Through the gunsmoke and over the slumped loser of the shootout, beyond the sprawl of grazing buffalo on the high plains, above the din of a saloon in full swing and farther than the blue sky atop the open range lies the Shattered Frontier of the Aces & Eights game. A game about the daring adventures and everyday lives of people in the Old West, Aces & Eights lets you tell the tale of the West that could have been, in your owns words, deeds and history. The Aces & Eights game covers rugged cowboys, brave Indians, murderous desperados, determined lawmen, sturdy prospectors, powerful rail barons, and all of the characters we think of when we watch a good western movie or read books about the expansion of the western frontier in America. Don’t worry though, you don’t need to know much about this time period to enjoy the game, although western aficionados will certainly find this game engrossing, to say the least. If you consider yourself a western history buff, you might want to set aside what you know and open your mind. Aces & Eights is set in the West That Never Was, an alternative history created to maximize the potential of the game by freeing the future from the inevitable reality of the true West. While the setting is firmly entrenched in historical accuracy, a few small changes in the history of North American politics at significant moments in history has created a very believable alternative history of North America. Sprung from small changes are new nations, businesses and a slight acceleration in arms technology.