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Acting. It's a
skill that many possess, yet many more wish that they did. Some choose to
chase a dream in the profession of acting. Some end up in back-ally plays
for holidays and never really fully achieve the dream. Others make it big,
with multi-million dollar paychecks per film or season of their show. Yet
somewhere in the middle, there are those who won't give up until they hit
that big paycheck, no matter what the job entails. Welcome to Deadwood.
Deadwood is a board game from our friends over at Cheapass Games that captures this struggle to make it to the big time. No matter what the part, you are destined for a good time with this entertaining board game.
In the game, players are, well, let me quote from the rule book: "Each player is a talentless and interchangeable bit actor on the Deadwood Studios backlot." Well, that "talentless and interchangeable" part may get in the way of acting success, but that hasn't stopped some in Hollywood, now has it? Sometimes, one needs only to rely on luck...
The board is split up into multiple pieces as to fit it into the game box. You can assemble the board to an old checkers/chess board if you have one lying around, or any suitable piece of material. Of course, for portability, you can simply assemble the board each time you play. This is kind of a pain, though, since the board is very easy to bump into and mess things up.
Cards are dealt to locations on the board that represent "sets" where movie magic is happening. Each of these cards shows what is being made (film, documentary, commercial, etc.) and what parts are available. The card also details what level an actor needs to be to earn the part, what scene is currently filming, and what the budget is. You have to read the cards out loud to the other players - they add a ton of flavor to the game and will get people laughing and in the mood for some bad acting. Ok, acting isn't really necessary in the game, but I have a feeling that some players out there will enjoy acting out the "That's Not Mayonnaise!" scene in the Picante Sauce commercial...
Each turn, players will move their die around the board and/or try to get to the end of the scene that they are filming. Each player needs to have a unique 6-sided die handy to represent their character. The faces of the die represent the players' "talent" level. You start with a 2 for talent, and can work your way on up to the coveted level 6.
Most roles, once a player has taken them, will take multiple shots before they are "wrapped" and the player(s) get paid. However, if things don't go right, you could be stuck for a while on a set. There is an option for walking off of a job, but you loose talent points for this. Also, you need to decide if you'll be working for scale, or for your performance. Such are the decisions for an aspiring actor/actress.
The games lasts for 4 days, each day end is triggered by there being only one film card left on the board. You'll want to make sure that your film wraps before the end of a day - such a thing is shameful, and you will loose talent points for this.
At the end of the 4th day, the winner of Deadwood is determined by - what else? Money! Count it up and gloat, if you are the winner that is. There's no Oscar or Emmy here - only Money.
Deadwood, at it's core, is just a good ol' fashioned board game that's more about having fun than being tested through strategy or combat. In this way, Deadwood is dead-on. It's a game that can be enjoyed by seasoned gamers for it's entertainment value, and with family gamers for the very same reason.
If you are not familiar with Cheapass Games' products, let me clue you in on how they work. See, Cheapass' founder James Ernest found one day that the cost for some games were just a little bit high for his tastes. Why pay money for playing pieces that you already had - like pawns, dice, play money, etc.? So, with Cheapass' games, you pay less for components and use ones that you already have to complete the game for playability.
So, you won't get a complete game when you purchase Deadwood, but hopefully you'll have enough pieces available in other games that you own. If not, you'll need to purchase extra components at your local game store when you purchase Deadwood. Don't worry - those components are clearly listed right on the front of the box.
One other thing to note - Deadwood has expansions available, and at nice prices. If this sounds like your type of game, make sure you check out those goodies as well.
When thinking of a rating to give Deadwood, I ran through a few numbers in my head. I have a concern over replay value, but with a few extra dollars you can get some expansions and keep the fun flowing. The components are of usual Cheapass value, so take care when working with them. I'd give Deadwood a 3.5 on the NGG rating scale. If this sounds like your type of game, I'd definitely check it out. Just be careful of the company that you keep when playing Deadwood - you may spend more time goofing off than actually playing the game itself!
Written by Gene Vogel
(Posted 10-17-2004)
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