Description

Doctor Tregan’s Collateral Trouble is a story roleplaying game set in Deadlands: The Weird West™. In this Tall Tale, Doctor Tregan has been abducted in the dead of night by bandits. His shop has been left unattended. And it’s only a matter of time before his trail runs cold.

The town of Buford Junction relies on the good doctor’s work to keep things like generators, tractors, and weapons humming. Left unattended, the shop could fall into the wrong hands and some of his inventions could wreak havoc on the citizens of Buford Junction. Only a few stalwart men and women have what it takes to rescue Doctor Tregan and see that justice is done.

Who has taken him? Is it old creditors come to collect? Or nefarious outlaws with unkind plans? Will the doctor be killed once he builds them a fantastic machine? Or is he a hostage held for some enormous ransom? Perhaps he’s just a pawn in some sick game.

The heroes who must survive the wild are lightning-fast gunfighters, card-slinging hucksters, mad scientists, or even common townsfolk. But they’d best be quick—the doctor’s fate is in their hands.

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Tall Tales is a narrative roleplaying game for three or more players. This zero-preparation game features enough structure to move the action along with plenty of room for creative and cooperative storytellers to spin rich and engaging yarns.

Tall Tales is based on the Protocol game series. Players take on the roles of directors outside the action and characters inside the action, using the ebb and flow of four different scene-framing styles to tell meaningful stories about characters in crisis: Vignettes, Interrogations, Interludes, and Ensembles. Each story explores unique player characters dealing with the adversity of the particular situation and their own personal issues in the best dramatic fashion.

Tall Tales requires a deck of cards (with Jokers) as well as tokens to track Drama Points and Grit. It presumes some understanding of GMless game protocol: scene-framing, shared authority, and so on. If you’ve never played a GMless game, try one of the GMZero games like Dying Memoryes, Forget-Me-Not, or Monogatari. There is also a free PDF online at drivethrurpg.com.

If you like this free look at the first Tall Tale, please check out our others.