First off you need the basic SAVAGE WORLDS to play this game. The book does a good job of updating the Deadlands franchise keeping some of the original content yet blending it with the Savage Worlds model. By the way, you should like Savage Worlds (which has several similarities to Deadlands like dice exploding, poker initiative, etc) or this game won't fly for you. Think of the Wild West with a twist in History and then toss in steampunk, horror, monsters and all types of Western cliches.
I really like the poker method for initiative, the poker chips (which are like the Fate/Action Points in other games), the dueling, and, of course, the world of Deadlands, especially the extended American Civil War as I'm a big time enthusiast. Deadlands purists may not like this as its condensed down into one hardback (the original Deadlands was books upon books).
CONCEPT: A minus; MECHANICS: B plus to A minus; PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: B to B plus; ARTWORK: B to B plus; THE EXTRA TOUCHES: B to B plus; WHEN READ: November to December 2011 (revised review January 2013); OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
Deadlands seems like a pretty cool setting, don't get me wrong. But for every cool idea in there, there's something generic thrown in. The Bestiary in particular is full of enemies based on a very similar gimmick, or just regular fantasy/horror tropes which are present in pretty much EVERY Savage Worlds book I own (werewolves and zombies, anyone?). The backstory of the world is also pretty meh, in my opinion. Like, given the amount of mystery surrounding many of the concepts behind the world, what they all tie in to is not very interesting in comparison.
As always, Savage Worlds doesn't really help all that much with creating a unique feel for the mechanic. The few additions and modification that are present feel like a nod, instead of a good fit. I'm not sure how much different this ruleset is from the original Deadlands system. Also, I'm very picky about my RPG mechanics, so take this criticism with a pinch of salt.
In the end, I'm still quite eager to give Deadlands a go, but I'm slightly less eager to do it than when I first heard about the setting. It didn't live up to the idea of it I had in my head I guess.
Good full system with interesting character ideas and a really gritty, deadly feel without reducing character empowerment. there is a lot a person can do, both in and out of combat and the world feels rich and full.