![]() ![]() If Western characters want trained super horses like Silver, Scout, Trigger, or Champion, then make sure they own the abilities in terms of points, feats, or what have you. Horses are as much a part of the scenery and setting as cars are in the modern world. On the trail, the Western Hero's best and often only companion is their faithful steed.Īlways assume there's a trained horse nearby waiting to carry the antagonist to safety, summoned by a whistle for a daring leap from a balcony into the saddle. Having the fastest, strongest, best mane, best coat, most loyal, smartest, horse was a claim every single cowboy made, and the measure of a man included his ride. Be prepared to enforce consequences to keep the tone where the group wishes.Ĭar culture began with horses. For serious one-on-one gunfights, however, see High Noon, below.Īlways being armed and ready is an excuse for some times of player to depopulate entire settings. In many Westerns, however, no one ever gets so much as a flesh would in these altercations, and one side concedes rather than risk further odds. Disputes are settled by exchanges of gunfire, often exploding into a room full of flying lead. When everyone carries openly, the extreme care of speech and formality of the Victorian era becomes a languid drawl and a casual eloquence that is no less rigidly formalized in a deceptively laconic way. There is no law but Newton's Second applied in the court of the Revolving Chamber.Īn armed society is a polite society. Even the fancy pants New Yorker in his ridiculous clothes has a derringer hidden in a concealed holster. Everyone but everyone has a personal weapon strapped to their hip. Ranchers trade rifle fire over fence disputes. The Sheriff addresses hardened criminals with hot lead instead of due process. If you mean to play comedic wild west versions of Sam, Diane, Norm, Cliff, and Carla, by all means proceed. ![]() There's a name for a group of protagonists who never leave the bar. And when the action is a shootout (See The Law Firm Of Smith & Wesson, below), the piano player has a whole separate book of sheet music ready to go for the fight. The good guys, the bad guys, the young schoolmarm, the old Doctor who is half in his cups and holding three aces just as the shooting (inevitably) starts are all likely to be present when the Action occurs. Everyone comes though, because in many small towns of the period, it was the only place to stop once you arrived from a hot, dry, dusty trek across unforgiving terrain. The Saloon is often the home base for the party. No matter if the story is a singing Tom Mix cheesefest, a Spaghetti Deconstruction, or a modern “realistic” update, there will be a saloon, where at the very least alcohol and gambling will occur. Life in Western Fiction revolves around the communal gathering space of the Saloon. Between the soldiers of the Civil War and the dawn of a new century, there briefly existed a romanticized ideal surrounding the Cowboys and the indigenous natives that inhabited their world.Ī group that wants to play a Western campaign needs to understand the following tropes common to all subgenres. Father fought son and brother fought brother as both sides lined up to cast their vote on core issues of Federalism and Freedom with blood and muskets.Īfter the war, West opened up for settlers as pioneers headed for the pacific seeking land and gold. We'll be finishing up an extended look at the literature of the 19th and early 20th centuries this month as we hop over the Atlantic to the New World.Īt the mid-point of the 19th Century, the cohesion of the United States was threatened in a bloody civil war. TropesWelcome to the 6th installment of Tropes, where we examine various genres of fiction with an eye to identifying and deconstructing the various narrative devices employed for adaptation to tabletop gaming.
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