Fiasco: A Game of High Ambition and Poor Impulse ControlWhat is Fiasco?Fiasco is best described as I said in the title: the Coen Brothers RPG. Instead of creating a character through rolls or point buying, you define your character by your relationships with others. This creates a tight, soap opera atmosphere that is perfect for when things start going horribly awry.
After creating your characters, the game is divided into acts and scenes. In scenes, you take turns setting up a scene that is resolved either positively or negatively. In the first act, you receive positive or negative die that you give away to other players. In the second act, you keep the die. At the end of the first act, you add up all your dice and choose the Tilt: an event or twist that makes the powderkeg you've helped create blow up.
At the end of the game, you come up with the Aftermath. You roll all your remaining dice and determine your fate on the aftermath table. You then begin a 'montage' of scenes showing what happened to your character after it all went down. Spoiler alert: it's not so good.
If you want more information, just ask me or get the rulebook yourself at Bully Pulpit games. I linked it below, along with some other neat links.
What's The Setting?Another thing is that there is no default setting; instead, the setting is determined by what playset you're using. A playset is a list of different rules and such that aesthetically change the game without changing the basic mechanics. A few of them (Like some of mine) change the Details in character creation, but apart from that it's still Fiasco. There's a few official ones, the best of which I've chosen, and I've also made a few homebrew ones. Bully Pulpit games also has some other homebrew playsets. I'm just going to list the official ones and my own to keep things simple, but if you find a playset you like feel free to suggest it.
Official PlaysetsRelationships
1 Family
1 Parent-In-law / son or daughter-in-law
2 Cousins, or aunt/uncle and niece/nephew
3 Siblings
4 Parent / child or stepchild
5 Grandparent / grandchild
6 Distant / unusual / unofficial relatives
2 Work
1 Former co-workers
2 Current co-workers
3 Supervisor / employee
4 Mechanic, plumber, decorator, landscaper & client
5 Salesman / customer
6 Pastor, doctor, lawyer, dentist, drug dealer & client
3 Friendship
1 Manipulator / victim
2 Old buddies
3 Drug friends
4 Friendly rivals
5 Friends with benefits
6 Bitter social adversaries (Church friends)
4 Romance
1 Former spouses
2 Current spouses
3 Life-long crush / Object of crush
4 One-time fling
5 Lovers
6 Former lovers
5 Crime
1 Corrupt official / local big shot
2 Gambler / bookie
3 Thieves (shoplifters, burglars, car thieves)
4 Con man / mark
5 Hoodlums (racketeers, knuckleheads, delinquents)
6 Drug people (dealers, manufacturers, distributors)
6 Community
1 Elected officials (Aldermen, mayor, commissioner)
2 Civic volunteers (election officials, chamber, clubs)
3 Church volunteers (deacons, Sunday school teacher)
4 Rec league, minor league, pick-up team sports
5 Case worker, parole officer, guardian ad litem / client
6 AA/Narcanon sponsor / participant
Needs
1 To get out
1 ...of this town, before they realize you took it
2 ...of this town, to escape family
3 ...of the gang
4 ...of a relationship with a lover
5 ...of the obligation to a frail relative in your care
6 ...of a crushing debt coming due
2 To get even
1 ...with the bad people, who think they are so tough
2 ...with this town, for what it has turned you into
3 ...with a police officer
4 ...with a family member
5 ...with a co-worker
6 ...with a rival
3 To get rich
1 ...through stealing a drug stash
2 ...through robbing a business
3 ...through tricking a handicapped guy
4 ...through the death of an elderly person
5 ...through political back-scratching
6 ...through a misplaced suitcase full of cash
4 To get respect
1 ...from this town, by bringing down the machine
2 ...from this town, by proving your convictions
3 ...from your lover, by taking the fall
4 ...from the police, by turning in your own kin
5 ...from a family member, by rescuing them from ruin
6 ...from yourself, by finally doing it once and for all
5 To get the truth
1 ...about why they are all so shut-mouthed
2 ...about the Sheriff’s political corruption
3 ...about why he really came here
4 ...about what she did behind The Patio
5 ...about your real parents
6 ...about the mistake that haunts you
6 To get laid
1 ...to get it over with
2 ...by that sweet thing you’ve been thinking on
3 ...because you need the raise that badly
4 ...by an old lover, to start over
5 ...by an old lover, to further your scheme
6 ...by your sweetheart, who is acting squirrelly
Locations
1 Main Street
1 Peace Haven church
2 El Perro Alto Mexican restaurant
3 Royall’s drug store: Pharmacy in the back, soda fountain up front
4 Shafter and Hazelbrook, LLC, the only lawyers in town
5 Commercial Bank, the only bank in town
6 Vantage Services, medical claims processor
2 Commerce Street
1 Suds and Duds, coin operated laundromat
2 Municipal building, police station, courts and city hall
3 Family Medical Clinic, the only doctor in town
4 New Outlook tanning salon and weight loss center
5 The Patio, a movie picture house
6 Bill Rivers’ Pool Room, for pool and illegal gambling
3 Out by the Interstate
1 Chicken Hut fast food restaurant
2 Davenport’s Tire and Tractor, tire shop and tractor repair
3 Rose’s Village Motel, convenient to the highway
4 The Quik-Pik, gas station and convenience store
5 Durable Paper Goods, paper bag manufacturing plant
6 Accurate Automotive, used cars
4 Up Center Road
1 J&K Gravel: Gravel, stone, and quarried materials
2 The old fish house, an abandoned roadhouse
3 Center Road Animal Care, large animal veterinarian
4 Lyman C. Mills Consolidated High School
5 Spiller’s, funeral services since 1911
6 Charles Green Landscaping, lawn care and excavation
5 Out and About
1 Town parking lot beside the freight tracks
2 Red Run State Park
3 A farmer’s field out past Surry Avenue
4 The ball field
5 Woods up around Hickory Terrace
6 Construction site next to Accurate Automotive
6 Residences
1 Van parked behind Royall’s
2 Trailer out back of the high school
3 Apartment above Suds and Duds
4 Farmhouse up Center road
5 Split-level ranch on Surry Avenue
6 Mansion out by Hickory Terrace
Objects
1 Untoward
1 Porn stash / sex gear
2 Welfare check / food stamps
3 Garage full of Amway products
4 Mink farm
5 Klan outfit / hate paraphernalia
6 Eviction notice
2 Transportation
1 Golf cart
2 New pickup truck
3 Panel truck
4 Small plane
5 Pontoon party boat
6 Dirt bike
3 Weapon
1 Shotgun
2 Machete
3 Poisonous snake
4 Handgun
5 Pipe bomb
6 Firefighter’s Halligan tool
4 Information
1 Secret recipe
2 An overheard conversation
3 Legal records
4 Love letter
5 List written in a Christmas card
6 Photographs
5 Valuables
1 Drug stash
2 Mason jar full of gold coins
3 Comic book collection
4 Vintage car
5 Purebred animal
6 Suitcase full of cash
6 Sentimental
1 Newborn baby
2 War memorabilia
3 Roadside accident shrine
4 Mathematics trophy
5 Wedding ring
6 Heirloom silver tea set
...in a nice southern town
Relationships
1 Family
1 Parent / son- or daughter-in-law
2 Cousins
3 Siblings
4 Parent / child or stepchild
5 Uncle/nephew or aunt/niece
6 Unrelated, but close as blood
2 Work
1 Ranch hands
2 Miners
3 Supervisor / employee
4 Tradesman / customer (Wheelwright, barber)
5 Salesman / customer (Snake oil, mine gear, bibles)
6 Professional / client (Pastor, doctor, lawyer, banker)
3 The Past
1 Criminal and detective
2 Grew up together back east
3 Reformed criminals
4 War adversaries
5 Both married to same spouse (Sequential or tandem?)
6 Bad family blood
4 Romance
1 Former spouses
2 Current spouses
3 Unvarnished lust
4 One-time fling
5 Mail-order bride and her groom
6 Former lovers
5 Crime
1 Crime boss and toady
2 Gamblers
3 Thieves (Yeggs, burglars, horse thieves)
4 Faith healer and patient
5 Outlaws (Bad men, pistoleros, roughnecks)
6 Chinese opium seller / addict
6 Community
1 Elected officials (Mayor, judge, register of deeds, assayer)
2 Society (Temperance league, brass band, vigilantes)
3 Church volunteers (Lay readers, sexton and gravedigger)
4 Company / citizen (Railroad or mine and shareholder)
5 Government / citizen (Indian agent, tax assessor)
6 Sheriff and deputy
Needs
1 To get free
1 ...of this town, before everyone finds out about you
2 ...of a family obligation
3 ...of a business commitment
4 ...of a relationship with a lover
5 ...of your lot in life
6 ...of a crushing debt coming due
2 To get even
1 ...with this town, and its small-minded inhabitants
2 ...with the local crime boss
3 ...with the sheriff
4 ...with a family member
5 ...with the Chinese
6 ...with a rival
3 To get rich
1 ...through robbing a stagecoach
2 ...through robbing a business
3 ...through fraud and trickery
4 ...through buying various officials
5 ...through violence
6 ...through a misplaced trunk full of bullion
74
4 To get respect
1 ...from this town, by bringing down the machine
2 ...from this town, by showing everybody who’s boss
3 ...from your lover, by proving yourself
4 ...from the sheriff, by ratting out your friends
5 ...from a family member, by rescuing them from ruin
6 ...from yourself, by finally doing it once and for all
5 To get away
1 ...from the baying hounds of the law
2 ...with murder
3 ...from hard-riding vengeance
4 ...from an honest woman, ruined
5 ...with your reinvention of yourself
6 ...with a magnificent swindle
6 To get laid
1 ...by anyone, anywhere, to dull the pain
2 ...by your ticket out of this burg
3 ...by an ambitious and beautiful saloon girl
4 ...to prove them all wrong
5 ...by your friend’s spouse, to further your agenda
6 ...so you don’t die a virgin
Locations
1 Residences
1 A filthy buckboard wagon with a ragged awning and barrels for
walls
2 A tidy Sears-bought house, crisply painted
3 A permanent room in the Belle-Union boarding house
4 A gaudy mansion next to the dirt platted as a park
5 The opium den behind the White Star laundry
6 A squalid apartment above the newspaper office
2 The Bradford Hotel
1 The storm cellar
2 The clerk’s room, safe, and freight office
3 The brothel billiard parlor
4 The saloon
5 A bar girl’s crib
6 The Governor’s suite
3 The decent part of town
1 The Commercial Bank
2 Sinclair’s Dry Goods and Mercantile
3 The Territorial Sentinel newspaper office and print shop
4 First Church of Christ, Redeemer
5 The railroad depot and telegraph office
6 E.A. Lodge, Dentist
4 Across the tracks
1 The Fraternal Order of the Frontier lodge hall
2 White Star Chinese laundry
3 The Belle-Union boarding house
4 Town jail
5 Eyck’s Tack, Harness, and Stable
6 Boot Hill
5 Up in the hills
1 The Chinese camp
2 The hanging tree
3 The wagon road
4 Gold creek shanty town
5 The Circle S ranch
6 The secret cave
6 Indian Country
1 The burnt-out log cabin
2 The bandit hideout
3 The Hunkpatila Sioux camp
4 The prospector’s hut
5 Pilot rock
6 The Presbyterian mission at Broken Arrow
Objects
1 Untoward
1 A three dollar “all night” brothel token
2 A mortician’s black bag and a jug of phenolic acid
3 A vulcanized rubber “womb veil”
4 The skeleton of a Mescalero Apache
5 A Spiritualist’s bag of magician’s tricks
6 An abortionist’s tools
2 Transportation
1 A Kansas-Pacific railroad car
2 A four-horse mail coach
3 A safety bicycle
4 A railroad hand car
5 The guarded mine payroll mud coach
6 A St. Louis and San Francisco railroad boxcar
3 Weapon
1 A blacksmith’s tongs
2 A Sharps lever-action rifle
3 A matched set of Colt revolvers
4 A Sioux war club
5 A crate of old dynamite, weeping nitroglycerin
6 A 12-pound mountain Howitzer
4 Information
1 An assay note on the minerals in Circle S ranch soil
2 An overheard conversation about the Gold creek strike
3 A freedman’s manumission papers
4 A lady’s diary
5 A faded wanted poster
6 A contract with the Pinkerton Detective Agency
5 Valuables
1 The deed to Sinclair’s Dry Goods and Mercantile
2 A promissory note for two thousand dollars
3 A wad of Federal postage stamps wrapped in a kerchief
4 A cage of Napaeozapus insignis, Woodland Jumping Mice
5 A heavy sack of gold dust
6 The cashbox from the Bradford Hotel brothel
6 Sentimental
1 A newborn baby
2 A pretty locket with a lock of hair inside
3 A tiny oil portrait of a handsome soldier
4 A tear-stained love letter
5 An engraved silver goblet
6 A dying man’s last words
Relationships
1 Work
1 Supervisor / worker
2 Co-workers
3 Specialist / supporter
4 Former co-workers
5 Clandestine collaborators
6 Professional rivals
2 Friendship
1 Manipulator/victim
2 Bewildered first-timers
3 Drinking buddies
4 Bitter enemies
5 Fuck buddies
6 Dorm room bunkies
3 Romance
1 Former spouses
2 Current spouses
3 Life-long crush / Object of crush
4 One-time fling
5 Lovers
6 Former lovers
4 Crime
1 Smugglers (Artifacts, endangered species)
2 Gambler / bookie
3 Ecological extremists
4 Government contract fraudster / investigator
5 Hoodlums (Sports enthusiasts, drunkards, delinquents)
6 Drug people (Dealers, manufacturers, distributors)
5 Community
1 Social adversaries
2 Search and Rescue volunteers
3 Tour guides
4 Community event organizers
5 Visiting Dignitary “handlers”
6 Isolated co-religionists
6 Soul
1 Lifers on the Ice
2 The only survivors
3 The ones who found the body
4 Newbie / old timer
5 Two-of-a-kind misanthropes
6 Poet and muse
Needs
1 To get out
1 ...of a work detail that is killing you
2 ...of a relationship that’s turned weird
3 ...of responsibility for an accident
4 ...of intense scrutiny, so you can finish what you started
5 ...of Mactown, where too many people know your game
6 ...of the ice, which is driving you insane
2 To get even
1 ...with a scientist
2 ...with a contractor
3 ...with a pilot
4 ...with your rival
5 ...with an organization – the NSF, USAP, etc
6 ...with everybody on the Ice
3 To get off
1 ...on re-watching a DVD of what you did
2 ...on prescription painkillers
3 ...on secret trips out of Mactown
4 ...on sabotaging a scientific program
5 ...on destroying a reputation
6 ...on illicit sex
4 To get respect
1 ...from everyone on The Ice, atoning for your mistake
2 ...from everyone on The Ice, showing them who’s boss
3 ...from your lover, by proving your devotion
4 ...from the USAP, by ratting out the drug dealer
5 ...from a friend, by rescuing them from ruin
6 ...from yourself, by punishing your persecutors
5 To get the truth
1 ...about the accident
2 ...about the secret project
3 ...about someone’s criminal history
4 ...about someone’s infidelity
5 ...about who the Visiting Dignitary is
6 ...about the locked room in B-142
6 To get laid
1 ...by anyone, anywhere, to dull the pain
2 ...by that girl/guy you’ve had your eye on
3 ...by a visitor, fast
4 ...by an old lover, rekindling an old romance
5 ...in exchange for something you need
6 ...by your sweetheart, who has been strangely distant
Locations
1 The Weddell Sea
1 Atop Iceberg B-15, larger than Luxembourg
2 Weddell seal research camp on the sea ice
3 Aboard the M/V American Tern, delivering supplies
4 Aboard the Khlebnikov, a Russian tourist icebreaker
5 The ATC hut at Williams airfield, 16 km away
6 A research dive camp with a hole cut in the ice
2 Mactown: Business
1 Satellite receivers on Black island, 40 km away
2 The tool shed inside the Carp Shop
3 Explosives storage shed, up the hill from Mactown
4 B-120, the food warehouse
5 B-142, Medical
6 B-143, the Heavy Repair Shop
3 Mactown: Pleasure
1 Hut Ten, visiting dignitaries quarters
2 Wells Fargo ATM
3 A dormitory room
4 B-107, Southern Exposure coffee house
5 The post office in B-140
6 B-155, the galley
4 Mactown: Outdoors
1 Observation hill, above McMurdo station
2 Scott’s Hut, the Terra Nova expedition’s 1913 base
3 The retro yard, with cardboard containers of waste
4 An abandoned Jamesway tent near Hut Point
5 A metal shipping container
6 Inside the cab of a snow plow
5 Mactown: Science
1 Closet in the biology pod in the CSEC research building
2 “The Chalet”, NSF headquarters
3 The Navy electronics shop in B-165
4 Naval Support Force, Antarctica weather office
5 Room 115, earth sciences pod, CSEC research building
6 B-195, atmospheric science building, road to Scott base
6 Ross Island
1 Lower Erebus Hut, Kitchen and recreation building
2 Lower Erebus Hut, Research and storage building
3 Volcanic sensor array on the caldera rim
4 Inside Mt. Erebus, above the lava lake
5 The 35 kilometer ice road to McMurdo Station
6 World’s largest Adelie penguin colony, at Cape Crozier
Objects
1 Untoward
1 A 55 gallon urine barrel
2 A stalker’s notebook
3 A secret shrine
4 The crashed helicopter on the Ross Island ice road
5 A dead seal
6 Candid photos of the Deputy Director
2 Forbidden
1 A hidden hydroponics project
2 A one kilo baggie of marijuana
3 A list of people to murder
4 A tri-wall cardboard container labeled toxic
5 A lost component from the long-abandoned Martin PM-A3 Nuclear Power Plant
6 Five kilos of explosives and a detonator
3 Transportation
1 A balloon-tired Delta vehicle rigged for passengers
2 An LC-130 cargo plane
3 A snowmachine
4 A fire truck
5 A Bell 212 helicopter
6 An ancient pair of cross-country skis
4 Weapon
1 Butcher knife
2 Ice axe
3 Signal flare
4 Fire axe
5 Five liter jug of aviation fuel
6 Baretta 9mm pistol
5 Information
1 The name of the New Zealander at Scott Base with the pain pills
2 A USB drive, a spreadshee, names and dates
3 A used dive computer in a locked toolbox
4 An overheard sat-phone call
5 The results of a keyboard logger
6 Loose talk in the Heavy Shop
6 Sentimental
1 A can of potted meat stolen from Scott’s Hut
2 A dog-eared black and white photo
3 A symbol scratched into the bumper of a Spryte vehicle
4 A child’s doll
5 A Hawaiian shirt
6 A cricket bat
)The Atlantis Isles
It's been six years since the government's collapse and the Atlantis Isles is still a patchwork of cartel fiefdoms, mini-Islamic caliphates, and banana republics propped up by the CIA.
Several of the largest criminal syndicates in the world use the isles as a staging points for just about any illegal commodity you could name. Anything from Chinese AKMs to Afghani opium goes into the Isles, is processed, then is sent out.
Not only that, but the Atlantis Isles is now a target for shady corporations looking to make a quick buck. Dumping nuclear waste, stealing valuable historical artifacts, enslaving the local population: you name it, it's being done right now in the Isles.
In this sort of situation, you get all kinds of people coming to make a quick buck. Mercenaries, arms dealers, terrorists, pirates, fugitives, anyone with no cash and a lot of heat on the mainland. Most of them die or get lost in the jungle; the Atlantis Isles isn't a license to print money.
Of course, you're different: you found a way out of here that'll make you rich to boot. It's a very simple plan that definitely won't result in you pissing off nine different superpowers. It'll work out; you promise.
Beware, though. Don't stay out there too long in the jungle. You may think your salvation, but the truth is that the longer you stay out there, the more insane you're going to get. Of course... you were never that sane to begin with, were you?
If you were sane, you wouldn't be here.
Relationships
1 Family
One: Same clan, distant relatives.
Two: Arranged marriage.
Three: Siblings.
Four: Parent-Child.
Five: Orphan and the parent-killer.
Six: Uncle-niece/Aunt-nephew.
2 Secret
One: Deep cover agents.
Two: Informant/agent.
Three: Spec ops duo.
Four: Smuggler/smuggler hunter.
Five: Secret agents from opposing countries.
Six: Double agent/only one who suspects.
3 Native
One: Village chief/corporate executive.
Two: Old soldiers from the last regime.
Three: Subsistence farmer/racketeer.
Four: Grew up together in a little village.
Five: Enslaved tribesmen/enslaver.
Six: The kid who found the bodies/the one who buried them.
4 Corporate
One: Workers in rivaling companies.
Two: Lacquered executive/cunning workman.
Three: Fighting for a promotion.
Four: Rich kid/body-guard.
Five: Best friends straight out of business school.
Six: Billionaire CEO/man on the ground.
5 International
One: Journalist/guide.
Two: Tourist couple.
Three: Hostage/hostage-taker.
Four: Doctors without borders.
Five: Mercenary/warlord.
Six: Foreign invaders.
6 Cartel
One: Drug dealer/drug cook.
Two: Fugitives handcuffed together.
Three: Pirate captain/eager kid.
Four: Bagman/accountant.
Five: Local boss/cartel leader.
Six: Rival cartel leaders.
Needs
1 To Escape
One: ... The Atlantis Isles.
Two: ... A horrible drug addiction.
Three: ... The shadow of your past.
Four: ... A serious debt.
Five: ... The business.
Six: ... Your own fuck-ups.
2 To Stop Yourself Going Mad
One: ... By medicating yourself enough that it won't matter anymore.
Two: ... By discovering the source.
Three: ... By getting laid.
Four: ... By righting that one thing you did wrong.
Five: ... By finding a true friend.
Six: ... By getting revenge.
3 To Find The Truth
One: ... Of the true nature of the Atlantis Isles.
Two: ... Of what really went down that night.
Three: ... Of what the numbers meant.
Four: ... Of who left you for dead.
Five: ... Of why he's still alive.
Six: ... Of what's on that ship.
4 To Get Respect
One: ... From the pirates.
Two: ... From the law.
Three: ... From your friends.
Four: ... From your warlord.
Five: ... From the natives.
Six: ... From those who thought you couldn't do it.
5 To Get To The Top
One: ... By performing a huge robbery.
Two: ... By kidnapping a big target.
Three: ... By killing the ones who stands in your way.
Four: ... By getting in with the law.
Five: ... By getting the best drug, then being the sole seller.
Six: ... By backstabbing your way to the top.
6 To Find
One: ... Your soul.
Two: ... Your true calling.
Three: ... Your friends.
Four: ... Your home.
Five: ... Your love.
Six: ... Your God.
Locations
1 The City of Sadaok
One: A shady shop in a dark alley.
Two: A street market
Three: A tenement in a bombed out favela.
Four: The last fancy hotel in Sadaok
Five: A penthouse that looks out over the slums.
Six: An oligarch's personal office.
2 Refugee Villages
One: A brothel nicknamed "The Hospital".
Two: A line for bread.
Three: A slave market.
Four: A massive marijuana farm.
Five: A CIA safehouse.
Six: A cartel leader's mansion.
3 War-torn Hells
One: No man's land.
Two: A munitions dump.
Three: A machine gun emplacement.
Four: A stalemate on a bridge.
Five: A bunker besieged.
Six: A nuclear silo.
4 Industrial Mess
One: A nuclear waste dump.
Two: A fishery on the coast.
Three: A failed amusement park.
Four: A natural gas plant.
Five: A lumber mill.
Six: A makeshift airport.
5 The Jungle
One: A clearing in the forest.
Two: The lair of a bloodthirsty predator.
Three: An overgrown mansion.
Four: A radio tower.
Five: An old temple.
Six: The heart of the jungle.
6 The Sea
One: A coral reef.
Two: A beached ship.
Three: A sunk U-boat.
Four: A stretch of dangerous waters.
Five: The entrance to a series of underwater caves.
Six: A direct path from the Atlantis Isles.
Objects
1 Weapons
One: A decorated dagger.
Two: A golden AKM.
Three: A hunting shotgun.
Four: A grenade launcher.
Five: An experimental assault rifle.
Six: A list of nuclear launch codes.
2 Drugs
One: A crate of weed.
Two: Some blue, chemically pure meth.
Three: A bag of cocaine.
Four: The latest designer drug.
Five: A ship filled with opium heading for the Isles.
Six: A warehouse with thousands of crates stocked with heroin.
3 Vehicles
One: A stubborn mule.
Two: A technical.
Three: A modded dune buggy.
Four: A trawler.
Five: A fighter jet.
Six: A battleship.
4 Organizations
One: A pirate crew.
Two: A terrorist cell.
Three: A private army.
Four: A team of UN peacekeepers.
Five: A spec ops team.
Six: A Royal Navy armada.
5 Hostages
One: A tourist way in over his head.
Two: The crew of a Danish cargo ship.
Three: A CIA agent.
Four: An Australian politician.
Five: A famous celebrity.
Six: A world leader.
6 Valuables
One: A flawless fake passport.
Two: A briefcase filled with blood diamonds.
Three: A terribly rare statuette.
Four: A dossier of all the terrible shit the Chinese Navy has been up to.
Five: The last remaining Rosher gem remaining on the planet.
Six: A video showing several world leaders in compromising positions.
End of the Line
A short time go, the world ended. It was probably over something pointless.
You are one of the few survivors. The world is lost. Resources are scant.
No clean water. No trees. No law.
Maybe you can find somewhere better.
Probably not.
Relationships
1 Love
One: Parent and child.
Two: Romantic partners.
Three: Strong friends.
Four: One-way desire.
Five: Poisonous love.
Six: Lovers on opposite sides.
2 Hate
One: Old enemies.
Two: Love-hate.
Three: Vengeance seeker/target.
Four: Bitter rivals.
Five: Friends before the apocalypse, enemies after.
Six: Enemies by circumstance.
3 Pain
One: Linked by tragedy.
Two: Did a terrible thing/directly affected by it.
Three: Lonesome traveler/tragic reminder of his past.
Four: Misfits united against the world.
Five: Prisoner/jailer.
Six: Bereaving someone they both lost.
4 Pleasure
One: Fuck buddies.
Two: Addicted to each other.
Three: Prostitute/pimp.
Four: Best friends.
Five: Trader/customer
Six: Scavengers looking for good loot.
5 Memory
One: On opposite sides during WWIII.
Two: Stuck in the same fallout shelter.
Three:
Four: Mutated by the apocalypse/hardly recognizes them.
Five: Amnesiac/remembers what they did.
Six: The last mailmen still operating.
6 Situational
One: Bandit duo.
Two: Got screwed by the apocalypse/got rich off it.
Three: Nomad/local bigshot.
Four: Well-supplied survivalist/leader of a bandit gang.
Five: Caught in a crossfire together.
Six: Witnesses of a terrible event.
Dangers
Dangers are things that hang over the relationship as possible threats. They might be physical (The place where they are is filled with dangerous wolves, the map they have is too stained with blood to be readable) or metaphorical (He thinks she's setting him up for a fall, she can't tell what he's thinking).
Dangers should color relationships and be a definite worry.
1 Violence
One: Malice
Two: Distrust
Three: Hatred
Four: Vengeance
Five: Robbery
Six: Backstabbing
2 Environmental
One: Radiation
Two: Predators
Three: Instability
Four: Darkness
Five: Drowning
Six: Isolation
3 Body
One: Hunger
Two: Dehydration
Three: Sickness
Four: Heatstroke
Five: Cold
Six: Tiredness
4 Emotional
One: Debt
Two: Lies
Three: Obscured
Four: Useless
Five: Confusion
Six: Awkwardness
5 Metaphysical
One: Despair
Two: Fear
Three: Insanity
Four: Panic
Five: Stupidity
Six: Cowardice
6 Odd
One: Love
Two: Charity
Three: Adoration
Four: Respect
Five: Equality
Six: Wealth
Resources
Resources are a combination of locations and objects. After the apocalypse, you stop caring about locations and objects, as they all blur into one thing: need. These operate the same as locations and objects.
1 Subsistence
One: A moldy sandwich.
Two: A bottle of clean water.
Three: A crate of MREs.
Four: A wine cellar.
Five: A survivalist's stash, filled with food.
Six: A cart full of water.
2 Shelter
One: A tent.
Two: A crumbling office tower.
Three: An oil rig in the desert.
Four: A secret cave.
Five: A bandit camp.
Six: A fallout shelter.
3 Weaponry
One: A bloodstained lead pipe.
Two: A machete.
Three: A sledge hammer.
Four: A revolver.
Five: A rocket launcher.
Six: A cylinder containing a deadly virus.
4 Vehicles
One: A bike.
Two: A horse.
Three: The last of the V8 interceptors.
Four: A speedy railcar named Regina.
Five: A fast motorcycle.
Six: An autogyro.
5 Hope
One: A map.
Two: A raincloud.
Three: A plant in a boot.
Four: The key to a vault.
Five: A seed.
Six: A baby.
6 Mutation
One: A third eye.
Two: An extra pair of arms.
Three: A tail.
Four: Telekinesis.
Five: Clairvoyance.
Six: Oracle.
Needs
1 To Survive...
One: Another day.
Two: With your family.
Three: Until this is all sorted out.
Four: By robbing other people.
Five: By making love.
Six: By creating something that will outlast yourself.
2 To Get Out...
One: And find somewhere better.
Two: Of a crippling drug addiction.
Three: Of your crushing despair.
Four: Of this rut you're in.
Five: Of this fallout shelter.
Six: Of these handcuffs.
3 To Find...
One: Him, and make him pay.
Two: Friendship.
Three: True love.
Four: Somewhere safe.
Five: Enough food and water.
Six: Hope.
4 To Satisfy...
One: Your hunger.
Two: Your lust.
Three: Your love for family.
Four: Your sense of guilt.
Five: Your greed.
Six: Your desire for power.
5 To Get Even...
One: With the people who cast you out.
Two: With your family.
Three: With those who robbed from you.
Four: With those who ruined you before the apocalypse.
Five: With those who caused the apocalypse.
Six: With that bitch on the hill.
6 To Create...
One: A new world.
Two: A child.
Three: Something that won't be forgotten.
Four: A new life for yourself.
Five: The old world but better.
Six: Something beautiful.
World of Darkness
Something's going on.
Your wife looks real pale. You keep seeing things out of the corner of your eye. That leather-bound book you found is whispering secrets to you.
You try to shut it out, close your eyes, but it isn't working. The shadows of this world are drawing closer and closer.
You have to know. Oh God, you have to know what's going on or else you are going to go insane.
Welcome to the World of Darkness. It really doesn't get any better from here on out.
Relationships
1 Family
1 Not related, but might as well be
2 Parent/Child
3 Siblings
4 Cousins
5 Aunt/Uncle and Niece/Nephew
6 Weird/Distant relatives
2 Romance
1 Divorced
2 Married but distant
3 Lovers
4 Friends with benefits
5 One way crush
6 Passionate marriage
3 Supernatural
1 Monster/Thrall
2 Keepers of a terrible secret
3 Investigator of the night/the one trying to hide it all
4 Newly born monster/mentor figure
5 Bond together by a shared experience
6 Prowlers with overlapping territory
4 Bound
1 Drug dealer/addict
2 Self-destructive love
3 Hunter/prey
4 Maddening rivalry
5 Blackmailer/blackmailed
6 One knows the truth, and they aren't telling.
5 Crime
1 Junkies looking for a hit
2 Distributor/manufacturer
3 Petty criminals
4 Killer/unfortunate witness
5 Wannabe thugs
6 Thief/victim
6 Work
1 Co-workers
2 Professional/client
3 Partners in a small business
4 Salesman/customer
5 Rivals in the same job
6 Supervisor/employee
Locations
1 Uptown
1 Penthouse in a skyscraper
2 Elegant and discreet brothel
3 The historic Anne Marie building
4 A shopping mall that eats people sometimes
5 A coffee shop with staff from somewhere else entirely
6 The backroom of a clothing store people go into but don't come out of
2 High Street
1 A famous art gallery
2 A quiet church
3 An open-air market
4 A butcher shop where you can't buy meat
5 A bar with something in the basement
6 A government office with a lot of strange visitors
3 Inner City
1 The oldest tenement in town
2 A townhouse turned crackhouse
3 The "Fill 'Er Up" gas station
4 The place they dump the bodies
5 A deep hole in the wasteland
6 A construction yard filled with nasty things
4 The Burbs
1 A McMansion on a hill
2 A supermarket with a secluded backroom
3 A nice little house with a picket fence
4 A public park with whispering trees
5 A bowling alley where the staff stare
6 A shotgun shack that's freezing cold inside
5 Underground
1 A subway station that's been abandoned since the 60s.
2 A part of the sewers where the smell isn't unbearable.
3 A storm drain where the homeless people stay.
4 The catacombs no-one knows about.
5 A mysterious construction, like a nuclear reactor.
6 A tunnel that loops back in on itself.
6 The City Limits
1 A lonely farmhouse with a big barn.
2 A fenced off field with a big "NO TRESPASSERS" sign.
3 A clearing in a forest.
4 A big stone with intricate carvings.
5 A hill where the grass doesn't grow.
6 A river that turns red on certain nights.
Objects
1 Shallow
1 A deed to a house
2 A moth-eaten coat
3 A loaded pistol
4 A beat-up pick-up
5 A pet cat
6 A laptop computer
2 Valuable
1 A safe with a keycard lock
2 A shoebox full of cash
3 A gold leaf plaque
4 A diamond earring
5 A stolen rifle
6 A stradivarius violin
3 Memory
1 An ill-advised stunt
2 An incident of abuse
3 A missing friend
4 A bad break-up
5 A kinky hook-up
6 A compromising position
4 Ominous
1 A family photo with a shadow over it
2 A newspaper from next year
3 A clown that turns up everywhere
4 A cloud of flies that don't leave
5 A box full of bloodbags
6 A locked door
5 Cursed
1 A leather-bound book
2 A lost episode from a popular cartoon
3 A statue that cries
4 A whispering gem
5 A video of an impossible incident
6 A door that can't be shut
6 Mythical
1 A vampire's blood
2 A trapped spirit
3 A failed ritual
4 A dragon's scale
5 A lost artifact
6 A mystic's eye
Mysteries
Mysteries are questions that affect both characters. Both of them might be asking the question, or one may be asking it and the other may be obscuring it, etc, etc. The main point of a mystery is that if it were answered, both characters would be affected for good or bad.
1 Mundane
1 Is my wife cheating on me?
2 Why does my car keep breaking down?
3 How does he do that?
4 When is the next train?
5 Who is that guy?
6 What did I do last night?
2 Secretive
1 Who killed her?
2 Where does he go at night?
3 What is she hiding from?
4 Why does no-one want to know?
5 Is she really who she says she is?
6 How do I stop this before it begins?
3 Bizarre
1 Why is my furniture bleeding?
2 How did my fiancée explode into rats?
3 What is that thing?
4 When did I last see his face?
5 Are my children planning to kill me?
6 Where does he get all those dogs?
4 Creepy
1 How many has she killed?
2 Where does he go at night?
3 Can she stop herself?
4 Who is that man with all the teeth?
5 Is there a way to keep her alive?
6 What did he do to her?
5 Deep
1 Is there a god?
2 Why do we have to die?
3 How can people do that to another?
4 What is the meaning of life?
5 Where is the Garden of Eden?
6 Can you raise people from the dead?
6 Basic
1 What is going on?
2 Why is this happening?
3 How can I get out of this?
4 When does it end?
5 Can I stop this?
6 Where is it?
Just say you want in. This isn't first come first serve, however. You'll be put on a list, and I'll be randomly choosing 5 players each time. Don't worry, no-one can get in a game twice in a row. Everyone gets a turn!
We'll begin voting on what playset should be used once the list of potential players is a healthy size: let's say 10-15.
Useful LinksTV Tropes page for Fiasco.Example of play on Tabletop. Featuring Will Wheaton!Bully Pulpit's website.Recommended playsets.
Poll
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Author
Topic: Fiasco: The Coen Brothers RPG [Setup Turn: High tyrol] [Always Recruiting!] (Read 5979 times)