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Jeivar
2015-05-09, 04:04 PM
I'm going to run a GURPS western next weekend. The idea is to do a more grounded and story-driven campaign than the spaghetti-nonsense we've done in the past. The plan is that the players arrive in a western frontier town shortly after the civil war. A friend of theirs has been murdered and they have to find out who, among a cast of many dangerous blokes.

I've never set foot in America, so if anyone could point out a real-life location I can work with that would be great. I'm thinking of some place still rather wild and with more than a couple of hundred people.

Cluedrew
2015-05-09, 04:31 PM
The moment I saw the thread title I couldn't help but thinking... "you mean like the west?"

Now I don't actually know of a town that would fix your criteria but in an attempt to be helpful I would like to ask: is the feel more important than historical accuracy? If so I would actually try taking on of the old spaghetti western towns (or the image of one) with the appropriate population and just filling in detail until it feels alive. Give it 2-3 major (on a local scale at least) industries. Then minor local businesses: the barbershop, the shoe maker's, blacksmith's. To tie in the feel of post-civil war give it a small garrison, a nearby battlefield/graveyard or both. Give it districts, not official districts but areas of town that people identify anyways, downtown, the rough part of down, the nice part of town, the area where all the miners live, that type of thing.

That's my general setting building knowledge applied to the situation.

Thinker
2015-05-09, 04:49 PM
Los Angeles would be interesting in that period - it was still a small town at the time. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Los_Angeles#Transitional_Era.2C_1848.E2 .80.931870

You might also look at Reno, Nevada. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reno,_Nevada#History

Then again, you could just make up a place that fits your needs and take inspiration from lots of small towns like Reno, Los Angeles, Tombstone, Waco, etc.

Maglubiyet
2015-05-09, 09:22 PM
Deadwood, South Dakota. A gold rush in the area in 1874 caused the town to spring up illegally on Indian territory. It was known for its lawlessness and gun fights.

There was a tv show about it on HBO, which means there's a lot of research material and images out there for you. I only saw one episode and it was pretty decent. It got good reviews.

VoxRationis
2015-05-09, 11:08 PM
Just how long is "shortly" after the American Civil War? Prineville, Oregon was founded in 1877. People often overlook Oregon, but the eastern section, the high desert, is pretty Western-ish in feel (the Cascade range creates a significant rain shadow), and the advent of settlers in the 19th century was a major part of its history. Of course, the accents would largely be different from those one would hear in a Western.

Cluedrew
2015-05-10, 06:47 AM
the civil warHold on for a second, which civil war? The one where USA tore free of Britain or the one where USA almost tore itself in half?

Maglubiyet
2015-05-10, 07:15 AM
Hold on for a second, which civil war? The one where USA tore free of Britain or the one where USA almost tore itself in half?

In the USA there is only one Civil War -- the one in the 1860's between North and South.

The war of independence from Britain is called the Revolutionary War.

D+1
2015-05-10, 11:50 AM
I've never set foot in America, so if anyone could point out a real-life location I can work with that would be great. I'm thinking of some place still rather wild and with more than a couple of hundred people.
Don't you watch movies? Pick a western.

Tombstone, Arizona
Dodge City, Kansas
Kansas City, Kansas
El Paso, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Laramie, Wyoming
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Antonio, Texas
Reno, Nevada
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Rapid City, South Dakota
Omaha, Nebraska
... You could practically just stick a pin in a map west of the Mississippi river and run with whatever dot is closest. Most of the American west just after the civil war was still rather wild and surprisingly small towns could have outsized reputations. A population of 200 is still VERY small. A general store, a couple saloons or small hotels, blacksmith, and a few other miscellaneous businesses along a single street is about all you'd have.

Heck, just pick the first one I listed there. The wikipedia entry should tell you everything you need to know to run a game, even a whole campaign there. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tombstone,_Arizona
It even has a map for you:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Tombstone_fire_insurance_map_1888.jpg

LibraryOgre
2015-05-11, 04:53 PM
You might choose somewhere in Colorado, if you want it to coincide with the Silver Rush.

But what do you want in your western town? Are you looking for a John Wayne style desert? A mess of mountains and trees? There's lots of territory, with varying political and physical geography. FWIW, it's not bad to simply pick some nearby cities, then pick a point of a map and say "There's a town here named Anytown. It's got three dirt streets and..."

Mr.Moron
2015-05-11, 04:58 PM
Have you considered just using a fictional town? "Dust City, USA" or the like. You can still bring in any real historical elements you want without being tied down to specific recorded events and people when you don't need them.

Delwugor
2015-05-11, 05:08 PM
There is a nice list of towns at http://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-towns.html

Arutema
2015-05-11, 06:39 PM
Tuczon, AZ (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tucson,_Arizona) could be another good one. It's even got the stereotypical Sonoran desert plant and wildlife.