Gloom: AlcheME!

[idolpro]

[The old-fashioned writing desk in the center of the room carries several blank pieces of paper, a fine wooden pen, and a piece of parchment covered in writing. When you take a look, you find the following epigraph in a vibrant scrawl:]

Congratulations, future wordsmiths, and welcome to your first exercise in the creation of a true masterwork of tale-telling. This evening you'll be penning a terrific tragedy, starring the family of unsympathetic ne'er-do-wells provided to you.

Your goal? Why, to construct the best story your mind can conceive, of course - and make their lives as entertainingly miserable as possible before writing one of them directly into an early grave.

Comments

RULES

[idolpro]

[On the screen of your phone, you can find the rules:]

YOUR GOAL

Your task is to inflict as much suffering as possible on your family, by playing unfortunate events on them ranging from minor inconveniences to fatal experiences. Once any team plays a death card on a character, the game ends.

YOUR CARDS

Your hand consists of three cards. Each card contains an unfortunate event, assigned a number of points ranging from -10 to -30. The lower the point value, the more delightfully tragic the event. By playing a card on one of your family members, they will experience that misfortune and earn you points.

Some cards include an even more unfortunate death. While they earn no points, playing a death on a family member will not only end their life, but end the game. Hopefully you've brought your family's arcs to a satisfying climax by that point...

Each round, you may play up to two cards on your family. Cards may be piled on one family member, or played on different members as you see fit. You must play at least one card each round--you might find your own story has an unfortunate ending if you do not.

At the end of each round, you will be granted enough new cards to get your hand back up to three.

Once per game, you may swap out your cards for an entirely new hand.

YOUR STORYTELLING

Now, don't get too bogged down with talk of cards and points. At its heart, this game is about creating a compelling narrative.

Every time you play a card, you must narrate how the event comes to pass, under the STORYTELLING heading below. And of course the story must be a coherent narrative--if during round one, your family's patriarch is ravaged by raccoons while in round two they are lost at sea, your creative narrative skills must explain how that character got from the raccoon enclosure to the deck of the pirate ship that they sadly do not know how to steer.

Use your imagination and have fun with it! I certainly will.

YOUR VICTORY

The game will end after the first round in which a unit writes one of their family members to a fatal end via an unfortunate death card.

At that point, all of the negative points from all events played will be tallied. All you need to do is be one of the units with the lowest score, and you will be victorious!

Of course, any tale worth telling is about the journey, not just the destination. Victory will also go to one team for constructing the most enthralling tale.

YOUR FAMILY

[idolpro]

YOUR EVENTS

[idolpro]

ROUND 1

[idolpro]

Was shunned by society -30 Can you blame them?

Fell down the well -10 All's well that ends well, unless it ends IN the well.

Was galled by gangrene -15 Who likes to lose a limb?

You may swap out your hand: once

ROUND 2

[idolpro]

Was put into prison -20 There's a place for everyone. This is yours.

Was crippled by creditors -20 Delaying debts can be deadly.

Was trampled on a train -20 All stops lead to a bloody death.

You may swap out your hand: once

ROUND 3

[idolpro]

Was marooned on the moors -10 Stupid crows, stupid breadcrumbs, stupid moors.

Was bedeviled by doctors -25 Darn those miracles of modern medicine!

Death: Was torn limb from limb Rest in pieces.

You may swap out your hand: once

ROUND 1

[idolpro]

CARDS PLAYED

[idolpro]

Re: CARDS PLAYED

[neigh_sayer]

-30: Shunned by society on Simon Simone/Androgynous Actor

STORYTELLING

[idolpro]

Re: STORYTELLING

[neigh_sayer]

Simon Simone, actor extraordinaire! Their talent was known far and wide--a bit of an oxymoron given that they were from a small town! But that didn't matter, they were gonna make it big! From stage plays to commercials, they clawed their way to the top, taking on whatever role that was given to them. . .no matter how demeaning. But they transformed whatever role they had, and totally killed it. Soon, they were headed for the top!

But that kind of talent attracts a loooot of eyes, and all of them didn't want to see the actor succeed. Surely there must be some way to drag them down. . .and so, the naysayers dug to their knees until they found some priiiime dirt to bury Simon in. "That bastard," they cried, "they're a liar!"

And it was true! Even though they were little lies. Things like "Yes, I tooootally have experience with farming," or making up a tragic baking story to sell himself to a role! Nothing anyone would normally care about, but of course the haters latched on. Eventually they twisted the truth, and the truth itself became a lie! "Simon Simone, Liar Extraordinaire, they'll do anything to get a job, how desperate, it's laughable!"

Just like that, Simon toppled from stardom. They'd only tasted a sweet sip of fame for a short time, but the detractors had toppled the glass, sending them spiraling to the outskirts of society. Forever labeled a liar and a reject, how will they ever use their talent again?

OUTCOME

[idolpro]

Re: OUTCOME

[idolpro]

[Before your very eyes, words begin to appear on the parchment, scrawled in flowing script.]

Good ol' grandma hated that she had to leave the marsh. See, she had an unfortunate problem the further she walked away. It started with her shoes. Blisters turning into open sores-- then sunspots turning to rashes, rashes rubbed raw by clothes because she just didn't wanna take a damn carriage.

As for Anna? She shouldn't have paid for that juicy anonymous tip. Sure, it started with what seemed like a joke, a rotten fishhead mailed to her door with a pearl stuffed inside of its mouth. But now her dreams were haunted by laughing mad men, talking about Innsmouth. Maybe it was her imagination, but she can't get it out of her head as she downs her 16th cup of shitty coffee to stay awake.

[As they unfold before you, some of you feel the effects of the words as though you are the character that has been written about. You recall the events as though you have lived them; the damage caused to the character is reflected in your own flesh.]

[You have received the following effects. Please decide OOCly among yourself who will take which. Each effect must be taken by at least one person, but if more people wish to, that's fine]

- Horror Hunting
- Suffered from Sores

[You have -30 points.]

DISCUSSION

[idolpro]

ROUND 2

[idolpro]

CARDS PLAYED

[idolpro]

STORYTELLING

[idolpro]

OUTCOME

[idolpro]

DISCUSSION

[idolpro]

ROUND 3

[idolpro]

CARDS PLAYED

[idolpro]

STORYTELLING

[idolpro]

OUTCOME

[idolpro]

DISCUSSION

[idolpro]

AND THEN

[idolpro]

[The paper on the old-fashioned writing desk rustles, faintly; the words written upon it begin to grow longer, as though an invisible hand is scrawling something new. It reads:]

Every truly great story has a great ending. And some of you, o wielders of the mighty pen, have brought yours to the inevitable conclusion. Bravo, to all of you who dared to write a character from the script.

Linger a while, as I weigh the merits of your wordsmithing. It won't be long.

[No sooner have the words finished appearing than the door to your room opens up, leading back to the lobby.]