Setup
This time I felt like doing a Western adventure - possibly an acid western that might veer into Weird West territory dependent upon where the story might go.
Game System
After some debate with myself, I settled upon Savage Worlds Adventure Edition from Pinnacle Entertainment
I will use some ideas from their Deadlands and Weird West Companion supplements, but not the setting itself. I will also be referring to The Guns of Megiddo by Collin Terrell
I am using Mythic Game Master Emulator and Adventure Crafter for the oracle - backed up by Copilot AI for some content generation
I do not wish to challenge any of these creators' trademarks, and I fully credit them for their ideas.
I will probably use the term "Indians" for indigenous Americans; I do not intend this in a pejorative sense, but rather an attempt for accurately portraying the time period. Similarly, there may be mentions of racism which I know is wrong but is common in the setting. I don't actively wish to hurt anyone's feelings or belittle the contributions of their people to American society. I just see this possibly coming up given the setting. At the same time, I do wish to acknowledge that there were in fact many African American cowboys, that Native Americans didn't get treated fairly by the government, and that many figures were not as "admirable" as their legend portrays.
Setting
Dusthaven
Location: A small mining town nestled in a desolate canyon "Somewhere in the Southwest", surrounded by badlands, jagged cliffs and mesas. Dusthaven is rather isolated.
Time Period: The late 1800s - the fading frontier
Population: A mix of rugged cowboys, drifters, and outlaws. The townsfolk are wary, their eyes squinting against the relentless sun.
Player Character
Name: Cole Bridgewater
Concept: Cole is a younger son of an aristocratic family who left England to disappear into the American frontier.
Background: Cole is a fish out of water in Dusthaven. He comes from another world entirely - the life of Old World aristocracy. Cole's father, the Duke, was a rigid, domineering man who rode Cole hard. As the younger son, he found it difficult to measure up to his father's ideal. In fact, this is a source of shame to him. He left home to seek his fortune in America to escape the old man's iron heel. While on the ship to America he met an actress who performed in a traveling show. Although Cole was somewhat smitten with her, she really didn't feel that way about him - largely because he was ugly and intimidating.
In America, he became a lawyer and comes to Dusthaven to help resolve a dispute between the railroad and an Indian tribe over land rights. He has never been to Dusthaven before.
Description: A tall, hatchet-faced man with thick brows, a pockmarked complexion, brooding face and piercing dark eyes that seem to stare into the very soul. He's ugly - but not freakishly so. Cole rarely smiles, and he's always watchful.
Personality: Practical, Quiet - While he is a novice by adventuring standards, Cole is far more practical than the pampered nobleman he was raised. He prefers to keep silent until he understands the situation he is in.
Motivation: Cole comes to the territory with the intention of brokering a land deal between the railroad and a local Indian tribe. More generally, his motivation is to make his own fortune away from his family, and particularly his father.