Western

Cowboys. Outlaws. Duels at high noon. The western genre emerges from the tall tales and mythologized history of the 19th-century American frontier, where settlers struggled to tame the wilderness, survive harsh conditions, and establish law over renegade criminals. The wild west was also where unscrupulous business magnates like rail and oil barons made their fortunes exploiting swaths of land and natural resources. The western genre lionizes the rugged individualist hero, who holds whatever they can by the strength of their own fist and the speed of their six-shooter. Civilization is sparse and tenuous, and threats of all kinds surround the hardy survivors of the frontier. If that sounds like the perfect setup for a tabletop roleplaying game, you're definitely onto something! The structure of the western genre fits RPGs so well, even popular fantasy games like Dungeons & Dragons are basically wild west games in renaissance costumes. But lots of other western games play the genre straight: characters play drifters across the badlands or the residents of a frontier town, and try to survive and thrive amidst the constant threat of outlaw raids, robber barons, scarce resources, harsh natural conditions, and the long arm of the law. NOTE: The western genre has a complex legacy that is often hostile to Native Americans, Black Americans, and Mexicans. Contemporary westerns often grapple with this legacy and even attempt to rehabilitate it, but many older entries in the genre replicate baseless or harmful stereotypes, present ahistorical narratives, and even attempt to whitewash or erase the Native American genocide. Handle these topics with care and respect if you want to explore the western genre!