Bluebeard's Bride: Dark Carnival

8pm Madrid: Bluebeard's Bride: Circus Remix

• GM: Marissa Kelly
• Witch: Vincent Easton
• Mother: Alden Strock
• Animus: Seth Ahearn(?)
• Diva: Me
• Virgin: Mark

This was a 4 hour playtest of an alternate setting for Bluebeard's Bride. Instead of playing aspects of the Bride in Bluebeard's castle, we were playing aspects of The Showgirl who had just joined Bluebeard's carnival.

It was the 1950s, and carnivals were no longer so common, perhaps even on their last legs. Bluebeard had just hired the Showgirl, and there were rumors about him and previous showgirls. No one knew what had happened to them. But, this was a paying gig, and the Showgirl had family back home to support.

Bluebeard had to go away on business, but he told the Showgirl she was free to wander and go into any tents save one, his personal tent. We all knew, out of character, that the previous dead showgirls would be inside, so the ultimate fate of the Showgirl was fairly limited: Look into the room? Escape? Make her situation with Bluebeard work?

In theory, the game runs until the Aspects -- the Sisters -- have either three tokens of loyalty or three of disloyalty, but we had four hours and we all understood that, one way or another, the final room / tent would be played, where the Showgirl would make her final decision.

Before Bluebeard left, he gave the Showgirl his coat. Whichever Sister wore the coat would be making the decisions until she passed it to another Sister.

As this is a PbtA game, there were Moves. There were Coat Moves. There were Exit Moves for when one tried to exit a tent. And each Sister could choose one of her own special moves. The default setting's Sisters were Maiden, Mother, Animus, Witch, and Femme Fatale. For the carnivale, the Femme Fatale was replaced by the Diva, who, at that time, only had one Move, Siren's Call.

The Sisters could be wounded, and my notes said that to heal required either a Token of Loyalty or one of the Sisters Taking Blame.

There followed a series of questions which all the Sisters answered for themselves.

The Virgin had left behind her position as a choral singer. The generous gesture Bluebeard made was to sing to her as they danced, and he was as talented as she was. The gift she gave him was her rosary. She was now a Showgirl, not a holy profession, so she was "giving it for safe keeping". She trusted him because he was a natural leader. She was conflicted: The Virgin loved the church, but the Showgirl didn't know why she had left in the middle of the night.

The Animus had fine, long fingered hands and trembled with fear, as the Showgirl was leaving behind "places _I_ know_. The generous gesture Bluebeard made was to pay one month's salary so that the Showgirl's family could eat. The Animus's give was a favorite book, Mark Twain's Joan of Arc. The Animus did not trust Bluebeard, feeling that people who sought power over others were suspicious.

The Mother had a graceful figure. Others wished it were more lush. She left behind caring for critters who were left behind such as chickens and goats. Bluebeard's generous gesture was that when he saw that the Showgirl was that when he saw she was cold, without asking, he turned the heat up, despite his warm clothing. The Gift she gave was brownies. Everyone loves them and can make them, and they don't cost much.

Mother: I thought you might enjoy these.

She didn't trust Bluebeard, though.

Mother: He treats us the way we would treat a prized well trained animal -- with kindness and the like -- but...

The Witch's hair was intricate and long, and she held it up with baubles and trinkets, to lord over others. Others wished that she would let it down or cut it, but this was most modest. What she left behind was power.

Witch: The town was in my clutches and power.

She made a big show of submission to Bluebeard, and he made the generous gesture of recognizing the Witch's magic as equal to his own.

GM: How?

Witch: He helped hex the pastor.

Her Gift was a handcrafted dream catcher to protect him from his enemies. It was woven and the color or topaz.

Witch: I know you have many secrets and respect that, but others may not -- and this will protect you.

Did she trust him?

Witch: I trust him to be as awful as all men who think they're in charge -- but he would be wise not to trust _me_.

I don't seem to have written down the Diva's answers, but I remember that her Gift was a collection of the holy songs she sung in choir.

Diva: I will sing anything for you except for these songs. I don't want to sing them any more.

The Virgin trusted her Sisters for the most part, but thought the Witch blackened every move, for the Witch hexed the pastor.

The Diva helps play tricks on others, with children stealing things.

The Animus held herself apart, feeling safe only with the Virgin. A boy had made a pass and was furious when rejected. The Virgin stopped the Animus from taking overly drastic actions, entrancing the boy with her eyes. Hurting the foolish boy would have been like hurting a puppy, and the Animus would never be able to forgive herself. The Witch had power the Animus lacked, and the Animus hated that.

The Mother knew best and tried to guide her wayward Sisters, but this was not always successful. She trusted the Animus to have her back, remembering a cold night one winter when everyone else in the family was sick or getting sick, but the Animus had the best health in the family. Everyone else complained, but the Animus made sure the Sisters powered through it. The Diva ignored the Mother with here obstinacy. There was a goat giving birth, and the Diva did not want to get dirty.

Mother: But we had _work_ to do.

The Witch felt that her Sisters were not really as important as power. The Mother was a useful tool. Everyone loves brownies, and they could be quite useful as a vessel of spell delivery. The Virgin drew evil to her, presenting as a victim who couldn't defend herself. The Witch hexed enemies to keep them at bay. So the Virgin hated the Witch because the Witch was protecting her, so it was all the Virgin's fault.

The Coat, the GM explained, started play with the Sister whose gift Bluebeard liked most. He gave it to the Mother, whose Brownies were the most subservient gift. As for the others, the GM said:

• Bluebeard doesn't want protection.
• Bluebeard doesn't want to hold your last life.
• Bluebeard doesn't care what you want to sing.
• Bluebeard doesn't care what a woman reads.

He liked the other Sisters' gifts, sure, but not nearly as much as the traditional gift from a woman in her proper place.

Bluebeard gave the Showgirl a roll of tickets, VIP tickets to let her visit any tent. The ticket for any given tent was to be put into a bowl in front of the tent before entering it.

Bluebeard: Do not go into my tent. I will make sure you have your own coat when I am back.

It was for the wearer of the coat to describe the ticket. It would look like the tent the Showgirl wished to find. My notes say that either the tickets as a group or the first selected ticket was black and red, black lettering on red paper, with elaborate black scrolling. It was most striking. The Showgirl couldn't tell what the alphabet on the tickets was, let alone what the writing said.

[And here we took a break.]

There were varyingly sized tents, and the Mother chose one that was a light, pale pink. Thick silk rope was bundled up on the side of the tent. The Showgirl put the appropriate ticket into the bowl and entered into the tent. The flap closed behind her, which meant that she could only exit under certain conditions.

There was a beautiful chandelier of fake gold, with a few candles lit. And there was a fainting couch with deep red satin cushions. Indeed, the furniture was bright red, while the inside of the tent was mostly pink.

Furniture included the couch, a chair, the dresser, a few mirrors, and a powdering station with make up. There was a silk spiderweb of white pinned to the sides of the tent, and there was a big white box.

There was a huge hole in the web, and huge black spider legs everywhere, as well as black lace up boots. This was where the spider lady did her show: she got into the box, put her head in the hole, and manipulated the legs.

The Mother walked to the couch. She ran her hand along the fabric, enjoying the texture, slowly walking around. She sat down, lay back, looked at the at nice chandelier, and maybe just did not think for a moment or two.

Mother: Can I investigate the fainting couch?

GM: Yes, in terms of experiencing it.

Indeed, while we didn't quite realize it, the whole point of the game is to investigate everything to learn more about Bluebeard and decide what the Showgirl thought of him.

The Mother's Questions:

• What memories does it hold?
• What about it is odd or uncanny?

Whoever sat on this couch can feel as if they really have privacy. It was a good place to be alone with yourself.

The Mother's breath slowed. The couch was very relaxing, rising and falling.

Witch: Sister, perhaps we don't want to be lying on this couch anymore.

Mother: Unless we're making a new friend, I think you're right.

The Witch made a move: Take stock of a tense situation: What traps have been laid for the show girl?

The Showgirl circled the couch, looking at it from different angles, to see whether or not it continued to breath. It was not breathing.

Mother or Witch (to GM): I might not be paying as much attention to the rest of the room as perhaps I ought.

The Showgirl went to the vanity and glimpsed the spider lady's reflection in the mirror. But when she looked around, there was no one. Yet, someone was breathing in the tent -- someone besides her.

The Virgin suggested powdering themselves up at the vanity, and the Animus agreed that they should definitely go to the vanity. Everything had been deliberately placed. There was black lipstick and red lipstick.

Witch: Anything rare or exotic?

There was powder and an elaborate puff from elsewhere, not here.

The Mother looked at the web in the mirror again, facing it with the spider web behind her, her face where the spider lady's face would be. She wanted to recreate what she thought she saw earlier.

My notes talk about a nest and a woman's face, and the Mother taking 1 Trauma as she was startled by the presence of the spider lady.

Mother: Are you a prisoner here?

Spider Lady: I'm here because I know how to sing and you don't.

Diva: I take exception to that.

Virgin: Me too.

Mother: I'm not sure that's entirely correct.

Spider Lady: And that's why I'll always be better than you.

Mother: What do you think a C sounds like?

Spider Lady: I will not be lectured by a new girl.

And the Diva tried to sing a C, and was told again and again that she was off. But she kept trying, and finally got grudging, faint praise from the spider lady.

Spider Lady: You have some promise.

And she sang a single note. And in that one note was a whole symphony.

Diva (wanting more than anything to be able to do that): How do you do that?

Spider Lady: I do what I'm told.

And someone wanted to analyze this Tense Situation, to learn where the silver webs go and what traps have been laid for the bride.

And the Mother tried to cozy up to the spider lady.

Mother: Oh dear. You put such effort into the song -- you've smeared your lipstick. May I touch it up?

This too is a Move: Care for someone.

Spider Lady: Of course. But won't you share a drink with me before I smudge all this up again?

And this was the GM's Move: Asking for a Gesture of Sincerity.

Mother: Yes.

The spider lady's human form was pushed into a larger abdomen costume. Her real legs and the other legs were all visible, and it was hard to tell what was real and what was not.

The spider lady took a small silver wine glass and a bottle of wine, and poured the wine into the cup. The Mother took a sip.

The spider lady looked more relaxed. She sat between the Mother and the fainting couch and pulled her veil back, revealing her mouth.

Witch: What does this place demand of the show girl?

Spider Lady (after relaxing and allowing the Mother to fix her lipstick): Well then, let's begin. Make them see you and they won't care what you sound like.

Mother: Were you always like this?

Spider Lady: None of us are as we were.

The Mother passed the Coat to the Witch.

Mother: I think we may have found an ally. Or perhaps a familiar.

The Witch tried to investigate the spider lady's real legs and caressed her costume.

Whose and what about it is odd or uncanny?

GM: She couldn't have made it by herself. She modified it and made it hers. It is sewn directly into her flesh.

The Witch made a Move: Shivering From Fear.

Witch: I'm afraid she has a gimmick in mind for me already and when she's done with me I won't recognize myself.

I think the spider lady wanted to infect the Witch with her own obsession, at least if I understand my notes. She spoke only to the Witch, turning her to face the vanity.

The spider lady said that Bluebeard was treating the Showgirl like a dog, so she should have a collar. She put the Showgirl in a dress that was too tight and put a tight collar with a big bell around her neck.

The spider lady unbuttoned her own clothes. Her chest had fur growing out of it, with patches on the shoulder.

Spider Lady: With some makeup, we can really show everyone the witch you are.

I think the Witch defended herself with the Move: Dirty Yourself with Violence. She picked up Bluebeard's coat, which the spider lady had taken off her.

Spider Lady: Where did you get that?

Witch: He gave it to us.

Spider Lady: He'll never love you -- you're pathetic!

Witch: Then why do we have his coat?

But the spider lady dealt 3 Trauma. Fortunately, the Animus and the Mother both had healing powers (though I don't recall whether they took those Moves).

And the Sisters talked among themselves:

Mother: You never get too close to a horror without letting it get close to you -- it's your fault you let yourself believe.

Witch: She was going to help us.

Mother: You trusted her far too early.

The Witch believed the Mother, which I think meant that some mechanic was triggered.

Mother: It's all right. You're attracted to the Dark Things. I wish you weren't, but I forgive you.

Witch (about the Mother): She is very annoying.

To leave the room, the Showgirl needed to propose a Truth. This was that Truth:

We have that coat. I expected to come out of here thinking I'd trust him less because he did this to her. She did it to herself to be more pleasing to him. She was not good enough. Our mere presence pleases him.

He holds us in higher esteem.

He was not compassionate to her.

He is compassionate to us.

And the Showgirl pulled away from the spider lady.

GM: What do you take from the tent as a token?

The Showgirl grabbed a particularly pungent and spicy perfume.

Animus: There is something we should leave behind. (removes collar with bell) I don't wear that.

And we took a TOKEN OF FAITHFULNESS.

The Diva wore the Coat as the Showgirl looked for a new tent, looking at a ticked with a rope border. That was the tallest tent, the main one, where there were contortionists, strongmen arm wrestling, and all the rest of the folks that helped the carnival run day to day.

Eager to be accepted and not wanting to seem too proud, the Diva approached. The carnival folk offered her a drink from a keg.

The keg had an odd small of vomit, and stirred odd, uncanny memories. Sadness, something swollen.

Diva: What does it demand of her?

GM: Drink, be merry, fit in.

And she drank.

And she was sick, her belly swollen. One of the carnival folks, Jimmy, helped her backstage.

We asked the GM if the Showgirl's newly swollen belly counted as a mysterious object. I think it possibly did.

I think the Virgin investigated the ladder to the trapeze, and found memories in the net, which had been repaired after being burned, and there was char on the stage. Someone had done sabotage at some point in the past.

And there was a desire to see danger, to feel something real. A man pleading. A woman stepping up.

Woman: I can do it! I can do it!

A fall.

And during all of this, I took a deep breath, because it was clear to me that somehow, the Showgirl had suddenly gotten pregnant from drinking the beer, and not just pregnant, but all at once ready to give birth. This was clearly not natural.

As I absorbed this, someone asked what was uncanny. The rosary that the Virgin had given to Bluebeard was here. The Virgin's player asked: What stalks me from shadows?

GM: An older man in black with a white collar. A pastor of some god.

The Witch tried to get some kind of clue or something with the Poison with Lies move on Jimmy, but the problem is that this isn't quite how that move works.

By now, the Diva was in labor, and the pastor asked who the father was.

At first, the Diva said, "Jimmy," and the GM said that the pastor said, "Then you will die giving birth" --

-- and made that a sort of precognitive vision, and asked if the Diva really wanted to say that.

Thinking furiously, the Diva whispered, "Who do you think? Himself. Bluebeard."

That was quite a different matter. Everyone wanted to be sure mother and baby survived.

The Diva sang a song so that the carnival folk would accept her as one of them. I think the Witch used her poisoned lies against Jimmy.

The child was born crippled, and it was taken from the Diva. The pastor told her it was for the best that the child be taken to the freak show, and the Diva quickly agreed.

Jimmy was beaten badly, possibly fatally, as the carnival folk were turned against him by the Showgirl.

One of the Sisters: He had our rosary.

I think the truth proposed was that Jimmy had gotten a trapeze artist pregnant and Bluebeard had arranged for her death. And somehow, Jimmy tried to start the cycle again, making the Showgirl get pregnant.

And we took a TOKEN OF DISLOYALTY.

The next tent, we knew, would be the last one before the final tent, Bluebeard's tent. What the Showgirl would do there would depend on what happened in the tiebreaker tent.

The coat passed to the Virgin. She selected an orangish tan ticket, like one from a movie theater. It cut her, for it was a solid piece of metal shaped like a ticket, actually a razor blade.

This corresponded to an orange tan tent, kind of dirty. Inside was a broken down carousel and old retired show equipment, such as shovels, buckets, throwing knives, cages of equipment, and a spinning target with arm and leg braces, and worn straps.

It was hard to tell if the spinning target was weathered or used a lot. It was clearly for a thin form.

Mother: Are there stretch marks?

The Virgin spun the wheel and investigated it. It spun in a hypnotic pattern.

• What were the memories associated with it?
• Why did Bluebeard keep it?

She had a sense of how vulnerable someone would be on it, and how much practice it would take to get it right. Anyone strapped down in private for practice would be at the mercy of the knife thrower.

Regardless of the knives being thrown, the wheel would perfectly fit a petite woman such as the Showgirl. She realized that Bluebeard kept it because he didn't know it was still there.

There was an ornate knife. The Animus examined it. The handle had a carving of a heart at the top. The blade felt really good.

Diva (backing away from it): He never would have dared do that.

Mother: We never would have asked him. Not a throwing knife.

The Virgin threw it at the target. It hit and clattered to the ground. She stooped down to pick it up.

Two hands grabbed her ass.

Woman's voice: You'd look real good up on that.

Mother: I think we need a bigger one -- much bigger. And stronger straps.

Woman: I assure you they're quite strong enough.

The Virgin Shivered with Fear. She was afraid to be trapped on that board. She passed the coat, I think taking 1 Trauma, because the board spoke to her. She saw a vision of a slender woman, giving tickets out, her hair done up.

Woman: Maybe this is a little more than you would be able to handle anyway. I like my partners to have more experience.

My notes say something about seeing the Virgin in the Showgirl, not seeing the "beauty in it" and +1 Trauma for the Animus.

Woman: Are you interested in learning?

Animus: I'm interested in learning how to throw.

Woman: Are you?

She offered the Animus a bucket of knives and stopped the wheel from spinning. Then, she put her hands and legs into the straps.

Woman: Would you mind?

Animus: No.

Woman: Throw away.

Animus (Investigating): What is the best way to not hurt her?

GM: Not to throw them.

The woman didn't want a blindfold.

Woman: I assure you being able to see and make eye contact makes it better for everyone. I didn't get to do the throwing much.

Animus: Did you want to?

Woman: I always wanted to -- but you're the showgirl.

The Animus put the bucket down and unstrapped the woman.

Animus: I'm not the only showgirl. I don't mind sharing the spotlight.

Woman: But you were born for this position. Don't worry. I'll be gentle.

The Animus Dirtied Herself with Violence. She kicked the woman's knee, intending to disable. The woman's leg shattered, like porcelain.

The woman fell to the ground and giggled.

Woman: Oh -- do you want to play a different game perhaps? I've got plenty of games we could play.

The Mother took stock.

Mother: What horror is hidden?

GM: She likes playing it rough, but she wouldn't be able to entertain herself that well. She is insatiable, more than she seems, probably both the danger and the damsel.

Mother: I don't want to play this game. With her.

The coat passed to the Witch.

Witch: We must be very careful.

Mother: Some things are meant to be put away.

Animus: Like her?

Mother: I don't think she's alive any more.

The Witch licked blood from her finger.

• What does this place demand of us?
• Hear her shudder and giggles.

Woman: I think I'm going to like having _you_ here. I might not have to warm up to you. I like you from the start.

She warned the Witch about one of the stuntmen.

Woman: He _seems_ sweet -- so nice -- but he's not. Let him get you alone and you'll see what kind of a man he really is.

The Witch investigated the carousel. Why had Bluebeard kept that? The odd paintings on it were all of the same character, like the Showgirl, but... prettier.

The woman pictured was Eleanor. Bluebeard was sentimental. It was a tribute to Eleanor. One panel was ajar, and there was something in the middle, something thin and unmoving. Something with a porcelain face, a painted doll face. It moved just out of reach, staring at the Witch.

The Witch decided to Caress the Horror, another Move. She helped the woman undress her, then directed her to stop on instead. The player rolled a 6.

Woman: I told you he is a nasty man. He never plays fair. I think you would play more fair.

There was a dull thud and the woman fell, a dead weight, with a throwing knife in her back. The Coat passed to the Virgin.

Eleanor took the knifethrowing woman and asked for help. The Virgin Dirtied Herself with Violence, to stab Eleanor herself. The player rolled an 11 which because a 10. My notes say "disable".

GM: You scream in pain. She falls into the center, holding her face. Blood covers your eyes.

Both women collapsed into the swan. The Mother took 1 Trauma.

The Animus Cared for the Knifethrower, removing knife from her back.

Animus: It wasn't your fault. It was his fault. He did this to you. I'm going to make it okay. you're going to be okay.

The Coat passed to the Mother, and I think this is when the Mother's player needed to take a few minutes to catch his breath and recover, as the game had gotten a little too disturbing for him.

The Coat passed to the Diva. She Screamed for Help, also a Move. I rolled a 10 which became a 9. She would get help, but only if she first proved her loyalty to Bluebeard.

She told the Alligator Man who came to help that the woman's plight was obviously due to a jealous fan.

Diva: Bluebeard would only pick the best showgirls. I know you all. One of us would _never_ have done this!

The Alligator Man accepted this proof and took the woman to the doctor, while Eleanor crouched down, out of sight, in the carousel.

Mother (I think talking to the knifethrowing woman): You will be among the last.

She walked out of the tent, proposing her truth.

Mother: I know what happened here. Bluebeard likes to keep control of women by keeping them at each other's throats.

At this point, the Mother and Diva had taken too much Trauma and both Shattered. I believe that this means they're supposed to be helping the GM torment the remaining parts of the Showgirl, although there's a lot of leeway. They broke in very different ways, and the GM didn't object to either.

The Mother decided that Bluebeard had to be stopped.

The Diva developed Stockholm Syndrome.

Diva: They weren't _good_ enough. _We_ are. _I_ am.

And we took a TOKEN OF DISLOYALTY.

The Coat passed to the Animus. And, it was time for the final tent.

The ticket for Bluebeard's private tent was a nice silver ticket with a blood red border. In the center of the ticket was a blood red key.

The Showgirl stood outside the tent. The smell of brownies filled her nostrils and she felt warmth from inside.

So, the question for the Showgirl: Look inside, peer inside, or flee?

Virgin: I want to look inside, but... we know what we'll find.

Witch: We have an opportunity to write our own story.

Diva: We're better than them! He'll understand.

Mother: Burn it all burn it all burn it all.

The Animus, who was wearing the Coat, decided to flee without looking inside.

The Coat passed to the Virgin. Did the Showgirl warn the town about Bluebeard or just flee?

Mother from cold: Who cares about any of them?

Nevertheless, the Showgirl tried, and the GM had closing questions.

What did town do to the Showgirl to rid themselves of her disloyal ravings?

Mother: Told everyone she was crazy and hustled her off to the local church / parish for someone to take care of the poor woman.

How did B blackmail family into silence?

Diva: The child.

How does show girl now spend her days?

Witch: She has devoted herself to baked goods.

What loving gift does B send her?

Animus: A tube of black lipstick and a tube of red lipstick.

(Virgin: Pictures of the baby?

General Consensus: Nah -- the lipstick is better.)

What about carnival still calls to show girl?

Virgin: Ego -- to sing the highest note, be on the trapeze, be the star. When she's singing in choir, all the notes are sour. She can't reach that high note.

Roses:

Witch's Player: Likes feeling uncomfortable at the gaming table.

Mother's Player: Likes how characterization builds the relationship between the parts.

Animus's Player: Likes the idea of an RPG as a way to explore darker sides, likes the entire conceit and is glad it exists.

Virgin's Player: Likes the psychological aspects.

Diva's Player: Likes the Dark Carnival setting.

GM: Likes how you handled yourselves.

Thorns

Witch's Player: Caught off guard with wording of the face move, maybe should've read it more carefully.

GM: Yes, the Witch feels really powerful and is not.

Mother's Player: Disoriented by the logic of magic. It's hard to mesh with the effect. How are we using symbology of the game to make things go?

Animus's Player: Is there a happy ending?

GM: You _picked_ a happy ending. You tried to fight. You didn't die. Your family's safe.

In short, there were options, and we seem to have picked the best available.

Virgin's Player: Unclear at times -- we were fixated on the keg of beer.

GM: There was less investigation than usual. It is a game of investigation

Diva's Player: Disconnect between the name of a move and what it does.

GM: Harder to ground people in a setting that I'm not familiar with. Rooms vs tents.

Tents are easier for me, but not for the GM! The size and shape of a room seems less important than the size and shape of a tent, for example, which is an extra variable. Coming up with interesting things to do with tickets is another difference, as opposed to, say, a player describing a wooden key with, say, bite marks.