Giant snakes, expensive booze, and a lot of dust.

Another playtest two weeks ago showed me that I'm bringing more balance into the game. I modified the effect of the Interrogator's tokens and they had some impact. But not enough. I've begun the real overhaul of their rules and effects.

I also need to hang more on the endgame. The past few games have slouched in to an ending. I need more tension there and I think shifting around the kinds of resources available to the Hitters and the Interrogator at that stage will do it.

Here's a story:

My three players, Matt Coburn and Don and Joanna Corcoran, Played a group of down-and-out Nevadans. Living outside Vegas, they saw glimpses of the good life but didn't have the money (or sobriety) to share in it. The money would pay off gambling debt, let them move on from the trailer park and generally rise above drunken poverty.

Tasked with offing a sheriff's deputy who had gotten too big for his britches, they went about looking for a way to make it look accidental. They decided a rattler bite might do the trick.

Stealing the snake:
It was decided that the best way to get a "good snake" for the job would be to steal one from the mini zoo at a nearby casino. With a bit of trickery and a well picked fight, the Hitters got a big, nasty snake into a bag. Unfortunately, it wasn't venomous. Rather than lose the time and money spent, they decided to trade up.

The Russian's bar:
There's an old Indian chief out in the hills who might be able to help. But to win him over, you need to bring him some expensive liqour (he's quite well read on the subject so don't try to fool him.) Most bars out here can't afford much but the crazy Russian who built his mansion in the middle of a dust filled canyon is known for expensive tastes. With a little seduction grift and quick thinking from the gambler they made off with a bottle of cognac. The cost? A bullet wound and frantic drive in a stolen limo.

The old man:
He was happy to have the booze, and the snake they gave him was a nice addition. He offered them a snake he had trained. Unfortunately, they didn't test the goods out beforehand and the snake's fangs were broken.

What now?
With what they had left in time and money, the Hitters got to the sheriff. Telling him that if he didn't do something about the deputy, bigger guns would roll in to town.