Soo, i finnaly started sculpting my own deadlands x hunt showdown "setting", for now i'm thinking it'll make a cool one shot, but if it'll write well, i might go for full campaign idea. Basically, the setting is placed in the beginning days of louisiana incident, taking our players on a journey of wicked manipulous power twisting their birthplace to the will of the Sculptor.
As of now, i've prepared the "setting" - main town and some notable locations, wich i'll probably be expanding later on. Without further ado, there's my current work :
Louisiana Incident — Cranewater
It is late September, 1895. Less than a week ago, the town of Cranewater celebrated the 60th anniversary of its founding, and traces of the festivities can still be seen everywhere—hanging garlands, slightly dried-out wreaths, and stalls that local shopkeepers are still making use of.
The town is slowly returning to its usual rhythm, and nothing would suggest that, within the next few hours, events will unfold here that will shake the entire world.
Core Premise
The players take on the roles of ordinary people living in Louisiana, just before or at the very beginning of a massive outbreak. They do not know the nature of the infection. They do not know what the Sculptor is. They have no access to any proven methods of fighting monsters. They may not even know each other particularly well at the beginning.
THE TOWN
A small town of roughly 350 inhabitants, including the surrounding plantations, mills, and other buildings. Cranewater is not completely isolated. Cranewater is a popular transit point, primarily for transporting sulfur mined in the surrounding area. Steamboats occasionally stop here, while local farmers and trappers come into town to trade.
MAIN STREET
A single wide main street runs through the center of town. Storefronts and market stalls greet travelers passing through, while a watering trough with a hitching rail provides horses with a place to rest during a short stop.
RIVER PORT
A small port serving as a transit point where crews transporting sulfur can rest, as well as a fishing port where fresh catfish, alligator meat, and crawfish can be bought by weight.
RAILWAY STATION
Directly adjacent to the port, the railway station is, after the stagecoaches, the main means of transporting mined sulfur inland toward Alexandria, from where it is distributed throughout the various states.
Passenger trains also run through here six days a week, on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, both in the morning and evening.
SURROUNDINGS
Beyond the signs of human activity, Cranewater is surrounded by vast swamplands inhabited by numerous whooping cranes, from which the town takes its name. The area is also home to the creatures common to the region—catfish, crawfish, alligators, deer, black bears, and so on. On the other side of town stretch vast cornfields, surrounded by dense cypress forests. A railway line and a road toward De'Salle cut through the woods.
PLAYERS
The players are not seasoned monster hunters or hardened fighters (yet). They are simply townsfolk - bartender, doctor, huckster, shopkeep, who happened to be living their lives here as the events of the campaign begin to unfold.
To make them feel like a part of the Cranewater, have them answer a few questions at the beginning of the game:
- Who do you know here?
- Who do you owe money to?
- Who would you protect at all costs?
- Who can't you stand?
- Why haven't you left?
(we will need that later)
