Elements of a Western Box

Western Elements 2018Game idea for module:(Edited 04/21/06, 04/02/2009, 04/10/2015)(Spell Check 2012, not sure of any other changes or corrections this or like documents. Print out the other Elements of a Western and see what pops up?)(Thank you Steve, Mars, David and others for ideas and corrections)

CHARACTERS:Sheriff/MarshalCattle PoliceRustlers Cattle main ones but need not be.Priest/PreacherCowboysBanditsLittle Boy/GirlSoldiers/FederalsMexican ArmyFederal AgentIndian AgentScout - white or Indian, or maybe even black.Indians (helpful of they are known aggressive types, but not always, depends on the plot). Never know they might be the victims.BartenderBar MaidWhores/Entertainers/MadameDrunk(s)PreacherLord/Don/Owner of the local ranchUndertakerHangmanSchool TeacherSnake Oil Salesman (or some other travelling sales person)Conmen (see snake oil, but not always the same)Carpet Bagger (more for southern style)Bankers (can be a character or just a plot device, or? )Prospectors/MinersBlacksmithGamblerGunslingerPeasants/PeonSlaves - Former or even depending on time and place, current. Slaves are not always black, some Asian and Irish slaves/in dentured servants, as well as some Indians (From India) was used in late western times.Chinese/Blacks/Irish slaves or semi-slaves (Indentured). Many southerners used black slaves from their plantations/stock to mine California gold from their lands there.Confederates (former/bandits or refugees?)Engineers (Train normally, but possible others, like the oil or water or projects type)Doctor/Dentist/Snake Oil Salesmen - Quack or for realCHARACTERS - GENERICHeroVillain Often a big land owner or trying to be.Main Secondary Villain, often the head of the local ranch or like, the face of the Villain.Side Kick -Victim(s)SnitchLove Interest (Even if not romantically involved)HorseDog or other animal non-ridingMadameDeputies/ PosseVigilantesBounty HuntersBuffalo huntersBarber/ bathhouseTelegraph operatorPiano PlayerFarmerCattle rancherSheep Herder/RanchCavalrymenMadameSchool TeacherPony ExpressWells Fargo StageRailroadSpanish Mission monks and maybe nunsSuttler (general store)Mule SkinnerChinese railroad workersChinese Doctor/Pharmacy/Apothecary.Early Union OrganizerCooperWainwright (making wagons and like)Assayer(Got to remember what some of the professions was doing)

CHARACTERS - GENERICHeroVillain Often a big land owner or trying to be.Main Secondary Villain, often the head of the local ranch or like, the face of the Villain.Side Kick -Victim(s)SnitchLove Interest (Even if not romantically involved)HorseDog or other animal non-ridingMadameDeputies/ PosseVigilantesBounty HuntersBuffalo huntersBarber/ bathhouseTelegraph operatorPiano PlayerFarmerCattle rancherSheep Herder/RanchCavalrymenMadameSchool TeacherPony ExpressWells Fargo StageRailroadSpanish Mission monks and maybe nunsSuttler (general store)Mule SkinnerChinese railroad workersChinese Doctor/Pharmacy/Apothecary.Early Union OrganizerCooperWainwright (making wagons and like)Assayer(got to remember what some of the professions was doing)LAW ENFORCMENT:Sheriff/MarshalCattle PoliceDeputyLEGAL:JudgeLawyerCity ClerkBUSINESS:Suttler StoreStage CoachBarMotel/HotelENEMIES: (depends on point of view):(From Adds)

From David (world create?)Leader / Planner / LawmakerDiplomat / TranslatorCounselor / Peacemaker / Priest / PhilosopherArchaeologist / Scientist / Scholar / DesignerBerserker / Loner / Wild CardSidekick / Comic ReliefCon Man / Charismatic

PLACES:Hotel/BarWhore HouseRanch - Sheep/CattleFarmBankJailTrain Stop/StationStore (General)HousesCourt HouseFeed Store/Livery Stable/Blacksmith/CorralHacienda/Ranch (And buildings for it)ChurchGallowsUndertakers OfficeDoctors OfficePost OfficeFortApothecaryOpium Den (sometimes the same as the Apothecary, some time separate) often run by a Chinese doctor.CorralBrothelAssayers officeLand claims officeWainwrights or Cooper place/shop (one does wagons the other does wheels or is it pots/pans and like?)

GROUPS:CattlemenSheep HerdersFarmerFormer Slaves - SettlersSettlersMormonsWives ClubGrange/Farmers GroupsCrime GroupHatfield/McCoy/etc.: Any group that might have a natural grudge against the other, often due to a land or like issues that went to far. Racial/Religious/Romance and more (Romeo and Juliet).DeputiesSoldiersTribesCattlemenSheep HerdersFarmersMinersChinese: Chinese or other Asian group (most often seen in the western US). Chinese and like can add Eastern elements, such as the early Tong/Triads and more. But also how they were treated..Mexicans (Spanish and Non-Spanish).Revolutionaries (Poncho and Friends and more). Much of the troubles of the 1840s to 1920 were over Northern Mexican issues, and land acquisition from Mexico).Groups, ex-Confeds, like Klan or like type people, or you mean like the James/Younger/Dalton gangs, who had Mosby or Quantrill backgrounds.. True, need not be ex-confederates, can be real ones, such as they mission in like 1863 to go to California. But they did not get there to cut off the gold mines.. Or as said before they got lost or just trying to escape from justice.Mormons or other religious group, most often Christian in nature.Like Black settlers, off to find a land where slavery is not around, or something like that.Monastery or like things?

PLOT IDEAS:Gun slingerCattlemen vs. Sheep HerdersSheep Herders vs. FarmersFarmers vs. CattlemenFarmers vs. Sheep Herders or CattlemenMiners vs. someone? Claim jumpers or ?Murder or self defenseLocked up wrongly locked up/imprisoned.Defense, sheriff arrests someone and he can not do much until judge or marshal is in town or army is.Runaway slaveBurning down the local Chinese doctors house (why many Chinese doctors houses/work place was strong and nearly bullet proof).Conflict: Well, Hatfields and McCoy, can also means two groups that do not like each other, to include farmers vs. cattle headers, or sheep herders vs. cattle and so on.Looking for more ideas and such, some westerns are more 1900s, but could be westerns, sort of.

CLASSIC PLOT LINES:Corrupt Judge or like? Such as federal agent, Indian agent, sheriff and more.Hum, maybe a list of known clash types as well as scenarios for classic westerns?Cattle/Sheep RustlersHerders vs. the Animals (not common, but more than people think)Sheriff vs. someone, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not, like a corrupt sheriff in the pocket of the cattlemen, and the son of the local sheep herder who is in love with the chief cattlemens daughter or something else, but he faces hanging cause of a murder or self defense or ..Like the classic Sheriff besieges in his jail until the Army gets there?Railroad vs. ... Cattlemen or .. Sheep or Indians or ....Will review and make changes.. How many movies that were not a western, but might as well has been one? Star Wars for instance?Movies that come to mind for ideas?MikeFrom Steve------From David I Think:The 7 Standard Western PlotsShane - retired gunslinger defends the little guyThe Magnificent 7 - Team is hired to defend entire town.. Silverado - team must get rid of evil sheriff and his cronies.. Save the widow's farm from Simon LaGrie who is foreclosing on theMortgage. Zorro (late period swashbuckling adventures)Defense of the Settler from Indians or Bandits, or on the trail from starvation or likeTrain robbers or likeCheck out the cowboy channel on cable or satellite. Just look at the Schedule menu, the plots are summarized. Claim jumpers on gold prospectors, Jail breaks or preventing jail Breaks, Bank robbers,

A chinese movie, called Warriors of Heaven and Earth definitely has elements

of the Western, not least some huge sweeping scenery, albeit with an Asian

flair. 'The convoy MUST get through' although carrying Buddhist relics

instead of supplies or settlers.

MOVIES/TV SHOWS/BOOKS:Magnificent SevenGun SmokeJeremiah JohnsonIl buono, il brutto, il cattivo. (1966)C'era una volta il West (1968)The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)The Wind (1928)High Noon (1952)Per qualche dollaro in più (1965)No Country for Old Men (2007)Unforgiven (1992)The Ox-Bow Incident (1943)The Gold Rush (1925)Kung Fu TV 1980s..WESTERN FILM LINKS:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_(genre)http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Genres/Western/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Western_films Western Films List--The Magnificent Seven, was a remake of an Akira Kurosawa film about Samurai.So was Fistful of Dollars with Clint Eastwood.

Richard Rossow rebelpoetinarms at gmail.comMon Nov 30 06:43:08 AKST 2009"Yes, spagetti westerns are almost clique but yes, wild how one culturesbooks can be converted to anothers? Fistful, did not know.. I know the oneabout several samurai who go underground so they can come up later andslaughter the enemy and murdered/forced seppeku of their now dead master."That's 47 Ronin I think, also an Akira Kurosawa film I believe.The Celts have a LOOOOONG tradition of cattle thieving. The 'Tain boCulainn' (not sure of spelling) is supposed to be the 'Irish Iliad' and it all starts with stealing a prize bull. Good read!Something in the time of the Romans could fit here. Savage Germanics orCelts taking the place of 'Indians' and a Roman land-owner.For a very grim Western (and John Wayne character) check out 'The Sojourners'.I would also recommend 'True Grit' for a Western a bit off the beaten path,as it features a young girl heroine (as well as John Wayne)Speaking of Akira Kurosawa....anyone interested in a 'Japanese Night' ? Ihaven't done one in a while. Maybe in January. I can make some tempura andmiso soup and we can watch an Akira Kurosawa flick. I own Seven Samurai and Ran.rebelpoetinarms at gmail.com

DISPUTES:There were always disputes between farmers and ranchers. Often Ranchers would buy up huge tracts of land and then fence it off, usually tying up water supplies and roads that farmers disparately needed. Sometimes it was vice-versa where farmers would fence off a lot of small properties and not allow ranchers to let their cattle/sheep/whichever to graze.Grange/Farmers GroupsCommonly, farmers were in struggle with buyers. These companies, back when there were no regulations, would try to low ball them every time and would go so far as to use hired guns or sabotage to get their way. Farmers would try to fight back with their Co-op groups (kind of like a farmer's union) but these were often busted up with hired guns. Alternately, buyer companies would try to pose as legit commodities brokers and start co-ops with farmers - and then screw them afterwards (very low).Crime Group:Usually ex-confederates who didn't get over losing the war, or just didn't adjust to life after the civil war. Confederacy did move out to the western US, but failed.Hatfield/McCoy/etc.I personally wouldn't focus on something like that. That is more of a southern thing - although if you want to combine it with one of the above themes, it might make interesting twist.Soldiers/TribesEnraged natives who are hell bent on protecting their way of life because the white man keeps reneging on their treaties - and the soldiers who are caught up in the mess. Many times, ranchers and prospectors would encroach on native lands despite ironclad treaties; these groups would form lobby-groups in Washington who in turn would make laws which allowed these groups to ignore the treaties. Also, the effort to put telegraph lines and railways tracks across the country. Almost always they didn't ask first. How would you like it if it built a swimming pool half on your backyard - and then built a fence around it so you couldn't use it?

These are merely some ideas off the top of my head. I watched many a western as a young lad...so often these plot ideas can be political back drops to a scenario. Of course you could still mix in the typically bank robbers, glory seekers, street duels (gunfights), barroom brawls, etc etc. Until civilization moved in in the 1880's-90s, the west was fairly lawless - except in big cities or large towns (Dodge City for instance). But out in the boonies, it was pretty pure anarchy.SteveFrom David (world create?)Leader / Planner / LawmakerDiplomat / TranslatorCounselor / Peacemaker / Priest / PhilosopherArcheologist / Scientist / Scholar / DesignerBerserker / Loner / Wild CardSidekick / Comic ReliefCon Man / CharismaticCLASSIC PLOT LINES: Hum, maybe a list of known clash types as well as scenarios for classic westerns?Corrupt Judge or like? Such as federal agent, Indian agent, sheriff and more.Cattle/Sheep RustlersHerders vs the Animals (not common, but more than people think)Sheriff vs someone, sometimes a good thing, sometimes not, like a corrupt sheriff in the pocket of the cattlemen, and the son of the local sheep herder who is in love with the chief cattlemen daughter or something else, but he faces hanging cause of a murder or self defense or ..Like the classic Sheriff besieges in his jail until the Army gets there?Railroad vs ... Cattlemen or .. Sheep or Indians or ....Will review and make changes..

DISPUTES:There was always disputes between farmers and ranchers. Often Ranchers would buy up huge tracts of land and then fence it off, usually tying up water supplies ans roads that farmers disparately needed. Sometimes it was vice-versa where farmers would fence off alot of small properties and not allow ranchers to let their cattle/sheep/whichever to graze.Grange/Farmers GroupsCommonly, farmers were in struggle with buyers. These companies, back when there were no regulations, would try to low ball them every time and would go so far as to use hired guns or sabotage to get their way. Farmers would try to fight back with their Co-op groups (kinda like a farmer's union) but these were often busted up with hired guns. Alternately, buyer companies would try to pose as legit commodities brokers and start co-ops with farmers - and then screw them afterwards (very low).Railroad vs anyone with land that they wanted.Crime Group:Usually ex-confederates who didn't get over losing the war, or just didn't adjust to life after the civil war. Confederacy did move out to the western US, but failed.Hattfield/McCoy/etcI personally wouldn't focus on something like that. That is more of a southern thing - although if you want to combine it with one of the above themes, it might make interesting twist.Soldiers/Tribes:Enraged natives who are hell bent on protecting their way of life because the white man keeps reneging on their treaties - and the soldiers who are caught up in the mess. Many times, ranchers and prospectors would encroach on native lands despite ironclad treaties, these groups would form lobby-groups in Washington who in turn would make laws which allowed these groups to ignore the treaties. Also, the effort to put telegraph lines and railways tracks across the country. Almost always they didn't ask first. How would you like it if it built a swimming pool half on your backyard - and then built a fence around it so you couldn't use it?

These are merely some ideas off the top of my head. I watched many a western as a young lad...so often these plot ideas can be political back drops to a scenario. Of course you could still mix in the typically bank robbers, glory seekers, street duels (gunfights), barroom brawls, etc etc. Until civilization moved in in the 1880's-90s, the west was fairly lawless - except in big cities or large towns (Dodge City for instance). But out in the boonies, it was pretty pure anarchy. SteveFrom David I Think:The 7 Standard Western PlotsShane - retired gunslinger defends the little guyThe Magnificent 7 - Team is hired to defend entire town.. Silverado - team must get rid of evil sherif and his cronies.. Save the widder's farm from Simon LaGrie who is foreclosing on the mortgage. Zorro (late period swashbuckling adventures)Defense of the Settler from Indians or Bandits, or on the trail from starvation or likeTrain robbers or likeCheck out the cowboy channel on cable or satellite. Just look at the schedule menu, the plots are summarized.Claim jumpers on gold prospectors, Jail breaks or preventing jail breaks, Bank robbers,

CHARACTERS:Sheriff/MarshalCattle PoliceRustlers Cattle main ones but need not be.Priest/PreacherCowboysBanditsLittle Boy/GirlSoldiers/FederalsMexican ArmyFederal AgentIndian AgentScout - white or Indian, or maybe even black.Indians (helpful of they are known aggressive types, but not always, depends on the plot). Never know they might be the victims.BartenderBar MaidWhores/Entertainers/MadameDrunk(s)PreacherLord/Don/Owner of the local ranchUndertakerHangmanSchool TeacherSnake Oil Salesman (or some other travelers/sales person)Conmen (see snake oil, but not always the same)Carpet Bagger (more for southern style)Bankers (can be a character or just a plot device, or? )Prospectors/MinersBlacksmithGamblerGunslingerPeasants/PeonSlaves - Former or even depending on time and place, current. Slaves are not always black, some Asian and Irish slaves/indentured servants, as well as some Indians (From India) was used in late western times.Chinese/Blacks/Irish slaves or semi-slaves (Indentured). Many southerners used black slaves from their plantations/stock to mine Californian gold from their lands there.Confederates (former/bandits or refugees?)Engineers (Train normally, but possible others, like the oil or water or projects type)Doctor/Dentist/Snake Oil Salesmen Quack or for realPLACES:Hotel/BarWhore HouseRanch - Sheep/CattleFarmBankJailTrain Stop/StationStore (General)HousesCourt HouseFeed Store/Livery Stable/Blacksmith/CorralHacienda/Ranch (And buildings for it)ChurchGallowsUndertakers OfficeDoctors OfficePost OfficeFortApothecaryOpium Den (sometimes the same as the Apothecary, some time separate) Often run by a Chinese doctor.CorralBrothelAssayers officeLand claims officeWainwrights or Cooper place/shop (one does wagons the other does wheels or is it pots/pans and like?)

Adventurer/Big Game HunterJudgePost MasterGunsmithCarpetbagger (southern style or ?)Foreign dignitary (not often)President or member of current or past administration)Member of Congress, but not oftenSecret Agent (See James West for some ideas, but not always)-------------------MORE CHARACTERS:Post Master/ClerkStagecoach Driver/Guard/ClerkSheriff/Prison Guard/Deputy/MarshalBounty HunterMadame/Whore/Bartender/KidBank Manager/Clerk/GuardGeneral Store Owner/Manager/Clerk/WorkerMiner/Prospector/AssayerCattlemen Police/SheriffNewspaper Owner/Press personMortician/Grave DiggerExecutioner/HangmanPriest/PastorMine Owner/ManagerDoctor/Nurse (more like helper or wife?)Doctor might also do Vet work?Blacksmith/Copper Smith, Gunsmith.BanditsMexican- Former Union/Confederate/French/Mexican Army.Guards/SoldiersFormer or current MilitiaGROUPS:CattlemenSheep HerdersFarmerFormer Slaves - SettlersSettlersMormons or other like religious groupsWives ClubGrange/Farmers GroupsCrime GroupHatfield/McCoy/etc: Any group that might have a natural grudge against the other, often due to a land or like issues that went to far. Racial/Religious/Romance and more (Romeo and Juliet).DeputiesSoldiersTribesCattlemenSheep HerdersFarmersMinersChinese: Chinese or other Asian group (most often seen in the western US). Chinese and like can add Eastern elements, such as the early Tong/Triads and more. But also how they was treated..Mexicans (Spanish and Non-Spanish).Revolutionaries (Poncho and Friends and more). Much of the troubles of the 1840s to 1920 was over Northern Mexican issues, and land acquisition from Mexico).Groups, ex-Confeds, like Klan or like type people, or you mean like the James/Younger/Dalton gangs, who had Mosby or Quantrill backgrounds.. True, need not be ex-confederates, can be real ones, such as they mission in like 1863 to go to California. But they did not get there to cut off the gold mines.. Or as said before they got lost or just trying to escape from justice.Mormons or other religious group, most often Christian in nature.Like Black settlers, off to find a land where slavery is not around, or something like that.Monastery or like things?

PLOT IDEAS:Gun slingerCattlemen vs Sheep HerdersSheep Herders vs FarmersFarmers vs CattlemenFarmers vs Sheep Herders or CattlemenMiners vs someone? Claim jumpers or ?Murder or self defenseLocked up wronglyDefense, sheriff arrests someone and he can not do much until judge or marshal is in town or army is.Runaway slaveBurning down the local Chinese doctors house (why many Chinese doctors houses/work place was strong and nearly bullet proof).Conflict: Well, Hatfields and McCoy, can also means two groups that do not like each other, to include farmers vs cattle headers, or sheep herders vs cattle and so on.Looking for more ideas and such, some westerns are more 1900s, but could be westerns, sort of.

PLOT LINES:Abused wife on the runCowardly SheriffEscaped SlaveFreed Slaves (group or)MexicanLaborersEscaped IndiansPeonsSoldiersDamsel in DistressKidnappingRustled CattleSheep HerdersWater RightsWesterns can include South America?Wandering Monk(s)PilgrimsColumn of Soldiers Us or other)How far back is a Western?Spanish conquest?Pre-Spanish (some basic background from pre-Columbian.How many movies that was not a western, but might as well been one?Star Wars for instance?Movies that come to mind for ideas?

OTHER ELEMENTS:Foreign elements such as:Mexico/Spanish- Poncho Vila- Emperor Maximillian- Texas/Chihuahua RebellionFrenchCanadian- What is now NW US was once US/British Territory (Oregon/Washington/Idaho and ..)As well as foreign trade. California was a nation for a short time.. Also Russia claimed what is now Alaska, British Columbia, Washington/Oregon/California coast to San Fransisco and Hawaii..From Steve

CONTENTS:CharactersCharacter GenericPlacesGroupsPlot IdeasOther Elements (such as foreign, or outside the US, or science fiction or like, that fit the Western Ideal/Mold but are far from Western US/Canada or Northern Mexico).Disputes------http://io9.gizmodo.com/5871126/ten-plotlines-youll-find-in-science-fiction---over-and-over-again

Mike Adams 2015 and earlier

Phil West:http://www.understandingrace.org/history/gov/west_exp_post_mex.htmlhttps://www.scribd.com/doc/287289099/10MillionPlots-pdfhttp://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2015/10/27/history_of_screenwriting_a_master_book_of_plots.htmlhttp://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/1919-manual-guides-screenwriters-through-37-basic-plots-180957140/http://www.angelfire.com/mech/ironclad/ArapBasic.pdf"Timeless" had the time travellers visiting a legendary sheriff who turned out to be black. One character was musing about why this was not better known. Might put a bit of balance in the black section if you go that route. Otherwise it is all going to be about slaves and persecuted freemen.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_ReevesBass Reeves - Wikipedia. During his long career, he was credited with arresting more than 3,000 felons. He shot and killed 14 outlaws in self defense.en.wikipedia.org"Western (genre), a category of fiction and visual art centered on the American Old West "That is actually not a bad opening definition.1.Union Pacific story. The plot concerns construction of a railroad, a telegraph line, or some other type of modern technology or transportation. Wagon train stories fall into this category.2.Ranch story. The plot concerns threats to the ranch from rustlers or large landowners attempting to force out the proper owners.3.Empire story. The plot involves building a ranch empire or an oil empire from scratch, a classic rags-to-riches plot.4.Revenge story. The plot often involves an elaborate chase and pursuit by a wronged individual, but it may also include elements of the classic mystery story.5.Cavalry and Indian story. The plot revolves around "taming" the wilderness for white settlers.6.Outlaw story. The outlaw gangs dominate the action.7.Marshal story. The lawman and his challenges drive the plot.

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