Frontier Scum “Acid Western” RPG Saddles Up With Free League

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If the idea of a riding into the sunset of a grimdark Wild West soaked in LSD, whiskey, blood and the supernatural sounds like you’re idea of a good time, then you’re in luck. Free League Publishing has just announced a revised edition of Frontier Scum; the popular rule-light “Acid Western” tabletop RPG.

The revised rulebook dusts off the gritty world of the Lost Frontier, packing in some major updates for both veteran outlaws and greenhorns looking to dip their boots into the game for the first time. You can pick up the book now from your local game store and Free League. Below, we mount up and ride down all the details.

What is Frontier Scum?

Frontier Scum is a rules-light tabletop RPG created by indie designer Karl Druid and first released in 2022 by publisher Games Omnivorous in hardcover and on DriveThruRPG. The setting of the game is a surreal alternate version of the Old West known as “The Lost Frontier” that’s inspired by films like El Topo and the “Acid Westerns” of the 1970s, as well as more recent entries like Dead Man and Bone Tomahawk. It’s a world of buzzard-picked deserts, desolate trails and blood soaked saloons, with the game more about the overall tone than any kind of historical accuracy. The supernatural also plays a part, although it’s not nearly as overt as in games like Deadlands.

Players take on the role of violent outlaws, murderers, bushwackers and horse thieves who are trying to stay one step ahead of the hangman’s noose while scraping together enough cash for their next bottle of whiskey.

Originally conceived as a hack of the popular MÖRK BORG system, the game has since evolved considerably. Mecahnically, it uses a rules-light d20-based system with four base stats: Grit, Slick, Wits and Luck, that range from -3 to +3 at character creation. In terms of combat, it borrows the auto-hit mechanic from Into The Odd (except for particularly difficult shots) and uses an exploding damage die that lets you reroll if yyou score maximum damage.

Ammunition is an precious resource that takes up equipment slots and the game’s primary form of armor is hats. If a PC is hit by an attack, they can ignore damage and instead have their hat shot or knocked off their head instead and when the dust clears the player can roll Luck to retrieve their hat and see if it survived the shot. If a PC has not hat they take damage falls to 0 HP or lower, they’ll make a Drop check (if they fail they they fall unconcious) or a Death check (but depending on the roll it can takes hours, days or even weeks to die as they slowly sufffer from their wounds).

The game also includes a meta currency called an Ace that lets the player re-roll a single die. Whenever any player rolls a natural 1 on a check, however, everyone loses all their aces. Conversely, whenever a player rolls a natural 20, they can choose to gain an Ace, they can learn a new skill (although notably there is no skills list, with players making up their own).

Another key mechanic is Conditions. There are two base conditions (although GMs can also make up their own): Drunk and Miserable. When a PC is Drunk, they swap two of their ability scores. Being Miserable, on the other hand, is always followed by a qualifier (cold, dehydrated, sleep-deprived, etc.) which prevents PCs from regaining HP until they decide how to end their Misery (i.e. sit by the fire, drink some water, get some sleep, etc.).

Visually, the rules are designed to read like an old almanac from the late 1800s, and includes a ton of random tables and tongue-in-cheek references steeped in gallows humor. Over the years, designer Karl Druid has also release a number of expansions for the game.

What’s included in the updated version of Frontier Scum?

Free League’s new updated edition version of the original Frontier Scum rules includes the following changes:

• Expanded Character Options: 19 additional backgrounds (bringing the total to 31).
• New Mechanical Depth: Optional rules for “gun hands” to add tactical variety to shootouts.
• Tools of the Trade: New name tables and generators for NPCs, loot, odd jobs and supernatural relics.
• Ready-to-Play Adventure: Includes the complete scenario, Escape the Organ Rail (a one shot that involves a prison train heist).

How much is the Frontier Scum More Edition?

The new hardcover edition of Frontier Scum retails for $39.99 USD (not including shipping and handling). Purchasing directly through their store includes instant access to the PDF version of the rulebook (notably the Free League version is not yet available on DriveThruRPG, but you can still purchase a PDF of the original).

Why we’re excited about the new version of Frontier Scum

• A potential new cult hit: While the game flew under a lot of TTRPG fan’s radars, having Free League behind a new edition means the chance to reach a massive audience, potentially creating a new indie game that’s on par with recent titles like Pirate Borg.
• A unique take on the genre: Wild West RPGs are few and far between in the modern tabletop scene. This new update of Frontier Scum fills that void perfectly, offering a weird, Acid-soaked alternative to the slew of high fantasy hack and slashers.
• The vibes and ashetic: Like MÖRK BORG the visuals of Frontier Scum are as important as the rules. The idea of presenting info in the form of an old almanac is genius and one that’s worth having for the concept alone.
• Fast, rules-light lethality: The mechanics are built for speed and have a ton of unique concepts, from using your hat as a form of armor, to the Drunk/Miserable conditions and ability to make your own skills – it’s a game that sounds like it blend both narrative and mechanics in a truly innovative way (although we’ll have to see how it actually works at the table).

Final thoughts

Over the years, there have been a number of tabletop RPGs that have explored the Wild West, with classic titles like TSR’s Boot Hill to more recent games like Deadlands. Few, however, feel as fresh, innovative and visually unique as what Frontier Scum seems to. be offering.

We’ll be keeping a close eye on the new Free League’s updated version of the game and will be doing a review in the near future. In the meantime, you can pick up book now from your local game store and Free League.