Lmst

Bootie Call Chapter 64 Heed the Grail's Call ~/~ Servants Come Forth
#Boothill #Caelus #Skott #LancerHSR #SaberHSR #ArcherHSR #Aventurine #RecaAssassinHSR

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56815675/chapters/191488106

Bootie Call Ch63 - As Fate Would Have It
#SpoonWrites #Sampo #Boothill #Caelus #Fate_HSR

https://archiveofourown.org/works/56815675/chapters/190318691

[Boot Hill] The Lost County of El Dorado

I have been playing Red Dead Redemption 2 the last few weeks, which spurred me on (see what I did there!) to give Boot Hill a look again, especially as RDR2, like other Rockstar Games titles, is using alternate American states instead of actual places. Instead of any actual American state this game starts in the mountain state of Amberino, then proceeds to the midwestern state of New Hanover, and then the Southern state of Lemoyne (and then further on). No actual states were harmed in the production of this game… Although one of course can see what they’re meant to be. The largest city might be called St. Denis, but it’s New Orleans in all but name, size, and actual historicity. In fact the geography doesn’t make any sense at all the more you think about it, but it’s fine for a video game.

This made me think about the setting for Boot Hill, which I remembered had a made up area as a campaign base as well.

Well, sort of.

For one, neither the 1st edition (which barely was more than a wargame) nor the 3rd edition (which went more into skills and messed up the combat system) actually seem to have had a given setting besides “the old west”.

2nd edition, the one that most people are interested in, and which basically was the main edition, that one did have… something.
This edition also was also the only that had a line of supporting books, in the form of 5 scenarios (the BH–series). Now the Boxed set of the game had a map of Promise City, and on the reverse side a map of El Dorado County.* And at least some of the scenarios were set in El Dorado county as well. The problem being: not necessarily the same El Dorado county.
Boot Hill went with the toolbox approach of building a campaign so much that the maps that were included and the few scant descriptions of what might be in El Dorado county, were in fact entirely optional. The wilderness map was unmarked, and the rules even gave instructions how to orient it for specific settings. Want El Dorado County to be in Texas? Then the bendy river goes to the south. Want it to be in Colorado? Then the river goes North-South instead and ignore the Mexican-influenced parts we just mentioned.

The scenarios are also written with that assumption. Sure, they fit on the same wilderness map, but exactly how they fit is another question. Both BH3 Burned Bush Wells and the BH5 Promise City from Range War! are supposed to be on the same map, but North is different in each. and the Promise City, AZ of BH3 Ballots and Bullets, is not the Promise City, OR from Range War! even if the name’s the same and, in fact, the same map (the one in the boxed set that is).

El Dorado and Promise, it seems, are everywhere and nowhere.

The idea is of course that you can just place it wherever it suits your campaign, I guess as long as you don’t want to move between locations too much, you always start with Promise City in El Dorado County.
I have to wonder if this was one of the reasons for the lackluster reception of the game. Sure, you can make this game your own, by just adapting the maps to your own campaign, but at the same time there is no actual sense of place. It all depends on the GM to make a campaign that their players feel is interesting. Unlike the experiences in, lets say, Greyhawk or the Forgotten Realms, there was not really any shared experiences between players.

On the other hand, it did manage three editions, so some people were actually buying it. If for the quality of the game, or because they were buying everything from TSR is another question.

Addendum: A few years ago Kellri made a campaign map that includes all the El Dorado locations referenced in Boot Hill products on one map, and while that one is quite the feat the map as a few glaring problems: The places with Spanish names and presumably Mexican origin are in the North, places with colder climate are in the South, and it doesn’t actually follow some of the locations as established in the modules.

*Note: I might have to mention that none of the variations of El Dorado County in Boot Hill is anything like the actually existent El Dorado county in California

#BootHill #rpg #ttrpg #wildwest

screenshot from Red Dead Redemption 2 showing the protagonist ride through St. Denis in morning mist

map of the game Red Dead Redemption 2, showing the various locales

Cover of 1st edition Boot Hill by Blume and Gygax, subtitle: Rules for "Wild West" gunfights and campaigns with miniature figures on a man-to-man scale

cover of third edition Boot Hill, now tagged as a Wild West Role-Playing Game

@kyonshi Boot Hill 2E is a pretty good not-quite-RPG, but sometimes that's a merit:
https://www.chocolatehammer.org/?p=5773

(3E has more of an RPG system, but it's a worse game in every other way, they broke the core combat system)
#boothill

As a public historian and someone who bridges cultures, my journey is deeply shaped by my heritage—a Vietnamese mother born in Saigon, like myself, and an Irish/German father whose family immigrated to the United States at the turn of the 20th century. Growing up, navigating this liminal space between cultures often felt precarious. As the child of a deeply unpopular war, I bore the weight of a history that often alienated me from my peers.

#BECMI #BootHill #StarFrontier

Realized I never posted this bc I wanted to touch it up but then never did that either lel #hsr #boothill I wanna draw more of him like this wahaaa

Boot Hill Entrance

A large metal archway with the words "Boot Hill" spans across a quiet street, framed by stone pillars and leading to a historical town area with buildings and greenery. The sky is overcast, adding a dramatic backdrop to the scene.

Dodge City, Kansas

Photo taken on July 22, 2024

#DodgeCity #Kansas #DodgeCityKansas #TravelPhotography #SmallTown #RoadTripUSA #Boothill #archway #Travel #roadTrip #photography #explore

A large metal archway with the words "Boot Hill" spans across a quiet street

My fav cowboy 🤠 (and pet)

#HonkaiStarRail #boothill #hsr #illustration #traditionalart #mastoart #artistsonmastodon

Sign near Tombstone, Arizona. Boot Hill graveyard

#Tombstone #Arizona #BootHill #TomWilson #FrankLowery #BalckieClaxton #BillieLester

https://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2017770176/

The image depicts a weathered grave marker set on a rocky surface. The text on the headstone is faded and partially obscured, indicating it's likely an old photograph. The names mentioned include Tom Wilson, Frank Lowery, Balckie Claxton, and Billie Lester. It appears to be located in a desert-like environment due to the sparse vegetation visible around the grave marker. There is no visible activity in the image; it captures a stillness typical of such a location. The lighting suggests either early morning or late afternoon.

RT @Zephyere: Some more silliness #HonkaiStarRail #boothill #danheng https://t.co/O2nalaniuH

I've had #Boothill on my mind since his trailer so I gave him one more 10 pull and...

#HonkaiStarRail

Kind of surprised how much I'm tempted to pull for #Boothill. I've been saving up for Firefly and I want Jade too (and Huo Huo and Ruan Mei when they re-run) but the space cowboy is very tempting. Maybe when he re-runs...

#HonkaiStarRail