Wild West Plotline - Earp Hunting (my players stay out)

[Silver Moon]

I have two separate campaigns usinging hybrid D&D and Boot Hill rules set on an alternative earth in 1882. Both campagins began in the Cochice County Arizona town of Promise City, which is the town from the TSR's Boot Hill module "BH3: Ballots and Bullets". These stories are partially based in history with a smattering of characters from various 1960's and 1970's television westerns also making cameo appearances (Caine from Kung-Fu is on his way to the town now).

My weekly gaming group created gunslinger and indian characters for their campaign who call themselves Arcade's Gang. They played out three modules in the area in 1881, killing Billy the Kid in the second module and the third being their versioin of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral in nearby Tombstone. The campaign then shifted in a different direction when a player decided to DM a module that brought the group of cowboys and indians over to Europe for a Cthulhu-esque storyline. That was followed by three other modules set in England, Scotland, France and Ireland. They concluded a few months back with their ship docking back in the United State in Galveston, Texas during the second week of March, 1882.

Story hour: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=28906

My other group is set on the same campaign world but with different players and characters. Rather than gunslingers this group has opted for gamblers and saloon girls as their characters. It began as two table games and then evolved into an extremely popular Play-by-post game. We got together again on New Year's for another table game and am now wrapping it up again as play-by-post. It is set almost entirely in Promise City. The module was named "Revenge, Renewal and the Promise of a New Year" and had a theme of redemption and renewal for most of the characters. Their game began on January 1, 1882 and the initial module will be winding down soon with around three to four weeks of character time having passed. The next module will pick up a month or so later

Story hour: http://www.enworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=99053


Arcade's Gang plans to head back to Promise City, Arizona from Texas while the other group will remain in the Promise City area. One historically based subplot running through both campaigns has involved the Cowboy Gang, a group of cattle rustlers that included the Clantons, Billy Claibourne, Johnny Ringo, Pony Deal and Curly Bill Brocius. Historically, during the week of March 17-23, 1882 Morgan Earp had been shot and killed by members of the Cowboy Gang and lawman Wyatt Earp then went on the warpath and killed most of the gang. I'm not sure just how to work that into one or both storylines.


So I'm open to some plot ideas for both groups for each of their next module. Please post some suggestions.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

The remaining gangmembers might decide to lay low and buy a few rooms at the PC's fav saloon, only to have W.E. come into town looking for them. With the key members of the plot so close to the PCs, it should be easy to throw them in a crossfire during an initial confrontation, or otherwise wrap them into the plot.
Perhaps W.E. gets wounded when he finds them, and X of them get away, so he asks the PCs to give chase or infiltrate and lead them to a secondary battleground of his choosing because he's too weak to continue just yet.

 

[VoiceOfReason?]

As for the group that killed Billy the Kid, a rival Lone Gunman may have been tracking the Kid when the group gunned him down in attempt to test his skills against a legend. With Billy dead, he might go for the next best thing..his killer(s).

 

[synecdoche]

Sounds like a fun game! I'll be checking out your story hour for sure.

A couple of more or less random thoughts. First of all, one big plot device in the western is that the guy who kills the big gun (in your case Billy the Kid) becomes the big gun, and as a result, every two-bit greenhorn with a gun who wants to make a name for himself goes after him (something to do in my readings on western with the cowboy hero being trapped in his role until death, and... wait, that's for school. I'll spare you). So you could put the Arcade Gang on the defensive for a bit.

Other options, regarding Bill the Kid-- depending on which version of his story you read (I am talking fictional stories here, of course), he was either a hero or a villain. I don't know what he was in your campaign, but it doesn't matter-- make him a hero to some and a villain to others. A lot of the legends around him have him set up as a Robin Hood figure for Mexicans in south Texas. Why not do something with that? The Mexicans could be quite upset that somebody they quite liked and admired has been offed, and will want a reckoning. Another option is to have one of Billy's lovers get mad, and hire somebody similar to Unforgiven's Will Munny-- and aging but absolutely legendary gunfighter to take out Arcade's gang.

Or, since you're not afraid to incorproate the supernatural into your western game-- read the comic Jonah Hex, Two-Gun Mojo? In the comic, an evil magician uses voodoo to resurrect Wild Bill Hickock, among others. Why not do the same with Billy?

And Wyatt. You could go in any number of ways with him. Again, I am not sure if you're making him out as the hero or the villian-- he's been both in popular culture-- but again, you can do things that will work no matter how you want him to be. Have the Cowboys convince the party that Wyatt is trying to run Tombstone with an iron fist (note also that, as I remember, after the events in Tombstone Wyatt was on the run for a good long while) and is infringing on their rights to run cattle the way they've done it for years. Old Man Clanton is none too pleased about having this new guy come into town and cramping his style, so he could convince Arcade's Gang that Wyatt is the aggressor here, and is nursing an old grudge because Morgan was killed ("It was legal!" Ike and Billy will claim). So, the cowboys enlist Arcade and his gang to help out with Wyatt, Doc, and the others (I think Virgil Earp had left Tombstone at this point, too).

Or, you can alter history a bit, too. Have Wyatt backed into a corner. Doc is bed-ridden; Morgan is dead; Virgil has left town to recuperate (are you doing anything with James?). Wyatt has nowhere to turn. But then he hears that the gang that dealt some justice to Billy the Kid is passing through, and wants some help dealing with the Cowboys.

Another idea (can you tell that I *like* Wyatt Earp movies?) is to have one of the PCs become enamoured with Josephine Marques, which Wyatt won't like much, either.

Sorry if I went on a bit, but your game sounds like it'd be right up my street.

 

[Silver Moon]

Thanks, lots of good suggestions there. Since Arcade's Gang is now in South Texas I think I'll follow up with Billy the Kid/Robin Hood hero worship idea. I'll also follow though on the famous gunslinger hunting them down, as the "Revenge..." campaign characters got out of being blamed for a gunfight by blaming Arcade's Gang instead, and also recently encountered a Texas bounty hunter named Irby Cole who was a real sociopath.

As for the Earps, I done my best to keep them "gray hats" rather than black and while. All of the Earps hate Arcade's Gang, since they killed the Earps' friend Doc Holliday. I've made the Earp brothers lawmen in both of the campaign towns, with Tombstone's Marshall being Virgil Earp with Morgan as his deputy. Promise City's Marshall is Wyatt Earp with Warren Earp as his deputy. I've stuck with the history for their brother James Earp, keeping him as the manager of the saloon in Tombstone. There's one more running subplot involving the Earps. In the "Revenge..." campaign a main character recently found out that three months before the campaign began Morgan Earp had killed her husband in back alley fight and that Virgil then covered up the crime to protect his brother.

As for the Cowboy Gang. It began with just the O.K. Corral particpants (Clantons, McLaurys and Billy Claibourne) but at Gary Gygax's suggestion I also added in Johnny Ringo, Buckskin Frank Leslie and Pony Deal to the story. Another historical gang member, Curly Bill Brocious, had robbed some Tombstone area stagecoaches in January 1882. I've worked that into the "Revenge..." story. The playing characters killed Curly Bill and a few select members of the gang have been dogging them ever since.

 

[Silver Moon]

Well, this has gotten interesting. The character whose husband was killed by Morgan Earp seems to have a death wish. She's been in Tombstone for a day now and is determined to find him. She's been strongly advised against it by her party members, Virgil Earp and Big Nose Kate, but won't take no for an answer.

Virgil has already sent his brother out of town. They aren't really afraid of her as all she knows is hearsay but he'd still prefer to not have them meet. But they do currently think that she may be hiding a witness who could get Morgan the gallows.

So where should I take it from here? I'n thinking at this point that Virgil may arrest her. The only reason he hasn't is that he doesn't want her talking to Johnny Ringo, who is also currently in jail (she actually has already spoken to Ringo but the Marsahll doesn't know that yet).