That’s what I concluded. That’s not to say that it rhymed or played tricks, but it was clear that the writers who had contributed to it knew there were penalties for making things too simple or obvious. The book was larger than any I had ever read, with hundreds upon hundreds of full pages in its bindings with pictures and hand-drawn charts, but it might have only contained a hundred straightforward and direct sentences.
My Rescue trope, for instance, forced enemies to come to my team’s base and try to kill us instead of us going to them. It set the win condition as “Survive the Night”. As I looked up the definition of Survive the Night, this was what I found:
Survive the Night: the basic idea is to keep those baddies at bay until something called 'sunrise.' Now, don't go thinking 'sunrise' is always the morning light peeking over the hills - it could be all sorts of important time-based happenings in the game (clouds covering the full moon, anyone?), but that you’ll have to figure out as you go. Most times, it’s exactly like it sounds, which makes all the other times all the more dangerous. As for 'night,' well, it usually means the time when the moon's up, but sometimes it could be more like a tough spot or a rough patch in the story. Fighting off the bad guys doesn't mean you gotta steer clear of them entirely as Carousel is apt to dislike; how you handle that is kind of up to you as long as the story satisfies. Most times, it looks like keeping the main characters out of trouble is what gets you the win, but there are other times when that might not be the whole story.
From the sound of it, the authors of the Atlas never wanted readers to rely on its contents so much that they got blindsided when Carousel mixed things up. I could appreciate that, but it sure would have been nice to get a more predictable ruleset.
I flipped to the section on the storyline Post-Traumatic. As I did, I heard Antoine and Kimberly still chatting. Antoine was trying his best to portray an optimistic and steel-nerved hero for Kimberly. She tried her best not to notice when it got difficult for him.
In the distant yard, Bobby was playing with the remaining dogs that had been in the storyline. His character was their owner and they treated him like he was their master. He almost looked like he enjoyed himself as he played tug-of-war with a large hound. The dogs all knew commands and were very well-trained.
Title: Post-Traumatic
Omen: A roller rink that flickers in and out of time, leaving a pit when it disappears.
Location: Pit Boulevard entrance.
Ideal Scouting Archetypes: Antiquarian, Researcher-Scholar, Occultist-Psychic
And that was it.
No free scouting information. No idea of the level range. Nothing else. It was going to be a difficult road ahead to get them back. I wasn’t going to stop until I had it all figured out. I knew other things. My Coming To A Theater Near You trope had given me lots of information. I knew the story involved time travel and mutilation. I knew an amulet was involved. I also knew about a book.
“The Town of Carousel: Horrific Events Through the Ages,” I said aloud. I hadn’t let myself forget. I knew the book was a useful tool. I had a hunch that if I could find a copy, it might give us an advantage in the storyline. That meant a trip to the library or any number of shops around Carousel. Whatever it took, I would do it.
“Anything useful?” Kimberly asked.
I had been lost in thought and hadn’t heard her arrive.
“Not as much as I would like,” I said.
“You’ll figure it out,” she said. “Antoine is wondering if he could use your sleeping trope. Just for a quick nap.”
“Oh,” I said. “I thought he still had it.”
“Well, he says it disappeared.”
I reached into my pocket and there it was. I pulled the ticket titled Out Like A Light and handed it over.
“He’s just tired,” she said sheepishly.
I nodded. And smiled back.
She disappeared around the side of the porch. I closed the Atlas and took a break.
I looked over the Now Playing section of the red wallpaper. I hadn’t yet looked up what all of those descriptions meant next to the storylines we had played, but most sounded like common sense. I would have to do that later. Antoine wasn’t the only one who needed sleep.
I awoke to the sound of knuckles rapping on one of the white support columns on the porch.
My first reaction was fear. A million possibilities moved through my head in a second and none of them were good. I looked over to the source of the sound.
It wasn’t the Speirs brothers.
It wasn’t an NPC, a Paragon, or otherwise.
Standing on the porch with their bags packed, were a man and a woman. The man had sandy hair that went everywhere. He wore a tie-dye shirt and cargo shorts. The woman wore a red jacket and black jeans. She had long black hair that she had up in a messy bun.
They were in their early twenties or so.
My eyes widened as I looked at them on the red wallpaper.
They were players.
“Never mind,” the man said, “He’s alive.”
The man’s poster featured him dressed as a clown leaning against a train. The axe murderer was hidden underneath the train waiting to strike.
Isaac Hughes is The Comedian, it read.
Her poster showed her with her eyes closed in deep concentration sitting in a chair around a circular table. A window was behind her. The axe murderer reflected in the glass.
The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.
Cassandra Hughes is The Psychic.
They were both at Plot Armor 11. They were brand new.
I just stared. New players already? That felt… early.
“Hello?” the woman asked cautiously.
“Sup?” I answered slowly.
“Oh,” she said. “Sorry to bother you. We’re looking for our brother Andrew, Andrew Hughes.” She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket. “He wrote us a letter. Told us to meet him here,” she pointed up at the bed and breakfast. “Do we have the right place?”
I wasn’t prepared for this.
“Just a second,” I said. I raised my voice, “Guys,” I yelled as loudly as I could without freaking out the new players. “Guys. Antoine, Kimberly, Dina!”
It didn’t take long for them to arrive. Antoine had woken up and was carrying his bat. When they rounded the corner and saw me, they were confused. When they saw the new players, they were even more confused.
Antoine immediately tried to take control of the situation.
“Hey, you all,” he said smoothly, throwing his bat back out of sight. “You new to town?”
“Yeah,” the woman said. “We’re here for the Centennial. Our older brother got us jobs. He works at,” she glanced at the letter in her hands, “Hallowed Heart Hospital. They’re doing a booth or something. He needed some help. We were supposed to meet him or someone else here that will tak—”
“Is this a haunted house?” her brother interrupted. He pointed at the boarded-up windows. “It looks like a haunted house.”
“A haunted house?” Antoine asked.
“For the Centennial. It’s a horror thing, right?” Isaac asked.
“Oh, right. It’s kind of a haunted house, yeah,” Antoine said.
Isaac nodded. “Most haunted houses get the looks right. So rarely do they capture the smell of death this accurately.”
His sister nudged him in the ribs with her elbow.
“Are any of you the people who are supposed to bring us into town?” she asked.
Antoine looked over at me.
“Yeah,” I said. “We’ll go with you.”
“What did you say your brother’s name was?” Kimberly asked.
“Andrew Hughes,” Isaac answered with a grin. “Dr. Andrew Hughes, actually. He’s the smart one. I’m the good-looking one. And Cassie’s the girl.”
“Shut up,” Cassandra said under her breath kicking her heel back into his shin. She turned back to us. "If you can help us find him, that would be great."
He laughed at her reaction.
“Just a second,” I said as Antoine, Kimberly, Bobby, Dina and I huddled around the side of the house.
“What do we do?” Bobby asked.
“Was Andrew Hughes one of the vets?” I asked.
“Did you talk to anyone when we were at Dyer’s Lodge?” Kimberly asked.
“I talked to you guys,” I said.
“No,” Antoine said. “There was no Andrew Hughes. He might have arrived a while back. We don’t know how long they were waiting to be brought here.”
He had a point. Dina hadn’t arrived in Carousel until ten years after she turned down the road to get here.
“So, we need to find a way to ask them what year it is,” I said. “Not that it’s a priority. Their brother is definitely dead regardless.”
“We could ask who they voted for in the last election,” Dina suggested.
“That’s not exactly the best ice breaker depending on what the answer is,” Antoine said.
“Why are there new players here already?” Bobby asked. “I thought we were supposed to do this alone?”
“Reinforcements?” Antoine suggested.
That could have been it. The Insider must have brought them in on purpose. Their letter told them to come to the bed and breakfast specifically.
“First thing,” I said, “We need to get them up to speed… How do we do that?”
We all looked at each other. This would be tough.
How exactly were we supposed to keep new players calm? It turned out that Valerie had used Team Leader tropes on us to keep us compliant. We didn’t have any of those.
.
.
.
Welcome to Carousel, newbies.
Isaac Hughes the Comedian had the following tropes equipped when he arrived at the bed and breakfast:
Cassandra "Cassie" Hughes the Psychic also had two tropes.
These didn't really seem like starter tropes.
Aspects: The components that make up an Archetype, similar to a subclass. Players specialize at Plot Armor 21 after performing specific feats. This gives them access to compatible tropes for pulling off Aspect-specific strategies to help them succeed at the lower and middle levels. At higher levels, they will gain full access and be able to mix and match abilities.
Eye Candy: Characters known for their allure, charisma, and social prowess.
- Beauty: Renowned for their charm and social skills, they distract and win allies with their high Hustle and Moxie.
- Socialite: Privileged figures known for influence and/or connections in-story, they navigate situations with their high Savvy and Moxie.
- Celebrity: As opposed to characters who are celebrities, these characters are portrayed by celebrities whose box office draw leads to them being treated differently in movies.
Athlete: Characters celebrated for their physical prowess, social standing, and competitive spirit.
- Sport: Professional athletes known for their Mettle and Hustle derived from rigorous training.
- Stud: Cool figures, they leverage their charisma and Moxie to lead and charm others.
- Health Nut: Committed to overall well-being, their Savvy in health and wellness promotes resilience and inner strength.
Scholar: Intellectuals driven by knowledge and investigation.
- Researcher: Knowledge seekers with high Savvy, adept at understanding technology, magic, and lore.
- Sleuth: Investigators with a keen sense of Moxie and Hustle, skilled at uncovering secrets.
- Strategist: Master planners with Moxie and Mettle, always thinking several steps ahead.
Final Girl: Resilient characters often left standing at the end.
- Team Leader: Inspiring figures adept at guiding others through terrifying situations.
- Girl Next Door: Relatable and trustworthy individuals who maintain group harmony in the face of horror.
- Scream Queen: Fear-resistant individuals who persevere in the most terrifying situations.
Wallflower: Often overlooked characters whose work is mostly done in the background.
- Underdog: Initially underestimated, they eventually find their inner strength and worth.
- Extra: Background figures that assist allies from behind the scenes.
- Recast: Characters with the unique ability to replace NPCs and access exclusive information and plot opportunities at the cost of their individual agency.
Comedian: Characters who use humor as their main weapon.
- Jokester: Spirit-lifters with high Moxie, diffusing tension with humor.
- Cynic: Sharp-witted observers with high Savvy, critiquing situations with insightful humor.
- Stooge: Resilient jesters known for their Grit, often the butt of jokes.
Bruiser: Physically intimidating figures who use their strength to their advantage.
- Brute: Focuses on brute strength, often at the expense of other stats.
- Bully: Dominating figures who use taunts to create sympathy for their targets and manipulate social situations with Moxie and Savvy.
- Gentle Giant: Strong but kindhearted individuals who assist allies with their strength and compassion.
Psychic: Characters connected to the supernatural.
- Seer: Intuitive figures with abilities ranging from foresight to psychic warfare.
- Occultist: Knowledgeable about the supernatural, they combat cursed items and harness magic.
- Exorcist: Specialists against supernatural and spiritual entities, though they might struggle elsewhere at lower levels.
Film Buff: Movie aficionados with unique abilities derived from cinematic knowledge.
- Fanatic: Superfans with high Mettle driven by adrenaline when in movie-like scenarios.
- Filmmaker: Skilled manipulators of the movie environment using their filmmaking meta-knowledge.
- Critic: Analytical minds with high Savvy, gleaning insights from film mechanics.
Hysteric: Highly emotional individuals who react intensely to situations.
- Frantic: Channels chaotic energy derived from fear and emotion in various ways.
- Craven: Overwhelmingly fearful, yet their reactions can inadvertently benefit allies.
- Defiant: Paranoid figures who may manipulate stories to allies' advantage, often at their own peril, becoming antagonistic themselves.
Soldier: Disciplined and combat-ready individuals.
- Agent: Covert operatives with high Savvy and Moxie skilled in espionage.
- GI: Versatile soldiers with high Mettle, representing the everyman of the military.
- Commando: Combat specialists with high Mettle, ready to charge into battle.
Doctor: Medical professionals with diverse expertise.
- Medic: First responders with high Hustle, adept at treating injuries on the spot and staying out of the way.
- Coroner: Experts in investigating cause of death, showcasing their vast medical Savvy. They have useful law enforcement connections.
- Psychiatrist: Mind experts with high Moxie, aiding others in navigating emotional challenges.
Outsider: Enigmatic figures often on the fringes of society.
- Criminal: Skillful lawbreakers with a balance of Hustle, Mettle, and Moxie based on their illicit approach.
- Newcomer: Newbies with high Moxie and Grit, on a journey to adapt and integrate.
- Stranger: Mysterious individuals with high Savvy and Hustle, keeping intentions hidden and adding intrigue.