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Old 12-18-2014, 11:11 AM   #1
Kromm
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Default Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

It's wild, that's for sure
Dirty, dangerous, and hard
Ain't it the greatest?
— A feller what goes by "Hoss"
The Western genre is a strange one. It's fiction about a scant century (and mostly a few decades) of history that mattered to only a handful of people in a sparsely populated region of North America. Yet we've been making up new yarns about it ever since – and not just in America. Many of the classic films were shot in Europe, and the Western had an undeniable impact on cinema as far away as Japan. To this day, you can find novelty riding gear and toy six-shooters almost anywhere without looking very hard, and there are plenty of places where "cowboy" is synonymous with "American."

In the GURPS world, though, this influential genre hasn't had its own supplement since GURPS Old West, Second Edition in 2000. Rectifying that oversight is the goal of Pyramid #3/74: Wild West. Here's a quick roundup of what it has in store for you:
  • Including a few lesser-known Native American nations is a great way to add some authenticity to your campaign, which is why Matt Riggsby has invited you to take a trip to Ashiwi Country. Learn about the Zuni, from their culture and mythology to the ways they govern and sustain themselves. And the adventure seeds and color maps of their lands make it easy to drop them right into your game.

  • The Wild West and GURPS Action are a natural fit . . . after a few adjustments, of course. In Outlaws and Arrows, Christopher Rice lays out everything you need to create an action hero straight from the Westerns, including two new templates (mountain man and preacher), two new lenses (frontiersman and native), and pointers to other Pyramid articles that dovetail perfectly with this one.

  • While horses and wagons were great for small groups, long journeys and cargo hauls were made on the Steamboats and Locomotives of the Old West. In this month's Eidetic Memory, David Pulver provides detailed descriptions of a classic riverboat and a "4-4-0" locomotive, along with full statistics and suggestions for what could go wrong (unless, perhaps, some heroes step up to save the day).

  • The Wild West is sometimes the Weird West, full of monsters, burial grounds, spirits, and sorcery. In A Westward-Shambling Horde, GURPS Zombies author Sean Punch offers not one but a dozen ways to add zombies to the mix. Living or undead, infectious or cursed, alone or in hordes – there's something here for every zombie fan.

  • For many gamers, the Wild West is all about shootouts and duels. That's why Hans Christian-Vortisch takes you through a half-dozen Famous Wild West Gunfights (three historical and three from the movies), showing how to use the detail of GURPS Tactical Shooting to emulate them perfectly. With these second-by-second breakdowns and a copy of GURPS High-Tech: Adventure Guns, you'll be ready for some rootin' tootin' shootin'.

  • And the West couldn't be won without our usual Random Thought Table, this installment of which breaks down the Western genre into easily adaptable components to use as flavor elsewhere.
PK & Kromm
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Old 12-18-2014, 11:27 AM   #2
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Outlaws and Arrows
Probably the most useful article in the issue, and another demonstration of how the Action series has preempted a lot of books which might be written for campaigns set after the Industrial Revolution. Like Kromm's pulp adventurers article a while back, this shows how most of the Action templates work in a different era with a few tweaks, and only a few new ones are really needed to round out the most popular genre types. Clearly, there's a cyberpunk article in this vein waiting to be written (assuming it hasn't been already and I've just forgotten), and probably versions for other SF genres.

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Steamboats and Locomotives of the Old West
A close second for utility. I wonder if any specific vessels/train models were used here? I'd love to be able to work up maps, particularly for the steamboat.


Some not-very-game-related thoughts about my own article here.
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Old 12-18-2014, 02:15 PM   #3
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

This was the issue I didn't know I wanted. I got the mail, thought "Wild West? Well, I'll take a look."

What do I find? GURPS Action hacks for the wild west. A lost Native American civilization. Steam boats and locomotives. ZOMBIES! And, I actually lost myself in Hans' article on actual gunfights. Just glanced at it, then read a little, and then ten minutes later came up for breath.

Some pyramid issues leave me going meh. Some get shelved under "Should look into this in more detail when I have time," and some make me go "Man, I need to RUN this!" This issue was one of the last.
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Old 12-18-2014, 02:37 PM   #4
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

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A lost Native American civilization.
Well, more low-key than lost. Everybody with an interest in the region has known exactly where they were since the early 16th century. But they break a lot of stereotypes, which is nice.
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Old 12-18-2014, 02:38 PM   #5
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

I confess, I'm a bit nonplussed by Old Western stuff - it's not really my genre. As Kromm says, it's a very narrow point in time and geography and to me that's a bit baffling; it's reframing a perfectly interesting time in American history into this weird, all-consuming narrative.

So it says something that the lineup of articles for this issue is so attractive that I'm running off to get it right now :)
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Old 12-18-2014, 02:48 PM   #6
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

Even though we got a recent Monster Hunters-themed issue, I really miss a "Monster Hunting in the Old West" article from this issue. And that's not much of a criticism at all, just a personal whine. ;)
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Old 12-18-2014, 02:52 PM   #7
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

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Originally Posted by Randyman View Post
Even though we got a recent Monster Hunters-themed issue, I really miss a "Monster Hunting in the Old West" article from this issue. And that's not much of a criticism at all, just a personal whine. ;)
GURPS MH 4: Sidekicks as has rules for including Action characters in a MH game. This issue has Action Templates for the Wild West and Zombies. I'm just sayin'
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Old 12-18-2014, 03:08 PM   #8
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

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GURPS MH 4: Sidekicks as has rules for including Action characters in a MH game. This issue has Action Templates for the Wild West and Zombies. I'm just sayin'
Yeah. I hear ya. :)
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Old 12-18-2014, 03:11 PM   #9
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

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Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company View Post
Probably the most useful article in the issue, and another demonstration of how the Action series has preempted a lot of books which might be written for campaigns set after the Industrial Revolution. Like Kromm's pulp adventurers article a while back, this shows how most of the Action templates work in a different era with a few tweaks, and only a few new ones are really needed to round out the most popular genre types. Clearly, there's a cyberpunk article in this vein waiting to be written (assuming it hasn't been already and I've just forgotten), and probably versions for other SF genres.
Thanks. :) I've actually written both "Space Opera" and "Cyberpunk" articles using Action...but I haven't found a home for them yet. I can only nudge Steven so much so I have to wait for a issue to come along.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mailanka View Post
This was the issue I didn't know I wanted. I got the mail, thought "Wild West? Well, I'll take a look."

What do I find? GURPS Action hacks for the wild west. A lost Native American civilization. Steam boats and locomotives. ZOMBIES! And, I actually lost myself in Hans' article on actual gunfights. Just glanced at it, then read a little, and then ten minutes later came up for breath.

Some pyramid issues leave me going meh. Some get shelved under "Should look into this in more detail when I have time," and some make me go "Man, I need to RUN this!" This issue was one of the last.
That's awesome! Glad to hear it. Western's are a FAVORITE genre of mine. My granddaddy used to tell me stories while I sat on his knee about his granddaddy and some of the nastier border wars he'd been in.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Randyman View Post
Even though we got a recent Monster Hunters-themed issue, I really miss a "Monster Hunting in the Old West" article from this issue. And that's not much of a criticism at all, just a personal whine. ;)
Also written, but...no issue to submit to yet. Sneak peek: Vampire gunslingers are nasty. That is all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mailanka View Post
GURPS MH 4: Sidekicks as has rules for including Action characters in a MH game. This issue has Action Templates for the Wild West and Zombies. I'm just sayin'
Yup.
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Old 12-18-2014, 03:15 PM   #10
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Default Re: Pyramid #3/74: Wild West

Despite the fact this is for the wild west, this well work wonders in my steampunk great war game. (Britland and the 2nd confederacy well likely be duking it out with the union in the great plains and rockies mountains)

And I also hear about steam trains and steam ship... I wonder how easy it will be to turn them into tanks and Steam landships...
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