Re: [DL] New to the game....

["Tommy Brownell" <tommyb@sstelco.com>]

No need to let combat overwhelm this game, ever.

That's one thing I learned under my (kinda-former) Marshall.  We'll have
adventures running 3-4 sessions, with only one *real* combat, usually with
the abomination in the end.

One thing I would recommend (but haven't put to practice myself) is don't
pull your punches too much.  Let the banditos fall fast, but let the Devil
Bats draw blood, ya know?

And (this doesn't sound like a problem with your crew) try to keep the
players from making incompatible characters (such as a Law Man and a vicious
criminal), unless you're trapping them in a "Do or Die" situation in The
Rock Island Prison or something...then it can be FUN.

Our posse is U.S. Marshall "Ugly" Joe Kidd - ugly as sin, but faster than
most mortal creatures...too bad he's killed as many windows as he has
anything (long story).  He's also discovering his role as one of the Lord's
Blessed..he's played by me.

Tontchay, a young Cherokee shaman who has assimilated somewhat into white
society, but only somewhat.  He's a mean cuss who has found himself
deputized by Kidd more than once.

Walter Gunther West, but we just call him Tinhorn...the youngest of our
merry little band, and a huckster to boot.  Kidd's having all KINDS of
trouble with Tinhorn's powers and the "demon magic" in 'em.  Tinhorn winds
up the butt of Kidd and Tontchay's jokes, since they live by the law of the
west, and Tinhorn's just a pup from Back East.

And Bonita Hale, the doctor in our little group...who we're piecing together
is Harrowed.  When she went after Gunther's wounded horse and started eating
it, raw and bloody, this nearly dissolved the group as Kidd drew down on
her, Tinhorn tried to use Filibuster on Kidd and Tontchay finally talked us
all down.

It's radically different character personalities, but all bound by the
desire to do good...and it tends to gel great (according to our Marshall).

OH....one big tip...as the only player in my game who knows "the whole
story" in Deadlands?

Keep your players in the dark outside of the game, as much as possible.  Our
Deadlands game has gone part time for now, as our Marshall has left for
college out of state, and I'm taking over the Deadlands duties, but with a
new set of characters...and I kinda wish now that I could block out some of
this stuff, just because it would be GREAT to be unraveling it in-game...

Though, when we last left off, Kidd did get caught in a portal while
fighting with a pair of Last Sons, and was left stranded in the
Deadlands...which I *think* is gonna be the excuse for Kidd having a BIT
more knowledge than the rest.

I mean, I TRY to keep player-character knowledge seperate, but we're talking
about going from knowing very little to knowing EVERYTHING here...=)

Sorry if those thoughts were long-winded or scatterbrained, guys...

Tommy