[PTA] - Speed Demons

[Glendower]

For some reason, playing a hand of Texas Hold'em again prefaces our crack at Primetime Adventures.

Our first attempt is listed here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/forum/index.php?topic=18497.0 for those keeping score.

I started by listing off the basics of the rules, and took some advice from the forums and asked what we didn't want in our show.  It was quickly decided that we wanted to stay away from graphic sexual content, sticking with something shown primetime on one of the major networks.

What we did want was thrown around, someone suggested a "dark cyberpunk future", similar to the series "Dark Angel".  Another person suggested street racing, something that was illegal but not often cracked down upon, as the cops had bigger issues to worry about.  Someone mentioned ecoterrorists as a possible problem for the cops to face.

We hit upon an underground film network that recorded these illegal races and sold them through barely legal channels, a la stuff like "Backyard Wrestling" and "Bumfights".  We talked about events like straight speed races, checkpoint races, and a type of scavenger hunt elimination, where limited amounts of keys were handed at checkpoints until only two racers were left to get to the finish.

The venue would be different, and the cars would have to be retrofitted often.  The backdrop ranged from the downtown superhighways to inner city wasteland terrain.

We took all this, put it together, and built a series called "Speed Demons".  Street racing in a Cyberpunk future.  The tone was going to be Dark humor, with a sarcastic bent, dealing with the trials and tribulations of one racing team identified as "Demon".

Now let's go to the cast.

Jon - The Producer! (that's me)

Kyle - Vladimir "Lug" Luginski, Mechanic of Team Demon.  His issue is Anger-Management.  His traits are Mechanic, and Ex-Military (it was suggested that his anger had something to do with the "ex" part).  His contact was his brother Igor, a high tech inventor and supplier of the parts "Lug" needs to keep the car running and winning races. 

He has a Nemesis, a member of the mob named Big Vito Giordello.  The backstory suggests that he was supposed to sabotage Team Demon's engine, but realized the sabotage would have caused the car to explode, and refused at the last moment.  This lost Vito a lot of money and now he's pissed.  "Lug"'s personal set, naturally, is the garage where he works on the vehicle.

Dave - Zach "Wheels" Wheeler, Race Driver of Team Demon.  His issue was that of Redemption, it was suggested that he was once in the pro-racing circuit, and a damn good driver.  Due to his rampant alcoholism, he screwed up really badly and lost it all.  It is suggested that he even lost the right to drive a vehicle, forcing him to the illegal side.  He is trying to get back on top, and show that he has what it takes. 

His traits are Race Driver and his sarcastic Wit, with a contact of Vinnie "Street" Phillips, a racer that spent his whole life in the underground circuit, and helped "Wheels" into the races and another chance at reclaiming glory.  His personal set is the interior of his Race car.

Dan - Dr. Task, Racing Promoter of Team Demon.  His issue is that of gaining respect for himself and what he does.  It was suggested that the Doctor once promoted in more legitimate sports, but he was lured down to the sleazy side and was caught.  He wants to work his way up and gain the respect he believes he deserves. 

He has the trait Smooth Talker, and two contacts, Officer Daly of the Police Department, who he arranges with to keep the cops elsewhere when races occur, and EVE, or Extreme Video Entertainment - an underground video retailer, responsible for such tasteless but high ratings shows as "Scavenger Rumble" and "Beyond Hardcore Backyard Wrestling".  His personal set is a combination Motel Room-House-Office for the protagonist, described as dilapitated and sleazy, paying month to month rent.

Dan took a Nemesis, that of "The Show" a former mentor of Dr. Task who is now disgusted at his protegee's fall.  "The Show" is a personality on the higher level promoting circuits, and part of the issue of respect is for Dr. Task to gain "the Show"'s respect most of all.

So there we have it, the protagonists.  I framed the first scene, then it went clockwise to Dan, Dave, Kyle, then back to me for the ending scene.

Scene One
Suggestions flew like crazy here, but the overriding suggestion was to start it in the middle of a race.  The camera  zooms in from the sky, through pollution and mini-zeppelins showing product placement, past an inner city tent-town of homeless people, and into the front seat of a racecar.  I describe this, and throw out the first problem, something wrong with the car.  Lug is on the radio, talking to Wheels about what's happening. 

Dave suggests that the car is pulling to the left, getting dangerously near the tent-town of homeless.  I agree and Dave dives into character, having Wheels complain bitterly about having to lean hard right to keep it straight.  Lug suggests a risky course of action, an attempt to reset the power steering.  I see our first conflict, and ask for stakes.

Kyle - The reset works, and the car gets back into control and into a lead on the race. 

We play the cards, I throw down max budget of 5 to get a pile of red poker chips in the middle right off the bat (another great suggestion from the forums).  Kyle uses his Mechanic edge to gain an extra card.  Since this is the pilot, his screen presence is two.  He gets 3 cards.  I get a monstrous 6 cards.

Unsurprisingly I win, but I point out I only have 9 chips left for the rest of the episode.  Kyle gets high card, so he narrates the vehicle bucking out of control, hitting the tent town, and homeless people coming out of the woodwork, scattering out of the way as the car fishtails to a stop. 

Dave suggests that one of the other vehicles has stalled out already, and the homeless are stripping it for spare parts while the drive helplessly watches from inside his vehicle.  Kyle likes this and hands Dave a Fan Mail from the pile.  this is important, as it starts up the Fan mail bonanza.

Scene Two

Dan frames it, showing the homeless people surrounding the car and looking at the vehicle with angry, then hungry eyes.  He cuts to Dr. Task quickly trying to get EVE to take the camera's focus away from the now stalled team Demon until they get the car working, he then switches to the Doctor talking to Wheels and Lug.  Kyle suggests a quick scene the Doctor hearing a crash from Lug's signal, and then silence.  A quick cut to a shattered radio, with bits of radio casing embedded in the wall. 

Meanwhile, Wheels tries to get the car working, and attempting to get the scavengers, or "scavs" as the players started calling them, away from his vehicle.  He hears the sound of a gunshot, and sees Lug riding up on a motorbike, a smoking shotgun raised in the air. 

I go for conflict. 

Dan - EVE switches their cameras to another car for the time being.
Kyle- The Scavengers scatter away.
Dave -  The Car isn't stripped for parts.

I toss a few budget onto the pile.  Dan uses Dr. Task's connection with Eve.  Kyle uses his Ex-Military edge, we draw.  I draw all black cards, meaning all three conflicts go their way.  Dave wins narration, and goes into how the Homeless scatter at the attack, and how a nearby car skids on a substance on the ground and comes to a shuddering halt inside of the tent town, getting stripped quickly by the mob of homeless.  The EVE cameras switch to that poor driver, getting a shot for their "Gag reel".

Scene 3

Dave's up for Scene framing.  I suggest the goo on the road is hydraulic fluid, and Dave suggests that when Lug begins to do his work, he finds the hydraulics fluid hose halfway cut, an act of sabotage.  Kyle says that Lug takes a tube from his kit and sucks up the remainder of the hydraulic fluid, puts it back into the car, and then quickly patches the cut hose up.  Dave hands Kyle a piece of fan mail for that clever idea. 

I ask for conflict at this point.  Honestly, I probably shouldn't have.  Scene three was unnecessary, Scene 4 was the good stuff.

Kyle - The Patch job holds without any other problems.
Dave - Wheels pulls ahead and gets a major advantage in the race.

I toss in more budget, and lose completely.  Both conflicts win.  I retain narration however, and describe the reason Wheels gets a major advantage is due to most of the other vehicles having accidents up ahead. 

Scene 4

Kyle gets the scene framing for this one.  He describes the area littered with burning cars, the aftermath of a nasty series of accidents.  He says that there is only one car up ahead, meaning that it has turned into a two-person race for the finish line.  Dan suggests that the vehicles are all spaced just apart to allow for some awesome action for e-braking and tight driving skills, and he is handed a Fan mail for the suggestion.
With a major obstacle up ahead, we start conflict.

Dave -Wheels Makes it through the burning cars without damaging the car.
Dan - Get EVE cameras back on the car to record Wheels doing something awesome and increase reputation of Team Demon.
Kyle - Wheels clips one of the drivers climbing out of his car as he drives around the wreckage.

A collective gasp goes up.  This is where things start getting really interesting, sadly one scene before the final part of the pilot.  (we were under a time crunch).  Dan spends his Fan mail to help out Dave's conflict. 
I get again nothing, and all three win the conflict.  Suddenly though, the fact that Kyle won add a lot to the scene.  Dave won narration, and he talks about how the man is clipped, but happily lands in garbage, injured but not dead.  We see Wheels make an intricate series of maneuvers, and how EVE captures those moments on film. 

Scene 5

Back to me.  I suggest that the two cars are neck and neck.  Dave says that he blows his Nitro at this point, and pulls ahead.  Dan suggests that sirens scatter the race to the winds.  Kyle throws in an awesome twist that the car he pulls ahead of puts a siren on the roof of their car, suggesting an undercover sting!
We quickly agree that the team Demon car crosses the finish line, but stalls soon afterwards.  Wheels gets away, but the car is impounded by what is revealed to be a woman cop/racer.  The real conflict is when Wheels and Lug meet later in the garage.  Conflict sparks.

Dave - Wheels explain the situation with the car without passing blame.
Kyle - Lug doesn't lose his temper. 

We deal.  Dave loses, but Kyle wins the conflict.  Kyle also wins narration.  He narrates how Wheels talks about how the car died after the Nitro, and hastily (and unconvincingly) says it isn't Lug's fault.  Lug heads over to a garage cupboard door and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniels, takes a swig, and says "that's better".  The bottle is framed next to Wheels, and his expression of longing mixed with fear and revulsion.  Dave tosses Kyle another Fan mail, and we all grin with glee.

We each do the next episode flashes:
Dave - Wheels pulls out the Jack Daniels bottle from the same garage cupboard and stares at it.
Dr. Task - On the phone, exclaiming "They're going to junk it?"
Lug - Poring over a floorplan of a police impound lot, saying "60 feet of raor wire, 5 armed officers and 2 dogs.  I can fix that."
Me - The Racer/Policewoman pointing a gun at Wheels saying "Next race I'll be #1, and you'll be in jail."

Thoughts:  It was Awesome.  Once people realized they could contribute to the scene, they started in on it.  Ideas flew back and forth quickly, and there was a lot of excitment and investment with what happened.   Scene 3 wasn't necessary, and I'm not sure if Kyle could do what he did in Scene 4, but I liked it all the same.

Everyone wants the show to continue next week, which depends on our two returning players.  They all have ideas on the story arc of their characters, and are really enjoying the show.

I had a blast.  No preparation really needed, just four fertile minds working to make a great story.  Great stuff!