Re: [HoE] Changing roles of black hats

[Poe336@aol.com]

IN response:

<< 2) Black hats as the comic relief...
 
     Two Fate eaters have gotten two groups (one of which is the party, the 
 other is a poor group of Black Hats) into their plans.  These two are 
looking 
 to win a 'frog jumping contest' (or dominoes, or a science fair, or 
 something').  And as the party tries to fufill the regard, since, well, HoE 
 frogs are tougher, stronger, more acidic, more aggressive, and taste more 
 like chicken than normal frogs;
     The party has a black hat group trying to stymie them AND they get to 
 watch these Waste yahoos try in vain to do their end much slapstick humor 
 could abound. >>

I love it!  I've been reading and Re-reading the entry on the Fate Eaters in 
MMM, working on coming up with a way to use them that doesn't play out very 
similarly to the posse territory section on them - you just gave it to me.  I 
like the Frog-Jumping contest idea...I can just see my posse standing next to 
a group of Black Hats, wrestling with these super-frogs in an attempt to get 
them to race...<rofl>

<<3) Oh my god, the Black Hats need our help!
 
     Now everyone knows the actual black hats are at the bottom of the 
Combine 
 food chain.  And who knows?  Maybe Throckmorton tries out the occasional new 
 warbot design by sending out after some of these yahoos.  Will the party 
 help?  On the one hand, it'll be fun to watch the BH's die, on the other, 
 you'll have an easier time dealing with the warbot if you have four extra 
 guns around.  And maybe you could turn these guys to the good side. 
     ready made NPC's, and Black hats who could owe the party a favor later 
 on.>>

Hmmm.  Interesting idea, but I don't see Throckmorton testing his wares on 
them (granted, they're cannon fodder for his Master Plan, but with all those 
expensive chips and what-not:  Instead, what if a town, sick of being plagued 
by the Combine, hires a Junker to build some sort of over-riding Remote 
Control for automatons.  When the Combine sends one in to quell the rioting 
masses in the town, along with a group of Black Hats, the town seizes control 
of the automaton and begins to systematically hunt down every Black Hat in 
town.  This doesn't sound like much of a problem, but what happens when the 
town decides to "protect" other towns with their new assistant?  Pretty soon, 
any Black Hat patrol in the area is becoming the prey.  The mayor's gone 
kill-crazy, and the posse is forced to defend a weakened Black Hat patrol who 
begs for protection from the ruthless town leaders.  Does the posse help 
these wounded and unarmed bullies, or let the town murder them?
 
<<4) But it's the Hat I hate most of all!
 
     Do a classic body switch, except the party gets switched into the bodies 
 of Black hats and has to find their real selves without
 
     a) tipping off the upper combine members who will activate the 
headbanger 
 chip
     b) compromising their morals taking part in too much carnage
 
     And the party can get a good close look at the combine and get a chance 
 to use that snacky combine equipment.  And you know they want to.>>

    I had this idea for a storyline in the Weird West - however, I never 
managed to establish the cult that I wanted to be the main villians as the 
main villians (the posse just never got into them).  Therefore, this story 
was unused...and now I'm beginning to see the benefits of moving it to a HoE 
story...(any news on when the Denver set is s'posed to come out?  I can't 
remember if it has been announced or not.)
 
Thanks for the ideas!  I'm saving 'em all, in case I find a use later....

Poe