The Western

Basic Information

The Western is a Genre of story, set in The American West, usually between 1840 and 1890.

List of Western Tropes

• Anti Hero
• Bad Guy Bar that's also a Dance-Hall or Brothel
• Badass Longcoat
• Bank Robbery
• Bar Brawl
• Cattle Drive
• The Cavalry
• Cycle of Revenge
• Guns Akimbo
• Guns and Gunplay Tropes
• Head Em Off At The Pass
• Hostage Situation
• Least Common Skin Tone
• The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
• Marked Bullet
• Mexican Standoff
• Quickest Draw In The West
• Revolvers Are Just Better
• Run For The Border
• Show Down At High Noon
• Train Job
• Violence Is The Only Option
• Wagon Train
• Wanted Poster on every wall
• Western Characters

See Also

• For a list of character types to populate the setting, see Western Characters.
• Weapons unique to The Wild West include the Buntline Special, LeMat Revolver, Cap And Ball Revolvers and the Gatling Gun.
  • The most famous is the Revolver, especially the Colt Single Action Army.
• Confidence Games to keep your eyes open for include Salting the Mine and the 1883 No Cents Liberty Head Nickel.
• Overlaps with the era of the American Civil War.
• Modes of transit include Horse, Stage Coach, Covered Wagon, and Conestoga Wagon. Get enough of them together, and you got a Wagon Train.

Sources

Bibliography

1. TV Tropes Wiki on Wild West

2. TV Tropes Wiki on The Western

Game and Story Use

• Instantly recognizable setting and genre. A campaign located here will connect with the players before the GM finishes describing the first scene.
• Elements of The Western can be incorporated into other settings. See New Old West and Space Western for ideas.