[DL] My Spagettie Western Sundays

["Ben Rasmussen" <nyddoybdyle@hotmail.com>]

My Campaign keeps rollin' right along. This time I'll skip the play by play
and try for more of a lump sum as well as whats goin' on on my side of the
screen.

For those posse's out there, this may contain...

SPOILERS!!! (for the F&B adventure)






Git!!







My Posse, I mean it!







I swear by the Reconers, you'll ruin the stinkin' aventure for yourself.
This isn't a recap, it's spoilers, dang it!







The Posse had just discovered a hiden alter below the abandoned mission, and
things start from there. I figured the Posse would just do a quick look
around the tunnels and then head back topside.

I had planned to have Buchard (the bandit) arrive as they emerge and start a
gun battle. It wouldn't have been hard to provoke, since the posse has
Johnny the Ranger and Max will shoot at anything that shoots at him. Durring
the fight, Widcliff would reveal himself and I'd have this whole thing
wrapped up in a nice package and done this session. God almighty, was I
wrong.

I had previously planned on buffin' Widcliff up in a few areas but not
making him totally immune to damage(let him heal 1 wound per action spent
and take half damage from bullets). I had neglected to let the indians
inform the Posse how to kill him, and the Posse had lost his Journal. I
planned on letting it be at the underground alter, but forgot. I moved it
outside the Compound to the Alter outside the mission. There's also a Corpse
missing, who da ya think carried the stupid thing? Too bad nobody has
noticed that yet.

But since the PC's have no clue how to kill Widcliff, I figured I'd cut them
some slack. Since Widcliff couldn't hurt anyone if he tried (he has no
throwin' for his Bolt's o' Doom!) I gave him a skill of 3, made them
flameing balls of liquid metal, and gave him Puppet. I'd forgoten to be
usein' Curse on Grove and Max, so it's a fair trade =). I figured Grove
would cut through Widcliff like a hot knife through butter and Puppet would
let Widcliff manipulate a Posse member or two and slow him up.

I'd also Altered Witcliff's goal to be needin' just 3 more sacrifices. Since
he has to kill them with the Knife, that's a do-able goal, but not that hard
to stop either. Since any dead NPC (or PC) can't be sacrificed, Widcliff
would have to go after the wounded.

Wanting to add a bit of mystery and uncertainty was my first mistake. I
decide to let the group catch sight of Widcliff while in the tunnels, but
not directly, just enough to let them know something is in the tunnels with
them. I know not to do this unless I want my Posse crawlin' all over
something now.

At the start, Grove, Max, and Rupert were at the Alter. Johnny was lagging
behind and was seperated. He's being a lone wolf, and I figured I'd inject a
bit of horror and maybe teach them a lesson about wandering off alone.

Witcliff is watchin' the posse and is trying ot get close enough to make eye
contact and use Puppet. Johnny is the current target. I do manage to spook
'em a bit when they notice the metal and gold glinting at head hight down a
hallway, but can't make it out. I planned on just lurrin' Johnny off and
killing him, but he makes his Spirit (7) roll.

I tell him how the world goes foggy and he seems to black out for a few
seconds. He doesn't get the hint and goes off alone exploring. Crikies!

Grove, Max, and Rupert investigate the alter and find the blood grooves and
Grove decides to destroy the alter. It's a 4 foot high, 4 foot wide, 6 foot
long solid stone slab. The spend way to long trying to break it, and even
shoot it at one point. I try to redirect them, but no one seems to pick up
on it. However, Rupert does do some nice RP as the Rifle blast nearly
deafens everyone and he spends most of the next sequence trying to figure
out how to make ear plugs using a torn piece of his shirt. They keep fallin
out of his ears.

They finaly give up on the alter and after meeting up with Johnny again (and
Max noticed the glinting metal and also makes a Spirit roll, damn him) the
Posse decides to track it down and corner it.

Well thought out action fails to prevail and the Posse SPLITS UP! Only Max
and Rupert stay together. I try to get Johnny a few more times and fail.
Finaly Grove almost corners Witcliff and I have him go topside. Grove
follows but looses him, and Johnny comes upon Grove. They're now topside and
trying to regroup.

Max and Rupert and still wandering aimlessly. Rupert decides to try and use
Hunch but doesn't want any PC to know he's a huckster so tells Max to head
on alone. Max is heading right towards the Entrance Widcliff had to use to
get back in to the tunnels. Priceless. Rupert's hex fails and so does Max's
Spirit roll. My first turncoat PC. Yippie!

Max heads back and shoots at Rupert. A very long fight ensues. Luckily Grove
and Johnny hear the shootin' and Grove goes below ground while Johnny races
to the church. Rupert buys some time by riddiculing Max and makin' him toss
action cards like nobodies business. But tables turn when Max starts rolling
well for actions. Rupert is no match for two .45 single action colts wielded
by someone who really knows how to use them. Rupert goes through almost ALL
his chips. Max alternates between spending them to kill Rupert and spare
him. Everytime Max does something vicious I give him a chip (mostly red).

Grove finaly shows up while Max is reloading, standing over the prone body
of Rupert (who has numerous wound's and is bleeding to death, but is still
somehow alive!). Grove and Max go at it with Grove punchin' and Max shootin!

Armor of Rightousness saves Grove some and he gets a frightening 52 roll on
his Smite. Max has 4 wind, any hit will drop him. Grove can't hit him
though. Max goes through the 5 rounds he had loaded and it's so far a
stalemate.

Max takes the lead with an awesome 3 round speedload and fannin' roll that
serriously wounds Grove (even with the armor!). Grove finaly connects and
lays Max out.

Through out the whole fight, both Rupert and Grove's players were rather
apathetic about the whole situation. I think Rupert is buckin' to come back
harrowed and Grove's player is tired of his character. Neither one really
put much effort in stoppin' Max. This adventure was now on a one way track
to ending like you'd expect a lovecraft horror tale to end, everyone dead
and the villian winnin'.

Grove decides to NOT bandage his wounds and it takes Johnny just long enough
to arrive that Grove passes out due to bloodloss. Johnny manages to bandage
Rupert to stop the bleeding but before he could rouse him, I make a decision
that was the possibly the posses Deathknell.

I have 3 wounded and dying PC's and only 1 still up. Widcliff needs only 3
sacrifices. The time is right.

Widcliff steps out of the shadows and shows himself to Johnny. Good ol' guts
check TN 14, but Johnny makes it. Did I mention I gave Widcliff Spook? The
encounter basically boils down to Witcliff walkin' closer throwing the
occasional bolt of doom and alternating between Spook and Puppet. Johnny
gets off a good shot, but Widcliff takes next to no damage. Johnny knows
he's screwed 4 ways from sunday.

As Widcliff closes the distance, he talks about the 'Time being right for
the final sacrifices' and how he only needs 3 more victims. He also
unsheaths his knife and I'm kind of blatent about the whole ordeal. It was a
small bone and I did mess 'em up bad with Max.

Too bad Johnny only picks up on part of it. It dawns on him Widcliff needs 3
sacrifices and there are 3 downed people right there. He serriously debates
the coolest move I could possibly imagine for this situation. Quick drawin'
his other pistol and fannin' two bullets into each downed posse memeber and
then spinin' his pistol and eatin' the last two. A nice pyric victory. He
decides against it however.

He finally decides to just charge Widcliff, shootin' and drawin' his
tomahawk. He scores a decent hit and since he manages to make both Puppet
rolls but fails his Guts check I decide to cut the posse a bit of slack and
have Widcliff retreat. Besides, Widcliff isn't the greatest hand to hand
fighter, and if he looses the knife, it's over. Best to run and regroup.

The failed guts check hits Johnny hard. Not only did he loose his lunch,
he's -4 to face Widcliff again, and he gained a Major Phobia. Since it'd be
stupid to make it Widcliff (he's already scared of him) I think of the
cruelest thing I can. Since it has to be related to the encounter I decide
on Gold. Poor, Poor, Johnny now is scared of Gold. Mua-Ha-Ha!

A rather long bit ensues as Johnny brings Max around and the two struggle to
get Rupert and Grove out of the tunnels. Infact, Rupert gets dropped on his
head ALOT durring the ordeal and ends up taking another wound to the guts
due to bleeding and windloss. Then Johnny goes bust on a medicine roll and
causes another wound. Good ol' Rupert is 1 wound away from death thanks to
his own friends.

The posse came back up in the church and spends an hour in there recouping.
Bringing up a previously mentioned bit, the sky is dark and the patter of
rain begins. It dawns on them that it's late april, they're in new mexico,
and they're in a big basin. Flash flooding anyone? The 'we can't leave and
we're trapped with a crazed supernatural cultist' fear sets in.

Johnny leaves the church to go get something from the horses and as he
leaves, I hit 'em with the final true screw. 9 men have rode into the
mission, all packin' rifles, and when Johnny steps out, the leader calls out
'Widcliff?'. In the lantern light, Johnny can see a Handlebar mustache, the
distigushing feature of the man he's hunting, Emile Bouchard.

I think my posse is going to bite it next session. Wounded, tired, out of
chips, and totaly outclassed, it's going to heroic deaths all around. But
they've surprised me before.

Rupert does have helpin' hand as well as doctoring skills and everyone is
only moderately wounded except for Rupert. But if they start a firefight
with Bouchard it might be all over or if they end up making more 'stupid'
mistakes.

Here I was scared of my PC's at one point since most of them have truely
frightening stats, skills, and abilities. Guess it all don't mean squat when
up against a good 6-gun or smart supernatural evil. Deadlands is a harsh
game, I think I'm gettin' use to likin' it.

So, anyone think I was too nice or too cruel to my poor posse?



---
... armchair philosophers? Where are they supposed to do it? "Descarte leapt
across the ditch as the bullets buzzed past his ears like angry wasps - 'If
all I can know is the product of my own perceptions,' he thought as he
punched another Hussar in the throat, 'then all I can say with any
confidence is "I think, therefore I am." ' Turning, he grabbed the Prussian
colonel's cap and wrenched down over his ears, tossing him back into the
trench now filled with twisted corpses."  --Radical Athority (rpg.net)