"Legends of the Old West a touch light?" Topic

I finally got round to reading the book and while it is good it does seem a touch light for the price, or is this just me? The rules could effective be written on 5 pages!

I also think they missed out on using the deck of cards more, ie for the drop it's a touch limited (I prefer the deadlands etc dealing method), has anyone tried it with this? I guess i don't like the I do all my stuff and you yours.

Regard TRWNN are the free rules the same as the paying ones?

Binmann

Generally I try not to speak ill of other rule sets, however LotOW was a real disappointment for me.

Light as you say.

Really heavy pistols that actually slow down your movement, and certain characters not being allowed buy/use certain items are two other things that really soured me on this one.

Bob

We felt the same way. Too light.

Yep, which is why I use my own rules. Lord help you if a few wooden fences come between you and your target!

I do think you are right that it is a bit light but I have tended to use it as a nice framework for other periods whihc works very well

The Blood on the Palins supplement is good IMHO however

I too thought actual combat rules was light. It seems there's more rules for the campaign part of it. I really disliked the close combat rules.

Deadlands Reloaded seems much better but setup more for RPG use than miniature gaming. With the revised Savage Worlds Showdown Rules it too seems a bit light, I've been working on incorporating a few bitz stripped out of the DLR back into my DL Showdown. Hopefully I can recreate The Great Rail Wars usng Savage Worlds Showdown rules.

I think pretty much everyone came to a similar conclusion, Binman.

On the plus side, the team-selection and campaign systems are very enjoyable… but they're only of any use if you're planning on… y'know… campaign play.

For one-off games or historical skirmishes, I prefer a more detailed combat system.

And the 'heavy pistols' penalty still gets me wound up!

Lord help you if a few wooden fences come between you and your target!

Ain't it the truth! Still, they make for a fast game and we like them.

Cmdr Kiley:

Why don't you just stick with GRW?

Bob

My advice is try the free TRWNN and then if you like those consider buying the hard cover version. In answer to your question the hardcover is basically the same but a few minor rules have been tweaked and a lot of extra ones added. These include rules dealing with crazy men, women, old timers, drunks, soldiers, dynamite, and fire. They also give building tips for scenery and a full painting guide. On top of all that they include an alternate combat system (including a more advanced melee combat system) in the back. I started with the free version and bought the hardcover when Foundry marked it down. I am thoroughly satisfied and I would say it is worth the money. There are none of the problems that LotOW has. It doesn't run as balanced a game but it is much more fun in the end.

ALV

"Desperado" wills the need. Simple, fast and fun. And, very cheap compared to LOTOW.

Dan

I'm glad someone else likes GRW, and CmdrKiley you can pick up the pdfs cheap at studio2.

I like deadlands becauise of the number of dice types, the cards and the chips. Oh and the zombies!

The first edition of GRW is my preferred system for spaghetti western fun.

Didn't care for the change that became Savage Worlds, or to be more precise didn't care for the set Toughness score as opposed to the dice roll in GRW.

It shouldn't be too much trouble to take any SW character and change its T score to a T dice.

Bob

Re: LOTOW. I tried to like it as some of the people at my gaming store were going to try to use it, but it died there. For a light and fast system "Desperado" is as good as any, and it's easy to introduce to "noobs" and/or people that really don't care much about westerns but just want to shoot up the place in a skirmish game for a couple of hours and don't want to try to learn any rules. You'll see a "Desperado" game or two at every Historicon and Cold Wars convention. I agree that "The Rules With No Name" (TRWNN) are good and they've been around for a long time for that reason. Not to mention that free is good. (-:

Where do you find TRWNN as a free download these days ?

It would seem that the only place they are available now is as a book costing £25.00 GBP

Which is fair enough but i like "free" if i can :)

You can find lots of TRWNN goodies here:

link

Thanks,

John

I played Desperado for a few years. My one big issue with them was there wasn't any way to model characters from the movies. Giving Clint 5 cards in a deck of 30+ was sure no guarentee that he'd be as deadly as he was in the movies. Plus everyone could card count. Can't do that with TRWNN. That sequence of play is exactly WHY I love them!

Thanks,

John

Thanks for the link John!

cheers

>>>I played Desperado for a few years. My one big issue with them was there wasn't any way to model characters from the movies. Giving Clint 5 cards in a deck of 30+ was sure no guarentee that he'd be as deadly as he was in the movies. Plus everyone could card count. Can't do that with TRWNN. That sequence of play is exactly WHY I love them!<<<

Oh, there's no comparing "Desperado" to any comprehensive set of rules. I was just mentioning that they were *very* easy to play.

Not to speak ill of the competition, but I thought the combat was a little light, too. It does play fairly well, though, and it does have a certain flavor and style that will appeal to many gamers (especially those familiar with other GW products).

The same is true for TRWNN, SGS: Blaze of Glory, Desperado, Tombstones-n-Tumbleweeds, and of course, Gutshot. They are each significantly different so as to appeal to different types of gamers.

Mike Mitchell
Hawgleg Publishing

I can't rule out the set staling on me & my friends, but it hasn't yet. My gaming involves enticing in Newbies, who actually need lite.