Re: [DL] Cattle Barons - Marshal looking for help

["Boone McKenna" <werewolf778@hotmail.com>]

I think that I am in a position to help with this problem.  I grew up on a 
ranch in Idaho and have cowboyed or wrangled(ran horses) for several 
different outfits.  FOr a ranch to be able to clear the red there needs to 
be about three hundred mother cows while a big ranch has a lot more(J.R. 
Simplot has ten thousand mother cows)  The first step in deciding how many 
cows these ranches have to to look at how big they are.  In most of Wyoming 
it would take about 50 acres to run one cow all year.  As far as cowboys the 
ratio to one cowboy per hundred cows for a trail drive but on a ranch it 
would be about one cowboy per two to three hundred cows.  Also, the cowboys 
would live in the bunk house, the ranch house is for the ranchers family and 
most cowboys have to many bad habits to hang out with kids.  Finnally, if I 
were to want to get rid of several cows I would run them up a gully and 
shoot them.  Then I would cut off there head and hooves and let the coyotes, 
wolves, and bears eat the carcuss(DId you know that when a bear eats a dead 
cow it reaches up its anus, grabs ahold of the spine, and turns the carcuss 
inside out.  THat would scare the hell out of a posse it they came across 
that)

I hope this helps and if you have anymore questions just post them.

Marshell Boone, Biggest Charecter Killer North of the Snake


>From: Munch Wolf <munchwolf@yahoo.com>
>Reply-To: deadlands@gamerz.net
>To: Deadlands listserv <deadlands@gamerz.net>
>Subject: [DL] Cattle Barons - Marshal looking for help
>Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 08:55:31 -0700 (PDT)
>
>So I think I'm finally getting my campaign started
>next saturday.  For my first adventure I'm keeping the
>supernatural to a minimun (I have one NPC MS involved)
>and the idea I was going to run involved feuding
>cattle barons.  The problem is I really don't know
>anything about cattle barons.  Assuming two ranches,
>one much larger than the other, what would be a good
>number of cows on each ranch?  How many helpers would
>each ranch have?  Where would the helpers live?
>Finally if you were to dispose of several dead cows
>without anyone finding out, what is the easiest way?
>
>I've seen some old movies and it appears that the
>helpers live in the ranch house, which works for me.
>The only other experience I have is listening to
>stories about a friend of a friend who is a pig farmer
>(yes, I live in Indiana).  It was just 2 people, and
>they had about 200 pigs ... and in a tragic accident,
>about 80 of them got buried in the septic system.
>Cows are a bit bigger ... so the situation doesn't
>help me much.
>
>Other notes, less important, when was the first
>milking machine invented ... yes I know dairy cows are
>different than range cows ... I'm just looking for a
>non-weapon MS invention for my MS.
>
>Basic plot of the adventure:
>
>Story so far:  Since his father became ill, Morgan's
>Cattle ranch has been run by his eldest son, Jake.
>Jake unfortunately has a gambling problem which has
>significantly drained the family coffers.  The
>family's lawyer, Bob Firsttobekilledguy (name to be
>changed later), is getting suspicious.
>
>Meanwhile the only other local rival, McCreary's
>Ranch, a significantly smaller company, is also
>suffering from money problems.  They've come up with a
>rather underhanded solution to fix their problem.
>Papa McCreary has hired Typhoid Mary (name to change
>later), a harrowed who enjoys spreading diseases, to
>wipe out a significant portion of Morgan's herd.  Why?
>  When it comes time for market, McCreary's cows will
>be worth more, and or easier to sell with a decrease
>in the local competition.
>
>After the dastardly deed is done Typh M leaves (to
>reappear in later adventures), and Jake Morgan is up a
>creak.  Jake knows McCreary was behind it, and didn't
>have a solution until his friend Martin the MS shows
>his a handy dandy invention which can remove the brand
>off a cow.  Morgan raids McCreary's farm, stealing an
>equal ammount of cows as had died, and set about
>re-branding them.
>
>
>Where the adventure starts:
>
>The PCs already know each other and have a reason for
>being together (will be worked out in character
>creation).  They are also waiting for Bob
>Firsttobekilledguy to show up.  Bob has hired some
>out-of-town types (the players) to investigate Jake
>Morgan.  He knows something is going on, but not what.
>
>Unfortunately as he is heading to the salon to meet
>the players, a bank robber occurs.  Bob, and the local
>Sherif both die in the gun fight outside the bank.
>The players have the option of joining in to test out
>the combat system, but the robbers will most likely
>get away.  The robbers work for Jake Morgan and were
>really there to kill Bob and the Sherif, but to make
>it look less suspicious (the sherif was on the take,
>but was upping his price to much).  The players
>recognise Dead Bob and if they search his briefcase
>will find some clues, but no real lead as to what they
>were to be hired for.
>
>Let the players mull for a bit.
>
>Later that day, or next day Jake offers an invite to
>hire the players.  He knew about the meeting, and
>wants to know what the players know.  If they decline
>the job (just regular ranch hand positions), McCreary
>comes in with an offer, only because he knew Jake
>wanted them, and he needs help getting his cattle
>back.  McCreary already has the deputy on his side,
>and he's trying to put together a posse to take on
>Morgan.
>
>Players do some investigating stuff.
>
>Within a few days, the players should be on one side
>or another.  If they haven't already figured out
>what's happened and have found their own creative
>solution then we move to the big gunfight finale.
>McCreary and his Posse try to take on Morgan's group
>at Morgan's ranch.  This gives the posse a forum to
>say what's going on .. or to blast things.
>
>
>As you can see, details are still needed.  I can fudge
>by saying only some of Morgans helpers are around at
>the end fight, but it would be nice to have an
>estimation of how many helpers he'd have.  It would
>also be nice to figure out how many cows were involved
>and how big the ranches would be.  It would also be
>nice if I received some feedback on the idea ... is it
>too confusing?  Too combat heavy?  Too combat light?
>I'm trying to make it a one session event, but it
>might stretch to two.
>
>-Munch "Thanks for help" Wolf
>
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