Aces and 8's is pretty darn slick!

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 7:50 pm

Let me preface this with saying in my 24+ years of gaming I have stayed away from westerns. In fact, I got dragged into my first experience only about 6 months ago with a RPG called "Go for Your Gun!"

Guess what? I had a lot of fun!

I stayed away from Westerns because I thought I wouldn't. Boy was I wrong!

Anyways, we are now checking out Aces and Eights, an pretty new RPG done by Kenzer. Anyways, in preparation for our game I was told to watch 3 Youtube tutorials located here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Jollybgood

What has really lighted up my fire of interest was several things. One was how they resolve the randomness of shotguns. Another is how cover is inherent to how you resolve hits. Another is how the higher the damage done the more debilitating it is to the target. Including requiring amputation and knocking you unconcious!!

Plus its pretty innovative, to me at least, how they use a targeting template, silhouettes, and a deck of poker cards, along with tables in the book, to pretty quickly resolve shots fired in what I think is the most realistic simulationist manner I have ever seen!

Gunfights in Aces and Eights are certainly deadly! Plus resolution of each shot looks to only take a minute or so once you get used to using the tools provided. Actually in the demo it would take less than 30 seconds.

So I highly recommend you check these video tutorials out. Even if you think you hate Westerns like I used to think.Even if you have no intention of playing the system alone is worth checking out for ideas.

Give them a look. I doubt you'll regret it.
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cinderblock · Post by **cinderblock** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 6:04 am

Yeppers A&8s is truly awesome. Initiative determination was a really cool part of the combat system as well. Anybody who hasn't checked out this game really need to. Warning: Character creation may take longer than the character will live if you try to be a gunfighter.

Omote · Post by **Omote** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:17 pm

Yes, A&8's is one of the best looking RPGs I have ever seen. The game tends to be mechanics heavy, but IMO captures the flavor of the Old West perfectly. It's a great game that I wish I could play more of. Great stuff.

-O
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:42 pm

Omote wrote:
Yes, A&8's is one of the best looking RPGs I have ever seen. The game tends to be mechanics heavy, but IMO captures the flavor of the Old West perfectly. It's a great game that I wish I could play of. Great stuff.

-O

Then you should make yourslef willing and able to play in our on line game. First session is tonight and we normally play on Thursdays. 9 PM EST. We use SKYPE and MAptools .45, both free and easy to download.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:50 pm

I await a sourcebook on the Natives before playing.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:43 pm

serleran wrote:
I await a sourcebook on the Natives before playing.

I know they planned on doing one, if the line was successful enough to keep making new stuff for it.
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Omote · Post by **Omote** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:05 pm

Treebore wrote:
Then you should make yourslef willing and able to play in our on line game. First session is tonight and we normally play on Thursdays. 9 PM EST. We use SKYPE and MAptools .45, both free and easy to download.

Ah, many thanks again Treebore. Unfortunately Thursdays is my Battletech night... and I just can't give up my 100 ton walking tanks game. Again, mucho thanko.

Speaking of Aces & Eights, has anybody yet tried injecting a little "weird West" into their A&8 games? I'm not talking Weild West as in the Deadlands games, but anything supernatural?

I know A&8 is not supposed to be this type of game, but a little weirdness and maybe a hint of supernatural could make the game even better or more open to newcomers who are not interesting in strictly the "normal" wild west.

-O
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:18 pm

Omote wrote:
Speaking of Aces & Eights, has anybody yet tried injecting a little "weird West" into their A&8 games? I'm not talking Weild West as in the Deadlands games, but anything supernatural?

I know A&8 is not supposed to be this type of game, but a little weirdness and maybe a hint of supernatural could make the game even better or more open to newcomers who are not interesting in strictly the "normal" wild west.

-O

Well, Aramis did it in our "Go for Your Gun!" game, and it is designed to be a pure "Western" game, so I imagine it would be just as easy to do it in Aces and 8's.
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serleran · Post by **serleran** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:39 am

When I play it, and have that Indian Sourcebook, I'll be sticking in a lot of supernatural stuff. Normally, I'd just write all this stuff up myself, but they spent so much time making the core look so great that I want the same treatment for the supplements. May it continue forth.

If nothing else, A&8 is supposed to be like an intro to the next version of HackMaster.
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Heavy_Crossbow · Post by **Heavy_Crossbow** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:07 pm

I'm a pretty big fan of the genre (ever since once upon a time in the west), and finding a good roleplaying "western" system has proven difficult. I've had to use a mixture of D20 and Gutshot (a western miniatures rules set. Really fun.). So I just might pick this up. But they must pass the ultimate test:

Do they have rules for the Lematt revolver?
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:45 pm

Heavy_Crossbow wrote:
I'm a pretty big fan of the genre (ever since once upon a time in the west), and finding a good roleplaying "western" system has proven difficult. I've had to use a mixture of D20 and Gutshot (a western miniatures rules set. Really fun.). So I just might pick this up. But they must pass the ultimate test:

Do they have rules for the Lematt revolver?

I don't know. When you have 15 to 20 minutes to watch all 3 videos in the link above I think you may have your answer. I recommend starting with the shotgun resolution video. That one is under 3 minutes.
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tylermo · Post by **tylermo** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 6:11 pm

Little too mechanics heavy for me. Jolly and Co. do a great job, and it would be nice to play with an experienced gm. That said, I quickly sold my copy of the book. I'll probably stick with my old standby...Deadlands Reloaded, or original Deadlands. Either way, Jolly put out a fine book that does what it's supposed to.

Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Thu Dec 11, 2008 8:48 pm

tylermo wrote:
Little too mechanics heavy for me. Jolly and Co. do a great job, and it would be nice to play with an experienced gm. That said, I quickly sold my copy of the book. I'll probably stick with my old standby...Deadlands Reloaded, or original Deadlands. Either way, Jolly put out a fine book that does what it's supposed to.

Why do you say its a little mechanics heavy? I thought so on first blush, but the videos show that when you get familiar with the shooting rules, at least, it goes much faster than I thought it would from just reading it.

Are there other areas of the rules that look/read as complicated as the shooting rules looked to be?
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TheMetal1 · Post by **TheMetal1** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:39 pm

I've seen the video on A&8's it seems like a pretty cool system. The books looks very nice as well. How does it play and compare to other "western" systems?

I have not yet had the chance to play in a western game, but have a copy of Gunslingers and Gamblers, which uses a poker dice mechanic and Sidewinder Reloaded, which is d20 Modern based. Just curious to see if anyone else out there has tried these.

Last thing, what are the other western RPG's out there. Here is what I have seen so far

Aces & Eights (Kenzer & Co)

Boothill (TSR)

Gunslingers and Gamblers (FJGaming)

Sidewinder Reloaded (Dog House Rules)

Deadlands (Pinnacle)

Aramis · Post by **Aramis** » Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:40 pm

Don't forget Go Fer Yer Gun!. This is based on the good old C&C SIEGE and is very bare bones, like Boot Hill. Very easy to house rule, like C&C. One oddity was that melee weapons ( even fisticuffs) often did considerably more damage than guns, since you added the strength modifier to melee attacks

I ran this a year ago in a campaign (which I submitted to the Campaign Journals section) called C&C Wild West: Dead Mule
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daddystabz · Post by **daddystabz** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 5:14 am

I love Aces & Eights and have all the books so far. I also had downloaded these videos when I first started getting into it. I think it is one of the most innovative RPGs I've seen. Another great thing is all the rules are modular, meaning you can add whatever complexity you are comfortable with and that feels right for your campaign. You can make it very rules lite with the basic game or very mechanics heavy, even simulationist when adding in all the optional rules. My fave though is a good mix of the two to make it somewhere in between.
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Treebore · Post by **Treebore** » Sat Mar 14, 2009 8:52 pm

I finally bought the book (hard cover, and found it for $40, second printing.) and I am quickly falling in love with the rules set. They have done much like 93 Studios did with Twilight 2013 in that they give you a simple base line set of rules, and then you add whatever complexity you want as you become comfortable with the rules set. I'm still very early in my reading, but its been a while since I have read a rules set that has increased my level of excitement as I read them, rather than have it decline, or disappear all together.
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