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Haunted West (Digital)

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From the creators of Harlem UnboundHaunted West is a Weird West tabletop roleplaying game set after the American Civil War.

Haunted West is about hope through struggle. It is a game that amplifies the voices of the often overlooked people of the Old West, the people who have been whitewashed by history. Venture into an alternate history that imagines a post-American Civil War world where Reconstruction flourishes for many years, instead of meeting its abrupt end, and imagine a new reality with greater opportunities for all who inhabit the United States.

Step out of your door into the Haunted West.
But, beware! It isn't for the faint of heart.

“If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and yet depreciate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground. They want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters. This struggle may be a moral one; or it may be a physical one; or it may be both moral and physical; but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.”

—Frederick Douglass, 1857

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HISTORY BELONGS TO ALL OF US.

This corebook has everything you need to explore the Old West, including: 

  • An extensive historical account from prehistoric times through the last stagecoach robbery

  • The Ouroboros System, a modular three-tiered system powering your adventures using d100, degrees of success, and a unique Jacks mechanic

  • Haunted West: Reconstruction, an imaginative alternate history

  • Robust Weird West content including magicks, creatures, mechanics, and more

  • The Night of the Aerostat, a thrilling adventure set in the Weird West

  • An in-depth city-building process for creating the setting you want 

  • Lifepath character creation to build characters firmly entrenched in the world

  • Twelve Paragon categories enabling you to create any type of player character you choose

  • Haunted West World, a Powered by the Apocalypse hack

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WEIRD, WEIRDER, OR WEIRDEST?

Make your West as Weird as you want the way you want (if you want). Plug in magic, the Mythos, steam tech, mad science, dinosaurs, or even aliens and flying saucers. Haunted West gives you the tools you need to make your definition of "Weird West" a reality.

Battle traitorous rebels as a Black gadgeteer with your rifle and jetpack, rustle cattle as a Chinese drover while keeping the dinosaurs at bay, combat a legion of undead monsters as an Indigenous gunslinger, or traverse the Oregon trail as a Jewish homesteader while being haunted by the specters of those who perished along the way. You have the power to tell your story; you have the power to tell the American story.

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Reviews (1)
Discussions (9)
Customer avatar
Jonah L June 24, 2023 2:05 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I tried to check out Darker Hues Studios website but it doesn't seem to exist. Are you guys still in operation?
Reply
Customer avatar
Darker Hue S June 24, 2023 2:22 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey Jonah,

We're very much still here and working on [REDACTED]. I'm just doing some website maintenance, if you have any questions, please feel free to email us at Darkerhuestudios@gmail.com

Cheers,
Chris
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonah L June 24, 2023 2:28 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Ah, good to hear. Thanks for that.
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Customer avatar
Jonah L June 24, 2023 2:30 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Ah, good to hear. Thanks for that.
Reply
Customer avatar
Jonah L June 24, 2023 3:08 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Ah, good to hear. Thanks for that.
Customer avatar
Aaron S March 10, 2023 3:31 pm UTC
PURCHASER
My players are interested in playing an alternative western themed/ post apocalyptic type game. I really love the concept behind Haunted West but I'm wondering if the game needs to be played in an American West setting to work, or can the mechanics, player options, and monsters be easily adapted to a home brewed setting?
Customer avatar
Dakota H January 06, 2023 1:27 pm UTC
While the system is different and does work well, the setting is essentially (with the changes to it in recent time) just Deadlands, which makes a harder to sell it as a sort of unique experience. I don't get the whole whitewash thing, espeically when it just goes into an alternate world anyway. Its fantasy western, but it still has all the issues from real life, but also not because it's continued reconstructions. I also find for a pdf, $40 is pretty high considering other books from publishers are at least half the price, it's what I'd expect to pay for a physical release.
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Customer avatar
Cameron H June 17, 2023 4:00 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Well, I mean, Deadlands said that the Civil War was ongoing and that the South had abandoned slavery to win it (and to make playing a character from the Confederacy more palatable), while Haunted West is stuffed full of actual history that players are more than happy to accept or ignore. That's the whitewashing we're talking about. There's all sorts of real world stuff you can mine (like the Exoduster movement after Reconstruction was canceled), but it requires establishing a foundation of real world history to be able to contextualize it. Haunted West has a "dial" for weirdness, but can be played straight as a historical old west, while you can't do that with Deadlands. I'm not dissing Deadlands, but they are framed very differently. They are not interchangeable settings (nor is Aces & Eights, while we are at it). It's $40 because the book is freaking massive: the hard copy is bound like a college textbook.
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Customer avatar
Dakota H June 23, 2023 3:34 pm UTC
So is Pathfinder 2e's rulebook, but that's $19.99 as a pdf. From reviews, this game seems like a boring mess that someone buys to get some sort of social credit points. It's a pass.
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Customer avatar
Dakota H June 23, 2023 3:55 pm UTC
Also, yes you can play Deadlands as a straight western.
Customer avatar
Guy M September 21, 2022 5:02 pm UTC
Is there anything like a quickstart guide to get a feeling of how the rules work before buying it?
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Customer avatar
Darker Hue S October 12, 2022 4:02 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey Guy,

There is not a Jumpstart kit, but several actual plays are online. Here is a link to one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a59ugPOvvjw&t=285s

Cheers,
Chris
Customer avatar
Eric T May 27, 2022 6:11 pm UTC
PURCHASER
This game looks _very interesting to me. Before I plunk down $40 for this PDF, I have some concerns. I saw a video where the reviewer mentioned that this game embraces everything from the dark struggles of the Old West to the more pulpy variety. I'm a huge fan of the pulp-style westerns. I veer more toward the 1950s TV westerns, everything from Have Gun Will Travel to the Cisco Kid or The Lone Ranger, The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok (the one with Guy Madison and Andy Devine), that kind of thing. Much more in the spirit of dime novels than historical accuracy. But IMO, to do that kind of thing, one needs a fast, loose, preferrably light set of rules to emulate the fast pace of those stories. I'm concerned that a D100 system will either be too crunchy or skew toward failure, especially with beginning characters. Do you think this system works with that criteria in mind? Thanks for any help.
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Customer avatar
Darker Hue S June 19, 2022 8:48 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey Eric,

The game system uses 1d100 and has three tiers of play. One of which is incredibly light and more of a narrative focus. Here is recent post about the game and should give you some references.

https://twitter.com/Darker_Hue/status/1537604621350346757?s=20

Cheers,
Chris
Reply
Customer avatar
Eric T June 19, 2022 10:05 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Darn. I appreciate the link. Unfortunately, due to so much political and other BS, I deactivated my Twitter account, so it won’t let me access this. However that is not your problem. Thanks for sharing the post anyway.
Customer avatar
Dave K February 22, 2022 4:05 am UTC
Sounds like Deadlands to me
Customer avatar
Thomas P February 05, 2022 9:38 pm UTC
Looks great! Any chance of a POD version?
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Customer avatar
Darker Hue S February 12, 2022 1:21 am UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey, Thomas not at this time. IPR is now also carrying the book and may be able to help reach wherever you are.
Customer avatar
January 23, 2022 7:18 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Complaints about price are laughable, considering that this book is 800 pages, with full color art, and a full setting that with even a cursory examination appears to be extensively researched. If you break down how much each of those things costs (writer's rate, artists' rate, researcher), the price is fair. To be frank, most independent TTRPG developers should be charging more for what they're selling given the hours and resources they're expending, and the ones who don't are selling at a loss because they're afraid people won't actually pay them what they're worth.

That being said, I missed the KS on this, but I've been considering copping the book even though I'm not the biggest fan of d100/percentage-based systems. The folks from the TTRPG podcast Twelve Sided Stories have just started their Haunted West series, and their play so far has pushed me closer to pulling the trigger. If you're curious about the game and want to hear it in action before making a purchase, check them out.
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Customer avatar
Darker Hue S February 12, 2022 1:21 am UTC
PUBLISHER
They did an incredible job!
Customer avatar
Nina B November 11, 2021 9:22 pm UTC
40 bucks for a pdf with no preview

good luck
Reply
Customer avatar
Aric W November 29, 2021 9:54 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Worth every penny
Reply
Customer avatar
Hamilton R December 15, 2021 4:35 pm UTC
Nina, I agree. 40 USD for a PDF these days is too expensive. It may be a good product - but not that good. 15-25 is the usual and customary purchase price for a digital version of a rule book. I will wait until the price comes down, for purchase.
Reply
Customer avatar
Mamading C January 15, 2022 8:57 pm UTC
PURCHASER
I have to agree with Aric having browsed through the 800 pages of solid, well presented and inspiring content.
Reply
Customer avatar
Dominic E March 14, 2022 11:11 pm UTC
PURCHASER
What a load of old

Creators deserve to get paid.
Reply
Customer avatar
JD S June 19, 2022 6:38 pm UTC
Doesn't even tell you anything about the game system. Or even the setting. Is there a setting? Of is this just another 'throw ever old idea around into a book and claim innovation'?

$40 for a blind purchase? No thanks.
Reply
Customer avatar
Darker Hue S June 19, 2022 8:45 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Hey JD S,

In case you missed it, here is the information about the game.

This corebook has everything you need to explore the Old West, including:

An extensive historical account from prehistoric times through the last stagecoach robbery

The Ouroboros System, a modular three-tiered system powering your adventures using d100, degrees of success, and a unique Jacks mechanic

Haunted West: Reconstruction, an imaginative alternate history

Robust Weird West content including magicks, creatures, mechanics, and more

The Night of the Aerostat, a thrilling adventure set in the Weird West

An in-depth city-building process for creating the setting you want

Lifepath character creation to build characters firmly entrenched in the world

Twelve Paragon categories enabling you to create any type of player character you choose

Haunted West World, a Powered by the Apocalypse hack
...See more
Reply
Customer avatar
Shammara B June 21, 2022 12:16 pm UTC
40 dollars for 800 pages.

Are you serious?? You are complaining about that amount of value for an actual cheap price? Yikes...
Reply
Customer avatar
JD S August 06, 2022 6:40 pm UTC
Yeah, I read the blurb. Thing is, what does any of that mean? How does the system work? What exact form does the 'alternate history' take? Is this just a Deadlands rip-off, as Dave K suggests? What makes this different than Deadlands? What 'Old West' is there to explore? Historical? Steampunk? Spaghetti? '50s white hat/black hat? 800 pages is pretty meaningless if the pages don't represent a setting and game mechanics that you will use.

And for all the 'fans' gushing over 800 pages for $40, Weird Frontiers offers 908 pages for $30. I'm not endorsing WF, just pointing out that page count doesn't prove much.
Reply
Customer avatar
Darker Hue S August 08, 2022 2:27 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
JD S,

This is my last comment in response as I'm starting to feel like this thread is more about trolling. There are numerous reviews and actual plays of Haunted West if you are interested in learning more. I'm not saying that to be snarky, more just to let you know what's available. (And in case you're interested, Haunted West just received an ENnie for Best Rules.)

Haunted West and Deadlands are wildly different other than both occurring in the Weird Western genre. It's like asking how Star Trek and Star Wars are different. They are both set in space and have spaceships and aliens but have unique approaches to the setting. Or how are Warhammer Fantasy and Dungeons and Dragons different? They both have magic, monsters, and medieval weaponry. Haunted West has its own approach in the Western TTRPG space including unique rules and mechanics to support three methods of play (meaning you can play a straight-up western with your greatest fear being dysentery or a high pulp game full of magic,...See more
Reply
Customer avatar
Don M August 10, 2023 7:54 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Just purchased your PDF version, a very good read. Well laid out and organized content. Dispite the fact that there is over 800 pages of game rules and supporting content, I found the Ouroboros system to be easy to digest and get up to speed running a game in short order. Lots of good supplements contained within to flesh out story and setting. I found plenty of meat to add distinct details and character descriptions and development. Having said that, I have one kind request...can we get the pdf separated into 3 different manuals for printed books? It would be appreciated. Thank you, I enjoyed all the wonderful things you brought to this RPG.
Reply
Customer avatar
Darker Hue S August 11, 2023 5:29 pm UTC
PUBLISHER
Thank you for your incredibly kind words and appreciation of Haunted West. One of my ideas for a Haunted West 2nd edition one day is a three-book set.
Reply
Customer avatar
Don M August 11, 2023 6:03 pm UTC
PURCHASER
Excellent. I appreciate hearing that those are planned enhancements.
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Silver seller
Pages
806
ISBN
978-0-9988515-3-2
Publisher Stock #
002
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