Tales of the Old West by Dave Semark & Matt Tyler-Jones

Tales of the Old West is a western RPG, based on the Year Zero Engine and currently in the process of being Kickstarted. The final pdf of the game was released recently and I've now had the chance to read through it, and I'm highly impressed. 

The rules use the dice pool system familiar from other Free League games such as Tales from the Loop and Alien, where you roll a number of dice depending on your attributes and abilities, modified by the difficulty of what you are trying to achieve. Any six counts as a success, with the more successes the better, especially for combat where they can be turned into critical hits. You also have the option of pushing the roll to boost your successes. The twist with this system is that your first five dice are your troublesome dice - any ones on those spell trouble if you decide to push and the effects can range from dropping your gun to mortally offending someone in a social situation.

Characters also follow the traditional archetypes from homesteaders to outlaws, of various ages and abilities, but there is also a full lifepath system that gives a large variety of possible options and backgrounds. Characters have their faith and big dreams to give them something to aim for, and compadres to fight alongside. There are also rules for building a settlement from a small encampment to a thriving township as the seasons turn. 

Unlike some other games in the Western genre, Tales of the Old West aims for a realistic and gritty setting - no steampunk or cowboy vampires to be found here. A huge amount of research has gone into this, giving details of life in the wild west with historical accuracy. The writers have taken care to tackle the tricky subjects of racism and cultural sensitivity with advice on how to deal with those areas at the table, without ignoring them completely. 

The suggested campaign setting of New Mexico in the 1870s is a good one - the region was a true melting pot of characters from different backgrounds and there are plenty of areas for adventure and conflict. There is a fully fleshed out starter scenario, and descriptions of three towns with plot hooks and scenario ideas to build on.

I've already run the quickshot starter adventure for this and I'm looking forward to playing more!