What is Deadlands?

Deadlands is a tabletop RPG that mashes up the Wild West, horror, and the supernatural into a genre all its own: the Weird West. First published in 1996 by Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Deadlands is set in an alternate-history American West where a cataclysmic event called the Reckoning tore open the veil between worlds.

The Reckoning happened on July 3, 1863, when a Sioux shaman named Raven performed a ritual to drive out the white settlers. The ritual worked — but it also unleashed the Reckoners, ancient entities that feed on fear. Now the West is haunted: the undead walk, mad scientists build impossible machines, hucksters gamble with spirits, and the land itself is twisted by supernatural terror.

The Weird West

Deadlands’ setting is a twisted mirror of post-Civil War America. The Union and Confederacy still fight. The railroads push west. But now there are zombie outbreaks, haunted mines, and towns where the dead don’t stay buried. The Great Maze — a region of California swallowed by the Reckoning — is a nightmarish landscape of impossible geology and ancient horrors.

Technology is steampunk-adjacent: mad scientists (called Mad Scientists) build death rays, robots, and other impossible devices powered by a supernatural energy called ghost rock — a mineral that burns hotter than coal and reeks of brimstone.

Why Play Deadlands?

• Unique genre blend: Western + horror + steampunk + dark humor. Nothing else plays like Deadlands.
• Card-based initiative: Instead of rolling for initiative, players draw from a standard poker deck. It’s thematic, tense, and adds a gambling element to every fight.
• Huckster magic: Spellcasters gamble with spirits by playing poker. The spirits help — if you win the hand. If you lose, things get ugly.
• Dark humor: Deadlands doesn’t take itself too seriously. The tone is spaghetti western meets EC Comics, with a wink and a nudge.

Core Mechanics

Deadlands uses a unique system based on polyhedral dice and playing cards. Characters have “Traits” rated with dice (d4 to d12), and you roll the appropriate die + a “Wild Card” d6 for important actions. The higher the die type, the better you are.

Bennies are tokens you can spend to reroll, reduce damage, or activate special abilities. They’re earned through good roleplaying and heroism — a great meta-currency that rewards the tone the game wants.

What You Need to Play

• Deadlands: The Weird West (Savage Worlds edition) — The current version uses the Savage Worlds system ($40-50)
• Savage Worlds dice — d4, d6, d8, d10, d12 (or the core SWADE rulebook)
• A standard deck of playing cards — For initiative and huckster magic
• Poker chips or tokens — For Bennies
• A Marshal — The GM in Deadlands