Gunslinger Updates

Got a bit of a worry when Wizards was pulling their shenanigans and I was starting to rush things. Fortunately that got settled favorably. I have a draft update about to go out once I finish up some details. I have a cool map to show off, and maybe some art.

Have to say that I love that cutaway!!!
Just looking at it, and the locations presented, I've already got the outlines of three different, underground, adventures whirling around in my mind.
One of which connects with the possibility of the players finding themselves teleported to the Mars of Warriors of the Red Planet.

Also thinking about the possibility of working in some Lovecraftian possibilities into those deep and ancient cities.
But then I'm always looking for an excuse to work in Lovecraft into almost everything I run

Now I'm thinking about a possible Serpentmen outpost close to the town.

Off to write down some new ideas!

As I'm closing in on the final version of the Gunslinger Roleplaying game I'm spending more and more time on the art and layout. I've gone back and forth from how realistic to make the art to how stylized and fantastical I want to make the illustrations. My first inclination was to be fairly realistic, but as the book took shape it became clear that a slightly more idealized art style would fit it better. So that the fantastical elements still felt in place.

Here is a page from the Character Creation chapter on the Brave character class. Along with a finalized illustration. Though I'm being idealized that doesn't mean a lot of research wasn't done on authentic wear and features. In fact I got so lost in the research it delayed the completion of the book by quite a bit. There is just too much history and details to dig into. At some point you have to edit and complete the project. I think this is why so many Western RPG's have gotten bogged down. The history and lore of the period is fascinating and becomes more so with the more you learn.



While a lot of research can be done online, trips to the local library are still important. The book has a very large bibliography and suggestions for further research. As well as a great number of films and novels. One of the best resources were the Men-at-Arms series by Osprey publishing, particularly for a lot of the harder to find images and information.

I spent a lot of time reading and sketching from these books. What will appear in the Rulebook will only be a fraction of what I've drawn. At this point I'm thinking the next step will be to make a "Beta" version available to gather some feedback before sending the book to press. That will be posted soon.

I lived on a reservation when I was in 4th grade. I was the only white kid. Honestly, at that age, we didn't even think about it. We just played and did stuff kids could do. I remember going over to one of the kid's houses on the reservation, they had one room that was entirely full of those government rations, you know the kind with the generic labels. His dad showed me how to make a quarter disappear. I went home and did the trick on my dad and he just couldn't believe it and made me do it like a hundreds times, and he couldn't figure out how it worked until finally I showed him.

One thought I had is that we've gotten so sensitive these days that people are afraid to put natives in any kind of media now. In a way erasing them, which I think is an even worse thing to do. Just deal with it honestly and fairly, let people draw their own conclusions.

There is an entire page dedicated to many of the various nationalities of the time that might be found in the Arizona territory. But I didn't want to associate any particular game mechanics to it.

Preparing a March update. Here is a preview of some highlights:

Critters: wrote up 20 more critters ranging from various giant insects to strange beasts.
NPC's: wrote up a dozen more NPC's for the encounters section.
Adventures: dropped in 5 more short adventures, they still need a bit of editing.
Random tables: I thought this section was complete, but generated a few more useful tables to add.
On The Arizona Hills: still hammering away at details, rewrote the introductory chapter and removed some redundancies.
Art, art, art: this remains the bulk of my time spent on this book.

Also lots of little refinement and editing throughout the book, which is of course an ongoing effort right up until the book is published.

Still pushing to get a review PDF copy out to the backers as soon as it is ready.

The Gunslinger Core Rule Book writing is finished!

Last night I finished adding more content to mounts, treasures, human encounters, and the section on important NPC's. It is a time consuming task writing up stats for characters of various levels and the ability scores. But it's done. That was the final section of the Core Rules to be completed. Are there some errors? No doubt, there always are. But the text is as clean as I can make it. It is currently clocking in at 128 pages. Substantially more than I'd originally estimated. So the KS backers, and you, are getting a lot more content, this is making for a much better developed book.

So with that huge milestone completed what is left? You guessed it; the art. At least now I know where all the holes to fill with art are, so I can finalize the list of images that need to be completed.

There is one more important thing to complete: On the Arizona hills adventure. This is pretty well developed so it is mostly a matter of formatting. I've set a hard goal of next Wednesday, May 9th to finish this. I've set hard dates before and blown past them, but I can't keep doing that. Other projects are in the pipeline calling for my attention.

Here is a sample NPC. The notorious con artist Richard C. Flower

Huckster; LVL: 5; hp: 30; AC: 14; Atk: +4/+0; Dam: 1d4 (derringer); Move: 30'; ML: 8; AL: Neutral; Save: 12; XP: 3,000
STR 14 (+1), DEX 12 (+0), CON 14 (+1), INT 14 (+1), WIS 14 (+1), CHA 16 (+2)

Richard C. Flower was a notorious con artist active in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, best known for masterminding the infamous Spenazuma swindle in Arizona. A charismatic and persuasive figure, Flower convinced investors to pour money into his fictitious Spenazuma Gold Mining and Milling Company, promising lucrative returns from a non-existent mine. Utilizing fabricated maps, expertly forged documents, and staged site visits, Flower successfully deceived investors and amassed a fortune from the scheme. His swindle eventually unraveled, and he faced legal consequences for his actions. Despite his criminal activities, Flower remains a fascinating figure in the annals of American history, embodying the era's larger themes of greed, ambition, and exploitation.

How did it turn out?