Game Prep!

Changes in gaming afoot!

John got a real job, so he'll be dropping out of the Monday group (working nights). That'll mean changes for Promethean, but I've got a few weeks before it becomes relevant.

Today should be the exciting conclusion of Let It Ride, so that's really what I need to focus on. Let's do that!

So, last time, there was some vampire combat, the card got made, the track got sussed out, and we're ready to go. The race is today. So obviously we get to decide, today, how the characters are preparing. I'm gonna have everyone indicated who they think will win and who they hope will win, though I don't know that it'll have much effect.

OK, if this were a Dresden novel, one of three things would happen. Either Jeannine Kemper would win (meaning a vanilla mortal with some ties to the fae would gain control of Lexington's supernatural area); something weird would happen and no one would win, or someone would win and Harry would be in some way connected to them and get a new responsibility. I don't want that latter. So let's work this. Here's our contestants. I'll cross out the ones that I don't think it makes any narrative sense to consider as winners.

Waters of the River Styx (Winter Court): 2:1

Inferno from the Embers (Summer Court): 3:1

Fireball (Billy Ray): 4:1

Warden's Wings (White Council): 10:1

Veni Vidi Vici (White Court): 10:1

Bo (Leroy Francis): 12:1

Sleipnir (Albert Market): 25:1

April Showers (Arthur Bingham): 25:1

Derek's Fall (Jeannine Kemper): 100:1

Now, of the remainders, I think we can excuse Billy Ray and the Black Court. I think that they've made for good secondary antagonists, but they're not serious contenders. That leaves us four: Jeannine, the Fairy Courts, and Leroy. 

Well, I don't think Bo's going to win. I think he's going to be a secondary crisis during the race - he'll change back in the middle of the race, and Alice (and the others) need to decide whether to change him back so he can ride on (sans jockey; the rules of the race state that the winner is who's-ever horse crosses the finish line). But the real question should be between the Fairy Courts and Derek's Fall.

The Fairy Courts need to fight each other, somehow, although they can't interfere with the race directly. Obviously Shuck should be involved - since he's worked for both Courts, his allegiance is to neither, and it'd be fun to see a fight between Rusty and Shuck. But Shuck (and Rusty, during the fight) might be able to take out one or more of those Fairy horses, giving Derek's Fall a chance to slip through. 

Yeah, actually, now that I think about it, I'm taking it back. Let's do it this way: 

Warden's Wings (White Council): 10:1

Veni Vidi Vici (White Court): 10:1

Sleipnir (Albert Market): 25:1

April Showers (Arthur Bingham): 25:1

They lose because it wouldn't be interesting for them to win.

Waters of the River Styx (Winter Court): 2:1

Inferno from the Embers (Summer Court): 3:1

They lose because Shuck gets in the way, and because they fight against each other. 

Bo (Leroy Francis): 12:1

He loses because it would be more interesting to resolve his story using the horse transformation (horse-formation?) as a complication.

Fireball (Billy Ray): 4:1

Derek's Fall (Jeannine Kemper): 100:1

These are the potential winners, because they're the most tied in to the drama of the race story. 

So, Complications. I want five, one per character. 

1) Bo turns back into a human (Alice). 

2) Shuck attacks the front-runners (Rusty). 

3) Valentines ask Lou for early access to the stables (to dope some horses). Social combat. 

4) Phobos tries to push Clive into letting Fireball win, tries to take him over if he refuses. 

5) Keeping the race running fairly without being biased (Opal). Mental combat.

OK, so just need to stat Shuck real quick and we're golden.