Deadlands ideas

[jerriecan]

Hi. I'm going to be running a Deadlands campaign soon, and I'm looking for some scenario advice. I know the major plot points, but what I'm looking for are ways to fill the intervening game time - side quests, basically, just to get the players accustomed to the nature of the Weird West. Town and wilderness encounters, red herrings, things the players can sink their teeth into that don't really hang on the main plotline.

I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this! :smallsmile:

Jerriecan

[manyslayer]

First, I'd say introduce the unusual slowly. And don't be afraid to have arcs without much supernatural trappings at all (someone still is going to be robbing the train, they may or may not be a huckster or mad scientist, depending on the needs of the campaign at the time). I'd say this is especially true if the party has a Doubting Thomas or even Veteran of the Weird West in it.

And don't be afraid to play with the player's expectations, especially if they tend to meta-game. In the Deadlands campaign I ran, there was an NPC, Frank, that grumbled when he talked, smelled of rotting flesh, had a pallid complexion and greasy, stringy hair, and wore a heavy fur coat despite it being summer. The Ranger in the group nearly shot him on sight assuming he was a walking dead or harrowed. He was actually a mountain man, that barely survived an encounter with a wendigo (left most of his sanity behind). The coat was largely just skinned animals (not treated or tanned) hence the rotting flesh smell. But he did have some clues to give in his ramblings.

[jerriecan]

I really like the mountain man idea - might have to pinch that one. The plan is to introduce the PCs with a train robbery - but the PCs will be passengers, not the robbers. PCs kill robbers, robbers get buried, PCs get a bit of recognition and go on their way.

Later on, the robbers show back up... and the campaign really kicks into high gear.

So yeah, very good advice on introducing the 'weird' slowly. I'm definitely going to go that way. Thanks for the advice! :smallsmile:

Jerriecan