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Unsung
2019-04-01, 11:32 PM
I'm trying to throw together a convention style game to run for some coworkers. I'm going with Savage Worlds, because I'd like a change of pace from my regular D&D group, and SW is the only generic system that I have readily available.

My track record as a DM/GM is a little spotty and I could use some advice/feedback.

The seed of a scenario I'm currently working with is in what you might call the “Modern Weirdness” genre. Heightened reality veering towards Urban Fantasy or Action/Horror/Comedy. It is tentatively titled “The Duke of East Texas”. Here is what we have so far.

The PCs will begin the game as an unusually capable crew of Walmart employees. I like the idea of starting the game off in the most mundane of settings to emphasize the later weirdness.

Anyway, their store is scheduled for mysterious renovations, and they have been tasked with closing down the 24 hour facility. A low-on-the-totem-pole employee (an NPC) has been tasked with remaining behind to let the construction crew into the building and provide keys to the foreman or whatever. Let's call him Dennis. Our party is a group of fellow employees who decide to stay behind with him. Maybe they are friends, maybe they have some other reasons (nefarious or otherwise).

The game begins when the crew we are waiting for arrives at the store. There is something off about them, and it quickly becomes clear that they aren't a construction crew when they try to kidnap poor Dennis. Violence, presumably, ensues.

This will hopefully spark an investigation that leads our party to an encounter with the titular Duke. He and his henchman are maybe on horseback, and it is obvious that this dude is bonkers. He carries a sword, gets announced by a trumpet playing herald, and even has a court wizard. Lenny the wizard is obviously wearing a store bought Santa beard (more on him later).

Through research or direct conversation, the party learns that the Duke is the descendant of an obscure Civil War general. The general is notorious for losing his mind and proclaiming himself the Duke of East Texas in service to Sam Houston, the exalted ruler of the Kingdom of Texas. Our current duke has inherited the title and the insanity.

Assuming we can keep the party from murdering the Duke in the first encounter, he lives to fight another day. At some point the leader of a megachurch is also kidnapped and the party hopefully uncovers that Dennis happens to be a descendant of Sam Houston. It is the Duke's plan to have him anointed as the new King of Texas, “reestablishing” the monarchy. So, basically, he is an especially crazy Texas secessionist.

Then, the party either tries to rescue Dennis or maybe they get captured themselves (can't have the pesky witnesses potentially spoiling the coronation). Then we have a final reveal that Lenny is in fact an actual wizard, possibly Merlin himself. He is manipulating the Duke to create a king. To meet the mystical criteria of kingliness, a man needs followers (provided by the duke) and the blessing of a religious leader (forced out of the kidnapped church leader). Once he has a king, the wizard can make a sacrifice of kings blood to do … something.


I'm looking to populate our party of Walmart workers with a typically East Texan cast of player characters. Examples include:


The Injured Ex-College Athlete – The muscle, but with more education than most.
The Avid Hunter – Knows how to shoot and how to track.
The Local Miscreant – A checkered past, criminal connections, and thief-like skills.
The Store Manager – The party face, I guess. May need some more hooks on this one.
The Weirdo – The social outcast who might secretly have psychic powers. That might be too much.





So, that's the rough skeleton. Anyone see any glaring problems with what we have so far?

I feel like I might not have enough combat, especially if the skip any combat encounters. Any ideas for some cool up/down beats?

I'm still working out how to string the bits together with clues and such. The Duke's followers are a rag tag bunch of dudes of varying degrees of indoctrination. Many have been recruited from a local gang, the leaders of which aren't happy about him poaching members. A player might notice a gang tat on one of the thugs, and get information from them.

The Duke is wealthy enough to be a shareholder in the Walmart corporation, which is how he sets up the first kidnapping. However, his attempts to wield influence are clumsy, and the party might be able to glean some information from a corporate representative looking into the fishy renovations.

I'm not sure how to engineer the first encounter with the Duke. If the initial kidnapping attempt fails, maybe the Duke decides to try a more aggressive approach. If the kidnapping succeeds, maybe he confronts the party after he learns that they are on his trail. Any suggestions?

How can the party uncover Dennis's “royal” heritage. Dropping his last name, Houston, after the history lesson on the Duke might do something. Otherwise, I guess we just drop it in a villainous monologue?

If the party doesn't get captured and can't or won't try to free Dennis, then I guess Lenny's plot succeeds and we just spend the rest of the game dealing with the fallout. Any ideas what that might be? Maybe he is trying to establish order in the world and the magical sacrifice gives him the ability to capture the wills of members of the established order. Maybe it grows slowly, and the mayor and police force come under his spell, then the local National Guard base, then they start marching on the capital?

I think we can mine a fair amount of comedy out of the antics of the Duke (forcing his untrained henchman to ride horses and what not), but do we have enough weirdness in there?

Finally, the party could use a little work. The muscle, the shooter, and the thief seem pretty well covered. I'm not sure if the store manager character is going to be fun to play. Anyone have a good hook for that character or a better alternative? Do you think that a psychic would ruin the tone?

Sorry if that got a little long. I'd appreciate any feedbak.

J-H
2019-04-02, 07:56 AM
I live in rural East Texas, so you have my attention. I've lived in TX my whole life, but haven't had the "Texas History" class since 3rd or 4th grade.

Sam Houston was important for the founding of Texas, but there are a few other historical characters you can bring in references to who are also at least as well-known:
-Steven F Austin
-David Bowie (remember the Alamo!)
-Davey Crockett ("You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas." Remember the Alamo!)

You won't find a mega-church outside of one of the major metro areas; how do you plan to handle the 5M+ populations of Dallas or Houston? That's a lot of traffic, police, bystanders, etc. Larger churches also tend to have good security, often with off-duty police officers, and plenty of full time staff in the building during "business hours" over the week. Smaller churches don't, outside of service times.

Cast of character notes:

The Injured Ex-College Athlete – The muscle, but with more education than most. He's probably coaching a sport and teaching something at the local HS or Jr High. If not - maybe he works at a hardware or farm supply store?
The Avid Hunter – Knows how to shoot and how to track. This describes 50% of the adult male population out here. He probably also has cows. What's his day job?
The Local Miscreant – A checkered past, criminal connections, and thief-like skills. He's probably short & skinny and may have had problems with meth - if you want to go there, which you may not. Aside from a small collection of idiots there aren't many criminals out here, and no gangs. The general impression is that most crime around here is drug related, and we hate it.
The Store Manager – The party face, I guess. May need some more hooks on this one. Wal-Mart does transfer store managers around, so he could be from out of the area. What did he do before working at Wal-Mart? Perhaps he was in the army for 6 or 8 years in logistics (driving truck, etc.), did a tour or two in Iraq, then became an OTR truck driver for a couple of years before deciding that $65,000 per year for 40 weeks away from home wasn't enough, and then got hired on and rose from stocking manager to store manager?
The Weirdo – The social outcast who might secretly have psychic powers. That might be too much. Slouched through high school, went to college for a semester, flunked out due to too much partying and not enough studying, and is now getting by. Hopes to marry his girlfriend, but her parents disapprove because he's a loser with no ambition and no career track.

Got any older characters? Plenty of old folks around here who are still fit and physically active. There's a lot of room for competence in areas that you don't see in the city, as the rural area I'm in is more oriented towards getting things done instead of service industries.
Here's an example: My closest neighbor is a "retired" diesel engine mechanic who used to work on construction equipment. His version of "retired" involves fixing a half dozen backhoes, tractors, etc. each year, installing driveways with his personally owned road grader & dump truck, and working on a few other mechanical projects. He's 6'1", looks like Santa when he grows out his beard, and goes deer hunting several weekends a year. Favored phrases include referring to people as "The old boy" (down the road, over yonder, etc.).

LibraryOgre
2019-04-02, 10:35 AM
If you want everyone to work at Wal-mart, I would make it so they are ALL staying behind for some work-related reason, with Dennis among them, not "Dennis, who is not management, has to stay behind, and they are with him for some reason."

Unsung
2019-04-02, 11:58 AM
Thanks for your response. I'm a born and raised East Texas fellow myself. My players will most likely also be from the same area. Nacogdoches, specifically (speaking of Stephen F Austin).






You won't find a mega-church outside of one of the major metro areas; how do you plan to handle the 5M+ populations of Dallas or Houston? That's a lot of traffic, police, bystanders, etc. Larger churches also tend to have good security, often with off-duty police officers, and plenty of full time staff in the building during "business hours" over the week. Smaller churches don't, outside of service times.



That's a good point. I was going to set the game in a fictional Nacogdoches-like city with a conveniently nearby megachurch. Maybe I just liked the sound of the word "Megachurch". In the early stages, I suppose I was sort of envisioning a large church as a potentially interesting place for a combat encounter, but that probably won't fit now.

A large sized church would do just as well. Or, the church leader could have been kidnapped earlier from a metropolitan area. The players can see his face on news reports and then come across him later in the Duke's mansion. Or maybe none of that is really worth anything. :smallredface:




Aside from a small collection of idiots there aren't many criminals out here, and no gangs. The general impression is that most crime around here is drug related, and we hate it.[/I]


Yeah, I was shooting for small time criminal. I was going to sort of imply a recovering meth addict background. Didn't want to hit it too hard, since drug addiction is usually anti-fun and it might hit too close to home to be played for laughs.

We do have a few motorcycle clubs around here. By gang, I guess I was suggesting a heightened version of one of those. I didn't really imagine the gang to necessarily constitute a combat encounter (although with players you never can count combat out, I guess). Mostly, I was going to use them to provide clues about a weird new player in town.





The Store Manager – The party face, I guess. May need some more hooks on this one. Wal-Mart does transfer store managers around, so he could be from out of the area. What did he do before working at Wal-Mart? Perhaps he was in the army for 6 or 8 years in logistics (driving truck, etc.), did a tour or two in Iraq, then became an OTR truck driver for a couple of years before deciding that $65,000 per year for 40 weeks away from home wasn't enough, and then got hired on and rose from stocking manager to store manager?


I like a lot of this. Leader/Driver/Face might work. Thanks.



Got any older characters? Plenty of old folks around here who are still fit and physically active. There's a lot of room for competence in areas that you don't see in the city, as the rural area I'm in is more oriented towards getting things done instead of service industries.
Here's an example: My closest neighbor is a "retired" diesel engine mechanic who used to work on construction equipment. His version of "retired" involves fixing a half dozen backhoes, tractors, etc. each year, installing driveways with his personally owned road grader & dump truck, and working on a few other mechanical projects. He's 6'1", looks like Santa when he grows out his beard, and goes deer hunting several weekends a year. Favored phrases include referring to people as "The old boy" (down the road, over yonder, etc.).

Yeah, my father falls into this sort of camp. I figure any of the above characters could theoretically be young or old.


Thanks again bother to read all that.

Unsung
2019-04-02, 12:05 PM
If you want everyone to work at Wal-mart, I would make it so they are ALL staying behind for some work-related reason, with Dennis among them, not "Dennis, who is not management, has to stay behind, and they are with him for some reason."

The fact that Dennis was left behind was going to be a clue, although I may not have communicated it all that well.

The idea is that the Duke is deliberately engineering a situation where Dennis would be alone in a theoretically controlled environment. The security cameras have been disabled, etc. He is using his great financial and possibly even mystical influence to bear on a Walmart Supercenter. Dastardly. :smallamused:. The players staying behind is a snag in his plan.

It's a bit silly, maybe, for a villain to go through all that trouble to nab someone, but he's a silly dude.



I take your point that "some reason" may not be reason enough. I'll think on that. Thanks.

Bohandas
2019-04-02, 12:06 PM
It strikes me that you could easily work Joshua Norton (a historical 19th century British-American businessman who famously had a nervous breakdown and declared himself "Emperor of the United States") into this narrative

Unsung
2019-04-02, 12:12 PM
It strikes me that you could easily work Joshua Norton (a historical 19th century British-American businessman who famously had a nervous breakdown and declared himself "Emperor of the United States") into this narrative

Yeah. I love that dude.

Could be a relative of our Duke in some way. Or maybe he was one of Lenny's previous attempts at mystical king-making.

Thanks.

JeenLeen
2019-04-02, 12:20 PM
One thing I really like is that, if the Duke is defeated, the game still can live on. Even if Dennis is rescued from the Duke, Lenny could pretend to have been ensorcelled or coerced into helping, simply thanks the party for the help, and then later captures Dennis again.

To phrase another way: a lot of campaigns hinge on one or two details which, if derailed, break the campaign. Yours seems to have some extra robustness. Good job.

MoleMage
2019-04-02, 12:27 PM
As to why they're staying behind, what if Lenny had snuck in and painted a magical rune under one of the shelving units or clothing racks at some point. One of the players (or Dennis if all their checks fail) could find it and they get delayed trying to scrape/mop it up.

Really you can boil the idea down to someone (or Dennis) finding or doing something that means extra work, and that work not concluding before your Duke arrives to attempt kidnapping. That way you can still make it clear that Dennis was supposed to be alone when it all went down.

Unsung
2019-04-02, 12:37 PM
One thing I really like is that, if the Duke is defeated, the game still can live on. Even if Dennis is rescued from the Duke, Lenny could pretend to have been ensorcelled or coerced into helping, simply thanks the party for the help, and then later captures Dennis again.

To phrase another way: a lot of campaigns hinge on one or two details which, if derailed, break the campaign. Yours seems to have some extra robustness. Good job.

Hey, thanks.

Secretly, I might have been looking for encouragement as much as advice. I am fundamentally pathetic.

Unsung
2019-04-02, 12:40 PM
As to why they're staying behind, what if Lenny had snuck in and painted a magical rune under one of the shelving units or clothing racks at some point. One of the players (or Dennis if all their checks fail) could find it and they get delayed trying to scrape/mop it up.

Really you can boil the idea down to someone (or Dennis) finding or doing something that means extra work, and that work not concluding before your Duke arrives to attempt kidnapping. That way you can still make it clear that Dennis was supposed to be alone when it all went down.

That's good stuff. It would foreshadow the mystical stuff later on and give the party another reason to seek revenge on the Duke/Lenny. No one likes working late.

Thanks.

Jay R
2019-04-02, 01:32 PM
I like the idea. Here are a few thoughts.

First, they volunteered for the night-time shift because that way they get off on Sunday afternoon and can watch the Cowboys game.


Through research or direct conversation, the party learns that the Duke is the descendant of an obscure Civil War general. The general is notorious for losing his mind and proclaiming himself the Duke of East Texas in service to Sam Houston, the exalted ruler of the Kingdom of Texas. Our current duke has inherited the title and the insanity.

No Civil War General could have been in service to Sam Houston. As governor of Texas at the time, Houston refused to swear an oath to the Confederacy and was removed. And that ended his political career, in 1861.

Houston believed that the convention had the right to secede, but not to join the Confederacy. He proclaimed that Texas was once again an independent Republic. I would assume that the original general followed Houston out of politics, and then made up the nonsense about a kingdom and being made a duke.

[Houston also believed in democracy, and would never become king. You will need to cover this somehow.]


At some point the leader of a megachurch is also kidnapped and the party hopefully uncovers that Dennis happens to be a descendant of Sam Houston.

You don't want a megachurch. You want the head of a small rural church, independent of any larger organization, that has as its only claim to fame that it's been there since the days of the Republic of Texas.


The Weirdo – The social outcast who might secretly have psychic powers. That might be too much.

He's a historical wargamer and a history nerd -- possibly with a fascination for Sam Houston. This is where you will put your exposition.


So, that's the rough skeleton. Anyone see any glaring problems with what we have so far?

I feel like I might not have enough combat, especially if the skip any combat encounters. Any ideas for some cool up/down beats?

Once the duke gets going, there will be riots, encounters with police, the national guard, etc. Even if they don't want to fight, the party will at least want to protect innocent bystanders.

Bands of Duke supporters will threaten small groups to demand their support. The party shouldn't be able to stop others from foisting a fight on them.


I'm still working out how to string the bits together with clues and such. The Duke's followers are a rag tag bunch of dudes of varying degrees of indoctrination. Many have been recruited from a local gang, the leaders of which aren't happy about him poaching members. A player might notice a gang tat on one of the thugs, and get information from them.

Not a gang. They are a private militia who go out and drill on weekends, and already believe that society will soon break down.


I'm not sure how to engineer the first encounter with the Duke. If the initial kidnapping attempt fails, maybe the Duke decides to try a more aggressive approach. If the kidnapping succeeds, maybe he confronts the party after he learns that they are on his trail. Any suggestions?

His followers are fiercely independent Texans looking for action. They'll make whatever mistake you need.


How can the party uncover Dennis's “royal” heritage. Dropping his last name, Houston, after the history lesson on the Duke might do something. Otherwise, I guess we just drop it in a villainous monologue?

Any of the following:

"Get that guy Houston or this all failed!"

"Which one of you is Houston?"

"Hey, I got Houston. Let's get out of here!"


Finally, the party could use a little work. The muscle, the shooter, and the thief seem pretty well covered. I'm not sure if the store manager character is going to be fun to play. Anyone have a good hook for that character or a better alternative? Do you think that a psychic would ruin the tone?

Ask the players if there is an East Texas based character they'd like to play. Tap into their heads fro their characters.

Finally, I strongly urge you to research Sam Houston carefully. Start with Wikipedia, and then read a good biography. Assume that one of your players will read up on him to find an advantage. You need to know the background at least as well as that player.

Unsung
2019-04-02, 01:46 PM
No Civil War General could have been in service to Sam Houston. As governor of Texas at the time, Houston refused to swear an oath to the Confederacy and was removed. And that ended his political career, in 1861.

Houston believed that the convention had the right to secede, but not to join the Confederacy. He proclaimed that Texas was once again an independent Republic. I would assume that the original general followed Houston out of politics, and then made up the nonsense about a kingdom and being made a duke.

[Houston also believed in democracy, and would never become king. You will need to cover this somehow.]


Right. I didn't explain it well, but the original Duke would have had his break with reality during, possibly because of, the Civil War. At which point he swears allegiance to Sam Houston. It's not that Houston is secretly a king, it's that the Duke believes he is or at least should be king.

This guy probably never even met Sam Houston, and understands him even less well than I. He's a figurehead that the Duke can hang his psychosis on and that Lenny can later exploit to mystical effect.





You don't want a megachurch. You want the head of a small rural church, independent of any larger organization, that has as its only claim to fame that it's been there since the days of the Republic of Texas.


There we go. That's the stuff. Thanks.





Not a gang. They are a private militia who go out and drill on weekends, and already believe that society will soon break down.

His followers are fiercely independent Texans looking for action. They'll make whatever mistake you need.



Another good call.




Ask the players if there is an East Texas based character they'd like to play. Tap into their heads fro their characters.

Finally, I strongly urge you to research Sam Houston carefully. Start with Wikipedia, and then read a good biography. Assume that one of your players will read up on him to find an advantage. You need to know the background at least as well as that player.

I'm not entirely ignorant of Sam Houston, but I could probably stand to have a little refresher course.

However, I don't imagine he is going to be the focus of this game, and it will likely be a one-shot.

J-H
2019-04-02, 03:27 PM
Keep in mind that there's a non-zero chance somebody will ask "Why isn't my character carrying a gun?" and Wal-Mart does sell ammo in all common calibers. I'm not sure if Wal-Mart still sells guns at some stores, or if they stopped selling them at all stores... but if your party gets any sort of chance at all to go shopping, they will be reasonably well armed very quickly.

At the very least, the sporting goods section does carry baseball bats, machetes, and knives, albeit not high-quality ones.
Motor oil from Automotive, charcoal fluid from Outdoor Living, etc., plus cigarette lighters or matches also means they have ready access to short-ranged fire-based options. Throw punctured bottles at enemies, then light pre-doused tennis balls for a ranged ignition option. Launch the tennis balls with tennis rackets. I wonder if you could do flaming nerf balls or nerf arrows for a more accurate launching system?

Wal-Mart: Everything you need to survive a zombie apocalypse.

Unsung
2019-04-02, 04:46 PM
Keep in mind that there's a non-zero chance somebody will ask "Why isn't my character carrying a gun?" and Wal-Mart does sell ammo in all common calibers. I'm not sure if Wal-Mart still sells guns at some stores, or if they stopped selling them at all stores... but if your party gets any sort of chance at all to go shopping, they will be reasonably well armed very quickly.

At the very least, the sporting goods section does carry baseball bats, machetes, and knives, albeit not high-quality ones.
Motor oil from Automotive, charcoal fluid from Outdoor Living, etc., plus cigarette lighters or matches also means they have ready access to short-ranged fire-based options. Throw punctured bottles at enemies, then light pre-doused tennis balls for a ranged ignition option. Launch the tennis balls with tennis rackets. I wonder if you could do flaming nerf balls or nerf arrows for a more accurate launching system?

Wal-Mart: Everything you need to survive a zombie apocalypse.

That's definitely half the fun of setting a fight in Walmart.

Honestly though, I'm not sure what to do about the availability of firearms. In all of my previous Savage Worlds efforts, the players always want them, but they lead to pretty dull combat scenes. Usually, it ends up with the characters taking cover and hurling bullets back and forth until someone gets lucky or the guy with the best Shooting and/or weapons drops enough guys on the other side to make them retreat (and players never retreat). Guess I need to find a way to make the combat scenarios a little more dynamic.

If they can get the locked gun and ammo cabinets opened in time, then I'll probably let them have them in the opening scene, but they won't be allowed to just walk out with them if they stick around long enough for the police to arrive.

If they don't stick around at the scene, then they'll be spending much of the game ducking the police, especially if they manage to set the building on fire. A pretty common player character tactic.

JeenLeen
2019-04-03, 03:52 PM
Speaking of firestorms or gunfire in Wal-Mart: you might want to talk to the players beforehand about how realistic the police will be in the game. At least for me, when switching systems and settings (e.g., D&D to WoD), it woulda been helpful to know "is it okay to kill random mooks/gangsters in the street".

I'm not saying it's bad one way or the other, but getting on the same page with your PCs about how realistic such will be could help the game go well.

LibraryOgre
2019-04-03, 05:34 PM
And, if you're having a firefight in Wal-mart, consider WHERE people stand when they miss.

Beleriphon
2019-04-03, 06:31 PM
And, if you're having a firefight in Wal-mart, consider WHERE people stand when they miss.

Nothing says fun like stray bullets into propane tanks.

Unsung
2019-04-04, 01:49 PM
Speaking of firestorms or gunfire in Wal-Mart: you might want to talk to the players beforehand about how realistic the police will be in the game. At least for me, when switching systems and settings (e.g., D&D to WoD), it woulda been helpful to know "is it okay to kill random mooks/gangsters in the street".

I'm not saying it's bad one way or the other, but getting on the same page with your PCs about how realistic such will be could help the game go well.

An excellent point. Thanks.

I'm going for an "ordinary people in an extraordinary situation" kind of feel, at least in the beginning. But, things will escalate. Something like an Edgar Wright movie, with a little Shane Black thrown in there.

I'll have to think on that.

Unsung
2019-04-04, 01:56 PM
Nothing says fun like stray bullets into propane tanks.

Definitely something to keep in mind.

In the opening scene, the store should be deserted except for our PCs and their enemies. So, I'm not too worried about innocent bystanders, but damage to the store should be a source of entertainment.

I'll probably make most of the pregens pretty poor at shooting, but if they grab guns anyway, I'll need a way to making missing less of a bore. Comical mishaps should hopefully help.

LibraryOgre
2019-04-04, 02:24 PM
Nothing says fun like stray bullets into propane tanks.

You can't spell RPG without "player generated arson."1




1I am very bad at spelling.

J-H
2019-04-04, 04:18 PM
Nothing says fun like stray bullets into propane tanks.

Yeah, but the Propane Exchange is always outside near the garden section.
There are also a few small propane cylinders (1#?) in the camping area...or at least there are if they still sell camp stoves...dunno.

You have a hunter and possibly a military vet in your cast of characters, so they should be able to shoot well. It's like riding a bicycle - even if it's been a decade, it only takes a few seconds to get the hang of it back.

SpoonR
2019-04-04, 05:29 PM
First off, depending on what is being "renovated", would Dennis have keys to everything except the money safe?

How high on the weirdness scale will you be going?
Cause... The only melee weapons in stock are Bowie Knives
if one PC just moved here from the West Coast, and last name is Norton... Emperor outranks a king.
Maybe there's an Elvis impersonator running around. Or Benny Goodman (king of swing)
Heck, everybody has a reason they could be king, and Lenny has to trim the list down to one candidate or the spell won't work.
George Washington returns from the dead and decides he does want to be king, thank you very much.

I would almost want this to turn into the PCs are the Scooby gang incognito, and this is their latest mystery. Behind Lenny's mask is...

Also, I'm reminded of the intro adventure from old Shadowrun - gunfight in a stuffer shack. With random tables for "what goo dispenser did the bullet hit"

Less bizarre but more silly, if guns are inaccessible, is improvised everything. Pot lid shield, broken plate throwing star. Beware the volleyball net of trapping.

Beleriphon
2019-04-04, 07:18 PM
Also, I'm reminded of the intro adventure from old Shadowrun - gunfight in a stuffer shack. With random tables for "what goo dispenser did the bullet hit"

Less bizarre but more silly, if guns are inaccessible, is improvised everything. Pot lid shield, broken plate throwing star. Beware the volleyball net of trapping.

The Shadowrun thing is the intro adventure in every core rule set. It is always a firefight at a fast food joint. Only the details of why the fight happens change.

Also, if Wal-Marts in the USA are the same as in Canada they have an attached McDonald's or similar fast food fare. That grease trap can be nasty.

WizardJohn
2019-04-24, 11:23 PM
If given a realistic slant, the guns in the Wal-Mart I work at are hooked up to an alarm. Even if the players have the key needed, opening the case in the middle of the night WILL attract the attention of law enforcement.

AMFV
2019-04-25, 09:14 PM
Honestly though, I'm not sure what to do about the availability of firearms. In all of my previous Savage Worlds efforts, the players always want them, but they lead to pretty dull combat scenes. Usually, it ends up with the characters taking cover and hurling bullets back and forth until someone gets lucky or the guy with the best Shooting and/or weapons drops enough guys on the other side to make them retreat (and players never retreat). Guess I need to find a way to make the combat scenarios a little more dynamic.

Well I imagine that if they were going to be doing some kind of renovation with construction workers there who were shutting off the power (and ostensibly the alarm system) that they'd move the guns and store them someplace else until the construction was done. This would have to be done earlier than the construction crew was scheduled to show up and would probably prevent them from having firearms. As far as personal firearms, I have never worked at a corporate place that allows employees to carry them. Wal Mart is (having done a little research) not an exception, in fact they have fired a security guard (who was actually a police officer in his other job) for carrying a weapon, as such they shouldn't have access to them.

In fact you could mention a few encounters with irate customers who were seeking to buy firearms and were upset that they were unavailable till after the "renovations". That would probably be all they'd need.

Asmotherion
2019-04-26, 04:53 AM
i believe someone who controled a land as large as half of Texas would have a higher title than a Duke... probably a king and answear to an Emperor (the analogy being the Roman-Byzantine Empire).

Otherwise seems as an inspired setting.

J-H
2019-04-26, 07:22 AM
i believe someone who controled a land as large as half of Texas would have a higher title than a Duke... probably a king and answear to an Emperor (the analogy being the Roman-Byzantine Empire).

Otherwise seems as an inspired setting.

In modern day settings, "The Duke" can also refer to John Wayne, just like "The Count" brings up images of a vampire. "The Duke" carriers a lot more cachet than, say "The Marquis" or "The Earl."

Unsung
2019-05-09, 01:10 PM
Things didn't quite come together, and I wasn't able to run this at the event that I had hoped to. I'm now considering running it at the local game store on Free RPG Day.



First off, depending on what is being "renovated", would Dennis have keys to everything except the money safe?

How high on the weirdness scale will you be going?
Cause... The only melee weapons in stock are Bowie Knives
if one PC just moved here from the West Coast, and last name is Norton... Emperor outranks a king.
Maybe there's an Elvis impersonator running around. Or Benny Goodman (king of swing)
Heck, everybody has a reason they could be king, and Lenny has to trim the list down to one candidate or the spell won't work.
George Washington returns from the dead and decides he does want to be king, thank you very much.

I would almost want this to turn into the PCs are the Scooby gang incognito, and this is their latest mystery. Behind Lenny's mask is...


There should be plenty of melee weapons in the sporting goods department, even if few of them are edged.

I'm sort of starting to agree with you on the scooby bit. I may have to make them undercover operatives of some sort just to make sure they are sufficently motivated to investigate. That isn't really the game I wanted it to be, but it might be more suitable for the average player.


Well I imagine that if they were going to be doing some kind of renovation with construction workers there who were shutting off the power (and ostensibly the alarm system) that they'd move the guns and store them someplace else until the construction was done. This would have to be done earlier than the construction crew was scheduled to show up and would probably prevent them from having firearms. As far as personal firearms, I have never worked at a corporate place that allows employees to carry them. Wal Mart is (having done a little research) not an exception, in fact they have fired a security guard (who was actually a police officer in his other job) for carrying a weapon, as such they shouldn't have access to them.

In fact you could mention a few encounters with irate customers who were seeking to buy firearms and were upset that they were unavailable till after the "renovations". That would probably be all they'd need.

I'm leaning towards leaving the guns in play, and just making them suitably difficult to get to. I'll probably make opening the gun case a dramatic task. That way, they will have at least a certain number of combat rounds where they have to improvise before going straight into a firefight.



i believe someone who controled a land as large as half of Texas would have a higher title than a Duke... probably a king and answear to an Emperor (the analogy being the Roman-Byzantine Empire).

Otherwise seems as an inspired setting.

The region known as East Texas is really only about a fifth of the state. A duchy seems right to me, but honestly, I think I just like the sound of "Duke of East Texas".

Thanks.


In modern day settings, "The Duke" can also refer to John Wayne, just like "The Count" brings up images of a vampire. "The Duke" carriers a lot more cachet than, say "The Marquis" or "The Earl."

I'm toying with making most of Lenny's magic fueled by Royal Blood to one degree or another. After coronation, Dennis's blood will be his most potent source, but he's already abducted lesser kings (i.e. the prom king, Carl the Car Wash King, etc.) Their missing persons photos are posted on a bulletin board in the store. Especially observant characters may detect Lenny's scrying eyes watching them through the laser printed photos.

MrZJunior
2019-05-11, 09:55 AM
How do you tell Dennis is Sam Houston's heir? Why, he has a birthmark in the shape of a ten gallon hat on his right butt cheek, the true sign of a scion of the noble house Houston.

(I'm not sure if you want your game to be quite this silly, but it's the first thing which came to mind.)

When you talk about marching on the capital are you talking about Washington or the capital of Texas? DC would be funnier, but less sensible.

LibraryOgre
2019-05-11, 10:29 AM
How do you tell Dennis is Sam Houston's heir? Why, he has a birthmark in the shape of a ten gallon hat on his right butt cheek, the true sign of a scion of the noble house Houston.

(I'm not sure if you want your game to be quite this silly, but it's the first thing which came to mind.)

When you talk about marching on the capital are you talking about Washington or the capital of Texas? DC would be funnier, but less sensible.

https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fjaksartglass.files.wordpress.com%2 F2011%2F04%2Fhouston-livestock-rodeo-glass.jpg&f=1