The Stagecoach
The Frontier
The town itself is only the beginning. Players are actively encouraged to venture beyond the safety of Deadwood, exploring the wider frontier. Some of the locations waiting to be discovered include:
- Abandoned Mines - Once rich with gold, but now rumored to be haunted… or worse.
- Gold-laden Creeks - A fortune waiting to be found, if you know where to look.
- Bandit Camps – Outlaws hiding in the hills, waiting for easy prey, or Road Gangs ready to ensnare the unwary traveller
Stagecoach Missions
Stagecoach missions for Deadwood! are short linear adventures that will take place outside the immediate environs of the town and free play area. For the uninitiated a linear adventure can consist of up to 5 “encounters” along a length of the forest path but sometimes can be a single intensive encounter in one area – no two linears will ever be the same! All linears will present challenges to the players, be it an engineering problem, a shootout with a wanted man, investigating a mysterious disappearance or surveying the area for a prospecting company. The possibilities are endless, but generally the group undertaking the Stagecoach mission will have a fair idea of what they are getting themselves into.
A group of characters with a task in mind will hire a stagecoach to take them to the area to undertake the linear mission. The stagecoach can only hold up to six people, but they can be any variation of Class or Coalition desired. It is wise to take at least some variety of characters on a mission, but as noted above you will have a fair idea of what you're likely to be up against so should tailor the group accordingly – taking a team of 6 Gunslingers to fix a pump is unlikely to be successful!
The cost of the stagecoach may vary depending on how far the group needs to go. Tickets can be purchased “in character” at the Telegraph office in exchange for town currency, and you will be given a time slot for when your stage is scheduled to leave. The intention is for two different linears to be off site at any one time, and to run a pair of linears every 1.5 hours starting from time in on Friday through to timeout on Sunday, except for the “downtime” between Midnight and 10.00am. Because of the limited number of slots, it is important to maintain the schedule to give the maximum number of people who want to experience a mission the chance to do so. To facilitate this the crew would ask that anyone going on a mission report to the telegraph office at least 10 minutes prior to their time slot. Stagecoaches leave promptly, so if you aren’t there on time the stage will leave without you!
Once the stage has left town the group will be escorted by a member of the crew to the linear area of the site. This walk is still “in character” so don’t be surprised if something happens between town and your destination! Once at the start point the mission is “live” and you should be able to see where you will be going, and the mission will run organically from that point. Once the group has succeeded (or failed) to complete the objectives of their mission they will return to the start point to get the stage back to town. For the purposes of Compel actions, wounds and other game mechanics the journey to the town to the start point, and vice versa, is 15 minutes. For the purposes of combat calls, healing etc. each “encounter” on a linear is considered to be separate, so if you have an ability that lasts “until the end of a combat” and you engage in a shootout on the second of a four-encounter linear the ability will end once that combat ends and before you reach the third encounter. Any abilities that have a duration will last for the full duration given, even if you move from one encounter to the next.
Once outside of town on your mission you are effectively out of contact, the group is on their own and must solve any problems they encounter with the resources on hand so make sure you have your tools, medical supplies and ammunition with you. If you are on a mission with people you don’t know it’s worth taking the time to introduce yourself and explain your skill set. Anyone in town should not react to anything they hear coming from the linear area – they are too far away for you to assist.
Safety on stagecoach missions
The area where stagecoach missions take place is open to the public. Whilst it is very rarely used it is possible that you will encounter dog walkers or cyclists. If this happens a ref will call a “time out” to allow the civilians to pass. Please gather on the same side of the path giving the civilians plenty of space without having to walk between the members of the group.
Getting to the start point of the mission and returning to town itself is unlikely to be more than a kilometre or so of walking. However, the terrain can be rough underfoot so if you have mobility issues or other medical concerns that may introduce an additional level of risk when taking part please let the crew team know in good time before buying your ticket so we can risk assess the viability of the mission and put extra controls in place if needed.
Some stagecoach missions will take place at night. Darkness introduces additional risks which the ref team will consider when designing the mission. The group should bring at least two “in character” light sources and every member of the group should have their own personal “out of character” torch. Be advised that night missions are much more likely to have jump scares, tension, body gore and other horror elements. If this is not for you then they may be best avoided. Remember that you can “tap out” of a mission if the experience is becoming too intense for you. A crew member will lead you back to the start point to await the return of the rest of your group.
Whilst the site is not huge, please do not run off into the forest by yourself, especially at night. If you need to flee, do so, but stay within eyesight of the group. If necessary, put your hand above your head and wait for a ref who will sort out what happens next.