Way out West

Runs Like a Deer

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…
 Runs Like a Deer—Indian Tribeswoman
You are Runs Like a Deer and have lived among the white men at
Cactus Gulch for the last twenty years.
You became the nursemaid to Lucy Calhoun when her mother died
giving birth to her. You think of her as a daughter. You also have
great respect and loyalty for Lucy’s father, Zeke Calhoun, a now
wealthy prospector and landowner. He has the same respect for the
land as your tribe does.
You still have tremendous loyalty to your tribe, and now your
ancient burial grounds are under threat—so you have asked for your
tribe’s revered shaman, Three Feathers, to come to Cactus Gulch to
represent your people.
Unfortunately, Zeke Calhoun has made a terrible mistake. He has
been involved in a card game and lost Fat Bull Range to Doc
Faraday. The sacred burial ground is on this land. Now it looks as if
Doc Faraday will sell the land to Clem Parham of Mid West Rail,
and they will drive the Iron Horse right through your ancestors.
This must not happen. You will do whatever you can to protect the
burial site.
From the minute you saw Clem Parham, you knew you were in the
presence of an evil spirit. The whole town has been hoping that
Judge Paulson, the upright and well-respected justice man, will rule
that the land still belongs to Zeke. However, a few nights ago, late at
night, you saw Judge Paulson, through a window, exchanging harsh
words with Clem Parham. Judge Paulson sat with his head in his
hands and wept. You have told Three Feathers this.
But now something terrible has happened. You were taking a treat
to your horse in the stables when you saw something strange lying
in the corner. To your horror, you realized it was Zeke Calhoun,
looking badly beaten and with his hands tied behind him. You drew
your knife and quickly cut the cords, but soon realized it was too
late—he was dead!
You fled the barn, knife still in hand, and ran to the Calhouns’ cabin.
Then you realized that everyone would be in the Silver Dollar
Saloon. You ran back there. You saw Lucy through the crowd; she
smiled and waved at you. But before you can reach her, the
Bartender is climbing onto the bar and is about to make an
announcement…

Zeke’s death
You already know about it, but you are still shocked and horrified—
who could want to kill good old Zeke? The white man’s law is
strange to you—you hope you don’t get caught up in it. Your main
responsibility is to help poor Lucy.

Your goals
▪ Save the Indian burial grounds: At all costs, your people’s
ancestors’ remains must be protected. The railroad cannot be
allowed to despoil them.
▪ Lucy Calhoun: Protect Lucy Calhoun if you can—her father’s
death might mean she, too, is in danger.
▪ Help Three Feathers: Your tribe’s shaman, although greatly
revered, is not wise in the ways of the white folk and will rely on
you for advice on how to deal with them.
▪ Zeke’s death: You realize that fleeing the murder scene with a
knife in hand could look bad for you, if anyone saw you. You must
make sure that you are not implicated in the killing.
Other people
Ol’ Barr: You’ve always kept your distance from Ol’ Barr, a strange
trapper who lives up in the hills near the burial ground. Evil spirits
surround Ol’ Barr, and it’s only a matter of time before they drive
the trapper mad again. Three Feathers claims to have driven the
spirits out, but it’s not true. Standing within ten feet of Ol’ Barr is
like standing in front of the barrel of a loaded gun: death is too close.
You’ve already tried to talk to Three Feathers about the danger, but
you’re not being heard. Try convincing Ol’ Barr that nothing good
can come from trying to help the tribe.
Lucy Calhoun: You love Lucy like a daughter. She can be obstinate
and unruly, but she loves you too.
Elijah Entwhistle: This enigmatic traveling preacher arrived in
town a few weeks ago, preaching damnation and hellfire for sinners.
He makes you very uncomfortable (but then, he seems to make
everyone else feel like that too!) The strange thing is that he seems
vaguely familiar—why is that?
Clem Parham: You are sure this railroad representative has an evil
heart and could bring disaster to your tribe. You have been spying
on Parham as often as you can. Just as well, because you are sure
that that strange conversation you saw with Judge Paulson is
important.
Blaise Sadler: Rumor has it that Blaise has marked cards from Doc
and Zeke’s game.
Three Feathers: Your tribe’s respected Shaman, whom you always
keep updated with information that might help your tribe. You take
guidance from Three Feathers and help in any way you can.

Suggested first moves

▪ Console Lucy Calhoun, but tell her what you saw earlier.
▪ Consult with Three Feathers about your plan of action.
 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.

L et’s g ossip
Another player must first tell you who is listed in
their Other People section, and then read out
Abi li ty

the details of a character of your choice. You

must then tell them who is listed in your Other
People section and read out the details of a
character of their choice.
Three uses: O O O

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

challenge succeed. It need not be a challenge

you are involved in.
Three uses: O O O

N ob ody notic es y ou
Your job as a nursemaid makes you unobtrusive.
If you see a conversation that you’d like to
Abi li ty

secretly overhear, tell the Bartender, and they

will listen in and report to you what’s being
talked about. Please do not play this if the
Bartender is busy!
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 found Zeke’s body and

S ecr et

cut the rope around his

wrists before realizing that
he was dead.

Yesterday, you saw Clem

Parham exchanging harsh
Clue

words with Judge Paulson,

who seemed distressed.
 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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