It was originally a collectible card game (Deadlands: Doomtown) that ran from 1998 through 2001, published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) under license to Pinnacle Entertainment Group until January 2000, when WotC quit production and the license transferred to Alderac Entertainment Group; its last expansion for many years was Do unto Others from 2001.

In 1863, a vengeful Sioux shaman known as Raven conducted a ritual known as the Reckoning, which weakened the border with the spiritual realm, unleashing terrible creatures, spirits, and undead.

The Reckoning also caused most of California's coast to sink, leaving plateaus jutting from the ocean (a locale known as the Great Maze).

Around the same time, a new super-fuel known as ghost rock was discovered, which spurred the equivalent of a gold rush to the Great Maze, as well as a leap forward into an era of steampunk technology.

[2] As the town grew and factions arrived, the conflict between the peacekeeping Law Dogs and an outlaw gang called the Blackjacks escalated toward a climactic shootout at high noon.

Despite attempts by Confederacy and Union agents to stop them, the Flock and Whateleys succeed in using a mother lode of ghost rock in the middle of town to summon a demon from Hell.

The leader of the Flock returns with the backing of Lost Angels, and uses a ritual to cause a catastrophe known as the Storm, razing the town and killing almost all of its residents.

The Reloaded iteration of Doomtown, published initially by Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG), picks up in Gomorra about a year after the events of the Storm.

An escalating conflict builds between the Law Dogs and the Sloane Gang of outlaws, culminating in a high noon shootout and a dead sheriff.

A mysterious illness sweeps through town, and the secretive Fourth Ring circus open a sanitarium for relief efforts, while the Morgan Cattle Company use 'mad science' in search for a cure.

Picking up in the immediate aftermath of the AEG era of publication, Pine Box Entertainment (PBE) broadened the story's horizons to encompass the wider world of Deadlands.

[5] It was being developed by Five Rings Publishing (FRP), which was acquired by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) as part of the TSR buyout.

When WotC's contract with Pinnacle Entertainment Group (the owner of the Deadlands property) ended in 1999, they chose not to renew.

Alderac Entertainment Group then acquired the rights to publish Doomtown from Pinnacle, and released a new base set, Boot Hill Edition, in 2000.

Eventually, via a flier from the 2014 GAMA Trade Show,[14] it was revealed that Doomtown: Reloaded would be released by AEG in 2014, with updated rules and sold in non-randomized expansions as an expandable card game.

Throughout its run, AEG also released Organized Play kits which stores could order to offer as prize support in tournaments, containing various knickknacks such as playmats, and alternate art promos of various cards.

[15] As part of this partnership, Pine Box would work with PEG to bring more elements from the Deadlands RPG into the game.

[16] After fulfillment of that expansion and its stretch goals in 2018, the game returned to traditional releases through Pinnacle with "Too Tough to Die" that autumn .

There are eight types of cards in Doomtown: Actions, Dudes, Goods, Events, Deeds, Spells, Improvements, and Jokers.

Some outfits are better equipped for some goals; for instance, Blackjacks (the game's outlaw gang) usually have good shootout stats and other offensive abilities.

A deadly shootout hand may be useless if unable to catch the opponent's dudes while they are moved around town to disrupt businesses.

The game is won when, during Nightfall, one player has more control + victory points than the highest total influence of a single opponent.

(In a later rules revision, a variant called for beating the "lowest total influence", which leads to quicker multiplayer games for tournaments.)