Last year I took on a Kickstarter for a Wild West newspaper filled with NPC's, maps, adventure seeds, tables and more. I was thrilled to see it not only fund, but also overfund to one of the stretch goals. Shortly after the Kickstarter funded, my family situation changed drastically, as the Covid-19 restrictions forced my wife from her job of 18 years and I took on a position with massive overtime to cover family responsibilities while I also worked to complete my Kickstarter. After a long and painful year with many disappointments, I have finally managed to complete the fufillment of all of the main and stretch goals of the project. It was my first Kickstarter and it was incredibly humbling in terms of all of the little things that I did NOT know, but in the end it was an amazing experience that I will never forget. I certainly will be much more prepared for what is required if I decide to do another one. Thus, I have been away from my blog for a long time and am happy to be able to return to it again.

But enough about me, you are here for the table. Below are 10 Wild West Town Encounters for whatever Wild/Weird West system you may be running.

1) A well-dressed gentleman walks up to you and asks if you know where he might find an experienced gunsmith. He needs some extremely custom ammunition made; he is unwilling to say more.

2) You pass a group of three Conestoga wagons, filled with religious-freedom seeking faithful of one sort or another, lined up outside the general store. However, a sharp-eyed bounty hunter or law man might recognize Jake Whisman, or one of his rustler buddies, hiding among the meek and quiet pilgrims.

3) While walking in town, the group is accosted by the local school marm. She wants the group to help her move some crates shipped via train from a donor back east to benefit the school. The crates contain new textbooks that teach occult principles to children. The school marm is aghast at the books and reveals a mysterious letter she received from an unknown benefactor.

4) The town is nearly deserted. Many storefronts are closed and boarded up. Those few that are still around tell the legend of the golden skull and advise the group that the moon showed out as a grinning yellow skull last night and many are spooked.

5) The town is abuzz with rumors of a new gambler in town who seems to have the devil's own luck - he can't lose. He wins at Keno, Roulette, Horse Race bets, and Cards whether he deals or not. He is well-dressed in black and silver and wears a fast-draw rig.

6) A strange merchant arrived on the stage from Fort Worth. He is a bookseller who deals in rare volumes and first editions and the like. Funny thing is that he's quiet and dresses like an undertaker; one guesses that his clientele come to him.

7) Rumor is starting to spread about the discovery of gold in nearby Cutback Gorge. The town is starting to fill up with greenhorns who think they'll get rich prospecting and bandits who will steal anything they can get their hands on.

8) The local Padre who tends to a small Mexican shrine has gone missing. Many claim that it is the work of bounty hunters, federal marshalls, or the U.S. Cavalry, but in reality he went fishing and was bitten by a snake. A dedicated search would save his life.

9) A charlatan of the worse sort has rolled into town with a Fakir act and a scam to con grieving widows and widowers out of their money. The false sorceror claims to be able to communicate with the dead and, IN RARE CASES, restore them as they were.

10) A sheep rancher has recently purchased local property and is planning to drive his sheep from their current stead, a few hundred miles away, to his new local property. He is openly hiring drovers for his sheep at a reasonable wage, but the local cattle kings don't like this at all.

If you liked these 10 Wild West Town Encounters, then I'm certain that you would enjoy The Promise Town Gazette. Click on the link below to check it out. Thanks for your time and as always, Happy Gaming!