The Grand Battle II! [Happy End!]

Originally posted on MSPA by cyber95.

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The Observer sat down on a chair in front of a monitor, grumbling about how he should have given that short guy a cool weapon like that other guy did for his entrant. Maybe then he would have won. No matter. The monitor turned on, and replayed all the action that had occured in the Escherscape. The Observer quickly caught up, just in time to see another one of the contestants get eliminated.
"Fantastic! Maybe now this can start catching up with the other battles."
He pushed a button that wasn't previously there, and everything when instantly black on the battlefield.

None of the contestants could see a thing, and even the contestants lacking in a proper sense of sight found themselves with momentarily clouded senses.
Voices could be heard from somewhere.
"How long before we start?"
"One minute."
"One minute- doesn't give us a lot of time. Alright! Places everyone! Get these sets ready! Get some props up here. Tell the makeup artist to be ready! We're gonna give 'em a hell of a show."
The voice paused momentarily.
"Right, you five! No time for rehearsal! Just... improvise or something! Entertain them! If you need anything, ask me for it, and I'll see what I can do."
"Ten seconds. Nine. Eight."
The more familiar voice started counting down, and a sense of anticipation somewhat filled the contestants.
"Three... Two... One... Showtime."
The curtain opened, and all was clear. An audience of thousands watched the stage, waiting for the performance to begin.

Show Content

SpoilerHas your character always wanted to be a great theatrical star? No? Well, now's their chance, whether they like it or not.

So you're on a stage. It's a sizable stage, so you've got at least some elbow room. There's also a backstage, but skirmishes are best to happen up front. Why? The audience is going to be deciding your fate.
Now, the audience isn't actually there, per se. They're all illusions. Illusions with power. If they like you, you grow more powerful. Stronger, more nimbler, what have you. Playing to the audience and such, showing them what they want to see, and being entertaining will keep you alive. However, if the audience doesn't like you, the opposite will happen, and you'll become less powerful.

Of course, just a simple stage doesn't make much of a battlefield, and that's where our friendly NPC comes in. He's called the Stage Director. I imagine he looks like sort of a mock Director. Wears a suit. Maybe smokes constantly, leaving his head obscured by the smoke. He's got some sort of thing going that makes it impossible for him to die. Be creative there if it comes up. You just ask the Stage Director, and he can set you up with some props, or change the set. What he gives you is usually make of cardboard, cheap plastic, or cheap wood. Yet is fully functional. Is the current set made to look like a futuristic city on top of a moving hovercar, with you and the designated villain going at it with laser rifles? Try not to fall off. It's a long drop through that floor that seemed pretty solid during the last scene. And yes, those cardboard cutout laser rifles fire lasers. There's also a makeup artist in a room backstage who does good work.

What is backstage, anyway? From a gameplay point of view, it's just there so that you can still get some interaction/roleplaying in when you aren't on stage. What this means is I have no idea what's really backstage. It's not the main attraction, so just do whatever works.

Also, yes, you can go into the rest of the auditorium. Trying to physically interact with the audience is a fruitless endeavor. There are two exits at very back of the room behind all the seats, but they stubbornly refuse to open. I sort of have an idea as to what's beyond there, so that'll have to remain a mystery until the next round.

I think that's good. Enjoy!

OH YEAH! The starting set is a lovely painted field backdrop, not a could in the painted sky, with nice green astroturf on the ground. There are a few medieval suits or armor laying around, and some various medieval weaponry. These props are about the only high quality props you're going to see this round. And of course, the armor perfectly fits our human characters.