Working on the game preparation so that one of the players can finally get to play a dinosaur-riding cowboy. I've got a few weeks, but as you all know by now, I tend to over-prepare. Just because it is fun.
So, some basic ideas. We are using the Apex game rules as they have dinosaurs, and that was the original intent when I bought that book - Cowboys and Dinosaurs. The first game was straight out of its world milieu and did not make everyone happy, Next, taking place in Nebraska around 1885. Why Nebraska? One of the players wants to play an old Pawnee Indian, and they are in Nebraska in this time period. We are somewhere far north of the Platt River, maybe Hooker County or something like that. I've not positioned it in any specific spot for a number of reasons. First, we have dinosaurs still roaming the land, so history is already out the window. Next, Nebraska is a big state, and some plot points may dictate other locations, so I am leaving that wide open for the moment. And finally - I can get lost looking at maps and spend way too much time not actually accomplishing anything.
Dinosaurs have been around since, well, since dinosaurs roamed the earth. And yes, grabbing them from a variety of eras, so no dinosaur is considered to be off the table. We have dinosaurs for the pony express (in fact, one player is doing a pterodactyl flyer who was part of an attempt to get air mail in place way before planes take that job).
For me, not particularly familiar with the old west other than some vague memories of watching Bonanza and Little House on The Prairie, I need to get at least a bit familiar with the time period. So of course, I copy/paste a huge chunk of data from Wikipedia into my game bible (WIP embedded PDF somewhere below hopefully)
I did get some buy-in from the players about creating NPCs and locations to get them XP, so that they can start at level 2 or perhaps even level 3 if I get enough world-building from them. We have a few NPCs and ideas, and in fact at least one of the NPCs will (perhaps!) become a part of the play directly. My initial game plan is based loosely on a Bonanza episode. Realizing that is really just 2-4 sessions, I need to plan a larger world where other things are happening, and I can bring that stuff in as needed.
Of course, I created a map and plopped in some towns and features. We'll be starting in Aurora, a large town at the end of the railway and telegraph to the rest of the union. The pony express carries mail from here both north and west. We have a few Indian tribes, mostly Pawnee, about in various places. North there is a mining town in the Copper Peaks, mostly copper mines. Further north, nestled in some rough mountains next to a small lake is Harmony. Thinking possible religious commune or something, hence the name. To the west is Bliss Springs, another large town reached by the Express.
The basic idea is that Aurora is the end of easy civilization: trains, telegraphs, that sort of thing. Beyond that, communication is more limited (shades of Traveller!). Makes communication move at the speed of plot.
The first adventure is based on the pony express: a missing courier. That should introduce the region and some NPCs such as the sheriff. But I will need things around there for them to adventure to. I try for a sandbox style of play - the players mostly drive the story given some hints from me as to some of the possibilities.
In that mindset, we have a number of old west tropes I can bring out to use:
- outlaws, both gangs and individuals. I was listening to the radio and so now have a Bad Company gang, led by Six Gun Sal. I always find it fun to take song lyrics and find an adventure in them. Inspiration can come from anywhere!
- the train company is working to continue the line to the west. All sorts of problems can come up with that:
- laborers are striking for some reason
- laborers are getting killed for another reason
- missing trains or people who are supposed to be working
- guarding the train company employees as not everyone is on board with trains
- Indians. there are bound to be other tribes out there.
- Raiding
- taking people hostage
- being abused by settlers/gangs
- Timmy falls down the well - various rescues and searches out in the west
- cattle! those cows are not going to herd themselves. And missing cattle - dinosaurs, poachers, Indians?
- stampeding dinosaur herds! though not sure what anyone can do other than get out of the way.
6 comments:
How about that damned heathen Chinese priest, getting the laborers all stirred up?
maybe - just need to be careful about stereotypes and all that. I may look into that as a possible thing - I am sure there may have been some historical antecedent for that.
follow-up: yeah, it gets tricky with modern-day sensibilities vs what was historically accurate at the time. When we were doing the Apex game, keeping in character sometimes was, while true for the time period, a bit hard for me to keep my mouth shut.
Depending entirely, of course, on whose modern-day sensibilities we are talking about.
Hmm. Respectfully... The Chinese are low-wage workers in a strange land who are mistreated, as all low-wage workers are. Everywhere. When Kwai Chang Caine comes along (and Kung Fu is second only to the original Star Trek in my list of favorite shows), he usually stirs the laborers up into getting better working conditions. If only by example. I don't see a problem with the scenario no matter what timeframe you're sitting in. You don't have to call the Chinese derogatory names in-character, or rape anybody. Just like you don't have to go into disease, lice, outhouses or tooth decay. Just keep it down a notch, it's a game. As we do in the Society for Creative Anachronism, pick and choose what historical aspects you incorporate. Chinese laborers built the railroads of the West. From your description, you've got "Indians" out the wazoo. Do you have Mexicans? Blacks? They were all there. How is this different?
I'll just add that my wife is Asian, and I ran D&D for my kid and her friends for years. They were all Asian, I am not, and I had them interacting with the Shou. No one blinked, including the parents who often came to watch or participate.
thanks - I just worry about things like that, and not handling them well. I am really oblivious to so much in reality that I am pretty sure I have that superpower from the Costumes game we just finished up.
Yeah, just need to handle it well as that idea (a bit of rebellion from the underpaid workers) was in the back of my head as well. I'll throw it on the pile of things. There were a lot of things going on then (and heck, any period in time).
Used to watch Kung Fu as well, and there is a martial artist class in Apex: thought of that show and said it could be done if someone wants to. So far, I've got a Pawnee Indian who is probably a dinosaur rider (he did not say), a definite dino rider, and the one who wanted to play a dino rider has not sent me anything yet, nor has another player. We have a few weeks so there is time.
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