High Plains Invaders

High Plains Invaders is a 2009 movie, directed by Kristoffer Tabori and starring  James Marsters, Cindy Sampson and Sebastian Knapp. (IMDB Link)

This is actually a very fun movie, and deserves more recognition than it gets.

About to be Executed

At the start of the movie, the main character is in a cell, awaiting his own execution. I think it is a great way to start a story, or even a campaign. Perhaps all of the characters are on death row, which is how they meet.

The Gallows is Town Business

Soon afterwards, we learn the the gallows is the driving force behind the town’s economy. This is something that is not explored in the movie, due to the aliens invading, but is an interesting concept. It is something I would love to add to a campaign, just as a bit of background colour, if nothing else.

Interrupted Hanging

And of course, the hanging gets inevitably interrupted (I guess this would count as a spoiler for somebody who has never seen a western).

Another scene I would love to use in a game… Have a character get captured and sentenced to death, just so the other characters can rescue him in the nick of time.

Dealing with the Wounded

A large part of the problem that the protagonists have is the fact that one of them is wounded, and therefore needs special attention.

In most RPGs, damage and injury is abstracted, it would be interesting, both in story terms, and in strategic terms, if the actual effects of injury are treated more realistically.

Material Science

Finally, the day is saved due to one character’s understanding of material science. This is just a very good example of how normally ignored skills could still save the day in the right situation.

Dung Beetles

The aliens in this movie are compared to dung beetles, in the sense that they extract and concentrate the Uranium from their food.

This could work very well in a SciFi game. Perhaps the characters encounter a planet which uses animals for purifying materials in this way? Smelters get replaced by herds.