Great White Games/Pinnacle Entertainment Group

Cutter XXIII · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:09 pm Post subject: Foundin' Fathers

An informal poll, inspired by some recent posts...

If you'd be so kind, please click the option that best describes your feelings about a specialized, add-on ruleset for Deadlands, which would provide options for running a business and raising up a town.

Comments are also welcome! Thanks, amigos. Smile

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Wibbs · Seasoned Joined: 02 Jan 2011 Posts: 431 Location: London

Although I've voted, I think there would be room for both of the first two and I certainly don't think they are mutually exclusive.

Cutter XXIII · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:29 pm Post subject:

TheLoremaster · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 12:45 pm Post subject:

I think a meld of option 1 and 2 would be great. 50 Fathoms would be a good model here; something that makes it easy to update and maintain for both players and GM, but not overly detailed to where it takes over the game. I could easily see it be used for something like a "Deadwood" campaign, where the players are trying to operate out on the wilderness and handle all the Weirdness that the Weird West can throw at them.
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newForumNewName · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 1:55 pm Post subject:

I don't normally run this type of game, but both of the first two options are good. Perhaps a full book with additional excerpts for how to do things the FFF way for when entire groups aren't interested, but a few would like to do it.
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FickleGM · Novice Joined: 09 Sep 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Beverly, MA

Ideally, I'd like to see a FFF version of option 1, with option 2 being one chapter.

Cutter XXIII · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 5:34 pm Post subject:

Didn't mean to imply that option 1 wouldn't be fast and furious... I think I must have succumbed to some internal bias. And I like option 1! Smile

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FickleGM · Novice Joined: 09 Sep 2010 Posts: 48 Location: Beverly, MA

Cutter XXIII · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 7:20 pm Post subject:

Thunderforge · Veteran Joined: 24 Sep 2009 Posts: 930

I like option 2 the best, especially if it would allow for the players to set up a prospecting rig for gold or ghost rock. You know, something like Treasure of the Sierra Madre where you go look for a spot to mine, but you have to deal with other people who want your claim too as well as banditos. Not to mention your untrustworthy party members who are starting to breathe a bit too much of the ghost rock dust.

I think this would definitely be in the spirit of Deadlands and hope that you consider the possibility of allowing that.
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newForumNewName · Posted: Tue Feb 14, 2012 9:42 pm Post subject:

VonDan · Legendary Joined: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 3306

Savage worlds could use a system for running a business so if a party member or regular npc is running a shop that can be tracked and then use that to also track none party related businesses

As to making a town. For those that need it a set of tables for town size by population and government type. Then related tables for the number and type of businesses for a town of each size. Then a listing of what each type of shop is, what they do and the common products or services they offer and what they charge.

I don't see how all that could go over 10 or 20 pages unless the businesses glossery is really huge

you could fluff it out to a full book with pre made towns with maps and npc list and details of the shops like i would have done with Seseme Wyoming before i dropped my hd
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doomblade403x · Novice Joined: 14 Feb 2012 Posts: 62

I actually gamed with a guy who wanted to build an entire town. Now as wonderful as this idea might sound, your setting yourself up to never leave home. Your going to be running pretty much every aspect of the place, and owning businesses you have no idea how to run. His theory was that owning everything and hiring people to do everything would give him more control over the area.

Wasn't really feelin his concept...

The smart money is owning the property, selling it to a small business owner, then taxing them yearly for doing business in town. From the aspect of one business it's not likely to be a big money deal. However you have say ten businesses in town with good revenue, your money train will keep on rollin. The best part is you wont even have to be there to earn it. Your city government will do all the collections and upkeep while your input will be miniscule.

Honestly if it's like the other post with a pair of characters just wanting to buy a saloon, why not buy one in an already established town? Building a saloon in the middle of nowhere is gonna be like putting Megan Fox in the Gobi desert. She might be one of the hottest women in the world...but out there who's gonna see her?

just my 2 cents.

VonDan · Legendary Joined: 08 Jul 2008 Posts: 3306

In a game with another system. I was an atypical ranger who did not cavort with the animals, I hunted them and ate there flesh and hung there heads on my wall. With the profits from the sale of rare animal parts I bought a tavern and gave it a hunting theme and decorated it with the stuffed parts of magical beast and served rare meat. I did not do much in game terms as I had a NPC staff but it gave the group a home base and a source of info from the wild as other hunters came there to drink
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Demonicuss Krinn · Seasoned Joined: 12 Apr 2004 Posts: 163

I was in a PbP game of DL:Classic last year where we were the settlers/residents of the small township of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. For how it was ran, I liked it. Players were intended to know the others, and during chargen, we were encouraged to make "teams" of characters. For instance, some players made our religious community of a pastor, a nun, and a church handyman. Others were the lawdogs (a local girl turned sheriff and her deputy (and secret Agent man). I was the mechanic (and Metal Mage-flavored Huckster) partner of another guy who bought a ornithopter; our first adventure was us and the pastor working together to find and help a wounded miner.

One of the better strengths of PbP is "splitting the party", while we had our miner adventure, the lawdogs did stuff, the other players did stuff, and afterwards we could think up new ways for our characters to interact (Big time foreign diplomat coming to town? Have me and our transplanted actor/tour fly by Yellowstone to think up a decent tour path (and find some interesting things/get attacked by the forest)

So, in case you haven't guessed, I'm leaning towards Option One. Give us the tools to make our own towns, and let us loose to have fun.

Yondalor · Seasoned Joined: 16 Aug 2010 Posts: 132

Running a business seems to come up more often in Deadlands than town-building. Still, it would be interesting to have rules for it and run a campaign based around the concept. A bit like Deadwood, with the players taking the roles of community leaders.

I think that would be perfect for Hell on Earth. The need to rebuild is a strong setting element, no? Very Happy

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wanderingmystic · Seasoned Joined: 14 Jul 2009 Posts: 234

Well since I run a city base campaign with one player who owns a saloon/gambling hall and another who is the mayor (with the sheriff as an NPC) I would love any help in this reguard

Seeker of Truth · Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 1:25 pm Post subject:

As several others have already said, I think that a blend of options 1 and 2 is the best plan. Some kind of simple random settlement generator for GM inspiration and the like, and a set of rules for something a little crunchier when the heroes want to be involved in running a business of some kind in town. The best part is that the rules for running a business could almost definitely be written in a fairly general tone. That way it could be used (with some small modding perhaps) to run a more mobile business.

I have toyed with the idea of a town-based game like this for Deadlands, so both would be really useful.

ogbendog · Heroic Joined: 29 Jul 2004 Posts: 1954

I figure for quick and dirty, call each time period a Dramatic Task

doomblade403x · Novice Joined: 14 Feb 2012 Posts: 62

I don't supose it's a bad idea to run a town based campaign where everyone is more or less official, but it does have a few minor problems.

1. Your not going to be able to move very far from the town itself. In other words if your bank gets robbed by outlaws and they cross over into another county, your jurisdiction stops. Aside from that counties are usually fairly large. Crossing a county on horseback might take days depending on the size of the county itself.

2. I spose someone could run day to day business in most any shop or setting, however you would need to have some instances in place in case the scenario came up. For instance if the sheriff is off chasing a bandit, who is watching your town? Do you have a deputy or militia?

3. The real problem is that it kinda takes the adventure out of adventuring. It's hard to chase indians, bandits, or hunt wendigos in oklahoma when your business and everyone who counts on you is in Texas.

On a side note saloons are all well and good. Booze is always flowin and the girls are always showin, but how much money, after payroll does a saloon really make? I'd wager not much.

On the other hand you have cattle and horses. Both necessities in the old west, and top dollar commodities. The best part is all you have to do is feed em, watch em multiply, then sell the excess for pure profit. Horses would be a great money maker....