Re: [DL] Random questions

[Allan Seyberth <darious@darious.com>]

At 08:47 PM 4/18/00 -0700, you wrote:
>Just some random questions for Marshals and how they
>run their deadlands universe...
>
>1) How far apart are your towns?  A few hours ride by
>horse?  Half a days ride?  Longer?  I figure it would
>depend on where you are.  Back east towns would be
>closer together (but how close?) than out west.

Depends.  In New Mexico, Albuquerque and Santa Fe are 70 miles apart -
several hours ride.  And these are two close towns out here.  (Even now).

One theme I like from Mark Sumner's books (Devil's Tower and Devil's
Engine) is how the wildness of the west is winning against Man.  Slowly,
the border of civilization is retreating back east.  It's a house theme I
use, and as time goes on, towns are going to get scarcer and scarcer.

>2) How often does a town have a rail line going
>through it?  Are lines out west mostly single lines,
>or double?  How often do trains run?  If a train needs
>to turn around, or two trains meet head to head, what
>do they do?

Well - a town out here has to have something to keep it alive.  If it isn't
water, or minerals, or position on a cattle or the Ghost Rock trail,  it's
most likely to be a rail line.

>3) How many towns have a telegraph station?  I assume
>towns near a fort would have stations, and there would
>be central lines heading out east, but just how far do
>the lines run westward?  Is there one main trunk, or
>is there a network established?  Just how do telegraph
>lines work, must each station relay the information? 
>If there's a break in the line, how quickly is it
>detected and someone sent out to repair it?

Practically every town over 100 people in it.  Right after they get a
photographer shop.  :)  
That's outside of the Great Maze.  Conditions there are not condusive to
telegraph lines.

>4) How many Marshals actively include the civil war in
>their adventures?  If one side rushed across the
>boarder, how quickly would a defense be mobilized? 
>How would it be detected, and better yet, verified? 
>What's to stop one side from tricking a scout into
>thinking a large force is moving into an area, only to
>move troups to another area?  Do people play the
>confederate as bad guys and the union as good guys, or
>are the sides portayed more neutrally?

The Civil War is a major part of everything I do in Deadlands.  And I play
both sides as Neutral.  Both evil and good in both ranks.  Though - in my
game - a few states in the Confederacy have not emancipated their slaves.  

>5) How often do the Agency or the Rangers investigate
>a supernatural report?  An interesting Urban Legends
>site (http://www.snopes.com/) mentions a famous legend
>of a Mummy sinking the Titanic
>(http://www.snopes.com/horrors/ghosts/mummy.htm). 
>That article had an interesting quote which I will
>include in it's entirety:

Invariably.  But they be may be slow to realize that a danger exists.  And
if it's the Agency that responds, the response is likely to be a bit more.
. . overkill. . . then what is required.

>So do most people of the time explain away events as
>supernatural?  Are ghost stories commonplace?  If so,
>how does the Agency and the Rangers tell what is real
>and what is fake?  How often do you have players
>investigate a boogie man who is really a snipe?  Or a
>different boogieman than expected (ie, the vampire
>attacks were really caused by Tick men)?

Not often enough in my game - it's time to toss in a couple of "mundane"
adventures at my posse.
-------------------
Allan Seyberth
darious@darious.com
Deadlands fan site - www.darious.com/deadlands

Everybody dies.  Whether you die on your feet or on your knees, is entirely
up to you.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Ben Stone (Law and Order):
Because the defendant made it, sir.