Locations: The 'Burbs

 The Burbs

The following are cities and towns are designed as backgrounds to your ongoing campaign. 

Location: Rivertown

Theme: Facing Evil

Population: 55,000

People

1. Sheriff Lucas Coal: power hungry, Infernal of some sort, sees himself as an Old West sheriff who is the town and the town is him; signed a contract with Evil that gives him control of the town as long as he fullfils his part of the bargain and Evil tests him at every turn. He sees himself as saving the town from certain doom

2. Samira Amani: young, Persian, develops an accent when angered or overly excited, opposes Sheriff Coal every chance she gets, active in the community

3. Dr. Burgandy

Places

1. Grand River shoreline, forestry, and park

2. Downtown shopping area: antique stores, local artists, restaurants

3. New development community in an old part of town

Things

1. Something in the antique shop

2. Something buried in the old Indian burial mound in the Grand River County Park

3. Contents of Dr. Burgundy’s safe: Sheriff Coal’s contract, millions of dollars, or something more nefarious???

Conflicts

1. Critters that live along the river and in the forestry of the area hunting visitors and occassionally locals, if they have no choice

2. Sheriff Coal versus Samira

3. Sheriff Coal versus the Evil with whom he signed the contract

Location: Lanark

Theme: Death and Rebirth 

Population: 35,000

People

1. The Council: members include a relative of Miss Campbell, a Warlock who desires control of the Campbell farm, and others 

2. Morganne Campbell: leader of the current witch coven in the town

3. Malcolm Booth: Director of the Easter Village, cousin to the director of the local hospital (a sorry, one story affair)

Places

1. Campbell family farm: said to be home to witches in years past, includes where the two rivers come together which is a place of power

2. Highland Marsh Trail: raised boardwalk through an inland marsh, named for the nearby (uphill) Highland Cemetary, along the eastern river and somewhat north of the city

3. Easter Village: retirement community of good quality, along the western river

Things

1. Shambling Mound (Night Companion) in the Highland Marsh

2. The number of deaths in town is equal to the number of births in the hospital, many employees at Easter Village are related to those in the Lanark Hospital

3. New Moon Whirlpool: whirlpool forms where the rivers meet on the new moon

Conflicts

1. Evil warlocks versus good witches

2. Shambling Mound eating visitors to the march

3. Booth is sending old people to die as sacrifices on the Campbell farm

Location: Fogwarren

Theme: Mystery

Population: 62,000

People

1. Mystical Martial Artist

2. Werecreature

3. Monster hunter

Places

1. Dojo

2. Fogwarren Pizza Palace: featured on several food travel shows

3. State Park

Things

1. Blade of Jowangshin is on display at the dogo: it is a blade that will “flame on” if placed in a lit hearth

2. Daedalan Cube (Night Companion)

3. Satanic circle of stones in the state park

Conflicts

1. Werecreature is guarding the Daedalan Cube (in the pizza palace?)

2. Monster hunter is hunting creatures from the state park

3. People randomly die if caught out in the fog

Location: Haven

Themes: Power & Corruption, Man vs. Society, Justice

Population: 120,000

People

1. Head of a gang

2. Street doc

3. Corrupt police officer (psychic gunslinger?)

Places

1. Warehouse

2. Nightclub

3. Casino

Things

1. Film / Video proving something for the players

2. Lucky casino chip

3. Cursed weapon

Conflicts

1. Gang on gang violence (or mobsters on mobsters)

2. Corrupt police doing / allowing bad things to happen

3. Politicians trying to push around innocent people

Location: Beaver City, a quaint upper midwest town

Themes: Survival, Power & Corruption, Hubris

Population: 46,000

People

1. Scientist trying to get away from an evil corporation

2. Spirit Rider 

3. Retired actress

Places

1. Native American reservation

2. Large agricultural university

3. Closed military base

Things

1. Native American statue in the middle of town

2. Locked gate under an old building, but near train tracks; no one knows where it goes and there is no way to find it from inside the old building

3. Toxic waste in the local water

Conflicts

1. Spririt Rider protecting the land from the evil corporation

2. Evil corporation’s control of the town

3. Animals encroaching into human living areas: bears, coyotes, buffalo, etc.

Copyright 2021 Derek Stoelting

Night Shift: Veterans of the Supernatural Wars copyright 2021 Elf Lair Games, LLC and Jason Vey

Character Names for Western genre and Modern Genre Games

When I run games, I eventually develop lists of names to use on the fly. The guy sitting in the dark corner of the tavern, the gas station clerk who acts nervous around the characters for no reason, or the snitch with the tip off to the police may need names if the party decides they are important NPCs.

Reviewing a stack of 3”x5” cards, I came across many names, some with descriptions and some without descriptions. One set of names is more appropriate for a Western genre game, while the other is more appropriate for a modern game. I am certain the names can be used in either or different genres. (A dwarf named Brubaker? Oh, yes.) Some of the names are original, some are not. For example, the Western genre list has three sources:  a series of novels, a TV show, and names I came across in the genre that I liked. The modern list is similar in creation.

I have listed names without descriptions first for each genre, followed by names with descriptions. Apparently, I had plans for some of these names, but not for all of them.

Without further to-do, here are two lists of names you can use for your games!

Western genre

Randall Bragg

Ringo Shelton

Mackie Shelton

Virgil Cole

Everett Hitch

Allison French

Pony

Laurel

Cato

Rose

Stringer

Whitfield

Professor Wickwire

Corinna Schwenke

Camille Schwenke

Woodrow

Peggy

Jake

Woodrow

Rockwell

O’Hara

Taggart

Clancy

Browning

Quinn

Rusty

Pike

Denver

Reno

Brubaker

Cooper

Lonegrin

LeBoeuf

Wolfson

Redmund

Olivia

Kate

Cheyenne

Giovanni

Bulfinch

Ms. Change

Pinky

Modern Genre

Gregory Kaesserman

Richard Wehling

David Kruger

Matteo “New Shoes” Badoglio

Theodore “Teddy” Hutchinson

Jeremy Winneham

Ken St. James

Jacob Tolson

Peter Olsen

Steven Kiley

David Cougar

Eric Swanson

Michael Oppenheimer

Carlin Jarrett

Sullivan Dane

Rolland “Rolley” Geddes

David Arkwright

Kelli Marshall

Theresa “Tessa” Caxton

Kaitlen “Katy” (Rose) Geddes

Katherine Urselmann

Veronika Hollber

Marry Winwood

Deena Bartus

Lillie Thom

Racquelle Dawson

Yura Surova (Russian)

Cassidy Andersen:  Big boned, broad shouldered, wide face, big green eyes, 5’4”, wears blue and green colored clothing, very comfortable in blue jeans and tennis shoes, hair is naturally straight blonde, she is known to curl it and die it red; Empath (receiving only)

Nick “Harvey” Holloway:  6’, grey hair parted to one side, long skinny nose, 180 lbs., blue eyes, dresses casually in loose fitting clothing such as jogging suites, solid chin, white teeth, smokes expensive cigarettes; Invisibility, but not for his clothing, government ties

Barbara Hearchey:  Slim to medium build, short straight black hair that falls into her eyes, black eye color, straight plain facial features, business-like attitude but maintains an air of easy-going; Psychometry, Mindspeak

Todd Greel:  5’4”, greying brown hair, slim green eyes, thin lips, wide mouth, good build, business dress (suite, tie, trench coat), very neat and meticulous, mid-40s; No powers, techie

Alexis Stafford:  early 20s, trim with solid muscle, 4’9”; 75 ounds, short cropped black hair, dark made up, green eyes, average skin tone, wears black (jeans, dress shirts, low cut boots, leather jacket, gloves), domino mask, very rich and haughty, switchblade in her back pocket, likes to dance, business degree from Dartmouth in Hanover

Lauren Randle:  originally from Baltimore, MD

Richard Gilbert:  works for The Trust

Shiga Buji:  Necro-psi powers

Dicky Bird “DB” Perkins:  hacker

Jane Hyams:  Flight Attendant

Tamara Lee:  Siren

Silverbrook Police Department

Dr. Steven Rothschild:  Coroner for the midnight shift

Darren Rivers:  staff psychologist who also teaches at a nearby state university

Debra Morse

Glen Tsunai

Homocide Captain Owen Hagerty

Darryl Masters:  has a form of cancer, married to Callie

Lieutenant Mark Thorin

Lieutenant Michael Dearbon

Assistant District Attorney Mike Ellis

Callie Masters:  5’9”, 120 lbs., dyed red hair, green eyes, mid-30s, married to Darryl for ten years

Tipton County Police

Sherrif Patrick Delaney

Deputy Pete Cartledge

Sheriff Ian Matthews

Deputy Theodore Blankers

University Professors

Darren Rivers:  teaches criminal psyche

Dr. Layton Bowles:  Biology prof., wears glasses