The Empire of Texas - Session #1 Notes

Couldn't find a source for this one, leave it in the comment if you know it.

For the player's side of this, see this post by Cosmic Orrery.

"The Emperor of Texas has heard the plight of his allies across the desert. The Plague wracks them and empties out villages. From his riches he promises to provide medicine. The price is independence."

Running The Empire of Texas by Luke Gearing, using Violence by him too. It's a hexcrawl centered around a caravan transporting medicine for the plague across dangerous and lawless wilderness. A handful of soldiers, accompanied by armed prisoners who will be granted freedom in exile once they finish the job.

Players
CosmicOrrery is Captain Kelly Branson of the Texas Imperial Army.
My friend Jack is Chuck Dalton, an eager ex-convict.

NPCs
The other Texan soldiers: Pvt Arthur "Merry" Merriweather, Pvt John R. Solomon, Father Douglas Finch.

The other prisoners: Ignacio Marquéz, Leandra Swift, Karl Steinmetz, Jessica Reynolds, Dolores Miéville, Esteban De la Rosa, Donovan Langley, Esther Wallsworth.

Captain Butler, Texan soldiers, traveling merchants, Muneeb Farmer, Sister Jessica, others from Muneeb's flock.

--- (tw mention of sexual assault and violence)

Day 1 (46.10 - Fort Tonio - Hot)
Captain Kelly Branson - met with Captain Butler at Fort Tonio - Assumed command of new recruits from nearby penal colony - brawl erupted between Ignacio Marquez and Karl Steinmetz - Chuck beat Ignacio to a pulp to break them up and gain the recruits' respect.

At night (45.10) - helped Texan soldiers - traded medical supplies and expertise for jerrican of gas - saved the life of Lt. Brannen.

Day 2 (44.11 - Overcast)
Saw a caravan - traders - traveled together to Allua.

Day 3 (43.10 - Hot)
Congregation of twelve offered hospitality - Donovan Langley raped and killed Sister Jessica - smashed Chuck Dalton with a rock - was shot in the back by Father Finch and John Solomon - Chuck Dalton will live.

---

The Dead
Sister Jessica Wiley - killed by Donovan Langley
Donovan "Donnie" Langley - shot by Chuck Dalton, Private Solomon & Father Finch.

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Hexcrawl procedures are fairly simple and bring entertaining rythm to exploration.
Procedures for Violence hover around similar perversion as slowing down when driving past a car crash. I like 'em. Things are terrible enough that there's no need on my end to be particularly theatrical in the delivery of Horrible Shit Happening. Reading Blood Meridian along the way. Much more relaxing to run something like this, improvisation comes naturally when working off proceduralism and the ready-made prep from Luke I don't think I even needed to read in advance. I forgot a lot of it so I keep discovering things alongside the players. This is frankly a format I did not realize I would enjoy as much, at least to begin with. The players not having a map (did not give them the hexographer one provided for me) actually helps, cause we speak in cardinal directions and days of travel, I look at POIs and give out information locals have etc. It makes all processes of play a part of the fiction. Also we decided on two possible dates for next week's session and I will continue to try and schedule these ahead of time to maintain momentum.


Cosmic's Notes
- 3x wagons (four horses each)
- 250 doses of Amber Fluid
- 148 food & water
- 12 lances
- 12 revolvers
- 4 rifles
- 128 rifle rounds
- 193 revolver rounds
- 1x jerrycan of gasoline
- ~ low on medical supplies
 21x horses
- 4x soldiers
- 7x convicts
In total : 32 mouths to feed & water per day