Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

A team-oriented, class-based third person shooter by Swedish developer Fat Shark.

Set in the west, it pits two gangs against each other in a variety of game modes. What sets it apart is the synergy mechanic. A blaster grants nearby gang members a defense buff, whereas a deputy has a damage buff. As a player gains levels their synergy gets more effective. As a result, players are encouraged to stick together rather than go it alone.

The game was released on April 8, 2010 for PC with console releases coming soon.


Tropes used in Lead and Gold: Gangs of the Wild West include:
  • Booby Trap: The trapper's special ability is setting up bear traps.
  • Clueless Deputy: Inverted, as the deputy class can tag and track enemy players to the point where they can be seen through walls.
  • Corrupt Hick: He's black and not quite a hick, but the deputy is still not above participating in robbery, murder and blowing up property.
  • Critical Hit: All weapons have a low chance to do extra damage. Being near a friendly trapper will increase the chance.
  • Dueling Games: Released a month before another Western-themed game with team-based multiplayer.
  • Friendly Sniper: The trapper.
  • Ghost Town: Several maps are towns that are devoid of human life with the exception of the players.
  • Guide Dang It: A deputy can remove tags put on his gangmates by an enemy deputy, but you'd never know unless you went digging for a dev post in the forums.
  • Guns Akimbo: Averted. All classes have just one six-shooter. Even the gunslinger, who uses his as a primary weapon.
  • Logical Weakness: The trapper's synergy is often rendered useless because, as a sniper, she'll be farther away from the battle than her allies.
  • Nice Hat: Every class has a hat and you can shoot off a player's hat if you aim right. In fact, there's achievements for doing this.
  • Shotguns Are Just Better: The blaster would agree with this.
  • The Big Guy: The blaster. He even gives a defense buff to his gang.
  • There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Normally a player will fall to the ground when they run out health, but they can be revived by a fellow gangmate. Do enough damage with the killing blow and they'll be instantly killed instead.
  • The Gunslinger: A class in the game that leans towards Type B, using his Fanning ability to fire off every shot as fast as possible.
  • The Power of Friendship: The synergy mechanic makes you more powerful if you stick with friends. You also regenerate health faster as well.
  • The Wild West
  • Token Minority: The deputy is black and the trapper is female.
  • Unstable Equilibrium: The gang that does well is going to get more experience, which in turn boosts their synergies and lets them fight even better. This isn't too dramatic, as there are a number of ways to get experience without fighting.
  • Walk It Off: Very slow when alone, almost to the point where it may be faster to just die and respawn if you're close enough to death. Get close to even one friendly player, however, and it speeds up dramatically.