[DL] Deadlands 'Fun Shot' Concept - any suggestions?

[Jeffrey Miller <jeffmill@amazon.com>]

One thing that my group enjoys doing is something we call a "Fun Shot" -
we grab a system that few of us have played before (for whatever reason)
and we run a short storyline of 1-5 sessions in that
setting/system/genre.. this lets us try out a whole variety of the
'flavors' out there without having to commit to any one particular game
system.  If we really like a setting/system/genre, someone will come up
with a cool new short story to tell in that way and we'll have another...

Currently this is what I'm doing with Deadlands.  After watching a bunch
of "great heist" movies, I had this idea for a game,
and just wanted you deadlands veterans to comment on it, add ideas,
suggestions, etc...

.....................................
The characters are all new to our Deadlands settings.  Normally we have a
sort of character creation environment run as a group - the old "We need a
cleric - who wants to play the cleric?" which has always annoyed me.  Even
when its not that blatent, we're still all aware of what everyone else has
chosen to play, so we start meta-gaming right away.  This time, I told
everyone that "the man with the crutch" (he can be anyone, in fact I've
encouraged my players to write a little paragraph about him... and what
they write down is ALL true... *g*) has contacted them through the "usual"
means telling them to contact "Sally" at the Pig & Whistle Tavern in Red
Stick, Wyoming for a job.

Players are being encouraged to play characters who have some kind of
motivation for accepting a job like this - they're not to ask questions,
they won't get any answers, just good pay for a good amount of risk, walk
away when the job is over and forget you ever saw anything.

The players assemble, not knowing -anything- about each other besides what
they wish to reveal through conversation/observations.  Whisked off to a
secret locale, they are offered a certain amount of cash/gold/GR to steal
a box being transported by rail across country.  It's guarded by a certain
number of Yankee soldiers, other people are after it, they need a good
plan, etc etc... It doesn't really matter what's inside the chest - this
is a job of no questions asked, no answers given, cash only.

So, insert exciting train heist as these not-so-goody-two-shoe
'heros'/somehow/ get the chest off the train - I'm imagining a log across
the track, dynamiting a bridge, maybe an exciting "running gunfight on top
of the train" type scene -  and back to wherever they
decide to go with their prize.  

However, once they get there, they find to their dismay that one of the
2-3 NPCs has pulled a switch on them and stolen the case (whether to have
to not pay them, to sell it to someone willing to pay more than the fee
for the heist, etc... it depends on how the game goes, but those
eventualities are all covered in the plot tree).

...end of first game session...

After that it becomes a cat and mouse game of trying to find the thief
(who stole from the thieves... hmmm...), get their reputation/money/pride
back, maybe they have to get the chest back in order to make good with
their employeers, etc etc..

any thoughts on how to improve this basic storyline, and/or how to work
cool Deadlands/western stuff in?

-jeffrey-