This RPG fills a niche for the wild-west setting for fans of the anthropomorphic genre. It is very comprehensive as it uses the d20 Open Gaming License. It's a very hefty hard-cover book, and this is great. The page layout is consistent, clean (though with some resolution/printing difficulties as some images are blurry), and legible. Within, you immediately enter Western Tails through its character creation process. Quite a lot of excellent forethought is given to the various ways in which the anthropomorphic species exist- some species are better with some abilities than others, for example- and the setting is thorough, such as providing information on the Old West in geography, nationalities which may be present- be they Native, colonials, slaves, and so on- and their languages.
There are also pages describing religions and spiritual paths, which allow for a really comprehensive magic system which is present in Western Tails. The magic system encompasses within the shamanic, priestly, and witchcraft practices, allowing for peoples from various walks of life to wield the arcane forces. The Religions pages (p. 165) includes summaries of Christianity, and includes such denominations as Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Methodist, and Baptist. Shamanism includes Waashat, Earth Lodge, Shaker, Longhouse, and ceremonies such as stomp dance, sun dance, peyote way, and ghost dance. There is Mexicayotl, encompassing various rituals, and then there is Paganism, also with rituals available. Each page on religion details important figureheads, such as God, Jesus, Lucifer, Coyote, Raven, Wakan Tanka, Tonacatecuhtli, Xolotl, Tlaltecuhtli, Danu, Anu, Geb, Shai, and more. I found that the author easily could have bypassed discussing religions, nationalities, and cultures, but he took the time and effort to do so. I personally believe that even though we as players are in 2023 and onward now (the book was published in 2022), this is a great effort at inclusion for the setting itself, particularly making it accessible and easily-understood for people who may be coming from intersectional or other walks of life themselves. I especially appreciate that witchcraft was not painted in a negative or stereotypical context.
The game bypasses most talk of slavery -still an issue which affects our real-life society today- and acknowledges that in the setting, it was a very real thing, just as it was for us. Players who are sensitive regarding cultural appropriation and slavery would be well-advised to talk with their game hosts to ensure that they are in a conducive environment for role-playing together for interesting role-playing opportunities if folks are into that grittier aspect of life for their characters. Players and game hosts may opt to omit the 'hot button' themes of the Old West if need be. The setting itself is introduced further in detail later in the book, rather than before, which is an interesting choice of placement.
Uniquely, the game also includes a drawbacks system. Think of games which use Advantages/Disadvantages; these were easily min-maxable in such systems. The way that Western Tails does it is cunning: it mimics the Feats system but enables the player/s with disadvantages to 'trade off', with game host permission.
In the Western Tails' Old West, the furs wake up from being infected with a virus that induces a coma-like state while their DNA is rewritten to reflect a creature more closely in-line with their environment. This virus was sent by a meteor which struck in the in-game version of Nevada. I personally think the game could benefit from this information being placed towards the front of the book to hook players in rather than immediate character creation independent of context except the 'okay, this is the wild west' impression that the reader receives. The bestiary is included and very robust. The combat system is the DnD system that DnD fans will recognize and be able to jump right into. I am new to the DnD system and found Western Tails easier to understand than the DnD 3.5 and 5 versions which I have read before!
As is very common with many indie publishers within the anthropomorphic genre, this book could use a lot of professional editing at the sentence level to prevent run-on/repetitive sentences and the plethora of typos which plague it.
Overall, despite these issues, I really enjoy the content itself- and the book is packed full of it. The book also could definitely benefit from an index- be aware, it does not have one. This is WELL worth your money and a real shame that the Kickstarter had not received more attention than it did. I'm really looking forward to finding other players, learning more in-game about the long-term effects of the "Great Sleep" (when humans became anthros) and seeing future content!
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
