Iron Kingdoms is quite the genre mashup game. We have a setting that has a style that spans the Renaissance, Napoleonic, and Victorian. There is a definite theme of taming the wilderness and frontiers. And so with the firearms, steam trains, and exploration, Iron Kingdoms happily encourages stories that more or less look like those from Westerns.
So what're the main aspects of a Western?
From Wikipedia;
The Western genre sometimes portrays the conquest of the wilderness and the subordination of nature in the name of civilisation or the confiscation of the territorial rights of the original, Native Americans, inhabitants of the frontier.[1] The Western depicts a society organised around codes of honor and personal, direct or private justice such as the feud, rather than one organised around rationalistic, abstract law, in which social order is maintained predominately through relatively impersonal institutions. The popular perception of the Western is a story that centres on the life of a semi-nomadic wanderer, usually a cowboy or a gunfighter.[1] A showdown or duel at high noon featuring two or more gunfighters is a stereotypical scene in the popular conception of Westerns.
Given the above, we can now think about what locations in the Iron Kingdoms would fit with this? Clearly, the borders of the Iron Kingdoms all fit in. Cygnar, the Protectorate and Llael all border the Bloodstone Marches and the deserts beyond. The Marches are of course home to a number of Trollkin Kriels, who in many ways are analogous to the displaced Native Americans. Those who make their home out in the sun-baked plains and deserts eke out a living through mining and tending to herds of the hardy bison. In comparison, the snowy tundra north of Khador is where explorers also look for opportunities to mine, hunt for pelts, find redwood trees for lumber, and also escape the oversight of their oppressive government.
In all these places there are many dangers. First and foremost there is the danger of the elements. Townships die as waterholes dry up. Logging villages starve as snow cuts them off from civilisation. Surviving in these harsh conditions and looking at how characters cope and help their community, are respectable stories already filled with drama. Other dangers from the elements are those that characters and society invoke. Cave-ins due to mining, the danger of trees being felled and crushing people, surviving the water rapids as they travel downstream.
The next type of danger in these environments comes from the beasts that roam the wilds. Typical things maybe wolves, bison, mountain lions, and more. Of course, the Iron Kingdoms and Immoren have their own creatures, some being more fantastical versions of what has already been mentioned (Dusk Wolves, the bison that Trollkin ride, etc), and more to boot (Gorax, Argus, Dolomites etc). These monsters and beasts of the wild present unique challenges, and reinforce the fear of the wild and the unknown.
The exploration and colonisation of the wilds of course lead to conflict between the colonials and the natives. The most obvious case of such a conflict is between people of the Iron Kingdoms and the Trollkin Kriels. The Trollkin has been previously displaced and forced into the Bloodstone Marches, and now even that land is being encroached upon. All the while there is the danger to the bison ranchers of attacks from the Farrow Brigands, and in the north, the woods are roamed by the blighted Nyss and the dragonkin monsters. Of course, we can't forget about the dangers posed by the Gatormen and Bogtrogs along the waterways, or the Dregg in the north. Humans, and the peoples of the Iron Kingdoms, are creating conflict and chaos through their need for expansion.
The final danger is the one that exists within the communities. Being on the edge of society, the edge of the known lands, away from the oversight of government officials, makes it very enticing to commit a crime. This can range from murder, bison rustling, or having your gang set up a protection racket. Within these communities, honour, respect, and local justice counts for a lot, and so characters could be drawn into the protection of these rights, and enacting private justice.
Westerns also typically feature a number of characters archetypes. The first and foremost is the nomadic wanderer. This is a character, who often has a dark history, and travels from town to town, righting wrongs and taking up mercenary contracts. This is our 'badass in a trench coat', and is either the silent type or a wise-cracking sort. We can then look at the token native, who previously in films was the sort of character type that was pure exploitation, but in this day and age offer a stark glimpse into how we have destroyed peoples who were more in touch with the land, which we have now taken for granted and damaged. Tonto of course is a classic example. In a similar manner, we can also look at the issue of slavery and what it means to be free and how the themes of the Western fit into the desire for this freedom and personal justice. Django is an excellent example of this character type, from Django Unchained. Other character concepts of course cover the lawmen, priests, doctors, travelling snake oils sellers, rail tycoons, bandits, bounty hunters, ranchers, and more. Given the diversity of character concepts, it would be more than feasible to run a game that revolves around a single town and the social-political drama that takes place there, all the while natives and beasts threaten the town.
While we can mine Westerns for plot ideas, what elements particular to the Iron Kingdoms can be used. Perhaps we have a mine that opens up onto an ancient Orgoth mine and unleashes a zombie plague. Maybe the mine opens up into the chasms that are the home to the Cephalyx. Perhaps Farrow has kidnapped a family member, and much like in the classic Western, 'The Searchers', you have to track down the Farrow and rescue the enslaved family member. Maybe in the far north, your band of explorers come upon a lost town and discover it fell foul of the harsh winter and there are signs of cannibalism, and now they have to deal with the corrupted humans that have resulted from that. Of course, a plot much like 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' could be played out with the backdrop of the conflict between Cygnar and Khador.
Within the setting, we also have a town already written up for use for these types of plots, Ternon Crag, plus another one presented in No Quarter, Wexmere. These are excellent locations that offer Western locations for games.
Now character archetypes. We have many combinations to use that fit into the Western. A Troll could be from the Kriels, and has come for revenge against the ruthless company owners who have driven them from their lands. A goblin alchemist could be peddling fake oils and serums while also doing a fine trade minting fake Cynaran crowns. A Ruhlic bounty hunter has come stalks the woods around the northern logging village, looking to acquire numerous pelts. The Captain career would make for a good representation of a town Sheriff, while a Pistoleer could easily be a 'badass in a trench coat' mercenary. A Rifleman would be the perfect career for a rancher, enabling him to look out for his herd and shoot wolves or bandits.
So the Western for Iron Kingdoms? How would you run it, or what characters would you come up with?
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