TBF, Mags, you have been doing a lot of the heavylifting for the quest, so this will be in good hands.
To be clear to everyone, this is just me burning out on imagination of the quest, since my muse has been hitting me over the head a lot with so many different ideas that I just can't find myself too interested in this.
I'll still hang out here, though, since this still does have a sepcial place in my heart.
I'd like to thank you all for making this a wonderful experience while it lasted.
I'd also like to thank @Magoose, @Fluffy_serpent, and @Martin Noctis for doing so much to help prepare and write this quest. I couldn't have done it without you all.
I've heard that there were always money troubles at TSR and there was a fair bit of drama*. I also found this blog post where a person tried to find out their actual finances. I'm not a big finances person and they had to make some leaps but if they're even near close then that 45 million we're offering them is more then double what the revenue of TSR's best year was and more then all of the actual profit it's had ever. So I'd say it's a very fair offer.
[X] Plan Keeping Fox in the 20th Century
*The company had three presidents in 82, Gygax and the Blume brothers fighting for control and Dave Arneson lawsuit which is the reason advanced Dungeons and Dragons wasn't just called Dungeons and Dragons. Which is only dealt with when Wizards paid him off in 97. Though we can probably deal with that by just giving the man the royalties he's owed.
Todd McFarlane being obsessed with Bubblegum Crisis is something I never knew I needed. Actually, him doing any Cyberpunk stuff in the future is enough to get excited.
The Telltale games are pretty divorced from the rest of Walking Dead canon, so it shouldn't really be a problem if they were completely divorced from one another.
Todd McFarlane being obsessed with Bubblegum Crisis is something I never knew I needed. Actually, him doing any Cyberpunk stuff in the future is enough to get excited.
[X] Plan Keeping Fox in the 20th Century+ distribuing some stuff befor it's too late.
-[X]Yes: George, good luck. You have now had a blood feud to win.
-[X]E.T The Extra-Terrestrial: Steve wants to have a summer that no one will ever forget. So… let's see what he has done! DC: 30
-[X]What does George Think: George, what do you think about other people working on your baby? DC: 30
-[X]Do you wanna start a Blood Feud: Sid has come to your office, to break bread and to talk. Business. DC:???
-[X]George Lucas and the Crazy Camera People: So George what is the- OH MY GOODNESS What the hell are you doing to that camera!? DC: 40
-[X]The Aftermath: Sony is about to lose biggly… and you want to watch it all come down. DC:???
-[X]Investing in the Future: You want to Spend some of that money you made into the company and make the whole thing better DC: ??? (Linetail what you want to invest in, and how much money you want to invest in it)
--[X] Approach Gulf and Western and offer $80 million of the warchest to purchase Sega from them. With the recent computer crash, everyone has given up on video games but you only see this as a opportunity for a true golden age with LucasArts. Once purchased, Sega with its assets and people will be incorporated into LucasArts.
--[X] Approach TSR and offer to buy the company with $45 million of the warchest. You really want Dungeons and Dragons to become a Lucasfilms brand and expanding the potential of RPGs is always a must.
[X]Distributing Deals: Since you have a Distribution Company, or rather, are one… You can meet the major movie theater companies and strike a Deal with them. Even when you had nothing to offer them. DC: ???:Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
[X]Distributing Deals: Since you have a Distribution Company, or rather, are one… You can meet the major movie theater companies and strike a Deal with them. Even when you had nothing to offer them. DC: ???ink Floyd The Wall
-[X]The Family Time: You need a night out with the family dammit! No more drama, no more work, just you and Carrie and the Kids!
-[X]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[X] Jim Henson. Jim has got a new puppet show called Fraggle Rock of a society of different creatures living and working together. Approach and see if you can add it to the LucasTV lineup for next year.
--[X] Eric Lieber. His production company is preparing a new type of Dating Game Show called "Love Connection" and from what you've seen is a very good one. Offer to have it become part of LucasTV's lineup.
-[X] Take a week long family vacation to New York to visit your parents. See the big sights, show the Goslings where you grew up, and have some nice family time with your parents as they've taken so many trips to LA and the least they deserve is a hometown visit.
Ken Williams was not what one would call a typical businessman. For starters, his company was not one that wholly belonged to him, but one started with his wife, Roberta, just a few years back. Ken had been an IBM programmer, while Roberta had been working as a computer operator in LA, but both of them knew that they wanted a better place to live than the city for their children, and in order to fulfill their dreams of living in a place near the woods. As such, they'd moved to Simi Valley, and began their own computer business.
On-Line Systems is what they called it and while he had been of the opinion that they could use the company to create business software for the TRS-80 and the Apple II...well, Roberta' had a different idea, one born from her many years creating stories and fairy tales for both herself and her family. If there was anything that Roberta had in spades was an amazing skill ins storytelling and fiction, which she claimed could be of use by adding his technical knowledge to make something wholly unique.
A computer game with graphics.
Well, more like a Text Adventure game with graphics, but the overall difference was irrelevant. She had been so passionate back then that he could do nothing but agree. Besides, he had always been fascinated with the idea of pushing and innovating what a computer could do, and Mystery House, the result of their efforts, presented just the perfect challenge for the both of them; Roberta had to draw the pictures using her Apple II and a Versawriter. And since no programs existed to read the Versawriter image, Ken had to write one, eventually compressing nearly seventy images onto a disk.
But it had all been worth it in the end when they saw the results, and the overall reception to their own little creation; over ten thousand copies sold, and this with only the two of them working together. It was a clear sign of what was to come as their own company began expansion. The Wizard and the Princess came out on that very year, and following his own philosophy, it improved and innovated by adding color and dithering to it.
Many new games followed after it, each with more ambition and greater storytelling to it, all thanks to Roberta's fertile imagination; Mission Asteroid, Crossfire, Cranston Manor, and Luna Leepers among many others, some with the help of other programmers, some without. But the jewel of their collection, the one that had been their baby most of all, had been Time Zone, a hugely packed game in six double sided floppy disks, with over 1500 areas to explore and 39 scenarios to solve. It had pushed both of their skills to the limit and forced them to get creative on more than one occasion to truly make it work.
But they did, and the results were above and beyond what they had expected; a company whose net worth was in the tens of millions, investors looking for a piece of the pie, and they'd even managed to make the move to Coarsegold, a smaller area where they could have a sense of peace away from the city while still working on their new company.
In a way, to better represent this shift they'd also changed their company name to Sierra On-Line, believing that this was their true beginning, a new period where they could grow into even more impressive achievements than what they had at the moment. Wit their games being sold to both computers and the Atari systems, while being courted by the other companies with consoles, it really seemed that the sky was the limit.
But, to paraphrase the Bible, and Ken should have remembered, Pride comes before the fall...
To think it's only been three years...
Such were the thoughts on one Ken Williams as he sat behind his desk in his company's office. His office, for however long that may be. His company, as it disintegrated under his very feet. God, had it really been only three years? He could hardly believe it when he looked back when it all began, back when the future seemed, if not completely bright, then at the very least somewhat cloudy, but with the biggest storm already far and away from the Crash of 77'. The videogame industry had suffered then, but it had also bounced back, become stronger than before, and many, including him afterwards, had believed it to then that it would become just like many others before it, an institution of American life, something that would always remain there.
Perhaps that was the issue, for they had not seen it possible for the entire industry to go down as it had gone back then. Or perhaps they'd thought that there would have been signs of what was going to happen. Prices going down, investors pulling out, any news or messages from other companies as well that perhaps would have hinted at what was going on. But, it was like a coordinated attack when it all was broken down; in the span of a week, the American videogame and computer game industry collapsed like a house of cards; blown away in the wind like they had never existed.
For Sierra On-Line it was a disaster made flesh; most of their upcoming games had to be scrapped, much of their work force laid off, and even make a deal with Robert Garriot rather than try any legal battle over the distribution rights for his newest Ultima II game. At the very least it meant he was still willing to use their services in the future (if there was one) but it also meant less of an earning for them, which was what he had been hoping to hash out with him.
The fact that the current situation made it near impossible for him to go on his own was also a factor in the settlement, you're sure. It would be suicide for Robert to cut off ties with one of the few companies that would still work with videogames.
Many of their programmers were also leaving, and he couldn't blame them. They'd clearly seen the writing on the wall and knew that the end was coming. Rather than sink with the ship, it would be much better to take a lifeboat and try to get the few works that remained available at the big computer companies that no longer had a stake in the videogame market. From what Ken had heard, even big ones like Activision or Atari were barely keeping things afloat, much less smaller and middle ones that'd had to close their doors near immediately.
Oddly enough, their company was one of the "lucky" ones, being able to stand the test of time for as long as they had. Which in turn, meant that they were dying slowly by a thousand cuts rather than quickly by a bullet. They had not enough money for an upcoming project, investors no longer wanted to put in the money for what was clearly a "dying fad", and they would be lucky if they would be able to last the year, let alone the month.
It had nearly crushed Roberta to hear it said so starkly. They'd been in this together, but this had been much more closer to her than to Ken. The passion she brought to every project was infectious, and the delight she had in creating the scenarios always put a smile on his face whenever they could work together. She probably blamed herself for having put all the eggs into one basket, yet Ken could never blame her for it, as he had been complicit in every decision as well. For better or worse, they were in this together.
It was a day like another in the following weeks. More employees to lay off, more visits to possible investors to get rejected, new plans to be made to try and survive by perhaps changing from developing games to offering services like he'd once suggested back years ago. Perhaps it would not be something as big as they had before, but they would manage it somehow, they always did when they were together.
Such was this day when they had to meet with a previous customer and tell them how they'd unfortunately not be able to continue with the project with the current funds they had. It was a pity as this had been one that Roberta had been really into, going so far as to design the entire adaptation on paper before the entire Crash happened. The worst part though...
"I understand. If you like we can try and postpone the release a bit until after The Dark Crystal is released".
...was how Jim Henson was being so reasonable and patient.
"But, if you'll forgive me for mentioning this, are you really in a position to complete the game at all?"
There was the main issue. For all that Henson was being the soul of cordiality, he was also a businessman that would still expect results, even if he would try to keep to more humanitarian principles.
As such, you could only reply in kind.
"In practical terms, all signs show it difficult. But, we are committed to finishing at least this one in order to make ends meet." What you did not mention was how you'd had to mortgage your home to even make that possible, or how that was even to keep the small amount of programmers who still remained with you.
"I see. Well, I am willing to continue this path. Though if I may suggest something? A partnership with Lucasfilm's would perhaps help you in that regard."
"Lucasfilm's?" Roberta asked "Aren't they in movies? They use computer animation, but is that enough for games?"
Henson looked a bit startled before comprehension entered his eyes.
"Right, it's not something that many pay attention nowadays. I spoke with Bruce the other day..." And wasn't that something, being on a first name basis with one of the most well-known actors and entrepreneurs in America "...and he did mention he was still going forward with their own videogame company. Both he and George feel there's future for the industry."
Just like that, saying it like it was just a simple talk between friends, he gave information that the business part of Ken quickly interpreted and gave him a lifeline at the same time. A company well known in the both the film side, the animation side, and the technology area for its quality of entertainment and for never delivering what could be called a shoddy product. Computer programming was something completely different, but for that, they also had an alliance with Apple, a direct line that they could well tap in for their games when it came to development.
But above all, was their brand, which while only nearing ten years had already managed to become synonymous with excellence and reliability. Whatever they were planning to make and bring, it was going to have that full strength for consumers to at least give them the benefit of the doubt.
And a company just starting would need games and programmers for said games.
Giving a quick look at Roberta, she clearly had the same idea as him. Aside from her desire to work on quality and excellent storytelling, she was always smart in finding opportunities when they presented themselves.
Turning back to Henson, he asked what could very well turn the tide for them.
"That's good to know. Did they mention anything else?"
"Well, I think they were going to call it 'LucasArts'..."
A.N: Ken and Roberta Williams were just some of the pioneers for videogames from the 80s, who made sure to emphasize both innovation and good storytelling as essential for their projects. With a harsher crash in a period before they expanded, I see this nearly bringing them to bankrupt. I also added Robert Garriot's continued association with Sierra since, with the situation as it is for the American Videogame Market, I don't see either of them so willing to go to court and instead reach a better settlement that keeps their relationship rather than the former founding his own company. It's just not practical for either side to cut bridges.
A figure walks into the old arcade from the blinding light of the outside, form illuminated by the flash and glare of Games Cabinets. The shape resolves into a Boy just tall enough to reach the controls of a machine as he approaches without stretching. A coin is carefully fished out of a pocket and placed in the machine. The screen transitions to game mode. A well is formed and intruded upon by an O shaped Block
----
Alexey Pajitnov had a reasonably good start to life. He was born in Russia near Moscow to a middle-class family. His parents were among those trusted to have opinions, a rarity among those under the Soviet banner. His father worked as an art critic, and his mother was a journalist writing for newspapers and film magazines. As a child, he delighted his mother by accompanying his mother to film screenings. He made his father proud in school, demonstrating a knack for mathematics and problem-solving. It was not to last.
----
Several S's and Z fall in succession, making placement difficult. However, the boy recovers well, and an I falls, allowing the elimination of three lines of blocks.
----
After his parents' divorce, he remained living with his mother, turning more to academic pursuits. Through hard work and determination, he was eventually accepted into the Moscow Aviation Institute, studying mathematics. He excelled and subsequently got a job at The Soviet Academy of Sciences working with computers. But like many under a communist Government, through no fault of his own, he was unlucky enough to be exposed to information that led him to ask the wrong question at the wrong time and ended up Suffering an "Unfortunate Accident while doing Necessary Work for the Soviet State."
----
The pace starts moving deceptively quickly, with more S's and Z's falling, spinning, dashing side to side, and trying to fit in the holes. The lower levels start filling, and more inclusions form, yet the pieces keep falling.
He is falling behind, not because of Skill but because of luck. He simply does not receive the opportunities and pieces he needs to succeed. He grits his teeth and tries harder, attempting to make up with sheer determination what Lady Luck and circumstances have denied him.
----
The information Alexey was exposed to came to Him innocently as part of the statistical analysis and problem-solving part of his work for the Soviet Academy of Sciences. As a computer operator, he was asked to review some medical data and extrapolate. Alexey dutifully reported that the data strongly correlated with returning Soldiers from the Romanian Civil War and its spread into the USSR. It could indicate the beginnings of a disease outbreak and recommend steps to be taken. He then delivered the report, made a note to follow up on it later, and continued his official work on speech recognition.
----
A mistake is made—and an O is dropped slightly wrong. It's not a significant error and worse could and has been recovered from with careful thought and time, as resources are in short supply. More pieces are coming, and they need to be sorted promptly. No time to think. The following piece is a long one, and can be used if moved fats enough.
----
Under most governments, identifying a disease outbreak would be commendable, allowing resources to be moved and people to be helped. Under the Soviet Leadership, that is secondary to not embarrassing those in power.
Suppose the disease outbreak might be linked to an Embarrassing, unsuccessful war to prevent a state from leaving. In that case, the report is wrong or incomplete in some manner. Those very leaders denied that the biological weapons were used on the civilian population of Romania and were those same Leaders not trustworthy men? The Greatest of the Soviet Meritocracy?
If Soviet Biological and Chemical weapons were used, and they were not, they would have indeed broken the will to fight. So it is impossible the mysterious winter sniffles spreading through the Soviet Union match the symptoms of those biological weapons. Alexey's report must be in error. That would imply incompetence in handling or deliberate usage of Loyal Soviets, for all who Labour under the Hammer and Sickle except for the mentally unwell are loyal and the best in the world at their jobs.
----
The pieces are falling faster. A T is spun into a hole with utmost precision, but still, that carelessly dropped O is preventing a Tetris, and the tower is getting taller. Pieces keep
falling.
----
Even acknowledging that there was a possible question to ask could lead to Issues. Asking would imply that the Glorius Soviet armed forces were lacking in some way or that there might be more Discontent in the union than only in that strange, distant, backward, unenlightened, and not truly part of the Soviet Union, place called Romania. Questions that might lead to the workers possibly one day perhaps considering a different leader than those currently running the Soviet Union, The Brotherhood of Workers Against the Bourgeois Elite, the land where all were equal and none above the other. it was better that a few Workers suffer a mild cold (Uncountable deaths, Lifelong Debility and Extreme strain on a system not only incapable of but not even being allowed to look after its people) than Certain individuals in Moscow be distracted by "Trivialities" when they are hard at work Making the USSR the best place to Live in the World (Just like the Bourgeoisie did before the Revolution and sometimes even from the same buildings). Just another day in the Workers Paradise.
----
Another J followed by an S. There is no time for them; they get thrown to the sides in a
desperate attempt to slow the growing mountain.
----
So Alexy was "Encouraged" to "gather more data" and "confirm the initial findings" in the worst of the infection Zones near the Romanian Border, given "Suitable equipment for the
task" and "appropriate Recording Material. "
----
The following piece is an I, except there are no spots for it, no wells to drop it down to cause a Tetris. The least-worst spot is near the top of the mountain of pieces. It is placed nonetheless and takes one line with it.
----
In other words, he was forced at gunpoint, in just the clothes on his back, not his outdoor coat or any form of Biowarfare protection, with a pile of computer data disks and nothing to write on them with, sent into a bioweapon Hazard Zone on the Romanian Border to interview a population that, where not devastated by War or bioweapons was Extremely hostile to anyone with a Russian accent and in particular a Muscovy one. Unprepared and Ill-equipped, success was an all-but-impossible goal, while failure and death were all but guaranteed. In other words, Alexey would disappear and so would all his inconvenient notes .
----
Still, forms must be followed lest questions be asked why they were not. Certain bureaucrats Waited in a Soviet Mockery of Good faith for Alexey's return. As days turned into weeks, specific processes were then put into motion. Alexey's "interim" report was archived as unpublished and officially incomplete, supposedly awaiting Alexey and his keyboard. After a month, Alexey was formally declared missing and then after two deceased. A particular cleaning service arrived to remove Alexey's things and dispose of any rubbish or useless things, such as inconvenient records, to make room for another Cog to take his place in serving the glory of Mother Russia, making it the best place in the world to live for Soviet workers (and especially Soviet Elites).
----
And it is too late. The pile is slightly too high, and the movement is just a fraction too slow. The I catches a J, which catches an S, and it is all over.
There is nothing to do. His score is not high enough for the leaderboard, and the game is
over.
===
"Insert Coin to Continue" mockingly obscures the screen as the boy steps back and views his achievement.
Except he has no Coin to continue. And so he turns sullenly and looks at his shoes, reluctantly stepping away from the machine. There at his boots, something glimmers. A dropped token? Another chance? He reaches down and discovers he has never liked President Kennedy so much. Just as the countdown reaches zero, the coin is swiftly placed into the machine, and the blocks spring back to life, filled with promise and potential.
----
Alexy's Partially frozen and disease-ravaged body is found barely in time by a Romanian patrol on their side of the border. A hurried trip to a nearby town sees him deposited in a tragically well-stocked clinic. He is dragged back to life by hard-won Romanian Skill, a health system supported by the International Red Cross and taught by bitter experience under the watchful eye of Elena, a Romain nurse who was determined not to lose another to Russian weapons. Antibiotics and IV medication are swiftly administered under her skilled hands. Of his possessions, what can be safely cleaned is. What cannot is destroyed. His computer disks, constructed from metal and hard plastic, are some of his few possessions that will survive. Elena saves Alexey's life and works, but despite her best efforts, barely anything of the naive and Sheltered Moscovite Alexey once survived.
----
This new round begins with a T, Followed by Alternating S's and Z's luck amid what, in other cases, would have been a misfortune. Is it a trick of the light, or are the pieces on the screen a little brighter?
----
International funding means that though the village he is recovering in has more houses than people, even after the destruction inflicted during the Revolution, Elena is well-practised in and equipped to deal with Soviet Bioweapons. There are limits to the Romanian's generosity and a certain level of suspicion, considering his accent. Aid is given to the apparent fellow victim of Russia's Cruelty. However, Alexey is kept under watch until he can demonstrate his trustworthiness. Elena and her neighbours are kind but not stupid, and Alexey's accommodations reflect that. A room in the clinic that is safe and secure but easily watchable and away from critical information. During his long recovery, Alexey becomes very well acquainted with a circle of individuals reporting to Elena who can do many jobs with seemingly their full attention and yet never miss even the slightest movement on Alexey's part.
Alexey's experience in Romania, for all it was a Soviet state so very recently, is one of culture shock. Not only is it nothing like Moscow's carefully constructed artificial perfection, but people can speak what they think without fear. And they do so. Alexey finds his unthinking Soviet-approved responses, but prejudices and preconceptions are challenged with each conversation with Elena.
Alexy finds the exhaustion of his recovery a boon in getting out of needing to have more than one or two of those conversations in a day, as they always seem to leave him with much to think about. He finds himself coming to realize these Romanians, Elena's neighbours, are people as real as anyone on Moscow's streets with their hopes and dreams, not criminals or mentally unwell sub-humans. He gets to see another perspective on the world, another way of doing things. The New Romanian tradition of Movie Night is the most influential by far.
----
Several O pieces that are typically difficult to deal with fall neatly into the empty well. They cannot be spun or rotated but must be fitted. At another time, the pieces would have been challenging. Now, with the freedom of the do-over and hard-won Skill, they find neat resting places, building rather than hindering.
----
Movie night is a cultural touchstone to the new Romania. The entire War was triggered by a bait-and-switch Film, Premiere, more suited to the subject of the silver screen than the world in which it occurred. Still, success forgives all sorts of transgressions, and the scheme worked; Romanians sat down as desperate individuals under soviet rule individuals to view the Movie and rose to liberate their homeland as one. The outcome was mythologized as the only possible outcome of work free of Soviet Taint and information control, finally reaching the Romanian people.
Yet, Throwing off the soviet Yolk was costly in lives and suffering, and many have died for Romania's ability to have an opinion not dictated by Moscow. Free speech and the ability to question are highly valued as proof that they survived and won.
On a quiet afternoon, Elena explains to Alexey that for Romanians, proof that free speech is allowed is that people watch movies and talk about them. All Movies. Those that were censored and forbidden under the Soviets, those that come from different cultures and in different Languages, and even Different versions of the same films with slightly differing cuts meant for various audiences and languages. They even watch the censored works. Then, they sit around tables and meals, bars and gardens, talking about what they saw and comparing it to what they were told. They compare and contrast, looking for what is included and left out. Romanians revel in a luxury so long denied to them, to question, contemplate, disagree, be critical of work, form their own opinions, and share them regardless of whether the state agrees.
Sergiu Nicolaescu himself, hero of the Revolution, the current leader of Romania and movie director responsible for the now Mythologised Bait and Switch, goes so far as to publicly criticize his own works and encourages others to revel in the freedom to do the same. More than anything, this proves the new freedom of the Romanian people to be able not to approve, to be critical of their leaders, and not only suffer no retribution but be praised for it.
It is participation in the discussions, first with Elena and then the rest of the village, that raises Alexey from his depression and Culture shock over finding out that so much of what he thought was true was not so. Alexey has cherished memories of discussing films with his mother, even as he was carefully taught that voicing certain opinions was unsafe. This freedom and visible proof that it is safe here and now in Romania, more than anything, lets him finally accept that he has been both betrayed and abused by his country and that he is safe from retribution, at least for the moment. He begins to fully participate and offer opinions that would be unthinkable to say out loud anywhere in Moscow.
----
Three T pieces in quick succession are skilfully arranged. And lines cleared. The bonus score for dealing with the problematic pieces pushes the total past ten thousand, triggering a Romanian dancer to appear in one of the castle windows and wave.
----
Alexey's minders draw a sigh of relief. With his increased engagement, they now have a better read on him and consider it unlikely that Alexey is not a spy or Agent of Russia but merely another of its many victims. With his recovery and some assurances of his motives, his accommodations are approved to be moved, and now his new room shares a wall with the town's cinema, and some restrictions on information are lessened.
The sounds coming through the wall continue to reignite Alexey's love of cinema and provide motivation to get out of bed in the moorings. The Romanians show films he had only known about from hushed whispers or as the butchered scraps the Censors let into the Soviet Union. Fittingly, the first film he sees "properly" is Dracula: Blood Origins, the film that sparked the Revolution. The film also introduces him to Lucasfilm, a film studio that is both famous and infamous in Romania.
Romanians are sceptics and revel in their new freedom to be so. It is generally accepted that Lucasfilm films, beyond being darn good movies, are propaganda weapons. It is accepted Dracula: Blood Origins was specifically tuned to be especially anti-Soviet for Romanians, designed to chip away at Romanian loyalty to the Soviet Union, remind them what they once were, and ferment low-level rebellion.
That Nicolescu got hold of it and used it to trigger a revolution was beyond Lucasfilm's plan is immaterial. Lucasfilm crafted a weapon aimed at Soviet Romania. To its credit, Lucasfilm took responsibility and capitalized on the opportunity and arranged for weapons and supplies through the IRA and CIA, not leaving Romania to wither. That was the expected response, start a war and arm the populace to keep your enemy distracted. Create a bleeding wound on the underside of the Soviet Union. Cynical and cold but practical, as expected of a deniable intelligence asset. Then Lucasfilm surprised Romania.
---
Several L and S spiral down to neat homes. A T is spun and slipped into a hole. Progress is challenging but not unfair. Then, an I piece appears while a Deep well is available. The boy grins. A Tetris is possible.
---
Cui Bono. Who benefits, that is the principle most often applied to Lucasfilm's work. Lucasfilm does not act like Romania expects an Americanised version of a deniable KGB operation to do so, but what else can it be, just a movie studio? Maybe in a better world. Nevertheless Lucasfilm cares beyond the premiers of the mission. Mercenaries and their Lucasfilm handler arrive to fight and assist with Romanian objectives, not only American ones. Romanian refugees are taken in and housed in the good parts of far-off America, supplies such as the clinics stock and experts able to teach their use return. Then, after the War, aid and subtle help do not stop. Romanian movies are promoted internationally, and Memorials are Funded and built. Even the bleeding wound Russia inflicted on Romania by demanding money Russia knew Romania could not pay for the return of Romanian lands is helped with a sum matching that given. For those used to the Soviet system, it is almost too good to be true. Nearly because Romania could see the manipulation and the endgame of a friendly, strong state on the border of the Soviet Union. But is it truly a bribe if you are being bribed to do something you would have done anyway? Bruce O'Brian and Lucasfilm are seen as distant Allies in a positive if wary light. Cunning, Tough, and Dangerous, they can challenge the Soviets and make it stick. In contrast, John Milius, the Agent Lucasfilm sent to document Romania's struggles, is loved, at least by those in the small town Alexey is in; they have met him in person.
John Milius is the Agent who snuck into Romina during the War to document, record and share the people's struggle so that, win or lose, Romania would not be forgotten. John suffered, fought, talked, and engaged with ordinary Romania. He can understand, like few ever will, the struggle of the Romanian people because he shared that struggle. Lucasfilm sent him, and Romania will never forget that. Elena states with certainty while she checks Alexey's breathing, reminiscing about being interviewed and talked to by the man himself.
Moreover, Lucasfilm did not send him to die and, when he returned injured, nursed him back to health. John struggled and was nearly broken by his efforts. Unlike a Soviet asset, Lucasfilm rewarded him and looked after him despite the fact he was potentially ruined beyond use. When Johns's name is spoken, it is with respect for his contributions to Romania.
----
Another I piece falls, and a well he had been creating for this kind of opportunity is filled. The top of the mount is another four lines lower, and his score is higher still again. The door of the castle opens in anticipation.
----
With his faith in Russia broken and a sense of gratitude to the wary Romanians who are nursing him back to health, Alexey finds himself looking for how he can contribute. A conversation with Elena about his previous work and the contents of his disks and the well-stocked Romanians suddenly can find a computer and are very willing to discuss classified disease outbreaks. It is passed up the chain as he works. Alexey receives official thanks, licence, and more questions about his work from the Romanian government, as well as unofficial thanks and an offer of a Green card from an American Liaison. One question becomes two, and then Alexey is often found discussing how the whole system was organized and surprised that the haphazard deployment of aid resulted in some clinches like the one that saved him being overstocked was a feature of the system. More questions followed.
Romanians, like many Soviet peoples, have a deep-seated fear of having their names on lists held by government officials who tracked their every move. Yet, to truly eradicate the diseases ravaging the countryside and ensure complete vaccinations, that's exactly what needed to happen. Each individual is required to be able to be tracked so anyone an infected person interacted with and anyone that then interacted with that second group could be vaccinated as soon as possible to prevent an outbreak that could and did still ravage communities. A comment to one of the Doctors about cryptography locking patent information drew much excitement. Elena again vouched for Alexey, and the rest was History.
Alexey quickly found himself assisting with coordinating the vaccination of the Romanian population and eliminating Bioweapon outbreaks. The individuals organizing the entire enterprise had no location of people, merely strings of numbers abstracting the same. Planning and coordination could be done with those numbers. When doctors went to outbreak sites, Local lists stored in town halls and churches turned those numbers into names and addresses. But accessing them required contacting local community leaders, priests and mayors, making it, if not impossible, harder for people to be disappeared by the state.
--
Thunder and lightning boom across the digital sky as another milestone is reached and passed. L-shaped blocks slide down the sides of the small hill growing in the centre of the well, cleaning another three lines each. Things are getting harder again, but there is tangible progress.
--
While imperfect, the two-part encryption system works, allowing for effective coordination and vaccination numbers to skyrocket and making complete vaccinations a realistic prospect. Alexey found his name on the rise both as the inventor of the method and as a strange arcanist with this unknown technology of computers, a Russian bogyman who could know everything. After all, if he could build the system, he could break it, right? Romanian towns and villages were grateful for his help but would be more thankful if he could go elsewhere. Increasingly, he found invitations missing or late, and guards and security paid unnervingly close attention to him and his motions.
As his unofficial shunning continued, Alexey spent more and more time crunching numbers and looking at strings of Text, unintentionally reinforcing the cycle. While his initial contacts from that small Russian Bordering town remained friendly, most of his new contacts remained professionally distant. Rooms went silent when he walked in, or conversations stilted when his accent was heard. Alexy heeded the unspoken request and avoided contact. In lieu of social interactions, Tetris was reengineered on the Apple II he used to coordinate the vaccinations. It was played in downtime and upgraded as whims allowed.
Having time and a computer that was at most ten years past state-of-the-art, Alexey began tidying up the game based on his experiences. Simple music was composed based on Romanian folk tunes heard through the walls of his room in the border village. The blocks were tuned into actual blocks, not text characters, and the screen background changed into a castle overlooking a Romanian valley. Victory and progress animations were put together for when specific scores where beaten, and, well if one particular Romanian dancer who appeared shared a resemblance with Elena who was to judge.
Then two things happened. Police stated that a Russian agent had been caught seeking him either for escaping Russia the first time or as a key to getting their hands on the nascent Romanian government's computer backbone. He was advised that they would need to give him a guard for his safety. Whether the guard was to protect him or ensure he was eliminated before he could give anything to the Soviets was a question he never got a clear answer to.
The other was John Milius's Red Dawn.
-
The blocks are falling impossibly fast now, and errors are all but guaranteed. Still, one line here and another there is cleared, the score growing ever higher even as mistakes and missteps slowly add to the mountains height.
-
Red Dawn was the movie event of the year for Romania. Their struggle was reimagined against the exotic backdrop of the far-off Country of America. Similar enough to understand, different enough to not trigger dark memories. The man responsible for making the Movie was Lucasfilm Agent John Milius, and the first thing John did after its release was come back to Romania to see those who made it possible rewarded and recognized regardless of whether they survived to see free Romania. When talking with Elena, Alexy found out about the visit and that John was seeking to meet all his interviewees again. Elena suggested Alexey come with her and meet John. Frozen is out of polite society and feeling lonely Alexy agreed.
Unsurprisingly, John Milius was more intent on meeting his friends and compatriots again than meeting a random Russian. Alexey only met the man as Elena's plus one at the small meeting where John insisted on giving gifts cash and for John to assure himself of his old contacts' survival. It was only after John finished assuring himself of Eenas continued good health and happiness that John took the time to talk to Alexey, a short conversation thanking him for his work Vaccinating the population and eradicating Soviet bioweapons and a warning against breaking Elena's heart. The conversation then turned to filming techniques, the use of computers, and Lucasfilm's interest in hiring skilled programmers for an upcoming project. And then it was over. John passed on to the next person, a momentary action in a day full of them but one that would stay with Alexey.
====
It is finally too much and too fast, and I catches on to the growing pile of pieces. Then, a Z catches, too, and the blocks reach the top of the screen. He has lost, as he knew he inevitably would, but has he done well enough?
The well dims, blocks dissapreing, and a caped figure steps out of the castle. A close-up of a face limited by pixel technology appears covering the game space, with Text below it resembling movie subtitles.
The Text: I am Vlad Dracul, and I have bested you. You did well, but like the spirit of the Romanian people, I am undefeatable. Still, you fought well and deserve to be remembered.
A screen shows a set of letters and numbers and allows the writing of a name or nickname. This hardware is quite advanced for some, for all its age. The child's nickname, Alexievich, is carefully entered. It even sort of matches his middle name.
Hitting confirms the child's score flashes next to their name, and both are added to the high score page. The child nods in satisfaction, steps back and leaves the machine as it was before he enters a relic of a past long gone but not forgotten; the child turns and walks out into the light.
++++
Days later, and with the vaccination program winding up, Alexey Pajitnov found himself considering his future and looking at a new green card, the contact details for Lucasfilm's offices and a short referral written by John Milius. Computer jobs would be few and far between in Romania, and apart from a small village uncomfortably close to Russia, he found himself something of a bogeyman. Then there was the matter of security. Romania wanted him carefully out of the reach of Russia, and Alexy found himself sharing that wish. Moving to America and getting a job with Lucasfilm would Do that. Lucasfilm was strong enough to keep him safe, full of people who made movies and understood and valued computers Alexey hoped that they wouldn't mind him working on Tetris again in his downtime. Either way, It would be a fresh start. Elena suggested if he set himself up well, she might find a way to come and visit. He found himself inexplicably excited by the idea.
Alexey picked up a telephone to make a call.
Well, last time I left Alexey in the first Soviet Negaverse he was crossing the disease-ridden Romanian border and implying he would make it to Lucasfilm, ask for a job, get them hooked on Tetris, and help them finish it for a Lucasart release.
I finally finished his journey.
As a result of his experiences, Tetris, while still known as the pong equivalent from the other side of the Iron Curtain, is now aligned with Romania, not Russia, and has a different styling.
To anyone who understands Russian naming conventions, I wanted to imply that the child playing is Alexey and Elena's eventual son. If I have gotten it wrong, please advise
A portmau of tetra, meaning four, and the designer's Favorite game, Tennis. Inspired by a Puzzle game called pentominoes it took the world by storm.
The computer version is based on a pit ten blocks across and a set of shapes made up of permutations of four blocks. The game drops these shapes one at a time. The player can move and rotate these shapes while they are in the air and for half a second before the shape locks in place after touching the bottom or the upper surface of a shape sitting on the well. Placing a shape so it comes to permanent rest in such a position resulting in an unbroken line horizontally across the play space has the line disappearing and any blocks above moving down to fill the space.
A score is kept with points given based on pieces dropped and lines cleared. Bonuses based on which shape is used to clear lines and the number of lines removed can be earned. At specific points in the score, the bricks making up the pieces change colour, denoting the next level, and pieces fall faster,
Surrounding the field is pixel artwork denoting a castle on a cliff above the valley. In the castle windows near the top frame, game data, such as a score and a preview of the next piece to drop, are displayed.
It is technically impossible to win, as with every level pieces simply fall faster. However, small pixel art animations depict traditional Romanian dances and songs past specific score points. A high enough score will result in Vlad Dracul or an image of him coming out of the front of the castle, the screen changing to a pixelated portrait of him nodding at the player in satisfaction of their accomplishment, giving a small speech congratulating them on trying and failing, and, depending on the version, allowing the player to add their name and score to a leaderboard.
[]I think that This is going to be Great (More games are going to be made.)
[]There will be a Rebirth (The Game industry will pick up, eventually, but it will take more time)
[]Oh Yeah (Unknown Effect.)
[]I am the man who arranges the Blocks (Tetris is beginning development in Romania and it is sweeping through the underground arcade scene)
[]I am the man who arranges survival (Unknown Effect)
[]Oh no (Soviet agents are hunting him? Why? What would he have to create that makes him so important?)
Adhoc vote count started by Magoose on Jul 14, 2024 at 11:52 AM, finished with 107 posts and 17 votes.
[X] Plan Keeping Fox in the 20th Century
-[X]Yes: George, good luck. You have now had a blood feud to win.
-[X]E.T The Extra-Terrestrial: Steve wants to have a summer that no one will ever forget. So… let's see what he has done! DC: 30
-[X]What does George Think: George, what do you think about other people working on your baby? DC: 30
-[X]Do you wanna start a Blood Feud: Sid has come to your office, to break bread and to talk. Business. DC:???
-[X]George Lucas and the Crazy Camera People: So George what is the- OH MY GOODNESS What the hell are you doing to that camera!? DC: 40
-[X]The Aftermath: Sony is about to lose biggly… and you want to watch it all come down. DC:???
-[X]Investing in the Future: You want to Spend some of that money you made into the company and make the whole thing better DC: ??? (Linetail what you want to invest in, and how much money you want to invest in it)
--[X] Approach Gulf and Western and offer $80 million of the warchest to purchase Sega from them. With the recent computer crash, everyone has given up on video games but you only see this as a opportunity for a true golden age with LucasArts. Once purchased, Sega with its assets and people will be incorporated into LucasArts.
--[X] Approach TSR and offer to buy the company with $45 million of the warchest. You really want Dungeons and Dragons to become a Lucasfilms brand and expanding the potential of RPGs is always a must. Place them as a division of Talsorian.
-[X]New Friends: Robin wants to make you and Chris more involved and friendly, besides the working relationship you two have… so… He's… good God Robin what the hell is this! DC:40
-[X]Having a Fun Time with Carrie: You and Carrie are going to go to the beach for a day at the beach... so that means that you and Carrie will have to explain why you are going without the kids. DC: ???
-[X]The Family Time: You need a night out with the family dammit! No more drama, no more work, just you and Carrie and the Kids!
-[X]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[X] Jim Henson. Jim has got a new puppet show called Fraggle Rock of a society of different creatures living and working together. Approach and see if you can add it to the LucasTV lineup for next year.
--[X] Eric Lieber. His production company is preparing a new type of Dating Game Show called "Love Connection" and from what you've seen is a very good one. Offer to have it become part of LucasTV's lineup.
-[X] Take a week long family vacation to New York to visit your parents. See the big sights, show the Goslings where you grew up, and have some nice family time with your parents as they've taken so many trips to LA and the least they deserve is a hometown visit.
[X] Plan Keeping Fox in the 20th Century+ distribuing some stuff befor it's too late.
-[X]Yes: George, good luck. You have now had a blood feud to win.
-[X]E.T The Extra-Terrestrial: Steve wants to have a summer that no one will ever forget. So… let's see what he has done! DC: 30
-[X]What does George Think: George, what do you think about other people working on your baby? DC: 30
-[X]Do you wanna start a Blood Feud: Sid has come to your office, to break bread and to talk. Business. DC:???
-[X]George Lucas and the Crazy Camera People: So George what is the- OH MY GOODNESS What the hell are you doing to that camera!? DC: 40
-[X]The Aftermath: Sony is about to lose biggly… and you want to watch it all come down. DC:???
-[X]Investing in the Future: You want to Spend some of that money you made into the company and make the whole thing better DC: ??? (Linetail what you want to invest in, and how much money you want to invest in it)
--[X] Approach Gulf and Western and offer $80 million of the warchest to purchase Sega from them. With the recent computer crash, everyone has given up on video games but you only see this as a opportunity for a true golden age with LucasArts. Once purchased, Sega with its assets and people will be incorporated into LucasArts.
--[X] Approach TSR and offer to buy the company with $45 million of the warchest. You really want Dungeons and Dragons to become a Lucasfilms brand and expanding the potential of RPGs is always a must.
[X]Distributing Deals: Since you have a Distribution Company, or rather, are one… You can meet the major movie theater companies and strike a Deal with them. Even when you had nothing to offer them. DC: ???:Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl
[X]Distributing Deals: Since you have a Distribution Company, or rather, are one… You can meet the major movie theater companies and strike a Deal with them. Even when you had nothing to offer them. DC: ???ink Floyd The Wall
-[X]The Family Time: You need a night out with the family dammit! No more drama, no more work, just you and Carrie and the Kids!
-[X]Networking: Well time to start finding out who might actually be interested in meeting you. (Write-in what you want to try and network with)
--[X] Jim Henson. Jim has got a new puppet show called Fraggle Rock of a society of different creatures living and working together. Approach and see if you can add it to the LucasTV lineup for next year.
--[X] Eric Lieber. His production company is preparing a new type of Dating Game Show called "Love Connection" and from what you've seen is a very good one. Offer to have it become part of LucasTV's lineup.
-[X] Take a week long family vacation to New York to visit your parents. See the big sights, show the Goslings where you grew up, and have some nice family time with your parents as they've taken so many trips to LA and the least they deserve is a hometown visit.
This movie surprised me with how well done it manages to use the found footage genre, not to mention that it's genuinely scary what with the entire 70's theme it has going on for it. I will admit, at first I thought that it would not be quite as good since, after The Blair Witch Project, the amount of good movies of the genre are few and far between (Cloverfield comes the closest, but after that the entire franchise becomes even more confusing).
But this movie, man it has just the right moments of tension, scares, and characterization that mixed with the documentary/mockumentary style of films just elevates it in my opinion. Not to mention, that with the right marketing, this could be one of the most scary films of the decade. Also, with the price of cameras still being quite high, it makes more sense that a found footage movie has the setting in a studio with a TV Show.
Thus, I give you:
Movie Pitch: Late Night With the Devil GENRE: Horror/Found Footage/Supernatural
SUBGENRE: Thriller/Mockumentary
FORMAT: Movie
Set Up: October 31, 1977. Johnny Carson rival Jack Delroy hosts a syndicated talk show 'Night Owls' that has long been a trusted companion to insomniacs around the country. A year after the tragic death of Jack's wife, ratings have plummeted. Desperate to turn his fortunes around, Jack plans a Halloween special like no other, unaware he is about to unleash evil into the living rooms of America. It incorporates elements of documentary filmmaking and found footage.
Director: Joel Schumacher Composer: Howard Shore Narrator: Donald Pleasence
Jack Delroy: He is the host of Night Owls, a late-night show in competition with Johnny Carson. As a desperate attempt of trying to save his show from tanking, Jack decides to make a special Halloween-themed episode, unaware of the secrets it will reveal, among them his connection to the "Bohemian Society" and "The First Church of Abraxas", along with the pact he made, giving his wife's soul in exchange for a comeback in ratings for greater fame.
Played By: John C. McGinley Alternate: Michael Keaton
Madeleine Piper: She is Jack's wife who died from lung cancer a year prior. She returns through the show as a ghost who no one can see (though the cameras and reflections can catch her image). It is revealed that the cancer which took her life was the result of a satanic pact Jack made, giving her soul in return for greater ratings and fame. Even so, Jack did love her, and her death affected him a lot. When Jack is able to see her, she begs him to release her from th eternal pain her soul is in.
Played By: Bonnie Bedelia Alternate: Kathleen Turner
Lilly D'Abo/Abraxas/Mr. Wriggles: She is a young girl who claims to be possessed after surviving a cult suicide. In reality, she was possessed by either Abraxas or a subordinate of his, Lilly calling it "Mr. Wriggles" for the way it feels inside her. It claims to be the one who made a deal with Jack when he went to The Grove in order to save his dying career, revealing secrets of everyone in the studio, contorting Lilly's body and always looking directly at the camera. It kills everyone and tricks Jack into killing Lilly as part of a sacrifice.
Played By: Molly Ringwald Alternate: Demi Moore
June Ross Mitchell: She is a parapsychologist promoting her new book using her relationship with Lilly, and in a budding romantic relationship with Jack. Although profit-driven and fame-hungry as the other guests, she's the only character truly concerned for Lilly's wellbeing as opposed to seeing her as either a fraud or a source of entertainment, though this doesn't stop her from reluctantly agreeing to participate in summoning Mr. Wriggles to possess her.
Played By: Sarah Douglas Alternate: Debra Winger
Carmichael Haig: A bearded former magician who now debunks supernatural events, offering a massive reward for proof he's wrong. Despite making many good points during the show about the lack of evidence for the existence of spirits, or the fact that Christou's previous experiences were him faking it, he's still a self-satisfied asshole and coward who, when Mr. Wriggles makes an appearance, instead begs for his life and swears loyalty to the spirit hoping to live.
Played By: M. Emmet Walsh Alternate: Gene Hackman
Christou: A self-proclaimed medium and the first guest to the special episode of Night Owls. He is essentially a con man, who has no qualms about exploiting grieving people, but he gets so into being a medium and reacts so angrily to Carmichael exposing him that it seems like he might very well believe he genuinely has a medium gift, and has fallen for his own con. Through the show he start experiencing real supernatural messages and phenomena, to the point that he begins breaking down both mentally and physically.
Played By: Gregory Hines Alternate: Michael Winslow
Gus McConnell: He is Jack's On-Screen sidekick who never gets any breaks. Everything goes wrong for him, often being humiliated by Jack or pushed around by Leo, with even Haig using hypnotism to have him think that he's being eaten by worms from the inside and they are coming out from every orifice of his body.
Played By: Bob Hoskins
Szandor D'Abo: He is the leader of the First Cult of Abraxas. For sinister reasons, he oversees the birthing of several children that would later be used in satanic rituals when he and his congregation get into a three day brawl with the authorities. Seeing as they would not let them be, he instructs his followers to self-immolate themselves and he follows not too long after, his daughter (being possessed) is the only survivor.
Played By: Michael Ironside
Leo Fiske: The producer on Night Owls. He's also the only person working on Night Owls who doesn't get affected by the situation on screen. He may be a crude asshole, but at the end of his day he's just doing his job in helping Jack try to keep the show from being canceled, and he has a few moments towards the climax that prove he isn't a completely soulless dickhead.
Played By: Tim Curry
A.N.: I debated on whether to use Tim Curry on the final role, but he is just so delightfully hammy that he can just improve any movie with his presence alone. As for the main character, John C. McGinley is amazing at playing villains as seen by his 80s performance, and his role as Dr. Cox in Scrubs shows how much of an anti-hero he can be, now combine them both and you have an amazing Jack Delroy in my opinion.
