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Death Valley - A Horror Western TTRPG

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What we're creating

DEATH VALLEY is a horror western role-playing game for 2+ players. It's weird west with a big twist as you step into the dust-filled boots of the undead: skeletons, zombies, vampires and more. A narrative-driven TTRPG, where the horror flows both ways.

Three of the nine forms of playable undead. Scroll down for more!

Based on a modified Year Zero Engine, Death Valley is quick to learn for new and seasoned players alike (requiring only a pool of six-sided dice), whilst also containing plenty of mechanics, options and lore to support long-running narratives. See the section on Gameplay below for a deeper insight how the game works.

The Book

Presented in an A5 hardcover format, the book evokes the nostalgia of the pulp western novel. The inner pages are printed on uncoated 100gsm Munken paper to give it an authentic feel and it contains over 200 pages of lore, rules, evocative artwork and a multi-session scenario to get you started (a further campaign book is planned for 2026!).

A mockup of the book's cover and spreads using real art and content.

We also have some early stretch goals that will add a dust jacket and a material bookmark to the finished book and early-bird backers in the first 48 hours will receive a signed bookplate.

More of the playable undead forms. Scroll down for more!

The Game

In Death Valley, not only do you experience the horror, you also bring it. As an undead resident of Bardo's Bluff, neither alive nor fully dead, there are plenty of warmbloods and even those of your own kind who are hellbent on destroying your peaceful life-in-death. Your days are spent negotiating the trials and tribulations of a ruthless environment alongside seeking out answers to what it means to be undead.

The game is based on the Year Zero Engine with added mechanics that lean into the storytelling aspects of play. The maths are simple and quick, but the narrative opportunities are without limits.

Below is a summary - by no means exhaustive - of the core elements of gameplay:

Play as the Undead, taking on the roles such as revenants, skeletons, ghouls, or other deceased denizens of Bardo’s Bluff, each with unique boons, banes, and cultural quirks. Use the bonds and banes rules of character creation to form a narrative history with your fellow players. There's no "you all meet in a tavern" here. Each undead has it's own horrific way of restoring lifeforce. If you're healing, someone's gonna pay.

Skill checks that don't hold up the story. Keep the complex maths out of the game. Roll a number of d6 equal to the skill being tested and each 6 rolled is one success. Additional mechanics allow you to push rolls, but that always comes at a cost!
Exciting and quick combat that can be run as theater-of-the-mind or on tactical zone maps with environmental features (dust storms, thorny terrain, slippery ground). hundreds of options for weapons magical abilities and good ol' fashioned hand-to-hand scuffles.

Resolve is a key resource for your undead character. It can be spent on pushing rolls, using magic and in combat. There are ways to regain your resolve, but it also has its limitations. Run out of it and your character becomes irreversably feral and falls out of your control.
Bonds & Burdens. During character creation, you have the opportunity to develop a history with your fellow players. What brings you together and what sets you apart. There is no "you all meet in a tavern". In Death Valley, you all have some history with each other, even if only in passing. There are rollable tables to facilitate this, but you can also work with each other and the Law Master to develop these ties.
Post-mortem questions. During character creation and play, there are questions that come up about you as a character. These questions will help shape your character, drive change and generate introspection and conversation about what it means to be undead. The answers to these questions may also form a part of a deeper quest for you.
Cinematic chase sequence mechanics with mounts and vehicles. Check out the stretch goal for Nightmares to add some horrific mounts into the mix!
Rich lore. Throughout the valley many factions attempt to gain and wield power. Whether it be the vampyric church of the Black Veil who desire to coral the undead into obedient citizens or the Thanatos Guild who are hell-bent on destroying every last undead creature that walks the valley, there is a deep seam of lore to mine in the shape of other inhabitants of the valley along with its history and landscape.

More of the art by Vincenzo Ingenito that features in the core rulebook

Pledge Levels

Digital Drifters receive a PDF copy of the core rulebook plus any unlocked digital stretch goals.

Law Masters receive physical and digital copies of the rulebook, a law master screen, ten metal bullet dice, a cloth map of the valley, a law master badge, a postcard art pack featuring all of the undead types, plus all unlocked stretch goals.

Stretch Goals

Add-ons

If you want to mix and match, or get extra of any item, we've got a bunch of add-ons, including a bunch of Critical Kit's best-selling and award-winning back catalogue. Please note that some of the designs may change slightly for final production.

The Posse

Timeline

October 14th - Campaign begins
Oct/Nov - Quickstart book and Liveplay released
November 13th - Campaign ends
Nov (2025) to May (2026) Editing, art and layout completed
June (2026) PDF copies go out
June (2026) Printing and production begins
July/Aug (2026) fulfilment

Shipping & Fulfilment

We aim to begin fulfilment in June 2026. We will be shipping products in the UK, US and EU from within their respective zones meaning no extra duties will apply in these regions.

Pledge amounts do not include shipping. These will be charged a few weeks before we begin fulfilment.

Below are the shipping rates for each zone. These rates are capped meaning you can order as much as you wish without worrying about prices changing.

If you believe that this project is not in compliance with BackerKit’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service, you can file a report by sending a message via this link: Report this project

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