Elements of a Western
Abrigon Gusiq
into a fantasy world medieval or like?
Or maybe A Fantasy Western?
Mike
Westerns Elements
Game idea for module:
(edited 04/21/06, 04/02/2009)
(Thank you Steve, Mars, David and others for ideas and corrections)
ELEMENTS OF A WESTERN:
INDEX:
1. Characters
2. Character Generic
3. Places
4. Groups
5. Plot Ideas
6. Other Elements
7. Disputes
CHARACTERS:
Sheriff/Marshal
Cattle Police
Rustlers � Cattle main ones but need not be.
Priest/Preacher
Cowboys
Bandits
Little Boy/Girl
Soldiers/Federals
Mexican Army
Federal Agent
Indian Agent
Scout - white or Indian, or maybe even black.
Indians (helpful of they are known aggressive types, but not always, depends
on the plot). Never know they might be the victims.
Bartender
Bar Maid
Whores/Entertainers/Madame
Drunk(s)
Preacher
Lord/Don/Owner of the local ranch
Undertaker
Hangman
School Teacher
Snake Oil Salesman (or some other travelers/sales person)
Conmen (see snake oil, but not always the same)
Carpet Bagger (more for southern style)
Bankers (can be a character or just a plot device, or? )
Prospectors/Miners
Blacksmith
Gambler
Gunslinger
Peasants/Peon
Slaves - Former or even depending on time and place, current. Slaves are not
always black, some Asian and Irish slaves/in-dentured servants, as well as
some Indians (From India) was used in late western times.
Chinese/Blacks/Irish slaves or semi-slaves (Indebtured). Many southerners
used black slaves from their plantations/stock to mine Californian gold from
their lands there.
Confederates (former/bandits or refugees?)
Engineers (Train normally, but possible others, like the oil or water or
projects type)
Doctor/Dentist/Snake Oil Salesmen � Quack or for real
Adventurer/Big Game Hunter
Judge
Post Master
Gunsmith
Carpetbagger (southern style or ?)
Foreign dignitery (not often)
President or member of current or past administration)
Member of Congress, but not often
Secret Agent (See James West for some ideas, but not always)
MORE CHARACTERS:
Post Master/Clerk
Stagecoach Driver/Guard/Clerk
Sheriff/Prison Guard/Deputy/Marshal
Bounty Hunter
Madame/Whore/Bartender/Kid
Bank Manager/Clerk/Guard
General Store Owner/Manager/Clerk/Worker
Miner/Prespector/Assayer
Cattlemen Police/Sheriff
Newspaper Owner/Press person
Mortician/Grave Digger
Executioner/Hangman
Priest/Pastor
Mine Owner/Manager
Doctor/Nurse (more like helper or wife?)
Doctor might also do Vet work?
Blacksmith/Copper Smith, Gunsmith.
Bandits
- Mexican
- Former Union/Confederate/French/Mexican Army.
- Guards/Soldiers
- Former or current Militia
CHARACTERS - GENERIC
Hero
Villain � Often a big land owner or trying to be.
Main Secondary Villain, often the head of the local ranch or like, the face
of the Villain.
Side Kick -
Victim(s)
Snitch
Love Interest (Even if not romantically involved)
Horse
Dog or other animal non-riding
Madame
Deputies/ Posse
Vigilantes
Bounty Hunters
Buffalo hunters
Barber/ bathhouse
Telegraph operator
Piano Player
Farmer
Cattle rancher
Sheep Herder/Ranch
Cavalrymen
Madame
School Teacher
Pony Express
Wells Fargo Stage
Railroad
Spanish Mission monks and maybe nuns
Suttler (general store)
Mule Skinner
Chinese railroad workers
Chinese Doctor/Pharmacy/Apothecary.
Early Union Organizer
Cooper
Wainwright (making wagons and like)
Assayer
(got to remember what some of the professions were doing)
PLACES:
Hotel/Bar
Whore House
Ranch - Sheep/Cattle
Farm
Bank
Jail
Train Stop/Station
Store (General)
Houses
Court House
Feed Store/Livery Stable/Blacksmith/Corral
Hacienda/Ranch (And buildings for it)
Church
Gallows
Undertakers Office
Doctors Office
Post Office
Fort
Apothecary
Opium Den (sometimes the same as the Apothecary, some time separate) Often
run by a Chinese doctor.
Corral
Brothel
Assayers office
Land claims office
Wainwrights or Cooper place/shop (one does wagons the other does wheels or
is it pots/pans and like?)
GROUPS:
Cattlemen
Sheep Herders
Farmer
Former Slaves - Settlers
Settlers
Mormons or other like religious groups
Wives Club
Grange/Farmers Groups
Crime Group
Hattfield/McCoy/etc: Any group that might have a natural grudge against the
other, often due to a land or like issues that went to far.
Racial/Religious/Romance and more (Romeo and Juliet).
Deputies
Soldiers
Tribes
Cattlemen
Sheep Herders
Farmers
Miners
- Chinese: Chinese or other Asian group (most often seen in the western US).
Chinese and like can add Eastern elements, such as the early Tong/Triads and
more. But also how they was treated..
- Mexicans (Spanish and Non-Spanish).
- Revolutionaries (Ponco and Friends and more). Much of the troubles of the
1840s to 1920 was over Northern Mexican issues, and land acquisition from
Mexico).
- Groups, ex-Confeds, like Klan or like type people, or you mean like the
James/Younger/Dalton gangs, who had Mosby or Quamtrille backgrounds.. True,
need not be ex-confederates, can be real ones, such as they mission in like
1863 to go to California. But they did not get there to cut off the gold
mines.. Or as said before they got lost or just trying to escape from
justice.
- Mormons or other religious group, most often Christian in nature.
- Like Black settlers, off to find a land where slavery is not around, or
something like that.
- Monastery or like things?
PLOT IDEAS:
Gun slinger
Cattlemen vs Sheep Herders
Sheep Herders vs Farmers
Farmers vs Cattlemen
Farmers vs Sheep Herders or Cattlemen
Miners vs someone? Claim jumpers or ?
Murder or self defense
Locked up wrongy
Defense, sheriff arrests someone and he can not do much until judge or
marshal is in town or army is.
Runaway slave
Burning down the local Chinese doctors house (why many Chinese doctors
houses/work place was strong and nearly bullet proof).
Conflict: Well, Hatfields and McCoy, can also means two groups that do not
like each other, to include farmers vs cattle headers, or sheep herders vs
cattle and so on.
Looking for more ideas and such, some westerns are more 1900s, but could be
westerns, sort of.
PLOT LINES:
- Abused wife on the run
- Cowardly Sheriff
- Escaped Slave
- Freed Slaves (group or)
- Mexican
- Laborers
- Escaped Indians
- Peons
- Soldiers
- Damsel in Distress
- Kidnapping
- Rustled Cattle
- Sheep Herders
- Water Rights
Westerns can include South America?
- Wandering Monk(s)
- Pilgrims
How far back is a Western?
Spanish conquest?
Pre-Spanish (some basic background from pre-columbian.
CLASSIC PLOT LINES:
Corrupt Judge or like? Such as federal agent, Indian agent, sheriff and
more.
Hum, maybe a list of known clash types as well as scenarios for classic
westerns?
Cattle/Sheep Rustlers
Herders vs the Animals (not common, but more than people think)
Sheriff vs someone, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not, like a corrupt
sheriff in the pocket of the cattlemen, and the son of the local sheep
herder who is in love with the chief cattlemen daughter or something else,
but he faces hanging cause of a murder or self defense or ..
Like the classic Sheriff besieges in his jail until the Army gets there?
Railroad vs ... Cattlemen or .. Sheep or Indians or ....
Will review and make changes..
How many movies that was not a western, but might as well been one?
Star Wars for instance?
Movies that come to mind for ideas?
Mike
OTHER ELEMENTS:
Foreign elements such as:
Mexico/Spanish
- Poncho Vila
- Emperor Maximillian
- Texas/Chiuahua Rebellion
French
Canadian
- What is now NW US was once US/British Territory (Oregon/Washington/Idaho
and ..)
As well as foreign trade. California was a nation for a short time.. Also
Russia claimed what is now Alaska, British Columbia,
Washington/Oregon/California coast to San Fransisco and Hawaii..
From Steve
DISPUTES:
There was always disputes between farmers and ranchers. Often Ranchers
would buy up huge tracts of land and then fence it off, usually tying up
water supplies ans roads that farmers disparately needed. Sometimes it was
vice-versa where farmers would fence off alot of small properties and not
allow ranchers to let their cattle/sheep/whichever to graze.
Grange/Farmers Groups
Commonly, farmers were in struggle with buyers. These companies, back when
there were no regulations, would try to low ball them every time and would
go so far as to use hired guns or sabotage to get their way. Farmers would
try to fight back with their Co-op groups (kinda like a farmer's union) but
these were often busted up with hired guns. Alternately, buyer companies
would try to pose as legit commodities brokers and start co-ops with
farmers - and then screw them afterwards (very low).
Railroad vs anyone with land that they wanted.
Crime Group:
Usually ex-confederates who didn't get over losing the war, or just didn't
adjust to life after the civil war. Confederacy did move out to the western
US, but failed.
Hattfield/McCoy/etc
I personally wouldn't focus on something like that. Thats more of a southern
thing - although if you want to combine it with one of the above themes, it
might make interesting twist.
Soldiers/Tribes
Enraged natives who are hell bent on protecting their way of life because
the white man keeps renegging on their treaties - and the soldiers who are
caught up in the mess. Many times, ranchers and prospectors would encroach
on native lands despite ironclad treaties, these groups would form
lobby-groups in Washington who in turn would make laws which allowed these
groups to ignore the treaties. Also, the effort to put telegraph lines and
railways tracks across the country. Almost always they didn't ask first.
How would you like it if it built a swimming pool half on your backyard -
and then built a fence around it so you couldn't use it?
These are merely some ideas off the top of my head. I watched many a
western as a young lad...so often these plot ideas can be political back
drops to a scenario. Of course you could still mix in the typically bank
robbers, glory seekers, street duels (gunfights), barroom brawls, etc etc.
Until civilization moved in in the 1880's-90s, the west was fairly lawless -
except in big cities or large towns (Dodge City for instance). But out in
the boonies, it was pretty pure anarchy.
Steve
From David I Think:
The 7 Standard Western Plots
1 Shane - retired gunslinger defends the little guy
2 The Magnificent 7 - Team is hired to defend entire town.
3. Silverado - team must get rid of evil sherrif and his cronies.
4. Save the widder's farm from Simon LaGrie who is forclosing on the
mortgage
5. Zorro (late period swashbuckling adventures)
6 Defense of the Settler from Indians or Bandits, or on the trail from
starvation or like
7 Train robbers or like
Check out the cowboy channel on cable or satellite. Just look at the
schedule menu, the plots are summarised.
Claim jumpers on gold prospectors, Jail breaks or preventing jail breaks,
Bankrobbers,
From David (world create?)
Leader / Planner / Lawmaker
Diplomat / Translator
Counsellor / Peacemaker / Priest / Philosopher
Archeologist / Scientist / Scholar / Designer
Berserker / Loner / Wild Card
Sidekick / Comic Relief
Con Man / Charismatic
LAW ENFORCMENT:
Sheriff/Marshal
Cattle Police
Deputy
LEGAL:
BUSINESS:
ENEMIES: (depends on point of view):
(From Adds)
MOVIES/TV SHOWS/BOOKS:
1. Magnificient Seven
2. Gun Smoke
3. Jerimiah Johnson
4. Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)
5. C'era una volta il West (1968)
6. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
7. The Wind (1928)
8. High Noon (1952)
9. Per qualche dollaro in pi� (1965)
10. No Country for Old Men (2007)
11. Unforgiven (1992)
12. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)
13. The Gold Rush (1925)
WESTERN FILM LINKS:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_(genre)
http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Genres/Western/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Western_films Western Films List
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Poetry-L/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Adulthumor-L/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Abrigon-World/
http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/StargruntsOOC/