[DL] Plot help. . . PLEASE!!!

[Jason Hawver <deadbeatgames@yahoo.com>]

Okay, before I get to the ploy help I need in
particular, let me just say this:  If you play in the
Saturday night Deadlands/BNW game at the Texas Game
Company in Allen, read no further. . . 

S
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    L
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      R
     S
    P
   A 
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Okay, Jake, you should really stop reading now. . .



Okay, don't say I didn't warn you . . .


Here is the meat of my delemia.  Normaly, I run the
BNW third of my gaming groups sessions, while playing
in the 2 deadlands parts.  However, my DL character is
about to take the big dirt nap, and I have agreed to
run a DL session the week after his untimly passing. 
Actually, this was largly my idea.  It seemed like a
good idea at the time, in that:
a) it would allow both of our DL Marshals to play
thier characters at the same time (something they
never get to do).
b) it would give me a chance to run deadlands again
(someting I havn't done in a while).
c) It gives the rest of group a break from our
reacurring villans (i.e. the harrowed cannibal doctor,
the indian shaman death machine, and the traveling
freak show/undead orginized crime ring).  

Now, while the group has been having a lot of fun with
the villians we've been facing, there is a growing
desire to deal with something a little more. . .
Human. 
My one shot should offer a golden oppertunity for
this, but I've run into a problem with the planning.  

I have long been a proponent of the master theif as a
good mentally challanging villian, and my origional
plan revolved around this.  But the make up of the
posse makes this idea prohibitive.  Within the party,
we have only one "normal" human character.  We have
blessed, a huckster, a harrowed, a ms, and an
enlightened martial artist.  It's hard to make the
part work towards finding and catching a thief when
our blessed can simply role his 7d12 faith and Guide
his way to whatever has been stolen.  
The second problem I have is that with the exception
of our MS, none of the characters are particularly
"item" driven.  Sure, stealing Mark VIII (the MS's
robot) would motivate him . . . (sorry, got distracted
there for a minute, the news anchorman for the local
FOX station just walked past my cubical with a camera
crew.  No good can come from this.) but would the
others be particularly interested in helping to chase
Mark 8 down?  Also the MS only plays on occasion, so
I'd hate to hing the adventure on his involvment and
then have him no-show.  
The only other theivery option I have is the fact that
several of the local bussinesses in the fictional town
of Dunston (where we play) are owned by one of the
player characters.  My fear is that a robbery at one
of these locals might lead to a more shooting
intensive game then I had in mind.  Also, in order to
make the robber challenging, I fear I would have to
make him on par with Blackjack and/or give him a much
larger gang then could be neatly dealt with in a one
shot.  
So, I find myself in quiet a pickle.  I'd like to keep
the action more in the vien of problem solving and
role play rather then shoot outs (if we go the whole
night with out drawing action cards I'd be happy), and
I need to be able to motivate the various characters. 
Plus, I need to make the villan challenging with out
giving him an AB.  
Any ideas?


=====
Jason Hawver
AKA Boyd Malenko
"Hmph. . . That's the third biggest flesh-eating possum  I've seen today"
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