TEXT: 1
  
  2
  bad timing
  A ROMANTIC COMEDY FIASCO PLAYSET
  Credits
  Written by Tobie Abad. 
  Art and layout by Bianca Canoza.
  boilerplate
  This playset is an accessory for the Fiasco role-playing game by 
  Bully Pulpit Games.
  This playset is copyright 2015 by Tobie Abad. 
  Fiasco is copyright 2009 by Jason Morningstar.  All rights re-
  served.  For more information about Fiasco or to download 
  other Playsets and materials, visit www.bullypulpitgames.com.
  
  3
  score
  PLAyset location
  You find who might just be the one true love you are meant to have.  But 
  finding that person and living the rest of your life with that person might not 
  be as easy as you think, given this is all a huge case of bad timing.
  The playset is intended to simulate the narrative flow of my romantic 
  comedy script, Bad Timing, which can be found here: 
  http://script-badtiming.blogspot.com/
  The game is intended to be a romantic comedy romp, with unexpected 
  wacky genre-crossing elements.  Or at least I hope it accomplishes that.
  movie night
  My Sassy Girl, 13 Going 30, Sydney White, Just My Luck, Scott Pilgrim ver-
  sus the World.
  Things needed to play
  Standard requirements of a Fiasco Game.
  Additional six-sided dice of a different color (red works 
  very nicely) to act as RomCom Twist dice.
  THE
  
  4
  relationships...
  1 . childhood buddies
  Best friends forever
  Once best of friends, but strayed apart
  Next door buddies
  Never had closure within a certain dare
  Unrequited childhood first love
  Great friends, greater rivals
  2 . firsts
  Your first kiss, not the other’s
  Miserable loss of virginity to each other
  Teased together, but hated each other
  First love, still dating
  First heartbreak, still hurting
  Promised to be together if grow up single
  3 . school is the thing
  Best friends
  Bitterest rivals
  Prom King and Queen
  Wallflower and the Head Cheerleader
  Teacher’s pet and your fan
  Detention besties
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  5
  4 . Work, not play
  Colleagues at work
  The customer and the counter boy
  That one drunken Christmas party
  Wanted the promotion the other got
  Co-workers secretly in love
  Secretly close “with benefits”
  5 . family
  Older and younger sibling
  Twins
  The perfect cousin and me
  You city, me country
  Adopted sibling they all love
  Shame of the family and me
  6 . geographic reasons
  Roommates
  The one you hate who always hangs out at your hangout
  Next door horny noisy neighbour
  I live in your old home
  Familiar face on the train
  Shared an umbrella, and a coffee
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  ...before the bad timing began
  
  6
  needs...
  1 . to get icky stuff
  True Love
  Lose virginity
  Get over the other by doing something stupid
  Win the other back
  Make love one last time
  Forgive, but not forget
  2 . to get money money money
  Pay back the debt owed
  Buy that gift
  Return what was stolen
  Get rich and leave everyone behind, except you
  Whatever it takes
  Make the other envious
  3 . To find out the truth
  About the break-up
  About that rumor
  That one big lie
  Who was sleeping with whom
  If the other is really “the best”
  If there was any chance
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  7
  4 . Only thing that matters
  Keep the other safe
  Break the other’s heart
  Friendship never ends
  Someone has to care for the baby
  Reach for one’s dream
  Move on and forget the other… and find someone else
  5 . Something to prove
  Show your love
  Show you don’t care, even if you really do
  You never stopped caring
  You aren’t what they thought you were
  It wasn’t you!
  You’re keeping your promise to the other’s dead parent
  6 . to get out
  Get away from it all
  Of the long dead relationship
  Of the tangled mess of lies you are in
  Of the engagement you said yes to
  Of a promise you made
  Of your shell
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  ...no matter how bad it gets
  
  8
  
  9
  locations...
  1 . your closet
  Dancefloor
  At the bar
  Behind the diving wall
  Long line outside the Club
  Unisex Bathroom
  VIP section
  2 . old neighbourhood
  Favourite hangout
  “That” alleyway
  In front of the former house
  The QuickMart
  The crumbling cineplex
  Fountain at the center of town
  3 . Transit
  Bus station
  Subway entrance
  Taxi queue
  Airport
  The old tour bus
  Stuck on traffic on that bridge
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  10
  4 . Our secret place
  Old bedroom
  Behind the coffee shop
  That broken see-saw 
  The hidden lake
  Behind the gym bleachers
  Online chatting
  5 . elsewhere, elsewhen
  Paris, for Valentine’s Day
  New York, for Christmas
  Singapore, for New Year
  Some island in Greece, for a change of scene
  On the airplane, just before take off
  Some distant future
  6 . not so decent
  The stripper’s club called Church
  Back seat of the car
  Closed swimming pool
  Someone’s bedroom… can’t recall whose
  Actually in church
  Where you first…
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  ...where bad things get worse
  
  11
  objects...
  1 . ssh!
  A condom
  A matchbox from a motel
  Someone’s underwear
  A sex video
  Fuzzy handcuffs
  A bag of drugs
  2 . romantic
  A love letter from the past
  A ring
  A mix tape
  Your very secret diary
  A carving on the wall
  A tub of ice cream and marshmallows
  3 . now that's interesting
  Someone else’s smart phone
  The old car
  A recorded conversation
  An intercepted letter
  Matching tattoos
  A baby
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  12
  4 . memories of school
  A yearbook
  A class ring
  A favourite sweater
  A prom picture
  A notebook with passed conversations
  A broken trophy
  5 . dangerous
  A loaded gun
  A switchblade
  A password
  Something someone is allergic to
  A legal document
  An STD
  6 . supernatural ? or just odd ? 
  A curse
  A sexual fetish
  A repeating song
  A shooting star
  A recurring dream
  Time travel
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  ...that cannot be ignored
  
  13
  aww moments...
  To keep that Rom-Com touch, the game will have the following system 
  changes:
  First, Tilts use the RomCom Twist chart, instead of the usual Tilt chart.
  Secondly, there is a new system: the RomCom Twist Dice
  Finally, this game has its own Aftermath table.
  romcom twist dice
  At any time when any character is supposed to have an intense positive story 
  moment with another character, but only if that character already has at least 
  one die of either color, any player can opt to replace the current scene’s die 
  for that scene with a RomCom Twist dice.  If this happens during Act I, the 
  die is NOT given to another player after being rewarded.
  There are RomCom Twist dice equal to the number of players in the game.
  These dice must be of a die of a different color.  Red is highly 
  recommended.
  When a RomCom Twist die is used, the player rolls that die twice to see what 
  RomCom Twist is instantly applied to the scene. The scene then unfolds 
  positively or negatively depending on the current dominant color of dice you 
  currently have. If the colors are tied, the player receiving the RomCom die 
  decides how it will unfold.
  KEEPING THE
  
  14
  After Act II, when determining the final situations of each player, RomCom 
  Twist might count as White or Black dice.  At the start of the Aftermath, roll 
  all your RomCom Twist Dice to determine their color:
  White
  Black
  Black
  Player chooses
  White
  Other players choose
  Gather all dice based on their color as per the normal rules.  Roll for the 
  Aftermath.
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  15
  romcom twists...
  1 . whoops!
  An admission
  A heard confession
  Someone gets drunk
  Two people makeout
  A fight for the wrong reasons
  An accident
  2 . painful moments
  Someone’s heart get’s broken
  Someone dies
  Two people separate
  Never again
  Miscommunication
  Wrong timing at the worst possible time
  3 . Big moments
  A birthday
  A proposal
  A wedding
  A storm
  City-wide blackout
  An emergency call
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  
  16
  4 . what the heck?
  A zombie outbreak
  An alien invasion
  A kaiju attack
  A sleeping curse on the city
  Time goes wonkers
  The Rapture
  5 . drama
  Someone doesn’t know when to stop
  Indecision makes things worse
  A death
  Blackmail
  Arrived too early
  “It is all your fault.  And everyone knows it.”
  6 . what a twist!
  An unknown twin
  Shape-shifting alien
  Last people in the world
  Just a dream
  Sliding doors
  History repeats itself… in the future
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  a
  b
  c
  d
  e
  f
  ...for that romcom touch
  
  17
  aftermath 
  high black
  ZERO: UTTER FAILURE. Whatever goals you had in mind or hoped to accomplish 
  fall completely apart.  Your story does not just end in tears.  It probably ends in 
  tears, broken promises, and even the best laid plans ripped into shreds.
  BLACK ONE: PAIN SO FOUL.  You get no mercy, no kindness and perhaps no justice.  
  You might still succeed in a goal, but realize it all means nothing now. It does not 
  satisfy you as you had hoped.  
  BLACK TwO: COMEDY IS OvER. Things might seem to have worked out, but guess 
  what, only you really think so. Reputation is probably shattered.  Or maybe it re-
  mains intact but you now realize how loathsome and pathetic you actually are. 
  BLACK THREE: NEvER THE PROTAGONIST. You realize that this was never meant to 
  be your story.  This was always about someone else.  Look at that person and snarl 
  in the most contempt-filled voice you can, “It was always about you.”   And enjoy 
  the hate you will never ever be able to get rid off.
  BLACK FOUR TO SEvEN: NOw THAT wAS UNExPECTED. Somehow, after everything 
  is considered, you come out of the whole mess a bit better than before.  Maybe 
  you got away with something. Or maybe you realize in the end what you went 
  through makes you a better person, for real.
  BLACK EIGHT TO TEN: NOw LET’S TALK ABOUT IRONY. Whatever success you got?  
  Narrate how it actually benefits someone else more than you.  Heck, maybe it al-
  ways did and you just weren’t sane enough to see that.  But at least you don’t know 
  it was that bad.  You’re still boasting how you got what you wanted, after all.
  BLACK ELEvEN +: SOMEONE UP THERE CARES. You realize in the end you deserve 
  something else.  Something far better.  And guess what, the answer to that shows 
  up just before the story ends.  
  
  18
  aftermath 
  high white
  ZERO: THE DRAMA. You shed tears and get to give a monologue on how the world 
  just works that way.  It could have been worse, but that’s life.
  wHITE ONE: CHANGED.  Somehow you realize that you’ve changed deep inside in a 
  way you did not expect.  You aren’t exactly the same person anymore. Which may 
  be good or bad, depending on what you wanted in the first place.
  wHITE TwO:  LET’S TRY THAT AGAIN. You are now considering taking a second 
  stab at things.  Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t, but you know you have to at 
  least try, right?  You found something, that’s for sure.  You just have to define 
  what.
  wHITE THREE: HAUNTED. You doubt you will ever fully recover from what has 
  happened.  So many twists and tangles have struck you that things seem to have 
  unravelled at the last minute.  Why is love so cruel?
  wHITE FOUR TO SEvEN: LESSONS LEARNED. You’ve learned a lot from what has 
  transpired.  And you’ve learned far more than you wanted about the people you 
  have around you.  These are hard lessons you will never be able to forget.  And 
  perhaps even lessons you will never admit to having learned.
  wHITE EIGHT TO TEN: SMILE. Scars and scrapes have lead you to emerge from all 
  the events with a renewed sense of appreciation for where you stand now.  You are 
  the butterfly emerging from adversity.  Spread your wings and soar high above all 
  those who failed to do what you have done.
  wHITE ELEvEN +: ROLL CREDITS. It was your story all the while.  And now as the 
  credits roll, share with us how your life continues for the next twenty to fifty won-
  derful years.  Don’t forget to remind us how love triumphed in the end.
  
  19
  setup
  relationships on moments 
  of bad timing
  FOR THREE PLAYERS...
  • Met at a convenience store (Work, Not Play): The customer and the 
  counter boy.
  • But I like him too (Childhood Buddies): Great friends, greater rivals.
  • We have met before (Geographic Reasons): Familiar faces on a train.
  FOR FOUR PLAYERS, ADD...
  • What’s happening in your life? (Family): Twins.
  FOR FIvE PLAYERS, ADD...
  • Lemme get in on the action? (Geographic Reasons): Next door horny 
  noisy neighbour.
  needs at the worst possible moment
  FOR THREE PLAYERS...
  • To Find Out the Truth: If there was any chance
  FOR FOUR OR FIvE PLAYERS, ADD...
  • Something to Prove: You aren’t what they thought you were
  INSTA
  
  20
  locations where the insanity 
  happens
  FOR THREE  OR FOUR PLAYERS...
  • Old neighbourhood: The QuickMart.
  FOR FIvE PLAYERS, ADD...
  • Not so decent: Back seat of a car.
  objects proving this madness 
  happened
  FOR ANY NUMBER OF PLAYERS...
  • Romantic: A tub of ice cream and marshmallows.
  
  21
  ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  TOBIE ABAD is a Senior Game Designer 
  for Indigo Entertainment who spends the 
  rest of his time living and breathing table 
  top games for others.   
  He lives with his partner, Rocky, and their 
  dog who loves bananas, Yoshi.  He hopes 
  marriage will soon be allowed for people 
  like them in the Philippines. 
  Read more of his stuff at 
  http://tagsessions.blogspot.com 
  Support Tobie at 
  https://www.patreon.com/tagsessions
  ABOUT THE ARTIST
  BIANCA CANOZA is a layout artist 
  and illustrator. Her wide array of skills 
  and interests include fields as diverse as 
  traditional Okinawan dance and mainframe 
  programming. 
  She is employed as a technical writer and 
  graphic designer at a multinational regional 
  development bank, and is currently a member 
  of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan (Ang INK).
  View her portfolio at 
  http://momatoes.com
  This work is licensed under a Creative Commons 
  Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 
  International License.
  
  22
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Fiasco [multi]/Playsets/Fiasco - Bad Timing.pdf