The Blackwater Gulch Weird West Expansion

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**Necros**

We're working on a new expansion for the game, which will likely be done as a Kickstarter campaign this summer (after the current campaign is totally finished

). I've mentioned it here and there, but now I have some semi official plans laid out and we're going to start developing it.

It will all be based around US & Native American folklore. There will be a series of expansions all based on a different folklore theme and each expansion will have 1 new human gang based on the theme, and 1 new monster horde (gang), along with support packs and larger solo monsters and groups of critters. We'll have a small book to accompany it with the new rules that will also include the new professions and fluff and more. We'll also make support packs for some of the old gangs, with the new professions.

I was originally planning to do it as a big boxes game similar to Super Dungeon Explore or Sedition Wars, but we've decided to just expand upon the existing range of miniatures and just turn the whole game world into this weird west setting. But, folks who want to just stick to a normal more historical setting can just play the human gangs as always. We'll also continue to release normal western gangs too, not just all monsters.

Here's a basic outline of what we're aiming for for the initial release:

Concept - New expansion based on Native American Skinwalker (werewolf) legends. Will introduce the rules for monsters and how to create a pack (gang) of supernatural creatures, in addition to Artrillery for humans. Expansion will consist of 1 new human gang (based on monster hunters), 1 Monster Pack, in addition to several human hired guns and monsters.

Unlike humans, monsters do not have individual characters except for the leader (Alpha), all monsters of a certain race/type will have the same stats and abilities. There are 5 different types of Supernatural Creature, depending upon XP. Alpha (pack leader 100xp), Fiend (75xp), Beast (50xp), Varmint (25xp) and Monsters (like Hired Guns 100xp). Fiends, like Professionals, will have special abilities and +1 to an attribute. Beasts are basically henchmen and 2 Varmints count as 1 henchmen for the purposes of gang/pack creation.

A special ability for all supernatural creatures is they may always run & attack as if they have the "Run & Gun" skill. Very few creatures have ranged attacks, so this is to make up for all of the guns people have. Werebats and Mothmen can fly but not run, moving up to 12" and ignoring any obstacles in their path. Werewolves are the most common, thus the Skinwalker starter is just werewolves, other werebeasts will be added via support packs or solo monsters.

New Professions:

Monster Hunter: +1 Strength, -1 bonus to hit supernatural creatures.
Engineer: +1 Intellect, able to use unique weapons, -1 to target number when fixing broken machines or artillery. -1 to hit when firing artillery.

Starter sets:
Unsung - Monster hunter gang leader, engineer, gunslinger & 2 henchmen
Skinwalkers - Werewolf Alpha, 2 werewolves (fiends), 2 chupacabras (beasts)

Support Packs:
Unsung Scouting Party - Prospector, 2 henchmen
Unsung Medical Team - Doctor, 2 henchmen
Skinwalker Mothman - Mothman (fiend), 2 Armadillodon (beast)
Skinwalker Stalkers - WerePuma (fiend), 2 Splintercats (beast)

Hired Guns: Slayers - Ashford Campbell, Samuel Manchester, Dean Manchester

Monsters: (sold separately)
Sasquach
Jersey Devil

Varmints: (sold separately)
Jackalopes (set of 4)
Fangworms (set of 4)

Other werebeasts: Werebat (like Bram Strokers Dracula), WereCroc, WereBison (minotaur)

So that's all we have so far.. still a ways to go

**Kanluwen**

Hah. I missed the Mothman.

I see myself enjoying this thread quite a bit.

**Necros**

Yeah, Mothman might be a little more modern, but we'll give him a western spin. I wanted to do some kind of were-insect and figured that would be a good one.

**Kanluwen**

Why a were-insect and why not have insect swarms as part of the Skinwalker gang?

**Necros**

Because a big insect man thing would be cool

In the fluff it'll be that once the Skinwalker curse takes over, people become whatever animal spirit they have an affinity for. A brave and cunning gunslinger might be a wolf, a tough brute guy would be a bear, someone that might have been an evil murderer type could be an insect. Any skinwalker can join a skinwalker "gang", they don't all have to be wolves, in fact it will be good to diversify the same way a human gang would add different professions.

Yeah we could do swarms. I was just thinking we could do the support packs as 1 fiend, 1 beast and 2 varmints. Then we'll have the extra packs of 4 varmints, or extra beasts. Each support pack though will have a theme, so the Mothman will come with other bugs too. One new rule we'll have for varmints is they can add their attacks together in 1 stronger attack, since they're going to be kind of wimpy by themselves. So, if your varmint has a Melee Combat & strength of 2, if you get 2 of them in combat then they can combine and get +1 for each extra varmint that attacks, so with 2 you would end up with a MC & Str of 3.

**Kanluwen**

That's an interesting way to do it.

Have you thought about having rules for different "Curses" over game boards?

Things like:
Native American Burial Grounds, Graveyard, etc.

**Alpharius**

I'm glad you ditched the "Board Game" concept and went with a "true" tabletop war game instead - I'm WAY more excited about this now!

**Kanluwen**

Alpharius wrote:
I'm glad you ditched the "Board Game" concept and went with a "true" tabletop war game instead - I'm WAY more excited about this now!

Agreed.

The Weird West expansion is what will probably get me to fork out some monies.

Not knocking the Wild West bit, but I'm all about the Weird <Insert Time Period Here> more than the semi-historical/steampunky bits.

**Alpharius**

Exactly!

Dust Warfare's "board game" elements have kept we from jumping in there, and that's saying something as Weird War II is one of my favorite genres!

Weird Wild West looks to be a new favorite of mine though!

**Necros**

Yeah, I like the idea of a big boxed starter set moreso than a board game, but it just seemed like a board game would be the way to do it. Just want something that can make it easier for new people to get into the game. But I think what I'd like to do is just keep it a straight up skirmish game, and maybe in a couple years when it's more established we'll do the big hardback rulebook and then a 2-player starter, maybe something that can come with plastic figs and a small building kit or 2.

**thesilverback**

Sounds interesting can't wait for starters to come out.

**Scorpio**

I was won over by the second Kickstarter, and finding out the game is expanding to the weird west just makes it all the sweeter.

Would love to see a certain tall bearded vampire hunter from Hardin County, Kentucky.

(I'm not proud.)

**Necros**

Haven't seen the movie yet but, yes I'm sure that hunter will make it an appearance

Vampires will come a little later. What I'm basically going to be doing is making each expansion be like a new faction for the game. So currently, it's all 1 big faction of humans. Next will be the Skinwalker "faction" made up of werebeasts and folklore monsters. Then we'll do the undead with vampires and zombie cowboys

The vampires will be the mean and vicious 30 days of night kind, not the snooty rich kid Anne Rice kind or the Emo Kid Twilight kind.

And each expansion will also have new human gangs based on the theme too.

**Scorpio**

Necros wrote:
The vampires will be the mean and vicious 30 days of night kind, not the snooty rich kid Anne Rice kind or the Emo Kid Twilight kind.

You're my hero.

**Kanluwen**

I think having a few of the "snooty rich kid Anne Rice kind" wouldn't be horrible personally.

Different "bloodlines" could definitely come into play. A more feral bloodline that roams the wilderness, devouring entire towns like a plague...and a more "civilized" bloodline which is slowly but surely solidifying a power base in society at large?

I might be reading too much "Dresden Files" to be making suggestions though.

**Necros**

Yeah, trying to put it together so that there's 4 different levels of things based on XP.

So at 100 XP you have the leader type. For skinwalkers that's the Alpha in the pack, undead would be the oldest vampire. 75xp is the professional level so that would be your standard werewolf or younger vamp. 50xp is a large wolf sized animal or a ghoul (running zombies). 25xp are critters or slow zombies.

For skinwalkers, they will have different abilities based on their animal aspect. Could do the same with vampires based on different bloodlines or whatever.. but I don't want to end up just ripping off White Wolf stuff. I also don't want it to turn into Wild West Underworld either, so there will be other new expansions/factions too .. Tommyknockers (goblins) from down in the mines, witches & evil spirits, and maybe star children (aliens) if I can pull that off without it getting too silly.

**Kanluwen**

"Star Children" could definitely be interesting.

**Necros**

Here's the first "green" from Wilde's Rangers, Private Ambler

edit .. oops, meant the post this in the news post :p

**Kanluwen**

You jerk! Making me think we had progress on the Weird West side!

I wonder if the Trickster could make an appearance in the Weird West side of things?

**Necros**

I'm working on it

Been real busy though.. I do most of my writing while I'm bored at work, but work has been too busy lately :( But I've been ironing out the skinwalker pack creation.. mostly the same as creating a gang though, just with critters added in and different skills to choose from.

Also thinking about adding a skill for humans to allow them to add a couple beasts or critters to their gangs as pets, and vise versa where Skinwalkers can add human henchmen (not professionals). Or, just make a couple of hired guns that would work for either side.

**Kanluwen**

Let me know if I can help iron out general theme stuff and the like.

**Necros**

sure, if you have any ideas feel free to share

Right now all I really got is "You can make a gang of were-stuff & monsters"

**Morathi's Darkest Sin**

Hmm, got a quick question. When you say expansion, do you mean this will be still classified as Blackwater Gulch, a different locale entirely or a variant (alternate reality) version of Blackwater Gulch?

**Necros**

It's all taking place in and around the town of Blackwater Gulch. No alternate universe or anything. I was planning for it to take place in a neighboring town, but then I thought since the name of the game is Blackwater Gulch then it should all take place there. I hope to get an artist that can do some maps for the town itself and the surrounding area.

I imagine most monster-y things will be staying away from the town itself and mostly prey upon travelers and people who try to settle where they shouldn't. Most people in towns don't even know they exist, or think of them as legends & stories you tell to scare little kids. Monster Hunters are the only ones who really know it's all real, and most people just think they're nuts. Some of them are, but still.

Skinwalkers will be a whole separate faction/race for the game, and Humans being the other. For folks that want a more historical game they can just keep playing with human gangs as is. Even though there will be monsters and all, I still plan to keep the setting with a mostly historical feel. Like, not going over the top steampunk. Maybe a touch here and there with Engineer's gadgets but still trying to have it all feel semi-realistic.

**porkuslime**

maybe instead of Blackwater Gulch you could use the same town layout but call it Aqua Noir...

As I think on it.. Aqua Noir might be a good name for the Wierd West ruleset...

**Necros**

I think there's a Noir something or other for Deadlands.. that kind of makes me think of like a 1930's mafia kind of setting though.

It's not so much a whole new ruleset, just adding on the rules for making a Skinwalker Pack and listing out some new skills & professions and monsters.

I was planning to call it Curse of the Skinwalker or Skinwalker's Curse.. but still trying to think of something better.

**GiraffeX**

Hi Necros

Had a few thoughts about the Skinwalkers expansion, I started on the bonus characters for the existing gangs first.

Let me know if this is the sort of thing your after and I'll think up some for the other gangs and see what I can come up with for the Skinwalker gangs.

Bonus Figures

Flying Zarconis - Fortune Teller - Doom Spell (gives negative stats to a character for a turn
Wildes Rangers - Dances with Wolves - Wolf and ranger (two model pack)
Widow Makers - Amazonian - Changes into werecat (two model pack)
Bloodwolf Tribe - Indian Shaman - changes into Bear (two model pack)
Bandidos Mexicanos -
Clancy Gang -
Vigilance Commite -
Dockside Drifters -
Tranquillity Crew - Rivers - Goes into Frenzy when attacked shot at
The Secret Fist Clan - Tattooed Man (Dragon) - Summon the strength of the Dragon

**AllDeadDave**

Interesting suggestions.

Perhaps for the remaining.

Bandidos Mexicanos - a Luchador whose crusade is to battle the forces of darkness
Clancy Gang - an escaped circus ape that the Clancy gang uses for muscle
Vigilance Commite - very tempted by the idea of an upstanding citizen with a dark past that transforms into a werebat to fight crime, for some reason.
Dockside Drifters - someone with an Innsmouth look and an alternative fishman form.

I would also love to see Jesse Hooker's gang from Near Dark in the vampire expansion (down the track).

**GiraffeX**

The Luchador for the Bandidos Mexicanos sounds good.

Glancy Gang - I think these are a hard one to come up with an idea for maybe a doctor turned rogue.

I'm not sure on the Batman for the Vigilance Commite, I don't think they would go down the were creature route more something like Zorro (with horse). Mounted and unmounted mini?

Dockside Drifters - I think a fisherman with a big net for capturing monsters.

I dont think all the gangs would have skinwalkers, I think they should be the exception rather than the norm.

Now to think up some ideas for the actual Skinwalker gangs or should that be packs

----------------------------------------------------------

Edit: some ideas on Skinwalker gangs for you.I think this is the best way to go with whats already present via the other sets by doing things in gangs and then adding additional content, for these you could add the big monsters as add on's.

Skinwalkers pack (Assuming 5 models, standard gang size)

Bat
Crocodile
Coyote
Crow
Snake

Based on Navajo superstition these are mutated human creatures (by their animal) that steal the skin off their victims.

Lycanthrope pack (assuming 6 models 3 human form and 3 werewolf form (Standing))

Cowboy versions of the below (pic taken from the Skinwalkers movie at the bottom of this post)

Outsiders (assuming 6 models 3 human form and 3 wolf form)

The would be the Wood cuter and drifter type folk who live outside of the town. They would be your native werewolves but transform to large wolves rather than werewolves. Thinking in terms of the latest Red Riding Hood film, you could have Red Riding Hood as the leader but she wouldnt transform (always good from a selling point).

Wendingos - (assuming 6 models 3 human form and 3 wendingo form)

Can only transform after eating a downed enemy. Folklore says they transform after they perform cannibalism.

----------------------------

Lycanthrope pack pic

**Necros**

Some good ideas

The plan was that Skinwalkers will be their own race/faction and can't mix with humans. Skinwalkers will be able to have lots of different monsters though and will work much the same way as human gangs.. 1 Alpha (gang leader) will have a special skill that applies to his pack, but creatures from other packs can still join his.

But there will be some new skills for humans that allow them to have "pets", so they could have lower level creatures in the gang. And the same goes for Skinwalkers, they could have human henchmen with the right skill.

And then what I was thinking was each gang would get a 3-man support pack for the expansion.. some might have a beast pet, or even an animal like a normal wolf. but other packs might just be 3 humans but one of them will be one of the new professions, Monster Hunters or Engineers.

Also, I was thinking for the fluff, once a Skinwalker changes, they're stuck like that forever. Not like Underworld where they can change back and forth at will. So in this case if they had human henchmen, they would be like guys who were recently cursed but haven't turned yet. Maybe there could also be some half-turned, like they look more like the wolfman and not a full blown werewolf.