Who: Shuo, Caroline, Cy
What: Shock!
Where: Gamma Ray Games
When: Thursday, March 3

Issues: Population control, conscription, parental rights over their children
Shock: Upon reaching the age of 15, all youth are sent to the island where they can choose to relinquish their citizenship (and with it the ability to procreate and live a decent life) or fight to the death for the limited number of spots on the ship back to the mainland and back to a lavish life of citizenship. We eloquently called this the "Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale fight to the death for citizenship or be a sterile slave" shock.

The Island: Those willing to fight (and most of them are) are placed randomly throughout a series of islands with nothing but a randomized weapon (which is anything from a stick to a grenade launcher) and the will to survive. Damascus (played by Cy) is a strong youth with large ambitions, freshly brought to the island, he decides to dash the system and try to unite the kids instead of fighting them. But his father's rival, Rudolph Hunter has other plans. He gives Damascus a list of names and a sniper rifle as his starting weapon. As he kills the kids on the list, he is given rewards. If he fails to kill, innocents are taken instead. After losing his girlfriend in a major skirmish, Damascus decides this madness needs to stop. He tricks the system into thinking the kids on the lists are dead and organizes most of the islands masses into a community. In the end, a ship comes to the island, ready to take them away to fight as mercenaries on the mainland. Instead of going with them, Damascus and his crew hijack the ship and decide to start a brand new colony on the island, forming a mini-utopia state of 15 year olds. Unfortunately for them, the flora on the island prevents procreation, but it seems they'll have plenty of time to sort that problem out...

The Underground: Neuts are generated two ways--either they were too cowardly to fight in the battle royale, or their parents told them about the impending fight and they were snatched away. In any case, Neuts are notable for their sterility, slavish labor conditions, and the poison patch embedded in their arms. The flick of a switch and an insurrection can be stopped, the population can be controlled, and fresh meat can be supplied to the Citizens. That's right--Cannibalism. Not (played by Caroline) is a scientist with a vision--he has synthesized a compound that will bind the poison, rendering it inert. Once freed from this control, the Neuts will be unstoppable. Unbeknownst to him, his new lab partner, friend, confidant, and ultimately lover is a Citizen spy. After ratting Not out, Ace (the spy) confesses his love and begs forgiveness. Not turns him away, to save the pieces of a failing rebellion. Ultimately the revolt succeeds, but at what cost and to what ends? Ace is killed protecting a 15 year old Neut girl (reminiscent of his own little sister!) and Not realizes he will never know love again. The Neuts never regain the ability to breed, so theirs is a dying people and, ultimately, a revolution with a deadline.

The Office: Headmistress Laura Palmer (played by Shuo) is a manager on an island. She has been there for ten years. And she's been under the auspices of her "soft-hearted" and "friendly" boss Emeril Jackson for those ten long years. She is damn well sick of it. Laura will do whatever it takes to get off the island, but it seems her abilities and constant requests for transfer are not enough. Laura decides to take matters a bit further. She seduces Emeril and engages in a months long affair until the perfect moment arises and she manages to implant him with a Neut (the eponymous poison patch that can kill him) to encourage him to transfer her. He finally manages to, and she takes her unborn child (with whom Emeril will have no relationship with) and leaves the island. Unfortunately, the timing was less than optimal and she returns to the mainland just as the insurrection is getting underway. Laura double crosses the Citizens (having predicted that the Neuts will win) and becomes top brass in the insurrection. Emeril, however, is less than happy and delivers incriminating files to the Neuts revealing Laura's duplicity and untrustworthy nature, ultimately undermining her efforts to power.

I just loved the banter between Laura (so annoyed!) and Emeril (so passive-aggressive!)! Laura was perfectly heartless! "Don't call me honey." "Yeah, that's right, that's a Neut patch and I can kill you any time I want. And you see this? This is my baby. You have nothing to do with this baby." Beautiful!

I also liked the way we decided our issues. There were two shock groups, so each group wrote 9 issues (3 for each person). We then gave the other group our stack of issues and they chose the 3 that we would be playing. We did the same for the other group.

Thanks for the great game! Shuo, what did you think of Shock? Is it everything you were promised?

Absolutely! I know I'm just repeating the same Shock spiel everyone else says, but it really does contains the essence of what makes good speculative fiction. I enjoyed it immensely.

The set-up took a long time but it was worth it. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back and having a deeper look at some other issues we brainstormed on: the famine, children as status symbols, the government, and the parents' conscience. It's hard to let go of a world once you put so much time and detail into creating it.

I really didn't mean to play Ace as a bumbling drug addict, but he turned out that way. Originally, I was planning to make him decently serious and use his position as a dealer to seduce friendly relations out of Not. I didn't realize just how hardcore and focused of a person Not was until meeting him in our scene and the dealer tactic soon fell through. Since some characters might evolve or change personality as a scene plays out (like Ace), I kinda wish we could determine the amount of Praxis of our character right before the first conflict rather than ahead of time. Ace certainly did not prove himself an eight for Ability. "Hey, I've got some great coffee at my place." WINK. NUDGE. Fail.

Laura and Emeril were a fun couple. I loved how cheerfully slow-witted Emeril was on the battle royale island.
"More first-aid kits for the students! And food! We wouldn't want them to go hungry."
"Honey... Why did you put a neut chip in me? Don't you love me?"

Damascus's journey was epic in love and loss. Not's victory was bitter and tragic. Laura's promotion was short-lived and unsatisfying. The only thing that would have closed the story better would have been the fertility slaves. Ahhh, well. Perhaps in another game.

Thanks to the other Shock group for selecting such great issues for us to work with and huge thanks to Caroline and Cy for giving me a wonderful first Shock game to remember!!

We eloquently called this the "Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale fight to the death for citizenship or be a sterile slave" shock.

You had me at Lord of the Flies/Battle Royale. Love it.

As he kills the kids on the list, he is given rewards. If he fails to kill, innocents are taken instead.

Um, and who was his Antagonist who came up with this dastardly pressure? Don't be shy...

I asked in the other Shock thread, but I should ask here too: how did the new Shock sheets work for you guys? Any suggestions? (Shuo, you haven't used the old ones, but if there's anything that seemed particularly confusing to you shout out)

Um, and who was his Antagonist who came up with this dastardly pressure?

Psssht. As if you didn't already know. That was one of many brilliant Caroline Ideas in the game. :)

The Shock sheets seemed pretty straight-forward. I'd have to play a second game before giving any meaningful input on the design. It's clean and nicely laid out though.

Yeeaaaaaah...... Anyway.

As for the character sheets, they were prefect except there still isn't any space to put each player's ownership of an issue.