View source for Heroine at 2014 Maelstrom

6 April 2014, 11 am: Heroine

*Michael Miller -- GM -- Narrator to start
*Kat Miller -- Heroine
*Me, Josh, Phredd -- companions to start

This was a lot of fun -- all of us were on board and in synch with each other and the game's goals. Michale had prepared useful cheat sheets, noting that a lot of the information was scattered throughout the book.

Heroine works best for tales like The Wizard of Oz, Labyrinth, Alice in Wonderland / Through the Looking Glass, or Spirited Away, among others. It's designed to be playable with children, though I've never seen that tested.

One person is the heroine. If there's one child playing, that's probably the child. She plays the heroine throughout the game. The others play companions, and the narrator and adversary. These roles may shift a little in play.

In each scene, the heroine will face a challenge of some kind. The player has three options at that point:

# The heroine can be kind / generous / heroic. In that case, the dice decide whether she succeeds or fails.
# The heroine can succeed. In that case, the dice decide whether she is kind / generous / heroic or childish / selfish / cowardly
# The heroine can Take a Chance. The dice decide both whether she succeeds or not and whether she is kind / generous / heroic or not.

The player cannot choose the same option three times in a row.

The heroine starts in the real world. A problem is introduced, but not addressed.

Kat was playing the heroine, Diane, a 13 year old girl. Her father had a new job, so the family had to move to the city. As far as Diane was concerned, said Kat, "her life is over".

Kat: She doesn't have any friends. The City is horrible. She hates it. But she has to be a Good Girl.

I started making quick notes for my Companion character. Diane would meet him in the other world, the magical world.
*He was Really Good At: City Planning.
*His Flaw / Weakness: Perfectionist: It's not good enough!
*Is there an obvious reason why the companion likes the heroine? The Companions  _must_ immediately like her.  I don't think I came up with a specific reason, but that was all right. The important thing was that he would immediately like Diane.
*Looks like? Glasses, clipboard, pen. I think I had him being built of sticks except for a pumpkin head, but I'm not seeing that at this point in  my notes.
*Trouble can be found in? Too much noise to think.
*Name: I used the name Barbara Baj had come up with for the father of her PC in the Strange School PBEM, Stigander, or Stig for short. Barbara had specified that this NPC was a city planner.

I was, you see, trying to work with the budding psychomachia we were building.

Diane used to live in "the suburbs, not 'country' country." The game started as the car she and her family were in drove over the bridge into the city. The city was full of NOISE!

Diane wore headphones and played hand held video games. Her mother tried to point out cool stuff in the city, but Diane ignored her.

When they arrived at their new home, Diane's mother (played, I think, by Michael) wanted Diane to set up in her room

Diane: I don't -have- a room -- they put my stuff in the closet.

Mother: Don't be melodramatic.

Diane: They put a bathroom box in my bedroom!

Mother: Then, put it in the bathroom, please!

Diane: Why do -I- have to do it? Can't the movers do it?

And then, suddenly, everything went silent.

Kat / Diane: Is it okay before things go silent to say, "I hate this music! Turn it off!"

Michael / Narrator: Absolutely.

He added that there was noise outside the apartment (I think it was an apartment), just... no noise inside.

Diane brought the bathroom box to the bathroom. There was another box in the bathroom.

Kat / Diane: She looks for Mom to complain. She hasn't been talking to her father.

Diane saw a little door in the kitchen, next to the refridgerator. Her mother's bandana was on the floor. There was also a red streak and fingermarks, as if someone had been dragged into or through the little door / doorway.

Kat / Diane: Whoa. She screams.

Narrator / Michael: The little door opens just a peek

Naturally, Diane went through the door. Phredd introduced his Companion at this point. The Companion was an anthropomorphic cat wearing a waistcoat and top hat, and holding a cigar.

Cat: Get down, young lady!

Diane: Who said that?

I think she was on the cat's locomotive. She explained that she wanted her mom.

Cat: Who's your mom?

Diane: My mom's my mom.

The cat considered the situation and came to a grim conclusion.

Cat: The -takers- have been here, I'm afraid.

Diane: What are the takers?

Cat: They -take- things.... and perhaps your mother.

He may have said that mothers were the tastiest.

Diane: Well, they can't have my -mom-.

Cat: If you're lucky, they might have taken her to the Night Kingdom.

Clearly, then, that was where Diane now resolved to go.

Cat: Well, it's a very long journey, and I haven't completed the railroad -- would you care to invest?

Diane: I can't invest. I'm a little girl.

Cat: You look very solvent to me.

Diane: Little girls don't invest. -Dads- invest.

Nevertheless, the cat, who now introduced himself as Isembard Kitten Brunel, convinced has. She we now the owner of 50 shares.

My notes say "Railroad for Ribbons", which might have meant that the fare to ride the railroad was in ribbons, not money, and "Bazelgette", whose meaning in this context I don't recall, nor do I recall where these two lines came from:

<pre>
Guy with (hand pumping things?)
Well, that's different.
</pre>

I do remember that Isembard admitted to certain limits in the function of the locomotive.

Isembard: We aren't fully invested -- no steam power yet. And, it takes two to run it.

Diane: How did you get here, then?

Isembard: Well --

Diane: I'll help.

And, without complaining, she helped him make the locomotive run.

The railroad ran through a concrete area, then wood, tightly packed trees, then loosely spaced trees.

Diane: This place is inside out!

Then, they came to a chasm. A Very Deep Chasm. The tracks only went up to the chasm, and no further. The Chasm, then, then, was the Challenge.

Diane: The rail road stopped.

Isembard: That's as far as they got.

Diane: But, why would they stop here?

Isembard: Well, it's the weekend. I -hate- that invention.

Diane: It's probably the movers' fault.

Isembard: Well, they're mice.

When there is a Challenge, Companions can choose to help the heroine or to get in trouble. Phredd decided taht Isembard would get in trouble, so the cat accidentally leaned on something that make the locomotive slip.

Diane:  I could never jump that!

Isembard started to fall. Diane would never jump for -herself- -- but for him, she tried.

If I understand my notes, saving Isembard was a given. She helped him out of trouble with no penalty. Kat rolled a 9, which was a success, and I -think- that meant that Kat had chosen to succeed, so the question was whether Diane was childish or not. But, my notes specified only that saving Isembard was a given, not that Diane wouldn't fall nor that the challenge of getting to the other side would have been overcome, so I'm not entirely sure. My notes said Diane succeeded in being clever, daring, kind, and funny.

And somebody got two drama points. The drama points are the economy of the game. I forget exactly what they can be spent on -- they may determine whether Companions can be helpful, but I'm not sure. I know that they can also be used by Companions to become the Narrator. In that case, the player's Companion is either written out of the action for a while or is present, but not doing a lot, and the previous Narrator creates a new Companion to join the Heroine and her other Companions.

Diane: Mr. Cat! Oh oh sorry! Sorry!

She pet his fur.

Isembard (I think): Thank you -- but...

Somewhere around here, Josh's Companion and mine were introduced, though I forget the details. I know that Stieg seemed like a Stickler to the others.

Diane: Mr. Cat is is my partner.

Isembard: You can call me Isembard.

Diane: Can I just call you Zim?

And Isembard spoke proudly of Diane. After all, she was an Investor!

Isembard: She's a girl of -means-.

Diane: My name is Diane.

Stieg: Stieg.

Diane: This is Mr. Isembard. He's a talking cat.

Stieg: <Blink>

I forget what this referred to: Maybe they're waiting for the -perfect- moment.

It may have had something to do with Stieg's perfectionism.

The heroine and her companions came upon a place where there had been a tree -- but it had been pulled out.

Isembard (indignant, though I forget to whom he was speaking): You let somoene else break ground here!

Someone: The Takers have been here -- They took a perfectly good tree!

And, indeed, there was a truck, I think, that said "Takers, Inc." on the side. My notes say that it was totally dark inside, and "Trees!", but clearly, I'm missing some context.

At this point, Josh introduced his Companion, a wyvern who had two legs and was landscaping. And I think someone talked about the King of Night and whether he'd taken Diane's parents.

Someone: If he takes parents, doesn't that make him Dad?

Diane: It's better than being eaten. Besides, my Dad wouldn't taste good.

And the next challenge materialized. I forget what it was, but the wyvern tried to help Stieg. Alas, as Josh had chosen Get in Trouble, the wyvern accidentally set the trees on fire!

Diane Took a Chance. My notes says that she was at -3, but there were 2 people in trouble, Stieg and the wyvern, which was +2, so she was only at a -1. Isembard was helping. Kat rolled a 10. 10 -1 = 9. Diane succeeded at being Clever / Daring / Kind. I think she may have succeeded at the challenge as well.

Diane: Not your breath -- your wings, Mr. Wyvern! Blow out the fire!

Wyvern: Oh right -- I have wings.

Someone: Won't that spread the fire?

Diane: Not if you blow hard enough -- blow the trees back.

The wyvern couldn't blow the dump truck away, thought. It was too heavy!

Someone: So? The dump truck won't move.

My notes say that the bottom of the hopper, the base of the dump truck -- was just a hole. The Takers were gone without having been seen.

Breaths were caught and introductions made all around.

Diane: Diane.

Isembard: Mr. Zim.

Stieg: Mr. Stieg.

Wyvern: Mr. -- Call me James.

The wyvern's full name was James Whistler.

And, a new chapter began.

Diane and her Companions came across a rolled up tent that had clearly been discarded by someone. And, the saw a small village. This was a choice of where to spend the night.

Diane: How far off is the Night Kingdom?

Mr. Zim: It's a ways off.

Diane: You're beginning to sound like my dad.

It started to rain. Diane decided to go to the village. Perhaps there might be some food?

The village was full of music, and its lamposts were decorated with flowers. There was bustling and dancing in the streets. Strangely, it was not raining in the village.

Diane asked a child in the village what the dancing was for. The child explained that it was a celebration.

Child: It's the Most Wonderful Thing! The Takers are going to take the entire village!

Diane realized that everyone she saw in the village was a child. Where were all the parents?

Child: Oh, there are no parents here. There are no parents at all.

Diane: Who makes dinner?

Child: We don't eat dinner -- we eat candy all the time!

And I think this was the challenge, to escape from the village, or from the allure of the village. Or perhaps not to eat too much candy. I don't recall whether Diane succeeded or was childish or what. James the Wyvern Got Into Trouble, though I'm not sure of what kind. My notes only say, "Perfect Trap!"

Diane and her friends were Pelted with Candy and driven out into the rain. I think they set up the tent. And here, the chapter ended, and the next chapter began.

Diane was sick, perhaps from eating too much candy. She left the tent and encountered the King of Night.

King: Who are you to approach the Land of Night?

Diane: I am Diane.

She explained that she wanted her parents back.

Diane: My parents were taken by mistake.

King: Are you sure?

Diane: I'm sure.

The King suggested she go to his realm, which was everywhere that night touches.

King: Isn't a night like that better than the night you just had?

All she had to do was step through into that realm.

Diane: I step through with my parents -- and we -all- stay there!

King: What do -I- gain?

Diane: What do you want?

Narrator: He looks longingly at the sun --

King: If you can get this--

He handed her a wax-sealed envelope to deliver to the Sun Queen. He also wanted the Sun Queen to give Diane an answer that she would bring to him.

King: But if you fail, the Sun Queen will keep you in her city of bright cacophony for all eternity.

Diane: But even if you don't like your answer, you've still got to let my parents go.

King: All I ask for is a reply.

And the King was gone.

Mr. Zim (to the place the King no longer occupies): You treat my master with respect!

Clearly, Diane and her friends had to go to the sun!

James: I can fly toward the sun. It'll take a while.

Mr. Zim: Your wings are not made of wax, are they?

The wyvern assured him that they were not. Mr. Zim, Stieg, and Diane got on James's back. But...

The Narrator paid for Stieg to fall off into a rushing river!

And, the challenge of the chapter was... Sunbeams!

These were glowing yellow steel I-beams hurtling from the sun.

Diane: Be careful, James!

James: Bright, such beautiful colors -- Shiny!

Narrator: How to navigate and get past the sunbeams is the challenge.

Mr. Zim Got into Trouble.

Mr. Zim: Who's the -contractor-?

James was Helpful.

Someone: A more efficient solar infrastructure!

Someone else: Oh, this is a -communist- system!

Diane was Heroic / Brave, rather than childish. She covered Mr. Zim's eyes in a kind and motherly way.

Diane: I'm doing this for your own good.

She rolled a 12 and was able to close eyes to the sunbeams.

And, as the chapter changed, I became the new Narrator, and Michael created a Companion, Clang Clang, a knight with a very long nose.

James landed on the surface of the Sun, next to Castle Apartments. They went inside and asked to see the Queen.

Woman in Charge: No one sees the Queen -- not no one not nohow!

Mr. Zim: She is an investor! A Champion of capital!

Clang Clang (a burnished knight): Oh, a champion!

Diane: I'm just a girl.

James: She's not "just" anything.

However, the woman in charge, who was the Queen's social planner, was unmoved.

Social Planner: No one has seen the Sun Queen without an appointment -- and she never gives appointments.

Clang Clang (referring to the social planner): She used to be my boss until she fired me! I never wanted to be a knight.

James: Does that mean that you don't hunt dragons? I am not a dragon, by the way.

Mr. Zim: Why were you fired? Did you invest poorly?

Clang Clang: I did. Everyone talked about deep fried cupcakes.

Alas, his fried cupcakes did not work out so well.

Clang Clang: Remember the eclipse a couple of weeks ago? No one was well enough to go to work that day.

I'm not sure who said these two lines:

So, you didn't make baked goods -- you made baked bads!
Everybody makes mistakes.

Possibly Diane said the second? But, I'm not sure.

And the social planner was clearly not the forgiving type.

Someone: Is she Stieg's sister?

We decided that, indeed, she was! And, her name was Stickler.

I think Michael also decided to change Clang Clang's name at this point.

Knight: I am Sir Soo. It was better when I could say Soo Chef.

And folks discussed food.

Diane: We only had -candy- last night.

My notes say: "Golden Soup -- brewing soup". I'm not sure what that means.

The Challenge of this chapter was to gett Social Planner Stickler to get them an appointment to see the Queen.

My notes mention something about a painting of the city scape. And, there's something about the difference between Tomorrow and Today -- I think this had to do with somehow convincing Stickler to give them an appointment for Tomorrow, and the day changing from Today to Tomorrow, so that they had to hurry for their appointment to see the Queen? I'm not sure.

Someone, possibly the Queen, was wearing sunglasses.

Someone: Well, what other kind of glasses would they have on the sun?

I think we were in another chapter. The challenge was getting the Queen to take and read the message from the King of Night. She was being somewhat coy, iirc.

Mr. Zim and Sir Soo were helping. James was hindering. We decided that the wyvern had gotten stuck in the doorway.

Diane: All that candy.

James: They're making doorways smaller and smaller these days.

I think Kat decided that Diane would succeed and so rolled for being kind/generous vs being childish. She had a +3 to her roll and rolled a 6, for a total of 9, so she was not childish.

Kat: Otherwise, she would say, "Just -open- it!"

And, the Queen opened the letter. Michael told us what it said, though my notes are sadly incomplete. What I have is:

-- -- --
My dearest [Tracy? If it was a name, it just happened to be the name of Diane's mother.]

Although we are apart for most of the day and night, you are in my thoughts constantly, and I realize it doesn't matter where we are -- you're still in my heart and we can be together. I realize I find the [illegible] and cacaphony of your city [illegible] and I realize [illegible]
-- -- --

One thing was very clear: The message was a marriage proposal.

Queen: Tell him I thought he'd never ask!

Diane: I can tell him that, but I think he may want a yes or no answer.

Queen: Well, yes -- isn't it obvious?

Someone: Is Soo actually the King of Night in disguise?

Someone else: Oh -- The Knight is the Night!

Someone: The nose is part of the helmet!

And, doffing his helmet, the King of Night, who looked strangely like Diane's father, went down on one knee before the Sun Queen.

With that, we moved to the conclusion.

Michael: The stuff about the conclusion is in the front of the book.

This is why he had to go through the entire book to make the cards.

Diane had never been immature. She had been very heroic and very successful. All of this had an effect on the conclusion.

Michael did a Companion's Conclusion for the King of Night. He also said that once Diane returned home, we might see the reflection of a companion in everyday figures -- but no actual companions.

But before she returned, there was, of course, a big wedding celebration.

Someone: I guess Stickler is the wedding planner.

James made a wedding portrait. Diane was the flower girl. Mr. Zim wore a tuxedo. Stieg arrived to help -- and I seem to remember something about Stieg and Stickler sending messages back and forth on sunbeams, before he arrived, with the happy news of the wedding.

And, for the happy couple's honeymoon, the railroad was completed. Diane fell asleep --

-- and woke up surrounded by boxes that had not yet been unpacked. More Elton John was playing in the kitchen.

And, someone suggested the following, which we liked:

Someone: Dad should come in to say she's been taking all these changes very well -- but he thought she could use a friend.

And he gave Diane a box. Inside the bos was --

Diane: Mr. Zim!

Well, not the anthropomorphic walking, talking Isembard Kitten Brunel, but a small cat that bore at least a passing resemblence to Diane's Companion.

And we thought that perhaps there might be other echoes as well, as the credits rolled, and we saw the family unpacking a landscape painting, and perhaps an old stuffed dragon doll wyvern.

Diane: Well, I suppose the city isn't so bad since I'm here with you.