The Wargate Presents
The Return of Pablo Strange
A Dead Man's Hand Campaign
Season 1, 2016
Winter, 1875
Near Smokefall Ridge, The Indian Territory
They say that a few months ago, the renowned bandito Pablo Strange was killed in Smokefall Ridge. They say he rose from the dead, and had to be put down again. The people that live in that forsaken place are notorious for burning the bodies of those that die 'unnatural' deaths, so when tales of the scoundrel still living (and killing) began to surface, Marshal Seth Barclay at Ft. Grant took it seriously.
It didn't take long to confirm that a band of vicious outlaws was plaguing the settlements north of the Red River. Tales of horror began to drift back to Ft. Grant, and the Marshal took action. Now, a band of Lawmen stalk the Banditos and Outlaws of the Territory. Along the way, they'll have help from the brave locals who can no longer stand the depredations of Pablo Strange and his band of murdering thieves.
However, the Territory itself holds horrors most folks can't fathom. A feeling of dread permeates the air...and the hunters may soon become the hunted if the stories of the bandit leader's supernatural resilience prove true. Perhaps through sheer tenacity and grit, the evildoers will be brought to heel - or will darkness once again hold sway over the Territory?
The Return of Pablo Strange is a Dead Man's Hand campaign based in the Indian Territory. Each campaign game will involve either the Lawmen or the Cowboys versus either the Banditos or Outlaws. In addition, Desperados are present that can take on either band.
Each player will maintain a roster and play proceeds as outlined in The Legend of Dead Man's Hand rulebook. Players can pick and choose a 3-act scenario, all the rules for which are detailed in said volume. Model overlap can occur between gangs of the same alignment, but players can also share a team. Gangs can fight as many times as they like during one day as long as the same player does not play twice consecutively.
Each month, there will be one day of bonus scenarios centered on the...stranger...aspects of the setting known as the Territory. These will be linked directly to our ongoing World of Darkness game regarding the exploits of the settlers at Smokefall Ridge...for this campaign may directly affect them personally! These will be announced just prior to the event day to account for shifts in the setting.
The campaign will continue until the end of Season 1, and the gang with the highest rep wins. Add the total of any retired gangs of the same type with 31 or more Rep to this total.
Campaign Updates
- The Good, The Lead and The Ugly (01.24.16)
- The gang of Pablo Strange gets the drop on a marshal sent to find their hideout. He found it, to his short-lived chagrin.
- Closing in on the gang, a posse of Lawmen attack the Banditos near their hovel in the Territory. There are few survivors to return to Ft. Grant.
- Feeling that something is up, the Strange gang is waiting for the Lawmen when they return...and the Lawmen suffer another harsh defeat.
- Red Earth Bandits (02.01.16 to 04.03.16)
- Pablo intensifies his reign of terror as few can face his wrath and survive.
Epilogue
The Dread has lifted from the Territory, mitigating the threat of the supernatural hazards of the area. However, as the spirits fade into the Shadow...crooks, charlatans and outlaws invade the Territory. Now, the threat is human nature and desperation. Perhaps the legend of Pablo Strange is special because it's the synthesis of both of the most devastating threats, mundane and mystical, to plague the people who've tried to make this place their home.
People often see him wandering the lonely trails at night, and sometimes in broad daylight. They say he's now a skeletal spectre of an hombre from hell. His eyeless skull is obviously no longer alive, but with eyes that burn with a green balefire. They say his pistols don't fire bullets, but gouts of that hellish flame. And they say he still keeps up his old trade, brigandry and robbery.
There are new tales of his terror every year. Some hapless traveler, or farmer who strayed too far from the settlements, run across him and somehow live to tell the tale. Despite the strife the the Dread and all that followed it being over, people still live here who very vividly remember it. The spectre of Pablo Strange is a reminder of that dark time that still haunts the Territory, a vessel of boundless Dread that wanders lonely wilds.