Our official Deadlands 30th Anniversary Celebration has now ridden off into the sunset and by all accounts, an Ace-high time was had by all who attended! ♠️
Before we dive into things, we first want to acknowledge each and every one of you who joined us for this grand gala. Fans from as far away as Germany and Australia came together for this event and we can’t thank you all enough for your long-time support of Deadlands, Savage Worlds, and PEG. We look forward to bringing you many more years of Fast, Furious, Fun!
Additionally, while this multi-day jamboree was arranged to honor our flagship setting’s 30th anniversary, the many hardworking people who have tirelessly toiled behind the scenes here at PEG were also celebrated, especially those we’ve sadly lost in recent months. We know that both Jodi Black and Aaron Acevedo were there with us in spirit and we’re certain Jodi would have loved how her name was playfully invoked by so many of us with each Critical Failure. 🎲🎲
And now, on with the show!
Thursday evening, we kicked things off with a chow line chuckwagon-style gathering at Rustler’s Rooste, Arizona’s legendary cowboy steakhouse that sits perched atop a butte in the foothills of South Mountain. Legend has it that the site was once a hideout for cattle rustlers, so it was the ideal venue for all of us to celebrate three decades of the Weird West together!
Friday morning, our shindig began in earnest at the Rawhide Western Town & Event Center in Chandler, Arizona. A dozen Deadlands games hit the tables starting at 9am including The Bells of St Simon run by Shane Hensley, The Smith & Robards Inventors’ Ball run by Clint Black, Brisco County Jr. and the Orb Express run by Karl Keesler, and End of the Line run by Darrell Hayhurst.
Demos of our forthcoming Deadlands boardgame, Ghost Rock Gulch were also offered by designer Mike Barbeau along with teasers of Deadlands: Legends of the Weird West, an upcoming cooperative card game from our friends at Pine Box Entertainment. Sign up on their Kickstarter follow page today to be notified the moment it goes live!
After a delicious, catered lunch, 12 more Deadlands games were rolled out, this time including sessions from some of our attendees as well as The TexAz Express run by Tracy Sizemore, The Last Ride of Hell’s Inheritors run by Scott Woodard, and A Sticky Situation run by Ronan Hensley.
Towards evening, following another exquisite meal, a photobooth took over the front lobby offering an array of different western togs, props, and themed pics for attendees. At 7pm, the adjacent street was suddenly overrun by scores of walkin’ dead and it was up to us to step away from our game tables and put down this undead scourge! In truth, it was time for us to participate in Apocalypse Rawhide, a live action zombie shootin’ experience using surprisingly heavy laser shotguns! It was spooky fun and a great way to get a few extra steps in.
Friday night wrapped up with a devilishly difficult Deadlands trivia game with original artwork awarded to the winners as well as a Q&A session with Shane Hensley himself.
Saturday morning, we were back at it for day two of our celebration beginning with more Deadlands adventures including a little sidestep into the Wasted West with The Last Will of the Rust Baron for Deadlands: Hell on Earth run by Chris Valentine. The day continued with a heartfelt toast to Deadlands and Shane Hensley presented by Chris Landauer, another amazing lunch, more afternoon adventures, a BBQ feast, and then a further 10 game sessions running all the way up to 11pm.
On Sunday, with two full days and close to 60 Deadlands game sessions behind us, we climbed aboard a chartered bus and made our way southeast to the one and only Tombstone aka “the Town to Tough to Die” and home of the Tombstone Epitaph! Here, we dined on local fare, witnessed a dramatized recreation of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and learned the story of Tombstone via the Historama, a unique, rotating diorama and film presentation hosted by the man who inspired Dr. Darius Hellstromme himself, Vincent Price!
As a capper on the whole shebang, we stopped for a spell at Boot Hill.
After that, it was back to the main hotel parking lot where we all bid our fond farewells before making tracks, each following their own path home.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make our Deadlands 30th Anniversary Celebration such a rip-roaring success! We genuinely could not have done it without you.
Until we meet again, Wild Cards! 🃏
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