Recently Michael posted about the new game by Robertson Games Weird West. I have never run a western game, and only played on a short (one session) long Boot Hill game that we quickly derailed and ruined in ways that had the GM throwing his hands up and walking away from the table. I’m also not a big fan of Westerns. I loved Western movies as a child, specially the Lone Ranger, but as I grew up I really did not care much for the genre. There are exceptions; I love The Magnificent Seven, the “Dollar Trilogy” and modern Westerns like Unforgiven and 3:10 to Yuma. However, as much as I love the Cohen Brothers films, I was underwhelmed by True Grit and I am NOT a fan of The Duke, i.e. John Wayne.
That doesn’t mean I am not interested in Western themed RPGs. An old copy of Boot Hill sits on my shelf, and I own Deadlands (both the original version and the d20 book, not the Savage Worlds version) and Sidewinder: Recoiled. However I have never wanted to run one until recently. One of my players has been trying to put together a Western game and another player is a HUGE fan of the genre. SO I found myself thinking about what I would do for such a game.
I realized I would probably not run a long Western campaign, but I did have a few ideas for a one shot or a short series of games. However none of the systems I mentioned above really fit my idea, I would not like my players to go through complex character creation or learn a new system just for a few games. Then along came Weird West! This is not a review of the game (Really? All that and not a review… Come on!), I think Michael put it succinctly enough. For $1 you can’t go wrong with this game. After reading the game I wanted to run a game using the rules. Luckily I was doing some gaming demos in a convention this past weekend so I quickly put together some pre-gens and came up with an adventure idea.
The characters are all ridding a stagecoach, some as passengers, and others working for their passage, as they cross a dry hilly region of the territories. These are the pre-generated characters I presented to the players as they gathered around the table…
(Three caveats, these are experienced characters made to survive the dangerous adventure I put together. Secondly I was unsure if the benefits from leveling up such as every two levels or every three levels, counted from the 1st level or from levels gained. I went with the later interpretation. I may be wrong… And lastly, the art I used to illustrate the characters is art I found in the Internet and was chosen to give the players and instant hook, the pictures and art are copyright their owners, artists or photographers. I make no claim of ownership or holding any rights over them!)
So without further ado, here are the pre-gens!
Name: Ludvig “Crazy Louie” Jensen
“Crazy Louie” is a washed up old cowboy. He’s been a lawman, a cattle rustler, a bounty hunter and everything in between. He tried to retire some years ago, married and traveled east. Having drunk and gambled her money away “Crazy Louie” has come back west to the territories to try his luck one last time. He loves a good drink, a good game of cards and his tobacco. Despite his gruff exterior he has a soft spot for the innocent and the underdog.
Path: Fighter
Level: 6
- Fighting (6) “Always a sure shot”
- Grit (6) “The chutzpa of surviving many a firefight”
- Magic (1) “He certainly knows how to handle a horse”
- Skill (2) “Used to be a time when he could do anything, not anymore”
Stamina (32)
Defense: 2
Weapons
- Shotgun d8 2-handed, d10 in close combat (2 shots)
- Handgun d8 (6 shots)
- Knife 1d4
Magic & Weird Abilities:
- Horse Whisperer – Skills is +3 when dealing with animals
Name: James “Handsome Jimmy” Richards
“Handsome Jimmy” is a young man out to make his mark out west. The son of a preacher, James grew up wanting little and studied to become an apothecary. Despite his father’s distaste of firearms and violence, James secretly learned to shoot and he proved to be a quick draw, some have called him the fastest draw east of the Mississippi. Dreaming of fame and adventure James left behind his fiancé, his job and is traveling to the territories to try his luck. Despite his natural smarts “Handsome Jimmy” is naïve and others have taken advantage of his good disposition.
Path: Adventurer
Level: 6
- Fighting (2) “He may not always hit his target…”
- Grit (6) “That boy can surely remain calm when bullets fly”
- Magic (1) “…but he is certainly quick”
- Skill (4) “Not just looks but smarts too”
Stamina (24)
Defense: 4
Weapons
- 2 Handguns d6 (6 shots)
- Rifle d8 2-handed, can’t be used in close combat
Magic & Weird Abilities:
- Fastest Gun in the West – Take your action before everyone else
Name: Ao En Tian
Ao En Tian would have never left the temple if it were not for his mother. Son of a Chinese farmer and an American missionary, when his father died and his mother was nowhere to be found he was taken in by the monks at the temple. He was content until his mother made her way to the remote mountain temple and convinced him to return with her to California. His dreams of a family were shattered when his mother became ill on the trip back home and her family in California put him on the streets. Angry and seeking purpose he travels the territories honing his skills, sometimes hiring himself out as an enforcer.
Path: Gifted
Level: 6
- Fighting (4) “I need no guns, only my hands”
- Grit (6) “When I meditate nothing disturbs me”
- Magic (3) “My will is my greatest weapon”
- Skill (2) “There is much to learn about this country”
Stamina (24)
Defense: 2 (Magnetic Shield – Protected from ranged attacks by metal objects)
Weapons
- Unarmed attack d6
Magic & Weird Abilities:
- Shaolin Monk – Fighting is +2. Unarmed attacks use d6. Can only make unarmed attacks
- Dodges bullets (Magnetic Shield) – Protected from ranged attacks by metal objects. Your own attacks are similarly blocked.
Name: Miss Mildred Millington
Proper young ladies marry, have children and start a family. Despite her parents best efforts Mildred has never done what is expected. Beneath her prim and proper demeanor there is an inquisitive, opinionated young woman who believes she can do whatever she sets her mind to do. Her wealthy uncle, a libertine who recently returned from the old country, encouraged her desire to see the frontier and financed her trip out west. Packing as if travelling on holiday, with her copy of Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Rights of Men, she ventures fort on her great adventure.
Path: Adventurer
Level: 6
- Fighting (2) “Trying to hit me wasn’t lady like!”
- Grit (6) “Stoic”
- Magic (1) “But she looks so innocent…”
- Skill (4) “If only all bookworms were so pleasing to the eye”
Stamina (22)
Defense: 4 (Innocence – Can’t be targeted by lethal attacks unless only target)
Weapons
- Parasol (club) d6 non-lethal
- Unarmed d2 non-lethal
Magic & Weird Abilities:
- Innocence – Can’t be targeted by lethal attacks unless only target. Can only make non-lethal attacks
Name: Commodore “Bear Cub” Doyle
Commodore Doyle was once a young soldier on his way out west, full of hope and dreams, until his convoy was attacked by audacious robbers after their weapons and munitions. Left for dead, Doyle was rescued by Indians who nursed him back to health. Over the months it took for him to recover Doyle earned the moniker “Bear Cub” because of his prodigious strength and stamina. After he recovered, and with the help of his new adoptive tribe, “Bear Cub” tracked down the men who almost killed him and enacted his revenge. He never returned home, but instead made his life as a trapper and guide in the territories.
Path: Fighter
Level: 6
- Fighting (5) “Strong like a bear”
- Grit (6) “A man who survives by his wits alone”
- Magic (0) “I only believe in what I can see with my own two eyes”
- Skill (4) “Can follow a track like no other”
Stamina (34)
Defense: 6 (4 vs. Firearms) Heavy Furs and Leathers (-1 to Skill for Difficult Tasks)
Weapons
- Axe d6
- Knife d4
- Shotgun d8 2-handed, d10 in close combat (2 shots)
Magic & Weird Abilities: None
Name: Dr. Jorgen Feuerstein
Dr. Jorgen Feuerstein was a renowned mesmerist and master of the mystic arts in Europe until he tried using an ancient tome to heal the sickly heir to a crown. When his magic failed he was jailed. He lost his fortune and his health. Discredited and penniless he crossed the ocean to seek his fortune in America. He tried his hand at vaudeville doing parlor tricks but soon became disillusioned. Hearing of the secrets of the native mystics Dr. Feuerstein scrapped together enough money to travel by coach out to the territories seeking to unravel the magical secrets of the west.
Path: Magician
Level: 6
- Fighting (1) “I fight with my mind not my fists”
- Grit (6) “I have seen things that would drive other men insane”
- Magic (8) “The secrets of the universe are at my fingertips”
- Skill (1) “I have concentrated on learning the mystic arts, little else”
Stamina (16)
Defense: 1
Weapons
- Handgun d4 (6 shots)
Magic & Weird Abilities:
- Electromancy – You can direct bolts of electricity against your foes. 3 times/day. Ignores Armor. Weapon: d12
- Hypnosis – Your subject will answer a question or carry out a task. Requires 5 minutes. Difficult Task.
- Bag of tricks (Medicine Bag) – You can add a d6 to the total of any other dice roll. Usable 3 times per day
As they ride on the stagecoach the driver notices something amiss on the trail and brings them to a stop. There on the road sits and old Indian with an owl on his shoulder and ten bundled bodies blocking the trail. So starts the adventure…
