Play for Blood – Outlaw Grifters in Welcome to Deadwood

Play for Blood – Outlaw Grifters in Welcome to Deadwood

Oct 23, 2020 | Design, Doomtown, News, Organized Play, Tombstone

by David Lapp

In 2019, Pine Box Entertainment revived the Doomtown Badge Events. This included the Marshal round-ups at major conventions as a carryover from the AEG era of the game. PBE also introduced three new events: The Agent, Ranger, and finally Marshal of Tombstone for the major destination event in Tombstone itself. To coincide with these events, the cast of Saving Throw WildCards portrayed Doomtown characters in a three-part act known as the Twilight Protocol Trilogy (Act I linked). To thank the cast for their contributions to providing live fiction for the Weird West world of Doomtown set in 1882, Pine Box wanted to honor the cast’s characters from the original WildCards 5-season series on Twitch, by inserting them into the Doomtown game itself. This started in the expansion, ‘Hell’s Comin’ With Me,’ with the debut of Gabriel Prior. We even honored the Marshal himself with the Marshal Caves Callarman card. That left us with four remaining cast members, the next of which appears in ‘Welcome to Deadwood.’

 

 

Rosaleen Saorise Byrne is a character appearing in Wildcards videos set in Deadlands. Created by Meghan Caves, Byrne is the posse’s huckster with an intense loyalty to Gabriel Prior. She made her first appearance in Episode 0 – Character Creation. You can engage with the cast of WildCards and their fans on their Discord channel. Rosaleen was first spoiled during Meghan’s Savage Mysterium game here.

As the fifth grifter to be featured in our playtest articles, Rosaleen follows the trend thus far of card cycling/fetching. Arthur Dingler provides a peak into upcoming cards for a mulligan and Entrepreneur twist to lowball. Yasmin Tian allows a discard and draw while providing dual options for a Blessed/Kung Fu starting gang member. Sifting Squirrel provides the potential for additional cards with Shaman/Kung Fu First Peoples players, and Dr. JT Goodenough lets you start the game with a gadget in play. Rosaleen Byrne assists to help provide a more ideal starting hand by simply discarding and drawing exactly two cards. Providing one influence and the Huckster keyword, she can help cycle to a starting hex, cheatin’ resolution, deed, or whatever tool you seek at the time.

The first deck type that Rosaleen supports is any starting gang for Den of Thieves. The errata on Rico Rodegain hurt the original starting gang for this deck with the loss of influence. With Rosaleen, you have the chance to create an even better starting hand, have a solid second Grifter for use with your Outfit ability, and increase your starting influence. The decks ‘Jordan Caldwell’ and I played in the finals of GenCon 2016 can both be updated with Rosaleen. Here you’ll find an example of updating this playstyle to switch from a blitz to a swarm deck. Milt (or Fred Aims if you suspect landslide), Makeio, and Rosaleen (replacing Pete in the link) are your locked in starting dudes. Jake Smiley and Travis Moone swap out for Allie Hensman, Willa Mae, or Virginia depending on what you feel is best for your matchup. You can even bring in Barton Everest if you want to blitz.

Rosaleen is equally great in the ‘Sluckster’ style deck, replacing or adding to the general starting gang that includes Maria Kingsford and/or Antheia Pansofia just for the starting influence Huckster. Try her in this build from the Name-A-Card Online Event instead of Maria or this one from Origins 2019.

 

Spoilers!

At the time this article was initially written, I had mistakenly posted the linked list noting that Rosaleen replaced Gina, having thought she was value 3. Upon further review of the deck, I’d like to provide you with spoilers that include a couple of the heavy hitting actions in ‘Welcome to Deadwood,’ along with a new experienced dude. 

 

 

Honoring Name-A-Card prizes awarded at PAX Unplugged, both Bad Beat and Play for Blood have their names derived from that round-up in 2018. Play for Blood is guaranteed to make an environment changing splash with the ability to increase your hand rank on ties. Alternatively, you can use the Noon action instead, should you not expect an upcoming Shootout or are trying to dig for a specific card. Bad Beat provides players with a second cheatin’ resolution on value 7 with a Bottom Dealin’ feel to it. With Bad Beat causing a player to replace their hand with the top 5 of their own deck, this allows you to not have to run a looser draw structure you generally find from running Bottom Dealin’. The ability to steal ghost rock if they’re still cheatin,’ makes this card appealing to play in lowball as well.

 

 

In the above referenced Twilight Protocol Events, players and the Badge winners helped influence both the Doomtown storyline and upcoming cards. As a result of the Ranger Badge event, Willa Mae MacGowan joined the Ranks of the Texas Rangers. The Experienced version of this card allows you to save a dude that had been targeted by Pinned Down or Black Owl. Additionally, Willa Mae can save a dude in her posse and end a shootout if that was your only other dude.

The following updates the linked Den of Thieves list with the additional cards to try out:

Den of Thieves
Dude (19)
1x Jake Smiley*
1x Rosaleen Byrne*
1x Travis Moone*
1x Makaio Kaleo, Esq.*
1x Milt Clemons*
1x Allie Hensman
1x Fred Aims
1x Buford Hurley
1x Funtime Freddy
1x Genesee “Gina” Tailfeathers
1x Lawrence Blackwood
1x Ol’ Howard
1x Black Owl
1x Marion Seville
1x Barton Everest
1x Virginia Ann Earp
1x Willa Mae MacGowan (Exp.1)
1x Travis Moone (Exp.1)
1x Antoine Peterson

Deed (10)
1x The Orphanage
1x Notary Public
1x Yan Li’s Tailoring
1x Hustings
1x Clanton Ranch
1x B & B Attorneys
1x Town Council
1x Gateway Station
1x Ike’s Place
1x Hunter Protections

Goods (10)
2x Bowie Knife
2x Shotgun
4x Tusk
2x LeMat Revolver

Action (13)
2x The Stakes Just Rose
2x Sun in Yer Eyes
3x Coachwhip!
1x Play for Blood
3x Kidnappin’
1x Bad Beat
1x Ricochet

 

Whatever style of Outlaw deck you prefer, Rosaleen is sure to find her way into many Outlaw deck builds in a post Welcome to Deadwood environment.

You can pre-order Welcome to Deadwood, shipping in November, through your FLGS or directly from Pine Box Entertainment here.

Around the Deadlands: Doomtown Story in 2020

Around the Deadlands: Doomtown Story in 2020

Apr 22, 2020 | Community, Doomtown, News, Organized Play, Story

As we previously presented Pine Box Entertainment’s plans for 2019, we’d like to now take the time to discuss the plans for Doomtown fiction in 2020. If you haven’t read it yet, head on over the Gomorra Dispatch and check out the standalone tale, “The Temptation of Brother Petrovic,” based on decisions made by you, the players, at GenghisCon.

Earlier this year, we featured a three story continuing the Tombstone storyline after the events that occurred at the Doomtown Destination Event in Tombstone, as detailed in “Falling Star.” Act I: The Aftermath, April 1882, Act II: The Search for Coot Jenkins, and Act III: The Castle, continuing the hunt for Lucy’s killer. 

The following is our plans for the Doomtown fiction team for the rest of 2020.

Jason Pere will continue these post Doomtown events that last left us with a posse heading to Gettysburg. Join us as the story leads back to Tombstone. At this point, Jeff Bailey will usher in a new chapter for the town too tough to die.

Owen Lean, in coordination with the UK Marshall Badge event, will bring us the first fiction on the path to Deadwood as we follow Jonah Essex and his new posse, determined by the players at GenCon 2019: Christine Perfect, Allie Hensman, Tonton Macoute. This fiction will also introduce a new character, “Dynamite” Jacc, created by Gen Con winner Chase Causey, and debuting this fall in the next Doomtown expansion, ‘Welcome to Deadwood.’

With COVID-19 currently placing organized play on hold, we continue to plan for fiction that will be based on the interactions this game offers it’s players, and thus plan further stories accordingly based on what events can occur later this year. Stay safe everyone and thank you for continuing to follow us around the Weird West.

Tombstone Wrap-Up and Results

Tombstone Wrap-Up and Results

Oct 29, 2019 | Community, Doomtown, News, Organized Play, Tombstone

Fresh back from Tombstone, Pine Box Entertainment looks back on each day of events in “The Town Too Tough to Die!”

Wednesday: A Coach Comes to Town: First to arrive was the Berkeley, CA playgroup, who had the largest showing from any area and had the most members in Top 8! Outings were had to the Wyatt Earp Oriental Saloon, Tombstone Brewery, and Big Nose Kate’s while waiting for others to arrive into town.

Thursday: Design an Auction, Pine Box Meet & Greet Dinner, Multi-Player Round-Up: Players competed on the outside patio of the Four Deuces Saloon to see who will work with Lead Designer Richard Carter on a new Auction card! Zachary Seldon took top of Swiss, earning the new Peacekeeper playmat!

Following the games, everyone joined together for dinner at the Crystal Palace Saloon, a card featured in the next expansion, Hell’s Comin With Me! At that time players did short presentations about their deck, and David Winner was voted “Best Theme Deck,” titled Dora the Explorer, earning him an engraved Doomtown gavel and the card prize!

That evening players joined actors at The Oriental Saloon, as featured from the Kickstarter, There Comes A Reckoning, where Pine Box gave demos to the actors, filming began on the Doomtown documentary, and players engaged in multiplayer games including the use of a poker table from the venue shows!

Friday: Touring “The Town Too Tough to Die” & O’s Call Out: Players and their families toured the town stopping at the OK Corral & Historama, Tombstone Epitaph, Bird Cage Theater, Courthouse Historic State Park, and Boot Hill!

After a group dinner at the Longhorn Restaurant, several players attended a Deadlands game with Shane Hensley himself while others headed out to Johnny Ringo’s for David Orange’s Thieves Call Out event. Players challenged others to gain bounty for notoriety! Lee Patrick Fair was our top bounty followed by Tomas Ramirez as top Outlaw and Will Herrmann as top Law Dog!

Saturday: A Fight They’ll Never Forget: On the 138th anniversary of the street fight behind the OK Corral players gathered for the main event, receiving a special participation prize of a Tombstone-themed bicycle deck, along with promos of art provided from the city of Tombstone for a card titled “Murdered in Tombstone,” as well as special Pedro and Twilight Legion cards! Players competed and voted based on the current fiction on Gomorra Dispatch on who would survive the fight at the Clanton Ranch.

While the sides of the Law Dogs (17 players) and Bayou Vermillion (12 players) fought in this epic showdown, the law succeeded in eliminating Ike Clanton, Johnny Ringo, and Curly Bill from the fight, but little did they know, following the plot from Deadlands: Stone and a Hard Place, the Deadly Drifter himself arrived to take out Wyatt, Virgil, and Doc, as Wendy stared in horror, noticing Lucy was still wearing her badge….

Not only this, but the Cackler himself made it through to Top 8 the next day! Players wondered nervously what would happen if the side of the law or evil would take hold of Tombstone.

Wildcards Twilight Protocol Act III: The Twilight Legion and Twilight is Upon Us: Following a long break into town, players enjoyed a live performance from Saving Throw’s Wildcards, continuing the fiction they began at GenghisCon and Chupacabracon, for Act III, the finale of the series! This will be available online, as the other two acts are, for players to view. During the event, players engaged in the Twilight is Upon Us side event, where Lee Patrick Fair won top of Swiss and tallying up the previous convention events, the side of the Heroes (vs. Reckoners) were up by 1 point, solidifying that the town of Tombstone will receive a relic for the side of the heroes to help against evil.

Sunday: The Duel: In an epic finale, The Cackler (represented by David Hogg), faced against the Law Dogs (represented by Lee Patrick Fair), in a Full Moon Brotherhood v. Law Dogs matchup for the fate of Lucy, who was even in Lee’s starting posse! In the end, Hogg was successful and is our Marshal of Tombstone!


This means in the upcoming fiction by Jeff Bailey, the fate of Lucy will be told, and this will have ramifications on the world of Deadlands itself, as David Hogg will collect data from all that happened in Tombstone and present it to Pinnacle Entertainment Group for use in the upcoming Deadlands supplements!

In the side event during Top 8, a Fear Level Variant event, Joe James took top of Swiss, also earning a new Peacekeeper mat! The action continued as players played Doomtown well into the night followed by another community dinner.

Stay tuned for the epilogue to this fiction after the PAX Unplugged event: Somethin’ About Some Bullets, as we find out how Wendy will respond. Going into 2020, Owen Lean will bring us updated fiction as we follow Jonah Essex to the town of Deadwood!

Pine Box Entertainment thanks Saving Throw, Pinnacle Entertainment, and all the players who joined us for this amazing destination event! Our 2020 Destination Event will be in Copenhagen with the Deadlands: Dark Ages theme!

Tombstone Worlds Event Schedule

Tombstone Worlds Event Schedule

Aug 15, 2019 | Community, Doomtown, News, Organized Play

Howdy pardners! With the summer conventions over, it’s time to focus on the big shindig this year for Doomtown, the featured Destination Event in the town too tough to die, Tombstone itself! October 26, the 138th anniversary of the legendary Street Fight between the Earps and the Cowboys, finds Doomtown players facing off to badge a new Marshal champion!

We have a full schedule of social events and games as well as options for those bringing the entire family. Also, check out the surrounding area.

What is Tombstone?

From Tombstone’s Chamber of Commerce, here’s what to expect:

“It is three blocks of old west American History …. coupled with a million miles of guest expectations. Tombstone is a living town. It is not a theme park. It doesn’t have a designated time to Open or to Close. The Towns People/Residents are devoted, passionate, driven and sometimes Over the Top about Promoting the Town that they love – Tombstone AZ. All the business throughout Tombstone AZ are individually owned. There are no chain/big box businesses. A lot of the Town folks (men and women) that you see on the street dressed in period clothing are volunteers from various groups here in Tombstone. You’ll see them whether it is 100 degrees or 30 degrees out talking to guests about Tombstone AZ. There is a love for Tombstone AZ and for the United States, from the Towns People here in Tombstone AZ. That Love is palpable… you can feel it. All of the Towns People together try to provide the guests the best Tombstone AZ experience possible. We aren’t always successful … but we are always moving forward. We are the “Town Too Tough to Die.”

General Information on Tombstone: Chamber of Commerce
Article on Tourism in the Area

What is the theme of the main event?

This year we will focus on both of the current ongoing stories that will come to a conclusion as a result of player choices in this event. One can be found on the Gomorra Dispatch detailing the story thus far told through the eyes of Wendy and Lucy as they came over to Tombstone from Gomorra in October 1881. The other is from the perspective of a posse in May 1882, on track to hunt down the Fourth Ring once and for all. This story can be seen live through Deadlands sessions hosted by the Saving Throw WildCards crew that occurred at Twilight Protocol Part I & II this year at GenghisCon  and ChupacabraCon. 

In Tombstone we present, Act III: The Twilight Legion, as the WildCards once again will be present to tell the final tale of this series!

With the rise of the Cackler, all has seemed lost. Brave souls from across the Weird West have started learning the truth behind the secret “Reckoning.” In the North, the government fights evil through the shadowy “Agency.” The South gave this task to the Texas Rangers; wherever the Reckoners took hold, they would follow. These two organizations did not work together until the Twilight Protocol was invoked. Yet there is another ‘neutral’ third party whose only interest is the survival of humanity – the Twilight Legion.

Players will make choices regarding characters involved in the Showdown at the Clanton Ranch. Meanwhile, the new Marshal impacts the Twilight Protocol story itself based on whether their deck represents the side of the heroes or the Reckoners. If our new Marshal is playing Fearmongers, a Servitor, or an abundance of Abominations, it will have a terrifying impact in Tombstone for the Deadlands universe!

Any tips on how to get in to town or where to stay?

There are several options available. Shuttles available as follows: Shuttle Tucson International, Arizona Sunshine Tours, and Shuttle Tucson. You can also contact the nearby airports directly: Tucson (502-573-8100) and Phoenix (602-273-3300).

For those in need of assistance, the Pine Box coach (12 passenger van in this case) will be picking folks up on Wednesday, October 23, and dropping them off on Monday, October 28, to and from Tucson airport. Just shoot an email out to pineboxentertainment@gmail.com or talk to us on the Discord server so we can coordinate pickup. We have a few other players driving in as well that have offered to assist. So don’t fret pardners, we’ll make sure everyone is taken care of!

Lodging: We have a block of rooms open for reservation at Lookout Lodge. Contact Krishna at landmarklookout@gmail.com or call 520-457-2224 and let him know you are with Pine Box Entertainment. We have double bed rooms blocked off at $85/night for Wed, Oct 23, 2019 to Monday, Oct 28, 2019. Additional options can be found recommended as follows:

Tombstone Grand: 520-457-9507, edge of town
Larian Motel: 520-457-2272, spacious location in town with 14 rooms, but could not be blocked off for the weekend

Smaller hotels with just a few rooms, for those on a family vacation,or want something else:
Allen Street Inn: 520-255-1159
Tombstone Boarding House: 520-457-8075
Sagebrush Inn: 520-457-2311
T. Miller’s Tombstone Mercantile & Hotel & Ice Cream Parlor: 520-457-2405, across from Bird Cage Theater
Wyatt’s Hotel and Coffee House: 520-678-7281

Sounds cool! What’s the plan?

We celebrate this amazing adventure with a full schedule as follows:

Wednesday, October 23, 2019: A Coach Comes to Town

A day dedicated to traveling in and open for everyone to enjoy the town!

Thursday, October 24, 2019: The Quintessential Doomtown Tombstone Crawl

  • Design An Auction: Four Deuces Saloon @12pm. Bring your best theme deck and vote on which player will get to Design a replacement of the Auction card from the Doomtown Base Set! There will be both a prize for the Top of Swiss for this event and players will vote on the best theme deck! 
  • Pine Box Meet & Greet Dinner: Crystal Palace Saloon @5pm. Play some games or just mingle to meet others in this amazing community!
  • Multi-Player Round-Up: Doc Holliday Saloon @7pm: Join us and participate in some games of Doomtown multiplayer in different variations of the format as a casual gathering.

Friday, October 25, 2019: The Town Too Tough to Die

  • Starting at Can-Can Old Time Photos (336 E. Allen St) we will meet at 10am for a group photograph and then continue on to a day of tourism!
  • The schedule continues with stops at the OK Corral, Boot Hill, Courthouse State Historic Park, Bird Cage Theater, Tombstone Epitaph, and San Pedro Conservatory: the site of the Clanton Ranch. Feel free to join us for checking out any or all of these sites!
  • A Test of Wills: Johnny Ringo’s @8pm: Play test for the main round-up or just gather for some casual games in the evening!  Also at Johnny Rngo’s:
     – O’s callout: Thieves take the money and run. Bounty hunters cash in. Unlock achievements, gain attributes, steal ghost rock, collect bounties. David Orange updates this free-for-all GenCon fave with Tombstone twists.

Saturday, October 26, 2019: A Fight They’ll Never Forget (On the 138th Anniversary of The Street Fight)

  • Main Event: American Legion (520-457-2273, 225 E Allen St, Tombstone, AZ 85638) @10am: Votes from the Tombstone Series, where you the players decided on who would be involved in this conflict, will come to a head as the fictions presented in the Pine Box era for the 1881 Tombstone Saga comes to a climax. Player votes in this even will choose the outcome as we announce our plans moving into 2020 to follow Jonah Essex and continue tales in the Weird West. Out for Blood and all previous expansions will be legal for this round-up.
  • Twilight Is Upon Us: American Legion@6pm (following the Swiss rounds of swiss from the main event) Players can participate in an alternate format for Doomtown and enjoy the final act of fiction being presented for the Twilight Protocol Series trilogy, revealing a major event that occurs in the world of Deadlands. After the Deadlands events that occurred in The Cackler, the skies seem a little darker, the vast prairies a little lonelier, distances between burgs a little longer and more dangerous. It’s almost as if a permanent twilight has fallen… Practitioners of black magic find it a little easier to summon their powers. In Doomtown game terms, all Hexes are cast at 1 less cost. Blessed get hit the hardest by the metaphysical dusk. Where once the powers of light bestowed miracles like rock candy, now they’ve been forced to retreat somewhat. By necessity they’ve become selective, doling out arcane help to their chosen with less regularity and variety than they did in the past. In Doomtown game terms, all Blessed who fail a Miracle pull are then booted. The choice is yours. Any player with a deck containing three or more Fearmongers and/or 1 cost hexes, or a Servitor will be playing for the side of the Reckoners, while all other decks will be on the side of the Heroes of the Weird West. Players matchups will help influence the finale of the Twilight Protocol Trilogy, as told by the results of the cut round on Sunday.

Sunday, October 27, 2019: The Duel

  • The Top 8 Face off in elimination rounds @10am at the American Legion, where we will badge a new Marshal and determine the fate of Tombstone!
  • Fear Level Variant Event: During the elimination rounds, players may participate in this experimental alternate format, the details of which will be revealed at the event. Deck construction and legality will have a surprise element only to be revealed as players register for the main round-up the day prior.

Monday, October 28, 2019: Heading for the Wagon Yard

  • I Do My Shootin’ Before Breakfast: Players are invited to gather at the Old West Chuckwagon @8am to debrief with Pine Box to discuss Doomtown, our other projects, the weekend, or any other topics before departing the Town Too Tough to Die! Pine Box can again assist with transportation to Tucson on this date and information is noted above for locating available shuttles as well.

Players can further discuss Tombstone on the Pine Box Forums.

Jonah’s Alliance: Origins, GenCon, and European Round-Ups

Jonah’s Alliance: Origins, GenCon, and European Round-Ups

Jan 19, 2019 | Doomtown, News, Organized Play

“Patience, love. We will all have a role to play in the events to come. You will bring death. And from death, there comes a new beginning.”-Jonah Essex

We’ve already got quite the plans with our destination events in Denver, Austin, and Tombstone this year . But for players attending the usual gaming mega-conventions of Origins and GenCon, and/or European events, we bring the one and only, Jonah Essex to the fore.

This summer, players will make choices about Jonah’s story as we reveal what other plans he was cookin’ up back in Gomorra and his travels after. We will also find out his whereabouts and who he is with. In addition, we anticipate having Out for Blood legal and available at each of the following round-ups!

Jonah’s Alliance: Players attending our major European Round-Up this year in Edinburgh (date TBD) will make the choice on Jonah and his team’s location, choosing a new location in the Weird West for Doomtown to focus on!

Jonah’s Agenda: Player’s attending Origins from June 12-16, continuing last year’s convention theme of Mystery, will choose what exactly Jonah was planning by answering a series of questions through the main event. We’ve also got several multiplayer and Greenhorn events (learn to play/casual play) scheduled for this convention.

Jonah’s Allies: Player’s attending GenCon from August 1-4 will choose Dudes that are part of Jonah’s team, including the winner assisting in choosing a brand-new character to be part of this posse. Similar to Origins, the additional events will focus on multiplayer and Greenhorns.

The action will continue in the major Doomtown August 2020 Destination Event in Copenhagen, in appreciation of our international players and playtesters. We hope to make this an event that rivals the fun we had in Manchester at the 2018 European Championship and we look forward to joining our collective Doomtown family across the pond.