The October 6th show at the Comedy Store was also our first Halloween special. It told the story of a group of friends going to a stranger’s house, knocking on the door, and being greeted by a real-life lich… so just like Trick-or-Treating in Hollywood. To set an appropriately tragic mood, I raided my wife’s extensive trove of Halloween decorations for festive skulls and giant spiders.
The players (Jared Logan, Mary Lou, Gina DeVivo and Bonnie Gordon) were introduced to the audience by way of their favorite Halloween costume from years past. They were all great, but somehow winning “Best Villain” in a costume contest for a Hurricane Katrina costume will always live rent-free in my head. (We didn’t discuss my own favorite costume, but for the record it was the titular Alien back in 5th or 6th grade - my wonderful, creative parents fashioned the giant head out of foam.)
Jon’s spooky tale involved three children who all went missing at a ruined mansion, which was rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of a slaughtered wedding party. Our adventurers, lounging together at a local tavern, jumped at the chance to pursue this noble quest. Bonnie and Gina played an elderly married couple - that old staple of combat-focused RPGs - looking to spice things up on their anniversary. Jared made great use of our live musician, the amazing Scott Passarella, by playing a bard with a talent for improvising songs about, well, just about anything, including a 60th anniversary ode for the happy couple that ended with, “Hopefully neither of them dies tonight?” Mary tried to game the system by giving her character a totally unwarranted animal companion and labeling it as a service animal. This genius move frustrated poor Jon to no end but did little to change the party’s fate.
The doomed adventurers successfully navigated past several wandering spirits before finding the Big Bad - an eldritch lich living in the basement with dozens of fiendish cats. The children and the service dog escaped, but our cast was not so lucky. Now their wayward ghosts have joined the ranks of the mansion’s dead, doomed to haunt its ballroom - and the reception party’s playlist - for all eternity.
Next show: We’re moving to Monday in November! Come see us on Monday 11/4 at 8p for the next terrific TPK featuring Todd Stashwick, Danielle Radford, Amy Vorpahl and Noura Ibrahim! Tickets available at https://www.showclix.com/event/fpwkk-november4th
