Deadwood (game)

For more uses of the term, see Deadwood (disambiguation).

Deadwood is a board game for 3-8 players produced by Cheapass Games. In it, players assume the roles of bit actors working for a B-Movie Studio who try to make as much money as possible. This is done by taking on roles such as "man on fire," "woman in black dress," and "falls off roof." Players are represented by dice, which denote what "level" actor each player is. The rules, boards, and cards are now available for free download from the company's website.

Gameplay

All players begin each "day" of gameplay at the Trailers located at one corner of the board. Each player's die begins on 2, denoting they are a "level 2 actor". Players can raise their status by taking roles and earning both money and "screen credits". Each "day", 10 different "scene cards"--each dealt to one of 10 "set" spaces on the gameboard—are available in which the actors can participate. Besides the scenes depicted on the "scene card", each set has one or more "set roles" depicted on the space itself. Scenes on the space, but not on the card, are "Scale roles", paying $1 per turn until they are completed. Scenes "on the card" are paid only when the scene ends, but may yield higher paydays. (Multiple players may each take a role on any given scene, even if it is already underway.)

Each "scene card" shows between one and three "featured roles" and the "budget" for the project (between $2 million and $6 million). Players who take any role on the set roll one die to determine if the scene progresses, or needs to be reshot. A scene progresses if the number rolled on the die is equal to or higher than the "budget" number on the card (e.g. a $4 million card requires a roll of 4 or more to progress). Most scenes require 2 "shots" to complete, although some need only one shot to finish, and the "Main Street" scene at the center of the board needs three shots to complete. Once all the shots are finished on a scene, the scene "wraps". All the "Scale" players earn $1 at this point, and a number of dice equal to the "budget" number are rolled to see what the "on the card/featured" players get paid. The player whose scene roll completes the shoot earns the "screen credit" for the scene; a full credit if they were "on the card", or a half credit if they were a "Scale" player. In addition, if a "Scale" player earns the credit, they "steal the scene", and all "featured" players "on the card" lose one level for being "upstaged".

Players can use their credits and earnings to "upgrade" their status by moving to the Casting Office (in the corner opposite to the Trailers). There, players can turn in one screen credit for each level they wish to go up, and must pay $2 per level for the new level they arrive at. EXAMPLE: A level 3 player has 2 screen credits. They can exchange 1 credit and $8 to rise to level 4, or both credits and $10 to reach level 5.

A "day's" play continues until there is only one scene left, the "dog of the day". This scene shuts down before it wraps, and any players "acting" in it lose a level for not being able to finish it. Players then rearrange their playing order from lowest to highest (as compared by level, then credits still in their hand, then money earned). The lowest player starts the next "day's" play.

After four "days" of play (using all 40 scene cards), the player with the most money wins. If there is a tie, the highest ranked of the tied players wins. If STILL tied, the tied player with the most remaining screen credits wins.

Expansions

Another Day, Another Dollar

Several expansion card decks (called Another Day, Another Dollar) have been made, allowing the players to act in Horror Films, Musicals, Science Fiction features and Kung Fu movies. These 14-card expansion decks add 10 new scenes in the given genre (some with up to FOUR available roles), and four "Special Effects" to the game, making for longer, more varied and more complex gameplay.

DEADWOOD: On Location

Another expansion, DEADWOOD: On Location, adds a new set of six unconnected gameboards representing "location shoots" the players are now trying to get on (these boards are used in place of the original gameboard; the same base game cards are used, as can be any of the expansion card sets). Players get TWO moves per turn, which include using Bus Stops to move from location to location. Each Bus Stop has three dice on it, which relate to the locations to which the Bus Stop "connects". The player rolls three dice. If any of the rolled dice matches one of the numbers on the Bus Stop, the player can move to the connecting Bus Stop (the Bus Stop featuring the number of the location where you started) at that numbered location without it counting as a move.

External links

• Deadwood product page at Cheapass Games
• Deadwood at BoardGameGeek