Unsung Heroes
We are all familiar with the Jack Nicholson's and Meryl Streep's of Hollywood. Even the younger Adam Sandler, Winona Ryder, and Anna Paquin are household names. But what of Hollywood's unsung heroes? Who are the flight attendant from Meet the Parents, the Buddy Holly waiter from Pulp Fiction, and the gopher from Caddy Shack? Could Stella have ever gotten her groove back without "clerk from store" or "smiling man on street"? These are the "extras"- the actors who do it for the love, not the money. Actually, they do it for very little money, but only because nobody is offering more. This is the lesson learned in this Cheapass game: Deadwood.

So here's the closest any of us will probably ever get to Hollywood fame. The premise: you're a bit-part actor taking roles in several scenes in a day. The objective: make the most money- duh! Oh, and contribute to a cinematic masterpiece. (But mostly the money thing.) You meet your objective by taking roles in scenes based on your experience. The more experience, the more money. The more money and experience, the better roles you can take, and so forth. As with the other Cheapass games reviewed, the true creativity comes out in the humorously written cards. For example, one of the highest paid roles is a "glass of milk". It even gets billing over "dead horse".

Expansion Packs: Very Good
The original game is an old West theme, however, expansion card packs with Sci-fi, Horror, Musical, and Kung-Fu themes are available. Each card has the name of the movie the scene is from as well as the name of the scene and roles available. One of my favorites is the movie title "Brain-Suckers from Planet Three", with the available roles of "Commercial Spokesperson", "TV Producer" and "Advertising Exec". Clever. There are also cards that allow you to fight other players for roles, share roles, or get double pay on roles, just to make things a bit more interesting. At the end of four "days" you tally your earnings, and the one with the most wins. Experience rank counts for nothing. Film credits count for nothing. Just the money. How insightful is this game?

The game takes some playing to get used to it and get the instructions down. Because dice are involved, reading the instructions aloud gets confusing because the words "roll" and "role" appear frequently. The strategy also becomes a bit more apparent after a playing when you start to realize that the biggest roles aren't always the best payoff. Overall, it's a fun night with friends, and the "movie" cards are amusing. Who knows, you may receive an Oscar nod for your portrayals of "Headless Guy" or "The Head".

As a final thought, Valentine's Day is approaching. Wouldn't everyone's true love like a little Cheapass?