Way out West

Mel Easton
Welcome to Way out West.
It is the spring of 1884. America’s west coast is slowly being
populated with small towns full of settlers who 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 twenty years
ago, 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 quarrels with the Indians all add to a
tense atmosphere.
Join us in the Silver Dollar Saloon as celebrations begin, and
find out how the evening unfolds…
 Mel Easton—South West Rail
You are Mel Easton, here in Cactus Gulch representing South West
Rail (SWR). SWR want to be the company that brings the railroad
from San Francisco to Cactus Gulch.
Despite your citified, sharp-dressed look, you are a genteel business
person and very ethical—which is much more than can be said for
that low-down weasel Clem Parham, who is here representing your
bitterest rival Mid West Rail (MWR).
You have come up against Clem’s low-down dealings before and
haven’t always come out best. You are desperate for this deal to go
through.
Until a week ago, you thought you were home and dry. The last key
negotiation is with Zeke Calhoun, a wealthy prospector and
landowner—he owns a parcel of land named Fat Bull Range, which
will carry the final section of the railroad into town.
Zeke has agreed on a deal in principle with you, chiefly because you
have agreed to divert the railroad around the Indian burial ground
that lies within Fat Bull Range. Zeke’s sympathies for the Indians
are well known—and, frankly, you can’t see the point in generating
ill will either. Zeke was ready to accept the reasonable sum of
$18,000, which would offset the cost of the diversion.
But now that’s all been blown to heck. Zeke was involved in a
drunken card game with notorious gambler Doc Faraday a week ago
and seems to have lost the Fat Bull Range to Doc!
Much against your principles, you have had to start negotiations
with Doc Faraday in case he is judged to be the owner of the land.
Sadly, he doesn’t share Zeke’s approach to the burial ground
problem, and you suspect he will ask for a lot more money too.
Anyway, as soon as the telegraph is up and running again, you must
ask your head office what the maximum figure is that you can offer,
still keeping the project financially viable.
With any luck, the extra funds won’t be needed, because Judge
Paulson should rule against Doc Faraday at the judgment tonight.
Heck, you need a break—so you are at the Silver Dollar Saloon to
relax. However, it looks like the Bartender is climbing onto 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? You will cooperate however you can with the law-
enforcement agencies and be sensitive to the townsfolk’s loss.

Your goals
▪ Lucy Calhoun: Express your sympathies and deepest regrets to
Lucy about the death of her father. You will then need to explain
to her your negotiations with Zeke and hope that she’s willing to
honor the deal (assuming Judge Paulson rules in her favor, of
course).
▪ Clem Parham and MWR: Make sure that everyone knows how
devious and double-crossing Clem Parham can be, and that
you’re the person to deal with.
▪ The railroad deal: make an ethical deal that avoids desecrating
the Indian burial grounds.
▪ Your budget: As soon as the telegraph is fixed, contact your head
office and check how much of a budget you may negotiate with.
Other people
Doc Faraday: Doc is a wily character and won’t be easy to negotiate
with. You know his approach to the burial grounds will not be a
sympathetic one. Hopefully, you’ll get a lot more funds from head
office to cope with this.
Slick O’Hare: You’re sure you have seen Slick hanging around with
Clem before—that scar on his face is hard to forget. But you didn’t
think he was called ‘Slick’—wasn’t it more like ‘Saul’?
Clem Parham: Your heart sank when you learned that Mid West
Rail, your company’s rival, sent Clem Parham as their
representative to Cactus Gulch. You would have liked a break from
being opposite Clem in deals that you so often seem to lose—maybe
it’s time for you to stop being so darned ethical?
Blaise Sadler: You don’t know Blaise, but she is alleged to have
pocketed marked cards that prove Doc was cheating Zeke in the
infamous card game. If that were true, you would be home and dry.

Suggested first moves

▪ Talk to Doc Faraday and open negotiations with him in case he
gets the land.
▪ Ask the sheriff about the rumors about Judge Paulson acting
strangely.
▪ Ask Blaise Sadler about the marked cards.
 Abilities
You have three abilities. Each ability explains how often it may be
used—check a circle each time you use it. Once they are all
checked, you may no longer use that ability.

S ucc ess!
You can make a failed or tied rock-
Abi li ty

paper-scissors challenge succeed. It

need not be a challenge you are
involved in.
Three uses: O O O

A stute judg e of c h ar ac ter

You are an astute judge of character:
Abi li ty

another player must reveal their

Secret to you.
Three uses: O O O

L et’s sh ar e wh at w e k now
After talking to another player, show
Abi li ty

them your Clue. They must then

show you their Clue.
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.
(You can’t solve the mystery by looking at everyone’s Secret and
Clue—it’s not that easy!)

You agreed a deal with

S ecr et

Zeke to pay $18,000 for Fat

Bull Range and avoid the
Indian burial ground.

Judge Paulson has been

acting strange lately, and
Clue

you are worried he may

decide against Zeke.
 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 carrying them out—
but see the Bartender to try something unusual. The Bartender will
tell you the outcome of whatever you are trying to do.
Fighting: 1884 was a rough, tough time in Cactus Gulch! Your
character may wish to come to blows with, or shoot another
character. Please see the Bartender before fighting another
character.
Leaving the town: Cactus Gulch is in the middle of nowhere and
the surrounding territories can be hostile. You are advised not to
leave town during the course of the evening.
Item Cards: 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.
Money: Your character may start with money. Use this as you would
“real” money—to pay for goods, services, bribes and blackmail…
Dying: There is no guarantee that your character will survive Way
out West. You may have enemies, and those enemies may try to kill
you. However, nobody can die until the judgment has been made.
Until that point, you are safe. After that? That’s up to you…
 Way out West—Cast List
L oc als
▪ Maxwell Jebediah Adams: Town drunkard and ne’er-do-well
▪ Minnie May Adams: Former Sunday School teacher
▪ Robert Barnaby: Young legal clerk
▪ Ol’ Barr: Reclusive fur trapper and Indian friend
▪ Able Blane: The town’s reliable sheriff
▪ Lucy Calhoun: Zeke Calhoun’s daughter, a tomboy
▪ Dan Fairweather: Honest deputy sheriff
▪ Doc Faraday: Notorious gambler
▪ Widder James: Grande Dame of the ladies in Cactus Gulch
▪ Etta Johnson: Local schoolmarm
▪ Kalamata Kate: Young waitress
▪ John Paulson: Town’s much-revered judge
▪ Blaise Sadler: Aging saloonkeeper
Nati ves
▪ Three Feathers: Revered Indian shaman
▪ Runs Like a Deer: Indian woman
O ut- of- tow ner s
▪ Mel Easton: South West Rail rep
▪ Elijah Entwhistle: Traveling preacher
▪ Soon Li: Chinese migrant worker
▪ Frederick Lloyd: Wealthy English mining investor
▪ Marco the Mesmerizing: Traveling stage magician
▪ Christy Martin: Storekeeper from out of town
▪ Slick O’Hare: Scruffy ranch hand for hire
▪ Clem Parham: Mid West Rail rep
▪ Ruby Sapphire: Flame-haired singer

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