A solo roleplaying game exploring violence, woe, and dissociation, set in the American Old West | Part One of the Western Cantos
They call you the Gentleman Bandit, because no one knows your name. They call you a monster, a villain, a dealer of death; they call you Devil.
But they don’t know you.
Not your Heart, your Poet’s Heart filled with rage or filth or the expansiveness of True Love; not your Heaving Heart, beating in meter, callous or kind or barren.
In this writing-focused roleplaying game, you assume the persona of the eponymous Gentleman Bandit, a highwayman of the old guard, who leaves 13-line poems at the scenes of his misdeeds. Card draws guide the content of each line; optional dice rolls add poetic devices to further shape the experience and ratchet the difficulty.
Rules for multiplayer versions — inspired by the Exquisite Corpse style of group poetry writing — are included for both in-room and online settings.
A Poker Play ruleset supports replayability with recommended fictional positions for your Bandit, each corresponding to the poker hand(s) you hold at the end of a round.
Mobile and print PDFs included. Layout and graphic design by John Harper, creator of Blades in the Dark, Lady Blackbird, and Lasers & Feelings.