Deadlands 30th Anniversary on Kickstarter – Creator Interview

Campaign Overview

Deadlands 30th Anniversary on Kickstarter celebrates three decades of one of tabletop roleplaying’s most distinctive settings: the Weird West. First introduced at Gen Con in 1996, Deadlands blended classic Western themes with supernatural horror, alternate history, and pulpy adventure. Over the years, the universe expanded far beyond the original RPG into novels, comics, miniatures, card games, and multiple spin-off settings such as Hell on Earth, Lost Colony, and Deadlands Noir.

• Platform: Kickstarter

• Category: Tabletop Roleplaying Game

• Funding Status: $284,576 pledged of $3,030 goal

• Backers: 1,455

• Creator: Shane Hensley / Pinnacle Entertainment Group

At the heart of the campaign is the 30th Anniversary Celebration book, a large retrospective that explores the history of Deadlands through artwork, cover galleries, stories from behind the scenes, and memories from the creators who helped shape the Weird West over the past three decades.

The campaign also introduces a new combined Deadlands core rulebook, integrating the Savage Worlds rules directly into the setting so that new players can jump into the Weird West with everything they need in a single volume. Alongside it comes Rascals, Varmints, & Relics, a companion bestiary and relic collection designed to expand the game’s world with additional creatures, characters, and legendary artifacts.

To learn more about the story behind this milestone project, we spoke with Shane Hensley, creator of Deadlands and founder of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, about the game’s legacy, its passionate community, and what lies ahead for the Weird West.

Celebrating Three Decades of the Weird West

Deadlands first launched at Gen Con in 1996 and has since expanded into books, miniatures, novels, comics, and several spin-off settings. Looking back at thirty years of development, what moments or milestones stand out as defining turning points for the Deadlands universe?

I think the "Servitor Series," four "Plot Point Campaigns" for the roleplaying game, were a big deal that emphasized the dynamic and constantly evoling nature of the world. We're telling a long story here, and inviting players along for the ride. Otherwise, products like The Great Rail Wars and Doomtown brought lots of new players to the Weird West, many of which continue to play our various games for decades.

The Anniversary Book as a Historical Retrospective

The 30th Anniversary Celebration book combines artwork, behind-the-scenes stories, cover galleries, and even classic forewords from figures like Joe Lansdale and Bruce Campbell. What was your vision when assembling this retrospective, and how did you decide which parts of Deadlands’ long history deserved to be highlighted?

I'm often asked how I came up with the idea, why isn't there a Deadlands movie, etc. I wanted to share the "behind the scenes" stories of all the stuff we did make and all the stuff that almost was, as well as those fun anecdotes about working with people like Lansdale or Campbell.

Strengthening the Community Connection

Backers of the campaign will have their names included in the book’s Special Thanks page, making them part of the Deadlands legacy. How important has the player community been to the evolution of the Weird West over the past three decades?

There's no Deadlands without someone to play it! I've run Deadlands games all over the world. It's fascinating to see how excited people in Poland, Italy, France, England and other far-flung places embrace Westerns (both real and mythic). When you meet so many folks face to face, and remain friends with many of them for decades, it encourages you to work even harder so that you don't disappoint them!

A New Entry Point for Future Players

Alongside the celebration, the campaign introduces a new self-contained Deadlands core rulebook with Savage Worlds rules integrated and streamlined for the setting. What motivated the decision to create this combined edition, and how do you see it helping new players discover Deadlands?

We saw great success bringing new people to our Savage Worlds community with Pathfinder(R) for Savage Worlds, which includes the core rules in the main book. While that doesn't make sense for every setting, it does our flagship properties, and Deadlands is definitely that.

Expanding the Game with New Bestiaries and Relics

The campaign also introduces a separate book, Rascals, Varmints, & Relics, containing additional creatures, characters, and relics from earlier material. How does separating this content from the core book open the door for future expansions and storytelling possibilities in the Weird West?

The original Deadlands bestiary, "Rascals, Varmints, & Critters," was in part created by our fans. We want to return to that, and we also wanted the core book to be of manageable size. Recreating our original bestiary and adding in relics allows us to more easily create new books as a series down the line, hopefully with more fan involvement. Adding in the relics was practical for page count, but also opens the door for fans to create more of those in future books as well. And relics aren't just "power" items; a lot of times they're touchstones to the historical background of the game. You can wear Wyatt Earp's badge, carry Cochise's spear, etc., and in the presentation tell players a little history as well.

Our conversation with Shane Hensley highlights just how deeply Deadlands 30th Anniversary on Kickstarter is rooted in the history of tabletop roleplaying. What began as a bold experiment mixing Western folklore with supernatural horror has grown into a long-running universe supported by an incredibly loyal community of players, creators, and storytellers.

This anniversary campaign feels less like a simple reprint and more like a celebration of everything that made Deadlands endure for thirty years. Between the retrospective book, the streamlined core rules, and new expansions designed to welcome future players, the project captures both the legacy of the Weird West and the trail it continues to blaze for the next generation of roleplayers.

About the Creator of Deadlands

Shane Hensley is the creator of Deadlands and the founder of Pinnacle Entertainment Group, the studio behind the Savage Worlds roleplaying system. Since launching Deadlands in 1996, he has overseen the expansion of the Weird West universe into numerous tabletop games, novels, and spin-off settings.

Through Pinnacle Entertainment Group, Hensley has led dozens of successful crowdfunding campaigns supporting Savage Worlds and its many settings, helping build one of the most recognizable systems in modern tabletop RPG design.

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FAQ about Deadlands 30th Anniversary on Kickstarter

What is the Deadlands 30th Anniversary campaign?

It is a Kickstarter campaign celebrating thirty years of the Deadlands universe with a retrospective anniversary book, new rulebooks, and collectible items for fans of the Weird West RPG setting.

What is included in the 30th Anniversary Celebration book?

The book features artwork, cover galleries, stories from behind the scenes, and reflections on the history and development of Deadlands over the past three decades.

Is there a new Deadlands core rulebook in this campaign?

Yes. The campaign introduces a new combined core book that integrates the Savage Worlds rules directly into the Deadlands setting to make it easier for new players to start playing.

What is Rascals, Varmints, & Relics?

It is a companion bestiary and relic collection containing additional creatures, characters, and magical artifacts from across the Weird West setting.

Who created Deadlands?

Deadlands was created by Shane Hensley, founder of Pinnacle Entertainment Group and one of the key designers behind the Savage Worlds roleplaying system.