Fiasco is a role-playing game about characters with grand ambition and poor impulse control. The game emphasizes improvisation and collaborative story-telling over dice rolling, and encourages characters to fail forward, rather than strive for success.
The game is played over five stages:
The Setup, in which the dice are rolled to generate a network of relationships and the details (objects, needs, and locations) which inform the story. The players then synthesize these elements into a house of cards ready to topple.
Act I, in which the players take turns establishing and resolving scenes featuring their characters, the relationships, and the relevant details. Plots are schemed, rifles are set atop mantles, and keys are left in the ignition.
The Tilt, in which two players choose additional elements which can be introduced in order to destabilize the story, twist an established aspect of the story, and further complicate things.
Act II, in which the players again act out their scenes. Plots unwind, guns go off, and the story tilts in unexpected ways.
The Aftermath, in which players montage their final character moments. People die, buildings explode, and the Fiasco unravels.
The playset used for this session was Fiasco High, set in a small-town high school. Whether it creates a story closer to the Breakfast Club or Heathers is to be determined. Here's what happened:
DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Carl Buchanon - A young, burned-out pre-calc teacher at the high school, Mr. Buchanon let the weight of the world stoop his shoulders. A second job at the Chicken Hut doesn't help his attitude, and the small town in which he lives drives him to seek opportunity elsewhere.
Jamie Flagowitz - Two-faced academic over-achiever, Jamie harbors a lot of rage against Mr. Buchanon for failing her in pre-calc the year before. A senior, she's ready to leave high school behind and embark on her career path towards Speaker of the House.
Stephani "Angel" Flagowitz - Jamie's cousin, Angel is a tough kid and the minion of the meanest student at Fiasco High. As the sole purveyor of marijuana and other illicit substances, Angel considers high school her last required contribution to society outside her side-hustles.
Markov Nikoly - Russian transplant and tough kid, Markov is a weirdo who hangs out at his father's bar when he's not causing trouble at school. Rumor is that his family has mob connections, though he certainly won't be the one to confirm or deny whether it's true.
Joseph "Joe" Reskov - Markov's cousin, Joe isn't quite sure what he wants after high school. America certainly isn't something in which he's particularly interested in...unless his cousin decides he is. Something of a theatre kid, he tags along with the rest due to his cousin's presence.
Beatrice Markle - The weird girl who likes horses and math. Beatrice works with Mr. Buchanon at the Chicken Hut, and she looks up to him as a mentor, of a sort. A theatre kid, she's got something of a crush on Markov for his handsome looks and quiet demeanor.
ACT I
Scene I - Fiasco High's having an anti-drug pep rally. Jamie's giving a speech on the danger of marijuana. Markov and Joe are smoking under the bleachers. Mr. Buchanon's standing by, looking bored. Beatrice is zoning out in the stands. The whole thing comes to a halt when Markov pulls the fire alarm and the entire assembly gets soaked.
Scene II - III - Angel and Jamie commiserate outside over how much they dislike high school, particularly Mr. Buchanon, who failed Jamie and ruined her 4.0. Angel manages to convince her cousin to make a blood pact to murder the man, as it's almost the end of the year and graduation would be boring otherwise. Markov comes around the corner and offers to help the two girls kill the American. He drops hints that his family has connections. The three hatch a scheme and go their separate ways.
Scene IV - Markov and Joe are in the basement of the Flugelhorn Bar, an under-age establishment owned by Markov's family. The two discuss their own plan to plant a prop theatre gun in the principal's office, just to fuck with him.
Scene V - Beatrice meets up with Joe to discuss how they took the prop gun from the theatre department. Beatrice isn't enthusiastic about letting Joe have it, but winds up agreeing to the plan after Joe offers to help set her up with Markov.
Scene VI - Mr. Buchanon and Beatrice are smoking weed outside the Chicken Hut before closing the place down. The two share their reservations regarding high school, and Mr. Buchanon tells her it does get better, but she'll have to work at it. She admits she's got a prop gun and was sending Snapchats and taking pictures with it, and Mr. Buchanon warns her people might take it the wrong way.
Scene VII - Back at the Flugelhorn, Jamie is trying to help Beatrice hook up with Markov, but he's more interested in playing Dungeons & Dragons. Eventually Jamie talks with Markov about how to kill Mr. Buchanon, and the two agree to use Joe as the patsy.
Scene VIII - Angel and Jamie further discuss their plans: have Joe shoot Mr. Buchanon, plant the gun in Beatrice's locker, and take a lot of acid in public to ensure they have an alibi. It takes a little bit of convincing, but eventually Jamie agrees.
Scene IX - Markov and Joe chat in the D&D basement. Joe's not sure he's up to murder a teacher, but Markov manages to strong-arm him into agreeing to do so. Unfortunately, he's lost the prop gun...
Scene X - Joe calls Beatrice to tell her he lost the prop gun. Beatrice berates him, but says she'll talk to Mr. Buchanon to see whether he can soften the blow when the theatre teacher finds out.
Scene XI - Beatrice does just that. Mr. Buchanon is exasperated, as a lost prop gun is a big deal. However, he does agree he'll help them out as he thinks they're weird, but ultimately good kids.
Scene XII - Mr. Buchanon goes back to his bachelor apartment. He cashed his check and puts some of it in an envelop labeled "Indianapolis." There's a commotion outside, and when he goes to check it appears someone (Joe) has messed with his exhaust. Mr. Buchanon has to dip into his Indianapolis fund to fix it, setting his plans back several months.
THE TILT
Mayhem - Magnificent Self-Destruction
Guilt - A Showdown
ACT II
Scene I - II- It turns out Angel had the gun, so she and Jamie break into the school that night to plant the gun in Markov's locker, just to mess with him. They end up running into Beatrice, who tries to stop them from carrying out their plan. Being the mean girls they are, they shove her into a locker and knock her out before leaving.
Scene III - Markov tells Joe he has a single chance remaining to kill Buchanon. He's given him several chances and each time he's failed. They may be cousins, but failure isn't something the Nikolys tolerate.
Scene IV - Joe goes to Buchanon's apartment and puts a potato in the car's tailpipe. Buchanon, already suspicious that someone's fucking with him, catches him in the act and chases him off.
Scene V - Beatrice runs into Buchanon buying groceries at the local 7/11 while Jamie and Angel are smoking outside. They have a talk about school and how everyone is weird. Buchanon and Angel face off...he tries to get through to her, but she's not having any of it.
Scene VI - Buchanon is called to a meeting at the school, where it's revealed there are rumors of students trying to kill him. After some arguments between the teachers, the principal reveals they're just going to fire him after the semester, in order to keep the house clean. Buchanon leaves in a huff, after realizing he's probably going to have to go full-time at the Chicken Hut.
Scene VII - VIII- Jamie and Angel talk about how disappointed they are that Buchanon isn't dead yet. Ideas of a car bomb are tossed around, but ultimately discarded.
Scene IX - Markov goes to his locker and is met by Beatrice. She tries to stop him from opening his locker, but he does so anyway and the gun falls onto the floor. Jamie and Angel are right there and make a scene, and Markov gets dragged off by school security.
Scene X - Joe goes to the Chicken Hut where Mr. Buchanon's working. He orders a lot of food, and while Mr. Buchanon is distracted he whacks him in the head with the gun and knocks him out. Panicking, he drags the man to the freezer and locks him in...then slips on the mop water and knocks himself out cold.
Scene XI - Beatrice comes in to open the Chicken Hut and discovers Joe passed out on the floor. She helps him leave, then discovers Mr. Buchanon's body in the freezer.
Scene XII - There's an investigation into the death of Mr. Buchanon. Due to the mop bucket, the water on the floor, and the state of the freezer, his death is ruled an accident. There's a small funeral and service, but he doesn't have any family.
THE AFTERMATH
This is Carl Buchanon, dead. The investigation concluded, it's determined his death was a tragic accident. A small service is attended by some teachers out of a sense of professional courtesy, but ultimately it's an unremarkable end to an unremarkable story.
This is Jamie Flagowitz. The drama surrounding the events has ruined her chances at attending a prestigious university. She instead attends a community college and achieves little of any notoriety over the course of her life.
This is Angel Flagowitz. After graduating, she spends much of her life planting false notes for Jamie which convince her she'll be implicated in Buchanon's death. Otherwise, she enjoys running her various side hustles, spends most of her time inebriated, and lives her best life regardless.
This is Markov Nikoly. After the incident with the gun, the administration and courts throw the book at him. He spends his life in prison, with the occasional visit from Joe to remind him of how badly he messed up.
This is Joe Reskov. With the successful murder under his belt, he is taken back to Russia and trained in the art of assassination by the Family. He'll occasionally visit Markov in prison, bringing him Xanax hidden in his birthday cake.
This is Beatrice Markle. After the death of her mentor, she drops out of high school two weeks before graduation and becomes a manager at the Chicken Hut. Most of her life is spent in the town, after seeing where ambition and dreams lead.
Facilitator Thoughts
Fiasco tends to slow pretty dramatically when a sixth player is added, due to the weight of the additional relationship, but the familiarity of the High School setting helped move things along. Buchanon's, Markov's, and Joe's players were experienced with Fiasco, Jamie and Angel's players had previously completed about 75% of a game at a party, and Beatrice's player was a first-timer, though she'd practiced improv in the past.
The group composition led to some strange structural things Fiasco isn't quite built to handle, which is why some of the scenes blended together. In the future it might not be a bad idea to emphasize a little more structure, otherwise the game turns into a straight improv session. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but Fiasco's structure is kind of important in maintaining the tone and pacing.
Additionally, I feel I should apologize an iota for this write-up. There were a number of substances consumed at this session and I felt like taking my usual detailed notes would slow down gameplay to the point where it became a detriment. Some of this recap is pulled from memory, and it feels a little muddled. Still, I hope this serves as an appropriate example of what a game of Fiasco entails.
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