Deadlands Basic Knowledge

I apologize I had not anticipated people that were new to Deadlands reading this story quite yet, so it is a bit scattered since my notes are slightly scattered, and I neglected to put up a basic knowledge that most characters, a mistake I will attempt to correct with this post:

Deadlands is a game made by pinnacle entertainment incorporating a variety of new mechanics that I found made game play much more interesting and fit well, including the use of playing cards and poker hands for use in spellcasting and other arcane backgrounds, as well as using cards for character creation, and even as the "action" deck, which is similar to initiative.

Deadlands is a game where is combines western, horror and steampunk elements. Deadlands follows an alternate history from real life and is primarily set in the late 1800s in America.

The setting is referred to as the "weird west"(even in game) due to the western setting and weird occurrences happening within it. The history of the setting is the same as real-world history until "The reckoning" as some people called it occurred on July 3rd, 1863. On the next day at the battle of Gettysburg dead soldiers from both sides began rising from the dead and attacking the living. Since then many different magics have resurfaced and have been spreading. There are also mythical and monstrous creatures terrorizing the west (and the rest of the world).

The American civil war is still going on due to the events of the reckoning, and the country is divided into U.S. and Confederate sections along with "disputed territories". Federal agents and The Texas Rangers actively try to deal with the supernatural while trying to keep the truth from the general public.  Seismic upheavals have pushed much of California into the ocean, creating a badlands area known as "the Great Maze." In the Great Maze, miners discover "ghost rock," a mineral that burns hotter and longer than coal and is used as the basis for most Deadlands technology as well as alchemical potions and semi-magical materials.

The Reckoning revealed that magic was real, although it often involves challenging otherworldly spirits known as "manitous", in contests that are viewed as either negotiations or tests of will (manifests as a game of poker). In Deadlands scientific progress is advancing rapidly as experimental designs that normally would not work are able to work with the assistance of manitous leading to mad science.


Mechanics:

Spell Casting

Players with huckster characters use a deck of playing cards in addition to dice to cast their spells (hexes). A successful skill check allows the player to draw five or more cards and makes the best possible poker hand with those cards. The strength of the hand determines not only whether the hex was successfully cast, but also the strength of its effects. In the game world, this mechanic is explained as the huckster literally gambling with a magical spirit in order to get it to do his or her bidding — a high ranking poker hand means the huckster has won, and the spirit casts the hex as desired; a low ranking poker hand results in failure. Both jokers are present and wild, increasing the chance of a good hand, but the black joker means that the spirit does something harmful to the huckster.
Blessed characters can use their faith to invoke miracles - they pray for their patron to grant their request. The miracles are usually protective or restorative in nature, although there are some for attack. The difficulty of a given miracle (the amount of faith required by the patron for their assistance) can vary. For example, a priest seeking to heal a gunshot to the stomach would require more faith than if he were trying to mend a broken arm. Although the basic miracle set is predominantly Christian in nature, one of the extension sourcebooks includes miracles from other religions, and some of those are not permitted to Christian player characters.
Native American shamans cast spells by making deals with spirits. This happens in three stages - the shaman asks for a favor, performs the ritual that tradition demands for that favor, and then his skill is tested by the spirit. If he succeeds all three, he earns "appeasement points" according to how well he succeeded. If he earned enough points for the favor, it is granted. If not, his work was in vain.

Action Decks

Instead of rolling for Initiative as in most other RPGs, the players make a "speed" roll on the bones — the exact number and type being rolled determined by each character's stats — and then draw a number of cards from a community playing card deck based on the results of that roll. The Marshal then calls out card values, starting from Aces and going all the way down to Deuces. The card's suit (in reverse alphabetical order) indicates who goes first if the same value of card is drawn.

Fate Chips

Along with Bones and Cards, characters get Fate Chips which are typically poker chips, although colored stones or coins can also be used. These are drawn from a hat or some other container that the player blindly chooses at the beginning of play. Each player draws a certain number of Fate Chips at the beginning of the game from the Fate Pot, modified according to player actions and Marshal preference. Fate chips can be spent for in-game bonuses such as bonus dice to use during certain rolls, or the prevention of physical damage. The Marshal can draw chips as well for enemies to use.

Bounties

At the end of a gaming session, players can cash in unused Fate Chips for Bounty Points. These are like Experience Points in other systems and are used to improve Traits and Aptitudes. The Marshal may also award additional Bounty Points at the end of the session for completing the mission objectives and any exceptional role-playing that had been done on behalf of a player.

Instant rewards for roleplaying

Marshals are also encouraged to reward players with instantaneous rewards for good role-playing. During character creation players can choose "Hindrances" (disadvantages) such as Big Britches, Bloodthirsty, or Big Mouth. When a player role-plays this Hindrance well, the Marshal can reward them instantly with a Fate Chip. This has the effect of promoting and encouraging role-playing.


There is alot more that can be found in the Deadlands books, but these are the basics obtained using the wikipedia page, with the MASSIVE spoilers removed. If you really want to spoil basically the plot of the entire setting the wikipedia page is here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deadlands