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Deadlands spin-off card game Doomtown gets a new Weird West edition

Cowboys, cults and cards.

Doomtown, a card game series set within the same world as the Deadlands RPG, has a new edition.

Called Doomtown: Weird West Edition, the newest version of the expandable card game updates the tabletop title from its previous 2014 edition with a new base set and a fresh set of mechanics. Introduced in the Weird West Edition are town square markers - which are a deck of tarot cards which can be used to represent any alternative rules currently being used during the game - as well as the shooting range mechanic, which provides players with a mulligan option that can be combined with a town square marker.

Other new aspects added in the Weird West Edition include gomorra, a variant that has players using a countdown clock to provide a faster conclusion to a game when players are not using control points, alongside other variants called tombstone deadly shootout - which can be used to make shootouts more dangerous - and deadwood, a mode for players who want to create conflict through deeds.

The Weird West Edition also comes with ways for players to integrate their existing Doomtown card collection, such as solo game modes and a two versus one co-op mode.

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Doomtown is a card game that sees players competing against each other as rival factions that exist within the world of Deadlands, with the playable factions including law dogs, outlaws, entrepreneurs, fearmongers, first peoples and anarchists. In the game, players are aiming to have the more control points that their opponent has influence, with control points being gained by playing deeds from their own hands, taking control of their opponent’s deeds and winning shootouts.

Players must choose which faction they intend to play with, as well as an outfit to represent them. Both players start with five dudes on the board, with those dudes then being assigned to deeds or moved into a position to initiate a shootout with their opponent. Both players will be wrestling for control over deeds on the table, with resulting shootouts being resolved via a short game of poker.

Doomtown: Weird West Edition is being released by Pine Box Entertainment, via a partnership with Pinnacle Entertainment - the studio behind Deadlands - and is otherwise responsible for releasing the mico card game Moods of the Mad King.

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Deadlands is a horror tabletop roleplaying game that presents an alternative version of 19th century USA wherein monsters and magic roam the frontier. Due to a cataclysmic event, ordinary people - though they might not be aware of it - can come into contact with strange creatures from another world or accomplished mage users. Based on the Savage Worlds RPG system, the most recent edition of Deadlands: Weird West was praised by Johnny in a preview article for its approach to granular storytelling and rewriting of previously uncomfortable lore around the American Civil War.

The Kickstarter for Doomtown: Weird West Edition is live until September 8th, with a pledge of $60 (£44) getting backers a copy of the physical game in May 2022. Players can also get a print-and-play version of the game for a pledge of $25 (£19).

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