[UA] Jailbreak chat

[Kevin Elmore]

> I've seen players get really spooked by the violin girl
> in "Jailbreak"; it 
> works great if you physically act the role. I've *never*
> been able to tempt 
> players into the basement, though (darn those Scream
> movies).

Damn, I can't get them in the basement either.  I
especially want to use the example in the book of
describing how one of the hanging implements feels as it
brushes across the character's arm.  Everyone is too
terrified of the basement.  

On a bright note, most of the time, the people do check out
the thumping in the attic.  That's good for a sudden
maiming of one of the characters.  Then, as people run back
downstairs, they don't see him go out a window and lurk
outside.

One time I had Bors kill the state trooper on his way back
to the car.  However, no one stayed at the window to make
sure the coast was clear.  After a while, someone glanced
out the living room window, and I told her that there was a
cop car there.  They thought it was another cop visit. 
Ella went to investigate the silent car.  Bors was hiding
under the car and grabbed her ankle.  Too bad it wasn't
someone else; that would have been great horror.  I used
Ella's crushed ankle as a vehicle for her memories to come
back to her.

The violin girl has always been a success, though.  At the
very least, the person who investigates the room talks to
her, gets frustrated at her response, and gets creeped at
her lack of reaction to being threatened.  My favorite was
one guy who decided to play the convict personality to the
hilt (though he was Icepick which didn't really jive with
the character write-up IMO).  

He saw a teen-aged girl and thought, "I've been in prison
for a while; time for some action."  So he tells the girl
just what he'd like for her to play and proceeds to run his
hand up her leg.  I used the lovely description provided in
the book for what he felt and ultimately saw.  He stood
there for about 5 minutes, prompting someone else to come
investigate.  He just stood there staring in horror.  Gotta
love those madness checks.

But pretty much, the consistent formula has been:  One or
two people investigate trunk, Bors gets free, Bors severely
injures one (usually it's early so I don't kill yet), Bors
goes outside, people get really spooked.

I never take into consideration the sleeping issues.  How
do people do that?  The adrenalin is just pumping in
everyone when the convicts break in, so the fact that
they're tired just doesn't cross my mind.  I'd like to play
with that a bit so that I the convicts can get really
paranoid as their useful numbers drop.  

Also, there is a bit of incredulity that a hail storm of
that magnitude would last that long.  A couple times, my
players have mentioned wanting to leave when the hail
stops.  Now that I think of it, I could just tell them that
there could be a tornado.

Oh!  That would be a great reason to force characters into
the basement.  When someone looks outside, he sees a funnel
cloud a few miles away.  Oh sure, the tornado may not
actually do anything to the house, but anyone who has spent
any time in Midwest America knows to run for the basement
at that point.  


One thing I've incorporated with Jailbreak is a semi-live
action atmosphere.  I always insist on having two tables. 
I don't use the tables, but they take up enough room that
people can move around.  At my local convention, they put
me in my own room with two tables.  Then people can shout
at each other all they want.

I also have a cap gun.  Before the game, I fire off three
shots so that there are only five left.  That adds a bit
more excitement.  It also pretty much eliminates dice
rolling.  When someone has a gun up against someone's chest
in a quasi-LARP setting and pulls the trigger, I have a
hard time convincing myself that dice need to be rolled. 
So far the gun hasn't malfunctioned, but if it does, then
I'd rule that the gun really jams.  If you can't make the
gun pop, then you can't fire the bullet in the game.

I hope to pick up a small buzzing device from some place
that doesn't sell erotica to emulate the taser.  If I can
find a tiny water bottle, I may use that for the pepper
spray.  While I'm being ambitious, I ought to just keep a
bag filled with fake knives, axes, and razors.  Maybe even
another cap gun for the derringer.

Anyway, those have been my experiences.  It's great at
conventions.

Kevin


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Beavis & Butthead do not cause fires; stupid people do.  Role-playing games do not cause mass cultish suicides; stupid people do.  Homosexuality does not lead to societal and moral decay; stupid people do.  God does not condemn or place false blame on these things; stupid people do.
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