love a weird west. first thought after finishing reading this was "this person must love Violence." scrolled down this comment section and grinned big n' wide when i saw that confirmed.
thoughts:
- lets go, another beastman entry.
- the inverse auditory progression with jack's laugh is so sick. the idea of his laugh being this loud, constant echo in the canyon until he's a few paces from your camp builds suspense in such a fun way. "everyone's debating over what to do next when they realize its quieter than it should be" type beat.
- considering jack is such a constant in this story, and his bite likely, i wish his infection were a little bit more difficult to cure. having players begin with all silver bullets feels like a missed opportunity to force them into desperate choices. right now the only choice they make is "oh if i've been bit, i have to sacrifice one bullet" and even that seems temporary. having a source of silver be in the mineshaft, or running along a group of shady ne'er-do-wells who offer up silver bullets at the cost of something precious feels like it'd add a nice layer of danger to the setting.
- on that point, i think there's value in a progression beat there as well. facing jack before you have silver bullets and after smacks of something almost resident evil like, where you shift from hunted to hunter. could be fun.
- i really like the detail of the graveyard being in eyesight of the old town. the three rolls players have the chance of landing for their manners gives this a lot of color. 1-2 confirms their suspicions, 3-4 will likely make them more resigned, and 5-6 will make spotting players digging up the yard feel like a proper betrayal. very cool.
- alright i'm going to preface this one by saying i love a good gun name. its like a ship name. means a lot, y'know? one of the best gun names i've ever heard was calling one a "Persuader." i don't inherently dislike the name of the 6 offered, but part of me wishes they felt: a. little more tied to this specific setting and b. bit more evocative of a pistol. opium pipe i can see in terms of a long cylinder that offers relief, but cyanide pill doesn't really conjure up old west firepower and there's at least ~50 years before they become a concept at all. castor+pollux feels like its dying to be tied back to the central premise as well. i feel like the only connection there i can see as-is is your party and the skulls being too sides of the same coin, but i would've liked a little more to chew on there.
- i love that final illustration of jack. great bookend. the style in this module overall rules, too.
had a great time reading through this!