{"slug":"deadlands","title":"Deadlands: The Weird West","url":"https://www.ttrpg-games.com/item/deadlands","agentUrl":"https://www.ttrpg-games.com/api/games/deadlands.json","summary":{"blurb":"Shane Lacy Hensley's Weird Western horror TTRPG from Pinnacle Entertainment Group, set in an 1884 alternate-history frontier overrun by fear-feeding spirits. The self-contained 2026 Core Rules runs on Savage Worlds: exploding dice, card-based initiative, Bennies, and hucksters who build poker hands to power their hexes.","atAGlance":"Weird Western horror on Savage Worlds • Exploding dice, Action Deck initiative and Bennies • Hucksters, blessed, shamans, mad scientists and Harrowed • Fear Levels and ghost-rock steampunk • Self-contained 2026 core","whyItFits":"Choose Deadlands when your group wants a Western that keeps turning into a monster hunt and likes fast, swingy action more than slow dread. Savage Worlds gives it quick fights with exploding dice, playing-card initiative and Bennies to save a hero at the last moment, while setting rules such as hucksters gambling with demons, Harrowed undead heroes and regional Fear Levels make the Weird West feel different from a generic horror game. It needs a Marshal who enjoys running a big cast and a deep setting, and a table that is comfortable with pulpy violence and a frontier backstory that draws on real history and Native American spiritual traditions."},"constraints":{"playerRange":null,"sessionRange":null,"setupMinutes":null,"characterCreationMinutes":null,"prepLevel":"Medium","priceModel":"Paid"},"fit":{"beginnerFriendly":false,"newGmFriendly":2,"oneShotFriendly":true,"campaignFriendly":true,"soloFriendly":false,"improvBurden":"Medium","structureLevel":"Balanced","contentIntensity":"Medium"},"scores":[{"key":"complexity","label":"Complexity","value":3},{"key":"new_gm","label":"New GM Fit","value":2},{"key":"roleplay","label":"Roleplay Focus","value":3},{"key":"combat","label":"Combat Focus","value":4},{"key":"tactical","label":"Tactical Depth","value":3},{"key":"campaign","label":"Campaign Depth","value":4}],"availability":{"quickstartAvailable":true,"pdfAvailable":true,"physicalBookAvailable":true,"vttReady":true},"recommendations":{"bestFor":["Groups that want Western adventure that turns into monster hunting and pulpy horror-action","Tables that enjoy fast, swingy combat with exploding dice, card initiative and Bennies","Marshals who want a deep setting with Plot Point Campaigns and boxed adventures ready to run"],"avoidIf":["You want a sober, historical Western or sustained slow-burn dread","Your group dislikes random, swingy dice outcomes","You want a rules-light story game with little setting lore to learn"]},"facets":{"genres":["Horror","Supernatural","Western"],"systems":[],"mechanics":["Campaign","Card-Based","Character Customization","Skill-Based"],"themes":["Cinematic"],"decisionTags":["Award-Winning","One-Shot Friendly","Rules Medium"]},"links":{"websiteUrl":"https://peginc.com/deadlands/","reviewsUrl":"https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/319036/deadlands-the-weird-west-core-rules-2026?affiliate_id=1659151"}}