I ran this campaign, in an earlier form, for about five months during the time I gamemastered for a group at a local library. It was fun and we all remember it fondly, and I personally learned a LOT about crafting a western theme game every single session, but I am not going to talk in this blog about those sessions very much nor about those players or their characters. That time was basically an Alpha, not even really a Beta yet. For this blog I am going to create and use a trio of characters as my examples both when talking about the setting/world and about the rules/mechanics/etc. This post is going to describe the three characters and the next one is going to discus the rules for character generation.
So, let's get down to it. My plan for these example characters is to have them all approach things from different angles, each having strengths and weaknesses not shared by the other two, so that I might display my campaign as broadly as possible, and keep things multifaceted. I also am intentionally avoiding archetypes or cliches in these characters, in the hope that doing so will show a unique character makes the game more interesting than a cardboard cutout of tropes. Now then, ladies first!
Annabelle Marie Rivers
Anna, as she prefers to be called, is a Philadelphia raised piano teacher two days shy of her 24th birthday. Anna is new to the western life, having only recently moved to Whitewash City to be with her husband, Jonathan. Jonathan, a physician, moved two years prior to set up a practice, and it's success led to Anna joining him in their home on the second and third floors, above his office on Main Street.
Anna is of an overall quiet and gentle nature, but possesses a waspish tongue that she doesn't hesitate to lash out with when annoyed or displeased. She secretly likes alcohol but would never drink it in public or the presence of her husband. She worries that her skill at teaching piano will never be appreciated in Whitewash City, and is often frustrated at being viewed as a soft "city folk" by various westerners. Although thin and generally seen as pretty, Anna is insecure about her appearance, especially her nose, which she stresses about. She combs her hair endlessly when she is upset.
When Anna was a child, she woke from a restless sleep to discover a burglar in her family's home. The panicked thief stabbed her in the back as she turned to cry for help. While not a serious nor lasting injury, it did leave a scar, which Anna is ashamed of. Although Anna considers herself to be emotionally sound and mentally at terms with the incident, she harbors a very deep-seated phobia of being alone in the dark, which plagues her to this day.
Though city-born, Anna has a passion for nature, and often collects wildflowers to display in her home. She adores cats, especially kittens, and loves petting them, but utterly hates getting cat hair on her cloths. She likes horses but is unable to ride them anyway but sidesaddle. Anna desires children but hasn't brought it up with Jonathan as she believes she needs to be comfortable in her new home first. She is nervous but hopeful about her future, and is openly willing to accept this new land as "home".
Samuel Matters
Samuel is a retired miner trying to find purpose now that he is unable to find employment doing what he has done for so long. At age 52, he is not particularly old, but a life spent in the mines has worn him down both physically and spiritually. He went through military training in his youth, but was on the west coast for the duration of the Civil War, and thus was not an active participant in the coarse of events. For most of his life he has drifted from place to place, digging here and there, for gold or coal or railway tunnels, and his drifting has currently landed him digging ditches in Whitewash City.
A tough man, Samuel's face is a craggy mountain, his naturally blonde hair speckled with grey, his eyes in a permanent squint from the dim lighting of a mineshaft. He's still strong though, grizzled and stoic, with a blunt personality and a mind sharper than he lets on. Like an old mule or a dog with a bone, Samuel is stubborn and persistent, refusing to give up on what he has started even when easier options arise.
Samuel is a devout Christian man, refusing to drink and always saying grace before meals. In contrast to this, he swears constantly and is mildly lecherous. He has three children by two different women, though he has not seen any of the five in 15 years. Now that he is older he regrets not being a better lover or father, but he has honestly no idea where his first two children and their mother reside, and the mother of his third child refuses to talk to him.
Samuel has many odd skills and knowledge accumulated in bits and parts over the years, but is formally uneducated and mostly illiterate. He can handle a gun, is good at fixing things, and is well traveled. He keeps two small gold nuggets in his boots, which he stole from the last mine that fired him, which he is keeping for an emergency. Otherwise he owns very little, aside from a knapsack of cloths and a couple trinkets. At the moment he is feeling restless, and hopes Whitewash City will be a turning point for him.
Louis H. Tomes
Louis prides himself on being a self made man. His father is a Chicago watchmaker and his mother a housewife, but Louis set off at 18 out west to make his fortune. He still hasn't actually made that fortune yet at 29, but he has established himself as a respected horse-breeder and runs a horse ranch a days ride from Whitewash City. A true entrepreneur, Louis is also co-owner of a tack and saddle focused shop in town and is beginning to make an entrance into local politics. He is known for his brisk, cheerful personality, and always keeps his eye on the big picture.
Louis is seen as a bit cutthroat by other local ranchers, many of whom resent an outsider encroaching on their income. He has been in a relationship with the beautiful daughter of an industrialist for three years, and many of the more reserved townsfolk think it's scandalous that he hasn't married her yet. Still, his pleasant, charming demeanor and strong work ethic make him hard to dislike. Interestingly since he has yet to marry her, Louis is constantly irritated by his paramours flirtatious inclinations, and though he trusts that she has been honestly faithful to him thus far, they have had more than one loud midnight argument about the matter.
Louis is constantly busy, always jumping from task to task. One minute he will be breaking in a new horse, the next he's painting the shed a new coat or playing horseshoes with the new hands. Louis is an amateur artist and harmonica player as well, though he has so little free time that he struggles to improve. He is a fan of hunting and dancing, but also likes to gamble and horse race, and he is known to have a ragged temper when provoked.
Sometimes Louis spends long nights awake in his chair, mulling over his life and how he is caught in-between the unbridled enthusiasm of youth and the growing desire to settle down. He is conflicted inside, on whether he should marry his girl, start a family, and focus solely on his horse breeding, or if it's okay to enjoy the life he has now and keep taking chances on new investments until one of them truly rises into a success. Behind the bright-eyed wit and goofy antics are doubts on if he is doing the right thing. But for today, he has money, a woman, respect, and potential, and that's good enough for him.
Well, there they are. In a near future post, after going through the process of creating characters, I will list the full stats for these three characters.
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