

Sam

ple

file

Sam

ple

file

Welcome, partner! The Great Rail Wars is a rip-snortin’ fast and furious miniatures game set in what we like to call the “Weird West.” It’s a world where the Civil War drags on into the current date of 1877. California fell into the sea back in ‘68, creating a “Great Maze” of towering sea-canyons and exposing a superfuel called “ghost rock.” This miraculous stuff has led to all kinds of wacky inventions—from flamethrowers to steam tanks.

The “Reckoning” that started all this mayhem has given rise to humanity’s worst fears: monsters, haunts, and spirits torn from nightmares and legends given life. Werewolves are real, vampires stalk the night, and zombies erupt from the graveyards.

The heroes who fight against these terrors are brave souls indeed.

Deadly gunfighters, mad scientists with infernal devices, mysterious hucksters casting hexes powered by

demons, and the righteous blessed fighting back the forces of darkness with hickory sticks and hoglegs.

Sometimes, if they’ve got enough sand, these desperate heroes can even come back from the grave!

This chapter delves into the background behind all this death and mayhem. It should help you understand certain references in this and other Great Rail Wars products. If you’re already familiar with the Weird West, at least read the section on your favorite Rail Baron and find out what he and his minions have been up to. A lot has happened since the Great Rail Wars began.

If you want a truly detailed account of the Weird West, you need to pick up the core books from our sister game, Deadlands: The Weird West, available at any decent game store, as well as on our very own Weird Website (check the front page of this book if you need help, amigo).

That’s enough gabbin’, friend. Let’s get to talking about why the West’s so darn weird.

Chapter One:

Welcome to the Weird WestSa

mpl

e file

6 The Great Rail Wars

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

the Reckoning unleashed evil spirits into the world. These spirits, called “manitous” by the Indians, feed the raw energy of human fear to greater masters—the Reckoners.

These ancient and mysterious creatures take some of the energy fed to them and return it to the world, sparking the occasional creation or inspiration of sinister monsters, fanatical cultists, and pure horrors, essentially planting seeds of fear that would produce even more fear later on.

The incredible energy unleashed by the terrible battles of the American Civil War many strange horrors to rise in their aftermath. Though the situation was kept quiet from the public, the

commanders realized something strange was afoot and delayed their offensives time and time again. This gave the waning Confederates a much-needed break that has stalled the conflict into a sort of cold war with occasional offensives flaring only every other year or so—particularly around election time.

By 1868, the West was weird. Horrors lurked in every dark corner. Only a few know the truth about the Reckoning, but everyone knows the shadows are a little darker than they used to be and the ghost stories told around their campfires are a little more real.

The Return of MagicOne of the strangest effects of the

Reckoning was the return of spiritual energy—magic—to the world. The strongest shamans and mystics had been able to cast simple spells before, but the flood of supernatural energy—and the ability to freely converse with the spirits and the manitous—gave incredible power to those who had even the slightest arcane talent.

Gradually, men and women began to develop and enhance their magical powers. The blessed call upon the power of the Almighty Himself. Shamans trade favors with nature spirits in exchange for supernatural abilities. “Hucksters” learned Edmund Hoyle had coded the secrets of magic in his original Hoyle’s Book of Games, and they use it to cast their own spells in flurries of spiritual poker cards representing the games of chance and skill they play with the manitous for their power. Even mad scientists —who believe their power comes from science—actually draw inspiration from the whispers of the manitous for their infernal devices.

Most of those spellslingers and mad scientists use their powers for good, or at least for personal gain with few cruel intentions. But there are others who do far worse things with this power. Witches, warlocks, cultists, evil priests, houngans, and worse have all arisen in the Weird West. Though their beliefs are many, their powers actually come from the Reckoners themselves.

A shaman named Raven is one such twisted soul. It was he who freed the manitous. Later, he used his dark powers to shatter the coast of California.

Sam

ple

file