Just because the focus is on one PC doesn’t mean that you can’t involve other PLAYERS…
Image courtesy freeimages.com / Murat Cokal

In the first half of this two-part article I described a game-show format designed for my use in an RPG. A quick reminder:

The License

The game-show format and key elements thereof, as described in this blog post and its predecessor, are © 2018 Mike Bourke. Licensing is free for any RPG-related purpose. Licensing for any other purpose (but especially for use in an actual televised game show) are negotiable, contact me through the website.

The first part also described the building blocks and pre-scripting prep required – decisions about the host, the contestants, and the questions – and examined briefly how the technologies available in different eras would impact on the implementation of the game show format.

In this part, I will examine the process of writing the “script” for the show, how to keep it dynamically-responsive to what the PC did, how to involve the other players at the table, and will wrap up by sharing the relevant excerpts from the actual adventure.

A brief note on terminology

“Players” is used exclusively to refer to players of the RPG except in the excerpts from the adventure. “Contestants” and “Participants” refer exclusively to the PC and NPCs taking part in the game show. Any references to “the PC” refer to the specific PC who is appearing on the game show.

The NPCs

I listed the NPCs who I chose as participants in the game show in part 1 and noted that they were often chosen because of a perceived difference of opinion on some subject of general interest or other relationship that would make the show more interesting. All but one of these participants were completely fictional; the exception was “Sir Alice Cooper”.

It’s worth noting that the unique game background is reflected in that particular identity – the Kingdom Of The United States (also known as the USK) is part of the British Empire (along with Europe, most of Africa, all of south and Central America, the rest of North America, Australasia and various pacific islands, and the more western parts of Asia like India). That means that he is part of the British honors system, and so was knighted for his work in assisting other celebrities to deal with their problems with addiction, which in turn furnished a number of positive role models for others. This was largely based on the interview segment when Cooper appeared on Top Gear.

I also described the host of the game show that I had chosen – named Stuart Debrassie – and how his personality, abilities, reputation, and style impacted on the game show. Stuart is the “toughest interviewer on TV” in the game era, the host of the most-watched public affairs program in the Empire [‘IBC Tonight’], and uses his knowledge to quickly get to the heart of who players are. “IBC” stands for “Imperial Broadcasting Corporation”, the in-game equivalent of the BBC (“British Broadcasting Corporation”).

The Writing

The first segment of the show is all about introducing the participants and establishing both some baseline scores and the basic relationships between the participants. The style was deliberately modeled on a chat show in which trivia questions were dropped into the conversation – there’s the influence of the host.

To avoid hitting the players with a massive info-dump regarding the participants, I conceived the idea that the show would go to some lengths to avoid the contestants knowing who their fellow competitors were going to be in advance. This let me dole out the background information within the narrative, as though the other players were watching the show (which some of their characters were doing).

Various segments were also seeded with interview periods in which the show gave the participants a soap-box.

During the “writing” of the show, I kept track of a number of things in note form: how the contestants felt about each other, the impression created on the studio audience, the impression that the wider public would have of the contestants, the scores, and the tactics that each participant would employ.

There were three set pieces that the “game show” was to deliver. The first was to inform the PCs (and their players) of a political movement aimed at them that was in its very nascent stages but gathering momentum; the second was to demonstrate the PCs growing level of fame to the players; and the third was to introduce the question of what to do with that fame, if anything.

Three of the participants were present to articulate different points of view on the latter, and two more were present to provide polar opposite perspectives on the first. The second was included primarily to make sure that the players were aware that the third was relevant to them as PCs.

The only fixed outcome was that I wanted the voice of the political movement opposing the PCs to demonstrate both the level of passion felt and the lack of support for the position in the current in-game social climate by deliberately choosing to crash out of the game in order to damage the chances of the PC.

In every other case, the progress of the game was determined by putting myself in the shoes of whoever was driving that phase of the game, at that point. When audiences were a factor, I treated the audience as a single NPC, for example.

Involving the other players

The player is not the character. The character knows things that the player does not, and – in this case – has a greater intelligence than just about anyone.

There are two ways of handling that. First, where the player can identify a specific skill that might provide the answer, they could make a roll (assuming that the player doesn’t know the right answer, of course). High Success gives the answer with confidence, Weak Success gives the answer without certainty that it’s right, Weak failure gives an incorrect answer without confidence, and a Bad failure gives either no answer or an incorrect answer with confidence.

But second, the player of the PC could choose to ask one of the other players at the table, based on his knowledge of that player’s hobbies and fields of interest.

There were limits placed on this that were progressively loosened as the questions grew more difficult. This transformed the position of “Game show contestant” into a collaborative effort by the players, with one official mouthpiece – the player of The PC.

This technique – and various analogues – is a valuable one for a GM to have tucked away in his back pocket, because it transforms a solo situation into a group activity in which everyone can participate. The spotlight remains on the featured PC but everyone else gets stage lighting, to employ a metaphor.

Systematic Writing

The process of writing was a simple set of steps, repeated indefinitely.

1. Decision: who gets the next question? (remembering that in later rounds, this is determined by the audience, who have seen the question in advance).
2. Any pre-question banter, dialogue, or narrative.
3. A segue into the next question by the host.
4. The question.
5. Review the options open to the contestant at this point in the game, review their current score, the identity of the contestants coming first and last, and the tactics of the contestant in question.
6. Does the contestant have any relevant expertise or experience? Does the contestant think they know the answer? Are they correct, and how confident are they that they are right?
7. Which of their options will the contestant choose to exercise?
8. Contestant talks their way through the question. This may be them explaining how they know the answer, or it may be them searching for the answer, or it may be them justifying the action that they are about to take, or it may be them putting their personality on show, or some combination of the above.
9. Contestant either gives their answer or deflects the question if they can. If they deflect, there will be a segue from the host regarding the impact on the scoreline and then repeat steps 5 through 8 for the new contestant targeted.
10. Resolve the outcome, adjust the scores.
11. Determine the contestant’s reaction.
12. Announce the outcome, any post-answer dialogue.

The Adventure Excerpts

Each time a contestant received their first question of the round (or otherwise made a statement for the first time, I displayed an image of the contestant. Unfortunately most, if not all, of those images are copyrighted, so I can’t include them here.

I tracked ongoing scores on a whiteboard. Each excerpt ends with either a segue out of recording/broadcasting of the game show, or with a question being posed to the PC contestant, or with a scene shift to another PC who is involved in their own activities/plotline (which haven’t been excerpted here). Such scene shifts also took place in between segments of the game show.

I occasionally improvised descriptions of reactions by the contestants to the question they were being asked – “[NPC X] looks nervous as [s]he says….” kind of thing.

Act two, Scene five: Games, games, games I

Runeweaver is appearing on the popular 3DTV game show, “Deflection”. This is a highly-tactical trivia quiz format. Viewers are shown a question and decide interactively which participant will be asked to answer it. Popular figures tend to get easy questions, unpopular ones get the harder ones. The player being asked the question routinely talks their way around the problem before deciding whether to answer it (scoring points according to the difficulty of the question) or sacrifice points to “deflect the question” to another player. The number of points to be sacrificed is determined by the current ranking of the players on the scoreboard – so bringing the leader back to the pack on your own also sends you to the back of it, while helping a player who is behind to catch up costs relatively little but risks eliminating them completely, painting you as the villain. The questions themselves vary from the ridiculously easy to the mind-numbingly difficult and obscure. The game is won by the player with the highest score when the final question that will fit within a specified time that gives the show enough highlights to fill a 42-minute program gets asked – typically, 50 or so. This being the celebrity edition, instead of playing for personal cash, you’re all playing for donations to charity.

The host and quiz-master is Stuart DeBrassie, who also hosts the most-watched public affairs program in the Empire [‘IBC Tonight’]. Stuart uses his knowledge to quickly get to the heart of who players are. It’s also suspected that his quiz cards have multiple questions on them and the producers are reputed to manipulate the difficulty to make for a more interesting game. As a general rule, the celebrity edition doesn’t get easier questions than the regular one, and the first third of the recording has easier questions than the last third. As a result, the first 1/3 of the show is about introduction and assessing the strengths of the different players, the second 1/3 of the show is jockeying for position and public perception, and the final 1/3 is the showdown, wherein it is entirely possible for any player still in the game to win. The first half is pre-recorded and edited to time; the second half is live to air.

It’s quite common for players to use their “talk around the question” period to try and charm the audience, or paint themselves as the bad guy or girl if they are confident of their abilities. There are other tactics: snappy answers to get more questions in, or taking your time to get less, trying to prune the field, being friendly or ruthless, attempting to send other players down the garden path by offering a red herring in your dialogue, trying to charm the audience, singling out the weakest player or the strongest…

What is Runeweaver’s basic strategy going to be? What persona are you going to project?
(pause for decision)

Another of the tactics that the show uses to keep itself interesting is not to tell the players who they are up against until filming starts, even to the point of getting additional celebrities into the studio audience as red herrings and deliberately casting celebrities with “histories”.

After going through makeup, deciding to wear his regular costume rather than picking something off the game show’s rack (as his identity is part of the mystique that his appearance here is selling), and enjoying a fruit platter supplied by the studio, Runeweaver is escorted to a tiny cubicle sealed on three sides by curtains. The seat reclines into an easy-chair when the cameras are off, lifts the celebrities up when they are needed, and hides discretely in the studio walls the rest of the time. Two floating cameras continually focus on him. As he waits, he can hear other people being maneuvered into position and various production chatter as lights, camera, comms, and sound are checked one final time.

*** Squawky voice: “Testing Camera One – Testing Camera Two – Testing Camera Three – Host in position – ready lights – ready spots – a reminder to celebrities, the curtains will drop when your name is announced, be ready to smile – roll lead-in – roll title – cue audience – cue host in 3…2…1…”

“Hello, and welcome to the first episode of Deflection for 2056! I’m your host, Stuart DeBrassie, and tonight we have some very special entertainment for you. Tonight, seven celebrities go head to head for charity, chasing a share of a total prize pool of But this will be a game of Deflection unlike any you’ve seen before; we’ve rejigged the rules, and this is our first chance to show them off!

“Round One is where we meet our players for the first time. As usual, each will be asked a question chosen at random from our database to help us establish a base score. Used wisely, an early advantage can be decisive!

“First, please welcome the world-famous actress, star of A Midwinter’s Night, Aladdin’s Cave, and Leaves Of Autumn to name just three, Alison Cash, herself!” Runeweaver, Cash is well-known for being strongly opinionated. “Miss Cash, for one point, Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘p’?”

“A pleasure to be here, Stuart, and the answer is ‘Pennsylvania’!”

“Right you are, and we are underway! Next, we have….”

Two unrelated scenes followed in which the game looked in on other PCs.

Act two, Scene eight: Games, games, games II

While we were away,

• Mosul Panasar, a Sikh Comedian who pokes fun at tradition-for-the-sake-of-tradition and racial bias, and who has had several public disagreements about whether or not his comedy is ‘inappropriate’ with Alison Cash, was able to name the Middle Eastern City that is also a variety of Artichoke (Jerusalem);
• Sir Alice Cooper, a semi-retired shock rocker, actor, golfing celebrity, restaurateur, and vintage automobile restorer/customizer, 107 years old and still going strong, who was knighted for his social services in combating celebrity alcoholism knew where to look for the Sea Of Tranquility (The Moon);
  Alison Cash has, in the past, publicly criticized Cooper for being unwilling to mix entertainment and politics, i.e. to utilize the stage given him by his fame;
• “Princess”, a somewhat prissy fashion model and Cooper’s great-granddaughter, couldn’t correctly name the fifth planet of the solar system (she said Saturn instead of Jupiter);
• Congressman Marcel Greene, who “allegedly” contracted with the Circus Of Crime to assassinate a Shock Jock Howard Eskin, who was a thorn in his side – the PCs failed to get sufficient proof of his involvement when they took down the Circus, so he is on the reelection trail – knew that the capital of Spain was Madrid; and
• Chief Oscar Raven, elected head of the NOPD, with whom the PCs have not previously interacted, failed to name Dom Perignon as the legendary Benedictine monk who invented champagne.

“….and last but by no means least, we bring you Runeweaver of The Champions! Runeweaver, welcome, welcome! And if you could, for two points, tell me which word goes before vest, beans and quartet?”
(Pause for reply)

Stuart: “‘String’ is the correct answer! And so, at the end of our warm-up round, the scores are: A three-way tie for first between Mr Panasar, Sir Alice, and Congressman Greene [4-way if Runeweaver got the answer right], all tied on 22; Alison Cash right behind on 21; Princess lagging behind with 18; and Chief Raven in the caboose with only 17 points.”

“We’ll be back with Round Two, when we starting playing seriously, right after these messages…”

*** Squawky voice: ‘….aaaaand we’re clear! Good job, everyone! Assistants, please see to our player’s needs and squawk the booth when everyone’s ready to proceed. The next round’s a long one, so if you need to use the restroom, now’s the time.’

Another scene featuring a different PC followed.

Act two, Scene ten: Games, games, games III

Back at the TV studio, the producer’s voice erupts from the cheap intercom system.

*** Squawky Voice: “Brxzt – Places everyone… Host ready…. cameras…. lights….. we’re recording again in 3…2….1….”

Stuart: “Welcome back to this celebrity edition of Deflection, 2056-style!” beams Stuart DeBrassie. “We’re about to begin Round 2 of our game. This works exactly like round one except that the audience gets to choose which of our players gets asked the question, and – for the first time – if one gets a question they can’t answer, they can Deflect that question to another player. In this round, each question can be deflected only once. It costs three points to deflect a question to the current leader, or the second-placed player if you are the leader, one point to deflect it to the player in last place, and two points to deflect it to someone else. The only other rule is that you can’t be asked two questions in a row.

“We’ll pause to get to know each of our contestants a little better along the way. So let’s get started!

“Congressman Greene, you had a promising career ahead of you before recent controversies erupted. Why are you again throwing your hat into the public arena?”

Greene (Oily voice, trying too hard to be likable): “I’m glad you brought that up, Stuart, because it gives me the chance to clear the air. Let me start by emphasizing that nothing has been proven against me. I am standing for reelection because I believe that I am the one person best-placed to protect the interests of my constituents. And, should they choose to re-elect me, I will continue to facilitate connections between them and the bloated bureaucracy of the Empire.”

Stuart: “A fairly standard politician’s response, Congressman. Can you give our viewers any specific reason to support you?”

Greene: “Yes, Stuart. It’s my opinion that there is insufficient oversight of the law-enforcement organs of the Empire, including the Champions; and should I be re-elected, I will seek to persuade the government of the day to correct that deficiency. Take my own case – unsubstantiated allegations were leaked to the press by parties unknown within Law Enforcement specifically to damage my political standing. They could not prove wrongdoing, so they sought to manipulate public opinion against me. I was never even charged with an offense, but my reputation was publicly eviscerated, nevertheless. Elect me, and I will strengthen the laws that protect everyone – you, me, them, the public – from such unfounded allegations!”

Stuart: “So you seek to restrict what people can say about someone else to provable facts, stifling the expression of opinion and the airing of allegations, as a defense against presumptive judgment.

“But that would also insulate public officials from changing social standards, surely an undesirable outcome, and free speech has proven to be capable of motivating and polarizing oppositions in the past, so I suspect that this is not going to be the last that we hear regarding this debate in the coming months!

“But, in the meantime – Mr Panasar, for 5 points, what color is a Welsh poppy?”

Caught off-balance momentarily by the change of subject, it takes Mosul a second to realize that the game has resumed and the ball is in his court. Thinking hard, and without a great deal of confidence, he answers, “Yellow?”.

Stuart: “That is correct. Sir Alice, what is another word for the formal meaning of ‘lexicon’?”

Sir Alice (scratchy voice): “Ahhh… I’ll deflect that question, Stuart. And since I don’t want to play favorites, let’s go from left to right, so that’s to Police Chief Raven – good luck, Chief!”

Stuart: “And it’s just a coincidence that Chief Raven is currently in last place, making this the cheapest deflection. That costs you one point, Sir Alice. Chief, can you answer the question?”

Raven (deep voice): “It so happens that I can, Stuart – this is one of my favorite crossword clues. The answer is ‘Dictionary’.”

Stuart: “Correct, Chief, five points to your score. And the next question is again to Mr Panasar. Mosul, for 5 points, which Black actress was the first to win an Academy Award?”

Mosul tells a joke about dodging bullets and then announces, (Indian accent) “Deflect, Stuart. And, picking someone at random, let’s say…. Runeweaver! Good luck, Runeweaver!”

*** Roleplay.

*** Correct Answer: Hattie McDaniel in 1939 for her role in Gone With The Wind. [Update scores, -2 to Mosul, ±5 pts to RW]

Stuart: “Our current points leader is Mosul Panasar. Mosul, you and Miss Cash have been engaging in something of a war through Social Media lately.”

Mosul replies, “Well you know, Stuart, during the Palestine Cleansing of ’22, during a particularly fierce battle a general confronted a soldier who was lagging behind his unit when the enemy outnumbered them four-to-one. After giving the soldier a dressing-down, the general asked the soldier what he had to say for himself, to which the soldier replied that he’d already gotten his four.”
(Audience Laughter)

“Miss Cash believes that some subjects are too serious for comedy. She doesn’t seem to realize that there’s a difference between making fun of something and treating it lightly. I believe that those subjects make the best comedy because it enables you to ridicule outmoded ideas and attitudes, which makes people think about avoiding those attitudes, even while you are using laughter to get past their natural cynicism. I support the same causes she does, I just do it in a way that she doesn’t like – which she seems to think more important that the cause itself.”

Stuart: “You consider comedy to be educational?”

Mosul: “If you tell somebody what to think and what not to think, they’ll ignore you unless they already agree with you. Most people who can be convinced by reasoned argument already have been. If you make them laugh while puncturing one of their beliefs, they will start to soften and change those beliefs, because no one likes to identify with the butt of the joke!”

Stuart: “That’s a very interesting point of view, Mosul. I’d ask what she thinks on the subject, but I think it’s more important right now to ask her, for 4 points, who invented rabies vaccinations?”

Cash (feminine but aggressive voice) : “The only person I know of who invented any sort of vaccination was Louis Pasteur, so that’s my answer, Stuart.”

Stuart: “Absolutely correct. The next question, as decided by the audience, goes to Runeweaver, and it’s worth six points. Can you name the only heavyweight boxing champion to finish his career of 49 fights without ever having been defeated?”

*** Roleplay. He can Deflect. Correct answer is Rocky Marciano.
Chances of answering correctly: Congressman Greene: 4+4-5=3/10; Chief Raven: 5+4-5=4/10; Sir Alice: 7+4-5=6/10; Princess: 3+4-5=2/10; Mosul: 4+4-5=3/10; Cash 6+4-5=5/10. Adjust scores appropriately.

Okay, let’s explain those “chances of answering correctly”: the first number is the NPC’s based chance of getting a right answer, a combination of intelligence and breadth of life experience; the second number is a modifier for any special expertise that might apply (+4 is a middling value, slightly worse than neutral), and the -5 is the points value of the question, which is also its obscurity i.e. difficulty. Since I didn’t know who the player would deflect the question to, I needed to work out what each contestant’s chances were of getting it right, which I was willing to adjust on the fly depending on what the PC said – hints or misdirections. As it happens, after several minutes of discussion between the players, he took a punt – what some people might call a flier – on an answer, Mohammad Ali, and got the question wrong.

Announce the adjusted scores.

Stuart: “And our next question is for Sir Alice Cooper. The Rub Al Khali desert in Saudi Arabia is also known as what, Sir Alice?”

Sir Alice: “I wouldn’t have the faintest idea, Stuart, so I’ll Deflect again. This time, to Alison Cash.”

Stuart: “Miss Cash, do you know the answer?”

Cash: “I don’t think it’s right, but the only answer I can think of is the Sahara Desert.”

Stuart: “You have good instincts – if they were telling you that your answer is incorrect. The answer is, ‘The Empty Quarter’. I’m afraid that costs you the points you scored a moment ago and one more for good measure.

“Of course, the feud you’ve had going with Mosul lately isn’t the only one you’ve been involved in. You’ve publicly attacked a number of celebrities, including Sir Alice. Would you like to tell our audience what that’s all about?”

Cash: “It would be my pleasure, Stuart. It’s about responsibility.

“Our fans – and we all have them – go to our movies and concerts and whatever, and that makes those productions more successful, and that makes us Celebrities. We become quite famous as a result; most if us didn’t ask for that fame, considering it to be the price of success, to be minimized as much as possible. But the public at large see the advantages of fame and consider it as much a reward as a penalty. I think of it as a tool that can be used to our advantage or misused to our detriment, and that implies that we have a responsibility to use the influence that fame gives us for positive purposes.”

Sir Alice: “But where do you draw the line?” interjects Sir Alice. “One day you’re supporting a cause you judge to be worthy, the next you’re supporting politicians who say they support that cause, and the day after that you’re supporting politicians who might empower those politicians, maybe, and before you know it you’re supporting political parties in general, and are just another partisan mouthpiece.”

Cash: “I draw the line where I choose to draw the line. If you aren’t comfortable supporting a particular politician or party then don’t do it!”

Cooper: “Our fans come from all different political persuasions,” rebuts Alice. “By taking sides, you’re telling some of them – it might be a few of them or a lot of them – that their opinions and beliefs are wrong. Who are you to make that judgment? And, if you do, will those fans stick around? Back in the 90s, or maybe it was noughties, that girl group – The Dixie Chicks I think it was – found out the hard way that they won’t.”

Cash: “Do you refuse to spend money because you might get cheated? This is exactly the same thing, fame is just a different form of currency. Yes, it can be lost or perverted into infamy – but that only makes it more important to use it while you have it!”

Stuart: “Can you at least agree that it’s an individual choice?” interjects Stuart.

Cooper: “I’ve always thought it so. I’m an entertainer, I’m not Bono, God rest his soul,” replies Alice.

Cash: “No! Because too many people never make the choice, they simply milk their fame for all it’s worth. They have to be forced to pick a cause they can believe in and then to promote the hell out of it!”

Cooper: “And if the cause I choose to promote is my right to privacy, my right to support causes through donations without making a big deal out of it, where does that leave you? Right back where you started. Your problem is that you want to exclude causes that you don’t like. That’s not fair, and it’s not right. I’ve been misquoted and misrepresented in the press so often that I have no confidence that my support would benefit a cause, anyway.”

Cash: “That’s your problem, Sir Alice – but Journalistic Integrity and Standards sounds like a cause worth fighting for.”

Stuart: “I can see that there’s no convincing either of you to back down, so let’s agree to disagree on the issue and get on with the game.

“According to our audience, the next question should go to Princess, for four points – so it’s a fairly easy one. Which kind of bulbs were once exchanged as a form of currency?”

Princess (high-pitched sultry semi-whisper): “I should probably know, but my knowledge about money ends with how to spend it. So I’ll Deflect it, and because he’s lost a number of points, I’m going to send it to Granddad over there.”

Stuart: “I presume you mean Sir Alice, who is in fact your genetic grandfather. Sir Alice, do you know the answer?”

Cooper: “I’ve eaten a few of them in my time, Stuart. The answer is Tulips.”

Stuart: “Correct, taking your score to 23. Next, we have a difficult question worth 8 points, and the audience wants to give it to you, Mosul. So, Mosul Panasar, how many crocus flowers does it take to make a pound of saffron?”

Mosul: “Louise Ericson, star of Ozzy and Harriet, once said about gardening that it ‘requires lots of water – most of it in the form of perspiration’. But about Saffron flowers, I know it’s a lot, but I’ve no idea how many, Stuart. So I’ll Deflect, and because I don’t like his smug attitude, I’ll give it to the low-score holder, Congressman Greene, in hopes that he doesn’t know, either.”

Stuart: “That costs you one point. Congressman Greene, if you don’t get this right, you’ll be in danger of elimination as the game progresses. What is your answer?”

Greene: “I would normally have Congressional Aides to look up this sort of thing for me, Stuart, and make sure that I got it right, so this is a total guess – I’ll say 10,000.”

Stuart: “Just a little wide of the mark, I’m afraid. The correct answer is ‘up to 75,000 flowers’, which (incidentally) is enough to fill an entire soccer stadium. That reduces your score to only 12 points, I’m afraid.

“It seems our audience either loves or hates you, Sir Alice.”

Cooper: “That’s been the reaction all my life, Stuart,” he replies.

Stuart: “Well, whatever their motives, they have thrown the next question, worth a full seven points, in your direction. Ralph Craig ran the 100m for the US in 1912; when did he next compete in the Imperial Games?”

— Side-note: the Imperial Games is a combination of the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, which of course, used to be known as the Empire Games.

Cooper: “Sports was never my forte, Stuart, so I’ll deflect this question. Maybe to Alison, to show that there’s no hard feelings,” he grins.

Cash: “Thanks a bunch, Black Eyes. I don’t know, Stuart, but I’ll take a stab at working out the answer. The Games are every four years. He must have been in his early 20s in 1912. It can’t have been 1916, there would be nothing unusual or noteworthy about that, and the same is true of 1920. So we’re looking at 1924 at the earliest, putting him in his early 30s. Again, I don’t see anything especially noteworthy about that, and the same is true of the 1928 games. By the time of the 1932 games, he’d have been about 40, which is starting to get to a significant age. Were those the ones notoriously held in Berlin, or were they later? I’m going to guess that it was the Olympics after that, when he would have been in his early 40s, which makes my answer 1936.”

Stuart: “I’m afraid that’s incorrect, Alison. The correct answer is 1948, after the war, when at the age of 59, he was an alternate member of the Yachting team. While he didn’t actually get to compete in the games, which were in London that year, he did carry the USK flag at the opening ceremonies.

“And with that, we need to take a commercial break. Round two will continue after these messages. Join us, won’t you?”

*** Squawky Voice: “….and, we’re out. Take ten, people.”
Meanwhile….

Another scene with a different PC took place during the ad break, ending with that PC turning back to their 3DTV set.

Act two, Scene Twelve: Games, games, games IV

Stuart: “Welcome back to this celebrity edition of Deflection 2056,” announces Stuart. “We’re deep in the heart of round two, and the game is starting to take shape.

Princess, you’ve been accused of single-handedly trying to revive the waif look, and also of plagiarizing the look of the Rock performer from the turn of the century, Avril Lavigne.”

Princess: “The look is far more of a Goth Noir revival,” replies the model. “It symbolizes both my heritage,” (and she nods at her Grandfather), “and at the same time looks modern and fresh and attention getting. That’s my job – to attract attention to whatever I’m wearing or appearing in.”

Stuart: “There is one significant difference, however. Please tell us about it.”

Princess: “Well, you wouldn’t know it to look at me, but I’m naturally a little chubby. In the past, the so-called ‘Waif look’ was achieved by starvation diets and eating disorders. I get there with exercise and hard work and a healthy diet, and I want people to know that if I can do it, they can, too. You don’t have to be a slave to your body chemistry.”

Stuart: “But Obesity hasn’t been a serious problem for most people since the fat-buster pill was introduced in 2040. Why does it matter?”

Princess: “Taking an artificial hormone to accelerate the natural fat-burning processes of the body is way over-used as a treatment and an excuse to live a lifestyle of excess. We don’t know what the long-term effects are, only that if you stop taking it, you’ll balloon up, and in rare cases, risk organ failure. It’s all about taking responsibility for what you put into your body and what you do with it once it’s there.

“I know it’s not a popular movement, but that’s because too many people are lazy and take the easy way out.

“But I grew up listening to Grandpa’s stories of the days of excess in Rock-and-Roll and what they did to everyone else around him, and when I looked around, I saw the same thing happening to half the population in a more general sort of way. The Causes’ time hasn’t quite come yet – but it will, I’m sure of that.”

Runeweaver, the depth of these interviews should be beginning to worry you. Everyone, including that slime-ball Greene, seems to have had something of some substance to say, probably prepared in advance. It will be your turn very soon – what are you going to talk about? While the questions continue, you might want to start making mental notes. Or you might want to pay close attention to the game, where there are a number of personal relationships affecting play – that’s up to you.

The player replied, in character, “I’m feeling way out of my depth and even farther out of my comfort zone at the moment. I’m giving up any thoughts of winning and just hoping not to embarrass the team too much more than I have already. I’m trying to think of something to talk about but I’m coming up blank. But I don’t think DeBrassie is the type not to have a contingency plan prepared, so I’ll let him take the lead and just respond to whatever leading questions he throws my way, and concentrate on the game.”

Stuart: “Our next question is once again for Mosul Panasar. I guess people must have liked what they heard from you Mosul, it seems everyone wants you to have control of the game and the chance to score.”

Mosul: “Either that, or they are trying to knock me out of the game, Stuart!”

Stuart: “Yes, I guess that’s possible, but if that’s what they want, from the looks of the scoreboard, they might be disappointed! Anyway, for 7 points, can you tell me which English town was the first city in Europe to have a street tram system?”

Mosul: “As a matter of fact, I can, Stuart – I happened to tour there a few years back and that’s a bit of trivia that stuck in my head. The answer is Birkenhead, England.”

Stuart: “Well done, Mosul – that takes your score to 32 points. Sir Alice, you seem almost as popular. I guess people don’t like the idea of a thought police.”

Cooper: “They can think what they want, Stuart – I don’t like the idea of a thought police.”

Stuart: “So, can you, for 4 points, name the world’s biggest island?”

It was at this point that the other players started trying to guess at the answers to every question the way they would if they were watching it on TV. This was when I knew that I had them fully engaged as a group in what was going on.

Cooper: “Most people probably think it’s Australia, and I’ve toured there many times, but the correct answer is Greenland – Australia is officially considered a continental landmass, not an island.”

Stuart: “Correct! That takes your score to 25. Mr Greene, the first of our ten-point questions is out, and traditionally, the first ten-point question is a sympathy question directed at the lowest score-holder. Right now, that’s you, Congressman. What was blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield’s IQ measured at? I need the exact number.”

Greene: “I don’t know, Stuart, so I’ll deflect that question – (aggressive tone) to Runeweaver.”

Stuart: “You subtract [two points] from your score, and pass the buck to the superhero. Runeweaver?”

*** Runeweaver must try to answer. Mansfield’s height of fame was the 50s and 60s, so the question is much closer to your time-frame of experience than the contestants think – does that give you a better shot at an answer?

*** Roleplay.

He took a guess, after much debate. The consensus was that it had to be noteworthy, and so either very high or very low, and guessed high, in the 150s.

Correct Answer: 163, well into the “Genius” category. Adjust points accordingly,

Stuart: “The audience haven’t given up on you, Congressman – the next question is also for you. Can you tell me, for two points, is the speed of sound faster or slower in water than in air?”

Greene: “Finally, something I know – my state builds sonar equipment for the navy and has for almost a century. It’s faster, Stuart!”

Stuart: “Correct – sound moves faster in liquids than in gasses, and faster still in solids. In air, it’s 343 meters/second; in water, 1484; in steel, 5120; and in diamond, it’s 12,000, which is better than 43,100 kilometers per hour. So that’s two points, taking your score to 12. You’re still in very dangerous territory, points-wise.”

Suddenly, the spotlight shines on Runeweaver – it’s his turn to face interrogation by one of the sharpest journalists in the Empire! But meanwhile….

To give the player one final chance to get a topic in mind and center himself “in character”, a scene featuring a different PC followed, which had supposedly taken place simultaneously with the segment of the show played so far.

Act two, Scene fourteen: Games, games, games V

Stuart: “Of course, someone who is no stranger to dangerous territory is Runeweaver. Religion has been waning as an influence over people’s lives since the mid-twentieth century, Runeweaver – is your persona merely a reflection of that?”

*** Reply

“You use something you call ‘Magic’. Now, brilliant as some of them have been, I don’t think that’s quite the same thing as stage magic, is it?”

*** Reply – host will push for Runeweaver to define his ‘magic’

“Your accent is slightly Scandinavian. Where do you call home?”

*** Reply

“What’s your opinion of the questions that have been raised about privacy and intensified police oversight? Because I’m detecting something of trend, here.”

*** Reply

“Some of your membership seems more outspoken than others. Vala, your most controversial member, is always quotable; St Barbara seems endlessly popular but watches her words carefully; Blackwing is relatively conservative and tends to stick to the official ‘line’; and your fifth member, Defender, seems almost Diffident, and very hard to get anything out of. Where do you stand in this continuum, and why?”

*** Reply

“So you would probably align yourself more closely with Sir Alice than with the views of Alison Cash. I’m sure that even now, Miss Cash is composing an eviscerating Tweet on the matter, but before you get there, Miss Cash, can you tell me, for 8 points – Costing around $2,600 per pound and made only to order by Knipschildt, what is the name of this chocolate truffle?”

Cash: “The most expensive chocolate I’ve ever heard of is ‘Cornet Port Royal’, is that the answer?”

Stuart: “I’m Sorry – Cornet Port Royal is the name of the dutch chocolatiers appointed to provide exclusive treats for the royal family, but these are even more exclusive than that. The correct answer, I’m afraid, is Chocopologie.

“And, speaking of Sir Alice, we have another question that the audience has chosen to send your way for 5 points – Which is Britain’s oldest Sunday newspaper, published for the first time in 1791?”

Cooper: “My association with the print media being what it is, I have no idea, so I’ll deflect that question. Let me see, who to? I could give it to Mosul, but he probably knows the answer. I think I’ll throw this one at Runeweaver, I’m curious whether or not he does, too.”

*** Roleplay

Another question the PC had to answer, another incorrect guess.

Correct Answer: The Observer. Adjust Scores: Sir Alice, -2; Runeweaver, Announce the scores, as Stuart.

“…and here’s another question that our audience wants to put to you, Alison Cash, possibly since you’re no stranger to controversy. The Amazon is generally regarded as the longest river in the world, but in 2016-7 this view was challenged, and the question remains officially unresolved to this day. For six points, What is the name of the Amazon’s challenger?”

Cash: “As it happens, I do know the answer, we studied this extensively when I was junior high – The river they think may actually be longer than the Amazon, is the Nile. A Brazilian scientists’ 14-day expedition then extended the Amazon’s length by about 284 kilometers, making it 105 kilometers longer than the Nile, but his figure is not accepted by everyone. The problem is that if you follow the edge of any complicated shape, you get a longer measurement than if you measure down the center. Which one is the right figure? Until someone walks the Amazon with a GPS, the way the Nile explorer did, and someone else defines exactly what the length of a river means, the question of which one really is longer can’t be answered – except as you phrased it. Heck, because of the way it twists and turns, it’s even possible that the Mississippi is longer than the official length of the Amazon.”

Stuart: “Completely correct, Miss Cash! Six badly-needed points to your total.

“Our final contestant tonight is New Orleans Chief Of Police, Oscar Raven. Chief Raven, I understand that you don’t have to face reelection this year, unlike most such officials?”

Raven: “That’s correct, Stuart. When my job was established, it was thought desirable to ensure continuity from one administration to another, even at the price of requiring an extra election now and then. As a result, instead of four year terms, the contract is for 5 years of service unless that would result in both elections falling in the same calendar year, in which case it will be for six years.

“The practice is archaic, but traditions are important.”

Stuart: “So it must have been unsettling to have a group of amateurs given police authority within the city. What do you think of the Champions now?”

Raven: “For the first time that I can remember, you’ve been misinformed, Stuart, though it’s a popular misconception. The Champions were slotted into the existing legal and law-enforcement framework of the Empire as a whole. Relations between them and the NOPD started as cordial and have only become more-so as we have grown accustomed to their presence. Their cases and ours rarely intersect, and where they do, we’ve been very grateful for their assistance, and vice-versa, I’m sure.”

Stuart: “You welcome their presence, then, despite the controversies, the public dangers, the social and political attention?”

Raven: “Controversies, Smontroversies. Controversy simply means they’re talking about you, and there are a host of cities who would pay good money for that social and political attention. The last time New Orleans was put on the map, it was due to the disaster of Hurricane Landau. Before that, the explosion of the USKN Birchwood, and before that, the mishandling of the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

“For the first time in more than 80 years, we’re the focus of attention for a Good reason, and not a disaster. As for the public danger, buying the house next to the fire station doesn’t mean your house is more likely to catch fire, just that if it does,help is closer at hand. Yes, I welcome the Champions to New Orleans, both officially and unofficially.”

Stuart: “You’ve always been one to speak your mind, Chief. Hopefully the right answer will be on that mind when I ask you, for three points, which popular BBC series about old collectibles began in 1979 and is still running to this day?”

Raven: “I’m afraid that my job doesn’t permit much time for television-watching, Stuart, and back when life did, that sort of program would not have been entertaining to me – though it might well fascinate me now that I’m older! The only show on the subject that I know is “Going For A Song”, which I know started a long time ago, so that may as well be my answer.”

Stuart: “I’m afraid that is not correct, Chief. The right answer is Antiques Roadshow. That drops you back to 18 points.

“Alison Cash, the audience has an easy three-point question they would like me to put to you. Who is the most famous Registered Eccentric in the modern Empire?”

Cash: “I really should deflect this to Runeweaver, but I need the points, so – the answer, obviously, is St Barbara, perhaps only by a narrow margin ahead of his other teammate, Vala.”

Stuart: “That is correct, well done. And our last question for this round is to Mosul Panasar, for a massive 9 points. Get this right, Mosul, and you will have something close to an unassailable lead. Aside from being a musical instrument, what does the term ‘piano’ mean in music?”

Mosul: “I don’t know a violin string from a bowstring, Stuart, so I’ll deflect – let’s give it to the musician amongst us, Sir Alice.”

Stuart: “Sir Alice it is, costing you two points. If you can answer this correctly, Sir Alice, you will move into the lead. Get it wrong and you’ll be under great threat of elimination.”

Cooper: “I should probably know this, but I don’t. So, I know this will be wrong, but Keyboards – synthesizers?”

Stuart: “I can only take one answer, Sir Alice, and I’m afraid that both of those are wrong. It’s possibly a foreign concept to a shock rocker like yourself, but the correct answer is ‘to be played softly.’

“Time for a score check (insert Runeweaver’s score in the correct place). Mosul Panasar is on 28 points and leading, followed by Alison Cash on 19, Chief Raven on 18, Princess on 16, Sir Alice is in hot water on 14 points, and Congressman Greene is bringing up the rear on 10 points.

“So, you’ve met our contestants, and our studio audience has set the stage for an exciting game. When we return after these messages, we will be live throughout the Empire, and you at home will have the opportunity to join in the fun! We’ll be right back, so stick around!”

*** Squawky Voice: “And we’re out! Ten minutes, everyone. This will be the last long break before we’re live before the Empire, make the most of it!”

Meanwhile….

This was the first time that the PCs realized that this was an election year despite the hint when Congressman Greene was introduced. The last election the PCs were involved in was both significant and traumatic, and dominated the campaign for months, ultimately leading to the Big Finish of the previous campaign, so they viewed the prospect with some trepidation. At the very least, Greene’s position makes it clear that they will be a political football. This also threw into perspective a number of other background developments – including the relevance of the position advocated by Cash in the game-show.

Attention had slightly drifted after Runeweaver’s interview (which he handled very well, far better than some of the other PCs had done in past adventures when similarly put under the spotlight), but this caused a buzz and a protracted conversation amongst the players as the pieces that I’d been setting up for more than two years real-time began falling into place for them.

This marked a turning-point within the campaign, as it moved from phase I (set-up, i.e. putting those building blocks in place) into phase II (interaction).

Another lengthy scene away from the game-show followed, in which still more building blocks were placed into the emerging broader context, and the players began discussing how they were going to actively respond to the situations I had been setting up.

After that, there was a teaser for future plot developments in another scene, and play ended for the day.

Game Day Two

When play resumed a month later, after a brief synopsis and a reminder of the scoreboard, we moved into the more dramatic segments of the game show, when it definitely goes up a notch in pace…

Act two, Scene eighteen: Games, games, games VI

Stuart: “Welcome to Round Three of today’s celebrity edition of Deflection 2056. I’m still your host, Stuart DeBrassie, and these are our players, and we’re live!

“In round three, a randomly selected member of the audience can offer his best guess as to the answer, but the questions mostly get harder. If they like you, or want to show how clever they are, they might give the right answer, but if not…. You will have to make snap judgments about whether or not to pay any attention to their suggestion. Once again, if you aren’t sure and don’t trust the audience participant, you can Deflect the question, and also once again, you can’t be asked two questions in a row. This is where the game gets tactical, so stay sharp, and good luck to you all.

“To Sir Alice for 8 points: How tall would a double elephant folio book be in old Imperial measurements? The suggested answer is one foot.”

Cooper: “The audience member is wrong. I have several of these – the right answer is 8-and-a-half inches.”

Stuart: “Correct. Alison Cash, for a whopping 10 points, can you tell me what were the Empress Elizabeth and Prince Philip famously given as a present for baby Prince Andrew while on a visit to Gambia? The suggested answer is a Brooch.”

Cash: “Deflect to Mosul, Stuart.”

Stuart: “One point from your score. Mosul?”

Mosul: “An Elephant, Stuart?”

Stuart: “No, I’m sorry, but you were on the right track – it was a baby crocodile. Chief Raven, for six points, this should be right up your alley – it seems the audience out there likes you. Which police departments usually investigate possible suicides? The suggested answer is the Homicide department.”

Raven: “The suggested answer is the right one. In any suspected suicide, Homicide must be ruled out, and that’s the job of the Homicide Department.”

Stuart: “Six badly-needed points to you. Sir Alice, for 7 points, what color is a Himalayan poppy? The suggested answer is blue.”

Cooper: “You asked earlier about Welsh Poppies, and they turned out to be yellow. So I’m betting that this is a trick question. I could deflect, but I’ve made a career out of trusting my audience, so – Blue.”

Stuart: “A good call, Blue is correct, and you’re back in the game. Alison Cash, for 9 very valuable points and potentially the lead at the end of the round, what is the oldest surviving printed book in the world and when was it printed? The suggested answers are The Diamond Sutra and the year 868.”

Cash: “The Diamond Sutra is correct, I think, and it was carbon-dated at something in the 800’s, but no-one’s exactly sure when it was actually printed. So I’ll go with the audience’s suggested answer, 868 AD.”

Stuart: “Correct. Runeweaver, for eight points, name the film noir actress who starred in I Married a Witch, The Glass Key, So Proudly We Hail! and Sullivan’s Travels. The suggested answer is Veronica Lake.”

*** Roleplay. Will Runeweaver take the (correctly) suggested answer? Will he know? Or will he Deflect to someone else?
Chance of answering correctly: Greene: 4+6-8=2/10; Raven 5+6-8=3/10; Cooper 7+6-8=5/10; Princess 3+6+1-8=2/10; Panasar 4+6-8=2/10; Cash 6+6+2-8=6/10. Adjust scores accordingly, RW -2 or +8, other player Alison Cash, it’s you again, this time for 10 points, can you name the first two of Shakespeare’s plays to be translated into Klingon? The suggested answers are Hamlet and A Comedy Of Errors.”

Cash: “What’s Klingon? Deflect, Stuart, Deflect! Looking at the scoreboard, to Congressman Greene.”

Once again, after minimal engagement over the actress, this was when the other players started trying to guess at the answers to every question, recapturing the mood of the previous game session.

Stuart: “As Congressman Greene is in last place, that only costs you one point. Congressman, you need to get this right or you’ll be left a lame duck; succeed and it could be the start of a major comeback. Your answer, please?”

Greene: “Unlike Miss Cash, I doknow what Klingon is. Hamlet sounds about right, but I don’t think A Comedy Of Errors is correct. Henry VIII, Part 1, sounds more up to Klingon sensibilities.”

Stuart: “You’re half right, the answers are Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing. I’m afraid that leaves you vulnerable on only two points.

“And, speaking of two points, Runeweaver, for a deuce, what color jersey is worn by the race leaders of each stage of the Tour De France? The suggested answer is Polka-dots.”

*** Roleplay. This time the audience suggestion is wrong. The right answer is Yellow. He can deflect.

Chances of answering correctly: Greene: 4+6-2=6/10; Raven 5+6-2=9/10; Cooper 7+6-2-2=9/10; Princess 3+6-2=7/10; Panasar 4+6-2=8/10; Cash 6+6-2=10/10. Adjust scores accordingly, RW -2 or +2, other player.

So far, he had gotten nothing right (not even the ones I expected the group to be able to get, collectively), and he was down to just 2 points. But he gave the right answer. None of the players thought too deeply over the fact that the audience had deliberately tried to mislead him, a sign that the PCs were not universally loved by the public.

Stuart: “Yellow is correct. Alison Cash, another hard one being sent your way; for nine points, What is the oldest film ever made, and when was it made? The suggested answers are Bristol Garden Scene and 1889.”

Cash: “Neither of those sound right to me, but I don’t know the answer. I’ll deflect to Chief Raven.”

Stuart: “That costs you two points, go ahead, Chief.”

Raven: “They aren’t quite right, but they are close. My daughter is a student studying the history of film at the moment, and I used to help her prepare. The correct answers are Roundhay Garden Scene and 1888, not 1889.”

Stuart: “Absolutely correct, Chief, and with that answer you are threatening for the lead – not exactly the outcome I suspect Miss Cash was hoping for.”

You can’t completely predict how a game like this will go, when a PC has the ability to alter not only his own scores but those of other contestants. So I next inserted an additional sub-scene, with a question that could be valued at whatever I needed it to be valued at in order to make the pre-planned outcome with respect to Congressman Greene take place as required by the broader plot. I have no problem railroading NPCs when the occasion dictates; it’s PCs that are hands-off!

[OPTIONAL INSERT: NEED TO MAKE SURE GREENE IS ON 2 POINTS:]

Stuart: “Congressman Greene, according to legend, a spectral knight on a horse of what color is sometimes seen riding toward Weichenwang to visit his lover?”

Greene: “It has to be black, doesn’t it?”

Stuart: “I haven’t yet given you the viewer’s answers, Congressman, so I don’t have to accept that as your final answer. One says black, and the other, gray.”

Greene: “I’ll stick with Black as an answer, Stuart.”

Stuart: “I’m afraid that the correct answer is White, Congressman. That costs you [x] points and leaves you with a score of just 2. From their answers, it seems that our audience has not proven receptive to your views.”

“The election is still months away, Stuart, and as was once famously said, ‘I have just begun to fight’. I have no doubt that the public will change their minds when the facts come to light. I’m good at persuading others to see things my way.”

As it happened, the optional extra scene wasn’t required, because (instead of targeting his avowed enemy), Runeweaver had taken the high moral road in an attempt to make the former Congressman look petty and vindictive. This approach was what I had expected the character to choose, so it wasn’t a great surprise to me.

As an out-of-continuity moment, I read the scene to the players afterwards.

Stuart: “Sir Alice, for six points, what is the third most common gas in the Earth’s atmosphere after Nitrogen and Oxygen? The suggested answer is Argon.”

Cooper: “I don’t know Argon. I’m going to say Carbon Dioxide.”

Stuart: “I’m sorry to say,
Argon was the right answer. You should have stuck with your maxim about trusting your audience! Mosul Panasar, for nine points, what was the name of the Italian cruise ship hijacked by Palestinian terrorists in October 1985? The suggested answer is the Good Ship Lollypop.”

Mosul: “Seventy-three years and some months ago, Culture Club were number one with ‘Do you really want to hurt me?” Perhaps I should sing a verse or two to the audience, given that suggested answer. As it happens, though, I think I know the answer. Is it the Costa Concordia, from 42 years ago?”

This had players nodding their heads and making sounds of agreement.

Stuart: “I’m sorry, it was the Achille Lauro, hijacked by the PLO in 1985. Costa Condordia capsized and sank, but terrorists had nothing to do with the disaster. Princess, your fans are thinking of you and would like you to tell them, for 5 points, in which film did Humphrey Bogart say, ‘We’ll always have Paris?’ The suggested answer is Casablanca.”

Princess: “Oh Gee, I should know this one. I think it was actually The Maltese Falcon.”

Stuart: “No, I’m sorry – Casablanca was the correct answer. You’re down to 11 points and living dangerously. Alison Cash, for nine points, ‘May Queen’, ‘Wisley Crab’, ‘Foxwhelps’ and ‘Lane’s Prince Albert’ are all species of what? The suggested answer is ‘Fruit’.”

Cash: “Sounds like I should join Mosul in his singing! Fruit is not a species. The correct answer is Apple.”

Stuart: “Correct, and it’s getting tight at the top! Congressman Greene, the next question is for you. Get it right and with the seven points you earn, you’re back in the game. Get it wrong, and you will be eliminated. You don’t have the points to deflect it to the leaders, but you can deflect it to the last-placed competitor, which at the moment, is Mosul Panasar, leaving you on a single point.”

Greene: “I’d rather go out in a blaze of glory, all or nothing. Ask your question.”

Stuart: “Bray Studios, near Windsor in Berkshire, was home to which famous brand of horror films? The suggested answer is Frankenstein.”

Greene: “I wouldn’t have the faintest — wait, I’ve got two points at the moment? I’ll deflect – to Runeweaver, as personal thanks for the outstanding services he and his teammates have performed for my career.”

Stuart: “If you do that, you will be eliminated from the game, you do understand that?”

Greene: “You heard me, Stuart. It’s a petty revenge, but it will have to do – at least until the elections.”

Stuart: “Very well, you have been eliminated from the game. But we will speak to you again, before the end of the show! Runeweaver, Congressman Greene has attempted to play the role of a spoiler in your game, but if you answer the question correctly, you can turn the tables on him. Your current score is [4*]. Again, for 7 points: Bray Studios, near Windsor in Berkshire, was home to which famous brand of horror films? The audience suggestion is Frankenstein.”

*** Roleplay

*I’ve inserted the score as it was, but in the adventure as played, this simply read [ ]. Now, as it happened, the player of Runeweaver had already burst out with the correct answer as soon as the question was read, as had at least two other players, and as I expected them to do.

Stuart: “The correct answer is – Hammer Horror, or Hammer Studios, or simply ‘Hammer’, though they did make a number of Frankenstein movies, amongst others.” [Adjust RW score

“And the last question of the round goes to Sir Alice: Which parody Heavy Rock band claimed that their drummer spontaneously combusted on stage during a jazz festival? The suggested answer is Spinal Tap.”

Cooper: “I love it! I used to know those guys so well, they really became backdoor icons within the industry. The audience is correct, the answer is Spinal Tap – their drummer spontaneously combusting was a running joke during the original Mockumentary and a gag they kept up when they became a ‘real’ band.”

Stuart: “Completely correct! So, at the end of round three, and with one player eliminated from contention, let’s have a score check: Alison Cash on [33], Raven on [32], Sir Alice up from 2nd-last to [20] points, Runeweaver lurking on [ ] points, Princess on 11, and in last place on 9 points is our Round 2 leader, Mosul Panasar. Congratulations to you all on surviving Round 3, and let me assure you that anyone who’s still in the game can still win from here. (To the audience) I hope you’ll rejoin us after these commercial messages for what promises to be a most exciting conclusion!”

*** Squawky voice: “….and we’re clear. 3 minutes 30 seconds, people. Look sharp! Makeup touch-ups for everybody, hustle, hustle, hustle!”

Another unrelated scene followed, but it gave another player the chance to distract Runeweaver if he chose to do so – it was a matter of great concern to his PC, after all. He didn’t, and I didn’t think that he would.

I’d also like to make the point that both Runeweaver and Greene were on scores of 2 points at one point or another in the game show. While Runeweaver had recovered slightly, his score was not high enough to survive getting his deflected question wrong. Greene’s action was a blatant attempt to knock Runeweaver out of the game show, even if the attempt was a Pyrrhic victory, and I did modify the remarks above on-the-fly to reflect that.

I couldn’t have forecast the situation as I thought Runeweaver would have a higher score at this point, and would merely be crippled,score-wise, but it definitely added to the spiteful persona exhibited by the former Congressman.

Act two, Scene eighteen: Games, games, games VII

*** Squawky Voice: “We’re back live in 3…2….1….Music….Cue Stuart.”

“Welcome back to this celebrity edition of Deflection 2056. Our celebrity guests are playing for pride, ego, and a share of the In the right hands, that money can and will change lives for the better! So, before we get into the final questions let’s hear from each of them one more time as they tell us who they are playing for. As they do so, we’ll flash a phone number up on the screen where you at home can add to the donation pool, so if you like the sound of what you hear – our operators will be standing by.

“Congressman Greene, since you’ve been eliminated, you stand to earn the lowest amount for your chosen charity – maybe the viewers at home would like to express support for the cause, though. Who are you representing?”

Greene: “Stuart, I hoped to bring in plenty of money for Imperial Urban Poor, who do a great job of getting homeless and distressed people off the streets and into productive employment.”

Stuart: “A very worthy cause. Sir Alice?”

Cooper: “The Red Cross’s Blue Shield Appeal, Stuart, who provide the poor and underprivileged with access to state-of-the-art health care.”

Stuart: “An excellent choice! Princess?”

Princess: “The Rescued Pets Foundation, Stuart. They rescue unwanted pets and retrain them to be companions for the sick and elderly.”

Stuart: “Something we all support, I’m sure. Chief Raven?”

Raven: “My Office is tired of convictions being quashed due to inadequate representation, so I have established a new Charity, the Fair Shake Foundation, whose goals are to promote and train the Public Defenders of the Empire in hopes of generating better legal outcomes for everyone who appears before the courts, Stuart.”

Stuart: “And is this strictly a local affair, or will it operate on a larger scale?”

Raven: “Our board is local, because the Foundation is chartered in New Orleans, but the plan is for it to be operating throughout the USK by the end of 2056, to add Canada and Mexico by the end of 2057, England by 2058, and be Empire-wide by 2059. The more funding we raise, the more we can accelerate that program.”

Stuart: “Perhaps not the sexiest of causes, but justice is something we all want to see. I wish you good luck with it. Runeweaver?”

I had expected the answer to come back immediately because in a past adventure each of the PCs had been required to choose a cause and spend a certain amount of time each week working on it’s behalf – but the player had not made a note of his choice, and the cause that he suggested as the most likely answer he would have given was very similar to the one that another player had picked. So there was a few minutes out-of-play while this was discussed and resolved.

Stuart: “Umm-Hmm. And you, Mosul?”

Mosul: “I’m here to support Clown Doctors, Stuart. There’s nothing funny about sick kids, but the Clown Doctors help them forget being sick for a while, which has been proven to speed recovery times – giving the parents something to smile about, too.”

Stuart: “And, finally, Miss Alison Cash?”

Cash: “The Big Screen Relief Fund, Stuart, which helps give actors and production staff who don’t earn the big bucks achieve a secure retirement – and provides a safety net in times of trouble.”

Stuart: “A very worthy cause, I’m sure. So, let’s next have a score-check while you at home decide which of these causes is worth a fully tax-deductible donation of your hard-earned money. Alison Cash [33], Chief Oscar Raven [32], Sir Alice Cooper [20], Runeweaver [11*], Princess [11] and early leader Mosul Panasar bringing up the rear on [9] points, and of course, eliminated contestant Congressman Marcel Greene is also still with us on zero.

“It’s time now for the final round, and we’ve tweaked the rules a little for this last throw
of the dice. The questions are harder, but are worth Double Points if you get it right, you get double the audience suggestions and twice as long to think about your answers, and for the first time, the opportunity for a double-deflection – when someone passes you a question you don’t like, you can now pass it to anyone but the person who gave it to you. They are then stuck with it!

But on top of that, we’re no longer going to tell you how much or how little each question is worth until AFTER it’s answered!

Deflection costs are also doubled, and – for the first time – you can now receive two questions in a row.

“Anyone can still win – or crash out! If your fans want you to win, they, and only they, can give you the opportunity – and it’s up to you to seize it! Who will get the crowd’s support – and, given how hard the questions are, do you really want it? It IS possible to win simply by avoiding every question in this final round – and we’ve thrown in one or two easy questions just to mess with your heads!

“So, let’s get the round underway. Mosul Panasar, where would you find the Beach Of The Cathedrals? Our Audience says Spain or France.”

Mosul: “I’m not sure, Stuart, so I’ll deflect to Miss Cash.”

Stuart: “Four points off your score. Miss Cash?”

Cash: “I have no idea, Stuart, so I’ll also Defect, to Chief Raven.”

Stuart: “Two points off your score. Chief?”

Raven: “I’ve visited there in on Holidays, Stuart. The answer is Spain.”

Stuart: “Correct, for eighteen points, and we have a new leader! Runeweaver, can you name the actor who starred in 142 films including The Quiet Man, The Shootist, The Searchers and Stagecoach before his death in 1979? The audience suggestion is unanimously John Wayne.”

*** Correct Answer: John Wayne. He can deflect.
Chances of answering correctly: Raven 5+9-6=8/10; Cooper 7+9-6=10/10; Princess 3+9-6=6/10; Panasar 4+9-6=8/10; Cash 6+9-6=9/10. Adjust scores: RW +12, -12 or -2; Other contestant.

There was a lot of discussion about this question; the player in the hot seat didn’t know any of the movies, and the biggest movie buff in the group knew only the last one and didn’t remember who starred in it, but didn’t think it was Wayne. In the end, the player chose to deflect and handed the question – and the points, after a correct answer – to Chief Raven.

Stuart: “Miss Cash, what is known as the world’s most dangerous Hiking Trail, where would you find it, and what does the name mean in English? The audience suggest Camino del Ray in Portugal, meaning the King’s Road, or the Huayna Picchu Trail in Peru which is alleged to mean the High Places Trail in English.”

Cash: “The answer is El Camino del Rey, it’s also in Spain, and in English, it means The King’s Pathway.”

Stuart: “Correct for 18 points and leaves you once again hot on the leader’s trail. Mosul Panasar, which chess piece can only move diagonally? Is it a Bishop, as our audience members both think?”

Mosul: “It is a Bishop, Stuart”.

Stuart: “Correct for 4 points. Sir Alice, who invented Television? The audience say ‘Logie Baird’ and ‘Nicola Tesla’, respectively.”

Cooper: “Difficult, Stuart – I think I’ll Deflect to Chief Raven, the points leader.”

This is one question which I expected the players to feel confident of, because Logie Baird is widely known in Australia as “The Father Of Television.”

Raven: “Tesla did a lot, but TV? I don’t know – it’s a bit after his time, I think. No, I’m not sure, so I’m going to play it safe and Re-Deflect to Miss Cash.”

Cash: “Logie Baird sounds right – aren’t the Australian TV awards named after him?”

They are, and every player at the table knew that and was more convinced of the answer than ever..

Stuart: “In fact, George Carey, a Boston civil servant, first thought up television in 1876. John Logie Baird is often quoted as its inventor but his ideas didn’t come along until the 1920’s. These days he is regarded as the inventor of television technology, but not of television itself. I’m afraid that’s a twenty-point hit to your score after a successful tactic by Chief Raven that leaves him way out in front.

“Chief Raven, the next question is for you. Who was the first designer of fashion ornaments in America? I need the full name. The Audience suggest Jeremiah Dummer and Philip Syng.”

Raven: “I know that Jeremiah Drummer was the first America-born silversmith, and that Philip Syng made the inkwell that was used at the signing of the declaration of independence, but did either of them design fashion ornaments? I don’t know. I’m going to offer a third, even more famous name – Paul Revere.”

Player reaction, still recovering from the previous question: ‘Never heard of either of the first two, but we like the third choice,’ followed by groans and ‘of course’ when:

Stuart: “You’re all three wrong. The correct answer is Louis Comfort Tiffany. That costs you 14 points, I’m afraid – [you are still in the lead, but the gap is closing] (VERIFY FIRST). Runeweaver, An absence of the SRY gene means what for a human being? Our audience answers are male and genetically female, respectively”.

*** He can deflect.
Chance of a correct answer: Raven 5+9-10=4/10. Cooper 7+9-2-10=4/10. Princess 3+9-10=2/10. Panasar 4+9-10=3/10. Cash 6+9-2-10=3/10.

This was a difficult question if you got distracted by the technical details; the clue was in the audience suggestion. The players hemmed and hawed for a while but the player on the spot eventually made the call and gave the answer “Genetically Female.” Instead of immediately revealing whether or not it was right – and I have excised that information from my excerpt above, I started to build up the tension:

Stuart: “If you get this right, you will be our new leader. The Correct Answer: That gene is what makes the Y chromosome a Y and not an X, so it makes a foetus male instead of a female. It’s absence therefore indicates that the owner is genetically female. [Points Adjust

“Sir Alice, where would you find the rock formation known as the Twelve Apostles? Is it in Palestine or Australia?”

Cooper hums and has for a while, before answering, “I’m not sure, Stuart. Australia used to have something like that, but most of them have crumbled away. Could somewhere on the Red Sea coastline have stolen the name from them? It’s just possible. I think I’ll deflect – to Chief Raven.”

Stuart: “That costs you 2 points. Chief?”

Raven: “Re-deflect to Miss Cash.”

Stuart: “Alison Cash, if you get this right you could retake the lead.”

Cash: “I think the second audience member was on the right track, but not quite right, so I’ll answer ‘The Middle East’, Stuart.”

Cooper: “Gotcha!”

Stuart: “The Correct answer is Australia, costing you 12 points, and putting Chief Raven back into a strong position. Princess, at the beginning of the 1990s which country had the most camels? Was it Somalia or Egypt?”

Princess: “Deflect, Stuart! It could be anywhere in the Middle East, and Northern Australia has a Camel Problem, too. The 1990s were a long way before my time. Give it to Miss Cash.”

Stuart: “Four points from your score. Miss Cash?”

Cash: “Having gotten one Middle East question wrong already, I’m not confident, Stuart. Re-Deflect – give this question to Runeweaver.”

Stuart: “Runeweaver, is it Somalia, Egypt, or some other country that you care to name?”

*** He can deflect. Correct Answer: Somalia.
Chance of a correct answer: Raven 5+9-2-10=2/10. Cooper 7+9-4-10=0/10. Princess 3+9-2-10=0/10. Panasar 4+9-10=3/10. Cash 6+9-2-10=3/10. Adjust scores, 20 points.

He and the other players weren’t confident of any answer, and were briefly distracted by the fact that Australia had a camel problem at one point before the time-frame of the specific question. He chose to re-deflect it back to Cash, who got it wrong.

Stuart: “Chief Raven, a painting called The Doctor was used to promote state-run healthcare in Britain and to oppose it in the United States. Name the artist – was it Rembrandt van Rijn or Poerawidjaja?”

Raven: “I don’t think it was either of them – something shorter. When I was just a beat cop, it was exhibited at the New Orleans Museum Of Art. No, I’m not sure – Deflect, and I hope he can answer it, to Runeweaver.”

Stuart: “Four points off your score. Runeweaver?”

*** He can re-deflect. Correct Answer: Luke Fildes.
Chance of a correct answer: Cooper 7+9+2-10=8/10. Princess 3+9-10=2/10. Panasar 4+9-10=3/10. Cash 6+9-2-10=3/10. Adjust scores, 20 points.

He did re-deflect, to Sir Alice – who got it right and got himself into the game lead as a result, the fourth different leader in the round, out of six (seven if you count the Congressman).

Stuart: “Just five questions left in the game. Sir Alice, Name three primary colors in an subtractive color space. Are they Red, yellow and blue or yellow, cyan, and magenta, as our viewing audience have suggested?”

Cooper: “That’s got to be a trick question! Yellow, Cyan, and Magenta make white in spotlight terms, or on TVs, I think. So it could be right. But are they called Primary Colors or are they called something else? In paint, red yellow and blue makes a muddy awful brown, but that answer still seems right, but maybe it’s not? The answer has to be in the word subtractive, but I’m not sure what that means. But the answers are so simple, this can’t be worth very many points, so I’ll take a guess – Red, Yellow, and Blue.”

Stuart: “A set of Primary colors are a set of colors that can combine to produce every other color, but in spotlights and television sets they are known as the primary hues. Red, Yellow,
and Blue is the correct answer, 4 points to your total.

“The last four questions are worth 58 points between them, any one of you can still win. Chief Raven, in mythology, Romulus and Remus were brought up by which type of animal? Was it a Wolf or a Bear?”

Raven: “A Wolf, Stuart.”

“Correct, for 12 points. Runeweaver, name the only cricketer in history to get a hat-trick spread over three consecutive overs? Was it Merv Hughes or Shoaib Akhtar?”

*** He can deflect.

This caused quite a bit of consternation amongst the players who couldn’t initially see how such an outcome was even possible. Of course, it’s probably somewhere close to meaningless for anyone unfamiliar with cricket terminology. See hat-trick and then consult The Ashes: Understanding Brit and Aussie Characters to understand what an “Over” is, and you will begin to realize why this is such a memorable feat.

The players were equally uncertain as to who to name as the historical cricket-player in question. Once again the player most in the hot seat made the call, choosing to deflect to Sir Alice, who answered that he had met the man in question and gave the correct answer, taking the lead.

*** Correct Answer: Australian Merv Hughes – the last ball of one over, the first ball of the next to bowl the side out, and the first ball of the Opposition’s second innings.”
Chance of a correct answer: Raven 5+9-2-10=2/10. Cooper 7+9-4-10=0/10. Princess 3+9-2-10=0/10. Panasar 4+9+2-10=5/10. Cash 6+9-2-10=3/10. Adjust scores, 20 points.

Stuart: “Princess, you can no longer win from here, but you can still earn more money for your charity. What was the original name of Shakespeare’s touring company and how was the Globe theater destroyed? Our Audience are suggesting ‘the King’s Men’ and ‘Lord Chamberlain’s Men’ for the name, and that the Globe was destroyed in a fire caused by a cannon shot.

Princess: “Back when I was just getting started, I tried my hand at acting, and even managed to get a bit part as a barmaid on Doctor Who, Stuart, in an episode in which he returned to Shakespeare’s time. It was a remake of an earlier episode from way back in the 2000s or something, but I distinctly remember my line from the show, delivered to a drunken Shakespeare: ‘Get out, you smelly oaf, and take the rest of Lord Chamberlain’s Men with you.’ I thought that was curious, so I looked it up. The correct answer is Lord Chamberlain’s Men, with the name later being changed to The King’s Men, and the Globe was destroyed when it caught fire from a cannon shot during a performance of Henry VIII.”

Stuart: “Completely correct for 18 points. Runeweaver [if he hasn’t been eliminated, ask to the #2 position on the scoreboard if he has been], the final question, get this right and you [win the game]: In the 1935 British adventure film Sanders of the River, what African political leader portrayed a tribal chief? Was it Jomo Kenyatta, as one viewer thinks, or Idi Amin, as another suggests?”

*** Can Deflect.

…and that’s exactly what he chose to do, to Sir Alice, the current points leader, which ensured a respectable mid-field result and a politically-sensitive position one point behind Chief Raven. Sir Alice then re-deflected the question to Alison Cash, costing himself a couple of points but retaining the lead – unless she got the question right.

Chance of a correct answer: Raven 5+9-10=4/10. Cooper 7+9-2-10=4/10. Princess 3+9-10=2/10. Panasar 4+9-2-10=1/10. Cash 6+9-2-10=3/10.

She didn’t.

Correct Answer: Jomo Kenyatta, who later became the president of Kenya.
Adjust scores, 20 points.

*** Final Score-check, last non-eliminated to first.

Stuart: “The charities of the players will receive £2,000 for each point our celebrities scored on their behalf, and the winner earning an extra The remainder of the prize pool will then be evenly divided amongst all seven worthy causes. In addition, we have raised a colossal (Pause to calculate, from low to high), how much each person gets.

*** Ceremonial handing out of the check to the winner “Well, that brings to a close this extra-special Celebrity edition of Deflection 2056. Join us next week when seven ordinary citizens will compete for a share of our usual prize pool of I’m Stuart DeBrassie, and it’s been a pleasure to entertain you.”

***Squawky voice: “And dim lights… roll credits… And cut!”

The final scores, for what it’s worth: Sir Alice Cooper 28; Princess, 25; Chief Raven, 21; Runeweaver 20; Alison Cash 17; Mosul Panasar 9; and Congressman Greene, zero.

There were a lot of techniques employed in this part of the adventure for others to learn from. The use of different voices to establish different speakers; the incorporation of background developments into an adventure, rather than simply telling the players something was happening; and the care used to keep personalities both distinct and to put them on display, to name but a few.

In terms of the game show format, the final tally was five different leaders in the final round, and different six leaders out of seven participants in the course of the entire show. At one point, Mosul Panasar had a lead of more than 30 points, and he ended up coming second-last. It was exciting and tactical and fun, and the players – many of whom were not fans of the television genre – all felt that if this was a real show on TV, they would at least consider watching it.

Parts of the above were planned in advance, but most of it was the result of unplanned reactions to the current situation in this game-within-a-game; the situation was too fluid for anything else.

It’s also worth noting that every time a participant was asked a question, I performed the same calculations to determine their chances of knowing the answer and then rolled to get an outcome; I simply didn’t bother recording those chances except when there was uncertainty as to who would have to attempt to answer the question.

And, most importantly, everyone had fun in a way that was distinctly different to the usual sort of activities in the game.