Down & Out In The Wretched Country & The Gunslinger rpg - OSR Campaign Commentary

  When it comes to our  Wretched Old West campaign things have slowed to a crawl. So I've been rethinking the weirder/horror aspect of this campaign after reading Lord Matteus's Creating a Wild West campaign blog article. 

 I agree with most of what he said and the OSR resources that were sited. However I really love Thomas Denmark's Gunslinger rpg because it really brings home the 'Weird Old West' vibe in spades. Everything from ancient American Indian magic items, gods, etc. and then there's the classic OD&D monster analogies. 

  Gunslinger rpg is a great addition with Wretched Folklore: Enhanced Edition which updates the monsters, rules, etc. so that we get a complete supernatural picture of the Old West weirdness & occult horror. 

Wretched Folklore Enhanced has some great abstract Shou- Lin Martial Arts rpg system rules & works very well to bring that 70's Old West rpg film feel. This means that you can add temples, do joes, and more to your 1900's game campaigns. 
This same goes for the American Indian Shamanism within the Wretched Folklore supplement. This gets deep into dealing with the Beyond and it's relationship with this Shamanism. We get a deep dive into creating Steampunk contraptions and devices. This dovetails right into the PC's Engineer Super Science  rules with the Gunslinger rpg. These contraptions could be employed by mad scientists during the American Civil War. These are only going be one of horrors that could be added into the free Wretched Dixie campaign setting. Some of these contraptions could have slipped into the Beyond only  to be waiting to be unleashed again. 

 These horrors could then be uncovered in the Old West as Civil War veterans become desperate to resurrect an army. These events can coincide with RPG Pundit's The Pundit Files 25 provides a comprehensive timeline for events occurring in the wild west. The Old West is going to be 100% ground zero for the supernatural and occult events. 

Review & Commentary A Fist of Blood & Dust by Olivar Tripas For the Wretched Country Rpg & Other Wild West OSR Games

 "The Indians are not yet completely pacified, the roads are still unsafe for pioneers and adventurers of all kinds, and the unexplored territories are full of gold…or bad encounters. In this realm of unknown and danger, a band of misfits – an alcoholic priest, an ancient cult witch, a bounty hunter, a former sheriff, and an Indian – unite to embark on a perilous journey that leads them from the Canadian border to the Rocky Mountains, from the ancestral Indian lands of the Crow people to the heart of frightening and unknown territories. By combining their strengths and knowledge, they attempt to thwart the designs of the one known as the Profaner, a supernatural entity awakened from a long sleep with only one desire: To plunge the Wild West into an era of unprecedented chaos and desolation."

A Fist of Blood & Dust is a a weird western spaghetti by Olivar Tripas (Tears of Belphegor) was the latest adventure to come my way straight outta of the Red Room's vaults.
And the first thing to understand about this module is that it's not a module this is a fully blown mini campaign unto itself. And in seventy five pages manages to cover the gamut of old Western weirdness & horror in spades. The artwork within A Fist of Blood & Dust is A.I. but it's well done A.I. artwork and it suits the weirdness of the adventure. As the player's Wretched Country PC's get thier necks up into a boat load of horror. With that being said I'm not going to spoilt the plot & horrors of A Fist of Blood & Dust. A Fist of Blood & Dust is a tightly written adventure that covers it's material & encounters well. The horror is both mundane & external. And the external is nasty & highly dangerous biting into local myth & legend with equal easy. 

A Fist of Blood & Dust really cements the OSR campaign Wild West horror feel as it takes the PC's into it's Italian horror depths. And through the whole of it's rich encounters, complex NPC's and depths of it's plot. There's a lot to deal with within A Fist of Blood & Dust & it's a great addition to the growing Wretch Country product line. Do I think you should pick it up?! Hell yes if your looking for a very different OSR Wild West themed horror adventure then A Fist of Blood & Dust is for you! 
A Fist of Blood & Dust is a highly stylized Italian horror adventure with a solid block of encounters, good writing, and more. 

Review & Commentary On "Coldheart Canyon" By Sílvia Clemente, & Miguel Ribeiro From The Red Room For The Wretched Country Rpg

 "Coldheart Canyon is heavily inspired by John Carpenter's "not western westerns", especially Ghosts of Mars; any similarity is not a coincidence but an homage! The adventure is meant to be played as a one-shot, taking place over a single night, from dusk to dawn."

"The party arrives at a small forsaken town in the desert; they are beaten from the arduous voyage and in need of some respite, but what they find is a ghost town. Dudleytown appears empty at first, it seems like everybody has just vanished. Slowly the horrifying truth starts to be revealed. In the canyon, nearby miners have awakened an ancient alien force, that ravenously spread across town. There will be no rest tonight!"

 "Coldheart Canyon" By Sílvia Clemente, &  Miguel Ribeiro is a ripper of an adventure! The set up is a one horse town's mine  used to have gold & now the miners have awakened something very murderous & dangerous. The set up reveals the details; "The party arrives at a small forsaken town in the desert; they are beaten from the arduous voyage and in need of some respite, but what they find is a ghost town. Dudleytown appears empty at first, it seems like everybody has just vanished. Slowly the horrifying truth starts to be revealed.In the canyon, nearby miners have awakened an ancient alien force, that ravenously spread across town.There will be no rest tonight!"  "Coldheart Canyon"  is for the  Wretched Country rpg & that game can handle anything from a straight up bank robbery to pillaging & murdering with little issue. But can Wretched Country handle a 1970's style Assault On Precinct 13 but done as a Western?! 

The short answer to this question is that yes "Coldheart Canyon" By Sílvia Clemente, &  Miguel Ribeiro can handle it in spades. Why!? Because of the way that Coldheart Canyon is laid out. This is a completely done location adventure. NPC's are described & motives are laid bare, buildings & locations are completely fleshed out, and the whole package is thrust into the spotlight. And it's only then that we learn what & whom is behind the evil that is infecting Coldheart Canyon. And this is a formula that we've seen in other Red Room products. This isn't a bad thing because of the fact that Coldheart Canyon plugs directly into the Wretched Country rpg make up. 

 "Coldheart Canyon" By Sílvia Clemente, &  Miguel Ribeiro has the perfect set up for a zombie or weird possessed riot & siege in the style of John Carpenter. And yes this is a perfect Halloween adventure. And  "Coldheart Canyon"  continues the Red Room tradition of upping the quality of the adventures that continue to be produced. The A.I. artwork is better. the cartography is better, and even the writing seems a bit crisper. Not that the writing has been bad at all. 

And  "Coldheart Canyon"  could actually be used with Wretched Époque & Wretched Country to create an ultimate early 1900's Western cum horror OSR game campaign.  "Coldheart Canyon"   is going to be a brutal blood bath & so the DM should be prepared with extra PC sheets & more ammo. The party is going to need it! 

"Coldheart Canyon" By Sílvia Clemente, &  Miguel Ribeiro From The Red Room For The Wretched Country Rpg Is Available Here