@AllenGles the idea of chess is a good one, but I don’t think you should let the player control every move. That would probably be a bit tedious. You could let them choose a strategy or something, though.
Wyrmspawn- Those are all good points, and if I were running an RPG based on the West, all of that (Especially the sending of students overseas) would be excellent fodder for character generation.
However, something feels wrong about any sort of stat trade off in a digital adventure. The stat percentages begin at a level where the character will fail each and every specific test flung at them. Without either an initial stat boost (You get four plus some spillage) or an experience bonus through interaction or practice, those will remain that way. If you don’t increase a stat, it essentially remains untrained.
The only thing that would make a Native American character bonuses any different is that the downside is that his race would preclude positive interactions with certain people. No amount of persuasion would help. Even the normally achievable non-tested for outcomes are impossible with bigots. Inevitably they must fight or use cunning, and so they would gain a stat bonus to help even out such a handicap. Worse, I would not be giving them a gunfighting or sharpshooting bonus, so they actually start at something of a disadvantage, In a strategic sense, than most characters would be in certain chapters.
Still, I am considering allowing players to accept a large penalty to one stat in exchange for a modest bonus elsewhere. If I had the time I’d actually make an incompetence variable that would automatically fail a character’s attempt to use the penalty stat that they selected. (Likely with a horrific/hilarious outcome)
But right now I don’t have the time for that. It, and some other concepts, will have to wait until I finish up the story.
VoodooDolly- A fair point. I should include more persuasion bonuses for settling situations without violence because a character who is taking that path will need them later on. In addition, it is logical character development. A small sprinkling of bonuses might do. Especially with Tumbleweed Jack, the Red Ribbon Miners, etc.
Maria’s family is indeed Mexican. Though there are noble ties back to the Old World of Spain (and Austria for that matter), Mexico is the primary linguistic touchstone.
Redgrave- Yep. There is no way I’m doing a chess simulator in the middle of a Digital Western. 
Strategy, planning, and reading an opponent are what I will focus on with Maria. Her turn for romance is coming up.
Matteller- Excellent. Then your data set indicates the high end result and I can plan accordingly. Thanks again.
@AllenGles if the player was Native American, could they possibly find it easier to romance Yiska? That would be a good bonus to have, instead of a large stat boost which could make them unbalanced.
I found another spelling error when talking to Hartigan. One of the options is to ask Hartigan: “You have anything to do with the ‘dearth’ of Marshals around here?”
‘dearth’ should be ‘death’
Marshal Jackson Sixkiller:
Traits: Religious.
Current Companions: Ben Carson, cowboy.
Health: On Death’s door
Wealth: Barely enough for bed and breakfast.
Values:
Order 71 Freedom
Honor 43 Arbitrary
Law 64 Individuality
Notoriety 29 Anonymity
Skills:
Gunfighting 64
Sharpshooting 50
Brawling 37
Riding 46
Survival 34
Legal 20
Engineering 10
Explosives 21
Persuasion 48
Intimidate 42
Stamina 24
Resolve 35
Influence_Carson 85
Influence_Schmidt 50
Influence_Caraway 45
Influence_Preston 14
Influence_Hartigan 57
Influence_Albion 59
Redgrave- That is something to consider. It might also help with Maria, as she is intrigued by Native Americans.
Spyfox259- Actually, ‘dearth’ is a rarely used word that means a scarcity or lack of something. However, given the context, I can see why it would seem like a spelling error. I’ll have to adjust that line accordingly. Thanks.
Nice data set by the way. Did Mister Sixkiller off Schmidt and Caraway? It seems like his only friend in the world is Ben Carson. How is that working out?
As promised, a mini-update. This includes a few fixes and, more importantly, save points. These are offered at the end of each chapter. Tell me what you think.
…The first time I tried to save…
line 114: Non-existent variable 'save_chapter_4_outcome
Somewhat discouraging, that.
Crap. Hold on.
Weird. Somehow that one line of the mygame.js file got deleted in transit from the test folder to the dropbox. I’m going to run autotest again and see if anything else got sniped.
Well, it tested out. Hopefully there will be no more problems. Sorry about that Ramidel. How far did you get in before you tried to use the save point?
Just for the record, I prefer my Chinese characters to be able to assimilate at least relatively well (especially if they are bright young students sent to the west by their family or government specifically to learn valuable skills), still there’s no accounting for bigots and I imagine any minority character no matter how well assimilated he or she is would eventually face at least some, if not outright discrimination, then at least a less favourable reaction from some individuals compared to just a regular white guy.
As a general rule I prefer my fictional characters to reflect the exceptions rather than the rule so that even when one might generally ascribe certain very general characteristics and aptitudes to a particular race or group of people our characters need not necessarily reflect any of that in their behaviour or statistics.
Finally if you are inclined to include something such as Chinese characters know kung-fu, (and presumably get a penalty to gun-fighting) make it another selectable option at the start of the game rather than a requirement of choosing to play a minority character.
So while I dislike assigning characters random bonuses and penalties based on race alone maybe a few encounters that flow differently for Chinese characters as well might be in order if and where you feel this is warranted.
A good rule of thumb may be that where persuasion is impossible for native Americans it is maybe not quite impossible but at least harder for Chinese characters to achieve to reflect the fact that for most bigots their bigotry is hardly exclusive as many of these fine folks tend to take a dislike to anything that’s even remotely unfamiliar.
To offset this you can, like you said, always include more favourable reactions from most other Chinese characters when applicable (such as when the railway finally comes to town). You could also possibly include a Chinese owned and operated laundry and tailoring business in the interlude events.
@idonotlikeusernames genius idea about the Chinese-operated laundry business! Perhaps the clothes could give the player health boosts (as in armour), intimidation or persuasion boosts (like the hats from the general store- Hey, @AllenGies, that could be a way to increase persuasion, as you were talking about earlier!), or even gunfighting/sharpshooting boosts as in ammo pouches, holsters, etc. Maybe the player could get a discount if they were Chinese?
Sadly, as awesome as this idea is, it would probably be a lot of work though- although it seems like it’s worth it!
New idea- the player’s family/friends could be visiting town. The player could choose to visit them, avoid them etc. etc. It may be hard/impossible to fit in with the story, but it’d be cool talking to them! Either them, or the family of the person you killed (or didn’t)! Now that would be interesting…
I’m not complaining but it seems weird that I can buy a new hat every week.
They hired someone to kill you , that would not be the smartest thing to do . But it would be fun
idonotlikeusernames- Lots of good ideas in that post. In particular, there is a key difference between the common racism of the time and outright bigotry. Racists hold general views that can be disproved regarding the individuals they meet; Bigots rarely ever budge from their beliefs.
I get the feeling that I want to let the player choose if they wish to have that sort of social tension added to their story. Hard to write in, but appealing in a way. I’ll have to give it some thought.
The idea of a Chinese laundry did cross my mind early on. However, I had considered that since the railroad has yet to come through with the help of all those Chinese workers, there would not be many Chinese actually in what amounts to the wilds of Nevada. Still, a business or two would certainly add some flavor to the town.
A laundry seems a little cliche though. Is there some other business you can think of that would involve Chinese immigrants? Goldsmith, silversmith, jeweler, barber, etc…