[HoE] Re: Running Backward

[Ralph Dula <rdula@ezonline.com>]

The Smiling Bandit wrote:

>Anyway, I'm planning on running the Road to Hell
>adventure backwards, with a Hell on Earth posse
>heading to the Weird West to recover the Heart of
>Darkness.  I'm looking for ideas on how to do this. 
>

Well, I'll be doing the same darn thing in a few weeks and here's what I
got planned.  Now, in my campaign, my posse members have failed so many
times in their attempts to be heroic that the Templars are nearly gone and
the Cult O' Doom is nearly in control of the entire Wasted West.
Junkyard's pretty much the center of non-mutated humanity, and my players
are going to be in Junkyard when a group of Junkers contact them.  It seems
that the power source of some of the Doomsayers latest weapons is an
artifact known as the Heart of Darkness, and that in the past it was used
to create Deadlands by Stone.  Using an experimental time machine
(partially designed with information stolen from Devil's Tower) the party
goes through the Hunting Grounds (I'm going to run them through a converted
Ravenloft adventure or something else that would normally not fit into a
Deadlands campaign) and to Salt Lake City, circa 1876.

Now two of my HOE posse members were originally characters in my Weird West
campaign, and were on very good terms with Dr Hellstromme, so there's
little problem with them getting hired to recover the Heart of Darkness.
For your players I recommend Hellstromme be attracted to them by the
advanced technology they carry, and have him plan to bushwack them and
steal it once they recover the diamond for him.  From there the first two
parts of the Road to Hell trilogy will run pretty much as the books are
written.

Now, Fortress O' Fear is where it gets fun.  Have Jackie Wells show up,
give her speech, and enjoy as your players laugh in her face when she gets
high and mighty with them.  Continue the adventure as normal, then once
(if) your players get the diamond from Stone have Jackie turn on them.
Either have Jackie turn out to be working for a 21st century Junker with
his own plans for the diamond, or have Jackie refuse to let the posse
return the diamond to whomever sent them back in time, saying she can must
be allowed to take it back to her bosses at Devil's Tower.  After that
battle ends the posse can fight its way out of the tower or go through the
gate to the 21st century and fight their way out of that time's Devil's
Tower.  In my campaign I plan to have Jackie recognize the posse for their
evil deeds in the 21st century just after Stone buys it, then have her turn
on the posse.  Then they'll have the choice of staying in the past or
returning to the 21st century through Devil's Tower, meaning they'll have
to fight through way through Jackie's allies/bosses.

I hope my plans for my group helps.

-Ralph