The Old West: Advice Appriciated

xguild · 11-09-2012, 06:35 AM

Hello All

I'm getting ready to run a one shot Old West adventure for a big gaming event we are having in December. I have chosen to go with a less realistic "Movie" version of the west (thing Young Guns, Tombstone).

In any case I have the 1st edition GURPS suppliment called "old west" which covers the genre quite nicely but Im not really that experianced with the differences between older versions of GURPS and version 4. There doesn't appear to be a 4th edition version (only the 2nd edition) but I guess the questions are.

How do either of these editions stack up against 4th edition? Can I just use material like Guns and Equipment out of the book. Are the Gunslinger rules and shoot out rules of 1st or 2nd edition applicable to 4th edition? Any other suppliments you might recommend?

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

chimchim · 11-09-2012, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xguild

Hello All

I'm getting ready to run a one shot Old West adventure for a big gaming event we are having in December. I have chosen to go with a less realistic "Movie" version of the west (thing Young Guns, Tombstone).

In any case I have the 1st edition GURPS suppliment called "old west" which covers the genre quite nicely but Im not really that experianced with the differences between older versions of GURPS and version 4. There doesn't appear to be a 4th edition version (only the 2nd edition) but I guess the questions are.

How do either of these editions stack up against 4th edition? Can I just use material like Guns and Equipment out of the book. Are the Gunslinger rules and shoot out rules of 1st or 2nd edition applicable to 4th edition? Any other suppliments you might recommend?

Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

The equipment will be ok but the guns will need tweeking. However hitech for the 4th edition serves the period quite well for guns if you have that.

Fred Brackin · 11-09-2012, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xguild

? Can I just use material like Guns and Equipment out of the book. Are the Gunslinger rules and shoot out rules of 1st or 2nd edition applicable to 4th edition? .

The equipment is not much different and the differences in ACC and ROF for guns don't matter much in your situation where the guns tend to be low ROF and low ACC anyway.

The rules for Gunslinger are different in 4e but not worth adapting material for a one-shot. The research in the new High Tech is far more rigorous and the rules for gunhandling are much more detailed. They are expanded further in Gun Fu and Tactical Shooting but I doube you're currently looking for more detail.

For a one-shot, take your existing copy of Old West and run with it is my advice.

Anaraxes · 11-09-2012, 09:47 AM

According to the entry here, Old West was a 3e supplement. Each book also has its own numbering. There were two revisions of Old West, each apparently for 3e, but confusing called "first edition" and "second edition" -- but I think those numbers refer to Old West itself, not of the GURPS ruleset for which it was written.

So, Guidelines for converting from 3e to 4e can be downloaded from e23 for free.

Anaximander · 11-09-2012, 10:09 AM

I ran a western one-shot a while back and it was hella fun! I didn't allow the Gunslinger advantage and found the rules for Fanning and "Who Draws First?" out of Tactical Shooting added the most fun to the gunplay. Altogether, the action ended up being about single-action revolvers vs. double-barreled scatterguns and lever-acton rifles as well as mounted vs. unmounted shooters. There was also a fair measure of tomahawk throwing, knife fighting and fisticuffs thrown in (frontiersmen vs. indians vs. easterners and europeans). My game group and I have been talking about making a full campaign out of it ever since!

ULFGARD · 11-09-2012, 01:19 PM

I've run two old west campaigns, one in 3e and one in 4e. I had to cut the second off quite short, as I had a new baby to deal with. For a one shot, I'd use the stats unchanged in the old west supplement. For something ongoing, but with cinematic shooting, I would definitely pick up High Tech (and the upcoming High Tech: Adventure Guns), Gun Fu, and Tactical Shooting. Depending on how you wanted to run it, Power Ups 5: Impulse Buys might go a long way to capturing the cinematic.

It's a fun genre, IMO, and one that benefits greatly from lots of fuzzy cinematic treatments mixed in with occasional gritty realism. In other words, sometimes surviving a flash flood should be more difficult than surviving a gunfight. Other times, it should just be "something that happened." That tends to fit in well with much of the fiction that's out there. Though my first campaign was more realistic, the second more cinematic, both were fun!

Icelander · 11-09-2012, 07:25 PM

Some of the best Westerns are gritty and 'realistic', like the Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven and the series Deadwood.

I'm planning on a campaign with that tone in the next two or three years*, though whether it is going to be strictly realistic or gritty supernatural, I'll have to negotiate with the players.

*I've got a lot of campaign ideas and only limited playing time, so I'm forced to play one or two at a time, starting new ones only as I finish old ones.

Gold & Appel Inc · 11-09-2012, 07:46 PM

This thread may help.

xguild · 11-10-2012, 05:55 AM

Thanks for all the advice and links everyone, that was extremly helpful, I think I'm well on my way to getting this event together.

I have to say for anyone planning on running a western that while old, after reading the old west (1st edition) I found it extremly enlightning and definitly still mostly applicable to 4th edition (or pretty much any edition for that matter).

Thanks again everyone.

11-09-2012, 06:35 AM	#1
xguild Join Date: Nov 2004	The Old West: Advice Appriciated Hello All I'm getting ready to run a one shot Old West adventure for a big gaming event we are having in December. I have chosen to go with a less realistic "Movie" version of the west (thing Young Guns, Tombstone). In any case I have the 1st edition GURPS suppliment called "old west" which covers the genre quite nicely but Im not really that experianced with the differences between older versions of GURPS and version 4. There doesn't appear to be a 4th edition version (only the 2nd edition) but I guess the questions are. How do either of these editions stack up against 4th edition? Can I just use material like Guns and Equipment out of the book. Are the Gunslinger rules and shoot out rules of 1st or 2nd edition applicable to 4th edition? Any other suppliments you might recommend? Any advice would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

11-09-2012, 09:47 AM	#4
Anaraxes Join Date: Sep 2007	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated According to the entry here, Old West was a 3e supplement. Each book also has its own numbering. There were two revisions of Old West, each apparently for 3e, but confusing called "first edition" and "second edition" -- but I think those numbers refer to Old West itself, not of the GURPS ruleset for which it was written. So, Guidelines for converting from 3e to 4e can be downloaded from e23 for free.

11-09-2012, 10:09 AM	#5
Anaximander Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Augusta, GA	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated I ran a western one-shot a while back and it was hella fun! I didn't allow the Gunslinger advantage and found the rules for Fanning and "Who Draws First?" out of Tactical Shooting added the most fun to the gunplay. Altogether, the action ended up being about single-action revolvers vs. double-barreled scatterguns and lever-acton rifles as well as mounted vs. unmounted shooters. There was also a fair measure of tomahawk throwing, knife fighting and fisticuffs thrown in (frontiersmen vs. indians vs. easterners and europeans). My game group and I have been talking about making a full campaign out of it ever since!

11-09-2012, 01:19 PM	#6
ULFGARD Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Seattle	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated I've run two old west campaigns, one in 3e and one in 4e. I had to cut the second off quite short, as I had a new baby to deal with. For a one shot, I'd use the stats unchanged in the old west supplement. For something ongoing, but with cinematic shooting, I would definitely pick up High Tech (and the upcoming High Tech: Adventure Guns), Gun Fu, and Tactical Shooting. Depending on how you wanted to run it, Power Ups 5: Impulse Buys might go a long way to capturing the cinematic. It's a fun genre, IMO, and one that benefits greatly from lots of fuzzy cinematic treatments mixed in with occasional gritty realism. In other words, sometimes surviving a flash flood should be more difficult than surviving a gunfight. Other times, it should just be "something that happened." That tends to fit in well with much of the fiction that's out there. Though my first campaign was more realistic, the second more cinematic, both were fun! __________________ Seven Kingdoms, MH (as yet unnamed), and my "pick-up" DF game war stories, characters, and other ruminations can be found here.

11-09-2012, 07:25 PM	#7
Icelander Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Iceland*	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated Some of the best Westerns are gritty and 'realistic', like the Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven and the series Deadwood. I'm planning on a campaign with that tone in the next two or three years, though whether it is going to be strictly realistic or gritty supernatural, I'll have to negotiate with the players. I've got a lot of campaign ideas and only limited playing time, so I'm forced to play one or two at a time, starting new ones only as I finish old ones. __________________ Za uspiekh nashevo beznadiozhnovo diela!

11-09-2012, 07:46 PM	#8
Gold & Appel Inc Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: One Mile Up	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated This thread may help.

11-10-2012, 05:55 AM	#9
xguild Join Date: Nov 2004	Re: The Old West: Advice Appriciated Thanks for all the advice and links everyone, that was extremly helpful, I think I'm well on my way to getting this event together. I have to say for anyone planning on running a western that while old, after reading the old west (1st edition) I found it extremly enlightning and definitly still mostly applicable to 4th edition (or pretty much any edition for that matter). Thanks again everyone.