The game takes place at Deadwood Studios, makers of terrible Western movies. Players wander across the backlot each day, looking for acting jobs. After you take a role, you can roll a die and try to "act," or you can "rehearse" to improve your odds.

Your actor is a 6-sided die. and the number on top represents your status. (These dice never roll, they just show your status.) As you work, you'll earn money and fame, and you can trade those things at the casting office for higher status, which means the ability to take better-paying roles.

At the end of the game, you add up your money, fame, and status points, and the high score is the best actor at Deadwood Studios!