Deadlands is getting an all-new 30th anniversary Kickstarter on February 17th. This long-running TTRPG has been a fixture, featuring its strange rendition of the Wild West. This new Kickstarter will be the perfect opportunity to catch up with Deadlands or jump in for the first time:
Pinnacle Entertainment Group launches a major Kickstarter campaign celebrating 30 years of Deadlands, the legendary tabletop roleplaying game that helped define the Weird West and reshape modern RPG design.
Originally debuting at Gen Con in 1996, Deadlands, created by Shane Lacy Hensley, blended Western grit, supernatural horror, and mad science into a setting that was bold, dangerous, and unlike anything else on the market. Thirty years later, the game remains Pinnacle’s flagship property, with multiple award-winning editions, four major spinoff settings (Hell on Earth, Lost Colony, Noir, and Dark Ages), and a devoted global fanbase.
The Deadlands 30th Anniversary Kickstarter, launching February 17, is both a celebration of that legacy and a gateway to the future of the Weird West.
When we launched Deadlands thirty years ago, we just wanted to make something bold and different. We never imagined it would grow into a world people would still be exploring decades later. This anniversary is a celebration of the fans who have kept the Weird West alive. – Shane Hensley
A Once-in-a-Lifetime Anniversary Celebration
At the heart of the campaign is Deadlands: 30 Years of Guts, Grit, & Ghost Rock — deluxe commemorative hardcover described as part history, part art book, and part love letter to the game and its community. The book includes:
- A unique glow in the dark cover, featuring art by Aaron Riley, Cheyenne Wright, and a pesky manitou!
- A complete cover gallery spanning nearly every Deadlands release and its international editions
- Designer diaries and behind-the-scenes stories, including canceled projects and near-miss film and video game adaptations
- Convention tales, development trivia, and franchise lore
- The original first-edition forewords by Joe R. Lansdale, Mike Stackpole, and Bruce Campbell
- The story of Bruce Campbell playing in a live-action Deadlands game
- A sneak peek at what’s coming next for the Weird West
This commemorative book is being produced specifically for the 30th anniversary and is not intended as an ongoing retail product.
Celebrating thirty years means honoring the fans who’ve been with us and opening the saloon doors to brand-new ones. The new Core Rules and Starter Box are the easiest way we’ve ever offered to saddle up and ride. – Shane Hensley
A New Gateway to the Weird West
Alongside the celebration, Pinnacle is introducing a new, fully self-contained Deadlands Core Rulebook, with the Savage Worlds Adventure Edition rules fully integrated and reflavored for Deadlands.
Designed to be the best entry point the game has ever had, the new core book contains everything needed to play in a single volume. Longtime fans who already own Deadlands and Savage Worlds do not need to repurchase the new edition; small rules updates will be made available for free on Pinnacle’s website.
Additional campaign offerings include:
- Rascals, Varmints, & Relics, a new bestiary and relic book
- A Marshal’s Accessories Box with cards, tokens, dice, and a deluxe Game Master screen
- A new Powers Box containing reference card sets for every Arcane Background
- The first-ever Deadlands Starter Box, designed to bring brand-new Marshals into the game
Kickstarter-Exclusive Anniversary Collectibles
The campaign also features several exclusive physical rewards, available only during the Kickstarter:
- 30th Anniversary Commemorative Coins Designed by longtime Deadlands artist Cheyenne Wright, this set of ten metal coins is ideal for use as Conviction tokens and will never be reprinted.
- Deadlands Anniversary Dice Set Produced by Modern Artifice, this unique set includes all six standard RPG dice plus a Wild Die featuring Deadlands card faces embedded inside the dice—available exclusively through this campaign.
