The Battle of Whistle Reach Junction
From: Fabled Environments
Reviewed by: Ron McClung
The Battle of Whistle Reach Junction is a new Savage Worlds RPG Adventure from Fabled Environments.
Savage Worlds has its roots in horror and westerns. Since its beginnings as simply Deadlands, the trappings of a western style game still exist with the cards and some of the terms (Aces, Wilds Cards, etc). The Battle of Whistle Reach Junction is written to take full advantage of that in a short and concise adventure utilizing An Average Wild West Town Floorplan by Fabled Environments
From page # 1: The town of Whistle Reach Junction began just like any number of towns in the American west.
Whistle Reach Junction is a town full of classic Western tropes. With its vicinity to the railway expansion, it became a stagecoach stop and grew quickly into a flourishing town. Unfortunately, it was built on native sacred ground and this leads into a whole series of horrific events that scare the town’s history. Native Americans terrorizing and torturing settlers, US Cavalry committing massacres and finally a desperado who takes over as sheriff and rules the town ruthlessly all sum up to a harrowing background to Whistle Reach Junction.
Throughout the text, the writer implies often that there is supernaturally wrong about the land around Whistle Reach Junction and without going into too many spoilers, you can rest assured there is. After the town’s people vanish and dark forces seem to take over, the town lies dormant and abandoned for over a century until we reach modern day where the real adventure begins.
From page # 4: Currently, Whistle Reach Junction is ground zero in a battle to determine the future of the surrounding area.
Players are gathered by the spirits of a previous posse that attempted to fight the evil centuries ago. Trapped on this world, presumably because they never completed their task in the past, these ghostly figures visit each player in some manner or another to bring them to the Whistle Reach Junction. They wake up in the middle of the town, fully geared up. What they find out later is that dire circumstances have arisen that if not stopped, will feed the evil enough to effect far beyond this little town.
Like a the Battle of Five Armies in The Hobbit, multiple factions have gathered around the town to do modern “battle” over of the fate of the town and the land surrounding it. These include a land development company, a couple of protest groups and a paranormal investigation group. All are poised to fall victim to the evil of the town unless the players can stop it.
Once in, the players “pass through the veil of worlds” and begin a horrific and challenging adventure. The adventure then turns into a supernatural battle between the players and various creatures guarding key items that will help them in the central goal. There are undead, ghouls, and various other horrors. The players have to battle through all of it and gather several key items to defeat a final boss creature. If they don’t, the “five armies” gathered in the normal world will be consumed in a blood bath.
At first, this adventure seems a little cliched, but as I read through it, it engaged me more and more. It’s a perfect one shot for players to not only experience Savage Worlds combat system but also good story and roleplay opportunities. I can see myself running this at a convention or as a home one shot. The best thing is that it provides five pre-generated characters. Also included are all the full stats of the numerous baddies the players will face in the adventure. It is completely ready to run!
In conclusion, I highly recommend this as a one shot adventure or a jumping off point for a campaign. It’s has a lot of potential for a modern horror campaign of ghost hunters or paranormal investigators. But it is tailor-made, however, for a convention game and if you are looking for a simple but meaty Western themed adventure with a fun story, this is a good one. Note: the GM should read the pre-generated characters, as they explain how each one is contacted. Some are strongly connected to the history of the town’s history.
For more details on Fabled Environments and their RPG adventure “The Battle of Whistle Reach Junction ” check them out at their website Fabled Environments, and at all of your local game stores.
Codex Rating: 18
Product Summary
The Battle of Whistle Reach Junction
From: Fabled Environments
Type of Game: RPG adventure
Written by Darren G. Miller
Editing by Charles A. White
Cartography and Layout by Krista L. White
Illustrations by Curtis Dresser
Photographs courtesy of Freeimages.com
Number of Pages: 27
Website: Fabled Environments
Reviewed by: Ron McClung