RE: [DL] Random questions

["Matthew M. DeForrest" <mmdeforrest@worldnet.att.net>]

I thought I would add my comments to the list.

> -----Original Message-----
> 1) How far apart are your towns?

While my posse is making its way across Kansas at this point (By horse and
steam wagon -- they are under specific orders to stay away from the rail
lines and the resultant possibility of a battle of the Great Rail Wars.
Even here, thought, the towns are getting more widely spaced.  They are
roughly two to five days ride away from one another.  Were they near the
rail line, the towns would be more closely packed.

I agree with the general consensus that towns will be more closely spaced
the further east you go, I would add one thing: the closer you are to a
major population center, the more outlying towns you will have.  Thus, there
will be more towns around Denver.  This will be a natural result of a
population center spreading out to develop and/or produce necessary natural
resources (farming, mining, etc.).

> 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?

Out west, the trail lines only go where they absolutely have to -- the war
keeps the resources fairly limited.  There are spurs and extensions but I
keep the lines fairly close to those on the Great Rail War maps.  Tracks are
(historically) single line.  The trains are kept from running into one
another via a schedule and the telegraph (to warn others when a train is
running late).  Trains are detoured onto sidings to wait for oncoming trains
to pass.  Prior to the use of the telegraph, there were a number of
accidents involving trains colliding -- something that could still happen
with Gremlins and saboteurs about.

Because of the scarcity of existing track, I have a good number of trains
running on the tracks.  One every couple of hours or so (I take this from
the trains that run past my house here.).

> 3) How many towns have a telegraph station?

Any town along a rail line will have a telegraph.  Also, forts will probably
be linked to telegraph systems (It's standard military practice.  Sherman
shocked everyone when he stopped stringing telegraph lines when he left
Atlanta for Savannah).  The further away from a rail line, the less likely
you are to have a telegraph.

Incidentally, a device to hook into a telegraph line -- for either spying on
transmissions or sending -- is a great mad scientist advice.  One of the
recurring villains in my campaign  has one he can lower from his airship.

> 4) How many Marshals actively include the civil war in
> their adventures?

It's mostly background in my campaign.  The war continues on and most people
in Kansas are sick of the killing.  However, the atrocities committed by the
irregulars and raiders keep people on their toes.  It's much like Belfast (I
don't know how much that will help...) -- on your average day, people try to
forget about it so they can lead a normal life.  Once a difficult time
approaches (Orange Day in Belfast, Independence Day in the Dime Novel of the
same name and/or when there are reports of raider activity), people get very
edgy and tense.

> 5) How often do the Agency or the Rangers investigate
> a supernatural report?

As often as they can.  Given that, they have a limited manpower pool and
more reports than follow-ups.  Once they show up, though, they are rather
ruthless.

> So do most people of the time explain away events as
> supernatural?  Are ghost stories commonplace?

I take my cue from one of the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes episodes.  Holmes
is ranting on about superstition and Watson is willing to agree until Holmes
mentions ghosts.  "Well, ghosts...." replies the good doctor.

Ghost stories are like this world -- many believe but there is not a common,
definitive bit of proof.  I always try to give the posse a possible
alternate explanation.  In fact, there was a case where I used a tick
man/vampire.  Of course, they just bumped into a scarecrow and that might be
more difficult to explain away....

Matt