[HoE] Templar Code

[Abdullah Oblongota <toadpooka@usa.net>]

Most of the arguments against Templars' playability here hinge pretty much on
the Marshal saying, "OK, here's the plot.  Go for it."  There's this town and
Black Hats are going to attack it.  So the posse obviously has to sit there and
wait for them to show up.  Next week, there's going to be this town, and the
Cult o' Doom is going to attack it, etc.
Long ago, I ran a Weird West adventure designed to test my players' morality
level.  They were a Texas Ranger-oriented group, and they were assigned to track
down an escaped CSA scientist who had the blueprints for an unknown invention. 
After tracking him through the desert, they found the scientist, and went
through his luggage.  There, they found his blueprint.  The invention he had
designed was pretty much a doomsday device.  The characters were SUPPOSED to
question whether or not they should let this fall into ANYONE'S hands, but they
continued their mission, just because "the Marshal told them too."  I considered
the adventure a failure.
As a Marshal, you should continually be making the PC's second-guess
themselves.  The posse Law Dog should occasionally ask himself, "What if that
arrogant Templar is actually RIGHT?"  At the same time, the Templar should
wonder if he did a good enough job in judging that settlement that just got
razed to the ground.  "What if there were good people there that I just didn't
see?"
Basically, if you make the moral choice an important part of the story, as
opposed to the tactical challenge of fighting platoons of enemies, then the
"weaknesses" of the Templars become strengths.  They know the Black Hats are
coming in two days.  The Templar (personally) wants to help his friends, but so
far hasn't found any worthy folks to defend.  So, he's got two days to find
something, anything, worth saving about this settlement.  That's a bigger
adventure than taking down the Horsemen, Stone, and Throckmorton combined.

-- 
From Whom It May Concern,
Richard Ranallo, The Man They Couldn't Hang

Your money talks, but my genius walks
Morticians wait with a shovel and a fork
As detectives trace my hands with chalk
Your money talks but my genius walks.
--They Might Be Giants, "You'll Miss Me"