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Das Platyvark
2011-07-03, 07:10 PM
I've taken it into my head to make a campaign in a fantasy/scifi western setting, in the manner of (Sort of) Firefly, Trigun, and Iron West. The system is probably nWoD, but I would like to hear suggestions for others. But mostly what I'm looking for is encounters/events. Any ideas for bad*** stuff to run into in a fantasy western setting?

mrzomby
2011-07-04, 02:01 AM
1. Gambling in a tavern, after the PCs win 3 or 4 times in a row, some grizzled gunslinger yells that you are cheating, throws the table at the PCs, and starts a bar brawl.

2. Bandits everywhere(include that they are using a handkerchef to hide their face.)
2a. Train robbers(or whatever sci-fi trains you are using) attacking a train the PCs are on
2b. Muggers

3. Bad sheriff who takes in a PC, who looks a bit like a wanted criminal, then tries to hang them.

4. red light districts

5. drunkards/rich boys in the street/fancy saloon with a new gun challenging the PCs(or other tough looking tourists) to a duel



One thing that is important is there are A:The Rich and B: The Poor and very few in between.

Yanagi
2011-07-04, 03:28 AM
The plot to Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_meridian): more roundly, the ramifications of anti-Indian policy was unregulated "scalp hunters" roaming about, victimizing anybody that got in their way and taking any scalp they thought they could pass for Comanche. Most of the groups roamed the Southwest and into Mexico. For that matter, the Comanche-Mexico War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche-Mexico_War) and the manner in which the Comanche disrupted settlers travelling west is engrained in Western mythology--in a lot of ways, the fictional "Indians" of Westerns are Comanches, even when it was another tribe being depicted.

Read up on the range wars (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Range_war), which were the launch point for a lot of Western mythology about gunfights, dueling in the middle of the street, et cetera. The reality is grimmer than the mythology: these gunfighters and "cowboys"--the latter was originally an insult you wouldn't direct at a legitimate cattleman--were a mix of theives and contract killers working for land owners. A lot of the big names of Western legends were involved...and made their names...in range wars. In particular look at the Regulator-Moderator War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regulator%E2%80%93Moderator_War) and the Lincoln County Regulators (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_County_Regulators). The latter is the origin of Billy the Kid.

The other big force creating Western town (as presented in fictional Western) was prospecting...most famously for gold during the California Gold Rush, but also for other valuable metals. Men would go out to find their fortune on land stakes, and little communities would spring up as hubs that supplied them. The image of the Western town--saloons and brothels on the main drag by feed stores, smiths, and tool shops--can basically be thought of an economic community built to service the needs of transient, single, lonely men stuck out in the hinterlands...or to extract as much money as possible from them. Watch Deadwood if you have time.

Two other groups to consider: the Rangers and the Pinkertons (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinkerton_Agency), who both developed a mythic aura. The Rangers tend to be cast in a favorable light in accounts about them: on one hand they were the sole law enforcement in Texas that reach out into the empty spaces and had the skills to track desperadoes, on the other they tended to shoot first--a lot--and weren't picky about targets (particularly if they were Mexican). The Pinkertons were basically the instruments of the rich people back east: they were a private agency that were basically legal thugs with a limited government mandate. Some of the Pinkertons were actually good detectives--so of like proto-FBI agents--but they were also thugs that pushed around people to get them to comply with the needs of railroad barons, bankers, big ranchers, and mining companies.

Neon Knight
2011-07-04, 05:11 AM
I've taken it into my head to make a campaign in a fantasy/scifi western setting, in the manner of (Sort of) Firefly, Trigun, and Iron West. The system is probably nWoD, but I would like to hear suggestions for others.

I need to know why you would pick nWoD before I suggest alternatives. What system you pick largely depends on which of your influences are strongest and what sort of game this is going to be. Western is a very broad setting/aesthetic, covering a large span of history, terrain, and ideas.

Savage Worlds is a nice light tactical combat system, and Deadlands is a pre-existing Western (it's a "Weird West" setting, kind of an alternative history paranormal weirdness up the wazhoo horror deal, with a bit of steampunk and other assorted flavors) setting that you could adapt material and inspiration from.

A Fate 3.0 system like Strands of Fate could be adaptable for nearly anything, and provides a strong narrative feel.

There are a handful of systems like Dust Devils, Aces and Eights, Deadlands Classic, and others that specialize in westerns and have special mechanics pertaining to them, often involving things like poker chips and cards alongside dice to achieve a certain atmosphere. You might check those out, and see if those are your thing.

M&M might seem like an odd choice, but it is fairly generic and adaptable, and if you're drawing heavily from Trigun/Iron West it might fit that feel better. It would certainly do a better job of representing fantastical people with great powers better than nWoD would, and does so while requiring far less adaptation work than nWoD probably would.


But mostly what I'm looking for is encounters/events. Any ideas for bad*** stuff to run into in a fantasy western setting?

Yanagi's historical suggestions are good. The period of the Old West spans quite a number of years and a very large stretch of territory. You might take a look at the history of the settlement and early years of many states west of the Mississippi. Get to know the topography, flora, fauna, and geography of the regions, as the land is one of the things that made the Wild West so wild. You might pick a specific region and a specific time period to emulate, or just mix and match as you please. Taking a look at the history of cattle drives, buffalo hunting, and the expansion of the railroads for more historical inspiration.

You might also choose to stylize your western more heavily after mythology and legend rather than history, which is an equally valid and fine choice. The Wild West of dime novels and Hollywood might be romanticized, mythologized, and very different from the real thing, but it can still be a mighty entertaining thing to play in. There are many, many fine western stories and films to pick from, and even a short list would probably end up being not that short.

Also, keep in mind that Western is ultimately more of a setting and aesthetic, and one that is widely adaptable and applicable. A lot of generic plots or plots common to other time periods, settings, or aesthetics can be used for Westerns. Things like heists or treasure hunts can easily be employed within a Western setting. Also keep in mind that some of that fantasy and sci fi you were talking about may end up factoring into the equation as well.

Das Platyvark
2011-07-04, 05:01 PM
I need to know why you would pick nWoD before I suggest alternatives.
Mainly because of the dynamic of normal people vs. Everything Else. I'm not too into the idea of pcs having insane superpowers (though I'm not saying that's the only alternative), and also I just love Storyteller.

turkishproverb
2011-07-05, 01:56 AM
I've taken it into my head to make a campaign in a fantasy/scifi western setting, in the manner of (Sort of) Firefly, Trigun, and Iron West. The system is probably nWoD, but I would like to hear suggestions for others. But mostly what I'm looking for is encounters/events. Any ideas for bad*** stuff to run into in a fantasy western setting?


Have you read Deadlands? Great old system, might be exactly what you're looking for.

I'd recommend it or Aces &8's over NWOD for this game, as they're designed a bit more towards the style.

Also, if you haven't read them yet, the first four Gunslinger books (particularly #1 and 4) would be useful for building the type of setting you describe.

My personal thoughts? Giventhe rules systems, Wizards would have to go back to being manipulators in the face of hot firearms, a much stronger challenge than a sword, and you've got to be prepared for subtle magics. "touched types" with magical scarring/effects might be outcasts. And have you thought about what "groups" would bear the brunt of prejudice, if only through societal desire to blame lack of progress on them? Elves could be seen as annoying outsiders, or dwarves might be seen as taking jobs away from humans.

Serpentine
2011-07-05, 03:41 AM
You could look into some myths and legends of around that time - Bigfoot, for instance, and some urban legends. There's some Australian things like bunyips and wowies and a sort of harpy-thing and a devil-dog...

Ravens_cry
2011-07-05, 01:01 PM
Don't forget Wendigo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendigo). Mix with tales of cannibalism among storm stranded travellers and you got the start of something.