Way out West

Your character is:

Blaise Sadler
It is the spring of 1884. America’s west coast is slowly
being populated with small towns full of settlers, come to
prospect for precious metals, set up ranches and run
dubious saloons – and now the railroad is coming!
Cactus Gulch is one such small town, founded 20 years
ago and tonight it has a festive air as the townsfolk get
set to start their 20th anniversary celebrations. However,
all is not running smoothly. Land disputes, disreputable
card games, strange folk from out of town and hostile
Indians all add to a tense atmosphere.
Join us in the Silver Dollar Saloon as celebrations begin,
and find out how the evening unfolds…
 Blaise Sadler — Madame
You are Blaise Sadler, and you look after the ‘Good-Time’ girls at The
Silver Dollar saloon. You arrived at Cactus Gulch about 15 years ago
as a fairly successful good-time girl yourself, but ten years ago you
moved into ‘management’ and have been doing okay since.
But only okay. You are fed up of saloon life, and are looking forward
to being a respectable, retired widow back in San Francisco.
Well, that’s a lie actually. You had very much hoped to be made a
respectable woman here in Cactus Gulch – you have been ‘friends’ for
many years now with Zeke Calhoun, local wealthy prospector and
land-owner. However, Zeke made it clear to you a few months ago
that, although he thinks a lot of you, he will never make an honest
woman of you and risk bringing shame on his beloved daughter Lucy.
So you have had to accept (bitterly, it’s true) that a widow in San
Francisco it must be. But to ensure a really comfortable retirement,
you will need to get your hands on another $2000 from somewhere.
You like a drink or two (or three). A week ago, you were watching the
now-infamous game of cards between Zeke and Doc Faraday in which
Zeke lost the Fat Bull Range to Doc. You know for a fact that Doc
was cheating – you saw him palm the cards. In the resulting brawl
after Doc ‘won’, you pocketed the hand, including the marked cards.
Kalamata Kate, one of your girls, was there too. She may know that
you have the cards, but you have told everyone you were too drunk to
know what happened. Not surprisingly, everyone seems to believe
that. Kate has been trying to persuade you to do the right thing.
You have spoken to Zeke and he has promised to cut you in on a
share from his newly-found silver-rich mine if you are able and
willing to prove that Doc cheated. To prove his sincerity, he has given
you one half of the map showing how to find the mine. You told him
you will think about it.
You are torn. You are really a good-hearted woman, but you feel
betrayed by Zeke and resentful of Lucy, and feel that you must now
look after yourself and get enough funds for a peaceful retirement.
You are also a bit ruffled because Clem Parham from Mid West Rail
has asked to talk to you later this evening, and there is something
frightening about that. You are also disconcerted by that traveling
preacher Elijah Entwhistle, who seems to have singled you out for
more than your fair share of anti-liquor preaching. He seems to
watch you a lot, which is very unsettling.
What you need is a drink or two (or three), and The Silver Dollar can
certainly provide that. However, it looks like the Bartender is
climbing onto to the bar and is about to make an announcement…

Zeke’s death
You are shocked and horrified – who could want to kill good old Zeke?
Surely it must be something to do with the poker game with Doc. You
are rather nervous and wonder if you might be next in line, because
of what you know about Doc’s cheating. But though Doc may cheat at
cards, surely he’s no killer?

Your Goals
 Your retirement: In order to retire to San Francisco as a rich,
respectable widow, you need to get about $2000. Alternatively, a
share in Zeke’s silver mine would do – as would finding a rich
husband.
 The map: You have one half of the map – who has the other? The
map is worthless without both halves.
 The marked cards: Decide what to do about the marked cards.
Do you try to blackmail Doc, or offer them to the Judge?
Other people
Lucy Calhoun: Lucy is Zeke’s daughter, and a spoilt brat. It’s about
time that she left off those awful boy’s trousers and started wearin’ a
skirt and actin’ more ladylike. You’re sure that if Lucy wasn’t
around, Zeke wouldn’t have thought twice about making an honest
woman of you.
Doc Faraday: You have known this old scoundrel for many years, and
turned a blind eye on many occasions to him cheatin’ drunken
cowboys out of a few weeks’ pay. Part of you would like to just own up
to the cards now, and serve him right. But you never know, he might
be prepared to pay you well to keep you quiet.
Clem Parham: You are not happy that Clem suddenly wants to talk
to you. You have a horrible feeling that this could all get out of hand.
You’ve heard that Clem has a ruthless reputation and you’re not sure
that you can deal with that.
Kalamata Kate: You took Kate in when she was a destitute child, and
have always treated her well. She is now one of your girls. You have
always had respect for each other, even if it doesn’t quite stretch to
love.
Elijah Entwhistle: This traveling preacher has been giving you the
creeps with his preaching and the way he watches you. Also, he looks
strangely familiar, but you can’t quite put your finger on why.
Three Feathers and Runs Like a Deer: some years ago, you caught
Creek Water fever, and were saved by Indian medicine. You owe your
life to the natives, and have been grateful ever since.

Tips for Beginners

If you’ve not played a Freeform Games murder mystery game before,
then we suggest you start by doing the following:
 Go and talk to Doc Faraday, see if he will make any deals with
you for keeping quiet about the marked cards.
 Talk to any of the other men, especially those you don’t know
yet, to see if any of them has potential as a rich husband.
 Abilities
You have three abilities, as shown below. Each ability explains
how many times it may be used – check a circle each time you
use it. Once they are all checked, you may no longer use that
ability.

Pickpocket
Tell the Bartender what Item you want to
Ability

pickpocket from another player. If that

player does not have the Item you seek, the
Bartender will take another Item at random.
Three uses: O O O

Let’s gossip!
After speaking briefly to another player,
point to another person. They must then tell
you everything that their Other People
Ability

section says about that person. If that person

isn’t mentioned in their Other People section
(and not everyone they have information
about is), then they must tell you about
another person of their choice.
Three uses: O O O

A Moment of Passion
Ability

After speaking briefly and passionately alone

with a member of the opposite sex, they must
show you their Secret.
Three uses: O O O
 Secret and Clue
Your Secret contains your guilty secret, while your Clue contains
one or more items of information you know. Both may be
affected by abilities.
While you can show your Secret and Clue to whomever you like,
you will probably not want to reveal your Secret too often.
(Please note that you can’t solve the mystery by looking at
everyone’s Secret and Clue – it’s not that easy!)

You know for a fact that

Doc cheated Zeke, as you
kept three of the marked
Secret

cards he used.
Also, Zeke gave you half the
map to his new silver
discovery.

Elijah Entwhistle has been

keeping a very close eye on
Clue

you – there’s something

sinister about him.
 Rules for Way out West
The Bartender’s Word is Law: The Bartender is impartial. If
you have a problem or want to do something unusual, see the
Bartender. The Bartender’s power is absolute – and cannot be
affected by Abilities!
Winning and Losing: You can achieve most of your goals
simply by talking to people. The Bartender will announce when
the game is over. If you haven’t succeeded by that point – you’re
too late! Be warned – not everyone here will want you to
succeed!
Doing Stuff: Ordinary actions are resolved by simply carrying
them out. If you want to try something unusual (such as swing
from a chandelier), see the Bartender. The Bartender knows
everything – and will be able to tell you the outcome of whatever
it is that you are trying to do. (For example, the chandeliers may
be too high to reach.) Do use your imagination, though! – this is
a very flexible game, and you can do all sorts of things beyond
what’s listed in these rules.
Fighting: 1884 was a rough, tough time in Cactus Gulch! Your
character may wish to grapple with, come to blows with, or even
stab or shoot one of the other characters. Should you wish to do
something along these lines though, don’t just dive in! See the
Bartender first and tell them what you plan to do so they can
oversee and give you more detailed rules if it’s necessary.
Leaving the town: Cactus Gulch is in the middle of nowhere
and the surrounding territories can be quite hostile. You are
therefore advised not to attempt leaving town during the course
of the evening.
Item Cards: Any items of importance within the game are
represented as Item cards – and the only items that can affect
the game are those detailed on the cards. If you do not have an
Item card, you do not have that item with you.
Time: Way out West is played over three hours, with extra time
for reading your character etc. There will be breaks to get drinks
and food! The Bartender will keep track of the time for you.
 Way out West — Cast List
Locals
 Lucy Calhoun: Zeke Calhoun’s daughter, young woman,
complete tomboy

 Able Blane: The town’s reliable sheriff

 Dan Fairweather: Slow and honest deputy sheriff

 Blaise Sadler: Aging saloonkeeper

 Kalamata Kate: Young waitress

 Doc Faraday: Notorious gambler

 John Paulson: Town’s much-revered judge

Natives
 Three Feathers: Revered Indian shaman

 Runs Like a Deer: Indian woman

Out-0f-towners
 Elijah Entwhistle: Traveling preacher

 Mel Easton: City slicker, South West Rail rep

 Slick O’Hare: Scruffy ranch hand for hire

 Clem Parham: City slicker, Mid West Rail rep

 Christy Martin: Storekeeper from out of town

Way out West is copyright © 2003, 2012 Freeform Games LLP www.freeformgames.com