Campaign Notes

The civilized world ends just west of the Mississippi. After that, you head into the Disputed Lands, the Sioux Nations, or the Coyote Confederation. Tread cautiously, and keep a six-shooter handy in case local disputes reach the monthly bloodletting stage while you’re passing through.
Scared yet? Perhaps by the end of this guide.
We don’t need any more victims out here. But if your heart’s still set on making the journey, you can get here by hoof or by rail.
Hoofing It Whether you ride in your own saddle alongside your compadres or in a spiffy new Concord stagecoach, hoofing it across the West is basically a bad idea. The ride is long and uncomfortable, and you’re very likely to be chased by angry Indians, road agents, or critters you don’t believe in even when your bones are coming out their kiesters.
For long distances, stagecoaches are faster than riding alone. The drivers stick to wellknown routes (often likely places for ambush, by the way), and they change horses about every 15 miles to keep up a steady pace. In fact, most reputable lines average about 100 miles a day.
Stagecoaches are more comfortable than riding your own animal. The coaches hang by leather straps to take away some of the bounce. Concords, by far the most popular model, fit nine in the passenger compartment and as many as can hold on up top. Six horses are typical, but stages used for shorter routes might only use four.
By Rail Taking a locomotive west is, in my opinion, the only sane choice a traveler can make, and even this is fraught with dangers.
Bandits are common along the train routes.
Most are two-bit thugs who are easily handled by the train’s guards. A few are a little more devious. The Wichita Witches, for example, have even been known to dynamite trestles, sending entire trainloads of honest folks to their dooms just for a safe full of gold.
All the big companies keep armed guards on board these days to deal with trouble. Trains carrying payroll or gold shipments usually have a contingent of soldiers, Pinkertons, or hired gunmen. Passenger trains are more likely to have “troubleshooters” dressed in ordinary clothes on board.
But bandits aren’t your greatest threat when you ride the rails west. That dubious distinction belongs to the companies themselves.
Regardless of which rail company you choose to carry you west, remember you’re going to be riding right into the middle of the Great Rail Wars.
You need to be able to budget how far you can get in a day to properly plan a trip. Here are some rough figures for you.
Travel Times Average Method Miles/Day Horse 40 Stage 70 Rail 250 The above numbers are based on traveling about eight hours a day. A stage makes better time than a horse, by the way, because its animals are changed every 15 miles. If a lone rider somehow has the luxury of changing horses often (like a Pony Express rider), he can average about 80 miles a day.
Money Coin Value Gold Eagle $10 Half Eagle $5 Quarter Eagle $2.50 Silver Dollar $1 Half Dollar 50¢ Dime 10¢ Half Dime 5¢ Copper Cent 1¢ Other Currency There are a couple other types of “money” floating around the Weird Western economy.
Most Indian tribes prefer barter, but some accept coins or paper at about a quarter its printed value. Indians of the Coyote Confederation honor Confederate scrip at half its value.
Telegraph The telegraph is an amazing invention. As a reporter for the Epitaph, I could hardly survive without it. Who’d have ever guessed the miracles of modern technology would allow a man to write an article in Denver and have a decent chance of it reaching Tombstone the same day? The only trouble, of course, is actually receiving the darn things. Telegraph offices in both the North and South are forbidden by law to transmit messages over the border. You can still get it done by wiring someone in the Disputed Lands, but these “black market” telegraphers charge triple the normal cost.
When you do send a telegram, ask for a confirmation from the other end. Messages are frequently garbled, misinterpreted, or just plain wrong—often with disastrous consequences. I have my own pet theory as to why—gremlins— but I promised my editor not to scare off all you greenhorns in this particular guide.
The US Mail Neither rain, nor sleet, nor gloom of night keep the mailmen from their appointed rounds.
It’s usually the highwaymen, or more specifically, their bullets that keep the mail from going through. Mail robbery is on the rise.
You may only send a letter to Aunt Minnie, but the bandits who sort through the mail bag don’t tend to return the mail once they’ve pulled out any currency.
The Pony Express Much more reliable than the US Mail is the Pony Express. Its riders—all orphans or single men and women—are paid better and seem more suited to fighting off highwaymen.
It’s more expensive, of course, but valuable documents and bank notes should not be sent any other way.

The Law
Hopefully most of you readers out there should have little reason to come into day-today contact with the lawmen out West. We like to think of our readership as fine, law-abiding folks.
There are three tiers of the law in the West.
Know them and respect these brave men and women. They’re the only thing that keeps the lawless frontier from becoming even worse.
Town Marshal At the lowest level is a “town marshal.” Most large towns have such a person, as do a few smaller ones with delusions of grandeur or lots of local problems. They are usually elected by the people, though many towns allow the mayor or a town council to appoint them as well.
Town marshals and their deputies have jurisdiction within town limits, though most county courts uphold their right to chase fleeing criminals short distances beyond the usual boundaries.
The problem is most local troublemakers know just how little authority a town marshal has outside his jurisdiction. They commit a crime in town and then head for the hills where he has no official reach. Most town marshals ignore this technicality if they are in “hot pursuit,” however.
Sheriff A step above the town marshal is a county sheriff and any deputies he’s appointed. These men and women have authority over everyone who lives within the county.
I would like to tell you that most county officers work in conjunction with the town marshals within their jurisdiction, but the opposite is all too frequently the truth. Lawmen, by their very nature, are a tough and independent breed, so they often butt heads when jurisdictions collide.
Sheriffs are always elected by the people.
Famous gunmen often hold such an office just to justify any killing they might have to do in and around town. Sheriffs must still prove self-defense after a fatal shooting, however, so abusive lawmen are eventually dismissed by the state or territorial government. Assuming there is no graft or corruption involved, which is unfortunately the case in too many counties.
US Marshals & Texas Rangers Now things get a little trickier depending on which side of the border you happen to be on.
In Union states and territories, US Marshals have ultimate authority over the law. They can hire Deputy US Marshals, authorize posses, cross state and territorial lines, and even call on county sheriffs and town marshals if need be.
US Marshals are usually based in the largest cities of the state or territory they happen to be stationed in, although some work out of a few district offices scattered in important areas elsewhere. When they leave their offices, it’s usually because they’ve been called on by a smaller town or they’re on the trail of some vicious desperado.
Though they can call on these resources, most US Marshals work alone. Don’t ask me why; I’m just a journalist. If I was chasing down the most violent desperadoes in the country, I’d surround myself with an army of deputies.
I imagine most US Marshals just aren’t the trusting sort. They need to move quietly in the wilderness and slip into towns without alerting their quarry. Inexperienced deputies with loud feet and loose lips probably cause them more harm than good, and in a US Marshal’s occupation, that kind of harm often adds up to an unmarked grave in Boot Hill.
The Confederacy relies on the military or territorial rangers to do its interstate policing in the West. Regiments scattered throughout Rebel states and territories always have jurisdiction over local town marshals and county sheriffs.
Then there are the South’s elite, the Texas Rangers. These surly fellows fought as regulars in the early years of the war, but they were later detached from the regular military to serve the Confederacy as mounted police officers. They continue to fulfill that function today throughout the South (in the east and west). They also track down any strange creatures reported in their domain and shoot them dead.
Judges and Courts Judges work the same in western states as they do Back East. Every county has its own judge, and the state usually has some sort of “superior” court for appeals or matters of state jurisdiction.
In the territories, the men who interpret—or invent, some would say—the law of the West are the circuit judges. They’re called “circuit” judges because they make a circuit throughout the scattered towns of a territory.
There just aren’t enough judges—or people—to maintain permanent courts. This means you might wait anywhere from 2 to 10 weeks for your “fair and speedy” trial. And if the judge gets bushwhacked while he’s making his rounds, you’ll find yourself waiting until the state appoints a replacement.
Some judges are a little too quick to hang a man. In the West, these men and women are called “hanging judges.” Most have more bark than bite, but there are some who’ll hang you for swearing on a Sunday. I highly advise you to avoid trouble in these areas, regardless of whether or not you started it.
Common Jail Times & Fines Offense Sentence Horse Thieving Hanging Rustling Hanging Murder Hanging Rape Hanging Attempted Murder 20 years or more Bank Robbing 20 years or more Train Robbing 20 years or more Stealing money 20 years or more from a widow Robbing someone 5 years or more of authority Grand Larceny 5 years or more (stealing $300 or more in goods or currency, besides horses or beeves) Stealing less 1 week to 1 year than $300 Drunk in public Overnight, $10 fine Disorderly $10 fine Carrying a weapon Confiscation, $10 in a no-weapons fine zone

Clothes Boots $8 Chaps (Armor -2) $4 Duster $10 Longjohns $2 Shirt/blouse, dress $3 Shirt/blouse, work $1 Silk stockings $1 Shoes $2 Suit/fancy dress $15 Trousers/skirt $2 Winter coat $15 Explosives Blasting cap $1 Dynamite (per stick) $3 Fuse (per foot) 5¢ Nitro (per pint) $2.50 Food & Drink Bacon (per pound) 15¢ Coffee (per pound) 25¢ Restaurant, good Breakfast 50¢ Lunch 25¢ Dinner $1 Restaurant, cheap Any meal 25¢ Trail rations (per day) 50¢ General Equipment Ax $2 Backpack $2 Barbed wire (per yard) 5¢ Bed roll $4 Camera $3 Canteen $1 Cigar 5¢ Detonator, plunger $10 Detonation wire (50’) $2.50 Drill $2 File 25¢ Guitar $8 Hammer 50¢ Handcuffs $3.50 Harmonica 50¢ Hatchet $1 Iron skillet 50¢ Lantern $2.50 Lantern oil (per gallon) 10¢ Matches (box of 100) 50¢ Mess kit $2 Photographic plate $1 Pick $2 Pipe $2 Playing cards 25¢ Rope (50’) $5 Shovel $1.50 Spectacles $5 Tobacco, chewing (tin) 50¢ Tobacco, smoking (pouch) 50¢ Watch, standard $2.50 Watch, gold $10 Gun Accessories Gun belt $2 Holster $3 Quick-draw holster $11 Rifle scabbard $3 Shotgun thong 25¢ Speed-load cylinder $3 Hats Bonnet $2 Derby $1.50 Fedora $3 Sombrero $3.50 Stetson $5 Liquor Beer (glass) 5¢ Cheap stuff Shot 10¢ Bottle $2 Good stuff Shot 25¢ Bottle $5 Transportation Buckboard $75 Buggy/cab $200 Conestoga wagon $200 Horse $150 Mule $50 Riverboat (per mile) 5¢ Saddle $25 Saddle bags $5 Stagecoach (per mile) 10¢ Train ticket (per mile) 5¢ Services Bath $1 Burial $5 Doctor visit Office $3 House Call $5 Photo $10 Room (per day) Boarding house (w/meals) $3 Low-class hotel $2 High-class hotel $10 Shave and a haircut 25¢ Telegram (per word) 5¢ Ammo Number Price Arrow 20 $2 Pistol (.22,-.38) 50 $2 Pistol (.40-.50) 50 $3 Rifle (.38-.52) 50 $4 Rifle (.56+) 50 $5 Powder & Shot 20 $1 Percussion Caps 60 $.50 Shotgun shells 20 $2 Extra Classes Ammo Number Price

Character Prototypes
Bounty Hunters chase down outlaws and turn them in for the reward. This is a dangerous job, so your character needs some decent combat skills like shootin’ and fightin’. A good trackin’ skill is almost mandatory.
Watch out, though. The hunter sometimes becomes the hunted if the prey gets wind someone’s on his trail.
Buffalo Hunters saw a strange development in their trade in the last few years. The Sioux Nations herded most of the larger buffalo herds into their borders. This means buffalo meat and hides—once fairly cheap because they were so common—are now bringing in good prices at the few surviving and very secret skinning camps. The Sioux have warned off buffalo hunters on several occasions, but now they shoot on sight. Buffalo hunters need to be sneaky sorts with few scruples and steady hands for firing their Sharp’s Big Fifty rifles.
Cattle Kings spend most of their time on their ranches raising hundreds of head of steers. Once a year, they have to drive the herd to a market of some sort, usually a railhead or stockyard. If you play a cattle king, your character needs some area knowledge of the land and trail routes. He’ll also need the dinero or belongin’s Edge for his herd, unless he’s recently lost it to rustlers or some kind of critter—natural or supernatural.
Cavalrymen serve both the USA and CSA. They act as scouts, Indian fighters, and occasionally raiders.
Officers need skills such as leadership and overawe, a high Mien to keep their troops in line, and some skill with a saber or pistol. Soldiers need good horse ridin’ skills, a high Vigor to survive long marches, and a decent aim with a rifle or carbine.
Cowpokes spend most of their days out in the open range, tending to steers owned by cattle kings. They need to have good shootin’: rifles and horse ridin’ skills, and knowing how to use a lariat can come in just as handy for roping monsters as it does cattle. Of course, long horns are rarely known to rip a fellow’s head off after they’re roped. A good Vigor also helps a cowpoke tough out those long weeks on drives through the open plains.
Deserters have left their posts for various reasons. Some leave out of cowardice, some because their officers were insane, and others because they’ve seen their fair share of death and misery and just can’t be a party to it any more. Either way, deserters are branded cowards and traitors by the military branch they’ve left behind. In both the Union and Confederate armies, deserters are usually executed. Your character’s skills should fit the branch of service he deserted from, and the sneak and bluff Aptitudes might also serve him well.
Explorers know there is no longer a true frontier, but many areas have yet to be fully explored. (Maybe there’s a reason for that.) They need a good Knowledge Trait and several different area knowledge concentrations as well as a way to defend themselves when they’re hundreds of miles from civilization. The sense o’ direction Edge might also come in handy.
Greenhorns come West to see if all the wild stories they’ve heard Back East are true. As one of these pampered “dudes,” your character wouldn’t dream of touring the West in anything less than the comfort of 1st class. He has to figure out how he’s going to make his way through any trouble. Most do it by fast-talking the “yokels.” Gunslingers are feared killers and revered desperadoes. Some are tinhorn dandies with fancy New York target pistols; others are Texas outlaws looking to escape some past misdeed. A few are noble souls struggling to protect the weak; others work for crooked rail barons, terrorizing towns and ranches that won’t sell them the right-of-way. Regardless, these characters must have a high Quickness, a good Deftness, and be crack shots with a six-shooter.
Hucksters are mysterious souls who have learned the secrets of Hoyle’s Book of Games. Some say that within this cryptic text are hidden messages detailing ancient incantations and rituals of the black arts. Others say they are fakes and frauds, but some say a huckster’s hexes are just as deadly as a gunslinger’s bullets—or worse. If you wish to play one of these Weird West wizards, the first thing you’ll need to buy your hero is the arcane background: huckster Edge, as well as the academia: occult and hexslingin’ Aptitudes.
Ask your Marshal to let you see Chapter six if you’d like to play a huckster.
Indian Braves have won new respect in the West. The long Civil War between the States means neither the USA nor the CSA has been able to gather the manpower to subjugate the new Sioux Nations or the Coyote Confederation. Most braves are fiercely loyal to their tribes and spend their time providing for them or patrolling their borders.
Even so, a few lone braves now wander outside their homelands to learn the ways of the white man.
Others use their knowledge of the spirit world to seek out and defeat the evils awakened by the Reckoning.
Indian braves need high sneak and guts Aptitudes, as well as some way to handle themselves in combat with horrors beyond imagining.
Indian Shamans are often tragic figures. Their communion with strange spirits costs them dearly, isolating them from the rest of their tribe, and sometimes requiring painful ordeals and sacrifices. It is not an easy life.
Yet they know it is their duty to use their knowledge of the true nature of things to protect humanity and the earth itself from the ravages of the Reckoning. Shamans need high Spirit Traits to deal with the nature spirits that grant them favors, as well as the ritual Aptitude and the arcane background: shaman Edge. Tell your Marshal you want to play a shaman and he’ll let you read Chapter 9.
Mad Scientists are inventors and engineers who use ghost rock to create infernal devices of steam and steel.
These often deranged individuals need high Knowledge and Smarts Traits as well as skill in one or more scientific fields and the tinkerin’ and mad science Aptitudes. The arcane background: mad scientist Edge is also a must.
Ask your Marshal if you can read Chapter 7 if you think you might want to play one of these demented tinkerers.
Marshals chase hardened criminals all over the West. Though they have the authority to assemble posses on occasion, they usually have to work alone. Marshals need a decent trackin’ Aptitude as well as good combat skills.
The friends in high places Edge should also help them keep track of fleeing bandits and outlaws.
Muckrakers are journalists who believe in reporting the truth above all else—no matter who it offends. Yellow journalism is their stock and trade.
These fellows are curious beyond belief, and it amazes them that common folk can’t see what’s going on right before their very eyes. The only paper willing to publish their wild stories is the notorious Tombstone Epitaph. The “truth” often needs some embellishment to appeal to the skeptical masses. Muckrakers need the professional: journalism and tale-tellin’ Aptitude to get their messages across.
Many of them have extensive networks of friends in high places as well.
Photographers are rare and often in great demand in the Weird West.
Traditional cameras of the day are too slow to capture action, but they can certainly record the aftermath of a gunfight or an encounter with a strange critter. Of course, most people think the latter pictures are staged phonies, but at least the Tombstone Epitaph usually buys the plates. Photographers can also make a few bucks off famous outlaws looking to get their portrait made as well. It’s steady work, but occasionally dangerous. Your character needs the professional: photography Aptitude to operate her equipment.
Preachers, whether they be pastors, reverends, rabbis, or leaders of any other flock, are often humanity’s most powerful weapons against the Reckoning. They need the arcane background: blessed Edge as well as a good Mien to deliver sermons of Hellfire and brimstone. A high Spirit Trait helps them call upon the power of their religion. Preachers should also be wellversed in the professional: theology Aptitude.
See Chapter Eight should you choose to play one of these pious individuals.
Prospectors know there’s a fortune in gold, silver, and ghost rock out there—if they can just find it. These characters must be willing to endure many hardships to uncover the mother lode that will set them up for life. Then again, perhaps it’s not gold they’re digging for. Some prospectors claim to have heard about even more fantastic treasures out there—somewhere.
Either way, they need the trade: minin’ Aptitude, as well as high Strength and Vigor Traits to help them dig for ghost rock or pan for gold for hours on end. Some form of the shootin’ Aptitude might come in handy as well, to deal with potential claim jumpers Saloon Gals know everyone—though their clients often claim they don’t.
Sometimes these hard-working gals stay in a single saloon. Other times they travel from town to town, leaving when the locals get tired of them. But though saloon girls might seem innocent enough, they can be found in the roughest boomtowns in the West, so most have learned to handle themselves.
As one of these ladies, your character needs a high Mien and persuasion to gather the locals’ secrets.
The purty Edge also helps.
Sheriffs have a tough job in the West. They are often the only thing that stands between a ruthless gang and the common citizens of the towns they’ve sworn to protect. Worse, their authority stops at the county limits, making it easy for outlaws to escape their limited grasp—unless, of course, the sheriff and his deputies are in hot pursuit.
As a sheriff, your character needs a high Mien and overawe Aptitude to make troublemakers back down before gunplay begins. He needs a good shootin’ Aptitude for when all Hell breaks loose anyway.
Snake Oil Salesmen are sometimes called “hucksters,” but there’s a big difference between these fast-talking hawkers and their hexslinging counterparts. These fakes are known for their worthless elixirs of flavored water and extracts from dubious roots and herbs. But perhaps your character is different. He knows there are real “miracle cures” out there. If he can just find one, he can retire a wealthy man.
Your character needs high persuasion and bluff Aptitudes, and “the voice” Edge might also help sell his wares. But make sure your salesman can protect himself somehow, because sometimes the suckers catch on, and they don’t like being snookered.
Teamsters drive wagons, stagecoaches, and other beast-drawn vehicles. They act as couriers, messengers, and freight haulers, carrying valuable loads and passengers through hostile country. They often have to outrun warbands, robbers, and critters most folks don’t believe in. Most teamsters are well skilled in the aptly named teamster Aptitude and with some sort of shooting iron for “riding shotgun.” Imposourosomous.
The basic rank is Private: your ordinary, ground-pounding grunts.
95 privates (plus NCOs and officers) made a Company
(though very rarely does any Company achieve full strength), under command of a Captain.
Ten Companies (designated A-J, usually) make a Regiment, usually under the command of a Lt. Colonel. Regiments on both sides are designated by a number and and their state of origin, for example: 18th Virginia Infantry Regiment.
Three or four Regiments make up a Brigade, usually under the command of a Brigadier General.
Union brigades are designated by number within their Division (1st, 2nd, etc.); Confederate, by their commander’s surname (Garnett’s Brigade, for instance).
Three or four Brigades make up a Division, usually under the command of a Major General.
Union Divisions are designated by number within their Corps (1st, 2nd, etc.); Confederate, by their commander’s surname (Pickett’s Division, for example).
Three or four Divisions make up a Corps , usually under the command of a Lieutenant General. Union Corps are designated by number within their Army (1st, 2nd, etc.); Confederate, by their commander’s surname.
Three or four Corps made up an Army, usually under the command of a full General.
Union Armies are named after major rivers in their area of operation (the Army of the Potomac); Confederates, after the state they were based

Military Ranks
Private
Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs):
Corporal Sergeant
1st Sergeant
Ordnance-Sergeant
Quartermaster-Sergeant
Sergeant Major

Commissioned Officers:
2nd Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant
Captain,
Major Lieutenant
Colonel Colonel
Brigadier
General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General Commander-in-Chief
Confederate and Yankee ranks and organization are virtually identical.