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:help: I floated this idea elsewhere, an Old West campaign. Pregens to include the Lone Ranger, Tonto, the Duke, Kwai Chan Caine, The Man With No Name, Tom Sawyer, James West, Artemus Gordon, and Dorothy Gale.

For the first adventure, I'm thinking that the LXA (League of Extraordinary Americans) are all attending completion of the Trans-Continental Railroad in the USA.

Kwai Chan Caine is driving rails. 

Tom Sawyer is a Union Pacific Detective, providing security.

I'm thinking about using Brisco County Sr.

Jonah Collier: So, Marshal Brisco County, now that you've rounded up the thirteen most notorious outlaws in all the west, including John Bly, what will do you do for an encore? 

Brisco County Sr.: I believe I'll smoke this pipe.

There is a big ceremony, with President U.S. Grant scheduled to appear, protected by James West and Artemus Gordon. 

Royal Princess of Oz Dorothy Gale is also expected, defended by the Duke and The Man With No Name. As for the Ruby Slippers, aka the Silver Shoes, when HRH (Her Royal Highness) returned to Kansas, she found that the shoes were gone, fallen off during her flight and landing somewhere in the Deadly Desert. Though they are mentioned several times in sequels, they never appear again in the original series.

The Lone Ranger and Tonto are there on their own recognizance, looking for trouble.

"What's your given name, Agent Finn?"

 

"I'll be your Huckleberry."

What could go wrong? 

What's the Big Picture? What's going on in this setting that makes it ripe for adventure? What's changing, evolving, declining?

Become a legend of the Wild West; Lawman, Indian, Outlaw, Gambler, or any of the many possibilities. The States are reunited, and growing in power. The Confederacy and the Second Mexican Empire have fallen. 

What's the world's culture? What are the cultural analogs? Analogs can be taken from historical earth, current events or fantasy works.

Inspired by Westerns and westerners of that period. Liberties are taken with fictional characters. Expect real events and persons, too.

What's the conflict in which the characters are involved? What are the sides? What's wrong?

Protect your personal and community interests. Last year, 1868, a second Fort Bowie was built on a plateau near your town of Promise City, to protect Apache Pass and Apache Spring. It includes an adobe barracks, houses, corrals, a trading post, and a hospital. 

What physical place does this conflict take place in? What ecology, environment, place?

The Old West.

What's the name of the most important place in this setting? Not the capital or any dumb $#!+ like that, but THE PLACE where all the action goes down?

Promise City, in eastern Pima County, Arizona Territory, wildest part of the wild west. Rustlers are everywhere. Indians and badmen lurk in the hills. Robberies are common. This area borders southwestern New Mexico, southeastern Arizona, and northwestern Mexico's Sonara state. One of four ceremonial commemorative spikes came from here for our first adventure, The Golden Spike. 
a blended iron, silver and gold spike, engraved: Ribbed with iron clad in silver and crowned with gold Arizona presents her offering to the enterprise that has banded a continent and dictated a pathway to commerce. (Source D'eseret Morning News, Salt Lake City, April 24, 2007)

What's the name of a faraway place that folks talk about, dream about or mutter under their breath about?

The legendary city of gold, El Dorado.

Who are the antagonists? Who is opposing the goals of the characters?

The mad dwarf genius Dr. Miguelito Quixote Loveless, his accomplices the gigantic Voltaire and the beautiful songstress Antoinette, notorious outlaw John Bly and his gang, Count Carlos Mario Vincenzo Robespierre Manzeppi, a master of dark magic and leader of handpicked teams of assassins, and others.

Imagine all of the characters are standing a room/ruin/field with the antagonists or their minions. What do the antagonists want from that meeting? What do the characters want from that meeting?

Your foes demand your subservience or your death. Your allies want justice and mercy for all.

Alternately, imagine the characters standing at the scene of some great disaster or calamity clearly caused by one of the antagonists. What's the disaster? How did it happen? What are the characters going to do about it right now?

U.S. Civil War, dispute over the spread of slavery. President Ulysses S. Grant needs help to eliminate all vestiges of Confederate nationalism and slavery, protecting African American citizenship, and destroying the Klu Klux Klan.

What type of magic exists in this world?

Mostly shamanism.

What character stocks are in play in this world? Which are restricted and why? 

Human and only human for players. NPCs may differ.

What cultural traits apply to the characters of this game world? Pick three character traits for each culture.

American- advanced, imperialistic, reconstruction.
Indian- aboriginal, displaced, resentful.
Mexican- federalist, anti-clerical, and pro-capitalist.

Material world: What weapons and armor are available? Are some weapons and armor restricted to certain cultures or character stocks? What property is available? Are resources and gear otherwise restricted?

Some Old West era weapons are free. Anything more noteworthy than a .45 caliber firearm costs points. Armor and shields and such cost points.

--Questions from Burning Wheel Forum 

Swiping from Mekton, the default player character is, of course, extraordinary. The optional idea is to play a less experienced character, someone with a sheltered life, or quite young, or a sidekick, etc, or several of the above, built on up to half of the extraordinary chargen points. However, DOUBLE XPs are earned for the life of the character.

What do ya'll think, pilgrims?

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Good eye, kahuna's bro, I'm talking about Jr's dad.  His quote is exactly from the show.  Junior's series was set in 1893, whereas I plan to set the first adventure well before that.  I'm  taking liberties with fictional bios, but not to the utmost degree.

 
That said, I'd love to see a Jr. or Sr. writeup from any of you.  I challenge you! 
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You could always add Marshall Matt Dillon in there somewhere. Paladin from Have Gun Will Travel also.

 

To add some variation, since your sources are varied. Your classic TV seems a bit depleted (excepting Lone Ranger)

 

 

I suppose you could also look towards the Lonesome Dove series. They especially had some decent villains that could be of use (Blue Duck and his gang, Suggs brothers gang from the original, I cant think of the ones from the others off-hand)

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Course, some other TV westerns that havent been mentioned yet.

 

Bonanza (Pernell Roberts' character after he left the show would be my favorite encounter, with them, miles vary, of course)

 

The High Chaparral

 

The Virginian

 

Wagon Train (AKA the Flying Dutchman of westward settlement, I think by the time they got to CA, one of them nearly got hit by a 57 Chevy)

 

(also one that I cant remember the name but it starred Barbara Stanwyck)

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Course, some other TV westerns that havent been mentioned yet.

 

Bonanza (Pernell Roberts' character after he left the show would be my favorite encounter, with them, miles vary, of course)

 

The High Chaparral

 

The Virginian

 

Wagon Train (AKA the Flying Dutchman of westward settlement, I think by the time they got to CA, one of them nearly got hit by a 57 Chevy)

 

(also one that I cant remember the name but it starred Barbara Stanwyck)

The Big Valley was the one with Barbara Stanwyck IIRC.

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I would also look at keeping the Divide between Northerner American and Southerner American. In the Old West Period there was a difference between the outlooks of the two. The Cultures were (and in some ways still are) different which leads them to view things differently.

Also, African Americans, and Asians were very distict cultures (and at least one of the recommended PC is Asian (or at least brought up in the culture)).

 

Deadlands could be a source of Ideas for this campaign. Castle Falkenstein could also give you good nuggets (they even have a Six guns and Sorcery supplement) You would have to tone down the magic (or not, perhaps the PC's aren't aware of Magic).

Are you looking at running this like a Gonzo Heroic Campaign, or more of a Cross over toward Western Champions (ie Street Level with minor Super Powers)?

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Thanks for the tips, y'all.  More details, here http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/lxa-league-of-extraordinary-americans, which kahuna's bro apparently checked out.  Given that, I'd say I'm aiming toward Heroic+, with a maximum of one (if that) PC spellcaster / faith healer.  Check the wiki.

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Julius Carry said that his Lord Bowler bounty hunter character, an expert tracker, was similar to the real-life black deputy U.S. Marshal Bass Reeves, in that "Reeves always got his man and would often pull off incredible tricks to bring people in."  The original direction for Bowler was to have him constantly oppose Brisco [County Jr.], but as the series progressed the writers saw the good-natured chemistry between the actors and decided to make Brisco and Bowler a team. Bowler's race was never an issue in the show. According to Cary Darling, a television critic, this attitude is different from serious Westerns and "may hew more to the truth than one might think". He said historians have noted that black cowboys were common and that conflicts with white cowboys were rare.  -Luke Copping, Auxilary Magazine

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Some more media cowpokes. "Sweet" Sue, "Salty" Sam, and Jones, from the novelty song "Along Came Jones".

The Gambler (from the country song The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers). I also recommend the tv movie series.

Moe, Larry, and Curry are three vagrants who wander the west and by not meaning to do so, stop evil bandits. Source, Three Stooges shorts.

The gambling Maverick brothers, and there English cousin, who also wanders the west. Source: the tv series Maverick.

Bravestar, a traveling native sheriff who talks to his horse Thirty-Thirty (and clames he talks back). He is hunting the outlaw/mage named Tex Hex (prehaps he suffered from sunstroke). Source: Brave Star, the tv cartoon show. (Warning: this guy is a good guy, but must be protraded as crazy in order to fit, cause his original show was sci-fi/fantasy).

The Cisco Kid. Hispanic "Robbin Hood of the Old West". Source: O'Henny short storys and the tv series.

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Sorry. Diden't know it was tabletop. Thought it was play by post.

 

Anyways, hear are the lyrics to the song "Along Came Jones", by The Coasters. Enjoy.

 

I plopped down in my easy chair and turned on Channel 2

A bad gunslinger called Salty Sam was chasin' poor Sweet Sue

He trapped her in the old sawmill and said with an evil laugh,

"If you don't give me the deed to your ranch I'll saw you all in half!"

 

And then he grabbed her (and then?)

He tied her up (and then?)

He turned on the bandsaw (and then? and then?)

Ahem...

 

[Chorus:]

And then along came Jones

Tall thin Jones

Slow-walkin' Jones

Slow-talkin' Jones

Along came long, leen, lanky Jones

 

Commercial came on, so I got up to get myself a snack

You should've seen what was goin' on by the time that I got back

Down in the old abandoned mine, Sweet Sue was havin' fits

That villain said, "Give me the deed to your ranch

Or I'll blow you all to bits!"

And then he grabbed her (And then?)

He tied her up (And then?)

He lit the fuse to the dynamite (And then? And then?)

Ahem...

 

[Repeat Chorus]

 

I got so bugged I turned it off and turned on another show

But there was the same old shoot-'em-up and the same old rodeo

Salty Sam was tryin' to stuff Sweet Sue in a burlap sack

He said, "if you don't give me the deed to your ranch

I'm goinna throw you on the railroad tracks!"

And then he grabbed her (And then?)

He tied her up (And then?)

He threw her on the railroad tracks (And then?)

A train started comin' (And then? And then?)

 

[Repeat chorus a final time]

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Another character to think about, from spaghetti western films: Django. No, not the black guy from the Tarenteno film. The guy who drags a coffin everywhere he goes (which contains a gattling gun), and tends to, at the end of each film, get his hands trampled upon by horses and still shoots decently (but in pain).

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