Historically, Lincoln, New Mexico was the center of the Lincoln County War, a range conflict between two cattle factions: “The House”, a well established ranch and mercantile with ties throughout the territorial government, led by Lawrence G. Murphy and James Dolan, and the Tunstall-McSween faction, led by a young English rancher, John Tunstall, and Lincoln County attorney Alexander McSween. The armed side of the Tunstall-McSween interests were known as “The Regulators”, originally commanded by cattle foreman Richard Brewer. The Regulators had among their number a young outlaw who was ultimately catapulted to fame by the clash, one Henry McCarty, who came to be known as “Billy the Kid”.

It’s important for participants in the game to understand that although the Lincoln County War functions as a portion of the events that drive the campaign’s narrative, the focus of the story is on the player characters, not on any historical persons they may encounter. In the world of Deadlands, the reasons behind the range war in Lincoln are not as straightforward as they might appear, and their resolution lies with the willingness of a brave few to confront horrors that most would wish forgotten.

For the curious, with regard to written sources, I’ve leaned most heavily on Maurice Fulton’s History of the Lincoln County War and Robert M. Utley’s High Noon in Lincoln in the preparation of the game. I’ve also utilized Mark Lee Gardner’s To Hell on a Fast Horse for inspiration on certain key points. Michael Wallis’ Billy the Kid: The Endless Ride is an excellent book on the outlaw himself and the roots of his unique place in American folklore.