DESPERADOS – Character Sheet

NAME: TEMPLATE:
PHYSICAL MENTAL
Brawn  Insight 
Agility  Wits 
Mettle  Resolve 

HIT POINTS DUELING SCORE STRENGTH OF NERVE

SKILLS
Skills (Attributes)

SPECIAL SKILLS AND VOODOO SPELLS

EQUIPMENT
Equipment (Attributes)
 CONTENTS
k
Desperados ...................................... 4
Introduction ...............................................4

The Wild West ............................... 8

Characters .............................................15
Character Templates..................................... 17

The Game System............................. 22

Combat.................................................. 25
Tactical Combat .............................................25 25
Dueling Rules ................................................. 29

Voodoo.....................................................31
Equipment ........................................... 33
Running the game ............................ 34
Underlying Group Concept .................... 34
Adversaries.......................................................35
35
Creating Adventures
and Setting Up Battles ................................37 37
Henchmen and Bosses ...............................40

Desperados don’t forgive –

The first Adventure .......................... 43
Introduction ................................................... 43
First Scene: Welcome to
the Wild West................................................ 44
Second Scene: Fighting against
the robbers...................................................... 46
Third Scene: Grounded in Genoa ......... 48
Fourth Scene: Competition
is good for business ....................................50
Fifth Scene: Big Anne’s hideout...............52
Conclusion ....................................................... 57
3
 DESPERADOS
INTRODUCTION
“I’ve always followed my father’ advice: he told me, first, to always
keep my word, and econd, to never insult anybody unintentionally.
If I insult you, you can be goddamn ure I intend to.
And, third, he told me not to go around looking for trouble.
But if you hould find yourself in a fight, you’ve got to try and win it.”
—John Wayne

W
elcome to the Wild West; the world of
DESPERADOS. Here you’ll encounter
grumpy gold miners, taciturn trappers,
quick drawing gunslingers, and hard-drinking
cowboys. Duels under the hot sun of high noon,
frantic shootouts, the cattle barons’ large herds,
contests over the ownership of undeveloped lots –
these are all part and parcel of everyday life. Settlers
and farmers find themselves terrorized by hired
guns, prospectors are on the lookout for a fortune,
and stagecoaches are raided by outlaw gangs. The
Wild West is a dangerous place; only the best will
live long enough to give rise to their own legend.
The book in your hands contains the rules for a
pen-and-paper role playing game that allows you
to delve deeper into the world of DESPERADOS
III, the video game. Gunsmoke and dry gulches
await! Within it you’ll find everything needed
to delve right into play. But before we get to the
actual rules, let’s have a word or two explaining
what a role-playing game is and how to play one.

What is a role-playing game?

You may have spent the odd evening with friends
or family over board games, but role-playing
games are a bit different. In role-playing games,
players typically take the roles (hence the name!)

4
of characters in a story. Players get to define who
their characters are – what they look like, what
their particular talents might be, what they do
for a living, and so on. In the course of the game,
each player takes full responsibility for every ac-
tion of their character. Your character is about to
have wild adventures in the Wild West, together
with a group consisting of yourself, and the other
players characters.
One of the players – perhaps even you –acts as
the Game Master. As Game Master, you take on
the role of all those characters in the story who are
not associated with any player, you describe the
location where the players’ characters are at, and
generally keep the story moving on. Think of the
Game Master as a kind of director who sets up a
framework for your group’s antics and adventures
and prepares the stage for your characters’ deeds.
Initially, this may sound like a lot of work, but it
is actually great fun to play as the Game Master.
In a typical game session, the Game Master sets
the story in motion and describes the situation
– where the characters are and what is going on
around them. The players respond to the situation
by stating and describing their characters’ actions
and reactions. If the outcome of an action should
not be obvious or predictable – for example, if
tempers flare up, a fight breaks out, or characters
have to fend off attackers – then dice are used
to determine if and how the characters succeed.
This serves to add a random element and make
the story more exciting. The following chapters
explain in more detail how to do this.
In contrast to many other games, there are no
“winners” or “losers” in a role-playing game. Play-
ers aren’t pitted “against” each other, and the
Game Master’s job isn’t to give players as rough
time. Instead, everybody contributes with their
creativity to an exciting, touching, tragic, and
action-packed story. The game is at its most en-
tertaining when everybody is throwing their chips
together so that everyone has a great time playing!
5
What you need to play
To play DESPERADOS, you don’t need
a lot:
u this set of rules
u several ordinary six-sided dice
u pencils and paper
u copies of the counters and stencils
in this book
u a group of two or more players
u several hours of time to have fun
An example of play
In the next chapter we’ll begin to discuss the
game’s details. To give you a better idea of how
the game works, we have an example dialogue
from a game of DESPERADOS to give an
impression of how the rules chime in with the
portrayal of characters. You can see how players
speak variously “as” their characters or “about”
their characters, and how the Game Master
is nevertheless always able to sort out their
meaning.
The scene takes place in an unwashed little
prospectors’ town somewhere in the vast prai-
rie. The characters are chasing a gang of bank
robbers to cash in the reward for their capture.
k
GAMES MASTER GM: You see a couple
of makeshift timber huts along the road. It’s a
drowsy backwater, a classic one-horse town that’s
dusty, dirty, empty, and lifeless in the noontime
heat. So, what’re you up to?
PETER: My throat is all dry, and I bet the
horses feel pretty much the same. Do they have
a saloon here, or something?
GM: Fidgeting in the saddle, back and forth,
you eventually spot a faded saloon sign on one
of the houses.
 PETER: Great. I say we take a little rest here.
The other players consent with Peter’s suggestion.
ROBERT: Okay, we leave our horses by the
trough, and then we go check out that saloon.
GM: Inside, the saloon appears even dustier
than the road outside. Its dark wooden fittings
are rather expedient than aesthetic. Gathered
around several round tables, some scruffy types
stare into half-empty glasses. Behind the counter,
there is a pot-bellied bloke in a greasy apron, and
he attempts a winning smile that betrays several
missing teeth.
PETER: Hey, barkeep! Three whiskies for me
and my pals.
JULIE: I’ll ask around the other folks here.
Maybe someone has seen our robbers coming
through.
GM: Still grinning, the barkeeper pours out
three shots for you. Julie, you could talk to some
prospectors?
JULIE: Alright. I join one of the tables and ask
someone whether a group on horseback has come
through town the last couple of days.
6
GM: The old man that you’re talking to doesn’t
appear to hear you and keeps staring into his
near-empty glass.
ROBERT: Let me do this, Julie. Emmet pulls
out his gun and takes aim at the old guy. And
he says: “Hey old man, my friend asked you a
question.”
GM: Test for Resolve and Intimidate, against
11.
ROBERT: (Rolls dice.) Did it.
GM: The old man turns weary eyes in your
direction. “Nope, ain’t no horseman bin comin’
through this town. Surely not in the last coupla
days. So no need for that gun anymore, kid.”
ROBERT: See – there you go.
JULIE: I’ll join the others and have a sip of
that whiskey.
PETER: Let’s hurry up, guys. Doesn’t look like
we’ll find any useful evidence here.
GM: Suddenly you hear the thunder of a mas-
sive explosion. The shockwave makes the panes
crack, dust crumbles from the ceiling. Hey, that
was just outside!
 JULIE: We’re rushing out.
ROBERT: I draw my gun.
GM: The other guests also make their way out-
side to see what the detonation was. Stepping
into the street, you see smoke rising from one of
the houses nearby. The front door of the house is
shattered and lies on the street; one of its timber
walls is in ruins, too.
PETER: I grab one of the guests. “What’s in
that house?” I snap at him.
GM: The guy, a clearly down on his luck cow-
poke, tells you haltingly that this is where the
7
prospectors bring their findings to safeguard in
a small strongbox.
PETER: Hah, thought so. I pull out my shoot-
ing iron.
JULIE: So do I. They can’t be that far.
k
What’s going to happen next? Are the robbers
still in the house, and a wild gun battle ensues?
Or are they already making their getaway, and
the characters have to give chase?
 The Wild West
T
his chapter offers an overview of some of the transportation and communication connec-
main features of the Wild West – the world tions to the West, but soon work is begun on
of DESPERADOS. telegraph lines that should cross the continent.
In 1869, Union Pacific Railroad and Central
An Overview Pacific Railroad connect East Coast and West
The Wild West era begins in 1862 with Presi- Coast, followed by more transcontinental con-
dent Lincoln’s signing of the Homestead Act. nections early on in the 1880s.
This law permits every citizen to go to unsettled The arriving settlers push the original inhab-
stretches of land, stake out their plot there, and itants of the prairie ever further back. Wars
farm it. After five years of residence, settlers flare up against the original peoples of North
became legitimate owners of their land. America, and one small group after the other
With large parts of Eastern Northern Amer- is forcibly displaced and forced to live in res-
ica settled, this directed daring spirits to go ervations. The wars against the First Nations
west, settle new land, and seek their fortune. come to an end only with the Wounded Knee
In geographical terms, the Wild West begins Massacre. With settlement of the last reserva-
somewhere west of the Mississippi River. The tions in Oklahoma and the admission of the
era is characterized by a unique spirit of opti- Western states into the USA, the Wild West
mism as trek after trek makes its path across era comes to an end.
the open prairie. While settlers head out to find
affordable landholdings for a future as farmers
or ranchers, others hope for instant riches and Year Event
look for gold, silver, or other natural resourc- 1848 California Gold Rush
es. Gold rushes bring prospectors to the West 1858 Colorado Gold Rush
in large numbers. But it is also the end of the 1862 Homestead Act
American Civil War, between the Union and 1865 Wars against First Nations begin
the Confederate States, that leads many to the 1869 First transcontinental railway
West who have suffered personal failures and connection
been brutalized to various degrees. The mostly 1874 Black Hills Gold Rush
unexploited expanses in the western parts of 1878 Range wars, such as the Lincoln
the North American continent provide a huge, County War
unregulated space for fortune seekers and ad- 1881 More railroad connections cross
venturers who may sport some rather selfish the continent
interpretations of right and wrong. 1889 Oklahoma Land Rush
Settling of the West goes along with its in- 1890 Wars against First Nations come
frastructural development. At first, it falls to to an end
stage coaches and the Pony Express to provide

8
Longhorns and Cowboys
Nothing is quite as invocative or iconic of the Wild
West as the image of the cowboy on his trusty horse.
Functional work attire, sturdy denim trousers with
leather inserts, spurred boots, often rather loosely
holstered revolvers, and of course wide-brimmed
cowboy hats to protect from the blazing prairie sun
is an outfit became emblematic of the Wild West.
The great era of the cowboys began around
1865, when people began to corral huge herds
of cattle in Texas. In the following years, ranchers
Facts and Fictions
The “Wild West” of dime novels and Western
movies is a massively romanticized version
of pioneering days in the West. As early as
the late 19th century, fictionalizations like the
“Buffalo Bill” dime novel series had become
very successful. The “wild” and “lawless” life of
pioneers, the Sheriff myth, the idealized image
of the cowboy: they all turn into well-tend-
ed clichés. Soon the motion picture industry
takes an interest and their very images become
emblematic symbols of the pioneering era.
DESPERADOS also employs these clichés.
Strong stereotypes may not be historically
correct, but they support players and Game
Master in the creation of a common space for
their joint imagination and the scenes they set
up, describe and play out. This makes it much
easier to fill a cooperative narration with life.
More sensitivity is required when portray-
ing Native Americans in your stories. The
way in which the United States in its early
years dealt with the indigenous population
of Northern America can only be described
as highly contentious, and it has repeatedly
been an issue for political debate over the
years. Pioneering days are thus also associ-
ated with crimes like displacement, forced
removal, dispossession, and even murder, and
9
and cattle barons came to rely more and more
on the services of these hard-working men. But
cowboys are much more than just drivers for
the great herds. They brand cattle that belong
to the same herd and carry responsibility for the
animals’ health. Many are the dangers for a herd
on the great trails: bandits, cattle rustlers, or cor-
rupt landowners levying illegal tolls. In the late
1870s, the conflict between cattle barons and
land owners escalates into violent battles known
as range wars.
these leave their imprint on relations between
settlers and First People. The notion of the
“savage threat” portrayed in many Western
movies and stories does not do justice to the
First people in any way. For this reason, we
strongly advise that you should rate Native
Americans in your stories better than mere
“savage horsemen” and to try and avoid cli-
chés in this respect as much as possible. Even
the briefest investigation in reliable sources
may suffice to show how varied Native Amer-
icans are in real life. Their various tribes and
the characteristics, traditions, and customs
of each of these are a valuable contribution
to the cultural heritage of our world. The US
Bureau of Indian Affairs, for example, recog-
nizes some 574 different Tribes. This means
it might be an interesting possibility to have
not just some generic tribespeople show up,
but members of one specific tribe who then
enter into more detailed interactions with the
players’ characters. Rather than the compa-
rably hackneyed cliché of the “noble savage,”
this offers room for both clever mediators
and adaptive warriors who are not coy about
implementing new technology. This permits
inclusion of numerous beliefs and ways of
living – which are always an enrichment for
any role-playing game.
 The cowboy era ends around 1880. The in-
vention of barbed wire and its increasing use
by farmers, railroad companies, and cattle stock
farms to stake out their lots and lands, brings an
end of to the great trails. Fences also bring about
a rapid economization of cattle husbandry. Many
cowboys are laid off, and give up following the
law. This leads to a massive spread of banditry
deep into the late 1880s.
Gold Rush!
Thousands of adventurers were enticed by the
gold rushes in the Wild West era, even giving up
their old life to travel – in some cases together
with their families – to the site of a gold strike
in the hope of making a fortune. These gold
rushes brought lasting changes to the country.
Cities grow, infrastructures develop, and entire
new states are founded that may later may join
the Union.
In 1848, James Marshall discovers gold in the
American River not far from Sacramento. This
simple little news item from San Francisco, a
very small settlement in these days, triggers
the California Gold Rush. By 1849, more than
80,000 prospectors arrive, extracting an average
of roughly an ounce of gold per day. The gold
finds and ensuing settlement become a large
incentive to have California join the United
States as its 31st state in 1850.
A decade after the start of the California Gold
Rush gold, and later deposits of silver, are found
in the South Platte River which prompts the
Colorado Gold Rush. In the years following, the
area’s population rises to more than 60,000 peo-
ple. New settlements such as Denver are found-
ed, and Colorado becomes a federal state in
1867. Then in 1874, prospectors discover gold
in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Although
the country acknowledged the sovereignty of
the Sioux Nation, the Black Hill Gold Rush
brings an invasion of thousands of prospectors
and starts the settlement of Deadwood.
10
Though it is both tedious and monotonous,
the majority of prospectors choose to pan for
gold, as it does not require pricey equipment.
In this process, sediment is placed into a flat
pan. The sediment is then rinsed with a special
twisting motion, causing the dirt and mud to
seep out of the pan. What remains are particles
(called “nuggets”) of gold. Very few gold miners
ever succeed in their search, and even those who
make a find have to suffer the high prices that
are charged for everyday goods in settlements.
In the end, traders are the real winners of every
gold rush.
Stage Coaches
and the Pony Express
Developing infrastructure in newly settled lands
proves to be extremely difficult. Thus, it is hardly
surprising that stagecoaches become a character-
istic feature of the Wild West. In 1852, Henry
Wells and William Fargo establish Wells Fargo
& Company. In 1857, they manage to take over
the East-West-connection of Butterfield Overland
Mail. Stagecoaches carry not only their obligatory
mail across the country, but also passengers and
their possessions. Stage coach robbery provides its
practitioners, like the notorious Charles E. Boles,
with an illegal yet princely income.
With the establishment of the Pony Express,
the horseback relay service soon becomes the
fastest and most direct mail service across the
US. Its route starts near the Missouri river, at St.
Joseph, and cuts across vast prairies and the Rocky
Mountains all the way to California, to cover a
distance of some 2000 miles. At each relay, never
more than 300km apart, the mail is passed on
to another well-rested courier. The route passes
through a total of 153 relay stations.
Railroad Construction
With construction of the railroad to California,
the era of the stagecoaches and the Pony Express
comes to an end. Travel by train is faster and more
convenient for passengers, and even the transport
of large amounts of goods no longer poses a prob-
lem. In 1862, President Lincoln gave permission
for the construction of a railroad connection to
California. Due to the Civil War in America, the
construction for the railroad was put on hold
until 1865. The Central Pacific Railroad begins
work on the West Coast, starting the railway in
Sacramento. On the Eastern Coast, the Union
Pacific Railroad begins work on the railway in
Omaha. The two tracks are connected near Great
Salt Lake in Utah on May 10, 1869. The first
East-West connection across the United States
permits travel from New York to Sacramento in
a mere seven days.
Still more transcontinental
connections were constructed
in the early 1880s. 1881 sees
completion of a connection be-
tween Kansas and Los Angeles,
and in 1883 New Orleans gets
a rail link to Los Angeles.
Voodoo
The world of DESPERA-
DOS differs from our reality
in one major way. In this set-
ting, Voodoo is more than
merely a concept of legend
– ancestral spirits really do
exist and provide supernatu-
ral powers for their followers.
In the South of the US, there are
numerous practitioners of Voodoo,
who talk to spirits and dole out use-
ful advice. A particular appreciation
for Voodoo is found among the op-
pressed and the enslaved. New Or-
leans is the epicenter of voodoo in
the US, but as the West is settled,
more and more former slaves head
out into the vast prairies – gifted Voo-
doo priests among them.
11
Voodoo priests are particularly close with the
Loa – divine spirits akin to African deities or
catholic saints. Their supernatural powers derive
from these spirits. More information about the
Voodoo cult and the magical spells of its priests
can be found on page 31.
First People
“Indians” is the collective term for all indigenous
peoples living in America before the arrival of Eu-
ropean colonists. Common as this still-used term
is even today, it is nevertheless not capable of do-
ing justice to the diversity of the numerous tribal
groups. The original peoples of North America
vary greatly, both in terms of their way of life –
settled or nomadic, hunters or
agriculturists, equestrian or syl-
van. Particular differences can
also be found in their political
organization. There are some
Native American cultures with-
out any authorities, tribes that
are organized democratically
or monarchist, and, of course,
chiefdoms.
For a game set within the
Wild West, most interesting
among the First People are the
nomadic horseback tribes of
the vast prairies. This includes
the Sioux, Cheyenne, Arapa-
ho, Comanche, and Kiowa,
in particular. These tribes mostly
live in characteristic teepee tents
and perennially follow and hunt
large herds of bison. Among them-
selves, they establish their reputations
through courageous deeds, wisdom,
and magnanimity. Many of these
tribes (although certainly not all) are
led by a chieftain, with Sioux chief-
tain Sitting Bull one of the most
famous among them.

Wars against
the First Nations
At the same time of Lincoln’s Home-
stead Act, which promises new land for
settlers, the land in question is popu-
lated by a variety of tribes. The great
gold rushes are also bringing prospectors
who flagrantly transgress the guaranteed
boundaries of Native American terri-
tory. Understandably, the tribes rarely
welcome this. In particular, the Sioux
prove to be powerful opponents to the
colonists, leading to military conflicts.
The US Army, which has grown con-
siderably with the end of the American
Civil War, intervenes more and more
often, becoming a decisive factor for
the outcome of many of these contro-
versies. Native Americans fight several
impressive victories in years to come. The
shining example of this proves to be the
Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876 in
which General Custer’s cavalry is wiped
out completely, but these successes have
little impact on the ultimate outcome of
the wars against the First Nations. Thus,
more and more natives are evicted and
forcefully resettled to reservations. With
the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890,
the last of their resistance is broken.
12
Sheriffs, Outlaws, Gunslingers
Marshals are lawmen who are responsible for the
enforcement of law and order within the limits of a
town. They are employees of the municipality itself.
The main qualities for a person who is to uphold
order in a town are typically courage and asser-
tiveness; a marshal’s history and possible criminal
record are rarely of importance. As a consequence,
it is not uncommon to find notorious murder-
ers holding this office. The marshal’s authority is
limited by his town’s borders; in contrast with the
marshal, a sheriff is in charge of an entire county,
and voted into his position by its electorate. The job
is a dangerous, for a sheriff is frequently involved
in shootouts, but the pay is nothing to scoff at.
The legends of the Wild West abound with
famous marshals and sheriffs. Wild Bill Hick-
ok meets his death in the prospectors’ town of
Deadwood in 1876. A gambler and a soldier, at
times he was also a lawman. In the 1860s, he kills
several people in several spectacular shootouts
– among them one Dave Tutt, who had won a
gold watch off Hickok at the poker table only the
day before. Nevertheless, he comes to hold his
first position as a marshal in the state of Kansas
in 1867. A similar case is Wyatt Earp, born in
1848. He, too, dabbles as farmer, buffalo hunter,
gambler, and saloon owner, but also becomes
chief of police and marshal in several towns in the
West. His career, which began in Lamar, peaks
in Wichita. His say-so attitude and his sense of
duty make him outstanding in his position, but
eventually he loses his job after a brawl with the
current marshal. He is famous for his involvement
in the Gunfight at O.K. Corral, a shootout in
Tombstone Arizona. Earp, together with two of
his brothers and Doc Holliday, are facing down
cattle-rustling, horse stealing outlaw brothers
Frank and Tom McLaury as well as Billy and Ike
Clanton. Eight people are involved, 30 bullets are
fired in 30 seconds, leaving Billy Clanton and
the McLaury brothers dead. The story of this
gunfight has become a template for numerous
Western movies, and a symbol of the constant
conflict between law and order, and open ban-
ditry that unendingly rages in the frontier towns
of the Wild West.
The permanent changing of conditions during
the exploration of the West frequently leads to
previously well-respected men and women losing
their livelihood. Time and again, the aftermath
of events leaves people with bad prospects – be
it the demise of the cowboys, or the end of the
American Civil War. Many are predestined at
this turn of events to become outlaws. Bank or
stagecoach robbery, horse or cattle rustling – all
promise a quick way to wealth.
Billy the Kid, born in 1859, is quite definitely
on the wrong side of the law. After growing up in
Wichita, Kansas, in Santa Fe and in Silver City,
New Mexico, Billy allegedly stabs and kills a man
during a brawl in Joe Dyre’s Saloon. He then flees
to Arizona with a friend. Subsequently taken on
by various gangs, he is repeatedly convicted for
murder, shoots a sheriff and his deputy in 1878,
and is eventually shot dead by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
The pioneering days saw all kinds of amazing Women in the Wild West
characters. Martha Jane Cannary, better known Life is hard in the Wild West, and so-
as “Calamity Jane,” earns deserved respect in the ciety is dominated by men. Actually,
rough world of the Wild West. Drinking, smok- the number of women is considerably
ing, chewing tobacco, and swearing, she works smaller in freshly settled areas. But
as stagecoach driver, prospector, US Army scout, these tend to be of particularly stern
and nurse to keep her family afloat. City dwellers stuff. The life of the female pioneer
from the East admire her as the “Heroine of a 1000 is hard and full of deprivations. In
exciting adventures”. saloons, women make their living as
William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo singers or dancers, and develop con-
Bill, is hired on with the Pony Express as a coach- siderable skills in fending off indecent
man, and later joins the Colorado Gold Rush, proposals. And even among the era’s
where he eventually becomes a scout for the US bandits, there are famous women such
army. Distinguishing himself as a master buffalo as female bank robber Belle Starr.
huntsman, he is awarded a Medal of Honor for In DESPERADOS, no distinctions
gallantry. Ned Buntline, journalist from New York, are made at any point for a character’s
devotes a series of dime novels to his name. Its gender, and all templates are avail-
success inspires Buffalo Bill to start his own Wild able for everyone to use regardless of
West show in 1883, a massive array of people and gender.
animals that will eventually even tour Europe.

13
Important Towns in the Wild West
Geographically speaking, the Wild West in-
cludes everything west of the Mississippi River.
The city of St. Louis in Missouri is an important
junction for all settlers heading west. This is
where the most important treks start, especial-
ly those to California and Oregon. At the far
end of the continent, Los Angeles and Sacra-
mento are two new, up-and-coming towns in a
freshly founded state. El Paso in southern Texas
turns into an important military outpost on
the Mexican border. The gold rushes give rise
to places like Deadwood that rapidly spring
up within just a couple of years, then quickly
die out as the gold rushes fade away. The Wild
West is nothing if not impermanent, and only
time will tell which settlements will thrive and
which will fail.
The End of the Wild West Era
At the end of the Wild West era in 1889, one
of the last Native American Territories, located
in the west of the modern federal state of Okla-
homa, is opened for settlement by US President
Benjamin Harrison. The law was scheduled to
come into effect on April 22nd. On the morn-
ing of that day, thousands of new settlers gather
at the borders of Cherokee Territory. At twelve
o’clock, the officially declared starting time, these
colonists race each other for the best plots. The
event goes down in history as the Oklahoma Land
Run and marks the end of the pioneering era.
With it, the settlement of the unexplored West
effectively comes to an end. In 1890, Oklahoma
is officially incorporated as US territory, and in
1907 it becomes the 46th state to join the Union.
Around the same time, in December 1890, the
Wounded Knee Massacre takes place: hundreds
of Lakota are killed by US cavalry in the course of
forced relocation. This breaks the last remaining
resistance against the invaders. The wars against
the First Nations come to an end, and with them,
the era of the “Wild West.”
14
Movies, Books, Dime Novels
Here is a list of useful background ma-
terial that captures the particular at-
mosphere that we hope to create with
DESPERADOS. It may serve for both
inspiration and further information.
u Django Unchained (movie)
u High Noon (movie)
u Once Upon a Time in the West
(movie)
u The Magnificent Seven (movie)
u A Fistful of Dollars (movie)
u For a Few Dollars More (movie)
u Writer’s Guide to Everyday Life in
the Wild West (non-fiction book,
Candy Moulton)
u Gunfighter (non-fiction book,
Bill O’Neal)
u The Untamed West and other
dime novels by Zane Grey, Louis
L’Amour and Max Brand
Ennio Morricone’s soundtracks for movies
like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once
Upon a Time in the West, or A Fistful of Dol-
lars are particularly well-suited to enhance
the atmosphere during game sessions, and
we strongly recommend their use.
 Characters
T
o play DESPERADOS, each player needs
a character. The character represents you
in the narrated world of DESPERADOS,
making it possible for you to participate in it,
and respond to the Game Master’s descriptions.
Your character’s personality may be anything that
you would like to act out during a games session.
When your group creates characters to play to-
gether, make sure they can – and do! – get along.
This will make it easier to keep the group together
within the story.
Technically speaking, there are three types of
features that make up and define a character:

Features of characters
A character’s basic mental and
Attributes
physical features
Derived Character aspects based on their
Scores attributes
What a character may do due to Second step: Define Attributes
Skills
their background and training
Distribute 20 points among your character’s six
attributes. Each attribute has to receive at least
1 point, but no more than 6.
The following chapters will describe these features
in more detail. Third step: Select Character Template
There are five character templates you can choose
Character Creation – an overview from. Each comes with attribute modifiers and
DESPERADOS characters are created in five skills, plus special skills that are available only for
simple steps: that particular template.

First step: Decide on Background Fourth step: Find Derived Values

Your character’s background should be able to give
some general impression of who they are. Think
about what they do for a living, what they do in
their leisure time, and which particular talents they
might have. In this way, you get to develop a gen-
eral idea of your character that can subsequently
be reflected in their attributes and skills.
Figure out your character’s Hit Points, Strength
of Nerve, and Dueling Score.
Fifth step: Choose Skills
Pick another two skills for your character from
the list of skills. These are in addition to those
that the character gained in their template.

15
Attributes
Attributes express the physiological and mental
basic structure of your character. In total, there are
six attributes. Three of them describe the charac-
ter’s physical abilities and the other three define
their mental capacities. The six are as follows:
Brawn
Brawn expresses the character’s raw bodily
strength. You would use it to lift heavy loads or
to force open a door.
Agility
Agility covers the agility, coordination, and gen-
eral dexterity of a character. Staying on a horse
while it is racing along requires Agility, as is
keeping your balance above a treacherous chasm.
Mettle
The character’s Mettle is an expression of their
overall health and physical resilience. High Mettle
helps to overcome severe illness or to withstand
the parching prairie sun.
Insight
Intention covers a character’s general percep-
tiveness, the sharpness of their senses, and their
effective judgment of human character. Charac-
ters with high Insight are better at determining
if somebody lying to them or guessing if there
is an ambush waiting for them just around the
corner.
Wits
Wits provides information about how quick-wit-
ted a character is, as well as their overall knowledge.
Recognizing the voice of a distant acquaintance
or detecting errors in a bank heist plan is easier
for characters with high Wits.
16
Resolve
Resolve represents a character’s strength of per-
sonality, their motivation, and their willpower. It
comes in handy, for example, when you find your-
self under pressure but must not lose your cool.
Attributes are assigned abstract numerical values
from 1 to 6. As a rule of thumb, higher values
are better for your character. No attribute value
can be raised above 6, that goes both for attribute
modifiers during character creation, and later
when leveling up.
Attribute Points
By no means should characters in DESPERADOS
be considered greenhorns. This is reflected by the
amount of attribute points distributed when you
first created your character. To give you a better
understanding of what is expressed with your char-
acter’s attribute values, consult this table:
Attribute
Attribute Stage
Points
Substandard: The attribute is weakly
1 developed, most people are better than
you in this regard.
Average: The attribute is at the level
2 of most ordinary citizens in the Wild
West.
Talented: Some training was neces-
sary to attain this attribute level. Most
3
people will not have more than one
or perhaps two attributes at this level.
Dab Hand: This level in an attribute
4 requires extensive and often quite
lengthy training.
Exceptional: Only extraordinary indi-
viduals ever reach this stage, but even
5
so only, through innate talent and
years and years of experience.
Legend: You’re among the best in the
6
world.
 CHARACTER TEMPLATES
T
he character templates that are described in
the following sections correspond to typical
ways that players choose to act out their
characters in DESPERADOS. Each template
provides a different set of attribute modifiers for
a character. Moreover, each template has a set
of special skills that will prove advantageous in
particular in combat. A diverse group comprised
of different templates will have a much easier
time taking on their opponents in combat when
expertly employing their various skills.
Gunslinger
Description
Gunslingers are
archetypical Wild
West characters
and thus a fairly
classic template.
You might be a
cowboy driving
the cattle baron’s longhorn herds across the prai-
rie, or a bounty hunter chasing down outlaws, or
a sheriff who sees to it that law and order have the
rule of the town. In all cases, your shooting iron is
loose and you love to solve problems with a gun
in hand. Alternatively, you could be on the other
side of the law, and spend your time constantly
fending off all those marshals and bounty hunters
trying to track you down.
Attribute Modifiers
Gunslingers add +1 to their Agility and Resolve.
This cannot bring either value above 6.
Skills
Gunslingers automatically receive the Ranged
Combat and Horsemanship skills.
17
Special Skills
Distraction: In lieu of an attack in Tactical
Combat (see Combat on page 25), you may car-
ry out a Distraction. In game terms, this works
exactly like an attack, but in case of a Failure
or Success, the opponent can’t cause damage. If
your roll succeeds, you may change up to three
opponents’ Fields of Vision in any way you like.
A Distraction can be performed from cover.
Duel Pistols: When attacking in Tactical Com-
bat (see Combat on page 25), you may raise the
difficulty level for your test by 3 points, and you
have the ability to fire two revolvers at the same
time. If your roll succeeds, you may neutralize 2
henchmen with a single attack.
Trapper
Description
Trappers are ded-
icated hunters of
all kinds of ani-
mals. They are
proficient with
rifles, experts
at setting traps,
and quite capable to survive even if entirely left
to their own devices. Some trappers are mostly
focusing on trading rare furs, while others chase
big game such as the large herds of buffalo that
roam the prairies. Most trappers prefer a soli-
tary, secluded existence, but quite often they are
faithful souls; anyone who becomes a trapper’s
comrade is likely to have found a faithful friend
right until they die.
Attribute Modifiers
Trappers add +1 to their Brawn and Insight. This
cannot bring either value above 6.
Skills
Trappers automatically receive the Athletics and
Survival skills.
Special Skills
Bear Trap: In lieu of an attack in Tactical Com-
bat (see Combat on page 25), you may set a Bear
Trap. No roll is necessary for that. A henchman
who stumbles into your Bear Trap is automatically
taken out. Bosses, however, are left incapacitated.
Animal Call: In lieu of an attack in Tactical
Combat (see Combat on page 25), you may make
an Animal Call. In game terms, this works ex-
actly like an attack, but in the case of a Failure
or Success the opponent can’t cause damage. If
your roll succeeds, you may move one opponent
in any direction you like. An Animal Call can be
performed from cover.
Gambler
Description
There are many
ways to make
a fortune in
the Wild West.
Gamblers have
decided to use
artifice and wits
to avoid sullying their hands with physical labor.
The Gambler template comprises not only pro-
fessional poker players that you might meet in
saloons, but also all kinds of clever crooks out to
separate the unwary and naïve from their money.
Profiteering pawnbrokers, vendors who look rich,
but pawn fools gold, thieves employing crafty
disguises and enticing charms – all of these are
character styles that are included in the Gambler
template.
Attribute Modifiers
Gamblers add +1 to their Agility and Wits. This
cannot bring either value above 6.
18
Skills
Gamblers automatically receive the Empathy and
Perception skills.
Special Skills
Beguiling Perfume: In lieu of an attack in Tac-
tical Combat (see Combat on page 25), you may
use your Beguiling Perfume to dazzle opponents
that are involved in combat. In game terms, this
works exactly like an attack, but in the case of
a Failure or Success the opponent cannot cause
damage. If your roll succeeds, the difficulty level
of subsequent attacks against the selected oppo-
nent(s) is reduced by 1 point.
Disguise: Use of this skill permits you to move
through an opponent’s Fields of Vision without
having to take Automatic damage as a conse-
quence of a failure in combat.
Mountebank
Description
Out in the vast
prairies in the
small towns of
the Wild West,
medical care is a
rare commodity.
It’s hardly sur-
prising then, that many a traveling salesman
comes upon the idea to improve their earnings
by selling all sorts of snake oils and panaceas
that are alleged to alleviate or even cure af-
flictions. Some of these traveling apothecaries
really do have some medical knowledge, and
might have a basic understanding of biology or
chemistry. Many of them, however, are simply
crooks who are out to con the gullible for their
money.
Attribute Modifiers
Mountebanks add +1 to their Mettle and Wits.
This cannot bring either value above 6.
Skills
Mountebanks automatically receive the Medicine
and Science skills.
Special Skills
Gas Vial: In lieu of an attack in Tactical Combat
(see Combat on page 25), you may use a Gas
Vial that contains a strong sleeping gas. This this
works exactly like an attack, but the opponent
only causes damage if you roll a Failure. In case
of a successful roll, the contents of the Gas Vial
neutralize 3 henchmen at once.
Bandages: First Aid can be employed in the
course of an adventure (or during combat) with
a success against difficulty level 11 (routine). (See
Damage on page 28.)
Voodoo Priest
Description
The origins of the
Voodoo religion are
in Africa, but over
time it has incor-
porated numerous
Christian aspects.
Most Voodoo com-
munities have a high priestess, known as the Mam-
bo. Followers with a deep understanding of Voodoo
often travel far and wide until they find a welcome
(or at least safe) place in society. Quite often, such
traveling practitioners offer their services for cash.
Attribute Modifiers
Voodoo Priests add +1 to their Mettle and Insight.
This cannot bring either value above 6.
Skills
Voodoo Priests automatically receive the Human-
ities and Conceal skills.
Special Skills
Voodoo spell: You may select up to two spells from
the list of Voodoo Magic (see Voodoo on page 31).
19
Derived Scores
Derived Scores indicate your character’s general
resilience.
Hit Points
Hit Points indicate and measure how much dam-
age a character can withstand. Characters who
are hit and become hurt, suffer damage, which
is then subtracted from their Hit Points. If their
Hit Points drop to 0, a character is incapacitated.
Should their Hit Points ever drop below 0, the
character dies and is eliminated from the game.
Calculate your character’s Hit Points as follows:
Hit Points = Mettle
Dueling Score
Your character’s Dueling Score indicates how
easily they avoid deadly gunfire barrage. This
depends largely on their speed and reflexes. The
Dueling Score is applied only in Duels and not
as part of Tactical Combat (see page 29 for more
on Duels).
Calculate your character’s Dueling Score as
follows:
Dueling Score = 10 + Agility
Strength of Nerve
Strength of Nerve indicates how tough your
character acts and reacts in stressful situations.
Strength of Nerve may be used to modify dice
rolls (see The Game System on page 22) and
change the results.
Calculate your character’s Strength of Nerve as:
Strength of Nerve = Resolve
Skills
Skills indicate the competencies characters have
acquired in the course of intense training, or
lengthy education. If a character is trying to do
something for which they have an appropriate
skill, the test (see The Game System on page 22)
may become considerably easier. DESPERADOS
uses only a fairly small set of skills, but each of
them covers a wide range of activities. Each skill
also includes any appropriate attributes that can
provide bonuses when that attribute is used in
a test.
Athletics (Brawn, Agility, Mettle)
Athletics covers all kinds of sporting activities as
well as acrobatic feats, climbing, and jumping.
Arts (Wits, Agility)
The Arts skill includes both encyclopedic knowl-
edge about artists and all kinds of arts plus the
character’s own artistic proficiency. It covers both
recognizing a melody as well as creating a new
one of your own.
20
Conceal (Agility)
The Conceal skill is helpful not only for moving
around undetected, but also for hiding objects
from prying eyes.
Empathy (Insight)
Empathy renders all sorts of social interaction
easier when charm and appeal is called for, and
also includes the ability to train animals.
Explosives (Brawn, Wits, Insight)
This skill allows a character to use of explosives.
It includes both preparation and placement of
explosive charges, and knowledge about storage,
handling, and appropriate dosage of various
types of explosives like black powder and ni-
troglycerine.
Horsemanship (Agility, Wits)
This skill lets your character ride safely on all sorts
of mounts. It also covers common knowledge
about how to handle and tend to riding animals.