Reunion : Homebrewed Oneshot

9/27/2015

Reunion
Romantic Comedy One-Shot Game
Home-brewed System

During the September Gamers & GMs Philippines mini-convention, I decided to try the unlikely and offered to run a Romantic Comedy game which I cooked up.  I wanted to try to offer a game for people who weren't usually gamers, maybe even people who might have only showed up in the event because a significant other dragged the other along.  Luckily, I was able to get four players who were willing to try the game.   Character creation involved having each player choose a positive trait for their character, and a player on their left or right choosing a negative trait that the character may or may not have been aware of.   There would be a third trait, by the last player who was neither on the left nor right, who would choose their final positive note.

The game was set in New York City, and the cast included the following:

Maria O'Conner (Anne Hathaway) played by Bogs.
She is Shy by Passionate, Conservative but Open to New Things, and ultimately a social Chameleon.  Deep down she believes she was "meant to be" with John, but was always shy and conservative, with some slight pervy secrets of her own.  Her company, "Something Something" was the major sponsor for the event.

Bill Raison (Benedict Cumberbatch) played by Robert.  He is Confident but tends to be a Clutz. He is a Hot-headed Person but is secretly quite Evil.  He loves the fact he is Tireless.  Back in school, he was the school editor in chief and had an ear in the administration.

John "McDreamy" McToole (Liam Neeson) played by Drexx.  He was nicknamed, "Big Mac" and was always Optimistic and Deep.  He had a tendency to be Naive and Charming.  He was very Fast and thus was the prom king and the jock in the group.  Few were ready to discover that he had now become a priest.

Felicity Scarlet (Natalie Portman) played by Emi.  She was Perceptive but Picky.  She was Slow To Anger but had a tendency to be Manipulative (to give her the feeling she belonged).  She always had Perfect Poise.  The class all knew her to be their friend, although deep down she was never really friends with anyone.

The whole group votes to have Felicity be the main character of the Romantic Comedy, and all the others were to be supporting roles.

The story began with them all receiving invitations to attend the upcoming High School Reunion.  With Felicity going through a break up, Maria conniving for a chance to get close to McDreamy, and the others merely curious to see how much their friends have changed, the four eventually get back in touch with a host of old friends and enemies.  Andy, who used to be Felicity's closest buddy, offers to help her when he notices she's not having that good day.  Neil, who sees himself as the ultra popular guy, starts musing all about John and begins asking everyone, "Have you seen John?"  Shirley, who handles the front desk, isn't too happy to see Felicity, but seems less happy to notice Maria.  She does bring up the feeling of having been neglected, but neither seem to even notice - more so when Maria notices Mabel, the outcast of the class, lingering around the edges and darting off to the rest room.  Shirley tries to say hello to Bill, whom she had the hots for.  But Bill noncommittally says hello, which infuriates her more. When Mark, the other jock, approaches John to welcome him back there is a clear unspoken tension existing between the two.

As the reunion continues, Maria follows Mabel to the restroom and sees an unexpected sight!  Some kind of grand machine of sorts had been set up in the restroom.  Mabel thanks Maria for being a friend, and warns her that all will be better.  And before anything else could be done, a white flash envelops the whole room.

Maria and John discover they are... celebrities.  And more interesting, are a couple.  John is supposedly part of some kind of boy band, while Maria is seen as his stage manager and wife.  Elsewhere in the city, Bill finds himself waking up to be working at some Italian Restaurant.  And strangely, his wife turns out to be Shirley herself, who doesn't seem to be confused why this is happening.

Felicity, on the other hand, finds herself in an entirely different world.  Machines talk to her about the end of the Earth, and how sentient living trees now revisit the planet often to reminisce on the once thriving species.

Soon, Felicity breaks free from the future, which turns out to be a false reality created using technology.   She had broken down into a terrifying state of self-destruction when she first discovered the world had changed, and Neil and Mark had combined their efforts to save her by plugging her into the machine that would hold her on a repeated stasis until she mentally fought to reclaim her life back.

Bill, John and Maria almost literally bump into each other when Bill runs away from Shirley, who had become some kind of Italian Mob Queen, and by running off nearly slams into John and Maria who are on a bus.   Maria realizes the "reality" they are in seems.. too perfect for her.  And shares her suspicion that Mabel might have a hand in things.

The stories eventually converge as the two groups rush back to the reunion location and true enough discover that Mabel is still there, maintaining this massive machine which has been keeping this alternate perfect world running.  Being the class nerd, Mabel had someone created a machine that allowed her to shift everyone to an alternate world where her preferred events had transpired for her schoolmates.  Felicity, whom she hated the most, was thrown into a series of events that nearly caused her to commit suicide from insanity had Mark and Neil not stepped in.

As they confront her, and try to stop her and her machine, Felicity finally apologizes to Mabel for not being a true friend and promises to her that had she had the chance, she would do what she can to start over.  Mabel agrees to shut the machine, and the group finds themselves back in the Reunion as if nothing had happened...

... although everyone remembered what had transpired.  

Felicity walks up to Mabel, apologizes and gives her a sincere hug.  Neil glances at Mark, who finally chooses to come out and admit that he is gay and in love with Neil.  John and Maria agree that their lives are better off separate.  Bill tells Shirley that while they aren't meant to be either, they at least know how interesting things could have been.  Shirley just winks back at him.

And finally, Neil gets to Felicity and asks her if she's seen John yet and everyone laughs as they consider the events to be a true Re: Union of sorts.

----------

Thankfully the players had fun and I would like to think the game can be further tweaked for eventual release.  Special thanks again to my players that day for trying the game out!

M.O.D.E.L.S. v2.0

This is a work in progress.  To be launched this Sunday at the G&G mini-con.

MODELS

All characters are international super models who have been enlisted to become MODELS (Military Operations and Defense Emergency League Specialists) who are alerted and assigned to deal with situations that require a much more specialized hand.  They are civilians, but when missions require them, these MODELS become walking intelligence agents whose fashion sense has more depth than expected.  As super models, they are practically welcomed into any country and their presence is celebrated in any event.  But as MODELS, they save the world with sass and style.

Character Creation
All Agents begin the game with one area of expertise, followed by two areas being well trained, two areas at basic and finally one area which is untrained.  It is intentional to have an untrained area.  This reminds the Agents that teamwork is essential for the success of any operation.

The Face.
Mimicking any appearance.  Disguises.  Intimidation.  Blending in.  Reading intentions.  Understanding body language.  Gaining trust.  Matching a look.  Body chameleon.

The Gun.
Using any firearm.  Shooting things.  Killing people.   Making A hit B.  Knowing how to use weapons.  The right way.  Lovechild of Chuck Norris and Riddick.

The Brain.
Intel.  Contingency plans.  Code breaking.  Hacking.  Driving any vehicle. Mathematics.  Accounting.  Fine, quantum physics too.  All your ideas are mine.

The Web.
Connections.  Oh, It’s you. I’m cashing in a favor.  Black market.  Underground ties.  The world is my bathtub. 

The Muscle.
Handling any display of prowess and strength.  Climbing.  Jumping.  Fist fights.  Universally deadly.  Muscles on my muscles.

The Mouth.
Speaking any language.  Expression.  Seduction.  Kissing without using lips.  Or touching.  Verbal orgasms. 

Each player chooses one to be their primary area of Expertise.  That will get a rating of 4.  
The player then chooses two areas which are still part of his Trained repertoire and those are at 3. 
Then, two more are chosen to show Basic understanding, which are at 2. 
Finally, the unchosen area is the agent’s Weakness.  That would have a rating of 0 and can never be raised.

[Example: Sydney opts to create her character, Jennifer.  She likes the show Alias and bases her character on the lead heroine of that show. gives Jennifer the following stats:
The Face 4, The Gun 2, The Brain 3, The Web 0, The Muscle 2, The Mouth 3]

Each agent then has three Never Leave’s (Never Leave Home Without It) which other models and fashion conscious people notice.  These are fashion first and are part of his signature look and appeal.

Eyes	Lips	Hat	Earrings	Necklace
Watch	Bracelet	Ring	Buckle	Chain
Coat	Handkerchief	Tie	Scarf	Jacket
Vest	Corset	Boots	Suspenders	Shoes
Sunglasses	Perfume	Lipstick	Cigar/Cigarettes	Drink/Flask
Cellphone	Fan	Hand-carried	Car	Other

 
These items have the benefit of adding to the agent’s overall Impact.  For each item, choose a key area where they help the agent accomplish things.  These areas of impact, when applicable, allow the player to reroll a die during Challenges. It is always good to choose areas that match the overall impression your agent tends to give.

Forceful	Flashy	Subtle	Quick	Cautious	Clever
Sensitive	Classy	Deceptive	Passionate	Funny	Shocking

Finally, for each item, you can designate the following Utility.
Each item has three points of Utility in them.  The player, at any time in the game, can decide to spend one point of Utility for one of the following:

·         a) Allow the whole applicable dice pool to be re-rolled.
b) Give the item a gadget effect.

Gadget effects are the different cool stuff that the item can actually do since they were tinkered with by the House of Gad Get. 

This is also a weapon	This is also a communications device	This is also an explosive
This is also a tool	This is also armor	This is also a copier
This is also medical	This is also modular	Any other

Style Points
Style points are the currency of choice for a M.O.D.E.L.S. game.  It is through the use of Style points that players can celebrate their fabulous-ness and save the world at the end of the day.

[to be continued]

RE:UNION was a success!

A HUGE THANK YOU to the four who trusted me in playing in a romantic comedy home-brewed game I call, Re:Union. Sometimes, some things do not stay in Highschool.

Thank you to Bog, Emi, Robert, and Drexx. It was truly a riot of a great time and I loved all the catch-phrases and crazy antics you all added to the hilarious narrative.

Here's to seeing more people this October as I run a Dread game. More information to follow.

A full report of the seminar, plus my talk details to follow.
Thank you again!

Updates for late August and this September

Where do I begin?  August ended with Gamers & Gms hosting the AD&D seminar (August Dungeons and Dragons) inspired by Gary Gygax day.  We had a huge turn out, two fantastic talks, and a lot of games held that single day.

For that event, I ran Eyes Upon Amaras - a Mouse Guard hack of Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition.  I had six players that day (which became seven when one had to leave early and Rocky slipped in to join the game) and while I know there were some slower parts in the game, the game overall entertained and I count that as a success.

A greater success is  the fact many got more interested in checking out, if not playing, Mouse Guard afterwards.




For this September, we are having an event specifically meant to help people introduce the fun of gaming to loved ones, significant others, family members and non-gamer friends.  STARTER SEPTEMBER is the name of the event and we have a number of talks and game session lined up.

https://www.facebook.com/events/123683527983147/

ADVENTURE PREP AND DESIGN FOR BEGINNER GMs by Mon Macutay

Mon discusses the tips, techniques on how to prepare for your next adventure session. In this "workshop-style" talk, Mon will show you the various ways you can make and prepare an adventure if you have limited time and resources.

DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS 101 by Marc Reyes

What is D&D? How do you play the game? How do you get started playing? Marc Reyes discusses the very basics on how to play the 5th edition of the world’s most famous tabletop roleplaying game as well as how to get started in the hobby.

SHARING THE FUN by Tobie Abad

Tobie shares some personal tips and suggestions on how you can introduce the fun and love of gaming to your non-geeky or non-gamer friends/family/significant others. As well as some free or affordable games you can opt to try with them in case crunch is not what they're comfy with.

***********************************

Next, we have our games! Check out the event page for details on each game:



RE:UNION
GM: Tobie Abad
System: custom!
Player Slots: 2 - 4

Different couples from different points in time find themselves inexplicably reunited with old flames. As each attempt to make sense of the feelings they struggle with and the insane events that transpire, will they find the courage to admit their feelings and embrace this... reunion?

Tobie invites four players to try something different, a romantic-dramedy role-playing game that requires no previous experience in gaming or familiarity with the system. The game can have two to four players only.  Audience is welcome to watch the story unfold.

*Maturity warning. Topics may revolve around typical rom-com content which may not be suitable for certain people.


ABBEY OF THE DEAD
GM: Mon Macutay
Player Slots: 4 - 5

The once silent town of Ashanath has recently been overrun by the Undead. The dead have risen from their graves ever since a small meteor crashed into the nearby ruined Abbey of Suffering (a shrine once devoted to Ilmater, god of Pain and Martyrdom). Your intrepid group of adventurers is the town's last hope.

Will you dare explore the mysteries behind the Abbey of the Dead?
A D&D 5E adventure for character levels 2 and first-time D&D players.

THE APPLE OF DISCORD
GM Allan “Dave” Sta Cruz
System: Scion: Hero
Number of player slots: 5

In Scion, players take on the role of Scions, children of Gods of myth and legend. In this story entitled The Apple™ of Discord, the technology giant Apple Inc prepares to reveal the latest in its growing family of consumer electronics: the iPad Omega. As agents move to steal the iPad prototype, you are brought in by its unnamed creator to see to the prototype's safety.

"PLAN B"
GM: Jay Steven Uy Anyong
System: Worlds in Peril
Number of Players: 5

When an audacious plan hatched by a coalition of super-villains succeeds, Millennium City is left without its finest heroes... or so they think! Play the members of Champions Team B, a team of reserve heroes that are called in during the most dire of situations!

Team B has been described as anything from reckless to dangerous, but desperate times call for desperate measures!

ADVENTURER'S LEAGUE!
GM: The AL Team
System: D&D 5E
Number of TABLES: 2

And finally, on the personal projects side, my Pateron Patrons have helped fund my upcoming book, A SINGLE MOMENT!  The text is currently in the hands of Eloy Lasanta (Third Eye Gaming) who will be laying it out for me.  I'm still working on the artwork that will be used in the book, but I'm very excited at the prospect of having my own book out there very soon!

The current logo for Tagsessions will be this one, and I'm feeling pretty excited to get my work out.  Hopefully, there will be some fans of it.  Most likely, it will pass beneath most gamers radars.  But its high time I started giving back to the community this way.

Thanks again for the support!

That Night Out: A Survive the Night Challenge

That Night Out: A Survive the Night Challenge entry

This is my entry to Matthew Bannock's challenge on Google Plus. He invited people to try writing up a game using the theme, "Survive the Night"

Here's hoping this is well received.
See the original post here:

https://plus.google.com/114115509368774227944/posts/34DbB97ghY6


That Night Out
Number of players: 2-5, GM less game

Requirements: 1 standard deck of playing cards, jokers included

You and your friends are on a night out, enjoying some beers and laughs.  Out of nowhere, a siren blares.  You look at each other and realize that though you've never heard this siren before... you are aware that your lives are in danger.  Somehow, deep in the bottom of your souls, you all realize something is out there to kill you.

And no one else seems to feel that way but your group.

What do you do?

Survive the Night has you and your friends consider options on how to survive til the coming of dawn.  Each hour, something happens and your group must try to survive it, despite the strangeness and impossibility of it.  Frighteningly, no one else seems to perceive the threats you are facing.  Can you survive the night?

The game is played in Rounds.  

There are 9 Rounds in the game, representing the nine hours that remain before the sun rises.  

The game begins in your group's favorite hangout.  You were all there at 9p.m. when the Siren sounded.  Suddenly, you all innately sense the danger you are in.

And worse, realize no one else in the bar save your group is in that situation.

Each Round can be as long or short as needed to overcome the threat.  If need be, if thirty minutes of real time actually pass and the threat is not defeated, trigger the next Round.

Each Round, a Threat manifests, arrives, or stalks the victims.  They must find a way to defeat it and survive the night.  Be aware that eventually, the group may have to leave the location to continue their fight for survival.  Or worse, barricade themselves from others somehow.  As they battle against these Threats, they might incite the anger or fear of those around them which may lead to complications with the police and others.

The devastation and destruction these things leave in their wake, however, are real and can kill those in the way.  Everyone else just fails to perceive the cause... and frighteningly most might pin-point the players are the possible source.

Each player then draws five playing cards from the deck, but is careful not to reveal them to the other players.  These cards are used to resolve any challenges during that Round.  Once a player runs out of cards, he cannot win the next challenge.  Unless the narrative properly means the character dies, the character is grievously injured and has one less card in his hand for the rest of the game.  This means, the more injuries the characters take, the less cards they will have for the rest of the game.   Eventually, they might be too injured that they automatically fail challenges and die (unless someone who cares for them helps them, that is, by playing a card for them in exchange for nothing.)  The game, of course prematurely ends if all the player characters die.

Each card allows the player to succeed in an action that matches its suit.

Clubs - Physical actions (e.g. Climbing a ladder, shoving someone back, breaking open a lock)
Diamonds - Financial or resource based actions (e.g. Paying for something, calling for help from someone they know, remembering a specific store that might be useful)

Spades - Mental actions (e.g. Noticing a threat coming towards them, picking a lock)

Hearts - Emotional actions (e.g. convincing others to run away, seducing someone)

Players choose a name for their character and a brief phrase describing who they are in the game.

Each player chooses one other character as "the person they care for the most" and writes that name down.  If that character is about to fail a challenge, the player can trade one card with him to help him succeed.  This can only be done once.

Each player chooses another character as "the person they care about the least" and writes that name down as well.  If that character is about to win a challenge, the player can demand to trade the played card with any one of his cards.  This may cause the other to lose (or still succeed but with a lower card).  This can also only be done only once.

Each Round, five other cards are also drawn and left face down on the table.

Then, a sixth card is drawn and compared to this chart, to determine the kind of Threat that is coming.  The player who last had gone drinking is the first Narrator and starts the narration on how the Threat approaches the group.  Then, going clockwise, each player handles any narrative requirements for scenes as the Narrator every time a decision is needed.  If that person is the one doing an action, skip that person.

However, when actions relate to the Threats, the five drawn cards are then used for resolution.   The player declares the action and the Narrator determines the needed suit (without seeing the cards of the player).  The player then selects one card to play.  The Narrator randomly chooses one of the five face down cards on the table.  These are compared to see who wins. If both have the correct suit, the higher number wins (Aces are low).  If only one has a matching suit, that character wins.  If neither have a matching suit, the success goes to the higher number.  If still tied, then the Narrator decides.

Story wise, as each hour begins, the players all have a sense of a threat present.  If you want, you can hint on what is to come.  Or leave it completely by surprise.

CLUBS

Card	Threat	Description	Boon	Bane
Ace	The Ogre	Seven foot tall monstrosity with green warty skin and three eyes, all but one blind.	Immense strength, barbed club	The Ogre is extremely allergic to salt.
2	The Wolf	Large wolf with luminous eyes.	Sneaky. Fanged maw.	Cannot step into direct light.
3	The Hook	Old man with hooked right hand.  Smells of sea water and salt.	Hook tears through anything.	Cannot stand the presence of music.
4	Creeping Doom	Sentient vines of purple and green.	Entangles. Barbed thorns.	Dissolves when watered with alcohol.
5	The Meme	A word keeps getting repeated.  The more times it is repeated, the stronger it gets.   The word is, "No."	Eventually the speaker dies from hemorrhaging from speaking the word.	If no one speaks it for half an hour, it dies.
6	Web	A webpage that reveals secrets of its target, even stuff never uploaded.	Emails, video, photographs that embarrass or even cause suicidal thoughts.	Press the escape key.
7	Poison Mist	A green poisonous mist crawls out of the sewers.  It seems sentient.	Those who contact it feel their blood coagulate into a paste then die.	The mist surprisingly abhors light from naked flame/fire.
8	Horseman	A horse-headed centaur emerges from the streets, armed with a javelin.	Deadly aim. Fast running speed. Javelin flies back to thrower.	Can be killed.  Cannot cross running water.
9	Splinter Sam	A young boy appears, crying and asking for help.  He seems to have been roughed up outside.	His skin can reveal wooden barbs that snag and tear skin.	Won't stop approaching until killed.
10	The White Witch	Appears in reflections as the player's mother but with white eyes. Whispers obscenities.	Can trick the character into believing the others know his secrets.	Dispelled if all mirrors are broken (not necessarily reflectively all surfaces).
Jack	Teeth	A man stumbles into the room with metal teeth. He desires to eat one of the players.	Can chew through anything. Takes immense damage.	He still does need to breathe.
Queen	Wax	A wax candle is lit. The players learn then it dies, one of them will too.	The candle is a lie.	Ignore it.
King	Moon	The moon goes blood red.	In the red light, everyone appears as their darkest secret.	The red fades come the next Round.

DIAMOND

Card	Threat	Description	Boon	Bane
Ace	Sun	A false sun rises.  The group thinks it is daytime.	Grants peaceful sense of false hope.	Time reveals the truth. As does others not reacting to it.
2	Fork	A specific fork is possessed by a demonic force. The holder will try to kill one target. If dropped, next to touch it is possessed.	The bearer will have no memory of the possession.	The fork can be thrown away, locked up, etc.
3	Vampires	A couple walks in with pale skin and goth clothes. They are found dead minutes later with a bloody message: We don't do goth, simpletons!	Lost in the crowd, angry at youth, can mesmerize on eye contact.	traditional banes
4	The Deal	Wealthy man in suit with suitcase offers a deal. Just do not ever open the suitcase.  Urgent things start to go missing: allergy meds, cellphone ringing inside suitcase, muffled voices.	Suitcase can hold more than its size suggests.  (All an illusion to tempt holder to open it)	Just ride the temptation out.
5	Kiss	Kisses can kill. Fatal and instantaneously.  Or maybe viciously with a morbid messy display.	No "carrier". The act itself is now a fatal attack.	No kisses.. until when?
6	Mother	One character's mother appears outside the location, calling for the character to come over.	If the character leaves the group, she attacks, turning into a crone with vicious talons.	Resist, even as you see her get injured or placed in danger.
7	Restless	Nothing seems to happen.  Nothing at all.  But everyone in the area seems to somehow unconsciously suggest, "Get out.." "Leave" or "Move"	The waiting dread kills one each Round they do not move or change location.	Once they all move to a new location, the timer resets.
8	Land sharks	Great White Sharks of concrete and steel stalk the streets, rising and chomping and leaving only bodies in their wake.	Unhindered by anything of stone or metal.  Wood they cannot harm.	The old school game of "lava on the floor".  Stay above and away to be safe.
9	Fortune Teller	An attractive person comes to say hello, then offers to tell the fortune of one character.	The fortunes occur, almost instantly.  And get more and more gruesome.	Someone has to break a mirror in the Threat's presence to dismiss it.
10	Deja Vu	Repeat an earlier Threat.  But this time the players are aware.	Second chance to save those who died.	They have to go through it.
Jack	Whistle	An old man emerges, whistling as he walks.  He orders a whiskey and eyes the group from across the bar.	Nothing. He's just old and drunk and likes one of the characters, but won't do anything.	Ignore him and he will leave.
Queen	Hammer	A hammer is swung from out of the blue, striking the character (or nearly so)	No one seems to have been behind it.	This ends the round immediately. Draw a new one, and that one lasts the remainder of this plus the next Round.
King	Wine	Everyone starts getting lustful and inhibitions fall away.  Eventually a horned goat man emerges dancing around those who have been enthralled.	The Pan's power is in the drink, and had affected all who drank. Can be resisted by an act of willpower.	Those who have not gotten drunk are immune.  But not blind to this moment.

SPADES

Card	Threat	Description	Boon	Bane
Ace	The Spiral	Spiral patterns can be noticed in the wall paper, the tissue, the bill, the coasters.  Obsess over it.	The spiral allows the players to reshuffle the deck and draw new cards, if they cut a spiral onto their skin.	The pain means the player has one less card in the later Round.
2	Gray	Everything turns gray.  The colors fade away.  Even sensations seem.. weaker.  Faded.	This becomes permanent, making some things trickier to see well.	Goes back to normal for the character who sleeps.
3	Whispers	Whispers begin to leak into characters' ears from unseen sources.  This threatens to drive them mad.	Confusion and terror abound.  Remains til end of game reducing player cards by one for rest of game.	Abruptly stops once one character deafens himself permanently.
4	Underground	The players are lost.  Suddenly, even a familiar path becomes wrong and they cannot find a way out. No cabs or cars (missing or stolen). Only way is the subway, even if there wasn't one before.	Subway travels through strange routes with corpses and cruelty.	They are allowed only to disembark if one of them agrees to sacrifice something living to it.
5	The Prince	A young man enters, seemingly wealthy and of influence. He knows nothing of the world though, and people begin to make fun of him.	If not consoled, he calls for servants to help him.  Draw 2 more cards and apply them immediately.  The others do not see the servants, only the characters.	He has to be convinced to forgive the ignorant others.
6	Dancing Sisters	A pair of women in suits and white masks can be seen dancing in the street. Both wear ballerina shoes.  One however, is bloody and bruised. The other beautiful.	Having seen them, freak accidents occur and those who fail the challenges get grievously hurt if not killed.	You must dance with them.  Two of you must.  And it must be to their satisfaction.
7	Letters	Letters arrive, addressed to the players.  These letters share hints on later threats. Sender is just someone called Y.	Each letter can give info on one Threat alone. Then it vanishes into smoke.	If they ask Y, you can answer if you want. But better if you don't.
8	Judas	A man arrives and offers the characters 30 pieces of silver to say a lie.	No threats. The silver is real. Its weight suggests a lot of money.	They have to deny the offer three times.
9	The Hourglass	They see an old skeletal figure with an hourglass. He sets it on the table and it runs. When it runs empty, someone dies. Then he flips it over.	Immaterial and cannot be harmed. All deaths seem to be freak accidents or health related.	Only way to stop him is to challenge him.  He will agree to a chess match. And if beaten, leaves.
10	Rush Hour	A car begins to stalk them. No driver. Revving engine.  Remains in play til end of game, unless defeated.	Whenever the characters are outside, will try to run them over. At final scene, will crash into where they are if possible.	Flash anything red at it. It stops and vanishes.
Jack	Thumbs	A human severed thumb is found at their feet. It looks freshly sliced off, bu no sign of the owner.  It keeps wanting to be seen at the weirdest moments.	Can move, but only when no one is looking at it.	Never moves when observed.
Queen	Light house	A light house is visible in the distance. It was not there before.  If the players visit it, they find weapons to help them against threats.  Hard to tell which for which though.	Only they can see it.  Only they can go to it.  They have one extra card each Round now.	If not visited within Round it appears, it is gone.
King	Chains	They can hear the sound of dragging chains. The sound is stronger when alone. If alone, entangles them to kill them.	Animated. Inert when others present.	Be in the presence of others.

HEARTS

Card	Threat	Description	Boon	Bane
Ace	The Centipede	Tick tick tack sound of legs hitting wood as it moves.  Stalks from ceiling or pipes. Poisonous bite.	Dangerous stalker. Around six feet long.	Vulnerable to attacks to fight it. Vulnerable to its own poison.
2	Truth	People start saying the truth, no control. This leads to fights and arguments.	No lies can be said. But the others don't realize that.	Once others realize its happening, it stops. Or once someone breaks a piece of wood.
3	Wasps	Swarms of wasps emerge, swarming outside the venue. They harm no one by the characters.	Stings can kill in large numbers. Surround venue, but can hide to lure them out.	Force back by intense fire.
4	Headless	A headless figure waits outside for the players.  First it is a man. Then a woman. Then later, a dog.  They all wait for the players to step out. If they do, they leave, but take the first player character to approach them.	If not, at the end of the Round, they have a member of the character's family with them and leave, leaving the family member's heads.	Any calls to family members do reveal they see the same thing.
5	The Promise	A man stumbles into the location.  Everyone can see him. He gasps about keeping his promise, and upon seeing the characters, rushes to attempt to attack them.	Armed with a makeshift knife made with a large shard of broken glass and duct tape.	He's human and can be killed. The cops won't take too kindly to the characters killing a man, even in self-defense.
6	Don't Speak	A black figure with talons and a fanged maw that stretches from ear to ear stands by the door. Each time a player speaks, the figure takes a step towards the character.	If it gets close enough, it slashes the character's throat open and tells the others, "Shhh."	If they all stay silent for the whole Round, including gasps and mumbles it smiles and leaves.
7	Doppelgangers	One player character is replaced by a doppelganger. Hand him a note. If he can isolate another character, his character is allowed to live. If not, his character dies.	The doppelganger knows what the character knows, tapping into the other's thoughts.	The doppelganger will smell of wax.  And if fire is waves close to it, panics. Can be killed. Captive emerges from inside it.
8	The Lover	An ex-lover of one character arrives. Tries to rekindle things.	Is actually the ex-lover. Doesn't know what's going on.	Still in love with the character.
9	Solace	Nothing happens	A chance to rest	They don't know that
10	Winds	Strong winds blow, hurricane strong.  All can sense this.  Traps them in location.	Possible threats from flying debris or from broken electric wires and the like.	Lasts til the next Threat is defeated. Or remains til end of game.
Jack	Tomatoes	There are tomatoes.  Everywhere. On the street. In the bathroom. On the shelf. Not in large numbers. Just hints.	Unnerving, but no real reason. Just chance.	Safe. Just disturbing.
Queen	Goddess	A figure stands across the road, surrounded by followers. The followers increase in numbers each Round.  They do not look friendly.	None else can see them. They plan to savage the group in time.	The followers are mortal and can be killed. The goddess can call more but stops if one offers to be a follower. Or dawn comes.
King	Gentry	An ancient fair folk lord watches them from afar. Speaks only in rhyme and riddles.  Offers to save them if they serve him.	Immortal. Beautiful. Wish giver.	Cannot lie.  Keeps promises.  Vulnerable to cold iron.

At the end of each Round, players can keep one card each to carry over to the next Round.
All other cards are collected, shuffled, and each player is once again given cards to have a hand of five (more or less depending on what Threats were faced).  And a new Round begins.

If the players reach the end, they hear the Siren one last time.  The Threats are over.
Why this happened... and how... is a story for another day.

Will you Survive the Night?

Good luck.