Pop Culture Adventures/Hooks

[Generic]

I'm DMing a new game this next semester, and the idea of adding in guns (old school, like muskets and flintlock pistols) stirred a few players up. I was kind of disappointed, given I'm now making a Western-influenced campaign without it.

Given this, I figured I'd try for the next best thing to mess with the guys (in good fun) by answering the question -- what's the best idea of incorporating some pop culture reference into an adventure, hook, or NPC?

A few ideas I came up with were Santiago, the aging fisherman who can't catch anything (Old Man and the Sea), a Hound of the Baskervilles-style murder mystery with a real hellhound, and an over-the-top, bumbling Lone Ranger character. Any input from you guys would be awesome.

[goto124]

What are the ages of the players? That would determine what kind of pop culture references you'll have.

[JetThomasBoat]

If they end up in the ocean, have them eaten by a colossal plus creature and inside its stomach, have them find an old tinkerer trying to find his construct aide (Pinocchio).