Suggestion for Western RPG

[Jd Smith1]

ARe you referring to HERO system's Western?

There's a Swedish RPG by that name that has been on the cusp of an English version for some time.

 

[CapnZapp]

There's a Swedish RPG by that name that has been on the cusp of an English version for some time.

Yes. I thought it was published by now.

 

[heks]

i really like 'down darker trails' ('call of cthulhu' in the old west) and 'deadlands' and have played a great deal of both as straightforward westerns, without the weirdness.

 

[MGibster]

I would recommend throwing in a CoC vibe; the historical West has very limited scenario fodder other than law enforcement and the strife between settler and Native American through the 1870s, and the later union strife and fence/open range issues.

I'm puzzled by this given the breadth of stories within the western genre beginning with dime novels in the 19th century and then moving on to television, motion pictures, and even radio in the 20th century. We have more than a century where westerns dominated popular media and most of those stories didn't involve the supernatural. Just looking at a synopsis of episodes from season 1 of Rawhide will give you plenty of ideas that don't involve strife with Native Americans, unions, or the range wars. Though, uh, some of those episodes certain touch on those issues.

Here are some campaign ideas that don't involve the supernatural at all:

The PCs have just been released from prison. Now they're headed to Texas to take on Brisket Bill, their former leader who betrayed them after their last train robbery and made off with a fortune in gold.

The PCs are all "upstanding" citizens of Cripple Creek, a mining boomtown in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and you need the town to prosper so that you can prosper. That means keeping the peace and make sure everything runs smoothly. You characters might be part of the local constabulary, editor of the local newspaper, owner of a dry goods store, or perhaps even a member of the city council.

The PCs are responsible for scouting and and securing the best sites for the Union Rail Road to lay down their tracks. Which towns will the rail road go through? That's up to you.

Now that I write this, I've got to admit that I can count on one hand the number of campaigns I've run that didn't involve some aspect of the supernatural or the fantastical.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Now that I write this, I've got to admit that I can count on one hand the number of campaigns I've run that didn't involve some aspect of the supernatural or the fantastical.

There's the rub: when you boil it down, you've got law enforcement, outlaws, and Native American drama to work with. Not much variety for a campaign.

Despite the plethora of media coverage of the period, its fairly limited in options. And some of the staples (cattle drives, the buffalo hunters) do not translate well for RPG activity.

 

[Greg K]

Have you considered D20 Modern with the D20 Past supplement? I haven't used it for an Old West campaign, but I've used D20 Modern for a variety of other settings and always had great fun.

@pogre For d20M Western, I would heavily recommend Sidewinder: Recoiled by Dog House Rules over D20 Past

 

[Justice and Rule]

Yes. I thought it was published by now.

No, the kickstarter is on the verge of getting the core books out.

 

[Greg K]

For straight Western,

• Fort Griffin Savaged (Dog House Rules) for Savage Worlds
• Coyote Trail Expanded (Precis Intermedia): This combines Coyote Trail and several supplements. I don't own this book, but I was impressed with EarthAD.2 which uses the same mechanic system.
• GURPS Old West (Steve Jackson Games) if you like GURPS. Get the Second edition which was, iirc, for GURPS 3e(the cowboy on horseback cover). It incorporates material from Roleplayer Magazine (including some famous Western personalities). The print edition is printed and sold through Amazon. If you do get the first edition, you can get the Roleplayer articles for Old West free from the GURPS website, but you will have to search through the issues and articles.
• Sidewinder: Recoiled (Dog House Rules) for d20 Modern. Although, I no longer run d20M, this was an excellent d20M product.
  
  

 

[Greg K]

There's the rub: when you boil it down, you've got law enforcement, outlaws, and Native American drama to work with. Not much variety for a campaign.

Despite the plethora of media coverage of the period, its fairly limited in options. And some of the staples (cattle drives, the buffalo hunters) do not translate well for RPG activity.

Rawhide might be a good source of inspiration for a campaign with cattle drives.
Maverick could be a good source of inspiration for a campaign with travelling con men.
Wanted Dead or Alive could be a good source of ideas for a bounty hunter campaign.
A system such as Cortex Plus/ Cortex Prime could be good for running a series for a drama based campaign inspired by some Western TV series with an ensemble cast and personal drama.

 

[Jd Smith1]

Rawhide might be a good source of inspiration for a campaign with cattle drives.
Maverick could be a good source of inspiration for a campaign with travelling con men.
Wanted Dead or Alive could be a good source of ideas for a bounty hunter campaign.
A system such as Cortex Plus/ Cortex Prime could be good for running a series for a drama based campaign inspired by some Western TV series with an ensemble cast and personal drama.

Short campaigns. Mavrick and Dead or alive involved a single person. After a cattle drive has fought off rustlers, Indians, and a few other calamities, then what? You're on session 4 or 5.