Players: Regina Joiner, Dennis Jordan, Ezra Denney, Sean Nittner
System: Fiasco
Playset: Regina’s Wedding
I had wanted to play Regina’s wedding since the first time I saw it in the Fiasco Companion forever ago. I mean, weddings, c’mon, that is like the astronaut food of Fiascos! (Make of that what you will). So, when I found out that Regina Joiner was going to play, I immediately insisted that we play Regina’s wedding, which Ezra then insisted was pronounced the Canadian “ruh-JY-nuh” rather than “ruh-JEE-nuh”. So there we had it Ruh-JY-nuh’s Wedding!
Play started with Ezra, so I’ll move clockwise around the table from him to describe the relationships and needs.
The Setup
- Ezra – Elaine Ruthoford – Terrorist mother of the groom determined to keep wealth in the Rutheford family.
- Need: To get even with their tormentor Brad (the Best Man)
- Relationship: The Help – Make up Artist and Member of the Bridal Party (by way of assassinating the rest of Regina’s family and worming her way in).
- Sean – Francis Rutheford – Gay stylist father of the groom who blew the Rutheford fortune on drugs and sexual escapades.
- Need: To get the girl hitched. So the will’s legal conditions can be fulfilled.
- Relationship: Father of the Groom and someone who has dirt on him (the groom in this case, that knows all the money is gone)
- Dennis – Chet Rutheford – “Beer me” Frat boy going along with the plan to marry Regina for her money, a plan put together by his “bro” Brad.
- Moment: Rehearsal dinner “they may take a few liberties, but they were cheap”
- Relationship: The Inner Circle – Groom and his worst enemy (in this case Brad, the best man)
- Regina – Brad- Best man blackmailing Francis for drugs, sleeping with Elaine and with eyes for Regina. Beer me indeed!
- Moment: Ceremony “I will speak now and I will not hold my peace!”
- Relationship: Love is in the air “We loathe each other, why do we want to jump each others’ bones?” – Because in a pretty horrific reverse Ms. Robinson Brad was blackmailing Elaine into sleeping with him.
- Ezra – Elaine Ruthoford – Terrorist mother of the groom determined to keep wealth in the Rutheford family.
The story practically told it self. I mean: sex, blackmail, drugs, cabana boys, frat brothers, and ditsy rich girls are pretty much like cookie batter. Just mix it up, put it in the oven and deliciousness comes out.
We opted to make sure the rehearsal was in the first act and the ceremony was in the second. We also needed to establish why Francis and Elaine were tormented by Brad (blackmail) and what dirt Chet had on his father (knowing he had blown all the money). We each called for a few scenes that just “needed” to happen and the rest fell into the cracks.
The Tilt
- Mayhem – A Frantic chase
- Innocence – Collateral Damage
Innocence was actually a hard one. I mean nobody, not even the unfortunate bride Regina, was all that innocent. However, the “Frantic chase” suddenly introduced many potential targets: Bethany (Regina’s best friend), James (Bethany’s father, a lawyer trying to stop the Rutherfords from conning Regina out of her inheritance), and Pedro (Francis’s lover and drug dealer).
The chase was something right out of the Keystone Cops. The only part of the game that got really goofy, but oddly, it fit, and fed right into the cops arriving, a shootout with Elain and the wedding bus blowing up with many of us in it.
The Aftermath
You know, predictably things ended in horror. We could have used the soft aftermath but everyone wanted flamethrowers, so we played it hard. Brad did well, married to Regina, but with a baby who looked much like Chet (and vice versa). Elaine and Francis not so much. Francis was in a body cast watching his lover on Dancing with the Stars. Elaine in a federal penitentiary. I’m pretty sure being someone’s bitch.
Thoughts on the game.
Ezra is over the top awesome. I mean he, just put me to shame. Like I could not possibly be 1/10th the Francis that he was the Elaine. I think my best line was turning on the blender whenever Elaine would start to Francis. Fun times but nothing like the way Elaine would berate everyone and anyone that got in her path.
I dig the way the playset varied from the default, replacing locations with moments. They totally make sense. The reception, the ceremony, the rehearsal…all perfect opportunities for disaster! Very smart.
As my final game at DundraCon, this was a great game to end the con. Good people, fantastic game.
