McDowell County, WV - plot seed

[AliceTheOwl]

Of all places, I found a possible plot seed for a pulp campaign at church. The guest pastor spoke of a project to help the underprivileged in a place called McDowell County, which is one of the poorest 5 counties in the country. It's mining territory, and he spoke of how, once upon a time, the mining companies would send their goons out to the homes of the miners to make sure they're not gathering to plot the improvement of working conditions. Anyone caught hosting or attending these meetings was fired and kicked out of his home. This was definitely during the pulp era.

 

Depending on the tone of the game, the heroes might show up in town with the intention of freeing the miners, or perhaps there's a valuable stash hidden in the mountainside. Perhaps one of the owners of said mining company is behind a lot of the conflicts the heroes are running into, and they come to the town with the intention of questioning one of his cronies, a mining boss. The potential for combat is high, as the mistrustful miners may try to run them out of town, or the goons (and yes, the pastor used that word) give the heroes a hard time.

 

Please, feel free to add onto the concept or ask questions (or poke holes in it) below.

[hancock.tom]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Sounds like a great adventure hook for a more realistic pulp game. Hes got a few historical innaccuracies in there, and you actually might be able to use his inaccuracies to add another layer of complexity to your plot.

 

the mining companies would send their goons out to the homes of the miners to make sure they're not gathering to plot the improvement of working conditions. Anyone caught hosting or attending these meetings was fired and kicked out of his home.

 

This account leaves out some key facts you need to understand what was happening in southern W.Va. at the time. Miners lived in company towns, in company houses, shopped in company stores, rode the company bus to work, went to the company doctor, drove on company roads, etc. (that should help you with your setting for your adventure)

 

Part of the unspoken labor agreement was that as long as they didn't unionize, they got free housing, medical, transportation, etc. So "kicked out of his home" is a little dishonest, since it was company housing. "Plot the improvement of working conditions" is an odd way to phrase unionization meetings as well. Mineowners did use intimidation to prevent unionization, but the UMW used the same tactics to try to persuade the miners to unionize.

 

I think you could actually do a really interesting adventure based on the mischaracterizations the pastor gave you. The heros could come into town thinking they were coming to save the miners from being thrown out of their homes by goons, but when they get there, they find out that the miners in question were fired for attempting to unionize, and thrown out because there were other employees to be put up in those company houses. You could turn it around and have the heros saving the mine community from the rogue miners, who have robbed the company store and are planning who knows what else. Add in the rumors of a gold vein found in the mine, and you could even have a scene where the heroes have to save the miners they've been fighting with after the miners get trapped somehow near the gold vein.

 

You could also do the classic southern west virginia ghost stories about ancient temples being found down in the mines, weird creatures in the mines, ghosts, mining deep and coming across ancient cities or into older mineshafts that lead to x, y, and z, etc. Most of these have a more pulpy and less historical feel than your scenario above. Combining the labor strife scenario with something more traditionally pulp could make for a great adventure.

[assault]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Watch the movie "Matewan", and read "Red Harvest" by Dashiell Hammett.

 

Umm... Those are actually true statements, regardless of the present context.

 

http://www.matewan.com/ covers the real history of the Matewan Massacre (and also the Hatfields and McCoys!).

 

Red Harvest is set in Montana, but does the mining town thing. There's a review/plot synopsis (spoileriffic!) at:

http://www.cwru.edu/artsci/engl/marling/hardboiled/Redharvest.html

[Emerald Mask]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

My grandfather worked in steel mills in the Ohio river valley . In the early 30's the steel mill locked the workers out and had armed private guards with Thompson machine guns and shotguns to keep them out.West Virginia has many pulp seeds in it . My Greatgrandfather on my Fathers side knew and ran with the Hatfields of the Hatfield - McCoy fued. Where I grew up in East Liverpool is Babbs Island - Washington camped there on his way to attack Fort DusQuenne - present day Pittsburgh. Pretty Boy Floyd was killed outside of East Liverpool , Ohio near the Ohio River.

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Wow. Awesome ideas, guys! Keep 'em coming! ^ v ^

[CandidGamera]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Ah. Matewan. Interesting movie, but having grown up less than 20 miles from it, it wasn't quite as cinematic for me.

[Emerald Mask]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

If you wanted to do some mystical or horror related there is the Indian burial mounds in Moundsville. Or some historical treasure buried by Washington during the French and Indian wars. Or if horror is the flavor , Simon Girty's ghost or mummy should do it. alot of the motorized bandits of the 30's passed thru the West Virginia pan handle area.

[Mike W]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

You could also read the Sherlock Holmes story "The Valey of Fear" for ideas. The backstory portion of the novel deals with this type of thing. A "lodge" basically runs the town and operates sort of like a backwoods Mafia killing anyone who disagrees, setting fire to their house, etc. It also tells of a detective going undercover and infilitrating the lodge in an effort to break it up.

[assault]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Ah. Matewan. Interesting movie' date=' but having grown up less than 20 miles from it, it wasn't quite as cinematic for me. [/quote']

 

It's a worry, that, isn't it?

 

Personally, the term "we're not in Kansas" doesn't work for me, since I've never been to Kansas.

 

It's more like: "Toto, I've a feeling we're in Kansas again. Deep, deep Kansas."

 

Where you live affects what you see as "exotic".

[CandidGamera]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Of course, while your PCs are in WV, in addition to the Indian Mounds, they might have an early encounter with Point Pleasant's Mothman.

 

http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Dang. Looks like we have a veritable gold mine!

 

So to speak.

[CandidGamera]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Dang. Looks like we have a veritable gold mine!

 

So to speak.

 

If oil is black gold, what does that make coal?

[AliceTheOwl]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

 

Potential diamonds?

[Super Squirrel]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

In all fairness to the pastor and Alice, the guest pastor was recounting a story told to him by the daughter of a miner. It was not his story he was telling.

[hancock.tom]

Re: McDowell County, WV - plot seed

 

Of course, while your PCs are in WV, in addition to the Indian Mounds, they might have an early encounter with Point Pleasant's Mothman.

 

http://www.prairieghosts.com/moth.html

 

Also check out www.mothmanlives.com

 

I grew up about 30 minutes north of point pleasant (mothman country)

 

Also, DO NOT watch the mothman movie with Richard Gere. Please....

 

Matewan is pretty historically inaccurate, but who cares if its for a pulp game?

 

EDIT: I thought of a few more things.... the modern day descendants of the Hatfields own a big car dealership around Huntington. I bought a car from them a few years back. Not pulpy, but a funny fact.

 

George Washington once owned basically the entire western side of W.Va. along the Ohio River.

 

The underground railroad also traveled up the Ohio, and many old houses along the river in W.Va. contain passages and secret rooms.

 

Also, politicians in W.Va. refer to McDowell county as "the free state of Mack Dowell" because of the interesting political scene.