Far West 12th Anniversary

Best Selling RPGs - Available Now @ DriveThruRPG.com
Endless Flight said:
Just because he released FW doesn’t mean he’s off the hook here.
Click to expand...
I certainly won't back anything else he tries to crowdfund, if he's even allowed to use the platform; as it is, I think he currently cannot use Kickstarter due to the Buckaroo Banzai campaign.
remial said:
look! a review!
https://www.geeknative.com/160829/better-12-years-late-than-never-a-review-of-the-far-west-rpg/
Click to expand...
Wow. Mixed feelings, here. One the one hand, blistering truth. On the other...I hate to say this, but it makes me curious to read the thing, which makes me feel awkward.
Triumvir said:
I never backed the KS so the only dog I have in this fight is the, er, poodle of general fairness. And I should really just cross the road, because who needs another reason to be pissed off.

But... Actually reading the preview got my hackles up. He wanks on about his profound creative journey that he slowly came to see could only be realised through a "transmedia" approach, which seems to mean comics and stuff as well as a game.

The profound creative vision in question seems to consist mainly of mashing up visuals of Chinese architecture, Western landscapes, and cowboys. I don't get any sense of anything deeper than cool visuals (that you could do in AI like Midjourney these days). I get more than a whiff of somebody watching Firefly and deciding to do a fantasy version.

He talks about being a fan of wuxia, but I don't get a feel he is drawing on the resonances of the western provinces (the Dunhuang corridor and Xinjiang / Turkestan) in Chinese culture and imagination. I am no expert but I do know the Chinese were projecting myths onto their own desert frontier zone well before Clint Eastwood came along.


As of just now he also has at least one defender ; not sure I would call it "roasted', unfortunately.
Click to expand...
The fact the mods of DriveThruRPG are letting him take the flak says it all; granted, you have to report a post in feedback, but GMS doesn't appear to be modding, either. Publishers can clip stuff last I checked.
Ladybird said:
Hey, as much fun as we're having in this thread, if Far West appeals to you and your friends, I genuinely hope you have a good time with it. Don't let us get in your way.
Click to expand...
Truth. I hope backers and purchasers find joy in this, even if I'm disgruntled with the author.

Edited for clarity.
 
Last edited:
Somebody in the DTRPG comments said they plunked down $10 for the PDF when this game was Kickstarted. I guess inflation accounts for the $59.95 price tag twelve years later.
 
Any thoughts on the art? I'm usually up for attempts at something different, but eccentric is the best I can muster from the samples I've seen.
 
Triumvir said:
I never backed the KS so the only dog I have in this fight is the, er, poodle of general fairness. And I should really just cross the road, because who needs another reason to be pissed off.

But... Actually reading the preview got my hackles up. He wanks on about his profound creative journey that he slowly came to see could only be realised through a "transmedia" approach, which seems to mean comics and stuff as well as a game.

The profound creative vision in question seems to consist mainly of mashing up visuals of Chinese architecture, Western landscapes, and cowboys. I don't get any sense of anything deeper than cool visuals (that you could do in AI like Midjourney these days). I get more than a whiff of somebody watching Firefly and deciding to do a fantasy version.

He talks about being a fan of wuxia, but I don't get a feel he is drawing on the resonances of the western provinces (the Dunhuang corridor and Xinjiang / Turkestan) in Chinese culture and imagination. I am no expert but I do know the Chinese were projecting myths onto their own desert frontier zone well before Clint Eastwood came along.


As of just now he also has at least one defender ; not sure I would call it "roasted', unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Judging by GMS' work on Hong Kong Action Theatre!, I'd surmise that he has plenty of knowledge about Chinese history, at least as it relates to the wuxia genre. He even made the Western/Clint comparison in that game, back in the late '90s. Not defending his actions wrt this Kickstarter, just saying that I think whatever he chose to include or not was likely a conscious decision (for good or ill) rather than an oversight, or lack of knowledge.
 
Last edited:
Def not a fan of using backer photos as art. If I want to see a fat gamer nerd I can just look in the mirror. I guess what I'm saying is that I have yet to see any game that is enhanced or improved in any way by this kind of art. And while it's not the only kind of art here, it's def the majority. And the "seams" are really obvious as well. Like, it's super obvious where stuff has been pasted in.

I do like D6 as a ruleset.
 
Gringnr said:
Judging by GMS' work on Hong Kong Action Theatre!, I'd surmise that he has plenty of knowledge about Chinese history, at least as it relates to the wuxia genre. He even made the Western/Clint comparison in that game, back in the late '90s. Not defending his actions wrt this Kickstarter, just saying that I think whatever he chose to include or not was likely a conscious decision (for good or ill) rather than an oversight, or lack of knowledge.
Click to expand...
I haven't read FW - like I say, I am just going off the preview and a quick look at the website. Given that Chinese literature has its own vivid tradition of "westerns", it seems a bit odd that the "inspirography" only seems to mention more recent pop culture sources.
 
I'd imagine that after 12 years, enthusiasm for the project had waned. My sense is it's not as good as it would have been, because a labor of love turned into an obligation, and an embarrassment. I wonder how much was compromised in the interest of just getting the damn thing out the door. Of course, that's a rather cynical view. Could be that he was just trying to stay focused and/or keep it fairly accessible.
 
Gringnr said:
Def not a fan of using backer photos as art. If I want to see a fat gamer nerd I can just look in the mirror. I guess what I'm saying is that I have yet to see any game that is enhanced or improved in any way by this kind of art. And while it's not the only kind of art here, it's def the majority. And the "seams" are really obvious as well. Like, it's super obvious where stuff has been pasted in.

I do like D6 as a ruleset.
Click to expand...
There was one particular game I once playtested on. When the rules person was running the starter scenario - a train journey through the game's setting - we stopped and got our photos taken (The game was set in the early 1900's. This was a Big Deal at the time).

"Hey GM," we say, "wouldn't it be cool if there was a pic of us all in the book, as our characters, getting our pics taken?"
"That's a great idea," said the GM, "I'll speak to the author."

So he does.

"Hey author," he says, "wouldn't it be cool if there was a pic of the playtest group in the book, as their characters, getting their pics taken?"
"That's a great idea," said the author, "I'll speak to the artist."

So he does.

"Hey artist," he says, "wouldn't it be cool if there was a pic of the playtest group in the book, as their characters, getting their pics taken?"
"Do you have any idea how much that is going to cost you," says the artist.
 
Ladybird said:
Hey, as much fun as we're having in this thread, if Far West appeals to you and your friends, I genuinely hope you have a good time with it. Don't let us get in your way.
Click to expand...
I never let the opinions of others hinder the path. Even if those opinions are hilariously well-placed critical attacks on a much-deserved target. :grin:
 
chuckdee said:
Bwahahaha! I would barely call that art.
Click to expand...
Just as sometimes you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover, sometimes photoshopping pictures works, and sometimes there is Far West. :shock:

I judged it positively from its cover. It's contents are something else... Still it inspired a evening's game, but what we ended up playing was a different system engine set in our own (well, our gm's own) version of the world depicted on the game map. This map is by far the best thing going about Far West. Take some of the martial arts from Far West, add in some elements from from Åskfågeln's semi-released Western IV and a location designed around the real life Hanging Monastery of Xuankong Temple, and you have the ingredients for a splendid time.

But in the name of all unholy rpgs, how could it have taken this long to produce such published mediocrity!
 
Last edited:
Triumvir said:
I haven't read FW - like I say, I am just going off the preview and a quick look at the website. Given that Chinese literature has its own vivid tradition of "westerns", it seems a bit odd that the "inspirography" only seems to mention more recent pop culture sources.
Click to expand...
Well, it is what the game was inspired by, I guess. The question is, is Red Sun movie mentioned:grin:?

480px-Redsunasian1.jpg


red-sun-slide-1.jpg


...You can see the similarities, right:shade:?

Granted, it's Western with Samurai, not Xia, but the theme is an East-West "culture shock", not "China-US":thumbsup:!
 
AsenRG said:
The question is, is Red Sun movie mentioned:grin:?
Click to expand...
Is not.

Another question is--and I don't have a puppy in this dog run--did the author clear it with each backer (or their estate) to have their names publicly printed in this book?

º We have you to thank for this!

• What? Who me!? No, no, no, no, no. No. NO.
 
Gringnr said:
Def not a fan of using backer photos as art. If I want to see a fat gamer nerd I can just look in the mirror. I guess what I'm saying is that I have yet to see any game that is enhanced or improved in any way by this kind of art. And while it's not the only kind of art here, it's def the majority. And the "seams" are really obvious as well. Like, it's super obvious where stuff has been pasted in.
Click to expand...

At least one of the more recent Shadowrun video games did this with a number of the character portraits you can select at the start of the game. Let's just say it's kind of obvious which portraits were original art and which were based off of backer photos.
 
AsenRG said:
Well, it is what the game was inspired by, I guess. The question is, is Red Sun movie mentioned:grin:?

480px-Redsunasian1.jpg


red-sun-slide-1.jpg


...You can see the similarities, right:shade:?

Granted, it's Western with Samurai, not Xia, but the theme is an East-West "culture shock", not "China-US":thumbsup:!
Click to expand...
If there is one thing I can take away from this thread, that film looks great!
 
Teotwawki said:
Is not.

Another question is--and I don't have a puppy in this dog run--did the author clear it with each backer (or their estate) to have their names publicly printed in this book?
Click to expand...
Yes, it's in the KS rewards (Although obviously, depending on when he compiled the backers list, some folk may not be under the names they currently use).
 
Dyrnwyn said:
I've heard of it; haven't seen it but I want to.

But then, I'd want to see any movie that puts Bronson, Deleon, Andress, and Mifune together, regardless of what it was about.
Click to expand...
Indeed. Too bad there weren't more like that, if you ask me...:thumbsup:
 
AsenRG said:
Well, it is what the game was inspired by, I guess. The question is, is Red Sun movie mentioned:grin:?

480px-Redsunasian1.jpg


red-sun-slide-1.jpg


...You can see the similarities, right:shade:?

Granted, it's Western with Samurai, not Xia, but the theme is an East-West "culture shock", not "China-US":thumbsup:!
Click to expand...
Thank you! I was thinking of this movie when I was listing others. I was a young kid when I watched this movie with my dad. I was on a samurai and Japanese culture kick and this was both my first Western and first exposure to Toshiro Mifune. I took in a whole lot more after Red Sun.
 
Malckuss said:
Thank you! I was thinking of this movie when I was listing others. I was a young kid when I watched this movie with my dad. I was on a samurai and Japanese culture kick and this was both my first Western and first exposure to Toshiro Mifune. I took in a whole lot more after Red Sun.
Click to expand...
It wasn't my first Western, I think, that title goes to For A Fistful of Dollars IIRC, but it was my first Mifune as well, IIRC:grin:!
 
Ladybird said:
Yes, it's in the KS rewards (Although obviously, depending on when he compiled the backers list, some folk may not be under the names they currently use).
Click to expand...
The joke was about him clearing it with them a dozen years later. And how many would have opted to not have their names listed on the finished product.
 
Endless Flight said:
www.tenkarstavern.com

Far West RPG Releases Nearly 12 Years After Promised Release Date

A blog focused on OSR gaming, the Swords & Wizardry RPG and all things Dungeons & Dragons.Tavern Chat is the accompanying Podcast.
www.tenkarstavern.com www.tenkarstavern.com

Tenkar posted a few pieces of the “art” from FW.
Click to expand...
Holy shit! That’s someone who either a) has no idea what they’re doing in Photoshop, or b) really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the final product.

And I’m pretty sure I know which one it is.
 
Andrew J. Luther said:
Holy shit! That’s someone who either a) has no idea what they’re doing in Photoshop, or b) really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the final product.

And I’m pretty sure I know which one it is.
Click to expand...
Yeah. Me, too.
chuckdee said:
giphy.gif
Click to expand...
Yes.

As a further example, I managed to get my hands on the character sheet. Allow me to share this stupendous piece of design; behold, the Far West Character Sheet!

The part that baffles me is the next link; these were the character sheet designs from November 2013, asking backers to select a sheet for inclusion in the book, still saying the book was going out to backers in the next few days. How did we go from those simple yet serviceable sheets to this sheet that looked like it was thrown together in Word?

I'll tell you...Oh, wait, I already told you. Er, well, Andrew J. Luther Andrew J. Luther told you, and chuckdee chuckdee elaborated on it.
 
Malckuss said:
As a further example, I managed to get my hands on the character sheet. Allow me to share this stupendous piece of design; behold, the Far West Character Sheet!
Click to expand...
Wait, what the frigging fuck is Gateways kung-fu:shock:? Pressure Points?!?

It does look like it's made in Word, but in itself, that's not a bad thing. I mean, it's not pretty, but it's not unclear, either. You get no points for guessing which one I'd consider the bigger sin:thumbsup:!
 
Well, the 2013 character sheets were probably still based around a d20 variant, while the new one has like a (very basic) D6 structure.
Like the WEG Hercules & Xena character sheets. :sick:

20230912_110241.jpg
 
Last edited:
Gateways is probably (spitballing, here) a reference to chakra gates and chi cultivation, and pressure points are ubiquitous in the source materials.

I don't know, we may need to agree to disagree. I, too, believe a sheet should be complete. That's my biggest gripe with most poorly designed sheets; they don't have everything you need to actually play the game on them.

This sheet is just one step above the sheet that was released for Zorro. That said, at least the Zorro sheet was 1) form fillable and 2) printer friendly. But it lacks refinement.

Video games have controllers and user interfaces; RPGs have dice and character sheets. A good character sheet should get you excited to play, have everything you need on it so book references are kept to a minimum, and are the first step in making you feel engaged with the game.

The current Far West sheet is somebody's play test sheet laid over the Far West layout background and header. Whomever decided it was ok to go into the book that way, after being 12 years in development, was throwing something together at the last minute, panicked, and declared, "This is fine."
 
Malckuss said:
Gateways is probably (spitballing, here) a reference to chakra gates and chi cultivation, and pressure points are ubiquitous in the source materials.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm just not sure using such an unusual term gives you anything. You could as well call Dian Xue "Cavities Kung-fu", but why would you:grin:?
 
Godfather Punk said:
Well, the 2013 character sheets were probably still based around a d20 variant, while the new one has like a (very basic) D6 structure.
Like the WEG Hercules & Xena character sheets. :sick:

View attachment 67814
Click to expand...
I think that sheet is better than the Far West sheet, even if it's only by a slim margin. Mostly, better font choice, spacing, kerning, and no unclear or confusing terms.
 
Yeah, but the game came with no separate or downloadable sheets, so you had to fold your bound gamebook open and hope the papyrus background didn't result in an almost black copy.

Coincidentally, I immediately made my own printer friendly version in Word :happy:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Banner: The best cosmic horror & Cthulhu Mythos @ DriveThruRPG.com
Back
Top