This is an overview piloted by Doomtown Demoer Beau Roudebush who suggests a more free-form semi-scripted version of the typical PBE David Orange demo. A link to the main scripted demo is at the end. Enjoy partners!
I love Doomtown, and what I love even more is introducing drifters to my favorite game. For my earliest demos, I simply gave the new player a deck, told them to shuffle and cut, and then have at it. The first few demos went off without untoward incidents. And…nothing…as the Weird West version of Mana Screw reared its ugly head. The demo player simply did not have nor could they draw any playable cards. No deeds to generate income or bestow useful benefits. Not to mention overly expensive dudes, or unplayable actions. Discards and redraws that failed to jumpstart the game. Well pardners, I’m here to tell you that ten to fifteen minutes of “Pass” do not a convert to Doomtown make.
Then again, sometimes, the game moves too fast and without apparent rhyme or reason. Phases and turns merge into a blur of cards and verbiage, leaving the would-be player resembling this hapless pianist – flat-footed and confused. Another lesson learned the hard way: playing the game is not the same as learning the game.
The first takeaway is to remember is that a demo serves not only to get the new player excited about Doomtown, but to also gain sufficient confidence to actually PLAY the game on their own. Let me bring in an example from professional wrestling: Randy “Macho Man” Savage vs. Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3. It was beautiful, it was art, it was poetry in motion. That match was also nearly 100% scripted.
Ah yes, the scripted demo where every play is thought out beforehand and presented in a clear-cut, logically developed sequence that demonstrates the key features of Doomtown. I prefer this fully scripted approach when I have a fixed and limited amount of time, e.g. thirty-minute slots at a convention. Many gamers, however, prefer a more active involvement when they partake of a demo. That said, a scripted demo also remains useful for those players who have the game, but for any number of reasons need to teach themselves.
A compromise demo between totally free-form versus totally scripted is what pro wrestlers refer to as ‘calling it in the ring’ where after a beginning setup, freeform moves segue into a series of spots, leading to a bang-up finale. So I’m here to set up those ‘spots’ for you that will showcase some of Doomtown’s signature features and mechanics, while hopefully providing the new player with an overall positive gaming experience.
So to mangle another quote, “Let’s get ready to ruuuuuuuuumble!”
This demo uses decks created from one box of Doomtown: Weird West Edition
Demo Dude (person conducting demo) – Law Dogs
Demoee –(person learning game) – Outlaws (start 4 dudes, omitting Allie Hensman)
0. Intro/setup
Card types
Card anatomy
Win Condition (Control Points > INFluence)
Outfit & Starting Gang costs etc.
(pay COST now, not Upkeep)
Turn 1 – basic game phases, noon actions
Lowball/Gambling, Production, Upkeep
(pay any Upkeep, but not costs)
Noon Actions-feat. Shoppin’ n Movin’ (LD use common sense, options given for OUT)
1rst spot: Try really hard to get OUT to play a Deed in this priority:
1rst: Hunter Protections (Miranda synergy), Charlie’s Place (Miranda Bullets)
2nd: deed other than Mayor’s Office (Longstrides Ranch can pay for a Pinto)
3rd: Mayor’s Office – expensive (4GR) vs. Income (2GR)
(covers losing lowball, paying Miranda’s upkeep, but play other deeds first)
*** Big idea: “Playing a deed to generate income” is the first spot.
2nd spot: IF OUT played deed (or lacks deeds) AND has GR left over, attach a goods:
1rst Priority: Tusk (cheapest +1 bullet), LeMat Revolver (next cheapest +1 bullet)
Pinto (particularly w/ Longstrides Ranch) move booted into shootout
2nd Priority: Mustang (noon movement), Pearl Handled Revolver (cheap stud)
NO Priority (do NOT buy during demo): La Quema (expensive), Faithful Hound
*** Big Ideas: “Bullet buffs 4 Miranda”, mobility, card draw (deed in T2)
3rd spot: Movement: Move to a deed and use its abilities and/or move to TS
*** Big Idea: 3 Free Moves, otherwise Boot (explain)
4rth spot: Using a Noon Ability: depends on cards played
at minimum use home abilities for each outfit (Use Jacqueline Isham for OUT)
(OUT NOT play Kidnappin’ or Mugging– jobs require understanding ‘the basics’)
*** TURN 1 High Noon Big Ideas: buy a Deed, and/or Good(s) but save 1 GR for T2 lowball and ideally 2 GR to cover :Miranda’s upkeep especially if OUT doesn’t have Deed to play.
—> If encounter Mana Screw (e.g. OUT has only expensive/useless cards) – play what you can to get more cards T2 and save 1-2 GR to pay for possibly losing lowball and Miranda’s upkeep. Keep going until a deed is drawn or enough goods to buff Miranda a bit.
Sundown and Nightfall
OUT – home ability- ‘take the money and run’ e.g. 1 GR
Turn 2 – Shootouts 2 ways
*** Big idea 1: one shootout demonstrates power of Stud bullets. Another shootout demonstrates the power of card tech.
Gambling, Production, Upkeep as usual
Play out turns until OUT has buffed Miranda to 4 Stud AND can move from a location to the Town Square for a shootout either via being unbooted or having Pinto or Mustang etc.
For the first shootout – DO NOT USE SHOOTOUT ABILITIES even if in hand or in play
5th spot: Shootout 1: Ideally get Miranda buffed to at least 4 stud
via Hunter Protections, Charlie’s Place, Tusk/LeMat, Belligerence
plus support – Jacqueline Isham and/or dude w/ PHR.
Encourage OUT to cheat to get 4oaK or 5oaK
LD – Move “Thunder Boy” Nabbe to Town Square and call out Jackie.
Tommy, Hattie and Rob join Tommy’s posse.
Miranda joins Jackie if unbooted. Otherwise, she uses a Pinto as a Shootout ability.
Shootout traits: Jackie and “Thunder Boy”
Choose Shooters: Maximum Stud bullets (Jackie and “Thunder Boy”)
supported by others in posse (1 bullet of type)
‘pull punches’ to max out at legal FH so it’s likely that LD loses even w/ Tommy’s trait (Philip is card draw only)
🡪 BIG IDEA: power of Stud bullets
6th spot: Shootout 2: Use card tech (including OUT)
RESET as at start of playing shootout abilities from the first shootout
(this is a DEMO)
Big Idea: LD has some combo of FotD, SiYE, TSJR nerfs Miranda and Jackie
e.g. shootout hand likely to draw 6, redraw at most 1 or 2.
OUTlaws can tap into some combo of HitS, PW, PD
🡪 This could get fugly with both sides ending up nerfed and having low card draws
So that’s a ‘call it in the ring’ demo can be shortened to:
Intro game setup stuff
T1 bookkeeping (lowball, production, upkeep)
Noon Actions (the above notes are for Demo Dude benefit to guide them to guide OUT player)
play a deed
play a goods
movement
Sundown/Nightfall
T2 Shootouts 2 ways
Stud Bullets
Card Tech
*** That’s the Demo. If they want and there is time, play out the game or start a game from scratch. Here is a fully scripted demo that covers two full turns.
Topics NOT covered to include in continued play or further demos:
Borrowing for Gambling ante
Opposing Deeds – movement, control, bounties, shootouts, etc.
Out of Town Deeds
Headlines
Jobs
Skills & Pulls – Spells & Gadgets/Totems
Kung Fu
Harrowed
Sidekicks
Next Matchups (still using PBE official starter decks):
Entrepreneurs vs. Fearmongers (gadgets, spells, basic jobs, headlines)
Anarchists vs. First Peoples (Kung Fu, Totems)