conversations.from: system
conversations.value: *Genre: Thriller. Players: 3-4*
  
  Frank Wilton destroyed your life.
  
  How? Maybe he murdered your child. He burned your business to the ground. Your husband is now locked up in a mental hospital after what Frank put him through. He attempted to murder you and badly burned you in the process.
  
  The fact is, Frank's a very bad man. He's done unspeakably bad things.
  
  And now, you've got caught him. Your little circle of vigilantes have him in a dingy basement, handcuffed to a chair. Letting him go, of course, is out of the question. Now the only question is: Phone the cops? Or pull the trigger?
  
  Most of this game will take place in the basement. And every time, there will be three challenges.
  
  
  **The Gun**. Shoot Frank. Kill him for everything he's done.
  
  **The Phone**. Call the police. Maybe make him confess on the line. But bring them in and get him locked up.
  
  **Investigate further**. This isn't enough. You need to know more. Maybe this means looking through all the files you found. Maybe it means interrogating him. And this opens up new scenes. Flashback to other times and places. Ring up people you need to talk to. Get Frank to open up about his life. Find all the evidence you need to make a choice. After all, he's not going anywhere.
  
  But sooner or later, you will need to make a choice.
  
  The phone, or the gun?
  
  **Mechanics**
  
  There is a single central scene that I will keep returning to: The characters in the basement with the gun and the phone. But that scene always has three challenges: The gun, the phone, and investigate. Whichever one is resolved first wins out, and the person playing the final card resolves the whole story. But before then? You can keep on investigating as many times as you want to help you reach a decision. Investigations may mean looking over papers, it may mean flashbacks, they can be for you guys or for Frank. Any number of options.
  
  I'm also going to request that, while in the basement, players submit no more than one card per move, and do not make multiple moves in a row.
  
  **Character Generation**
  
  I've included a four cards in each slot, but please, please feel free to make new ones. You'll notice that 'natures' is basically "What Frank Did To You", while subplots is "What You Want to Do to Frank". This game will be very tightly focused, so there's not a lot of room for personal subplots.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe we can't decide yet. 
conversations.prefix: We need to know more. (copy):
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Alicia has one chance to safeguard her soul. 
  
  Answer in the story if she took it. 
conversations.prefix: Form a connection, or shut yourself off on your own terms.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Jarrod's going to learn in prison that a man needs a place to stand. (He'll learn that hard.) You can stand with friends, or on your own, but you need to know where you stand. Here's a chance to learn early.
conversations.prefix: Trust the fuckhead?:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: A mobile phone. Pre-GPS, never been used, pre-pay and paid in cash. Untraceable.
conversations.prefix: The phone.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: The pointy end.
conversations.prefix: The Knife.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Admit it in court, and it'll help your case. Admit it to your friends, and they might lend you a couch. Admit it only to yourself, and it might save your pride.
conversations.prefix: Admit you're on the verge of homelessness:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: A glock G22. Purchased illegally, serial number filed off. Clean.
conversations.prefix: The gun.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Temper, temper.
conversations.prefix: Anger issues.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Here is where you've trapped Frank. There's a few work benches around, some power tools, but most importantly a desk, a chair, and handcuffs.
conversations.prefix: A dingy basement.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This is the reason your life is ruined.
conversations.prefix: Frank Wilton:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Frank personally damaged you, either in body, mind, or soul.
conversations.prefix: Former victim:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This ends with his life.
conversations.prefix: The gun.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Frank killed your child, either personally or indirectly. Maybe they were your biological child. Maybe your niece or nephew. Maybe your adoptive child. And now they're gone, thanks to Frank.
conversations.prefix: Grieving Caregiver:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Frank destroyed everything you'd worked for. Family, business, life gone. You may not be physically harmed, but you've nothing left to live for.
conversations.prefix: Survivor:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This ends with the police.
conversations.prefix: The Phone.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Maybe we can't decide yet. 
conversations.prefix: Investigate.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Maybe you worked in the police force. Maybe you "worked for the government". Perhaps you were just a HR flack who did good interviewing. Either way, you've a knack for getting folks to talk.
conversations.prefix: Interrogation Skills:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: They were special to you. Lover, husband, wife. Best friend. Army buddy. Now a painful, torturous hole where once was joy.
  
  To Frank, just another victim. 
conversations.prefix: Only the memory remains.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This isn't about stopping Frank. This is about punishing him. Maybe you want him to die in pain. Maybe you want him locked up in a shitty, godawful hole. But he has to *suffer*.
conversations.prefix: You want vengeance.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Blood makes your stomach turn. 
conversations.prefix: Squeamish.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Are you a nurse? Doctor? Maybe just did a first aid course? No matter. You're handy to have around when people start bleeding.
conversations.prefix: Medical Training:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You remember what feelings were like.
  
  It's very hard to get under your skin these days.
conversations.prefix: Dead inside.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's easy to relate to nice people. But it's harder to relate to the nasty ones, and you're one of the rare ones who can.
conversations.prefix: Empathy.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Your high horse is a little low. You've hurt people in the past, hurt 'em bad.
conversations.prefix: Guilt.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You'd never admit this even to yourself. Of course you want Frank dealt with.
  
  But you don't. Hunting him is your only purpose left, all Frank left you.
  
  Part of you wants to let him go.
conversations.prefix: You want the hunt.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Every principle has its price.
conversations.prefix: Greedy.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Frank needs to be stopped, but he needs to be held accountable more. Does that mean prison? Death? Must he feel remorse, the weight of what he's done? That's up to you.
conversations.prefix: You want justice.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Fuck Frank. This isn't about him. This is about the endless nightmares, the panic attacks the the jumping at shadows. Frank needs to be dealt with so you can deal with your life again.
conversations.prefix: You want closure.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: This guy is your chance to find out what makes Frank tick.
conversations.prefix: Richard Skemp:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This ends with Frank's worst fears.
conversations.prefix: The knife.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Quiet, empathetic, intelligent, caring, passionately vengeful.
conversations.prefix: Helena Shelby:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Upstairs in the old Masonic center, filled with many hoping for healing and a few finding it.
conversations.prefix: Group therapy.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's hard to truly stand by those who would admit, by your association, to criminal intent.
conversations.prefix: Trust.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Earlier.
conversations.prefix: Somewhere.:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Something about Frank seems off tonight. His usual cocky sonovabitch is now shaky asshole. Is he gonna blow the job?
conversations.prefix: Calm Frank.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Does a good trade on Saturday nights.
  
  Most other nights too.
conversations.prefix: Outside the Liquor Store on 5th:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: It's on you, dumb shit.
conversations.prefix: The kid's gonna die.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: "In criminal law cases, you see bad people at their best. In family law cases, you see good people at their worst."
conversations.prefix: The Courthouse:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've lost everything.
  
  If you're not careful you'll lose even more.
conversations.prefix: Keep it together.:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ben's former wife.
conversations.prefix: Emily Reynolds:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Frank *let* you take the fall for a liquor store shooting. Planning your revenge was your escape from life as a prison bitch. 
conversations.prefix: Fall guy:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: With the right tools, you can fix just about anything.
conversations.prefix: Handyman:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Poor poor Jarrod, the world is always against you guy. 
conversations.prefix: Victim:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You loved Frank once, like a brother. You think he even loved you. 
  
  But prison fucks you up. And Frank needs to know the pain you felt, still feel every day of your life.
conversations.prefix: You want him to understand:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You gave Frank everything you had because he told you it was a sure thing. You're not one for violence, but if can help you get back some of what you lost...
conversations.prefix: Financially Ruined:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: As long as you feel anger, you feel *something*... and that means there is a way back.
conversations.prefix: Anger is an Emotion:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: Ben always figured he'd use the first aid training he learned at camp. He just never thought it would be for this.
conversations.prefix: First-Aid Certified:
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: You've been through a lot of abuse, and most of it was at the hands of Frank. Whatever tough front you put on, it's not like that just goes away.
conversations.prefix: Damaged Goods:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: You like to think of yourself as well read, but that reading mostly consists of headlines on low-grade news sites and novelizations of your favorite movies.
conversations.prefix: Enough to be Dangerous:
conversations.from: human
conversations.prefix: Wild:
conversations.from: gpt
conversations.value: This is the end of the line. Frank has met the only justice that Alicia will accept for him.
conversations.prefix: It ends here: