More Realistic Western Game Wanted Interest Check GM and Players

[RubySlippers]

I'd love to do a Western period game during the expansion maybe in a new area with homesteaders, a small starting up town and freeform or light rules (free and available online awesome) with maybe issues Native Tribes, mining possibility, outlaws and the like but should be ripe for role-playing and maybe even near kind of to a railroad.

Jobs could be shop owners, saloon owners, whores, a church, school, homesteaders, miners, criminals, Natives in a nearby reservation who are friendly to start, marshal and well anything else we can get and well period issues former slaves coming in, Chinese people and the racism done in the manner of being accurate to the period not to be 'bad' but black people were called Negros even among their own leaders.

Now I'm thinking to be decent everyone should start with a wagon, two horses or a horse with a saddle and a good one for riding, clothes, some personal items or crates of goods for a shop and start with a tent and other things. A shop is likely to be a big tent or other set-up until they build buildings, maybe a hundred dollars (for shop owners maybe more to some degree) and a weapon and salaries can be period or a bit more. I mean a school teacher who went to college could be paid as a man at $32 a month if she negotiated well with the territory. The territory would pay for that if no non-white students are in the class [it sucks of course] but the town could have some money perhaps from the railroad or the US government (Army, Indian Affairs or such). Example of what she might earn.

Well it could be fun and I like realism but maybe if the site rules demand it play down the racism some, not to be bad I said, but if its an issue the town could be more open minded than normal.

Well it could be fun and well simple to play since there is no real magic, high tech and other things but nice honest role-playing.

Well any interest?

I'd LOVE to play the General Store Owner, a woman from a family of such merchants, so would be part of a network of family stores and there is always the Sears and Robucks Catalog (I have some period ones my family used when some were merchants or sold goods so could have fun with that.) It would start smaller of course like everyone else.

[Captain Whitebread]

I have wo character ideas.

Town doctor (former cavalry officer who lost a leg)

Silver miner (who is hiding from a murder charge)

[WaitingCynicism]

I'm interested

[RubySlippers]

I have a few idea maybe in the Colorado Territory perhaps with some local gold mining, quarries for stone, a possible railroad within a days ride and plenty of options for opportunities. Of course there will be criminals and maybe renegade Indians with the main reservation having 'civilized Indians' at this point there land actually not that bad and a Quaker family as the Indian Agents so the dealings are fair.

But well the town will need a Saloon with Whores, a Church and School thanks to civilizing of proper women folk coming in and other businesses.

[RubySlippers]

Okay who is interested in playing there will be a simple character sheet. Period terms and such are applicable not to be racist in intent but if you're playing a black person he or she is a Negro

Name:
Race: Caucasian, Black (Negro), Chinese (sorry to most people lump all Asians into Chinese they tend to be unworldly), Indian, Metis (mixed Indian and another race)
Gender: Male or Female
Sexual Orientation: Generally Straight, Homosexual or Bisexual (its the West most people get away to get away from issues of alternative sexualities)
Age: Aim for 18+ within site guidelines pictures need to be respectable along the age aiming for 19ish plus please but the age of being an adult is generally covered.
Occupation: Stick to ones from the West (General Store Owner is reserved by me)

Ons/Offs:

Skills: Okay everyone had eight years of formal school from ages 7 to 15 so can read/write, cipher, usually learned science and such and are deemed reasonably educated unless you say otherwise or pick scholarly skills or something. I have no big list but well Occupation is a skill taking two slots but covers all the talents needed to do an Occupation but a Skill is specific Shoot Pistol or Shoot Rifle. I'm going to use dice rolling on a 1d20 and you need to roll at or under the skill number a 15 is the best and a 8 or less the everyone can try it if sensible. Say you don't now how to shoot a gun you can always roll and go for a low roll.
> Major Skills: two or one Occupation at 16
> Intermediate Skills: two or one Occupation at 14
> Novice Skills: four or one Occupation and two at 12 (Occupation at this level means an Apprentice of new to it with enough training to get by wages will be affected)
> Hobby Skills (these are amateur interests and can be Occupations but your not near a professional and these take two slots): four at 10
Note there is no need to always roll a Shopkeeper with a 16 is assumed to be good at that occupation and can earn above normal incomes, a Teacher could command above typical wages her references sound and excellent with likely a college education!

Picture or Description or Both (please size photos to 250 Width, no anime):

Personality (bullet points are fine):

History (bullet points are fine):

Okay you start with what you need for shops you get a modest example of your shop and earn reasonable monthly wages this you can negotiate for based on an Occupation skill as a rule I figure that in a Cowboy with a 16 will earn over the normal $50/month to likely $60/month but you could negotiate for more with a good argument. A Schoolteacher if a man on average earns $32/month so could get a bit more for a college degree and might get a generous $36 but could talk the town into some more or they might just hire a woman teacher with less skill for $28 and tell you to go.

I'll be playing Mary McCabe of McCabe's General Mercantile a widow who comes from a merchant family going back a long way and who was married to a railroad sapper who had a life insurance policy and they saved their money upon his death she headed West ahead of the RR to open a store her peddler's wagon sold to her assistant.

Note the town will be the fictional mountainous town of Mulligan's Bluff founded by the late Thomas Mulligan whose played out gold claim funded the first migration but it was robust and now its more of a sleepy town of centered around lumbering, milling, furs, homesteading small farms and a likely RR location. The river is the main mode of traffic out and used by lumber mills and others to reach flat land and such. However with recent Indian trouble with renegades and the discovery of gold claims hitting gold and panning being viable the new gold rush is on its modest the sources aren't suited to large mining and the existing business opposes the kind of mining that would hurt them ... but gold equals miners and likely trouble and its ripe for proper folks to make good money (and okay saloon owners and whores). The city council has zoned in two modest tracts for saloons, whorehouses and non-white owned businesses on a large useless tract no one else wants.

Right now assume if you work for a white business ,sorry but period wise its the way it was, you can be in the good parts of town but not live there if attached to a responsible white person and you can work for yourself behind the red light district with businesses and homes catering to non-whites largely but an opium den or laundry could draw in general interest.

The RR land is for the RR and will be a hub water, coal, a station, warehouses and an engineering building so good RR jobs are there and they are paying top dollar for workers and future plans will have good jobs in town. So the town is happy its not all gold mining but other trade and the roads being made by the territory will likely be a good thing.

You can play two characters for now I want all kinds the good and the seedy are all needed. Good roles Sheriff and Deputies, Territorial Marshal (an office would easily be here for one), Homesteaders, Saloon Owner, Madam, Barber, Preacher, Muleskinner (for mule train moving of goods essential here), Dressmaker, Railroad (Mechanic, Warehouse Foreman, Agent (handles tickets and the entire operation)), Opium Den Owner and well others. Indians can be played the local reservation does trade in town and largely are considered good folks for Indians.

Criminals will be NPC's however I want people talking and dealing with each other its hard if you have to go hide most of the time as will US Army officers and soldiers from Fort Venture and any family they have. But former soldiers and widows can move to town so might be some mustered out folks running businesses. Sorry but I want people you need to worry about and well kiss up to if the fort left so would most of the protection from the aforementioned bad elements.

I have four established places the general mercantile, school house with a public library (well decent for a rural town), the church and of course a postal and telegraph office. Near town is the docks for boats and loggers to run logs on a schedule and mining in Gold Gulch both have good roads to them and the fort and are part of the town marginally.

Give me ideas for your character in the character and town development thread when posted to work things out right now I want to know your interested, what you want to play and start there.

[Captain Whitebread]

As indicated, I will be playing an independent silver miner and the town drunk I mean town doctor

[WaitingCynicism]

I might make a blacksmith or a stable hand

[Captain Whitebread]

Would the general store deal with the independent miners to buy their silver or would there be an assay office to do that.

FYI the miner (known as ‘Big, Bad John’) is going to have a quiet crush on the general store keeper.  Rumour is that he killed a man with his fists but he’s a quiet shy man who doesn’t talk much so nobody is sure how the rumour got started.

Doctor is a real Boston trained doctor and ex-cavalry officer who lost a leg below the knee to a cannon ball. Whiskey is the only thing that helps with the phantom pain.

Just posting the concepts here to keep my hand in.

[RubySlippers]

General store would of course first to buy goods and pay off tick "that's credit debt" owed but also to buy it to send East and would likely have Assay approvals from the territory. The merchant is largely very honest  in her dealings. The silver veins are of good quality around 90% pure silver or a bit better so is profitable this will go down in later periods but for now the incomes are sound not as good as for gold but still one could bring in two thousand a year working decently at mining. I'll have mining plots if there are miners..

The mercantile is nice though has something for most needs at fair prices she could gouge miners but doesn't however some goods are more expensive due to distances and costs to get the goods canned food is a little pricey but she is proud to offer goods for most needs. Narcotics like Opium you must get the doctor to give them out she won't. Her stock of various medications will be good couch syrup, pills for pain not too serious, ointment for rashes and the like will be good.

Blacksmiths and workers are good I can NPC some roles like the Sheriff but there will be an election for that office and well a mayor might also be in the cards right now the Town Council is good though it will have the minister, one miner, one homesteader, on lumber owner and one from the town proper. They handle ordinances, town planning and dealing with the military and others. A mayor was brought up but many like the arrangement now if it works and everyone that matters has a say and thinks they are getting screwed over sometimes it must be good is the theory.

Oh as for skills mostly there is no need to roll if you have Shoot Rifle at 14 and your shooting at people who have a 10 your going to win the fight assuming you role-play it nicely like are smart enough to take cover, flank and be smart and everything else being equal.

I'm mulling over the damage system I'm thinking of giving people 10 Health and more for have occupations or skills in physical things for every two points over ten in a relevant skill you would get one more health (shooting a rifle, running, swimming). Occupations such as Miner or Soldier or Blacksmith would add one per point but only the highest rating would count and it would not allow skills that Occupation covers or general physical ones.

Example the doctor might have Confederate Army Officer 16 it would provide a Health of 16 but he couldn't get anything for say Swimming. My General Store Owner might have Shoot Rifle at 12 and Swimming 12 she could get Health 14. NPC's would get 5 Health and children 1 to 4 health noting these would be in the background and no PC can be a minor but families are in town and such so expect some school functions and young ones around in the background. This is an adult site game it must stay that way but if your character has a family its silly not to role-play some being a parent. I will abide by the site rules on this if this is off limits as plot devices let me know.

Damage will depend on the weapon and such a Remington Rifle I'm thinking as a Long Barrel Rifle might do 1d6 damage as the normal median plus one per two points over ten in the related skill. A shotgun could be a 1d8 to 1d12 depending on the ammo some can do a lot of damage in close. Punching 1d2. Kicking 1d3. A knife 1d3  to 1d6 (bowie knife). An arrow 1d6 well they did hurt and were good weapons to for the Indian players. etc.

[Captain Whitebread]

Would shotgun (sawed off or otherwise) go under rifle or its own Skill?

[Foxy DeVille]

Hmmm... might be up for this. Thinking maybe a Chinese whore who plays dumb but is actually quite cunning and always looking to score.

[Dark Rez]

I'm interested! But I've never done a group, so I may need help.

[Captain Whitebread]

I'm interested! But I've never done a group, so I may need help.

Easiest way to do group RP is to follow the posting order.

Me
You
Them
Me
You
Them

Beyond that, it's pretty much a case of respecting other people's characters and remembering that your character will not always be the focus of the scene.

[WaitingCynicism]

How open could a character be with regards to sexual orientation?

[Captain Whitebread]

Well, the native Americans accepted Two Spirit sexuality but the whites, especially religious ones have never been all that accepting.

The alternate sexualities obviously existed and PCs are likely to be more accepting but you'll likely face opposition from NPCs if you are 'out' as something other than heterosexual.

[RubySlippers]

Gay characters good news the West and frontier is where one tended to go to be left alone if one is discrete about it enough of curse the Indians have open options for this but as a rule if two men are close friends or two women close friends there could be rumors but no one is going to pry much.

[Dark Rez]

Gay characters good news the West and frontier is where one tended to go to be left alone if one is discrete about it enough of curse the Indians have open options for this but as a rule if two men are close friends or two women close friends there could be rumors but no one is going to pry much.

Hello, I'm new to groups and for some reason I can't send a message to you. Is there anything I need to know or do in order to join?

[WaitingCynicism]

Right, he'd be white but his partner is a native American

[Captain Whitebread]

Why did the Lone Ranger spring immediately to mind?

[WaitingCynicism]

he's not

[Captain Whitebread]

Didn't say he was.  I just said he came immediately to mind.

[Captain Whitebread]

Due to the number of RPs I currently am involved in, I am forced to withdraw from this one. 

It sounded like it was going to be fun.....

[nailcrosser]

I’m interested, I’m mulling over an opportunist vagrant type character. He’ll mine silver, herd cattle, break horses, even kill a man if he were desperate enough.

[Hobbes1266]

Assuming this is still alive, I'd be interested in joining with my character being a confederate officers daughter