#dkgksdk I promise less peanut gallery commentary after this video

[ask-the-reaper-conspiracy]

And thus the turn order is established. Until such time as something occurs to upset it, you’ll make your moves according to said order: Lord van Zieks will move first, Dr Wilson second, Judge Jigoku third, Inspector Gregson fourth, Dr Sithe fifth, and last but not least, Miss Brett sixth. After Miss Brett makes her move, Lord van Zieks will then have the chance to move again. Acting earlier and acting later each have their own advantages. Act first, you’re the first to put your ideas into practice and see what results. Act last, you’ve the chance to see all those results and adjust accordingly before making your move. Your moves can be whatever you want them to be. I’ll describe the environment as you experience it, you’ll choose how to interact with it in order to progress the story, and I’ll narrate how the environment responds to you. Sometimes you’ll need to roll your dice to see how your efforts turn out. I’ll tell you when. Unless I tell you otherwise, roll two of them and use the total. High rolls and low rolls will both produce interesting results. Failing at a task will not stop you dead in your tracks - it will change the direction of your story. You may pursue individual goals during the course of the game if you wish. I encourage you to do what interests you most. With that said, you are a team. The puzzles and challenges ahead are for you to conquer together: if one of you falls, the rest will also suffer. And so it begins. .....

Imagine for me: a chamber some twenty feet square, ten feet high, built of dark stone bricks and worn paving slabs, lit by torches flickering in wrought iron sconces. There you stand, all together. Behind you, a stone archway holds cold, inky blackness - and then, in the blink of an eye, nothing. Only the blank wall where once there was…an entrance? An exit? Neither, now. Ahead of you, set into the wall opposite the archway, stands a set of heavy double doors, made of aged wood and reinforced with iron bands. They are locked and chained shut. You can see the locks clearly in the torchlight. Six of them. The rest of the room is occupied by eight stone plinths. Each one holds one or more objects. From here you can see what they are: a battle-scarred shield, a bandolier of knives, a leather-bound tome, an engraved chalice, a huge studded club, a quiver of arrows, a sheathed sword, and a masterwork violin. The plinths appear to have markings on them, but they’re quite small; the light isn’t good enough to read them at this distance. There is also something engraved into the lintel above the doors. The locks, too, appear to be marked in some way. Again, closer examination is needed. My Lord van Zieks, you have the first turn. What would you like to do?

"Oh now, don't sulk, it's not so bad coming in last!"

"I'm not sulking, my good Doctor." "Only devoting my thoughts to understanding this game."

"Oh! ... Perhaps you will help me, then. It's unlike any I've seen yet."

"..... Yes, perhaps."

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"Can't say I was expecting something like this, but what the heck." "As long as this game of pretend don't drag on too long, eh?"

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"So this is what I'll be doing with my evening..." "Third place isn't too bad, right?" "Continue."

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"Mm. I wonder if Maria would be interested in something like this." "Though it strikes me as being a bit too occult for my taste." "Still, I will play."

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"Ah, I've played pretend many times with Barok when he was a boy, I can do this!" "Let's see now..." "Well, if we're in a strange location, the first thing I'd like to do is make sure I am armed." "So I will take that sword on one of the plinths."

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