The camera pans across the town of Steaming Rock, snow is falling, and not many folks are on the streets. A light shines from The Homestead Inn, and we enter the doors, seeing a tired and worried Winston Pye sitting at a table, poring over bills.

Winston

Winston is in desperate need of money, which means filling rooms at his inn, but having people in rooms means he also needs staff, and most of his staff have left.

The previous owner, William Moyer, seemed to run the Homestead Inn through a series of favours, threats and bribes. Winston has not been inactive and has lined up Diago to help with the cooking and a new hire, Maxwell. Maxwell is an interesting character, always full of exaggerated tales. He was a cattle driver and learned many and varied recipes for beans. His boasts about running businesses and being a dab hand at finances feel far-fetched, but Diago will keep him in check.

The next hire is Delgadito, an Apache who currently works for Danny. They say they can do most things, but won’t touch alcohol. Winston sets them to cleaning and preparing rooms; they seem a hard-working sort, if lacking in any humour.

Finally, there is Pedro. Pedro gets Winston’s spider sense tingling. This is someone with a past, a criminal past, but he’s not one to talk, so he’ll give him a chance, and he becomes Isaac the barman’s right hand.

Next through the door is Ezikiel Finch, who presents himself as the manager of Scouts of the Prairie and wants to book out the inn for his stars for the next month! Dollar signs dance in Winston’s mind. Finch says he can’t pay in advance and won’t pay more than the going rate, but he promises a share of the profits once the troupe puts on their big show, and maybe he can gather together a small deposit. He makes a final strange request; he insists on having room seven, the previous occupant was Mungo Lachlan, shot down by Deputy Cody in the act of cattle rustling, though Cody had been paid to take him out, on account of him stealing information from Clarence King.

Winston looks pretty happy with himself. Over the last few days, he feels he’s got The Homestead Inn back on track.

Diago

Diago waits for the crowds to disperse from the morning sermons at Father Carmody’s church. Eventually, only Carmody and a helper are left inside; the helper is sent scuttling off by a smiling Carmody.

Carmody shakes Diago’s hand warmly, staring deep into his eyes, “Let’s sit a while.” They perch on a pew, and Carmody outlines his proposal. He wants Diago to take over the church in Steaming Rock, whilst Carmody sets up similar churches in Jornada Springs and Carson’s Folly.

Diago is sceptical and pushes Carmody on these plans. Carmody admits the funding of his church and the new ones comes from one Clarence King. King wants peace because with peace, it becomes easier to do business. Carmody acknowledges this is not necessarily God’s way, but needs must.

Diago says that they must look to the needs of the desperate and downtrodden, not just big business. Carmody agrees and says that Diago will take a place on the town council, so that he can have a voice for the little people.

Diago agrees, and they shake on it. Diago grips Carmody’s hand like a vice, but feels the same pressure coming back. They stare into each other’s eyes, eventually letting go. Carmody has a twinkle in his eyes; he enjoyed that.

It is also agreed that Isabella will work with Maggie, Carmody’s wife, on the bookkeeping of Steaming Rock. At a later meeting, Isabella tries to find out more about the finances. Maggie is careful with what she shares, but inside a safe is a red ledger, a ledger that Maggie never refers to.

Diago ponders this turn of events, half-pleased he’s nearer to his Big Dream, but worried that he’s struck a bargain with someone he doesn’t wholly trust, but then, who can Diago trust?

Dutch

Rumours have reached Dutch; it seems a journalist in town is digging into the past of an outlaw known as The Gallows Dutchman, but worse, they seem to have identified Dutch as this outlaw. Now, Dutch WAS an outlaw, but he’s gone straight, helping the town, and being appreciated. Dutch feels this could escalate, so he heads into town to have it out with this snooper.

He tracks down Theodore Pike in the saloon of the Grand Hotel. Pike has photos, wanted posters and various witness statements spread across his table. Dutch leans over him, and the man exclaims, “The Gallows Dutchman hisself!! Sir! Sir! Take a seat!”

Pike gushes and fawns over Dutch, hardly giving him space to talk as he outlines his plans for a series of dime store novels that recount the dark deeds and desperate acts of this famous outlaw. There is $500 in it for Dutch.

Dutch has been looking through the artefacts on the table and, to his horror, sees a photo of himself and Diago, in chains outside a Californian jail. The rest of the items seem to be inconclusive or indicate a different person altogether.

Dutch does his best to convince Pike that he’s no outlaw, and after a long conversation, Pike hangs his head, saying that there is nothing more for him in Steaming Rock, and he’ll leave in the morning.

Dutch needs that money, but he needs that photo more as it could lead to him losing all he dreams of, but he can’t do anything now; he’ll approach Diago and the others.

Cody

Cody feels like a weight has been lifted; now his debt has been settled. He still considers what Clarence King could need from him, but that is for another day.

Cody heads to the Sheriff’s office, his boss has been somewhat out of sorts, and it seems prudent to figure out what is occurring. Whilst he walks, he looks at the invite that was pushed under his door at The Homestead Inn, “…a business opportunity, not to be missed… the VIP tent on the edge of town.” Cody has seen the tents going up, just across from the Inn; it’s getting busier day by day, and the townsfolk’s excitement is rising.

Entering the office, he sits opposite Sheriff Jon Fletcher. Cody notices how old Fletcher looks, lines of worry cross his face, and he’s no longer the avuncular father figure, more like a grandpa. Cody puts a bottle of whiskey on the table with two glasses, “Hey, boss, thought we could shoot the breeze and kill off this bottle.”

They down a few glasses, it’s hard to get much out of the Sheriff, he’s hiding something, or something is weighing heavily on him, but Cody can’t get through. Cody brings up the Sheriff’s son, who is away on “business” in Santa Fe, which gets the Sheriff guzzling more whiskey. After two to three drinks, the Sheriff gets up, unsteady, like he’s downed half a bottle, not just a couple of glasses and looks into Cody’s face, “You need to get out of here, Cody, this ain’t the line of work for any decent folk.” He leaves, stumbling into the frame of the door. Cody sees him through the window, heading over to The Grand Hotel, presumably for more drinks.

Incriminating Evidence

As the group meet up, Dutch bemoans this meddling Pike and the risk that he’ll unmask both him and Diago. It is agreed that Diago and Dutch will have a few drinks in public the next morning, whilst Winston and Cody will ambush Pike as he leaves town. Not much harm will befall him, but by god, they’ll get that photo back.

They meet up with Pike on the outskirts, and he immediately spurs his horse into a gallop. They pursue. Winston gains on Pike, throwing a lasso at him, which misses. Cody is also gaining, after starting further back. Winston fires a warning shot, and Pike comes to a halt, arms in the air.

Pike gets down off his horse and lies in the dirt, all the time he’s proposing to Cody and Winston that he could make them money, writing about their exploits. They ignore him, find the book of articles and photos about the Gallows Dutchman, and, in particular, the photo of Dutch and Diago. Having got what they need, they ride off, the voice of Pike fading in the distance, “...just tell me what they call you!? I want to write about you! Are you the Lariat Bandit? How come your pardner don’t say nuttin’, is he the Silent Rider? Tell me!!!”

Winston and Cody head back to town the long way. They stop in the hills and burn all the evidence.

The Stuff that Dreams are Made of?

Meeting up again, the group decide it is time to find out what Cody’s invite is all about. Winston and Cody will go to the meeting, Diago and Dutch will wait outside in case there is trouble.

Arriving at the VIP tent, there is a gunman outside. He tells them to wait, goes inside and then comes back, “Go inside… sir!”

Inside the tent is decorated lavishly, and dominating the interior is a large wooden desk, on which there is a map of Steaming Rock and various markings. A thin, wiry man with spectacles is pointing out markings to the man behind the desk… Clarence King.

King sends the thin man off. He asks who Winston is, smiling as Winston tells him he’s the owner of The Homestead Inn, “…and how’s that business doing?” he says with a sneer.

Before Winston has time to say much, King turns to Cody, “I have something to show you. Come with me.”

King leads them outside, saddles up, and they head north to the east entrance to Steaming Rock. There is a half-constructed townhouse, it’s impressive, a nice veranda, and two stories, plenty of space around it to live off the land and keep horses.

King smiles at Cody, “This is yours. A Sheriff needs a home, and this one comes with the job. If you want it?”

Cody is open-mouthed. King goes on to explain that Sheriff Fletcher is retiring and Steaming Rock needs a new Sheriff, someone that the town trusts and that can keep the business and community interests of everyone foremost in their mind.

After some thought, but not much, Cody heads back to the tent to sign the contract. After blowing on the ink to dry it, King looks up, “First order of the day, I need you to find a doohicky called a Jefferson Wheel. An ex-associate of mine, Mungo Lachlan, used it to code up a load of private information. I need that doohicky, and I need any coded papers. So get to it.”

TTRPG Thoughts

We’d rushed through the previous scenario, and by rights, we should have moved on to the Turn of the Season, but I played out some of the previous town and personal rolls and lined things up for scenario five, the penultimate one.

We partially fulfilled one of the players’ stars, lassoing someone with a rope, a lot of fun trying to do that to the troublesome journalist.

The players are enjoying the feel of the endgame; there’s been a web-like series of plot ends, but they are slowly coming together, and sides are being taken.

I’ve noted that the players live in absolute fear of rolling trouble. I wonder how I can get them to lean into this more. It’s one aspect I wonder if I should home rule - i.e. when you have no faith, you can still push, maybe with no faith, there is always a minimum of one trouble?