Cowboys & Dinosaurs: Session 4

Our heroes searched the bodies and picked up some guns and ammo, and a bit of spare change. There was also the map to Six Gun Sal's place outside of Aurora, but not much else of note.

playing with map software. one of these days I'll get good!

The crew sleeps the night away, sounds of coyotes yipping in the distance. Above them, the clear skies of a cool September night in Utah, the stars and the milky way shining above. Early in the morning, taking four heads in a bag, they head back to Aurora. Lee Suong tells his sad tale as the sun rises in the east.

A pack of desert wolves stalked the group for a while, but seeing as the riders were atop large dinosaurs, and none of the dinos seemed old or weak, they eventually pull off to hunt easier game. Close to town, they hear the loud footsteps of a brontosaurus. Readying their guns, they finally see Sally, the pony express rider, riding Sugar the Bronto. Loaded with supplies for the pony express station, she waves, and a brief conversation follows. However, stopping Sugar means trying to get her started again, and Sally prefers to keep moving. She waves goodbye as she continues north to the station. Closer to town, a long drifter, Vernor, is walking along the path. He tips his hat to Miss Molly and continues his walk. When they look back, there is no sign of the guitar-playing drifter in the bright morning.

Sugar carrying supplies to the Pony Express Station

Getting into town, they realize it is Sunday. In front of the Short Stop Saloon are two nuns, Sister Cicely and the Mother Superior Gladys. They are trying to block entrance into the saloon, being a Sunday. Our crew, despite being on the way to the sheriff's to collect the bounty, decide to wet their whistle after the long trek in the scrublands. While the "heathens" Jack Looking Horse and Lee Suong are allowed to go in, Hambone and Molly are prevented by the zealous sisters. Hambone is as indignant as the nuns but for the opposite reason, and while trying to force his way in, the Mother Superior tries to whack him in the head with the butt of her gun. Lee blocks the hit, and Hambone picks up Sister Cicely, kisses her as he moves her out of the way. Her guns drop and a look of complete surprise is on her face. Mother Superior is flustered and lets them all pass into the bar, with Sister Cicely looking after Hambone, a look of longing crossing her face before looking down as Gladys glares at her.

Mother Superior and Sister Cicely

Once in the bar, they are welcomed by Flynn, the red-haired bartender this Sunday morning. Seeing how they managed to pass the nuns, he offers free drinks for the entertainment of the moment. Reuban, the cook, grills and cooks up their breakfast and coffee. The sound of the train is heard in the Short Stop Saloon, with the walls rumbling slightly as the trains comes to a stop across the street at the station. Not long after they finish eating, Sheriff Shelton shows up in his Sunday best. Noting the bloody bag Lee is holding, he asks about that. Explaining they have the heads of the Bad Company Gand, the sheriff, a bit green about the gills, takes the bag and asks them to come to the station and they can see about the reward. 

The sheriff passes a slightly grizzled man on the way out. A tall blond is walking behind, carrying bags. As his eyes adjust, the man spots Molly, and calls out, "Virgina, is that you?". Turns out Jack Slade, Molly's estranged husband, is in town. Molly had changed her name, so the rest had no idea who he was talking to until he walked up and started talking with his wife. Noting the uncomfortable way Molly was reacting, and the 3 men of grizzled and dangerous appearance with her, Jack and Roy walk back out. 

Before Roy can exit, Jack steps up to him. Towering over the 6-foot blond, the huge Pawnee Indian has a few words with Roy. Along the lines of do not mess with Miss Molly. Saying he will forward the information, the large man, dwarfed by Jack, continues out the doors and follows Jack Slade.

Having finished their meal, they head to Doc Calloway's to check on Spotted Horse. The nephew of Jack is doing fine and ready to get out, though wondering why they did not get him the other day when they were in town. A few words with Doc and Alice, causing Alice (Doc's assistant) to blush and Doc to clear his throat, and Molly puts a polite end to Hambone's gossip about the two. With Spotted Horse, they head to the sheriff's again. 

Sheriff Shelton has Miss Molly fill out the paperwork, and there is a reward of $200 per head. They will be able to collect from the bank in the morning, as it being Sunday, pretty much everything (except that saloon apparently) is closed down. The townspeople are wandering the streets in their Sunday best as the group also just wanders around. Unable to re-supply at Olsen's Mercantile, they eventually head out of town to find a good place to camp for the night. 

Noticing that they are being followed, they split up. It is Roy, who is following Miss Molly despite earlier warnings from Jack. A scuffle happens, and Roy gets head butted, his nose broken and blood flowing down his face. 

And sadly, that is my last note: I'll have to get with the players as I am pretty sure there were more words spoken. Several things about this session. It was a bit lower key in action, but we had a longer introduction of Lee, who is decidedly not a Buddhist monk but rather a follower of Asura who thrives on destruction. I was not particularly pleased with the session, but we did introduce Jack Slade and one of his henchmen. My notetaking is still not up to snuff as witness losing the end of the session. I also tossed in the nuns as I found those pictures and thought they would be fun. I tend to use the Traveller reaction roll for how people respond. I rolled an 11 when Hambone kissed Sister Cicely. I believe she may be willing to give up the cloth soon. From my guide:

The nunnery has been nicknamed the Sisters of the Gun. Devout anti-alcohol, Sister Cicely and her Mother Superior are known to try and block access to the saloons, particularly on Sundays. They do carry guns though the shotguns are filled with rock salt. Doc Calloway has spent a lot of time pulling out salt crystals from various patrons. Sheriff Shelton has jailed both of them more than once, but they are always released a day or two later - “I ain’t got the facilities for women prisoners” is the general excuse. So far no one has been killed by them.

I have a few ideas for the next session that should amp up the excitement a bit. Assuming I can handle it well - theater of the mind is sometimes a lot harder get everyone to agree internally where everyone is relative to everyone else. I may have to do a share screen as I did with the original Apex game which helped to show where everyone was. This is where I lament that we are not at a table, rolling dice. But as one player is now more than an hour away, and another is moving to Florida, remote gaming is actually the only way we can play as a group. Though I do want to try other systems than Skype. I'd love to learn how to use a VTT system such as Roll20. Unfortunately, most of this group does not want to go through that learning process. Which is why I am hoping that I can get my work group to play RPGs! We used to have game night at the office, then when Covid hit we switched to TableTop Simulator. They would be willing to learn Roll20 or another system (we're all software developers, and love to play with software). Then I'd hope to have the ability to more easily get my Monday group into a VTT system.