Warhammer Legends of the Old West: Showdown was the final official expansion for the Legends of the Old West (LOTOW) skirmish series, published by Warhammer Historical in 2006. While originally released as a 48-to-52-page physical book, it has achieved a sort of "PDF-exclusive" status in the modern hobbyist community because the entire Warhammer Historical line is long out of print and physical copies are rare and expensive. Expansion Content Highlights
Showdown was designed to expand the scope of the core game beyond simple frontier skirmishes, introducing more complex campaign mechanics and diverse "Posses".
The Chinese Tong: A brand new posse representing the influence of the railroads and the influx of foreign labor, featuring unique rules for pole-arm weapons and supporting attacks.
Alternative Settings: Rules and inspiration for playing in different historical eras, including 1920s Prohibition-era Gangsters (The Chicago Way) and the Mexican Revolution.
Advanced Equipment & Skills: New items for the Trading Post and a set of "Prestige Skills" to further customize veteran fighters.
Hired Guns: Inclusion of specialized characters like The Masked Avenger to bolster your posse.
System Refinement: A comprehensive section for errata and FAQs covering the core rulebook and the previous two expansions (Frontier and The Alamo). The "PDF Exclusive" Reality
Since Warhammer Historical was shuttered by Games Workshop, the game is no longer officially sold. Fans primarily access the rules through digital versions available on platforms like the Scribd Showdown Document. Community members often refer to it as "PDF exclusive" because:
Accessibility: PDFs are the only reliable way for new players to read the rules without paying collector prices for used copies.
Community Archiving: Hobbyists have created compiled PDFs that include the core rules, expansions, and even fan-made "Legacy" updates to keep the game playable with modern miniatures. Warhammer Historical - Legends of The Old West - Showdown
Warhammer Legends of the Old West Showdown PDF Exclusive
Get ready for a rootin'-tootin' good time in the Wild West of Warhammer!
In this PDF exclusive, you'll find a thrilling showdown between the greatest heroes of the Old West, set in the gritty and unforgiving world of Warhammer.
Featured Legends:
The Showdown:
In a dusty, sun-scorched town, these three legends face off against a gang of nefarious outlaws. The Sheriff must use his wits and his revolver to keep the peace, while the Witch Hunter seeks to eliminate the Chaos cultists hiding in plain sight. Meanwhile, the Dwarf Ranger tracks down the goblin scouts terrorizing the local population.
Exclusive Content:
This PDF exclusive includes:
Download your PDF exclusive today and join the Wild West showdown!
Warhammer Historical: Legends of the Old West - Showdown is the third and final supplement for the Legends of the Old West series. This 48-page expansion provides new rules, gangs, and historical settings to broaden the scope of the original game. Expansion Highlights
The Showdown supplement includes several key additions to the core game:
The Chinese Tong Posse: A brand-new posse type representing Chinese immigrant gangs.
New Hired Guns: Introduces two new specialist characters for hire.
Alternate Historical Settings: Rules and inspiration for playing in different eras, including: Prohibition-era Chicago: Gangster warfare in the 1920s. The Wild Bunch: Early 20th-century outlaws.
Various American Conflicts: Including the French and Indian War, American War of Independence, and the American Civil War.
Campaign Play: Advanced advice for organizing narrative campaigns and a look at one of Warhammer Historical's official organized campaigns.
New Equipment & Skills: A refreshed "Tradin’ Post" with an updated income/trading chart and new prestige skills. Standard Document Contents
The PDF version of the supplement typically contains the following sections:
The Weapons Locker: Detailed stats for new weapons and a reference sheet.
Scenarios: New mission types for both standard Western and alternate setting games.
Official Errata & FAQ: Clarifications and fixes for the core rulebook and previous supplements like Frontier and The Alamo.
Hobby Section: Guides for building themed terrain, such as a Mexican Village or a Chinese Laundry.
You can find more historical wargaming resources from the original author on the Mark A. Latham official site.
If you'd like to dive deeper into these rules, I can help you with: Specific posse recruitment costs for the Chinese Tong Weapon statistics from the Showdown summary charts Details on the Prohibition-era special rules Warhammer Historical - Legends of The Old West - Showdown
Warhammer Historical: Legends of the Old West — Showdown expansion is the final 48-page supplement in the series. While physical copies are rare, digital versions (PDFs) are widely used by the community to access its specific rules for expanding the game beyond the traditional Wild West setting. Key Expansion Features Alternative Settings: warhammer legends of the old west showdown pdf exclusive
Provides rules and inspiration for gaming in other historical periods, such as 1920s Chicago gang wars. New Factions & Posse Types: Introduces the Chinese Tong Posse and a variety of new "Hired Guns". Prestige Skills:
Adds a new tier of skills to further customize and advance your veteran Heroes in long-running campaigns. Expanded Arsenal:
The "Weapons Locker" section includes exotic or unusual fighting tools like the Vigilante Sword Lever-action Shotguns Campaign Tools: Includes a new Income and Trading Chart
, as well as specific advice for organizing and running your own custom campaigns. Consolidated Errata: Features updated errata and FAQs for the entire three-book Legends of the Old West Digital Content Summary
The digital version typically includes several key reference sections found in the original physical print: Weapons Summary Chart:
A quick-look table for weapon ranges, strengths, and special rules. Historical Legends:
Profiles and rules for notable figures to add depth to your scenarios. Gaming Supplements:
Templates, counters, and reference sheets are often included at the end of the PDF for player use. Warhammer Historical - Legends of The Old West - Showdown
They call it the "Bleeding Horizon"—a theoretical timeline where the chaotic energies of the Warp intersect with a crude, industrializing age. In this dusty purgatory, the laws of physics are dictated by the caliber of your gun and the strength of your faith.
Here, the Empire’s Pistoliers roam endless deserts atop mechanical steeds, pursued by greenskin bandits who trade choppas for rusted six-shooters. Here, the aristocracy of the High Elves has transmuted into elitist Marshals, enforcing order with arcane broadswords and crystal-tipped rifles. And in the shadows, cultists whisper to the Dark Gods beneath the floorboards of the saloon, waiting for the Sheriff to turn his back.
Why PDF?
I’m unable to produce the full text of a paid, copyrighted PDF like Warhammer Legends of the Old West Showdown, as that would violate content policies. However, I can offer an original short story set in that gritty, supernatural Wild West universe, capturing the tone and style of the game’s lore. Here it is:
“Lead and Lich-Bone”
A Tale from the Dust Territories
The sun sat on the badlands like a dying ember, bleeding rust across the buttes. Marshal Elias Vane stood alone outside the adobe jail, his duster stiff with dried alkali and older blood. Not his own.
The town of Mercy’s End had earned its name twice over—first when the prospectors abandoned it, then when the Dead Rose. Three nights past, a shaman of the Broken Hand tribe had raised the old cemetery. Now the walking corpses outnumbered the living ten to one.
Vane touched the silver-inlaid hex barrel of his modified Colt. Blessed by a Sigmite priest before the priest took a bullet to the brain. The gun whispered promises: one more sunrise, one more shot.
From the canyon mouth, a horse whinnied—wrong. Too dry, too hollow. Then came the rider. Warhammer Legends of the Old West: Showdown was
He wore a stovepipe hat and a Confederate greatcoat fringed with human knuckles. His face was a skull wrapped in leathery skin, eyes like two hornets’ nests. On his saddle horn rested a book bound in something that still had pores.
“Marshal,” the rider said, voice like grinding grave-rocks. “I’ve come for the deed.”
Two weeks ago, Vane had gunned down a sorcerer named Silas Mourn. Before dying, Mourn laughed and spat a brass key into the dust. That key opened a lockbox beneath the saloon. Inside: the original land grant to Mercy’s End, signed by a territorial governor who now served Nagash in the underworld. Whoever held the deed held the souls bound to the town’s foundation.
“You can have the deed,” Vane said, not lowering his revolver. “Over my corpse.”
The rider—Mourn returned, or something wearing him—dismounted. His boots left no prints, only shallow, steaming divots. “The deal is already struck, lawman. The Deadwalkers have surrounded your saloon. Your deputy is using his last bullets to keep the altar clear.”
Vane glanced sideways. Through the batwing doors, he saw Deputy Meeks firing into a tide of rotten hands. Heard the dry clatter of bones on oak.
“One bullet left in this cylinder,” Vane said. “Hexed to sever soul from flesh permanently. No rising. No bargaining.”
The rider tilted his skull. “You’d waste it on me? Then what of the horde?”
“Not wasting it on you,” Vane replied.
He turned and fired through the saloon window. The hex round struck not the dead, but the kerosene lamp hanging above the altar—a slab of rock where the deed lay under a glass dome. The lamp shattered. Fire drank the deed in one greedy gulp.
The rider screamed—a sound like a collapsing mine shaft. His skin sloughed. His greatcoat tore open, revealing a ribcage stuffed with writhing black centipedes. The dead outside collapsed, strings cut. Deputy Meeks stumbled out, coughing smoke.
Vane holstered his Colt. The hex barrel was cracked now, useless. He didn’t care.
“Town’s free,” he said to the dissolving horror. “No deed, no claim. Go tell your dark masters: Mercy’s End belongs to the living.”
As the rider melted into a puddle of foul brine, Vane lit a cigarillo with the last ember from the burning saloon. Behind him, the dead lay still at last. Ahead, the badlands waited—full of older evils, hungrier ghosts, and fools with gold fever.
He had two horses left. One for him. One for the deputy.
“Sunrise in four hours,” Vane said. “We ride east. There’s a town called Perdition’s Reach that’s been quiet too long.”
Meeks stared at the pyre of the deed. “Marshal… what about mercy?” The Sheriff of Middenheim : A grizzled veteran
Vane exhaled smoke. “Mercy ended here. Now we just finish the fight.”
Games Workshop has not re-released Legends of the Old West since 2010. The IP is effectively abandoned. You will not find it on Warhammer+. Your best bet is to search for second-hand digital compilations. Reputable wargaming forums like The Oldhammer Forum, DakkaDakka (archives section), or BoardGameGeek occasionally have users who share the file under "abandonware" discussions. Always check forum rules.