Paredolix: Semi-Automagic

From Paredolie. Psychiatric phenomenon in humans to assign memory to meaninglessness.

Every player starts off with 60 sides worth of dice, and can take them in any form they want, including d1s, d3s, d5s. During conflicts, they can roll as much as they like, and winner and loser swap dice. The GM starts with 60 x number of players in sides of dice.

Note that if you have one each of 20 12 10 8 6 4, you have 60 sides.

The game was set in the world of Jim Butcher's Dresden novels, the first of which was almost called Semi-Automagic. All players get a single trait.

GM: Andrew Morris

Frank Halevi: Peter Zhang Nau, Rakshasha Black Marketeer. Runs a Fusion Cuisine Restaurant.

John Minus: Mali Mallyukua. Mad Mal. Al Mal. Manifests nature of supernatural. Broken Destiny. Misplaced Destiny. Works at the restaurant.

Me: Alice. Constant Sight. I didn't see that. Works at the restaurant. Peter supplies the drug that lets her turn off her sight, at least temporarily.

Ed Gobbo: Ed. Petty thief for Rakshasha fence. Robin Hood Deal -- stole from Marcone. Clumsy Luck.

Jeff Krol: Janus Silence, World weary gun-for-hire. Supernatural cleaner. Handler. Always has a handle on the situation.

(Me: So, a mercenary with a heart of gold?

Jeff: No, silver's more useful in my line of work)

Michael Perkins: Jack Wade, martial artist / college _iajutsu_. Sent by his sensei, an enemy of Peter's, to eat at the restaurant.

No preparation was necessary. The game is done as a cinematic arc going from the GM to the players. The game is about being cool.

Rules:

1. Rule of Consensus
2. Rule of Conflicts: If no consensus, then high number on the die wins, most odd numbers narrates. This is why d1s are important.
3. Rule of Traits: Name and Trait. Why the viewing audience cares. Doesn't have to be positive.
4. Rule of Cool. You may reward cool.

Multi-way conflicts: Folks can choose to help a side or to form separate sides.

There needs to be consensus on both the PCs' names and their traits. More specialized traits can be more fun. Consensus on names is so that you won't accidentally have one weird name in a bunch of names that sound like they go together.

One character's explanation for being in Peter's restaurant: Well, you can't just buy silver bullets from just anyone!

Ed: I have to show you some things.

Peter: I want to see some things.

Peter's take on three of the PCs:

1 pat (???) who can't turn her eyes off
1 pat who's a hired gun
1 pat who works for my enemies

The problem for the evening: The stuff Ed wanted to show Peter had been, ah, stolen from the local White Court vampires whose good will was important to Peter.

Peter: I'll have Al throw you out, but instead of out, he'll go up.

Peter (directing Alice to Jack): Another plate of buffalo wings.

Jack: I wish sensei would tell me why I'm here.

Someone: Maybe he's a cannibal and wants to fatten you up.

Someone: But he's so shiny...

Meanwhile, upstairs, Peter looked at Ed's items.

Peter: These are hot items. You're not in a very good place for negotiations. (i.e., The price will be lower.)

Peter: How are your acting skills?

Ed: Terrible, actually.

Peter: Bring Silence up here.

Al: Same way?

Peter: No, you can let him use his own legs.

Peter contacted the White Court, explaining that he would try to protect Ed.

Peter: First, I will plead ignorance. Then, I will plead privilege. Then, I will tell them who.

Out of context quotes whose speakers I forget:

What the hell was in those buffalo wings?

Chicken?

This may have been because the White Court vampires arrived, and innocent Jack wondered at his reaction to them. White Court vampires inspire lust. Alice whimpered. The restaurant mostly cleared.

White Court Rep: Where are the items?

Someone: Right up here!

Peter: Well, I believe they're right up here. Make yourself at home.

The White Court vampires took the items and left.

Peter: You noticed how they never touched the items.

Ed: I never noticed a thing.

Peter: Entertain me for a moment.

Then, the White Court called to say someone was being sent over. Peter, of course, realized what had happened -- a rival group of vampires had arrived. He explained, more or less, promising to clean up the mess.

Head of local White Court Vampires: Here is my direct number.

Peter naturally expected everyone to help out.

Alice: I gotta stay clean?

Peter: Yes. We're going to take a trip, Alice. Don't worry. Jack will keep you safe.

Peter: These weren't the White Court vampires we were looking for.

Ed: We gave it to the wrong people.

Alice: We're dead!

Silence: Not yet.

Jack (takes pulse): Nope, not yet.

The correct White Court contact asked if anyone had touched the items, and I think Peter said no, only actually asking after he had hung up the phone.

Peter: Did you touch them with your bare skin?

Ed: How do you think I picked them up? What are you, an idiot?

Peter: Ed, you are your own punishment.

Peter (referring to Alice): Take this young bloodhound with you and see if you can find the sons of bitches who did this to me? Because that's what they did, and that's what stings the most.

He explained as much of the situation to Jack as he thought Jack needed to know.

Peter: You see, Jack, this is Alice. And Alice is going to die.

Alice (starting to cry): I don't want to die!

Peter: No, no, of course you don't. But, Jack, you can help save Alice.

Peter (explaining his position on Ed): But it's in all our best interests not to let on we know him until it's time to sell him out.

Al Mal: You let me know when the time comes.

Peter: Oh, you'll all get a text message.

The group decided that they needed to get guns. And, we all agreed that the conflict to resolve was to find the thieves.

The group succeeded, but Andrew got narration rights. He decided that the thieves were in a dock warehouse.

Peter: How would you like to redeem yourself?

Ed: Yeah, I'd like to get my items back.

Peter: Let's move ahead. I think Ed should take point.

Someone 1: What does work on the White Court?

Someone 2: True love.

Someone 1: What else takes them down?

Someone 2: Bullets to the head.

Peter: After this fiasco, may you live in interesting times.

Ed: Okay, here's the plan. We need a truck.

Silence: I can get that.

Ed: Filled with explosives.

Silence: Did you get all your ideas watching the A-Team?

Ed: Yes.

The attack did not go as well as folks had hoped.

Al Mal: I jump out from the space. I am _not_ going to be a meat shield.

Truck: BOOM!

Ed: We can sneak now.

Silence: Sh!

Someone: Did you see that?

Someone else: No!

Someone: Is this a gun fight?

Someone else: It's a gunfight until I run out of ammo.

Someone, about Ed when a White Court vampire tried to hypnotize him: He's already _in_ the service of someone who's bent his mind, thank you very much!

Ed or Silence, I think: I know I can't fly, but I know they can't fly either.

We then decided to dice off for the ultimate resolution.

Plan A: They sneak while you fail spectacularly.

Plan B: White Court, come, beat up this place.

Plan C: I call other courts and say the White Court is weak.

Plan D: They succeed.

In other words, either the group wound up as thralls of the White Court for screwing up, or they came out of things looking competent, or they succeeded via dumb luck, or they succeeded via dumb luck and got noticed.

The GM was pushing for the group winding up as White Court Thralls, and the players foolishly split their votes among the other options. Thus, the group wound up as White Court thralls.

GM: But Al Mal's destiny is what eventually lets you break free.