dead man's hand

You collect these people’s stories like dust on your boots and freckles from the sun, inevitabilities of nature, and this one’s yours. You ain’t never been too eager a storyteller yourself. But an audience … Well, in that you’re downright gifted. Folks’ stories come pourin’ out of their mouths before you even done opened yours. Somethin’ ‘bout you just draws it out of them, like a sweet symphony from a songbird.  

They say everyone’s got a little touch of magic. Maybe this’uns yours. Maybe all these stories are fillin’ you up awaitin’ for … somethin’. Won’t know till you find out, I s’pose. Won’t know till the universe shines its light on all those tales inside you and you glow hotter than the sun.  

Till then … better get to collectin’. 

In Dead Man's Hand, you play as a collector of stories, traveling through the American Old West trying to find the one story you were born to hear. Along the way, you'll meet a large cast of characters who all have tales for you, from the mundane to the divine.

You'll learn these stories by playing a friendly game of cards, and through your oracular powers will know the story by the cards you draw. The cards in your hand inform the characters involved in the tale, and the flop, turn, and river will be the beginning, middle, and end. Finally, the hand you make will be the overall theme.

There are 54 potential characters to meet, and thousands of possible story combinations. Use on its own as a story generator, or use in addition to other systems to generate on-the-fly npcs or for telling stories around the campfire.

Included is a formatted PDF and a dyslexia-friendly PDF with example stories and original writing. In a world full of story and song, who are you? Just a wanderer? Or are you collecting these for a reason?