[HoE] Black Hat Adventure

[Abdullah Oblongota <toadpooka@usa.net>]

<<Well, not to be picky. But assuming you posted looking for feedback...
:)

   I've never been totally clear, and it seems to be a matter of
individual
   interpretation, but...are regular Templars supposed to be sympathetic
and/or
   provide aid to folks who support Throckmorton in his efforts?>>

Not people who actively SUPPORT the Combine, but I could see them
helping good people that were forced into it, such as in this
situation.  They wouldn't expect the townspeople to march into suicide,
which is what resisting the Combine would be.

<< Sure, the townsfolk didn't have much choice. Then again, one gets the

   impression that that doesn't necessarily hold water with a lot of
Templars.
   Someone could always say, "Well, we couldn't help our next-door
neighboring
   village because of X, Y, and Z." And yet, that (and throwing stones
at
   beggars & mutants) seems to be the main stated criteria for why
templars
   refuse to help folks.>>
Well, it depends what X, Y and Z are.  If they're reasons like, "We're
lazy," that's one thing.  If they couldn;t help their neighbors because
it would mean facing down the largest, meanest, metal death machine that
ever saw sky since nuclear fire rained down and wiped out 9/10 of the
life on Earth, they might have a case.

<<Anyhoo, my point is not that Templars _must_ all think that way or
another
   way - only that you could have a PC Templar that _might_ think that
way.
   And that such thinking could have a significant impact on the
adventure.

   If the adventure uses pre-designed characters, you could simply not
include
   a Templar.>>
My group of pre-gen characters had a Templar.  I figured it would make
good role-playing material to MAKE him work with the Anti's (that, and I
figured it'd make for a good fight after the people were saved).

<< First of all, I'm not clear here. Who was driving the caravan? Black
Hats
   (who were killed by the Anti-Templars)? The village people (then why
are
   the vehicles wrecked?)? Where did the vehicles come from? Later you
seem
   to make it clear they are BH vehicles with BH drivers. But that's
another
   problem...>>
There were a couple BH military vehicles, which got wrecked.  A few of
the cars belonged to the town, but may or may not have been driven by
BH's.  Presumably, the Anti-Templars wouldn't have killed civillian
drivers if they could help it, but they're also not the most careful
people in the world.  A couple of the civvie vehicles would probably
have survived, as dragging the stuff to Denver would be tough.
The pre-gen group, again, had an ex-Black Hat as a member, so he would
be driving the one rigged car.

<< Again, the presence of a Templar could be upsetting here. Again, it's
a
   discretionary thing, but some Templars seem to take the offenses of
the
   anti-Templars rather...personally. And violently. Sure, you or I
might not
   think that, but the question would be how any given player Templar
might
   discretionarily choose to view the Anti-Templars.>>
Re: Above.  Anyone should react poorly to people who hunt them for a
living, even if they happened to just do something with a good
motivation.

<< Of course, if you don't _care_ if the party kills the Anti-Templars,
no
   problem. :)>>
Eventually, yes.  Possibly even before Denver.

<< Kind of a downer non-heroic ending. Sounds like the heroes need to
find a
   way to get the caravan to Denver..._but_ then arrange for a way to
destroy
   it that doesn't incriminate the villagers. And possibly make the
Combine
   thinks the village is wiped out. Without blowing their covers.

   Was this the direction you were thinking of going with it...?>>
Well, Wasted West seems to imply that Throckmorton doesn't care why the
caravan is wrecked, he just cant risk losing face (of course, he's lost
a good portion of it already...)
--
From Whom it May Concern,
Rich Ranallo, The Man They Couldn't Hang

"And there never was an apple, in Adam's opinion, that wasn't worth the
trouble you got into for eating it."
 -Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Good Omens