Explore the 'Wyrd West' and all its Horrors in Huckleberry RPG

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Today’s story looks at a new Wild West TTRPG bringing the ‘Wyrd’ side to the table.

The Wild West has been the central location for stories in film and novels for decades. There’s something about cowboys, Native Americans and the lack of lawful society in America that has inspired tons of stories. Many people have enjoyed finding ways to make it unique, exploring the region's mythology. Perhaps it is the addition of steampunk weaponry ala Wild Wild West, or maybe it’s the odd mythos of vampires, spirits and cryptids.

That was the goal of Steven Alexander, the creator of Huckleberry and one of the DMs on the Twitch channel Adventures in Lollygagging, where the game originated.

Huckleberry is a “game about tragic cowboys in a world doomed to calamity… unless you save it,” Alexander told TTRPG Insider. “You take on the profession of a Maverick: a grizzled bounty hunter who rides out beyond the bounds of civilization with nothin’ but a big iron on their hip. Your job: hunt down and slay monsters spawned by the mysterious, ever-present force, known simply as “The Wyrd”. Its chaotic energies twist and corrupt everything in its wake, making a rough life all the more uncertain. But the form you take, the weapons you wield, and the monsters you slay are up to you.”

The game launched in early access in 2024 but is now seeking a physical print run on Backerkit. The new book will feature additional art, rules for horses, a setting guide, expanded player options, and more adversaries. It will also add new scenarios for storytellers to run at their tables if they’re inclined.

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How Huckleberry Avoids the Traps of Western Fiction

What makes Huckleberry different from games like Savage Worlds’ Deadlands or other Western games?

“One was that I wanted a game that plays fast in cinematic form. I made the gameplay fairly simple by relying on players simply rolling a 10 or higher to achieve success. It helps keep things moving faster,” Alexander noted in a 2024 interview with me.

“The other thing is that there’s a lot of baggage with the Western setting,” Alexander added. “Native Americans are often represented horribly in the media. Too often, they’re always two-dimensional villains, or they’re depicted as like mystical shamans. And African Americans are frequently erased from the setting as well, despite historically African Americans representing up to or more than 25% of all cowboys, which was a prevalent occupation for them. And when you think of a Western setting, you don’t really see that many African Americans in there. That was something I really wanted to address from the very foundation of the game. It’s why appearances are entirely nonmechanical and why we tried to strip away the baggage that clings to 19th-century history.”

Alexander attempts to strip away these controversies through a simple change: the Wyrd West you play in is not our Wild West, but an alternate history where there is no U.S. government, businesses maintain control over the majority of the West, and it’s a lawless abode. But it is also a place where strangeness is normalized.

It allows you to experience the ambiance of the setting without the baggage through a pulpy, Hellboy-inspired lens.

You can back Huckleberry starting on Oct. 7 on Backerkit.

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