RE: [DL] Hope Mongers (Spoilers!!!)

["Clint Black" <cblack@ohtinc.com>]

1- Interesting concept.  I had a similar one that you could incorporate with
yours.  A writer of dime novels with a fictional hero, Kid Diablo.  The Kid
wears all red and black and carries a matching pair of ghost steel
revolvers.  The writer has a copy of the Kid's outfit and hires people to
dress like Kid Diablo to make people believe he's real and increase her
sales.  In one town she hires a young ranch hand to impersonate the Kid.
Later, the owner of the ranch (like a father to the young man) is killed by
a rival/railroad baron/banker who wants his land.  The young man knows the
bad guys are afraid of Kid Diablo and so takes up the mantle to seek
justice.  Afterwards, he realizes he can't go back to his old life and
decides there are others Kid Diablo can help in the West.  The writer is
trapped cause the kid knows her secret, but she has to admit she's getting
great stories and publicity so she follows the kid to make sure he doesn't
screw up "her" creation.

You could obviously use this by adding a dime novel writer to your
"legend's" entourage.  The person's main purpose is to rewrite the
adventures making the hero larger than life.  Plus if he or she writes the
locals in a favorable light, they will be more inclined to agree that the
book was "accurate" thus reinforcing the hero's legend.

One thing you might want to consider is the appearance of the hero.  If the
hero has to be replaceable, you need an easy to find look.  Dark hair is
good as it's much easier to darken someone's hair than lighten it.  Kid
Diablo's features are hidden by his hat and a bandana across his face "so he
can walk freely among men to discover injustice."  ;-)


2- I know a certain Librarian who would be all over this idea.  ;-)  The
concept is intriguing, but it smacks of a basic alteration of the underlying
genre.  A change from the "spaghetti" western to the "classic" western.  Not
that altering the genre isn't allowed.  Just make sure that all the players
(especially the ones familiar with Deadlands) understand the change.  I saw
a nasty example of genre confusion in one game.  It is not a pretty sight.

In general, I can see two ways I might use this.  One is after the players
feel that maybe there isn't anything worth fighting for anymore.  Give them
a glimpse of Hope Valley, Colorado, the one place in the West where Hope is
stronger than Fear.  But they can't stay.  Hope Valley is protected by its
town council (equal parts North, South, undetermined, and all AB's), but
even they couldn't stand against a concerted attack by the Reckoners'
agents.  Until now, the Reckoners haven't attacked because exposing Hope
Valley to others could cause more problems than just leaving it alone.  But
the posse has the dreaded Plott Device (I admit stolen from Stuperpowers),
and the Reckoners must steal or maybe destroy it (who, other than Shane, can
guess the Reckoners' motivation?).  So, they leave but with a glimpse of
what the world can be if they keep fighting.

The other way would be if I wanted to run "The Final Days of the Reckoning."
The posse discovers the existence of the Great Seal that originally kept the
Reckoners from interfering with mankind.  It is now broken in four parts.
Each part can shut out one of the Reckoners from our world if placed in the
Prophecy Stone.  Hope begins to rise after the first Reckoner is sealed off,
and grows stronger with each additional one.  But also with each part of the
Seal placed, the Hunting Grounds become tougher to access, and the AB's find
their powers harder and harder to use.

Anyway, I think it's a neat idea, ala the Black Chip.  Use it or not if it
fits your game.


Clint Black

"Hope is the only thing that actually counters fear."
-Kane