villainy commenced [[1x1 w/ the-nug-king & hexspecs!]]

[grey matter]

As that exchange was happening, a card fell from the air above Lazarus, like a feather, face-up, some sort of fire being, labeled "The Phoenix." "Oh my gosh, I thought this card was supposed to be rare... This is mine now. I don't even care if you saw it."

"Can I have a card?" Lucas asked of Lazarus, sliding it toward him.

"Yeah," Lazarus passed over a card to Lucas.

"Could you hold that up but not look? I don't want to move around too much with Morgan." Lazarus turned his head and held the face side toward Lucas. "...We've got similar abilities but in different directions."

"That either implies you kill or you reanimate and I don't even know why you felt the urge to imply it."

"Just because. Besides, you just announced that."

"Well, basically everyone saw that, so... Uh... Does everyone have cards?"

Bon Voidage drew a goal card and immediately snickered upon reading it. "This is the worst goal I could've gotten, I love it."

DVS picked up a goal after Bon Voidage. and started squinting really hard at it as if it was some sort of contract with really fine print. "I'm good on cards."

[[Tell me if you want me to make up abilities or anything for your characters' cards! I just kinda dropped hints on mine's descriptions but here's some slightly better ones.
Laz - Ash, The Phoenix - Can revive self!
Lucas - Z., The Reaper - oh yeah, he implied death alright.
Bon Voidage - Goal: Haunt - Voidage gets to lurk a set of squares of choice and basically has to try and keep people out of it... But it's attached to an event where random events happen and those are listed on the card and she's already determined the worst one.
DVS - Something about deal making. Either that or he's just received an actual contract with that card.
Will make up their goals and character respectively next reply of mine.]]

[the-nug-king]

Three returned to the table, picking up the card DarkBoard had laid in front of their chair. "Hmmm."

Aurion and Cazenar meanwhile, apparently had cards they were now happy with, and where trying to see each other's.

((Idk exactly what Caz and Aurion have
Scorpius has Ismene in Ferret form
Three has a Very Cool and Clever and Better Than Anyone Else person bc DarkBoard gave them their card.))

[grey matter]

"...I think I need to draw again?" DVS asked. "I got this... waiver."

"Oh, those are used in certain gamemodes, I don't even want to go into that one yet... You can just put it back in the box and redraw, those are definitely goal cards there but if anyone else has them I'd recommend putting them back unless we're playing multigoal. Then you've gotta play board games within a board game with the game's equivalent of Dea- ohhhh. Well, Lucas, now I know your card."

"You could. Or you could know someone else's," Lucas objected.

"Yeah, no multi-goal tonight, just get another goal."

"Why would Death even have waivers?"

"Long story I'd rather not explain... Alright, uh, Platform, could you-"

"Ten players?"

"...Ten?"

"Ten players?" it insisted, glowing the same color as DarkBoard was earlier, as if this was an invitation for them to join the game or perhaps even join it in doing random events and the like.


[[Ferret!Ismene - Probably very, very recognizable due to ferret form but gets to move farther... probably has to have character card face up during interactions and can't go on tiles with another person without being stepped on or shifting or something-

Laz - uhhhh probably just a have fun goal because the platform has mild sympathy
Lucas - mIGHT INVOLVE KILLING SOMEONE?! or maybe "don't kill anyone at all." i think that might take a coin flip for me to decide
Bon Voidage - oh, so she gets the reanimator-y one. today's gonna be quite the game
DVS - stage magician. cool card abilities.

also here we have the Platform attempting to get DarkBoard to join in as a show of respect- the Inamonthian Weirdness has already gotten high enough so I have opened the opprotunity for DarkBoard-ian Happenings to Happen.]]

[the-nug-king]

The DarkBoard portal was still and silent for a moment, before a hum emmitted from it, and it glowed a duller white.

"I think DarkBoard accepts," said Three.

"Huh. I thought DarkBoard thought they were too cool to play with us these days," said Scorpius. "Is Xi there? Hi Xi! Looking forward to defeating you with my cool amazing mask!"

((Hmm so
-scorps needs to get some Important Ferret Business done ig. But mostly ze's just having fun.
-Three: get people to notice they're great, possibly by just "huh your stats that I guess we have seem really high". thanks darkboard
-Aurion: uhh. a spy. gotta convince everyone he's another character.
-Caz: idk some kind of wizard? cast a magic spell? that maybe involves another player/mask?
-DarkBoard: will accept a card if then Platform gives them but also might change it part way through, probably gonna be joining in with random events
-morgan: baby. has the goal of Be Baby.

does this work??))

[grey matter]

The Platform hovered a card that was basically just all the random event data toward the room's DarkBoard portal and asked "Does... Player 10 want a character and goals?" it asked, not knowing exactly what to refer to DarkBoard as in the sense of... AI? Void? Something?

"Oh, I can almost taste the anticipation of explaining all this..." Lazarus said, looking at the board.

[[omg darkboard accepted felt good

yes. it very much so works


okay reclarifications on DVS - now he's gonna just ask questions of people in the form of... probably magic tricks and maybe rapid fire twenty questions]]

[the-nug-king]

"We have no need for one of your cards," said DarkBoard, not explaining if they had their own card, or where just going to be joining in with random events.

"Well," said Three, "I think we are all prepared, now."

[grey matter]

[[realized I entirely forgot Lucdust - they've basically got Downgraded Ridley - aka Orion the Soul Watcher and... uh, Well, Normally An Orion Gets Assigned a "Watch The Person You Have Access To And Stop Them From Their Goal" but it doesn't really work with Z so I have no idea what their goal is and I think they managed to get a wild card or something like "Lie that you have a goal and hope it works"]]

"That we are! Unless Lucas wants to give Morgan back to you. In any case," Lazarus cracked his knuckles. "Woah... I actually did that? Um, anyways, let me get to explaining." He inhaled before starting his attempt at a swift and concise explanation. "You try to achieve your goal before anyone else unless it has a special win condition, then there's some end game face offs and/or multiwins, but we can get to that in a bit... Basically, just move and try to achieve your goal, buuuut... You gotta bring interactions into play. If you are in a tile next to another player, you can interact with them, even if it isn't your turn. You are also allowed one extra square of movement during this, either to leave the conversation or get on the same tile as the other player, unless your character or goal has some sort of condition preventing you from doing so. You can basically do whatever during an interaction, from just talking, or challenging them to something or other, or attack them for no real reason, give them vague unsolicited advice... Et cetera. I'll... Demonstrate a turn and interaction with Lucdust!" He motioned toward Lucdust to take their turn, and then to a tile. "We'll go somewhere near there?"

"OKAY," Lucdust spelled, tapping their character card to the Platform.

"Oh, movement is kinda like rolling, but sometimes there's modifiers, and other times... It just depends. Just go with what the Platform tells you."

"4," the Platform chirped.

Lucdust moved their mask four tiles.

"Since there's nothing else really to do there, Lucdust has the choice of ending their turn or announcing if they did anything while they're standing around... which is better suited for tiles in certain sections, which I'll explain momentarily, once I get to random events."

"I END MY TURN."

"Alright then." Lazarus tapped his card to the Platform. "Oh, this can go automatically if you don't feel like tapping or can't, it's just a thing you can do for verification's sake if you'd rather not just ask the Platform for a number."

"5."

Lazarus moved to a tile adjacent to Lucdust's. "I am initiating an interaction," he declared, and the Platform changed colors. "Alright. Hi, stranger."

"HELLO."

"...Uh, so I need to explain something here, time to break the game's immersion, sometimes you'll have actions that you want to decide by chance, juts tell the platform and you can have a rolloff or something, but sometimes you'll want to decide something by roleplay, and you can do that too... But if you disagree, the table takes a vote or the Platform decides for you. Anyways, would you like to demonstrate?"

"N O . (THIS DISAGREEMENT IS FOR DEMONSTRATION PURPOSES.)"

"Alright... Uh, rolloff?"

"ROLLOFF."

"Alright, Platform, I initiate a rolloff for demonstration!"

"... INITIATOR ROLLED EIGHT WITH A MODIFIER OF PLUS ONE, TO GET NINE. CHALLENGER ROLLED 7 WITH A MODIFIER OF PLUS THREE. INITIATOR LOSES."

"...Alright, then. Uh... End interaction?"

"YEAH."

"This also ends my turn. Now, random events-"

"Random event for Player Three! Head directly any tile on the dance floor! Do not roll to move, but you may interact!"

"I'm still holding Morgan, so I will just... Platform, could you set automove on for me for a turn?"

The Platform moved Lucas's piece to the dance floor.

"Okay, so random events and tile areas!" Lazarus started. "There's a decent amount of them. You've got this dance floor, a slightly elevated platform that probably functions as a stage, a snack table that also has drinks, the entryway, the courtyard, a bathroom, and a mezzanine with no purpose whatsoever. In some sets of rules you play with limits per area and per tile, and... We're going with the no limits per area, as many masks as you can cram into a tile is the maximum. Interactions in tiles with multiple people involves all players in that tile. So, if we crammed into one big tile, say, I don't know, that one that takes up the majority of the dance floor where Lucas is, you could have really big interactions. Not saying you want that, but it's a strategy for ending games pretty quickly if you have an Infection goal."

Bon Voidage slightly raised her hand. "...Wait, does that mean in technicality you could shove everyone into the bathroom if it was all under one of the big tiles?"

"I mean, technically, but I don't think they'd all count as being in the bathroom, and the Platform... probably wouldn't set the tiles like that? But in theory, yes? Anyways, where was I... Oh, you can invoke any prop that's depicted on the board that is within the tile... Oh, so I guess, actually, yeah, it would count! You can just... grab soap even if you're standing outside of the walls, in theory... But, uh, that doesn't matter now, but, say you're Lucas right now-"

"I'll demonstrate since I am actually Lucas right now," Lucas said before clearing his throat. "I pick up the small speaker that is sitting on the ground... and then I put it back down. I end my turn."

"Yeah, that's... the most basic form of it. With that, I think that... should be enough to start playing, I'll instruct more once we've reach the end of this round. Not the game, but the actual round. When it gets back to Lucdust. Some stuff happens in between rounds sometimes. I'll bring up anything I've managed to forget if I managed to forget anything. The real gaming starts here!"

[[Woohoo the game]]

[the-nug-king]

Three nodded. "I see. Um, may I have Morgan back now, please?"

"I wasn't listening to any of that, so I'm just going to be having a good time here," said Cazenar.

"We'll see how much of a good time you have when you're begging for mercy at my feet," Aurion told him, giving an ominous cackle.

"Sure, if you ever get a turn. Aww, you're in last place though..."

"Only because the rest of you will need all the advantages you can get for this to possibly be interesting to me."

((Totally forgot Three wasn't currently holding a Morgan, oops, now they feel bad for Abandoning their child for five seconds.))

[grey matter]

Lucas gently passed Morgan back over. "It's your turn, by the way."

[[Aaaa no Three don't feel bad-]]

[the-nug-king]

Three took Morgan back. "Right. Yes. Sorry. Um, Platform could you auto-move for me. How many spaces am I allowed to move?"

"Player Four may take infinite moves," came DarkBoard's voice.

"Thank you, DarkBoard, but I do like something of a challenge during board game night."

"Player Four may wish to consider abandoning their weak, fleshy companions and joining Us in the howling transcendency of Five Dimensional Chess. Join Us, and never want for satisfaction again."

Three sighed, a small smile on their face. "You really have no discretion, do you? I believe I can make time for chess at the weekend. Unless, of course, I'm replaying the Mysteriously Titled Masquerade Game after being unable to capture the full experience after someone let me win too easily."

"Player Four should consider their natural superiority to the flesh creatures they surround themselves with to already prevent them from capturing the true experience of the pathetic existence of organic life."

"You could join as a proper player, you know, and then I could have the experience and the challenge of competing against you."

Morgan reached up to grab hold of Three's card, drawing their attention back to the board. "Oh. Be careful with that, Morgan. Um, in any case, I shall move eight squares, and then end my turn unless I'm given a random event."

"Don't give them a random event!" said Cazenar. "I've already listened to enough weird nerd flirting, can you just get on with this and let someone who's not a weird nerd have a turn?"

Aurion sneered. "I see the pressure of being in the penultimate place is getting to you, Vampyroteuthilda!"

((I was looking through old memes I made for rpg ocs, Three, Caz, Scorps and Morgan included, and I love them! Warning for swears in a couple of the memes, and also a bunch of non-gaffv ocs cluttering it up, sorry. https://imgur.com/a/XXKAidj? ))