Wonderland - Jags

Deeper Mysteries - Chessboards
How Mad is Chessboard
One?
In some of our games it seemed
almost normal, sedate, and only
mildly out of kilter. In other
games it was a chaos ridden
horror show. In one character’s
Episode, a major New York
hospital became Bedlam
with doctors chasing nurses
lasciviously through the halls,
patients screaming and writhing
in the beds, and drug music
playing over the loudspeakers.
Ultimately, we don’t say for sure
here. It may be that Chessboard
One (in some places?) is kept
fairly steady and even because
on Chessboard Zero the places
(offices, parks, city streets)
are mostly lawful and calm. In
other games it may be that the
aggregate effects of Shadows
carrying out the true wishes and
darker desires of those who cast
them leads Chessboard One
to be a world-wide unchecked
madhouse.
The GM may choose different
visions of Chessboard One based
on the tone of the game.
120
maître d’ at the swank restaurant and he’s snotty to everyone that comes
in—but most of the patrons don’t seem offended except for the big loud
guy (whose Shadow is always bombastically offended by everything)
and the two of them will have an apocalyptic, histrionic shouting match
(but security won’t come because it’s just two normal shadows each doing
their shtick).
Shadows are good at the pantomime of doing things but they’re bad at
actually getting things done. Go to a grocery store and you might see a
shopper with fifty canisters of Morton’s Salt (with ‘Our Slogan Is So Old
You Don’t Get It’ printed along the bottom in tiny letters). Another shopper
might be eating cookies out of the box right off the shelf.
This is because they don’t need to get shopping right (shadows may
pretend to pay for things: often they just shuffle money back and forth)
but their pantries fill up on their own (because in real life the shoppers do
their work well enough to get food to the table!).
And, of course, Shadows are insane.
Your Friends are Hard To Deal With
In some senses, winding up on Chessboard One can be far more terrifying
that dropping down to the lower levels. Sure: it’s usually less outright
dangerous (although we’re getting there) but having to deal with people
you know in a world that really does look and feel normal can be horrific.
Shadows of people you don’t know tend to “actstrangely” if you’re
looking (now, really, in a crowd of 20 people only one might be doing
something that looks irrational—the rest are just going where they’re
going and maybe having inane conversations). But people you know will
seem immediately to be out of whack.
They’ll know you—they’ll talk to you—it’ll be like one of those conversations
where maybe they’re half awake … or maybe they seem really
excited and worked up about something that you just don’t … get (“Hey!
Hey! There’s a FRESH pot of coffee!! Wheeee! Coffee!! Caffeine! Let’s
go! Let’s go!).
When you start asking them if they’re okay, they start treating you
like you’re the one with the problem (and, of course, your reflection
on Chessboard Zero is beginning to act odd and things are going ‘pear
shaped.’)
The Rare Cases: Mutant Shadows
But that’s just “most” shadows. Chessboard One is a world that looks
sane and, when you’re watching, acts sane—but is inhabited by the asylum
inmates.