The Quick & the Dead

THE QUICK AND THE DEAD is really two supplements; one is extra toys and background for a Deadlands game and the other is a gazetteer from The Epitaph. The first part I can take or leave. It has new hexes, new guns, rules for knacks and black magic, new archetypes, new monsters, new edges/hindrances, just more of everything. It's nice, but I can sit down and make those up too. The additional Marshal's background is interesting and adds more depth to the Deadlands world. But the really useful part is The Epitaph - no player or Marshal should be without it. This issue of The Epitaph is pretty much a Player's Guide to the Deadlands. It explain politics, geography, history, famous people, famous places, monsters, diseases, and a whole host of other things. The information here helps to define the borders of the Deadlands space. After reading it, I had a much better feel for what my characters might encounter in different parts of the country or what and where might be interesting to investigate. Don't leave this important issue out of your collection.

This books adds some welcome new seeds for characters and stories alike, along with more than a few bits of humor (Roswell, NM and "Fort 51", to name the two most obvious). Though the basic game book alone provides an excellent skeleton and generous portions of meat (and gore), herein is a second and third helping of tasty ideas. Naturally, there's still lots of room on the plate for the Marshall to add his (or her) own special touches without seeming too sparse. Overall, a well-done supplement that belongs in the library of every posse and Marshall.