by Aaron Houx inspiredinspired byby Michael Gentry First, let me say that this game is my own attempt to flesh out an idea and game created by the tal- ented Mike Gentry, so all credit goes out to him. As this wraps up, Mike has begun posting Hard Travellin’, his own take on the hobo genre. Check it out at http://www.edromia.com– it’s really quite good. When I first saw the seeds of Knights of the Road, Knights of the Rail,I wasn’t interested or impressed. I thought to myself that it was yet another attempt to fill a tiny niche in role-playing, catering only to a few who would tire of it easily and lose interest when the story ideas dried up. The word wrong does not begin to describe this preconception. After seeing the Coen Brothers’ movie O Brother Where Art Thou, I must say that I saw the fascina- tion inherent in the time period,as well as the opportunity to explore the situations that people faced during Depression-Era America. I began to obsess over this subject myself. After doing some research on both the Internet and at the local libraries, I found myself enthralled with those men and women who felt the call of the roads and the rails. I encountered people who still ride the rails and call themselves hoboes, as well as those who strive to keep the memories of days gone by. The project quickly swelled, incorporating a lot of history and flavor into it. I searched for pictures to tell the story, and stories to tell about the pictures. I could have kept writing, but I finally set a page limit for myself and I stuck to it. So the text may not be entirely complete, but for those who want to play this game, let me say that your local library or internet connection can provide any missing pieces. So now, 82 pages later, with my 31st birthday approaching (no real relevance, just an aside), I com- mit this book to all those who are interested and may have some fun with it. Most of all Mr. Gentry, this is for you. While situations and other attributes of this time have been embellished for game purposes,the basis of this game remains no less interesting and magical in its own right. Aaron Houx August 2002 Knights of the Road, Knights of the Rail ©2002 Michael Houx and Blindside Press All illustrations and photos © their respective owners Any reproduction of this book without the express written consent of the author is prohibited. Table O’ Contents Introduction . .4 The Hobo in America . .4 America in the 1930s . .8 Institutions of the Depression . .10 Life and Culture . .11 Railroads in America . .15 A Partial Timeline . .17 Related Books, Music, etc. .18 Tales from the Jungle Fire (Fiction) . .19 Player Section . .20 Character Creation . .20 Hard ‘n Fast Traits . .23 Skills . .27 Tools of the Trade . .30 Hobo Magic . .31 Archetypes . .36 Game Mechanics . .45 Character Advancement . .49 Hobo Myth & Legend . .51 The Real World . .52 Game Master Section . .53 Running KOTR2 . .54 Story Seeds . .60 Appendix . .61 Glyphs . .61 Glossary of Hobo Terms . .63 Character Sheet . .82 The Hobo in America According to Ben Reitman, “A hobo works and open cars, refrigerator cars– and run alongside. wanders, a tramp dreams and wanders, and a bum Then he would find a handhold and pull himself up. drinks and wanders.” The hobo has existed in both the European and the Western cultures, but while the Hoboes would also find different places on the European hobo is held in contempt, his American trains to ride. Some would settle down on the counterpart enjoys a more romanticized place in bumpers– the spaces between the cars. While com- peoples’ minds. fortable, a hobo could be more easily spotted there. But he also had a better chance for escape. Others The hobo has wandered North America for many would ride flat on the tops of the cars, a maneuver years, but the heyday of the hobo is considered to be called “decking.” But this could only safely be done from 1870 through 1940. Following the Civil War, in good weather, as ice, snow, wind or rain could men and boys packed up meager belongings and set cause a hobo to lose his grip. forth on the roads and rails for better opportunities. They criss-crossed the country performing different Still other hoboes would ride on the cow catcher sorts of jobs, many of them temporary. They on the front of a train, or under the train. “Riding worked as bridge builders, carpenters, loggers, rail- the rods,” as this was called, was extremely danger- road men and mule drivers. ous as it took a lot of skill and balance. One wrong move and the hobo would be crushed under the Once a job was completed, the hobo was on the train. move. At times, the job situations became few and far between, especially during economic depres- Once the hobo secured his ride, he would travel sions. During the depression of 1873, almost four along until he either reached a suitable destination million men were out of work. Hoboes who came or was “ditched.” This meant that he was discov- into towns would sometimes have to move on ered by a railroad worker and thrown off the train. immediately because of the surplus of workers. It was at this time that the “worker” role of migrant worker came into play. Travelling Work and Battering While some hoboes would walk from town to town, most preferred riding the rails. With the When a hobo arrived in a new town, he would completion of the Transcontinental railroad, a sys- size up the situation and begin looking for work. He tem was set up for not only the traveller, but also the would sometimes go to the railyard water tower, migrant worker. which was something of an information booth to hoboes. Because of their migrant nature and innate pover- ty, hoboes didn’t tend to pay for their passage. Hoboes had an elaborate system of language and “Flipping freights” was an art form for the hobo. markings, called glyphs, which they used to com- He would jump aboard a train, either stationary or municate with other hoboes. Glyphs would tell of moving, and find himself a place to sit or sleep. easy marks where hoboes could get food or hand- While it was easier to board a car while it wasn’t outs or of places hoboes needed to avoid because of moving, hoboes who did so ran more of a chance to dogs or dangerous people. get caught by railroad workers. If a town was friendly towards hoboes, then new- Instead, they would try to catch a ride when the comers would fan out in search of jobs. Potential car was pulling out of the railyard. The hobo would places of employment included farms, orchards and stake out a car that he wanted to board– boxcars, docks. 4 Knights of the Road, Knights of the Rail In addition, hoboes could go to employment warrant a whipping from the jungle or a one-on-one agencies, where for a fee they would be pointed to fight against the offended party. places that were hiring. In some cases, these agen- cies would try to con hoboes. With an influx of Jungles weren’t known only to hoboes and massive migrant workers, an agency might collect tramps, though. Sometimes hoboes would be fees from 2,000 men and send them to a job site accosted by local residents or the town law, “sug- where only 400 men may be needed. gesting” that they clear out and move on. Some- times the police would come back with a larger If work was scarce, hoboes might turn to beg- group and arrest everyone in the jungle for ging. Hoboes would go to the back doors of houses, vagrancy, or shoot up all of the utensils and cans in asking for a handout or a meal from the lady of the hopes of scaring the ‘boes off. house. Still others would work the missions or nuns. A hobo always had a story ready in case of an Dangers easy mark. In addition to the law and the locals, hoboes Finally, other hoboes or tramps might set up beg- faced a number of potential dangers. The first was ging on the streets, posing as blind men, cripples or the railroad bulls, hired to keep non-paying riders deaf-mutes. off the trains. While most bulls would just roust a group of hoboes and either eject them from the train The Jungle or ask for a small charge to ride, some were more forceful. The bulls carried a lantern to look in box- When not seeking work or handouts, hoboes and cars and a club or a sap for protection. Some bulls tramps would find their way to the “jungle” to rest. would use the sap to crack a hobo in the head, then The jungle is an area where hoboes and tramps con- toss them off the train. gregate in the open. Most jungles are located out- side of a city’s limits so the town law has no juris- Other bulls would carry guns. Two of the most diction. They are usually near the railroad or rail- notorious Depression-era bulls were Texas Slim and yards to make it easier to hop a train, and are almost Denver Bob. Texas Slim worked the railroads in always near a water source.