Way out West

Your character is:

John Paulson
It is the spring of 1884. America’s west coast is slowly
being populated with small towns full of settlers, 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 20 years
ago and 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 hostile
Indians all add to a tense atmosphere.
Join us in the Silver Dollar Saloon as celebrations begin,
and find out how the evening unfolds…
 John Paulson — Judge
You are John Paulson, the upright and well-respected Judge of
Cactus Gulch town. You are the last word in justice here, and you
work pretty well with Sheriff Blane to keep this a quiet and law-
abiding town.
All this is a far cry from your wild youth way back East, when you
were involved in some major property swindles. You had thought
that was all behind you, but a character from your past has come
back to haunt you. Clem Parham, the representative of Mid West
Rail, arrived in town a few weeks ago, and knows you very well from
those days. Clem confronted you, yesterday, with the knowledge of
your past: and is now blackmailing you.
If only it were simple blackmail for money. But it’s worse than that.
Tonight you have to give a judgment on who now owns Fat Bull
Range, a big piece of land south-west of the town. Your old friend
Zeke Calhoun, a now wealthy prospector and landowner, ‘lost’ this
land a week ago during a drunken card game with that scoundrel Doc
Faraday.
Both Mid West Rail and South West Rail are after this land to be
able to bring the railroad into town. If South West Rail build the line,
they will probably divert it around the ancient Indian burial ground,
keeping both the Indians and Zeke happy. However, Mid West Rail
will go right through the middle. Should Doc own the land, he will
probably sell to the highest bidder, which is almost definitely going to
be Clem and Mid West Rail.
So everyone is eagerly awaiting your judgment. Of course, everyone
is expecting you to rule in favor of Zeke, everyone knows that Doc is
‘creative’ with playing-cards. But your future is at risk and you break
out in a sweat just thinking of it.
If Clem tells people about your past, your comfortable life here at
Cactus Gulch will be at an end. You’ll probably be jailed, or at the
very least left without friends, job and money, and having to start all
over again.
Well, you have to be there for the opening of the 20-year celebrations,
so you have come to the Silver Dollar Saloon and you need a drink.
But it looks like the Bartender is climbing onto the bar and is about
to make an announcement…
Zeke’s death
You are shocked and horrified – who could want to kill good old Zeke?
Surely it must be something to do with the card game with Doc last
week. You are deeply nervous on your own account, too – this just
puts even more pressure on your judgment, as to award it against a
bereaved young girl will be very unpopular. But above all, reasoned
justice under the law must prevail – there must be no hotheaded
vigilante action.

Your Goals
 Zeke: things may get ugly in the aftermath of Zeke’s death, so you
and the Sheriff must ensure that law and order prevail and that
Zeke’s killer is brought to justice.
 The judgment: The Bartender will tell you when you have to
make your judgment. You need to decide whether Fat Bull Range
stays with the Calhouns, or is now the property of Doc Faraday. It
would be so much easier if you had proof of the Doc’s cheating.
 Keep your past secret: Don’t let anyone find out about your
shady past, as it would be the end of your career if it came out. If
it does come out, you must step down as judge and hand
everything to the Sheriff.
Other people
Runs Like a Deer: An Indian nurse and shaman who used healing
powers to save you from Creek Water fever 15 years ago, and whom
you now owe a big debt of gratitude. You also respect Runs Like a
Deer’s wisdom and judgment, and you therefore may consider
consulting this respected figure about your problems with Clem.
Sheriff Abe Blane: You usually work well with the Sheriff, although
at the moment he seems irritated by your apparent dithering on the
card game judgment.
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.
Clem Parham: A face from the past that you would rather not have
seen again. Clem has information about your past that could ruin
your reputation, your career and maybe even put you in jail.

Tips for Beginners

If you’ve not played a Freeform Games murder mystery game before,
then we suggest you start by doing the following:
 Go and talk to the Sheriff and his deputy (or just the deputy if
the sheriff is out of town) and find out how they are going to
approach the investigation into Zeke’s death.
 Go and find out if Clem has dropped the idea of blackmailing you
in the light of Zeke’s death.
 Abilities
You have three abilities, as shown below. Each ability explains
how many times it may be used – check a circle each time you
use it. Once they are all checked, you may no longer use that
ability.

Gain Trust
After speaking briefly and
Ability

confidentially to another player,

show them this: they must show you
their Secret.
Three uses: O O O

Sudden Insight
After talking briefly with another
Ability

player, you realize that they revealed

more than they intended. They must
show you their Clue.
Three uses: O O O

Tight-lipped
Show this to anyone who uses an
Ability

ability to look at your Goals or your

Secret. You give nothing away and
their attempt fails.
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.
(Please note that you can’t solve the mystery by looking at
everyone’s Secret and Clue – it’s not that easy!)

When you were younger,

you were involved in major
Secret

land swindles back East

and had to head West to
escape justice.

It will be impossible to
prove that Doc cheated
Clue

Zeke without some physical

evidence.
 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 simply carrying
them out. If you want to try something unusual (such as swing
from a chandelier), see the Bartender. The Bartender knows
everything – and will be able to tell you the outcome of whatever
it is that you are trying to do. (For example, the chandeliers may
be too high to reach.) Do use your imagination, though! – this is
a very flexible game, and you can do all sorts of things beyond
what’s listed in these rules.
Fighting: 1884 was a rough, tough time in Cactus Gulch! Your
character may wish to grapple with, come to blows with, or even
stab or shoot one of the other characters. Should you wish to do
something along these lines though, don’t just dive in! See the
Bartender first and tell them what you plan to do so they can
oversee and give you more detailed rules if it’s necessary.
Leaving the town: Cactus Gulch is in the middle of nowhere
and the surrounding territories can be quite hostile. You are
therefore advised not to attempt leaving town during the course
of the evening.
Item Cards: Any 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.
 Way out West — Cast List
Locals
 Lucy Calhoun: Zeke Calhoun’s daughter, young woman,
complete tomboy

 Able Blane: The town’s reliable sheriff

 Dan Fairweather: Slow and honest deputy sheriff

 Blaise Sadler: Aging saloonkeeper

 Kalamata Kate: Young waitress

 Doc Faraday: Notorious gambler

 John Paulson: Town’s much-revered judge

Natives
 Three Feathers: Revered Indian shaman

 Runs Like a Deer: Indian woman

Out-0f-towners
 Elijah Entwhistle: Traveling preacher

 Mel Easton: City slicker, South West Rail rep

 Slick O’Hare: Scruffy ranch hand for hire

 Clem Parham: City slicker, Mid West Rail rep

 Christy Martin: Storekeeper from out of town

Way out West is copyright © 2003, 2012 Freeform Games LLP www.freeformgames.com