100909 Act III Plot
Hi time travelers!
We had another productive meeting last night with Erik, Sean, Trisha, Wei-Hwa, and me. Here are some notes to supplement what Erik just sent out.
ACT III
We pondered the plot line of Act III, which is not yet fleshed out as well as the other two. We really struggled with how to handle the newspaper page/memo-to-his-younger-self in this Act. We agreed that it's fun to have this item be the focus/McGuffin in all three acts, but that leaves pesky details to work out...
Then Sean had the brilliant idea that even though Act III starts *exactly* like Act I, there really is one thing that is different: the players fix the time machine *much* faster. That would allow us to say that in this time stream Doctor When does *not* lose the memo-to-self while bouncing around time (because he doesn't bounce around long enough).
So even though the players know/learn/figure out that they can break the infinite time loop by merely changing the word "right" to "left" in the memo-to-self, they don't get physical possession of the memo (unlike in Act I). [In fact, they may be *expecting* that they'll get physical possession--since they did in Act I--and it will serve as a fun breaking of expectations when they don't.]
This change can serve as the motivation why they themselves have to go back in time: so they can alter the memo after Doctor When slips it into young Wesley's locker. [It also spares us forcing the players to repeat a trip to a location in Act III.]
Based on this, here is my understanding/guess of how certain key plot points/puzzles will play out:
Act I
- With players' help time machine eventually fixed.
- Doctor When sends message to 2011, "Lost vital artifact while bouncing in time. Find it and return it to me at my current time/space coordinates."
- "Find the memo" puzzle makes it clear that Doctor When lost the memo towards the *end* of his bouncing through time.
- Players recover the physical newspaper/memo.
- Players are able to read the memo when they find it (maybe it's not in an enclosure), "Follow my instructions or *this* will happen to you. At precisely 2:17 PM stand two feet to the right of ______. And you'll also win the heart of the perfect girl!" [This ambiguous wording "perfect girl" also sets us up for the realization that Catherine Chronus is the perfect girl, not Buffy.]
- Players send the memo to Doctor When in 1986.
Act III
- Doctor When gets lost in time.
- Players solve JiffyPop puzzle which tells them, "Break infinite time loop by secretly changing 'right' to 'left" in memo. Change nothing else in timeline!" [Or maybe it's a latter puzzle that reveals this information through a second hidden message only unlocked by the key provided by JiffyPop.]
- Players' lightning fast answers fix time machine in record time.
- This time the Doctor's message to 2011 is "Nearly lost vital artifact during time bounces. Thank heaven you fixed it so fast. I'll be back in a Jiffy."
- Players figure out they have to go back in time and do it themselves.
- Players go back to 1986 using time machine. [Need some way for players to get access to the machine. Does Prof. Chronus just let them? Do they do it while she's not looking? Do they fast talk her into leaving the lab?]
- Players open locker (using master combination they decoded in Act II) and change memo.
- Players go to gym to blend into science fair audience and wait to see final sliming--live and in person.
- Time portal opens and players scurry back to 2011.
- After the last player returns, the Doc (and Prof?) return...but they're not as geeky.
WHO GOES BACK?
Since apparently all of us dozed off during our temporal mechanics classes in college, we spent a lot of time hypothesizing about what an observer would see at young Wesley's locker in this time stream. Three main options include:
1 One Doctor When secretly slipping a note in 2 One Doctor When secretly slipping a note in...followed by Prof. Chronus secretly stealing the note 3 One Doctor When secretly slipping a note in, followed by Prof. Chronus stealing the note, followed by another Doctor When placing the note 4 An infinitely-expanding number of Doctor Whens putting notes in followed by an infinitely-expanding series of Prof. Chronuses removing the notes
- 4 would probably be pretty cool, but our Game budget probably won't allow it.
- 1 makes the most sense to my gut. But others leaned toward #2
In any case, once the Whens and Chronuses leave the scene, that's when the players have to take their secret actions.
If we pick #2, then the players may have to first figure out where Prof. Chronus stashes the note she steals, recover the note, alter it, and put it in young Wesley's locker.
TIMING OF THE JIFFY POP--RECEIVING IT
We agreed that the JiffyPop puzzle should be the impetus that leads the players to figuring out how to break the infinite time loop. (Although I'd love as much as possible for the players to have the smug feeling that they figured out how to break the loop themselves--even if we really railroad them into a single solution.)
But if the players figure it out too early in Act III they could break the Game by preventing the Doctor from even going back in time.
TIMING OF THE JIFFY POP--SENDING IT TO THEMSELVES
We also wrestled with the question of when the players should have to send the JiffyPop puzzle to themselves. Originally the idea was that it would be the last event of the Game: they would come back from the past, think they're all done...but then discover that they had to fix this time loop or else all fade away.
But as classic as that kind of "but wait, there's more!" plot twist is, the group sort of leaned toward making the final sliming the climax.
If we go that way, then perhaps the players should send the puzzle to themselves before they themselves go back to the past. (Perhaps the control panel of the time machine reveals that it won't work for them till they resolve the JiffyPop time loop.)
ACT III--LENGTH AND EXERTION
There was general agreement that Act III should be the shortest of the acts.
Still, how long should it be? Right now we probably don't have enough hijinks.
I suggested adding in a puzzle where they have to figure out how to operate the time machine.
Right now the lineup looks something like:
- Intro/lose the Doctor
- JiffyPop puzzle
- Repeat key Act I puzzles
- Puzzle: figure out how to operate time machine
- Puzzle: reassemble JiffyPop puzzle and send it back
- Activity: go back to past and alter memo
- Activity: watch final sliming
- Activity: return to present and final speech by Doctor
Is this enough? Too much?
We discussed the idea of adding a few puzzles in the science fair exhibits. This could be used to entertain the players
There was additional discussion about how much physical exertion we should subject the players to during their sleep-deprived states of Act III. Some felt that a little exertion would wake up the players. Others feared that tired players (rarely in good shape even when they're rested) would be particularly prone to injury.
BUNCHING UP
We discussed that there may be a point in Act I we need to bunch up the teams (who have been solving at very different rates). (I forget why we need this.)
A group activity (like the "everyone must collectively create 200 rings" activity Wei-Hwa suggested) would serve that purpose.
BACK TO THE FUTURE--THE CARD GAME!
We kicked off the meeting with a round of the brand-new Back To The Future card game. Hijinks ensued.
I'm sure I missed/misrepresented some stuff. Please reply, respond, edit on the wiki, etc.
Allen
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NOTES FROM ERIK
So, as we left it last night, the issue of where & how we fit the "make the Jiffy Pop" puzzle in was still TBD.
- General feeling was that it's better to do it _before_ the Buffy-gets-slimed climax. - In that case, though, since our latest direction for the Jiffy Pop has been that it's part of the time machine itself (always there, but not recognized until Act 3), how do you get the players to put stuff on the time machine when they're in 1986 and not in Dr. When's lab (present-day)? - Of course, we could have them make the Jiffy-Pop _before_ they go back in time in Act 3, but that feels suboptimal too. (The best place within the plot, for dramatic purposes, feels like it's after the players change the message & deliver the envelope, but before the final Buffy-gets-slimed resolution.) - Melissa's suggestion to solve all of this: maybe the players make the Jiffy-Pop changes not to the actual time machine, but to a very early prototype that young Wesley has been experimenting with. (Maybe that's his actual science-fair project; maybe it's something separate in the lab next door.) ... and then Wesley basically carries those changes over, through iteration after iteration, to the final time machine that the players see in the lab.
(Anyway, just an idea that I wanted to send out before Melissa & I forgot it.) :)
One other random idea for the "chase" scene (i.e., getting the letter after Chronos has discarded it): she discards into garbage can being carried away by janitor. Players can't follow instantly because Chronos is still there, but when they trail the janitor a minute later, they come to a room with _lots_ of garbage cans. They don't have time to search them all (or they're gross so you don't want to) - so need to solve a puzzle to find out which one to search to find the letter.
(Just a brainstorm, but wanted to send to the group before forgetting.)
