9 text by henrik örnebring 9

DR WYCOMBE’S
MIRACULOUS ELIXIR
“Hear ye, hear ye! Gather round everyone. You there! And you, good sir,
you look a little down and about. No offence, not at all, absolutely not!
But I do know that life in the mines can be taxing on body and soul.
Not just taxing, but a clear and present danger to your health! To breathe
in that pesky stone dust all day through can lead to pulmanitorus ruptis,
Lord knows, and carrying load after load of ores can lead to severe strain
of the pluxus maximus muscle! Do you ever feel the pain of a sore back
after a long day of labour? Oh dear, this is exactly what I am talking about.
It will eventually lead to many unpleasant ailings, hair loss, potency pro-
blems and heavens know what else. You sure want to keep that pluxus
maximum muscle fit and flexible, good sir. There is no better way of doing
that, than with Dr Wycombe’s Miraculous Elixir. Brewed from the patented
recipe by Dr Herman Wycombe, scholar extraordinaire from both London,
and the institute of vitaminology in Switzerland! Just one mere tablespoon
of Dr Wycombe’s elixir every day, contains all the vitamins and minerals
you need to keep your muscles spry, and your mind clear and sunny!”

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 9 illustrations by lukas thelin 9
Backstory
Herman Wycombe was born and raised in Margate,
England, as the oldest son of a well reputed family of
doctors. Herman’s father is a doctor, his grandfather
was a doctor, and all of Herman’s uncles and cousins
are doctors. There was no question about it, Herman
would be sent to London, to study medicine at the
Imperial College. The problem was, that Herman
really didn’t have any interest in following family
traditions – and the Wycombe family had little to
none understanding for this scandalous view of his.
To begin with, Herman’s academic studies was
going well. He was clever and keen to keep his father
pleased. But soon enough, he could not find the will to
keep up with the boring medical studies, and he started
hanging out with a group of young rascals that usually
frequented the entertainment and theatre districts of
London. His study results deteriorated, and when it
was discovered that he had been stealing from the
university’s stock of medicinal alcohol, one time too
many, he was expelled from the campus - discreetly of
course in regard of the Wycombe family’s good name.
Herman’s father was furious and had no plans to let
his young son escape his destiny, to be a doctor as all
the Wycombes before him had been, come what may.
He was sent to a university in Germany, to continue
his studies. The intent, and hope, was that Herman
would settle down if he were far from his rowdy friends
and the temptations of the grand city of London. Of
course, there was no one in Germany, who knew about
Herman’s little faux pas back home - which in other
words, made it an excellent place to start anew.
This, however, was not Herman’s intentions. But
he still could not handle the stress the family put on
him, and it did not take long until he found a group of
students that dedicated their time to wild parties and
other loose living. Herman lost himself completely in
the partying, and alongside vast amounts of alcohol,
he started experimenting with morphine, opium and
cocaine. Once again, he failed all his studies, and was
asked to leave yet another university.
And once again, his father was infuriated. The old
man sent Herman to a sanatorium in Switzerland,
where the son managed to get his drug addiction under
control. But he still did not have any wish of his own
to become a doctor. When his father sent money for
another six months stay at the sanatorium, Herman
used it to buy a cruise ticket on a ship to New York.
In New York, Herman had to struggle to survive
for almost 20 years. His knowledge of medicine was
enough to make him able to practice his trade, if he
did so discreetly. Still, he had not graduated as a doctor,
and was not licensed to practice medicine. His medical
work was mostly forbidden or frowned upon, such
as abortions, assigning contraceptives and ferrying
drugs to the people on the shadowy side of life.
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Through the years, Herman was pulled deeper and
deeper into the criminal world of New York, and made
his money stitching up robbers and other riff-raff
when they suffered gunshot wounds, or other crime
related injuries. Soon he was in deep debt with loan
sharks, due to his addiction and gambling. In the
end, life in New York was getting hard to maintain
or even survive, and at the age of 45, he was forced
to move on. This time, his sights were set on the West.
Aimlessly he travelled westward. When he passed
through St Louis, Missouri, he ran into a gambler, con
artist and petty criminal called Charles Fairweather.
Fairweather had procured a shipment of morphine
that needed refining, in order to be sold at a higher
price in total. Herman Wycombe needed money, so
the two of them started working together. Regretfully,
the duo had to depart St Louis rather hastily, as Fair-
weather failed to pay part of the proceeds from the
lucrative morphine business, to the ruling gang of
criminals, that demanded their fair share.
Pursued by criminals from St Louis, and New York,
Herman and Charles soon realized that their best
chances for survival was on the road. Charles came up
with the idea, that they could be travelling salesmen,
selling miraculous medicines. Herman would brew
up some elixirs that would make people feel better,
without necessarily damaging their health irreparably,
and Charles would sell them. All said and done; they
got a wagon, vital equipment and started to roam
the West, selling Dr Wycombe’s Miraculous Elixir.
As Herman was more proficient in mixing medi-
cinal compounds, than most other charlatans in the
Wild West, their small enterprise became an instant
success. The Miraculous Elixir was a mix of opiates,
caffein, vitamins and various spices diluted in alcohol.
It made anyone who drank it calm and energized at
the same time. Charles and Herman had no problem
selling their elixir for $4 for each bottle (or $10 for
two, as a sSpecial oOffer!). Each bottle landed them
a handsome profit, given that the ingredients they
used were not even worth 50 cents.
When the dynamic duo passed through the city
of Lafayette, Charles surprised a young man in the
midst of picking the pockets of an intoxicated sleeping
Dr Wycombe. Instead of turning the young man, a
certain mr Tim Biggins, over to the local authorities,
Charles offered him a job. Their elixir enterprise had
expanded enough for them to need an assistant, but
it was also because Charles thought it would be nice
to have a second income source. Tim could relieve
the pockets in the crowd from money and valuables,
while Charles and Herman presented their products
to the people gathering around them. Tim had no
better offer at hand, so he agreed to the arrangement.
The duo behind Dr Wycombes Miraculous Elixir
became a trio.
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 9 translation by jenny bremberg 9
The Business behind the elixir
Herman, Charles and Tim recently arrived to Black
Hills. They have been visiting Lead and Spearfish,
stopping a few weeks in each of these communities on
their way to Deadwood, the number one boomtown
in Black Hills. Up until now, Tim has been able to
keep his slippery fingers under control, and he has not
stolen enough from any one person or from any large
crowd to make people suspect that a pickpocket could
be part of the Dr Wycombe’s travelling sales company.
He has made his share of earnings, without creating
any risk for the others. Tim also stays far from the
doctor and Charles while they are working. None of
them want people to figure out their little arrangement,
so it is better for everyone that they keep in contact
outside of the communities they are working in.
Dr Wycombe and his associate Charles has ma-
naged to work up a fairly good reputation in Lead
and Spearfish. Herman has started the production of
a powder that cures constipation, and a more pure
vitamin tincture that helps against certain diseases
stemming from vitamin deficiencies. Both of these
treatments are quite popular, especially with miners
whose food supply has a tendency to be rather un-
balanced. Adding to the popularity, Dr Wycombe
has treated more than a couple of ailments, such as
broken bones, abrasions and minor injuries, amongst
the miners and farmers (for a humble fee of course). In
an area where medical care is rare and often expensive,
this has provided the Elixir peddlers with quite a lot of
attention and goodwill. The sales are going splendidly,
and many come to the reputable Dr Wycombe’s tent
and wagon, to get medical care and advice.
The time has come for the company to move on to
Deadwood. Herman and Charles have even started
to consider settling down in Black Hills permanently,
if business works out well.
The irony is that even though Herman Wycombe
has spent most of his life trying to escape family tradi-
tion, he is now a far better physician than his father
ever was. Herman has picked up impressive skills as
a druggist and he has long experience of practising
medicine in highly stressful situations, with meager
resources at hand. He could probably settle down
anywhere, start a prosperous clinic and live a calm
and eventless life for the rest of his years. But he
suffers from low self esteem and sees himself as a
failure – he doesn’t realise the it would be a simple
task for him to practice proper medicine, instead of
conning his way through life as a vendor of miracle
potions. On the other hand, Herman’s problem with
drugs and gambling is still ever present and makes it
hard for him to save up any money.
The largest obstacle the trio faces has always been
that they are not aware of their own limitations. They
also tend to marginalize the risks in what they are
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doing – Charles and Tim especially suffer from this.
It is just a question of time before someone realizes
there is always an increase in pockets picked whenever
Dr Wycombe showcases his potions, or until Charles
is caught cheating in a game of poker.
Charles is always on the lookout for new lucrative
scams and opportunities, and those are plentiful in
Black Hills. You can sell false maps to deeds, claim to
be a registrar and collect deed fees and so on. Charles
has gotten used to living large, and wants more of the
good life. If he gets a chance to start a new scam, even
if it risks his and Herman’s company, he will take it.
the characters enter the scene
If the players are in Black Hills they can run into Dr
Wycombe’s Miraculous Elixir Company, when they
are demonstrating the beneficial effects of the elixir on
Main Street in any chosen mining community. Charles
Fairweather is making a good show on stage, charming
the crowd, joking and explaining the many perks of
the wondrous potion, while Dr Wycombe sits at the
back of the stage, serious and trustworthy with his
answers to questions on why the medicine works and
its ingredients. If the players are not paying attention,
and Tim succeeds with his Sleight of Hand-check,
they might walk away a purse lighter.
By basic deduction and and asking around, the
characters can gradually deduce that pickpockets
often are active while Dr Wycombe’s Medicine Show
is held, and a demonstration of his wares gathers a
crowd of people around him. If they choose to confront
Herman and Charles in the open, it can easily misfire,
as the charlatans has become quite popular in Black
Hills. The grateful people who received help from the
Doctor and his friend in the past will not believe any
allegations of thievery and fraud without proper proof.
Herman, Charles and Tim want to avoid trouble.
They are willing to pay the amount the characters
have lost, if they do not cause too much of a scene, and
withdraw their accusations. Charles will be eloquent
and charming, and the Doctor volunteers to provide
the characters with free medical care while they stay
in Black Hills. The best overall gaming experience
would probably be if the player characters start out
skeptical towards the Elixir trio, but eventually leaves
their distrust behind and befriend them instead.
When they start to bond and become friends, the
gangs from New York and St Louis finally catches
up with the travelling medicine show. While tracking
their route through the West, the two gangs has ran
into each other, realized they arepursuing the same
person, and decided to work together. Now rough
debt collectors from New York and street thugs from
St Louis want to extract their revenge. Charles and
Herman pleads with the characters for help. A grand
showdown will soon take place in Black Hills.
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 9 Dr Wycombe’s miraculous elixir 9

HERMAN WYCOMBE
Herman is a short, rotund gentle-
man, marked by the endeavours of
a hard life; a furrowed face, swol-
len nose and deep set eyes. All that
makes it easy to mistake him for
a man in his early sixties. He is
always seen wearing a threadbare
pinstriped suit with a bow tie and
a bowler hat.
It would be easy to believe that
Herman’s experiences had shaped
him into a bitter man, but that is
not the case at all. He has recogni-
zed his own faults and errors, and
always tries to see the sunny side
of things. Granted, he has had a
rough life, but he has also seen and
lived things that he would never
had the chance to experience in the
sheltered life his family wanted for
him. A life, which in the long run,
he would have grown to resent, as
it would be even more boring than
watching the hands move slower
and slower on a grandfather clock,
until they finally stopped.
Herman is an educated fellow,
and he would easily fit in to any
socialite party - at least if he took a
bath, shaved and changed clothes
before he went there. But that is
not where he feels at ease, or where
wants to be. Herman loves the
company of miners, prostitutes
and criminals.
His ironic sense of humour and
witty reparté, gives him more ap-
preciation and admiration at sa-
loons, and in rough company, than
it ever would in the finer halls of
the city. Besides, he never did feel
like he mattered much among the
finer folks, but he knows that he
can make a difference in the lives
of the miners.
GAME STATS
Age 47; 5’2; 198 lb; Brown eyes; Dark Grey hair;
Place of Birth; Margate, England; Right-handed
talents Demagogue/Medicine Man/Silver Tounge
obstacles Addict/Reckless/Drunkard
reputation 0/75 destiny p. 3 Obstacle p. 3
cool 10 con 8 dex 15 int 14
qck 10 STr 11 vig 13
guts 0 grit 2 combat exp. 2 defense 5
WEAPON TH DV CS A Q
Colt Police (converted) 13 - 10 2 ±0
Shotgun 18 - 8 1 ±0
Unarmed 13 13 7 1 -
SKILLS
Act 14, Appraisal 12, Arithmetic 22, Craft/Drug-
gist 19, Dance 8, Deal 16, Drive/Wagon 14, Elo-
quence 15, Etiquette 18, Exp/Anatomy 12, Exp/
Criminals 16, Exp/Flora 10, Exp/History/English
15, Exp/Herbs 12, Exp/Medicine 21, First Aid 21,
Game/Boardgames 13, Game/Cards 12, Game/
Hazard 5, Game/Pool 8, Language/German 13,
Language/Greek 6, Language/Latin 16, Quack-
ery 16, Read/Write 22, Religion/Anglican 22,
Ride 11, Surgery 14, Scout 9, Swim 8, Stealth 7

The Pursuers
“Lips” McKenzie’s first name is Martin, but everyone
calls him “Lips” because of the three scars running
parallel on his lower lip. He got the scars when he
was scratched by a cat, but he will never admit to that.
Instead he claims that he got them in a knife fight ...
“Lips” is second in command in a brutal gang of debt
collectors from New York. He and his two companions,
Gus Kinsey and “Boxcar” Hank, got the assignment
to hunt down Dr Wycombe and collect the money he
owed. In St Louis they ran into Radcliffe Breen and his
men. After a small misunderstanding, that cost “Box-
car” Hank half his ear, “Lips” and Radcliffe realized
that they had common interests and decided to band
together to track down Wycombe and Fairweather.
Radcliffe Breen is a proper street thug that has
reached the position of gang leader by being meaner
and more ruthless than all the others. He is completely
bald, with big cauliflower ears and a lopsided grin. He
built his considerable fortune on selling morphine to
addicts, not the least war veterans. However, Breen’s
position was challenged by his second in command
Vincent Deangelo, when Wycombe stole a substantial
quantity from the crew. Without the drugs to back him
up and most of his money locked in his extravagant
home, Breen was driven out of St Louis by his former
gang members. To add insult to injury, Deangelo now
lives in Breen’s lavish home. The only loyal men he
has left are Fred Hobbs and Quentin Lavery, who
will help him exact his revenge on Wycombe and
Fairweather, no matter the cost. The revenge is the
only reason he joined forces with “Lips” McKenzie and
his men, even though he neither trusts nor likes them.
Gus Kinsey and “Boxcar” Hank have game stats
like Ruffians in The Law of the Land. Fred Hobbs
and Quentin Lavery have game stats like Bouncers.

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 9 bonus-pdfs for western backers 9
CHARLES FAIRWEATHER
Charles keeps his hair slicked back
stylishly, has rosy cheeks, a thin
moustache and a constant smile on
his lips. When he is showcasing the
miracle elixir, trying to peddle their
wares to trading posts and stores, he
always wears a checkered suit and a
low black Stetson hat with silver con-
chos in the brim (all is Quality +1) In
other situations he wears simpler, more
modest suits to avoid attention.
He is a cheerful fellow, as untrust-
worthy as he is charming. He has never
had any close friends, since he sooner
or later tries to take advantage of them,
or trick them out of their money. Her-
man and Tim, are the only exceptions
to this, and even if Charles often fan-
tasizes about stealing all their money
and leave them behind, he would never
do it. He has, against his own instincts,
become quite fond of the old Doctor
and the young pickpocket, and if his
action would ever come to harm either
one of them, he would be devastated
and try his hardest to make amends.
TIM BIGGINS
Under a brown cap, Tim’s thick shoul-
der length hair, frames a thin, scrawny
face. He has a long narrow nose, and
sunken cheeks that make him look
malnourished. His upper lip is crow-
ned by an fuzzy, sparse moustache, that
never really thickens, no matter how
much of Dr Wycombe’s Super Effec-
tive Hair Growth Stimulating Salve,
Tim puts on it. He is dressed in brown
baggy pants, a white shirt and a worn
leather jacket.
Tim is an orphan, and the life of a
drifter has always come naturally to
him; he rarely thinks about what he
does, or how his life could be better or
worse than it is right now. He doesn’t
like to plan for the future, and when
he gets his hands on any money, he
spends it quickly. Much to his sur-
prise, he has realized that he likes the
structured and disciplined life he has
together with Herman and Charles.
For the first time ever he has a feeling
of wanting to stay where he is, rather
than leave at the first possible moment.
MARTIN “LIPS” MCKENZIE
McKenzie is from New York, and likes
it there. But as second in command in
the gang, he has to make Wycombe
pay – and pay with interest. It is bad
for business if others think they can
evade their debts. That is why he is in
Black Hills with 3 thugs from St Louis
(but they won’t get any of the money).
GAME STATS
Age 37; 5’5; 203 lb; Brown eyes; Brown hair;
Place of Birth; New York, N.Y.; Right-handed
talents Fearless Focused/Resistant
obstacles Atheist/Blunt/Wanted ($200 in N. Y.)
reputation -20/85 destiny p. 2 Obstacle p. 2
cool 10 con 15 dex 15 int 9
qck 13 STr 14 vig 11
guts 4 grit 10 combat exp. 8 defense 10
WEAPON TH DV CS A Q
British Bulldog 18 - 17 3 ±0
Sawed Off Shotgun 20 - 14 2 ±0
Knife 20 20 16 3 ±0
SKILLS
Acrobatics 10, Arithmetic 10, Coordination 10,
Dance 5, Exp/Weapons 10, Explosives 5, First
Aid 10, Game/Cards 10, Game/Hazard 10, Game/
Pool 5, Hide/Seek 5, Read/Write 5, Ride 10,
Scout 5, Stealth 10, Survival/Cities 10, Weapon
Drill/Revolver 15
RADCLIFFE BREEN
Respected street thug, and gang leader
in St Louis – until Dr Wycombe tricked
him out of a large amount of morphine.
Breen’s gang was taken over by his
second in command, and only two of
his men stayed loyal. They have fol-
lowed him in the hunt for Wycombe.
Breen’s dream is to exact a bloody re-
venge upon the Quack, so that he can
return in triumph and regain control of
the gang he lost. He doesn’t trust the
ruffians from New York, but is blin-
ded by the will to humiliate Wycombe.
Brutally and while grinning widely ...

GAME STATS GAME STATS GAME STATS

Age 31; 5’8; 165 lb; Brown eyes; Brown hair; Age 18; 5’7; 154 lb; Blue eyes; Black hair; Age 29; 5’9; 180 lb; Blue eyes; Bald;
Place of Birth; St. Louis, Missouri; Right-handed Place of Birth; Lafayette, Indiana; Right-handed Place of Birth; St. Louis, Missouri; Right-handed
talents Liar/Lucky/Slippery talents Focused/Night Vision/Plain talents Hard to Impress/Night Vision/Slugger
obstacles Coward/Dandy/Tenderfoot obstacles Easily Impressed/Reckless/Spender obstacles Illitterate/Hot-headed/Vengeful
reputation -5/50 destiny p. 3 Obstacle p. 3 reputation 0/15 destiny p. 3 Obstacle p. 3 reputation -25/105 destiny p. 2 Obstacle p. 3
cool 11 con 11 dex 17 int 13 cool 12 con 13 dex 18 int 10 cool 11 con 14 dex 17 int 8
qck 16 STr 12 vig 14 qck 15 STr 9 vig 13 qck 17 STr 13 vig 13
guts 0 grit 3 combat exp. 3 defense 8 guts 1 grit 3 combat exp. 2 defense 12 guts 3 grit 8 combat exp. 7 defense 14
WEAPON TH DV CS A Q WEAPON TH DV CS A Q WEAPON TH DV CS A Q
British Bulldog 17/15 - 15 3 ±0 Colt Cloverleaf 15 - 12 2 ±0 Colt House Model 15 - 14 2 ±0
Sharp, Derringer 16 - 15 3 ±0 Arkansas Toothpick 18 18 14 2 ±0 Arkansas Toothpick 22 22 18 3 ±0
Unarmed 18 18 11 2 - Unarmed 16 16 14 2 - Unarmed 21 21 18 3 -
SKILLS SKILLS SKILLS
Appraisal 14, Arithmetic 10, Craft/Forgerty 9, Craft/ Acrobatics 13, Appraisal 15, Arithmetic 5, Drive/ Acrobatics 10, Appraisal 12, Arithmetic 10, Craft/
Cooking 10, Deal 15, Drive/Wagon 13, Eloquence Wagon 10, Exp/Criminals 8, Game/Cards 8, Distiller 10, Drive/Wagon 8, Expertise/Weapons
20, Etiquette 13, Exp/Medicine 6, Game/Cards Game/Hazard 7, Hide/Seek 12, Lock Picking 12, 7, First Aid 5, Game/Cards 10, Game/Hazard
15, Game/Hazard 9, Game/Pool 14, Language/ Quackery 5, Read/Write 5, Religion/Methodist 5, Game/Pool 5, Hide/Seek 7, Ride 5, Scout
Latin 8, Lock Picking 9, Read/Write 10, Religion/ 5, Ride 10, Scout 6, Sleight of Hand 20, Stalk 12, 5, Stalk 10, Survival/Cities 8, Weapon Drill/
Methodist 9, Ride 13, Scout 8, Sleight of Hand 8 Stealth 14, Swim 10 Knife 15

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