Beneath an Indifferent Sky (BIS), my first Call of Cthulhu game set in the Old West, is done. It’s been a very fun experience writing this game, but not a particularly easy one. In fact, as late as Christmas, I was ready to scrap the game and just run one of my old scenarios this year. I’m not sure what exactly allowed me to break through, but it all came together very nicely, and I am excited about running it!
Obviously, Down Darker Trails was a big inspiration. I’ve always loved the idea of the Weird West, and enjoyed playing Deadlands–in fact, my first published game, Legion Publishing’s Beast of Fire, was for that setting. DDT is a great book, and has a lot of source material. I am also a big fan of Western movies, it being one of my favorite genres. Finally, I love the American West itself. I have visited many times, and yearn to go back.
Layer my love of history on top of that, and I have a lot of different influences muddying my brain as I try to come up with a scenario that will run neatly in 4 hours. BIS has a lot in it. The entire second act is a sandbox where the players can go in a lot of different directions. This is what I’m looking forward to the most. It’s going to be a lot of fun reacting to what they do, and weaving things together as the game moves on to the conclusion.
The game involves a group of settlers from the East, the Godfrey family: Esau, his wife Hannah, and their daughter Loretta. The Godfreys are journeying west to the settlement of Redemption in the eastern foothills of the Bighorn Mountains, to join Esau’s brother Silas and make a new beginning in their lives. The family is joined by associates of Esau, friends from his time in the Union Army, who are charged with escorting them through the untamed country.
The game is set in 1871, an interesting time in Wyoming. Following their shared victory in Red Cloud’s war, the Cheyenne controlled the land where I’m setting the game. This make sense narratively, since Silas Godfrey is a bitter expatriate who renounced his citizenship in reaction to the excesses witnessed during Reconstruction. The Cheyenne play a big part in the scenario, and I really enjoyed doing research on them.
Of course there are Mythos elements, but I am going to be silent on that part. I have a playtest lined up for the Tuesday crew later this month. Based on that, I’ll do some polishing, and then be ready for Gary Con.