D&D General Western-Inspired D&D adventures

[MGibster]

Many years ago I did Westwater, which was a western b/x version. The immediate feedback I got was 1 star reviews stating "D&D shouldn't do westerns."

I've apologized to you so many times for that. What else can I say to make up for that? I guess the internet has got to internet, right?

 

[jayoungr]

Many years ago I did Westwater, which was a western b/x version.

Is it still available anywhere? I wouldn't mind having a look.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

This all stems from Westerns being movies and movies being allegories. Or porn. They can also be porn. Those are usually pretty straight forward, except the Western ones which are more farce - but even those include alleorgies.

Well played.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

I have just read some interesting article from the web TV tropes about the Western fiction.

There is some setting by a 3PP where D&D is mixed with Far West.

Lots of elements from Far West fiction can be added to D&D. WotC has got its own weird western IP: Thunder Juction from Magic the Gathering.

Here the key is there will be firearms in the campaign, because these could break the power balance. A simple goblin or kobold with a shotgun if for game effects a monster with different stats and challenging rate.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Is it still available anywhere? I wouldn't mind having a look.

I'd rather not. As I mentioned, I did it more than a decade ago, and there might have been examples of cultural appropriation of indigenous cultures before I knew better. I don't have any gross stereotypes or racism that I can see, but since I'm not indigenous, there are probably things I'm not even seeing.

 

[haakon1]

I’ve run Boot Hill campaigns in the past.

Imho, D&D already has a lot in common with Westerns.

Star Wars of course is basically a Western.

jgsugden already explained well what makes a Western what it is.

 

[Ancalagon]

I wrote about how one episode of The Mandelorean is essentially 7 Samurai, which was itself turned into a western:

The Mandalorian, 7 samurai, and gaming as pizza

I've been watching The Mandalorian and it's very, very good. The season hasn't ended yet (and they might ruin it with a bad ending), but I...

slugsandsilver.blogspot.com

There is the making of a classic D&D adventure in there! In fact, it's almost a "basic recipe" like pizza - the basic format stays the same, it's extremely reliable, and it's quite flexible too. It can be done in D&D, in space, in a western, in medieval Japan...

 

[Remathilis]

You had me until that last sentence - because it contradicts your message. If you want an adventure that captures the feel of a Western (either have a western theme or can be given a western coat of paint) you need to consider the iconic elements of a Western. There is no absolute universal rules - but there are elements that are very prevalent.

I wanted to respond to this but forgot, sorry.

I wasn't clear what I wanted in that post. I meant I wanted the tone and themes, but not a 1:1 recreation of it. I don't intend to use "Injun" stereotypes or literal six shooters, but I do want the gunslinger/wandslinger duels, train robberies, corrupt robber barons, saloon girls, stuff like that. I think that kind of overlay is very doable.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I'll look over a few of these for ideas and lootable stuff. I have a few months before this goes live (Still need Forge of the Artificer first) so I got time. If anyone else has ideas, feel free to mention them.

 

[jgsugden]

...I wasn't clear what I wanted in that post. I meant I wanted the tone and themes, but not a 1:1 recreation of it. I don't intend to use "Injun" stereotypes or literal six shooters, but I do want the gunslinger/wandslinger duels, train robberies, corrupt robber barons, saloon girls, stuff like that. I think that kind of overlay is very doable...

I understand. I'm trying to convey something that I don't think has reached you correctly, though.

Consider the first two of your elements there: Gunslinger/wandslinger duels and train robberies. I think both of those can work at low levels and can convey the feel of a Western.

However, how do you want to handle 10th level PCs in a wandslinger duel? Do they stand in the street and blast each other back and forth for 30 seconds? You can make it work, but it isn't always clean. For example, I created a Wandslinger feat a ways back that allowed a wand wielder to deal sneak attack damage on top of their wand damage as if they were a rogue/thief of their character level if they spent a round preparing.

A train robbery sounds exciting, but a couple Dimension Door spells ... you get into that realm where either it is too easy and not a challenge or you become the restrictive DM that shuts down PC abilities to make sure you can run the game you want to run (The train has anti-teleportation magic!). Yes, you can say things like, "In a world of magic they need to prepare for magic" - been there, done that - but that does not change how it feels to the PCs when the abilities they invested in taking are brushed aside.

 

[Remathilis]

I understand. I'm trying to convey something that I don't think has reached you correctly, though.

Consider the first two of your elements there: Gunslinger/wandslinger duels and train robberies. I think both of those can work at low levels and can convey the feel of a Western.

However, how do you want to handle 10th level PCs in a wandslinger duel? Do they stand in the street and blast each other back and forth for 30 seconds? You can make it work, but it isn't always clean. For example, I created a Wandslinger feat a ways back that allowed a wand wielder to deal sneak attack damage on top of their wand damage as if they were a rogue/thief of their character level if they spent a round preparing.

A train robbery sounds exciting, but a couple Dimension Door spells ... you get into that realm where either it is too easy and not a challenge or you become the restrictive DM that shuts down PC abilities to make sure you can run the game you want to run (The train has anti-teleportation magic!). Yes, you can say things like, "In a world of magic they need to prepare for magic" - been there, done that - but that does not change how it feels to the PCs when the abilities they invested in taking are brushed aside.

I mean, that's the general problem with all D&D, not just westerns. Having run Ravenloft for 12 levels now, I'm well aware that horror stops being as horrifying when your party has 5th level magic and triple digit HP. But you can still recolor much of the D&D experience with a horror vibe, even if by most standards it would be a failure as a standalone horror story. So to with any genre, including Western.

As to the two examples, Frontiers of Eberron give rules for wand duels that don't rely on HP slogs, and Eberron is a magic-wide world, so yes, teleport magic is considered on lightning rails. Much like how VRGR has rules for fear, stress and curses, you can add a few rules to provide flavor without needing to rewrite D&D.