Absolutely one of the best systems I've found for a brief campaign! The players loved the mix of survivalist and absurdist problems that arise solely from the premise.

Both campaigns that I've run using this system, I've used the prewritten scenario, but because there are several options to choose from when it comes to encounters, it was fun for both myself and the players, since it was a different experience everytime.

When introducing people to the Fate: Core system, this is one of my favorites. It's simple, grounded, and straightforward, and a good jumping off point to explore the more complex supplements such as Venture City or Prism.

The only criticism is that I found myself ignoring the rules for wagon trains and stopovers, since I found them unnecessary for a worthwhile experience. But overall, my players and I have never had any complaints with this supplement.

Wild West vampires - a Mephisto review

Vampires in the Wild West - that would be the short summary of the Fate world Blood on the trail. Two ideas collide in this game world: on the one hand, it's about the development of the American West, when wagon trains of settlers set out to claim land there and find a new home. The other idea is that vampires have also found their way to North America and lie in wait for their victims. For them, the wagon trains represent an ideal target.

Blood on the trail first introduces the setting and outlines the background, which is partly based on historical developments, but in addition, mixes in the vampire stories and also sprinkles in some bizarre rumors. The vampires, who are the opponents of the settlers here, are presented in different variations. Among others, there are feral vampires hunting as animal-like packs or the hungry ones that seek their victims among their own family. There is even some kind of swarm vampires that act as a single organism. While this gives the game master some options to adapt the primary enemies to his players, on the player side, it is first necessary to define the wagon train, in addition to creating the characters. The wagon train is described by several statistics such as size, speed, supplies, etc. Next, leaders - which can be player characters but do not have to - are selected for the various resources. Important non-player characters are also specified at this point.

The journey to the West proceeds over several stages, each consisting of legs of the journey and stop-overs. Depending on the setup, the game master can make the campaign longer or shorter. Thus, each leg of the journey has its own challenges, problems, or opportunities that confront the player characters on a daily basis. At a certain point, the main threat is added: the attacks by the vampires. With Seven Brides for seven vampires, the book also provides a short sample campaign that makes the setting a bit more accessible and immediately playable. As with most Fate worlds, Blood on the trail is a rather unusual setting that combines two different ideas. Thus, the inclined game master will find ideas for the wagon train scenario as well as approaches to include vampires in his game. However, the way the setting is described, this unusual mixture of ideas seems coherent. From my point of view, Blood on the trail is a fitting setting for a smaller horror campaign with a unique background.

(Björn Lippold)

I really like the idea of the players and GM working together to create their wagon train map and then asking players to add obstacles and advantages at the beginnig of the campaign (as well as each game session). I blends a great visual pacing mechanic with the opportunity for any player to influece the types of challenges they will face and stories they will tell. It sounds similar to John Wick's idea of the Dirty Dungeon (implemented in Wilderness of Mirrors), which is a great GM ninja trick I awlays keep close at hand.

This is complemented nicely by players and GM also creating the wagon train itself and then tieing its attributes to to the PCs who take on leadership rolls for different jobs on the caravan. It gives the PCs a great idea of what their characters are doing day-to-day and gives the GM a clear target for who might be affected by obstacles on the trail.