Guns Blazing is a supplementary product for the TTRPG system Draw Steel. It contains the Gunslinger class, three subclasses for it, and 12 unique firearm kits (usable for other classes as well!).
Guns Blazing is a third party (digital) supplement for MCDM Productions' Draw Steel RPG that introduces a new class to the game - The Gunslinger. The gunslinger is heavily western coded; everything from the class features, to the ability flavor text and kits are designed to evoke quintessential western stories and tropes. You can play the class right now: below are links to a level 1 preview document, a forge steel file, and instructions for how to access the level 1 codex implementation of the class.
Forge Steel: Download this file, then upload it as homebrew content. Make sure to check the box on the start screen when making a new hero.
Codex instructions: Use mod code “5t-gunsblazingpreview” in the Codex
The gunslinger is one of the oldest pieces of homebrew for draw steel, and has been in testing for the past year and a half across various home games, short campaigns, and one-off playtests. It has been tried by dozens of players and tested all the way up to level 10. A special thanks to all the members of the Draw Steel Homebrewery who have participated in this process.
Unlike most draw steel classes, the Gunslinger has two resources. In addition to a heroic resource of Nerve, the gunslinger also has Bullets. Most attacks cost one Bullet, some cost more. As a maneuver you can either reload your weapon, or use double tap to increase your damage at the cost of an extra bullet. This creates the core loop of the gunslinger, managing your ammunition in a tactical and cinematic way.
The gunslinger comes with 13 custom kits specially designed for the class and which directly tie in to the Bullet mechanic. A shotgun has a powerful +4/+4/+4 damage bonus but only 2 bullets, while a pistol has a more reasonable +2/+2/+2 damage bonus with 6 bullets. Dialing in the balance of these kits to ensure that all playstyles remained viable was a core goal of mine, and part of the reason for the extensive playtesting I put this class through.
Take a read through the preview, make a character in forge steel, or try firing off a few shots in the Codex. Hopefully you'll like what you see.
Art, art, and more art. The class is already finished all the way to level 10, layout is mostly done, and the codex implementation is making good progress. The only thing still up in the air is how much art I can afford to commission to fill in the gaps.
Currently there are 14 pieces of commissioned art for Guns Blazing: the cover art by the amazing Dojikaan, and 12 sketch pieces by the wonderful Berrybanana to illustrate every kit. I'm hoping to add another 7 pieces of art and 4 smaller accent pieces to fill out various gaps in the layout.
Any money raised beyond what is needed for Guns Blazing will be invested in my next Draw Steel Project.
Ultimately I see Guns Blazing as already being a fully complete project, so there won't be a lot in terms of stretch goals. Still, there are several key milestones, and a few extra rewards I can hand out.
$2500 - I break even on what I've spent already
"Now Tamwin", you might be asking me, "Why is this a stretch goal and not the funding goal?" Well the simple answer is that I really want to make this class as cool as I can, and I'm happy to lose some money to make that happen. But I'm definitely hoping to hit this goal.
$3000 - Three Pregen characters
If Guns Blazing reaches this goal, I'll be including three (instead of one) pregen character sheets, each of which will come with token art by maxhamm, as well as a short lore background and basic tactical guide for how to play the character in combat. This will help new players learn the ins and outs of the gunslinger, even if they ultimately end up making their own character instead of using a pregen.
$3500 - Fully Arted
At this point I'll have raised enough money to commission custom art for every spot in the book. Here's hoping we reach here!
$4000 - Print on Demand at cost
Print on demand is something I plan on setting up post release, but if we reach this level I'll be giving a code to let every backer do it at cost. Based on initial estimates this will be around $13 for the class, and the company has printing in 32 countries which should hopefully minimize shipping fees. I can't give any guarantees on price, but whatever it is I won't make an extra penny.
$4500 - 25 Bonus Community copies!
I ran out of ideas, so if we hit this tier I'll throw on an extra $500 worth of community copies to however many people end up purchasing directly via add-ons. Share the wealth!
$5000 - 12 leveled treasures, dozens of consumables and trinkets, extra titles, and more!
My original goal was to release these as an eventual supplement for the gunslinger, probably in the $7-$10 range. Hitting this goal would allow me to purchase all the art required off of this initial crowdfunder, and so I could bundle everything in with guns blazing. While it might take longer to release than the rest of the class, it would be a completely free expansion- even for non-backers who purchased later.
$5500 - Fully arted treasures!
At this level the expansion pack would have custom commissioned artwork for every single treasure. That's three pistols, three rifles, three shotguns, and three gatling guns. All of it in glorious artistic goodness!
$8000 - Other VTT integration
At this point I've done everything I wanted to with Guns Blazing, so the only way to make it better is to make it more accessible. This goal would be the point where I could afford to pay to get the class coded into (some) other systems. I’d be polling my backers to see which platforms to target, but foundry is the only one I’ve been asked for so far.
Tamwin5 - Design, Direction, Writing MrMattDollar- Layout, Formatting, Art Direction Ricardo "Dojikaan" Rivera - Cover Art Berrybanana - Kit artwork Adam Hunt - Title wordmark Draw Steel Brewery Server (too many to name) - Playtesting, design feedback, moral support
Guns Blazing is an independent product published under the DRAW STEEL Creator License
