For Immediate Release
September 22, 2021
Contact: Jill Spivey
202-607-6792
darkerhuestudios@gmail.com
HAUNTED WEST CHANGES THE WAY GAMING SEES THE OLD WEST
Newly-released corebook sets a new standard for historical games
ALEXANDRIA, VA -- Haunted West, a tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) set after the American Civil War, was released this week by independent, Black-owned game publisher Darker Hue Studios. From the creators of the multi-award winning TTRPG sourcebook Harlem Unbound, this groundbreaking corebook brings us back to the Old West—not the history many have learned in school, but a fuller, more truthful one—with a Weird West spin.
“I grew up watching Westerns with my grandmother and nearly everyone I saw on-screen that looked like me was either a sidekick, the butt of a joke, or enslaved. I researched to discover that about 25% of cowboys, cowgirls, and cowpokes were Black,” said creator and Darker Hue Studios’ founder and CEO Chris Spivey (he/him). “In the three years we’ve been working on Haunted West, we’ve uncovered the stories of so many people that have been mostly forgotten by history. It is beyond time to dismantle the history we’ve been taught.”
Spivey, a Black veteran of the United States Army, started his own small business aimed to increase diversity in gaming seven years ago. He sees gaming as a way to break down barriers and walls, particularly during the current political climate.
“Games have the power to educate and engage in a community setting,” Spivey says. “They can build understanding of our world's true history and help us face hard truths that are essential to building a more equitable future.”
Spivey assembled a diverse team of creatives, subject matter experts and sensitivity consultants to work on the massive scope of Haunted West.
Angel Adeyoha (they/them), a mixed, Indigeneous (Eastern Band Cherokee) two spirit non-binary activist contributed to Haunted West as a writer and sensitivity reader. “This is the most comprehensive and honest history I've ever seen outside of an academic or specifically historical context and it's so beautiful,” they said.
The project was launched through Kickstarter, raising more than five times its initial goal. It is a game that amplifies the voices of the often overlooked people of the Old West, the people who have been whitewashed by history. For gamers looking for a more Weird West setting, Haunted West provides ample opportunities to explore a world of fantasy, horror and science fiction.
In addition to the extensive historical account, as part of this 800-page book, players can venture into an alternate history that imagines a post-American Civil War world where Reconstruction flourishes for many years, instead of meeting its abrupt end, and imagine a new reality with greater opportunities for all who inhabit the United States.
This TTRPG corebook has everything needed to explore the Old West, including:
An extensive historical account from prehistoric times through the last stagecoach robbery
The Ouroboros System, a modular three-tiered system powering adventures using d100, degrees of success, and a unique Jacks mechanic
Haunted West: Reconstruction, an imaginative alternate history
Robust Weird West content including magicks, creatures, mechanics, and more
The Night of the Aerostat, a thrilling adventure set in the Weird West
An in-depth city-building process for creating any particular setting
Lifepath character creation to build characters firmly entrenched in the world
Twelve Paragon categories enabling players to create and play any type of character
Haunted West may be purchased on Darker Hue Studios’ website. The digital version is available now; the hardback book will be released by the end of 2021. darkerhuestudios.com
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About Darker Hue Studios
Darker Hue Studios is an independent company aimed at increasing the level of diverse representation in gaming and geekdom through providing honest historical perspective in games, developing new material, and promoting inclusion within the existing gaming industry. Harlem Unbound, its debut self-published project, won three gold ENNIE Awards and the IGDN Groundbreaker Award. It was accepted into the Metropolitan Museum of Art's collection, Smithsonian Institution Anacostia Community Museum Library and The Newark Museum's collection.
About Chris Spivey
Chris is a writer, game developer, veteran of the United States Army, and CEO of Darker Hue Studios. He writes and develops roleplaying games, bringing to it his decades-old love of gaming, horror, and history, and a mission to create a more inclusive gaming world. His most recent self-published work is Haunted West, a Weird West tabletop roleplaying game amplifying the voices of the often overlooked people of history. His groundbreaking and critically acclaimed game Harlem Unbound won several awards. Some of his other contributions can be found in The Call of Cthulhu Starter Set (Deadman Stomp), Cthulhu Confidential, Harlem Unbound Second Edition, 7th Sea: Land of Fire and Gold, Geist 2nd Edition, Dune: Adventures in the Imperium and Doctor Who: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition.