The Complex: Preparing Episode 2

Since Episode 2 was only going to have two players, and because I'd prepped too much content for our first session, I cut back pretty dramatically on the amount of prep this time around. Even so, the players grabbed the plot and ran with it, and we still went overtime by an hour! It seems I'll have to learn to watch the clock more closely.

I started by listing out the Relationships and Values between the two participating Leads: Aki and Takeshi. Notes on potential conflicts are in italics.

RELATIONSHIPS

TAKESHI: AKI is a pretty girl, the granddaughter I never had.
AKI might become closer to an estranged relative... She might even be getting into something dangerous.

AKI: TAKESHI has a good voice, he must be a good man.
This will be Challenged as soon as they have a Contest! No idea what it will become at end of episode, but there’s the opportunity for multiple Challenges.


VALUES

DUTY
AKI Everyone has a DUTY to be useful to their family and friends d12
TAKESHI My only Duty is to myself d4

GLORY
AKI Keep to the shadows, GLORY brings trouble d4
TAKESHI I am too old to be a GLORY hound d6

JUSTICE
AKI Grant JUSTICE where it’s needed d8
TAKESHI JUSTICE by any means d10

LOVE
AKI There is no time for LOVE in my life d4
TAKESHI Some people are worthy of LOVE, but not me d6

POWER
AKI My POWER comes from others d6 - What about when she’s being self-powered?
TAKESHI Money is useful but it doesn’t buy happiness d6

TRUTH
AKI I must find my own TRUTH d8
TAKESHI The TRUTH is dangerous d10


PLOT IDEAS & REVELATIONS

• BRETT LEEDING has been investigating ODYSSEY, which brings him to the apartment and TAKESHI. He reveals that ODYSSEY is manoeuvring to buy the building.
• AKI is introduced to ODYSSEY representative BLAKE THOMPSON by AOMO, who has done a little field work for them at THE COMPLEX already by stealing the whalebone statue from the roof garden.
• The owner decides to go for a sale by auction.
• RASHIDA's Magnetism could interfere with phone bids. Have an early scene where she interferes with a Lead's reception (probably AKI - actually ended up being TAKESHI).

So I went into it with not much more than that. I had two or three definite scenes at the start where the basic premise was established (Odyssey and Takeshi both want to buy the building, Aki's recruited by Odyssey, the building is to be sold by auction). 

A few other Revelations could be scattered in wherever they seemed appropriate (Rashida interfering with phone reception, Aomo's theft for Odyssey). In the middle, I'd mostly let the players request specific scenes to let their Leads manoeuvre around the situation.

At the end, the climax would come in the form of the auction, based on a Contest between Takeshi and Blake Thompson.

>>> Episode 2