The following is directly cut from my consolidated GM notes. See how a live GM writes up a Convention Scenario! I follow the general guidelines of script writing. Convention games are pretty linear anyway therefore scripts are helpful.
First, a quote paraphrased from Insane Clown Posse's Grand Mullen CD.
Be warned, my children seven will visit followed by the crumbling of time itself. Before the doom of this world, a dark Carnival will sweep across the land, as a shadow, plagued with destruction. A parade of freaks, demons, and death. Seven faces lead this wretched nightmare. Seven have come; seven now wait for their master. It walks among us as a shadow, void of light, powered by our own darkness, strengthened by our own wickedness. A horrid reflection of our very own deep desires cast and reflected back upon us. It will soon be released from the prison of its own legend and become a myth made flesh. With its release, all faith will die.
The player characters are sitting on a converted bus. The one time Greyhound bus has been converted to a tour bus catering to affluent tourists and business groups. Player Character introductions and mission statement from their patron, Henri Matisse. Traffic passes by.
Three paradox spirits and one other person are watching the entrance.
A fourth figure seems to be a paradox spirit, but is actually a Marauder who goes by the code name of “V” but whose real name is Steve Veatch. Steve is fourteen years old. Steve’s Quiet is one of an outsider who is a conspiracy freak. He even creates his own mob hunting him in stressful situations. He generates distrust and hatred around him, but this reaction is directed back at him – he always gets the worst behavior from crowds of ordinary people. Modeled on Dib from the Invader Zim cartoon. Used as comic relief and as a foil if needed.
The entire park is bounded by raised mounds an rivers - geomancy has been used to focus and enhance the ambient quintessence here. The actual ticket and gateway descends into the ground, hearkening some sort of mythical journey. If they continue to the main thoroughfare, they will enter The Midway - See Act II, Scene A. The Magi will probably be seeking the other Tradition Magi that reside at the circus. Henri told them about one Tradition Magi billing himself as The Great Milenko. They can reach him in the back lot on the East side of the park.
Dirty white trailer flecked with rust. Dirty windows. There is a smell of leather and beeswax. Only candles light the inside. He knows what is going on but is secretly in thrall to Faustus but will try to help our Heroes. He was once the apprentice of Faustus and is bound by oaths not to act against him.
There are seven demons sent by Faustus into the material world. They are his agents in the world and will be the players in the upcoming play that will retell the story of Doctor Faust and amplify the new myth to release him.
Read
Yellow tents line the midway like heaps of gold in a dragon’s horde. Stuffed animals and Halloween masks gaze down at the full crowd from their perches on the prize shelves. Hucksters and Talkers thrill the crowd, each promising a prize for the most skilled, the most nimble, the most careful, or the most jaded. One tent rings with the tokens bouncing off smooth plates. Another tent reeks with the ammonia of disappointment and rat mazes. A third tent offers virtual reality games – this is a modern carnival after all. One very large building shouts in huge neon letters “Labyrinth of Doom Laser Tag!”
A family of three passes by you, their little girl holding a four-foot tall panda with hands clutching its fur tightly. Two older boys, almost teens, rush past you to the arcade – the staccato lights on the video games matching their flashing Nike sneakers.
There is a strange drawn out moment of stillness, where the crowd seems to slow down and the noise becomes muted. A break in the slow moving crowd opens like a gully strait towards a tent at the end of the midway, where the crowd parts right and left. You see the purveyor of this tent looking at you from a football field away. He is taking money from a circus performer but watching you with glass eyes like a china doll. Emphasis on the creepy.
The moment is gone, the crowds press in and the yells of excited children drown out thought. Was that a dream? There is a lone tent, taller than all the others, at the end of the midway.
Notes
A man with a handful of prizes continues to compete for more prizes even though he cannot carry what he has now.
A young boy is looking for parents - they are too into a game to notice him.
The color Yellow predominates. Many of the poles are painted with gold paint as well.
Read
The yellow tent at the end of the midway has no games, not rides, no blinking lights. It only has a sign, in gilt letters three foot tall, saying “Montague Chuzzlewit, Broker of Anything.” Mr. Chuzzlewit appears gaunt and fevered. He movements are kinetic, almost wind-blown. His eyes are bright blue and alive, seeking and looking at the action on the midway. There is smell of peaches in the air near his tent. As you approach, you notice that he is older than you thought. Mr. Chuzzlewit is a man of declining years but youthful movements.
Notes
Use the voice and manner of the Devil from Sting's album, Ten Summoners Tales.
Montague Chuzzlewit, the demon of Avarice, rules here. He wants to make a deal. Any deal. For anything. He can even bargain for intangibles such as wit, life, or Arete. He is defeated by generosity. For example, a magi may notice that the cigarette dangling from Montague's mouth is unlit If they try and light it he will try to buy the lighter but not let them light it. If they light his cigarette and let him have the lighter then he has no power of that Magi.
Dialogue
“ Ah! Special customers. Very special customers. We don’t get your kind here much. You are seeking something yeah? Montague just-call-me-Monty Chuzzlewit can find it. Monty can get anything. What are your wants?”
You enter the small courtyard by turning left from the midway. Here the tents are smaller and low, made of thick green canvas draped with velvets in muted colors. The din of the midway is behind you. A fountain stands in the middle of the courtyard; it’s cool spray robbing the air of heat. Here, the families and young children have given way to lone individuals and the occasional couple. The small courtyard has potted trees that hang with small caged birds. None of the birds chirps or sings.
A girl is caught by security, she destroys the cheap jewelry she stole.
A young man complains to his new wife about how his brother's wedding was more lavish.
Emphasize the silent dogs that lurk here and the color green.
Read
You enter the low tent to enter the darkness within. As your eyes adjust to the dimness, you see all the classic props of the fortuneteller – candles, crystal ball, and Wal-Mart tarot cards. The perceptive notice the twin dagger, the cauldron, and the symbols of magick – true magick – that adorn the tent partitions. The Fortuneteller looks at you with hard green eyes as she speaks.
Notes
Born Julie Knauer, she is only called Madam Archon, and she is the demon of Envy. Her power is truly nasty and spiteful. She can ruin ANYTHING - take attributes to zero, even Arete. Use stereotypical Hollywood Gypsy voice, but lapse it occasionally. Switch to a Brooklyn accent when she gets angry. She will also try to get them to go to the House of Mirrors were Faustus waits.
Dialogue
“ I know what you are. You are Magi. Will workers. Your desires warp and weave the tapestry that I can only look at. I have seen and felt the power you possess. How may I assist you?”
Beer garden with any drink of Barley, but no wheat beers. Food vendors. A hot dog eating contest. A sword swallower. Loud, smelly, and sweaty. Orange color predominates.
Music: Basil Poledouris "Anvil of Crom" from the Conan soundtrack.
In circus terms a geek is a performer a performer who engaged in bizarre acts, such as biting the head off a live chicken. The Geek in this tent, Morris Johnson, is billed as Monstro the Devourer. Monstro the Frog Man would be more likely. His wide lips, his wet skin, and projecting eyes are matched by his bright orange tights. Make the players shudder with clashing colors and bad taste - see if they pick up the pun.
Defeating the geek requires the geek to eat himself.
A dimly lit stage. The smell of sweat and anticipation. The hushed voices. Blue velvet drapes. Babylonian designs (lapis lazuli, gynosphixes, lotus pillars). See if players figure out the Whore of Babylon archetype. Blue color predominates along with a Capricorn (sea-goat) design. Ellie Gottfried has long since renamed herself Madam Lovejoy and become the Demon of Lust. Lust is not just sex, but any carnal pleasure - sleeping, eating find foods, silk sheets, and most art. She is the demon of the sensations.
A girl with a ripped dress runs from between the tents. She is crying, but also smiling.
Music: Rammstein "Hallelujah", Method Man "Release yo delf"
Immense Violet tent. Many horses of every color except white. High wire acts. Standing ovations for every act. The packed crowd filled – even with paper cutout people. The big top seems even bigger since it is on a slight hill. Always emphasize size, luxury, height, and the color Violet.
The performers never sign autographs. Many of the acts have noble horses in them. Poseurs in the stands gush over the great artistry of the proceedings. Many in the audience are animated paper cut-outs, but only the Awakened see it.
The Announcer, who is NEVER called a Ring Master, is the demon of Pride and rules here.
Music: Philip Glass "Knee 2"
Light blue (actually indigo) tents. Use Freak show entries from Call of Cthulhu module - that will show 'em (insert evil laugh). Tell of the slow moving crowd, the stink of people, the hard eyes.
The Fat Women at the Freak show (Sloth) rules here. She will tell the magi that they need to confront the Evil here - Doctor Faustus. She will not mention any of the other demons. The trap here is that since they will encounter her early, they will not defeat the other demons first and face a very powerful Nephandi on his home turf. Sloth doesn't care but has a lazy malice to her. If they just keep active and diligent they can defeat her.
Music: Mudvayne "Dig", from the Matrix Soundtrack.
A wooden arena, painted vivid red. The smell of iron and sawdust. Men with wreaths of laurel in their hair. Wreaths adorn the walls. Kabobs feature lamb. Dragon and Bear motif emphasizing the color Red.
Two middle aged men fight while their horrified families look on.
In the main arena, the magi are challenged to a fight. Wraith is defeated by fighting him to a standstill and showing mercy. Trying to just be peaceful will only make him stronger - Wraith likes victims.
Music: Kevin Manthea's "Drum and Thang", Wes Borland's "Blood Red Head"
The Magi will have by now encountered some of the Demons. Woe to players that go here without banishing the demons first.
The gateway to the Prison Realm of Doctor Faustus is is here. Mirrors reflect much. People wander in many guises, all in a daze, seeking something. Some are chanting "Mirrors are more fun than television" and "Mirrors never lie" and such.
Filled with Old stuff, like the attic of your grandmother who has lived five hundred years. Treasures piled casually atop each other. All cursed. The Doctor is in the middle, alone, tearing pages out of a book and scattering the sheets to the floor.
The Paradox Spirits & Steve are hunting for the vulgar magic and mythic creatures lurking at the Circus, but the consensus of the Circus is blocking them. Magi that botch will attract their attention immediately. Any magi with six of more paradox points (using the old system) will be tracked. Steve will show up occasionally and try to get the crowd to realize that the players are actually Aliens, or possessed by Spirits, or generally something supernatural or such. Every time they use magic he will show up, but not always announce himself. Unconsciously he is trying to defeat the Nephandi but his personal Quiet doesn't mesh well with the Faust myth.
Clever Magi turning Steve against the technocracy should be rewarded. Steve's Quiet works very well against them.
Zim#10 for chase
Zim#16 for ominous construction
Zim#19 for combat
Zim#22 for fortune teller
Zim#23 for Dib
Zim#24 for more chase music
Zim#24 for fight with wraith
Zim#34 Faust Theme
Zim#36 Meats of Evil - Corndogs
Zim#48 Technomancer Hunt
Zim#53 Carnival Theme
In case of clueless, cowardly, or foot-dragging Magi, I offer some helpful spirits. These spirits were once mortals that transcended into Spirit Archetypes of the Circus
A Headline in Paper:
" How to get your guardian angel to destroy your enemies. You can bring
financial ruin, health problems, and even death to people you don't like says
expert."
Here is a list of some of the rides and attractions of the circus.
All in all, it was a spectacular success but I can't take all the credit - a game is only as good as the players after all. Many of the players played in my two previous scenarios.