Re: [DL] ethnic diversity

["Daniel Gwyn" <dgwyn@colba.net>]

*snip*
>The problem I have is its my posse stirring up the problems.  They walk in
>to the saloon looking to start a fight.  And with a chinaman with "my
>kung-fu is superior" it only takes one miner, lumberjack, sailor, cow poke
>or what ever to say, "I ought to kick your a**" and the fight is on.
>
*snip*

*snip*
>Don't get me wrong, I'm no racist, not by a long shot, but during those
>times certain groups in different parts of the country were looked down on.
>The Irish, in the north east, the Chinese in the West and the Blacks in the
>South.  I don't organize a lynche mob every time my posse strolls in to
>town, but when they walk in to a bar and purposefully aproach the biggest,
>meanest cuss in the saloon and take his drink, that's just asking for a
>fight.
*snip*
    Ah, well, then the answer is bring in the related tangent of racism
which is xenophobia as well as community spirit.  Many Western towns had
strong sense of community and a dislike of outsiders stirring up trouble.
At least one gang of bank robbers (the Dalton gang I believe) died because
they ticked off the locals.  The gunsmith handed out rifles and shotguns to
all and sundry and the townsfolk had themselves some shootin' practice.
(The movie Lightning Jack has some fun with this tendency.)
    What I recommend is that while the Kung Fu guy is beating up some
hapless extra, have the saloon keeper's kid run to get the Marshal, his
deputies, the local merchants, Big Jim, Big Jim's big brother, their
crochety uncle with a shotgun, his mean as sin wife, etc.  Once the player
walk out of the saloon, they should be surprised to see the street is empty
except for the Marshall and a couple of deputies on one hand and every piece
of cover has a townsperson with a long arm behind it on the other.
    One nobody is a danger to himself.  30 nobodies is that start of an
army.
          Daniel Gwyn
"Yeah, I'm bitter.  Dyin' does that to you."
Pete Josephson (1845-1878)