Pathfinder 2E Gothic Western (a Weird West setting)

[gamerprinter]

I love the idea of the fake newspaper issues as a way of keeping the rest of the world present in the campaign background.

The more I think about the fake newspaper as both a GM's module tool and a Player's hand-out, this thing is golden. Trying to get players to remember tiny details about their current adventure, and finding those answers in news stories. Getting informed of the rest of the world in current events. I'm placing Want Ads on back offering side quests, opportunities, secret messages passed between organizations in cryptic messages, the players know the date, the town they are in, and what stores are available based on the ads. The standard 20 questions GMs get with every town visit, most are answered in the newspaper hand-out. Like I said, this tool is golden!

Edit: plus invoking the sense of immersion, of being in the Old West, holding a 19th century daily document. Another benefit.

 

[Shardstone]

So as someone whose half-black, how does this setting deal with slavery having just ended?

 

[gamerprinter]

So as someone whose half-black, how does this setting deal with slavery having just ended?

If I didn't already state it, 19th century social norms and prejudices are non-existent. This isn't the real Old West, but a fantasy weird west setting. The goal is to create world that closely emulates the 19th century, at least according to technology, major historical events and personages as NPCs. It's not a realized realistic world. All the hatreds are between those who want hold the eldritch evils back or those who want to it into the world, not issues of race, class, wealth or otherwise. I'm half Japanese I've witnessed racial prejudice against me, I have no reason to want to play that behavior. The civil war is over, blacks are free, there aren't slaves anymore, so why should it be a factor?

If you look at the artifact in my second post, I mention Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, and a major villain, she's a renowned black woman in history with great power in the game, and will have a module based on her in the pursuit of Archambault's Deck.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

Edit: plus invoking the sense of immersion, of being in the Old West, holding a 19th century daily document. Another benefit.

I love the idea of doing a newspaper for my game. And I've tried in the past. Trouble is I'm lazy. All that type setting, sourcing pics. Mostly the sourcing pics.

What I'm doing for my 1980's urban fantasy game is opening every session with a radio broadcast from a pirate radio station. I figure pirate radio is a very time period appropriate thing. The DJ has visions, which he talks about on-air, and they're always weirdly plot appropriate for the session. I also look for a song, from the 80's, that fits the plot too.

Not that this has anything to do with the weird west. So I now return you to your usual programming.

 

[gamerprinter]

I love the idea of doing a newspaper for my game. And I've tried in the past. Trouble is I'm lazy. All that type setting, sourcing pics. Mostly the sourcing pics.

What I'm doing for my 1980's urban fantasy game is opening every session with a radio broadcast from a pirate radio station. I figure pirate radio is a very time period appropriate thing. The DJ has visions, which he talks about on-air, and they're always weirdly plot appropriate for the session. I also look for a song, from the 80's, that fits the plot too.

Not that this has anything to do with the weird west. So I now return you to your usual programming.

No, I fully agree - finding interesting ways to deliver content is always a good thing!

And of course, I'm willing to do all that typing for a fake newspaper, since I'm a creator/publisher, since I earn profit for it. But then I was a graphic artist before college, a graphic designer afterward, and had spent a 22 year career as a graphic designer/digital printer where I was doing page layout, and lots and lots of typing as my regular daily job. As a graphic artist I was creating ads for a weekly newspaper, so creating this hand-out is hardly different than that! Plus not everybody can write a story to fit the space you need, even in a fake newspaper. I happen to have all those skills acquired professionally over a lifetime. So I'm willing to do it, and make it look real!

 

[DrunkonDuty]

All that experience pays off. Your work looks great.

I am suddenly reminded that there's online tools for doing fake newspapers. And no, I don't mean Newscorp.

 

[gamerprinter]

Early on I was working on a setting logo, haven't settled for anything yet, but this is what I've got so far. One note though, the font for the title is a very gawdy Western style font, very much hated by most designers, but somehow I think it fits this setting... thoughts?

But I like the next one too, it's more readable...

Edit: 3rd one down is my chosen updated logo...

 

[gamerprinter]

I'm going for #1 the Gawdy Grunge Old West font.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I like the first one. Yes, the font is not as readable. But it's a much more evocative logo.

 

[gamerprinter]

So I created a different thread for it, looking for contributions in the form of suggestions, that I'd be willing to credit on the credits page by name, if you picked some I use. There's a mechanic I want to give each PC/NPC born in Gothic Western, based on something by Orson Scott Card from his Alvin the Maker series. Everyone is born with a knack, an unusual ability - no more powerful than a cantrip, but could be less powerful. I was hoping for something close 100 options, that would be put into a chart for random roll at character creation. Here's what I've come up with... (feel free to volunteer more knacks, but include a name with your knack suggestion...)

Knacks

Announce – project your voice 1000 ft.
Annoy – make target creature make saving throw or become annoyed at secondary target creature for 1 round.
Calm Animal – roll save throw to ignore.
Clock – know the exact time.
Cool/Heat – change temperature in 20 ft. radius up to 50 degrees F either plus or minus (maximum range 35 – 110 degrees F), lasts 8 hours.
Count – instantaneous count large numbers of any observable objects (cattle in herd, matches on floor).
Detect Poison
Determine Poison
Dictate – copy a page of text a minute up to 10 minutes.
Eidetic Memory – recall any text or numbers you've read, and know exact dates.
Find North – detect true north even underground, inside a structure, at any location.
Find Water – utilizing divining rods find reliable source of potable water.
First Aid – only usable once per character per 24 hours, restores 1d4 hp.
Flavor – improve the taste of any meal you cook.
Fast Reload – reload up to 10 bullets in s single round.
Fumigate – kill normal vermin in one 5 foot cube per round of application, cannot effect monstrous versions of vermin.
Identify Scent
Know Depth – know the depth of where you are underground, underwater, or inside a structure.
Light
Lift – Lift 1-50 lbs. At range of 20 ft and carry at 20' round speed.
Measure – exactly measure dimensions or distance by sight.
Mimic – mimic voice or sound you have heard.
Sense Taint – persons, places or things that possess Taint radiate to you.
Spark - create a fiery spark within 20 ft distance, which can start afire.
Test Water – potability or toxicity.
Translate – translate language upon hearing it spoken.
2D Illusion – create illusion within a 5 ft cube.
Ventriloquist – throw your voice up to 30 ft distance.
Weather Sense – detect changes in winds, pressure, temperature, humidity to determine weather in near future.