This May I published the Weird West Roleplaying Game Basic Rulebook. It's an 8-page booklet with a very condensed set of rules. I could have padded them out into something much longer but I really wanted to focus on brevity and efficiency.

"The streamlined and fast playing adventure roleplaying game for weird western worlds of cowboys, kung-fu, magic and otherworldly malevolence."

I also wanted to make something very affordable for people to check out ($1).

Sales and feedback so far have been very good, and I'm looking at following this up with a larger fantasy themed game, and some other support material (setting, adventures, etc).

One of the things I'm still pondering is how 'generic' to make the follow-up game, and how much of a specific implied setting to work into the rules and examples. I'd started off thinking it would be very simple and generic, but the more I work on it the more I think details of a unique world make the game more interesting.  

Is that something you like seeing as part of the rulebook, or do you prefer that in a separate setting/campaign/adventure book?

Also - if you've had a look at Weird West and have any feedback from games you've run with it, I'd love to hear it.

Just downloaded it now after reading your post here. Pretty bare bones, and reall old school, this is what RPGs were like back in the day.

It does what it advertises itself as doing. I am glad I have almost 40 years of RPG experience for a few areas, like the Magic and Wierd Abilities, I think calling the attribute something other than 'magic" would help get the point across better.

I could see myself running this as a beer&pretzels pick up game, or even a semi-serial campaign.

A fantasy themed game in a similar vein would be great fun.  I like a bit of implied setting, and think it is hard to write a game without one. D&D started with a sort of Fantasy Medieval European feel, Traveller had the Third Imperium, Metamorphosis Alpha has the Starship Warden, Gamma World has the nuked Earth, none of these games initially went into a lot of background on the world, but it was there in bare bones.  Just as you don't expect to see lightsabres and Cylons in Star Trek.

Elves, Dwarves, Men and Dragons gives a sort of North-Western European feel. Djinn, scimitars and flying carpets an Arabian Nights vibe, etc.  Don't try to be truly generic or you run the risk of being bland or a jumble. King Arthur's Knights jousting on flying carpets against the kung-fu wielding jackal-headed warrior-priest guardians of the Great Pyramid.... what sort of game is that?  You don't need to be as detailed as Tekumel and Empire of the Petal Throne, I never felt up to even trying to run that one, too much detail.

Decide which bits you feel must have rules, write those rules, then see what else fits.

If you don't mind, I have a couple of ideas that I might bash your framework to fit.

If you stick with the PocketMod format, it'd be cool to see several booklets, like:

* Core Rules
* Magick
* Arms & Armor
* Bestiary
* Gazeteer of _______
* Races of  __________

I still have lots of room in my wallet...Weird West fits in one of my credit card pockets perfectly.  (in fact i could use my old wallet to hold all the new game booklets.

I must be the only person who quibbles about spending the dollar. Simply because  I don't know how well it suppers "weird." I've a friend who is a die hard Weird West genre fan, but I wanted to see a bit more about the game.

The dollar price has had it in my cart a few times but I always take it out to fit something larger that I can only get in if I pull WW.

QuoteI must be the only person who quibbles about spending the dollar. Simply because  I don't know how well it suppers "weird." I've a friend who is a die hard Weird West genre fan, but I wanted to see a bit more about the game.

James Maliszewski wrote a pretty in-depth review of Weird West RPG earlier this week.

QuoteI still have lots of room in my wallet...Weird West fits in one of my credit card pockets perfectly

After seeing the PocketMod format used on RisusMonkey I knew I wanted to use it for a full game.

QuoteI think calling the attribute something other than 'magic" would help get the point across better.

There are a couple of terms (including this one) I'm looking at changing for the Fantasy game. "Gifted" will become "Stranger".

I'd think magic should be renamed witchcraft or shamanism, depending on if the user is an indian or not.

I was thinking of the generic "Spirit" trait myself, instead of "Magic". The word is instinctively tied to shamanism in a Western context, but its meaning itself is so broad that it could encompass all sorts of things, including Magic, Knacks and the like.

Quote from: Benoist;470946I was thinking of the generic "Spirit" trait myself, instead of "Magic". The word is instinctively tied to shamanism in a Western context, but its meaning itself is so broad that it could encompass all sorts of things, including Magic, Knacks and the like.

I like Spirit. I needed a term that would include Indian Shamans, Chinese Mystics, Harry Houdini style Stage Magicians, Nikola Tesla inspired Steampunk Inventors, Voodoo Priestesses as well as characters with unusual or exceptional abilities. Other terms that have been suggested include 'Weird'.

also, wasn't "Spiritualism" all the rage in the 19th century, or was that a little after the Wild West period? I mean, going to a medium, holding a seance, hearing weird noises, seeing the table rise up, or a ghost appear. Stuff like that. Harry Houdini made a bit of a side career debunking Spiritualist, did he not?

I am reminded of Deadlands upon reading the descriptions and reviews:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadlands

Deadlands is in the same genre. I haven't read it though so I have to go on its description from Wikipedia as well. My sense is there's a more overt "magic is everywhere" vibe in Deadlands sort of like you get in Eberron.

My primary inspiration was this music video expanded to include more Spaghetti Western and other Drive-In movie type content (Kung-Fu films, Monster Movies, etc).

Hey Stuart. Mike Mearls talked about your game and linked to it on Google+. That's the only game he's taking with him to GenCon, apparently. Thought you might want to know.

Thanks!

(I find Google+ makes it easy to miss content)

Quote from: Stuart;471097Deadlands is in the same genre. I haven't read it though so I have to go on its description from Wikipedia as well. My sense is there's a more overt "magic is everywhere" vibe in Deadlands sort of like you get in Eberron.

My primary inspiration was this music video expanded to include more Spaghetti Western and other Drive-In movie type content (Kung-Fu films, Monster Movies, etc).

Ah...  Then, Deadlands: Hell On Earth.  You would do well to find a copy of both Deadlands and Deadlands: Hell on Earth (using either the original or Savage Worlds system.)  There's a lot of inspiration to be had in those old books.