Avoiding the Wild West Trope

[ChalkLine]

The Wild West is an important part of the US psyche. It is a time that the US draws most of its heroes and anti-heroes from.

However it can be overdone. Cowboys and Cadillac Commandos verges on the silly and using wild west tropes in every settlement and encounter sells the game short. However, tropes are (in my mind) an important part of gaming. They're shared images and themes that link players and the GM.

So, I was thinking of using this thread to think of what other tropes transfer to The Morrow Project.

It's easy to think of ones to avoid (Revolutionary War, Pirates . . . ) but Vietnam War can be done, as can a Star Trek mission. Any thoughts?

[Matt W]

Well, "Westerns" and "Post-Apocalypse" often have a strong similarity in style.

But, yes there are other things that you can use for inspiration

1. Shakespearean tragedies (hey, he stole ideas too). I've run "The Tempest" as a Morrow Project scenario. Of course, "Forbidden Planet" stole it first. Richard III might also work

2. Prison Break . This is actually a good way for a group to get together (and the PD can limit the toys). It could be anything from Patrick Mcgoohan's "The Prisoner" to something like the movie "The Great Escape"

3. War Movies. "The Guns of Navarone" needs a lot of disguising, but is fairly simple to run