Mark Hunt has found his niche in the gaming industry by making retro-clones of the the 1981 Basic Dungeons & Dragons to fit other genres, notably his take on TSR's old GangBusters, but also the western genre in his game - and the subject of this review - Tall Tales.
As a retro clone, it has the usual 6 Abilities (e.g. Strength and Wisdom), and not much has changed there. There are 6 initial classes to choose from, and these classes are a curious mix. They are all genre appropriate, but the inclusion of 2 classes over perhaps more the more genre appropriate staples is a little head-scratching and has me confused over what kind of game Mr. Hunt envisioned.
To be precise, there are 4 classes that are practically a given for an RPG of western flare: Gunslinger (filling the role of fighter), Desperado (filling the role of thief), Mountain Man (basically a Ranger from AD&D complete with animal side-kick), and Brave (which despite the name is closer to a B/X cleric than a warrior) which is nice nod to the American Indian. A lot of other games shy away from their inclusion in character choices. The other two classes are perplexing.
One is Singing Cowboy, fulfilling the function of a AD&D bard, but with the addition of horse side-kick which able to perform minor tricks. Campfire songs were a thing, but the inclusion of the wonder-horse draws obvious parallels to Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. This inclusion of the Singing Cowboy feels more like parody than a serious inclusion. The other class is Snake Oil Salesman (SOS), which again, is in-genre, but here's the thing....the SOS's elixirs actually work. In essence, the SOS is an alchemist making magic potions. There are no other examples or mentions of magic anywhere in the book. As I mentioned, I'm not sure what game Mr. Hunt wanted to make. A serious western genre, a parody, or a fantasy-western?
A supplement released 3 additional classes: Gambler, Preacher, and Lawman, but I have not reviewed it.
The rest of the book is pretty standard RPG fare. Combat, gear, town creation, loot tables (which show the D&D pedigree) and the like. The NPC opponents section has another curious inclusion. Not one stat for Indians (although they are in the encounter tables), but there are stats for berserkers. Huh? None of it is really worthy of mention.
The Nitty Gritty
Total Page Count: 96 Pages
Character Creation: 17 Pages
Game Mechanics: 5 Pages
Everything Else: 74 Pages
Judgement: Despite my confusion at the given character classes, if you love Basic D&D, then you really owe it to yourself to pick this up on .pdf (it's only a buck ninety-nine!). It's a fun read and it wears it parentage proudly.
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