Re: [HoE] How Have YOU Done It? (And Rant About GenCon Booklet)

["B.D. Flory" <bflory@frontiernet.net>]

Spoilers for my posse

















| 2) "Real Men Wear Black Hats": How have YOU used the Black Hats and the 
| Combine in your games without them becoming old and stale?  I mean, give
me 
| some varied Combine-related plot ideas, your storylines, thoughts on the 
| Black Hats as a group, maybe even inspiration for specific (possibly 
| recurring) figures within the Black Hats (favorite NPCs?)

My current HoE game features a fairly large (about 150 people) survivor
settlement, adjacent on one side to the Mason-Dixon wall in Southern
Nevada.  The town of Sanctuary (as it's called), keeps a steady trade going
with a mutant settlement in a nearby city.  Recently, an indeterminate
number of Black Hats has been sighted near the town- no one has seen the
entire group together, though the Posse is certain there are at least eight
Black Hats.

First session, the Posse recovered a radio from an infiltrator Cyborg, whom
they suspect is associated with the Black Hats in some way (they're right).
 The Infiltrator Borg went a little gonzo and started murdering people.  It
should be pointed out that this was not in the mission profile.  It was
only supposed to deliver a radio to the town's marshal.  Manitou will be
manitou, though.  ;)  Eventually, the posse got a hold of this radio. 
Transmissions were coming through, but they didn't understand them.  The
Black Hats had a system of code speak in place.

After a brief period of down time (and the break between sessions), the
black hats transmit in plain English.  They want a sit down- a meeting. 
They agree to come to the town unarmed, as long as they are guaranteed safe
passage.  The town council, after a town meeting called to discuss the
issue, agree to the Black Hats request.  In said Town Meeting, the Black
Hat honcho basically says, "We've got interests in the city.  Stay out of
our business, and we'll stay out of yours."  Up to now, these guys have
been pretty honest and straightforward.  For example, they arrived in
Sanctuary unarmed- they kept their end of the bargain, and trusted the town
would honor the bargain as well.

Of course, the mutants have issues with this- they live in that city.  Deal
or no deal, the Black Hats are going to be moving in on the mutants
territory- probably with an attack.  Little Boy, a Doomsayer and one of the
leaders of the mutant community (and Fat Man's student) objects strenuously
to the meeting; Fat Man, who holds the a seat on the five man town council
and is the other leader of the mutant community, objects strenuously in the
meeting.

Unfortunately, the council is scared, and rightly so.  The Black Hats are a
force to be reckoned with in HoE.  They make the deal, even over Fat Man's
objections.  Fat Man is going to take this in stride- he's a wise man, and
understands why the decision was made.  Little Boy, on the other hand, is a
hot head.  He even goes so far as to make thinly veiled threats about
making deals with the Black Hats.  Finally, at the conclusion of the
meeting, he puts his money where his mouth is.  A small contingent of
mutants angry about the meeting with the Black Hats attacks the Black Hats
as they leave the building where the meeting is held.  The Black Hats, who
are unarmed, call on the promise of safe passage.  The town marshal, and
the rest of the posse, honor the deal and fight off the attack (managing
not to kill anyone).  During the attack, Fat Man and Little Boy are nowhere
to be seen.

Fat Man knew nothing of the attack- Little Boy alone engineered it.  Fat
Man hopes to convince the town of Sanctuary of its mistake through peaceful
means.  Admittedly, he's angry.  However, he is a wise man, and knows that
the people of Sanctuary are good and decent.  They're just afraid of what
the Black Hats might do if they get involved.  Unfortunately, Fat Man is
not long for this world.  The Black Hats are going to kill him during an
expeditionary mission into the city.  They don't go in gunning for him, but
it is a Deadland- they can't afford to take chances.

Little Boy is going to be spitting nails.  Not only will he blame the Black
Hats, but he'll blame the town, as well.  They could've intervened, but
they made their deal.  Kept out of it.  So Little Boy is going to go to
someone who will fight for the mutants, someone who can help the small
population of the mutant settlement stand against the Black Hats: the Cult
of Doom.

All of that said, the Black Hats ain't heroes, by any means.  This
particular group is a little more moral than the rest.  Of course, once the
Cult of Doom arrives, they're going to need reinforcements.  If things get
bad enough (which they will, if I have my way), and the stakes are high
enough (which they will be, if I have my way), Throckmorton will be sending
in the _Black Sunday_.

Then things are gonna get bad.

B.D. Flory