Taking the Mickey: A Save Disney Quest

[Slynnwen]

[x] Plan Value Value Value
-[x] Slightly Bigger: +250 points. Add 2 to required Groundbreaking and Construction successes.
-[x] 50 Standard Rooms: x8 (400)
-[x] 25 Family Suites: x6 (300)
-[x] Pool: 100 points.
-[x] Laundromat x2 (100)
-[x] Playground: 50 points.
-[x] Arcade (free): 50 points.
-[x] Kid Club: 100 points.
-[x] Cafeteria: 100 points.
-[x] Gift Shop (50)

[x] Disney's Animated Adventure: Where your hotel stay is like living in the classic Disney movies.

[x] Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk

You take a moment to compose yourself before heading out to the press conference. It's hardly your first overall, but this is the first major press conference you've held for Disney. It's all good news, or at least, should be seen as good news, so there's not much to worry about, but you never know what sort of things the press will ask about. Hardly any time later, it seems, and you're walking into the conference room at the Contemporary.

The lights of cameras flash as you stand behind the podium, a few screens on either side of you with the Walt Disney World logo. "Alright everyone, I know all of you are wondering what the latest big news is from us, so I won't keep you waiting much longer." There's a few chuckles, and the screens shift to displaying EPCOT. "A few short years ago, we opened EPCOT here in Florida." There's a brief scene of the EPCOT opening played, before switching to a map of the WDW property. "And the response to EPCOT has been phenomenal. So much so, that we haven't been able to keep up with the demand for hotels here in Reedy Creek." The current hotel lineup is displayed on screen, along with some statistics about booking numbers. "That's why, moving forward, we're going to be massively expanding the hotels offered here."

A transition to a slide displaying 'VALUE-MODERATE-DELUXE' happens. "We've decided on three distinct levels of hotels to offer, with a pricing rate that corresponds to each." The average room price displays next to each hotel level. "For those of you wondering what the differences will be between each level, and what exactly value means, don't worry. Every hotel will up to the level of quality you expect from a Disney property, the only difference will be the level of amenities each hotel has on-site." There's a couple of murmurs when the screen updates, and the new display reads off a general listing of amenities. "And while this may change in the future, right now, the levels loosely relate to how far they are from each park." This time, when the map of the WDW property comes up, it shows the area where Disney's Animated Adventure is going to be marked off with a question mark in the middle. "For those of you wondering, though, we're also going to be expanding the monorail system, to better ensure that guests can access the parks no matter where they stay." The monorail line extension down to the southern edge appears. "In addition to that, we're bringing the monorail line out to the Walt Disney World Village, and planning some major renovations there as well." As the additional line appears, everyone in the crowd looks interested, and you can see a couple of the invited corporate types eyeing the map speculatively.

"But the most important announcement I have today-" There's a couple of gasps as the screen shows the newly designed logo for 'Disney's Animated Adventure.' "Is the construction of Disney's Animated Adventure, a value level hotel that's located on the southern edge of the Reedy Creek Improvement District." The logo zooms out until it's fitting in the marked off area of the map from earlier. "Now, this hotel will have four hundred standard rooms, as well as one hundred and fifty family suites." There's a couple of room mockups displayed on screen. "This hotel is meant to be a way for those with families to have a more affordable Disney vacation, and also give them everything they need to keep the kids happy." As you keep speaking, the concept arts that have been drawn up begin appearing on screen. "There's going to be a pool, for the hot summer days, as well as a playground and an arcade for kids to play in." The next bit of the presentation shows the concept art for the kid's club, based on Pinocchio's puppet show. "In addition, we'll have a club designed to watch younger kids if their parents want to spend a night on the town."

The screens fade back to a loop of the hotel's logo and various bits of concept art as you wrap things up. "There's going to be a cafeteria with counter service meals, or several pre-prepared options ready to go if you're in a hurry." You can see the reporters getting anxious, so now's as good a time as any. "I'm open to questions now." Instantly, there's at least two dozen hands in the air. "Yes, you, ABC?" You point to an older looking gentleman, silver hair and a pair of glasses resting in front of blue eyes.

"Right in one, I'd like to know where each of the current hotels falls on the scale, for a comparison." He says.

"Well, right now, the Contemporary and Polynesian resorts are being considered Deluxe hotels. The Fort Wilderness Campgrounds are value level, but the cabins are moderate level. The Village Resort, when that opens, will also be at the moderate level, located right across the lake from the shopping village." You answer. At his nod, you move to the next person, a young woman with long black hair and green eyes.

"CNN. Can you tell us anything more about the current plans for the shopping village?" She asks.

"Right now, we're looking into the best way to safely expand the territory and fit the monorail station in." You say.

"Safely expand the territory?" She responds, making notes on her pad as she talks.

"There's some nearby areas that we've determined are important for conservation, and we want to be sure we aren't disturbing any habitats as we continue growing." There's an appreciative murmur throughout the room at that. She seems satisfied by that answer, and you move on.

"New York Times, I was curious if you could tell us anything about the architecture firm you're working with?" Says a middle-aged man, brown hair neatly trimmed with just a hint of a mustache.

"Certainly, they're a relatively new firm called Arquitectonica." You say. "We're working closely with them to ensure that the hotel matches the Disney experience, and the current project lead is Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, she's been an absolute pleasure to work with." He gives a little wave as he moves back to taking notes, and you point to another middle-aged man with blond hair and brown eyes.

"Wall Street Journal. You've mentioned that this hotel is called Disney's Animated Adventure, but there doesn't seem to be much about the upcoming animated movie. Do you have any comment on the delays for 'The Black Cauldron?'" He seems to be intentionally trying to upset the press conference.

"I'd like to keep things focused on the new hotel and our expansion plans, but I will say that 'The Black Cauldron' is a project I have full faith in. Joe Hale and Jeffery Katzenberg, along with the entire animation department, have been working hard to make sure the movie meets the standards of Disney films." You don't give him the chance to continue before moving on to a slightly older woman, brown hair done up in a bob with what you assume are fashionable glasses slightly distorting her deep blue eyes.

"CBS. Are there any plans for future hotels at the moment?" She asks.

"Well, I don't want to give away all our plans just yet. We want to see how this hotel works out before going full steam ahead, though." You say. At that point, you finally feel like you've hit your stride, and the rest of the press conference passes in a whirl.

Final Plan Summary: Current Plan Status: +10 Board Approval. Increased guest stays from monorail, increased park attendance to all monorail locations, slight increase to all park attendance. Primary hotel appeal: Families with kids. Gain temporary adviser Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk until project is complete. Hotel is named "Disney's Animated Adventure," with the tagline of "Where your stay is like living in the classic Disney movies." Expected Groundbreaking time: 12 successes. Expected Construction time: 12 successes.

AN: Expect "So When You Said Everyone..." to be up either in the next two hours, or in about 12 hours at the absolute latest.

 

[Slynnwen]

-[X] The Bunny, the Mouse, and the Rabbit: Frank has been going over the scripts and test footage of "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?" He thinks this could be big, the sort of live-action/animation blend that revolutionizes film making. What's more, he's asked around, and everyone wants a piece of this. Everyone.

DC: 35.

Benefits: Bring everyone on to the project. Spielberg as director, characters from Warner Bros., Fleischer, King, Turner, Felix, Universal, everyone. +50 quality to eventual film roll for "Who Censored Roger Rabbit?"

Results: 96, no modifiers. Magical Success.

Your first slightly hysterical thought, upon entering the room, was that the feds were going to arrive at any moment and arrest all of you for trying to form a monopoly. Continued in "So when you said everyone…"

Click to shrink...

You and George Lucas are both walking back from a meeting with the imagineering team, happy to have worked out the last few details of Star Tours. Tony Baxter had a huge number of contributions, and had even prompted some consideration to eventually bringing the attraction over to Florida, at some point in the future. There's still some light conversation flowing between the two of you when one of the animators finds you, Nik Ranieri, you think.

"Mr. Eisner! Come on, Frank's got everyone over here already." He says.

"You can just call me Mike, you know." You say. "You up for a detour George?" Nik looks over and stumbles as he notices who you're walking with.

You look over at George, who shrugs. "I don't have anything else scheduled for today."

"Well, alright then. Let's go see what Frank's been doing." You let the animator lead you to one of the larger conference rooms, with your curiosity getting stronger as you realize that Frank must have a good chunk of people or a huge project spread out around the room. When Nik pulls open the door, you stumble a bit and hear a slight gasp from George. There has to be at least half the top Hollywood execs here, and twice as many animators from every studio. They're all clustered around the big conference table in the middle of the room, piles of paper spread all about and a ton of concept art of what looks like a rabbit plastered to the walls. Whatever Frank is planning, you fervently hope it isn't something that gets you knocked for starting a monopoly.

"Ah, the man I wanted to see! Mike, get in here." Frank calls, from his position at the head of the conference table. You and George walk into the room, and as you head over to the head of the table Frank starts talking again. "And George is here too? Great, I think there's a spot open near Steve…" You look over and sure enough, Steven Spielberg is sitting at the table, with a giant stack of paper that on closer inspection reads 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit: Test Script' on it. "Alright, so, for those of us just arriving, we're working on getting a film put together based on Gary Wolf's 'Who Censored Roger Rabbit.'" He says, patting one of the piles of paper on his left. "Basic premise: Toons work and live side by side with actors and actresses in Hollywood, and get filmed instead of animated. They still use cartoon rules and physics, and have their own little toontown to live in."

There's a bit of paper shuffling as everyone takes a moment to look over various things, before Frank continues. "The plot follows a detective Eddie Valiant after he's lost his brother Teddy in an accident caused by a toon. He's put onto a case by R.K. Maroon, who's concerned that his biggest toon star, Roger Rabbit, is off his game. There's rumors that his wife, Jessica, is romantically involved with Marvin Acme, who owns the Acme corporation and also the deed to Toontown. Eddie manages to get a photo of Jessica and Acme playing pattycake, which he shows to Roger. Roger runs off, declaring that he and Jessica will be happy."

A couple of people are paging through the script, and you vaguely hear George muttering to Steven "You're looking at producing?" and an equally muted affirmative.

"The next morning, Marvin is found dead-" Frank begins, before being cut off.

"Oh big surprise there." calls out about half the group.

"And Roger is the prime suspect, by evidence. In addition, Marvin's will is missing." There's a few 'obviously's tossed around. "Judge Doom-"

"His name's really Doom?" asks Don Bluth, who you're shocked to find on Disney premises at all, given what you know about his leaving.

"Yes, his name is actually Doom. Anyway, he's a superior court judge with a creepy gang of toon weasels that act as enforcers. It turns out, he's made some sort of toxic waste that dissolves toons. Eddie goes looking for Roger, and eventually finds him and is convinced of his innocence. Long story short, it turns out Doom was blackmailing everyone to try and buy up Toontown and dissolve the whole thing for a freeway." There's a couple of questioning looks at that. "It'd be a toll road, and the only easy route to LA." Once everyone nods in understanding, Frank keeps going. "Judge Doom was actually a toon, and specifically the toon that killed Eddie's brother. Eddie manages to take him out in a big fight, with Doom falling victim to his own toxic dip. Everyone goes home happy when the missing dead is found to have been written in joke ink."

"Alright, that sounds great, but why are all of us here?" asks Robert Daly, current CEO of Warner Bros.

"I want Toontown to include every animated character." says Frank. "I want this to be a celebration of all of animation history, not just Disney."

Coming from anyone else, you think that might just set Daly off. But Frank came to Disney from Warner Bros., and they had to have bumped shoulders at some point. Daly stares at Frank for a long moment, before nodding. This seems to signal everyone else to get involved in the talks, and suddenly the room is full of discussions, talks of Donald Duck dueling Daffy Duck on pianos, Woody Woodpecker taking out shop signs, Betty Boop sharing tips backstage with Jessica, and more flying around. You tap Frank on the shoulder. "Did I really need to be here?" You ask.

"Well, having you here certainly lends an air of legitimacy to things." Says Frank. "Besides, this is going to be history in the making. Look at this." You send your gaze around the room. "There's no arguments, just people working together to get the best possible results. There's no bickering over who's better, just a constant attempt at understanding." You can see it. With this many high profile people, you'd expect at least some squabbles. Instead, there's a feeling of camaraderie, a shared sense of that love for animation. Well, for the animators, anyway. You're pretty sure you and the other CEO's are seeing huge dollar signs instead, but whatever works. "Besides," says Frank, "I think this is a great time for you to rub a few elbows, eh?"

+20 to Eisner/Wells relationship. New trait for Wells revealed: +5 to personal focus action. 1 free personal focus action per turn.


Vote: Pick 3 people or groups to meet with. Some of these may have major impacts down the line.

-[] George Lucas and Steven Spielberg

-[] Hal Wallis (Current animation head of Universal Pictures)

-[] Don Bluth

-[] Jeffery Katzenberg and Joe Hale

-[] Robert Daly (Current CEO of Warner Bros.)

-[] Kirk Kerkorian (Current owner of MGM)

-[] William Hanna and Joseph Barbera (Hanna-Barbera, if anyone didn't know)

-[] Bill Yates (Comics editor for King Features Syndicate, which has Popeye)

-[] Don Oriolo (Owns Felix the Cat)

-[] Ted Turner (Owns Turner Broadcasting System, has made attempts at buying MGM)

AN: Have fun. There are no "bad" options here, but each option has varying results from 'Instantly gain an adviser' to 'Open up further turn options and potential major developments.' In addition, the +10 to board approval from the hotel plan is now added to the chart.

 

[Slynnwen]

The vote will be closing in 8 hours!

Also, since March 7th is Eisner's birthday and today is mine, have a mini-interlude.

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You start heading to your office as you get into the building, a little bit later than usual. Jane had wanted you to take the day off, maybe even the rest of the weekend, but with everything going on with the Rhine River Cruise, you couldn't really afford to. Still, you had a great breakfast together, and were planning on hitting the town tonight and maybe taking a brief visit somewhere nice over the weekend. Good solid birthday plans. It wasn't until you were almost at your office that you realized that it didn't seem like anyone else was here yet. Strange. As you opened the door, you were shocked when several Mickey Mouse shaped balloons floated out.

"Surprise!" It seemed like the rest of the team were waiting in your office. Joe, Jeff, Roy and Frank are all waiting for you.

"Guys?" You ask. "What is all this?"

"Company tradition." Comes the voice of Roy, standing off to the side. "It's your first birthday here with Disney, and even if this seems childish…" He takes a moment to lightly tap a balloon across the room. "Adults are only kids grown up, anyway." He then rubs the back of his head. "I'm sure you're still worried about the EPCOT situation, but don't worry. I've got a couple of contacts I can ask about things higher up."

"You'll forgive us if we didn't bring a cake, but given how much paperwork you go through I doubt you'd want that many candles in here anyway." Says Frank. "Come on, don't worry about getting too much done today. Let us handle the office work for once."

"Me and Joe even have some good news! We think we've got enough footage assembled to make a director's cut of 'The Black Cauldron,' a more intense version that we can save for Halloween." says Jeff.

Joe nods, before adding "And the edits we've got for the regular film are coming together perfectly. Jeff's actually been a pleasure to work with." Jeff bats a balloon at Joe's head for the comment. You just smile and enjoy the company for the day, happy to be among friends.


+5 to all office relationship stats. -5 to DC on Rhine River Cruise. Director's Cut of "The Black Cauldron" firmly established, can be saved for a re-release of the film at Halloween for a more scary experience.

EDIT: Also feel free to check the relationship chart to see what's updated.

 

[Slynnwen]

And the vote is officially closed!

-[X] Hal Wallis (Current animation head of Universal Pictures)

The first person you decide to meet with is Hal Wallis, currently heading up the animation department at Universal Pictures. They've been some of Disney's biggest competition over the years, and they still hold the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Walt's first big creation. You're not sure what you're expecting when you head over, but Hal smiles brightly on seeing you.

"Mr. Eisner! A pleasure, a pleasure." He offers his hand and you shake it. "I must say, I'm impressed with how much leeway you're willing to give your animators."

"Oh?" You say.

"Certainly, I was talking to Jeff and Joe earlier." You nod, and he continues. "Not too many CEOs are willing to come running for a dispute an intra-department dispute, and even less are willing to give the arguing animators an extra six months to work on a project."

"Ah, well…" You begin. "Once a movie is released, that's it. I'd rather the animators have the time to get it right the first time."

"Sure, but actually sticking around long enough to get them working together?" He shakes his head. "Most of the suits I know would go in, yell at them to figure something out, and go back to whatever it is they were doing." He gestures to a side table, and you sit down with him. "Sitting through an entire movie with them and making notes is the kind of passion you don't really see at the top these days." He gets a gleam in his eyes. "It's the sort of passion that I think deserves to see some rewards, to be honest." He very carefully looks over to where the current head of Universal is chatting with some of the other execs. "I happen to know that right now, Universal is looking to raise some cash for a major project. A project that's a bit close to your Florida holdings, if I'm being honest."

You're caught off guard by how candid Hal is being. "Are you sure you should be telling me this?"

He snorts. "And a sense of fair play, too. You really are something special, you know?" He looks back at you. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure the suits are getting ready to announce most of this sometime soon anyway." He pulls over an empty sheet of paper, and does some doodles of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. "I think you'd find that the studio is more than willing to trade back the Oswald rights for some access to your engineering group, and probably willing to go a bit further than that if you push."

At this point, you think you're gaping like a fish. "They want a Florida park? Next to ours?"

"Hey, you weren't going to be the only big game in Florida forever." Hal sighs. "I'm more concerned that they're just going to rush things now. I've been in some of the talks for creative direction, and all the companies that have made it to the bidding stages aren't known for quality so much as being quick and cheap." He looks up at you. "I'm not thrilled with that. If you and Universal can work something out from this, I think everyone wins."

You give a brief nod, and he gets up and goes off to mingle with a couple other people, leaving the drawings of Oswald behind.

Corporate Intel gained! +10 board relationship. Actions unlocked!

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-[X] Don Bluth

You next meet up with Don Bluth, who's just finished talking to Jeff and Joe. He breaks into a fierce grin upon seeing you. "Mr. Eisner! Just the man I wanted to talk to." He says. Both of you head off towards the food counter, grabbing a couple of the snacks that were laid out. "I'm just going to come out and say it, I want back in at Disney."

"You want back in?" You can't believe it. By all accounts, the independent studio Don had made was producing incredible work. "Why?"

"Well, to be honest, I was willing to keep going on my own, even with the less than stellar financial situations we've been in lately." That's when you remember. All the great work that Bluth's studio was putting out was stellar quality, but financially a failure. NIMH was a modest success at the box office, even with its critical acclaim, and had forced the studio into bankruptcy. They'd pulled out of that by switching over to arcade games, primarily Dragon's Lair, but the sudden crash of the arcade market forced them into bankruptcy only a couple days ago. "I was thinking about talking to Spielberg, but after meeting with Jeff and Joe, I think I'm willing to give Disney a shot again."

"I'm not sure what to say, honestly." You respond. "But if you want a job here with the animation department, you've got it. The reception NIMH got was a tragedy, I loved that film." You take a moment to think. "And our latest hotel announcement is going to have a free arcade. I think you'd fit in perfectly back here."

Don's face lights up like a Christmas tree at the mention of a free arcade. "That sounds excellent."

+30 to quality of "The Black Cauldron" from Don Bluth meeting with Jeff and Joe. Gain Don Bluth as a movie adviser with +10 to any rolls involving animated movies (including quality rolls) and +10 to any rolls involving video games. Gained Don Bluth movie ideas, action to fold in Bluth productions unlocked.

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-[X] Robert Daly (Current CEO of Warner Bros.)

The last person you seek out is Robert Daly, current CEO of Warner Bros. He's been having a quiet conversation with Ted Turner, which if you had to guess, was about the pre-fifty's Warner Bros. catalogue. Their talk comes to an end and he turns towards you, looking neutral.

"Michael." He greets you with.

"Robert." You return. "Still looking for those old films?"

He lets out a snort. "Can't slip that by you, can I?" He motions off towards the door and both of you step out into the hall for a moment. "But yes, I was talking with Ted about collaborating on a project to get the old movies back into our library." He smiles a bit. "It went well, and I think Ted can get them to me by the end of eighty-six."

"That's good to hear." You respond somewhat sincerely. You don't really have anything against Warner Bros., and given how well the meeting today turned out, you're happy for him.

He seems somewhat taken aback. "I, well. Thank you." Rob's only off balance for a bit, before quickly collecting himself. "You know, I've heard some interesting things about Universal…" He begins, before you cut him off.

"I got the heads up on that already, but thanks for the confirmation." You say.

He eyes you for a moment before letting out a chuckle. "You're surprisingly well informed, Mike." Rob looks around for a moment. "You know, Frank mentioned that there was a movie pavilion planned for EPCOT initially."

You take a moment to think back. "Now that you bring it up, I think I remember seeing those plans somewhere. I thought they'd work out better as an entire park, though." You rub your chin in thought. "I will admit to being a bit stumped on how best to go about it, though. I don't think just the Disney catalogue would be enough to fill out a park."

"I think I might be able to help out with that aspect of things, Mike." Says Rob. "After all, if Universal is getting into the theme park business, it wouldn't make sense for Warner Bros. to be the only major studio not in the field."

"I'll keep that in mind." You say.

Verified Corporate Intel! +5 Board Relationship. Board at 50 approval, gained bonus! +10 to all rolls associated with Board Goals. Actions unlocked!


AN: Expect Turn 2 headlines to come out sometime tomorrow, and Turn 3 should hopefully be up tomorrow night! Feel free to ask questions about the other options if you want, though I can't guarantee I'll be answering all of them.

 

[Slynnwen]

A Mousey Meeting?​

Rumors abound that Disney Studios held a major meeting between all the major animation studios, fueling speculation that Disney may be looking to expand. Insiders confirm that Don Bluth has been seen back on Disney property, giving credence to the idea that he's decided to join back up with his old studio after failing to make it on his own. Universal and Warner Bros. have both declined to comment on the meeting, but have indicated that it took place. There's been more frequent interaction between all the Hollywood groups since the supposed meeting.

Earful Expansions​

The Walt Disney Company announced yesterday that it would be bringing the monorail line to its shopping district in Florida, and in addition, announced that the planned expansion would also go to a new hotel that was being marked out on the southern border of Disney property. Companies have been showing intense interest in moving into the shopping district, sure that having a store right across from the soon to be opened Disney Villas and directly on the Disney monorail line is a good move. While there hasn't been any solid plans on updates to the shopping village just yet, Disney has said… Continued on Page 2, Earful Expansions.

World Showcase Setbacks​

Efforts to complete the long rumored Rhine River Cruise in EPCOT are said to have hit multiple snags this quarter, delaying the project yet again. Some are calling foul play, while others have said that these things happen sometimes. A statement from several government officials, an oddity, has further fueled speculation by announcing that they would be working closely with Disney to investigate what has been happening in EPCOT. Disney has welcomed the aid, merely stating that they wish to be sure of compliance with all federal regulations. When approached for comment, Roy Disney stated that he was confident nothing Disney had done was out of line.

AN: Turn 3 is mostly done, should be up within 4 hours or so.

 

[Slynnwen]

MAJOR BOARD GOALS

{} - Build a New Hotel, by the end of 1985

{} - Complete a New Ride in EPCOT, by the end of 1985

{} - Begin Planning (at least 5 successes) a New Resort, by the end of 1985

MINOR BOARD GOALS

{X} - Find an Adviser, by the end of 1985

{} - Improve the Walt Disney World Village, by the end of 1985


Last quarter was a bit of a doozy. You're still not quite sure how Frank managed to convince everyone to come to the table on Roger Rabbit, but his work has already paid huge dividends. Don Bluth is back, and the animation department hasn't stopped celebrating since. It's almost enough to offset the problems you encountered with the Rhine River Cruise. Almost. Still, Roy's promised to have some of his old buddies look into it, and the government officials inspecting things over at the pavilion indicate that he's done something. Hopefully it doesn't blow up your face. And speaking of water rides, the submarines in Florida should be good to go again! That's a relief. Luckily nothing too pressing has come up in the meantime. Finally, the planning for Disney's Animated Adventure went great last quarter, ideas flowing easily onto paper. But with all the plans just about wrapped up, you're fairly certain that there's no chance it's getting built by the end of the year. In fact, you doubt anything but the smallest of hotels could have been built by the end of the year. The same is the case for almost every other goal. Maybe you should hit up the board about that?

Spoiler: Current Bonuses

Character Traits​

Jeffery Katzenberg: +50 to all animated film quality rolls. -15 to all office relationship stats not at a positive value with him every turn.

Frank Wells: +10 to all office relationship stats every turn, to a maximum of 0.
+5 to effectiveness of Personal Focus, 1 free Personal Focus action per turn. (25 bonus)

Roy Disney: +10 to all rolls involving conservation efforts.
May ignore one major board goal or both minor board goals a year without penalty. (25 bonus)

Board: +10 to all rolls associated with Board Goals. (50 bonus)

Don Bluth: Movie Adviser (+1 action, must be used on a movie action). +10 to all animated film rolls, including quality. +10 to all video game rolls.

Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk: Temporary Adviser (+1 action, must be used on Disney's Animated Adventure project). Reroll any die roll below 10 on the project, up to 3 times.

Other Bonuses​

Reedy Creek Improvement District: +10 to all development and conservation rolls made in the district.

7 base actions, 3 section modifiers: 7+3 actions total.

Spoiler: Disneyland (Magic Kingdom). 0 bonus actions.

-[] A New Gate, California: The theme parks are currently some 70% of your revenue. Adding another park at one of your existing locations is only prudent, you already own the land and know the area. Still, it's harder here than Florida, for obvious reasons. You'd have to replace the parking lot wholesale, or buy up a good chunk of land at truly exorbitant prices. Will trigger park planning subvotes upon completing this stage.

DC: 15 per success, requires 25 total successes to move out of the planning stage.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.


-[] Refurbishments, California: It might be time for some of those classic rides to get a face lift. There's no need to replace any just yet, but a touch up could go a long way… Up to 3 rides per action.

DC: 15 per ride being refurbished.

Benefits: Increased reliability, chance of popularity bump.


-[] Replacements, California: On second thought, though, it might be better to get ahead of the curve and bring in something new in place of one of the older rides. It might mean a bit more work, but if you get this right it'll last much longer than a simple face lift could. Up to 1 ride per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 10 per success, requires 10 successes for a remodel of the same track and ride vehicle to complete, or 20 for a complete knock down and replacement (old ride removal will not occur until 10th success with this option).

Benefits: New ride, likely to be popular and reliable on open. Chance of PR hit depending on the popularity of ride replaced.


-[] Build A New Ride, California: On third thought, you could just build something entirely new where there's space. No one loses a favorite ride, everyone gets something new! The only loser is your wallet… Up to one per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 15 per success, requires 15 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw. Other bonuses dependent on ride type.


-[] Tomorrow's Tomorrowland: The future just isn't what it used to be, and never has that been more apparent than Tomorrowland. It's time for a major redesign of this section of the park, in order to keep it from becoming wildly outdated. You have Frontierland for that.

DC: 15 per success, requires 30 successes. Currently: 9/30 successes, +5 to rolls.

Benefits: Automatic refurbishment of all rides in Tomorrowland, with updates to bring them in line with a more modern look at the future. May replace up to 3 rides in Tomorrowland with no chance of PR hit, does not count towards yearly ride replacement limit. May build 1 new ride in Tomorrowland, does not count towards yearly ride build limit. Massive PR boost. +5 to Eisner/Disney relationship. One ride replacement or the new ride must be Star Tours.


-[] Clean Cars: Autopia's cars are more than a little out of date, and could use some upgrades. If you can figure out a good way to remove the need for gas from them, that would be a major benefit as well.

DC: 35

Benefits: Increased ride reliability and popularity, good PR from conservation efforts. +5 to Eisner/Disney relationship.


-[] I Have Altered the Deal: It's a bit late, but maybe you should try and give the workers at Disneyland a better deal. It would have been more effective earlier, but you did have a lot to do. Still, that's no reason to avoid doing it now. Happy workers, happy park.

DC: 60.

Benefits: -10 board favor. +5% ride popularity/reliability to all rides.


-[] Video Killed The Radio Star: You know what Disneyland really needs? A hit teen dance club! Wait, where are you all going? Guys? Guys, come back!

DC: 35.

Benefits: Build Videopolis, an open-air teen dance club. Slightly increased park attendance.

Spoiler: Walt Disney World (Magic Kingdom). 0 bonus actions.

-[] Refurbishments, Magic Kingdom: It might be time for some of those classic rides to get a face lift. There's no need to replace any just yet, but a touch up could go a long way… Up to 3 rides per action.

DC: 15 per ride being refurbished.

Benefits: Increased reliability, chance of popularity bump.


-[] Replacements, Magic Kingdom: On second thought, though, it might be better to get ahead of the curve and bring in something new in place of one of the older rides. It might mean a bit more work, but if you get this right it'll last much longer than a simple face lift could. Up to 1 ride per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 10 per success, requires 10 successes for a remodel of the same track and ride vehicle to complete, or 20 for a complete knock down and replacement (old ride removal will not occur until 10th success with this option).

Benefits: New ride, likely to be popular and reliable on open. Chance of PR hit depending on the popularity of ride replaced.


-[] Build A New Ride, Magic Kingdom: On third thought, you could just build something entirely new where there's space. No one loses a favorite ride, everyone gets something new! The only loser is your wallet… Up to one per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 15 per success, requires 15 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw. Other bonuses dependent on ride type.


-[] Flights of the Future, Flights of Fantasy: The skyway between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland is not in the greatest shape, and what's more, it's not particularly appealing as is. It might be worth looking into a way to improve the ride, whether that ends up being updated vehicles with more capacity or a better method of loading and unloading to make the process smoother.

DC: 55.

Benefits: Increased popularity and reliability of Skyway attraction, increased park draw. Increased park capacity from being better able to handle moving guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland without clogging up footpaths.


-[] Wet and Mild: The submarines are up and running again, but it might be worthwhile to research better methods of waterproofing for all your water rides. This might even help with waterproofing in general.

DC: 40.

Benefits: +5% reliability to all water based rides. -10 DC on Better Hurricane Proofing.

Spoiler: Walt Disney World (EPCOT). 0 bonus actions.

-[] Refurbishments, EPCOT: EPCOT hasn't really had too many problems yet, but it's never too soon to try and touch things up a bit. Even if there's not really a whole lot to touch up. Up to 3 rides per action.

DC: 25 per ride being refurbished.

Benefits: Increased reliability, chance of popularity bump.


-[] Replacements, EPCOT: Maybe the future isn't quite what we thought it was. Hopefully no one will notice if we just… replace this. Up to 1 ride per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 10 per success, requires 10 successes for a remodel of the same track and ride vehicle to complete, or 20 for a complete knock down and replacement (old ride removal will not occur until 10th success with this option).

Benefits: New ride, likely to be popular and reliable on open. Chance of PR hit depending on the popularity of ride replaced.


-[] Build A New Ride, EPCOT: EPCOT really could use another ride. And the ones already planned are… less than ideal, you think. Up to one per park per year. Ride will be determined in subvote upon reaching half the needed successes.

DC: 15 per success, requires 15 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw. Other bonuses dependent on ride type.


-[] A New Pavilion: The World Showcase isn't done yet, and filling it out can get you more visitors and international attention! Just don't step on any PR landmines. Up to one per year.

DC: 10 per success, requires 8 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost with chosen country and increased attendance from that country.


-[] Reagan On Your Parade: The inaugural parade this year had to be cancelled due to weather. There were a lot of disappointed groups, and more than a few shed tears. You could easily invite them to have the parade at the American pavilion in the World Showcase. It'd be great PR, if a bit more political than Disney usually likes to get.

DC: 20.

Benefits: Huge park draw for the event, greatly improved PR. ???.


-[] Finish the Rhine River Cruise: This was planned for the German pavilion, but a number of development setbacks have kept it from seeing the light of day. You yourself ran into a number of them. But that won't stop you, damn it! This ride deserves to be finished. There must be something more here.

DC: 15 per success, requires 8 successes to complete. ?. ???.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost with Germany and increased attendance from Germany. ???.


-[] The Mt. Fuji Coaster: The Japanese pavilion had a Mt. Fuji themed coaster planned, but the sheer expense made it infeasible. Or so you've been told. You think it's worth it, even if you can't get Fujifilm as a sponsor. Maybe this ride won't have as many issues as the Rhine River Cruise.

DC: 20 per success, requires 8 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost with Japan and increased attendance from Japan.


-[] The Living Seas: There are plans for a massive aquarium in Future World West, and while it might take a bit longer to actually get all the work needed done, you think it'd be just the thing to really set EPCOT apart from every other theme park out there.

DC: 20 per success, requires 10 successes to complete.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost from conservation efforts, slightly increased relationship with Roy.


-[] A Living Future: You think that a large aquarium is not quite what EPCOT needs, and it shouldn't take too much work to convert the space already cleared for it to a different ride. MUST BE TAKEN WITH PLAN A NEW RIDE OR HAVE A NEW RIDE PLANNED FIRST.

DC: 40.

Benefits: Skip Groundbreaking stage on a planned new ride. Lose all progress towards The Living Seas.

Spoiler: Disney Movie Studios. 1 bonus action.

-[] The Cutting Room Floor: The live action department just released a massive flop. Maybe you should take a more personal hand in these matters, and help with some of the editing. May be taken once per film. Current film: "Return to Oz"

DC: 20.

Bonus to quality roll for latest live action film, based on level of success.


-[] Lights! Camera! Camera Again!: It might be worthwhile to go to the live action studios and help out with some of their projects ahead of time. Your perspective on some reshoots would probably be appreciated. May be taken once per film. Upcoming films: "My Science Project" and "The Journey of Natty Gann"

DC: 20.

Bonus to quality roll for next quarter's live action film, based on level of success.


-[] No Country For Farmers: One of your Touchstone pictures was a drama about struggling farm families out in the midwest, having to work hard under harsh conditions and failing government aid programs. It was one of three such movies to come out last year. It… has sparked a congressional hearing, with the actresses and producers being called up to testify. It's rumoured that the president has called the film "a blatant propaganda message against our agri programs." Maybe Disney should make a statement in support of the movie? The hearings have already started, but they'll be ongoing through May.

DC: 50.

Benefits: +10 to all Disney film quality as word spreads of Disney's willingness to go to bat for their producers and cast. Chance of PR boost on hearing outcome.


-[] The Disney Touch: Roy has a long history with animation. It might be worth it to try and get him and Jeff working together on improving the studio.

DC: 50.

Benefits: +10 to Disney/Katzenberg relationship. +10 to all animated film quality rolls.


-[] The Don: Don Bluth has been talking about his ideas for some new animated films, and it sounds like he's got some good ones. It'd be worth it to hear out a few of his pitches.

DC: 20.

Benefits: Add a Don Bluth film to upcoming releases, will have a +10 bonus to quality roll.


-[] The Made Men: Don Bluth's studio is going under again, and not because of the quality of their work. Buying them up would cost a bit, but could net you a massive increase in skilled animators and a solid boost to production capacity.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Increased animation output. +10 to animated film quality rolls. -5 Board Approval.

Spoiler: Disney Television. 0 bonus actions.

-[] Bringing Back the Magic: You don't have the same screen presence Walt has. You don't know if you ever will. But, with some acting lessons, maybe you can at least begin to make your own screen presence.

DC: 20.

Benefits: +10 to Disney/Eisner relationship.


-[] A Message of Conservation: You've brought back The Wonderful World of Disney, and there's no better platform for informing the public about the benefits of living with the land instead of against it.

DC: 15.

Benefits: +5 to Disney/Eisner relationship, +5 to all future conservation rolls.


-[] A Focus on Disney: Walt used the show to talk about his plans for the theme parks. It might not be a bad idea for you to do the same.

DC: 20.

Benefits: Increased park draw. +5 to all future park planning rolls.


-[] Focus on Improving the Disney Channel: It launched a little bit ago, but there's no reason to let it fall by the wayside. With the number of subscribers it has, it's finally started turning a profit. Who knows? Maybe some of your new contacts would be willing to work with you on this.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Small income boost. Increased park draw. Increased movie appeal. Unlocks more actions.

Spoiler: Reedy Creek Improvement District. 1 bonus action, must spend one action on Disney's Animated Adventure.

-[] Go Green: It'd be expensive, but putting in a solar farm at Reedy Creek could really bring your energy bill down. And hey, it'd be great PR.

DC: 50.

Benefits: Reduced energy costs in Florida, big PR boost, +5 Eisner/Disney relationship.


-[] Go Glowing Green: It'd be even more expensive, and time consuming, but technically you do have (most of) the rights to establish a nuclear reactor here. This would massively drop your energy bill, maybe even let you sell some excess energy as you get a grid established. There just might be a tiny bit of public backlash. Just a smidge.

DC: 70.

Benefits: Surplus of energy in Florida, enough to power at least 8 full scale parks and still have half left over, minimum. Chance for relationship hit with Roy. PR backlash from Florida, chance of losing some powers over the Reedy Creek Improvement District.


-[] The Real EPCOT: EPCOT wasn't supposed to be a park, it was supposed to be a city. The world may not have been ready for that when Walt proposed it, but now it just might be.

DC: 15 per success, requires 75 successes.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage. +100 to Eisner/Disney relationship.


-[] A New Hotel: You're already working on one new hotel, but you've still got some ideas ready to go for another. This probably won't be too many irons in the fire, right?

DC: 10 per success, requires 10/15/20 successes, for value/moderate/deluxe level resort.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage.


-[] Continue Planning (Disney's Animated Adventure): You've got the firm, you've got a solid plan, and you've got the will. Now there's just a few minor details to touch up before you move to the groundbreaking.

DC: 10 per success, 8/10 successes achieved.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage. Excess successes will transfer to Groundbreaking.


-[] Public Transit: The Disney Transport system is solid, but could use some work. The buses could use an overhaul.

DC: 20.

Benefits: Increased income from longer resort stays, more guests remaining on property.


-[] Improve the Shopping District: Walt Disney World Village is nice, quaint, and absolutely not what you need to keep people staying on Disney property for the entirety of their vacation. Perhaps it's time to expand. You've announced the monorail expansion and begun construction on it, and companies are practically begging for rent space. Time to pick and choose who gets in.

DC: 5 per success, requires 5 successes.

Benefits: Increased income from longer resort stays, more guests remaining on property.


-[] A New Water Park: River Country is great, but it's too small for the plans you have for Florida. Opening a second water park could help alleviate some of the crowds and act as a bigger draw. Will trigger park planning subvotes upon completing this stage.

DC: 15 per success, requires at least 10/20/30 successes, depending on the scale of park (River Country is an example of a 10 success park, Blizzard Beach would be an example of a 30 success park). Park Scale chosen in subvote on selecting option.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage.


-[] A New Gate, Florida: The theme parks are currently some 70% of your revenue. Adding another park at one of your existing locations is only prudent, you already own the land and know the area. The best part here in Florida is that you already own just about all the land you could ever want. Will trigger park planning subvotes upon completing this stage.

DC: 15 per success, requires 25 total successes.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.


-[] A Day In The Movies: Warner Bros. has talked about the plans for a movie pavilion at EPCOT, and it seems like they'd be interested in working with us to expand that concept to an entire park. You just need to hammer out some details, first.

DC: 35.

Benefits: Gain Warner Bros. licenses and aid in building a new park dedicated to movies. Begin a new gate plan with 5 of 25 successes already complete, park based on movie studios.


-[] Better Hurricane Proofing: There hasn't been a park closure from a storm yet, and you don't intend to have it happen on your watch. This might also help you understand how to better protect some of your water rides from normal wear and tear.

DC: 35.

Benefits: Increased protection from inclement weather. -10 DC for Wet and Mild.


-[] On A Monorail: With how much expansion the monorail system is getting, it might be worth it to also look into extending the line up to Orlando proper. It'd be pricey, but you could do it. In addition, you've looked at the maps, and you think you know where Universal is looking to put down their own theme park. You could swing the monorail out that way and see if they'll foot some of the bill for access to the line.

DC: 45.

Benefits: Increased park attendance from Orlando regulars. -10 Board Approval. Chance to strike a deal with Universal.


-[] Power Play: You're fairly certain that Universal is going to be building up a theme park near you, and if there's one thing theme parks need, it's power. You and Universal could agree to share some of the costs of putting up a new plant, and both benefit from the increased grid capacity.

DC: 30.

Benefits: -20 DC to both power plant options, must take one of them either this turn or next. Universal receives favorable pricing from Disney power generation.

Spoiler: Disney Company Offices. 1 bonus action, must be used on Personal Focus.

-[] Make A Call: You talked to a lot of people at Frank's meeting for Roger Rabbit. It might be worth calling one of the people you didn't have a chance to talk to.

DC: 20.

Benefits: Talk to one of the people who you didn't choose in "So When You Said Everyone…"


-[] A New Resort: With how well Tokyo Disney has been working out (and as much as the board groans about it), there's clearly a market for Disney parks overseas. Europe would be a prime location, if you can pick the right spot. Then again, you've always thought about another park here, focused on American history… Begins first step to opening a new resort.

DC: 15 per success, requires 50 total successes.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.


-[] Take a Vacation: Hey, you've got to keep your stress down somehow. And you've got free admission to the best theme parks in the world!

DC: 5.

Benefits: Stress reduction.


-[] Office Politics: You've settled in pretty well, but there's always more to be done to get in your coworkers good graces. You and Roy have a solid relationship, and Wells has become quite a good friend as well. You think you're close to reaching the same level of friendliness with Jeff, so making that last push might be worth it. It might also be worth it to try and help Jeff make buddy buddy with everyone who isn't in the animation department.

DC: 10

Benefits: Improve your relationship with one of your coworkers. Potential to improve relationship with multiple coworkers or find an adviser if you roll well enough.


-[] Imagineers for IPs: You've got a solid tip that Universal would be willing to trade the rights to Oswald back to Disney for some time working with the imagineering staff. The board might not think it's worth the risk, but Oswald is an important part of Disney history.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Gain back the rights to Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit. +10 to Disney/Eisner relationship. -5 Board Approval. Universal has some time with the Disney Imagineers.


-[] Corporate Competition: You've heard that Universal is looking to open a park in Florida, and you think you have a good idea where. But it's always good to get confirmation, and you might even get a chance to figure out who they're looking to hire to actually build the thing.

DC: 65.

Benefits: Figure out more of Universal's strategy in Florida and obtain confirmation of details. Can leak these details to the press, driving up costs for Universal. Can also try to undercut other firms and offer a deal directly with Universal instead. +10 Board Approval.


-[] Meet the Board: After a good look at things, you're pretty certain that the board set you up to fail in several areas. As far as you can tell, no one builds a hotel on the scale they were looking for in a year, and the odds of you finishing any ride in EPCOT by the end of the year were slim to none depending on how quickly you could get the Rhine River Cruise finished.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Chance to improve Board Approval, will lose approval on failure. Chance to change Board Goals.


-[] Personal Focus: Sometimes, that personal touch is what you really need. Can only be taken once per roll, but can be taken multiple times in a turn.

DC: N/A.

Benefits: +15 to a single other roll.

Current Quarter: APR-MAY-JUN 1985

AN: I'm going to try out a 12 hour voting moratorium for people to discuss things, as there's a good chunk of new options here. After that, the vote will be open for at least 36 hours. Feel free to ask questions, I'll be on for another few hours at least.

 

[Slynnwen]

[X] Plan Random
-[X] Tomorrow's Tomorrowland [Base 1]
-[X] Finish the Rhine River Cruise [Base 2] [Personal Focus]
-[X] Improve the Shopping District [Base 3]
-[X] Better Hurricane Proofing [Base 4]
-[X] Power Play [Base 5]
-[X] A New Resort [Base 6]
-[X] Meet the Board [Base 7]
-[X] The Made Men [Disney Movie Studios Bonus]
-[X] Continue Planning (Disney's Animated Adventure) [Reedy Creek Bonus]
-[X] Personal Focus [Disney Company Offices Bonus]
--[X] Finish the Rhine River Cruise

Click to shrink...

Spoiler: Board Goals

MAJOR BOARD GOALS

{} - Build a New Hotel, by the end of 1985

{} - Complete a New Ride in EPCOT, by the end of 1985

{} - Begin Planning (at least 5 successes) a New Resort, by the end of 1985

MINOR BOARD GOALS

{X} - Find an Adviser, by the end of 1985

{} - Improve the Walt Disney World Village, by the end of 1985

Well, things seemed to have calmed down in the office somewhat. Okay, that's maybe a bit of a lie, but at least nothing went horrifically wrong this quarter. And some things went very well! It's just that you wished some of those things didn't happen to involve international intrigue, thank you very much. At least your board meeting turned out okay.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Tomorrow's Tomorrowland: The future just isn't what it used to be, and never has that been more apparent than Tomorrowland. It's time for a major redesign of this section of the park, in order to keep it from becoming wildly outdated. You have Frontierland for that.

DC: 15 per success, requires 30 successes. Currently: 9/30 successes, +5 to rolls.

Benefits: Automatic refurbishment of all rides in Tomorrowland, with updates to bring them in line with a more modern look at the future. May replace up to 3 rides in Tomorrowland with no chance of PR hit, does not count towards yearly ride replacement limit. May build 1 new ride in Tomorrowland, does not count towards yearly ride build limit. Massive PR boost. +5 to Eisner/Disney relationship. One ride replacement or the new ride must be Star Tours.

Result: 16+5, 21. 1 success. 10 successes total.

You feel like you're hitting a wall with this. How the heck are you supposed to make a Tomorrowland that won't instantly outdate itself? Still, at least everything else went mostly smoothly this quarter. Benefits: +1 success to project, 10/30 complete.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Finish the Rhine River Cruise: This was planned for the German pavilion, but a number of development setbacks have kept it from seeing the light of day. You yourself ran into a number of them. But that won't stop you, damn it! This ride deserves to be finished. There must be something more here.

DC: 15 per success, requires 8 successes to complete. ?. ???.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost with Germany and increased attendance from Germany. ???.
--[X] Personal Focus: Finish the Rhine River Cruise

Result: 68+10+15, 93. 6 total successes. ?=75. Success.

Finally, finally, you made good headway on this damn ride. Personally getting involved seems to have helped. And then you got a polite visit from some spooks… Continued in "Reagan, The Rhine, and The Russians"

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Improve the Shopping District: Walt Disney World Village is nice, quaint, and absolutely not what you need to keep people staying on Disney property for the entirety of their vacation. Perhaps it's time to expand. You've announced the monorail expansion and begun construction on it, and companies are practically begging for rent space. Time to pick and choose who gets in.

DC: 5 per success, requires 5 successes.

Benefits: Increased income from longer resort stays, more guests remaining on property.

Result: 94+10+10, 114. 22 total successes. x2 total needed successes. x4 total needed successes. Fantasmic Success.

You literally cannot believe how many companies want to move into the Walt Disney World Village. On top of that, they're all willing to follow whatever creative control guidelines Disney sees fit to drop on them. Hell, you think you heard that Lego wanted to start making Disney themed Lego sets. They're not sure how, but they want to. Now you just need to approve who gets in where… Continued in "Village Vistas."

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Better Hurricane Proofing: There hasn't been a park closure from a storm yet, and you don't intend to have it happen on your watch. This might also help you understand how to better protect some of your water rides from normal wear and tear.

DC: 35.

Benefits: Increased protection from inclement weather. -10 DC for Wet and Mild.

Result: 32+10, 42. Slight Success.

With all the hullabaloo surrounding all the new businesses going in at the shopping village, it was a bit difficult to make time for getting new hurricane procedures and proofing in place. Still, it got done, if only because a couple of spots you found late last year proved to be good places to put in new shelters. Benefits: +10 to rolls against inclement weather, -10 DC for Wet and Mild.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Power Play: You're fairly certain that Universal is going to be building up a theme park near you, and if there's one thing theme parks need, it's power. You and Universal could agree to share some of the costs of putting up a new plant, and both benefit from the increased grid capacity.

DC: 30.

Benefits: -20 DC to both power plant options, must take one of them either this turn or next. Universal reliant on Disney power generation.

Result: 43+10, 53. Success.

Universal grumbles and asks some pointed questions about how you knew what they were planning, but ultimately agrees to help you establish a power plant. So long as they get preferred rates, of course. Benefits: -20 DC to power plant options, must take one next turn.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] A New Resort: With how well Tokyo Disney has been working out (and as much as the board groans about it), there's clearly a market for Disney parks overseas. Europe would be a prime location, if you can pick the right spot. Then again, you've always thought about another park here, focused on American history… Begins first step to opening a new resort.

DC: 15 per success, requires 50 total successes.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.

Result: 38+10, 48. 3 successes.

You don't make too much headway on this, simply getting a good accounting of how all the current Disney parks are doing and locating some spots that might be good for future expansion. Of course, you could always ask your new friends for some help… Continued in "Reagan, The Rhine, and The Russians"

----------------------------------------​

-[X] The Made Men: Don Bluth's studio is going under again, and not because of the quality of their work. Buying them up would cost a bit, but could net you a massive increase in skilled animators and a solid boost to production capacity.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Increased animation output. +10 to animated film quality rolls. -5 Board Approval.

Result: 72. Great Success.

You're fairly lucky, all things considered. No one even raises a fuss about you picking up the studio, so some of the money you had set aside to put off any legal challenges is saved. Benefits: Increased animation output. +10 to animated film quality rolls. No loss in Board Approval.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Continue Planning (Disney's Animated Adventure): You've got the firm, you've got a solid plan, and you've got the will. Now there's just a few minor details to touch up before you move to the groundbreaking.

DC: 10 per success, 8/10 successes achieved.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking Stage. Excess successes will transfer to Groundbreaking.

Result: 5. 9. 80+10+10, 100. 10 successes, overflowed into Groundbreaking. 8/12 Groundbreaking successes achieved.

The last few bits of planning and detail work on the hotel were finished fairly quickly. Elizabeth moved directly to groundbreaking, and then found out that the first company she had lined up was about to charge double what they quoted, citing excess demand. She turned to the second company only to have them say the same thing. Strangely enough, those companies appear to be running idle at the moment, and the third company that Elizabeth had looked into, a newer company looking to prove themselves, has exceeded expectations in clearing the ground for the hotel. Benefits: 8 successes to Groundbreaking for Disney's Animated Adventure. +5 Board Approval for continued rapid progress.

----------------------------------------​

-[X] Meet the Board: After a good look at things, you're pretty certain that the board set you up to fail in several areas. As far as you can tell, no one builds a hotel on the scale they were looking for in a year, and the odds of you finishing any ride in EPCOT by the end of the year were slim to none depending on how quickly you could get the Rhine River Cruise finished.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Chance to improve Board Approval, will lose approval on failure. Chance to change Board Goals.

Result: 48. Success.

You were a bit apprehensive when you walked into the board meeting, but managed to keep it from showing. You knew Roy was fairly firmly on your side at this point, which was a massive boon. After everyone was seated you began. "Now, I'm sure as you all know, we've managed to start work on a new hotel, and despite some setbacks, we're moving ahead with the Rhine River Cruise in EPCOT." There's nods. "However, on further review, I simply don't think it's possible for the hotel to be finished by the end of the year, no matter how much we push." There's glances all around the table… Continued in "Now Boarding."

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Movies released this quarter: "Return to Oz."

In Kansas 1899, six months after her adventures in Oz, Dorothy Gale still talks of her adventure in the Land of Oz, troubling her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry, who believe she is fantasizing. In her yard, she finds a key with an Oz insignia. Aunt Em takes her to Dr. J.B. Worley for electrotherapy, leaving her under the care of Nurse Wilson. As Dorothy is about to receive treatment, the asylum is struck by lightning and the power fails. Dorothy is freed from her restraints by a mysterious girl who tells her that Dr. Worley's machines damage the patients. They escape with Nurse Wilson in pursuit and fall into a river. Dorothy clambers aboard a chicken coop, but the other girl vanishes.

Dorothy wakes up in Oz with her chicken Billina, who can now talk. They find the Emerald City in ruins and its citizens (including the Tin Woodsman and Cowardly Lion) turned to stone. Cornered by Wheelers, menacing people with wheels instead of hands and feet, they escape into a room Dorothy unlocks with the Oz key. They meet a mechanical man, Tik-Tok, who explains that King Scarecrow has been captured by the Nome King, who is responsible for the Emerald City's destruction.

Return to Oz
Release Date: June 21, 1985
Quality Roll: 54. Mixed Reviews.
Reception Roll: 19. A Failure and a Disappointment.

You're still hurting on the live-action releases, and you think you will be until early next year. Doesn't hurt any less. -5 Board Approval.

----------------------------------------​

Notable Events: Tokyo Disneyland welcomes its 20 Millionth guest.
Disney Stock closes in on $90 a share, nearly double what it was when you took over.
John Cooke replaces James Jimirro as president of the Disney Channel.


AN: Expect next voting bit in around 4 hours or so, it's none of the ones listed on the results page. It's the vote for what to do with "The Black Cauldron." Quality roll was an 89 before bonuses, so you've got a couple of options there.

 

[Slynnwen]

-[X] A Compromise: Jeff is right, the movie needs work. But Joe is right that the artistic integrity of the movie should be preserved. They need to work together to keep the spirit of the movie intact.

+5 relationship with Jeff, gain the option to recruit Joe Hale as an adviser for movies starting JUL-AUG-SEP 1985, delay release of movie by 6 months for edits.

Click to shrink...

After 6 months, Jeff and Joe are finally ready to present the revised version of "The Black Cauldron" to you. You're absolutely floored. You had expected a couple of minor edits, instead, they've managed to go over the entire film and touch up even the minor details. The film is a masterpiece, in your opinion, with only a few minor details that aren't perfect. The parts of the film that were too graphic have been meticulously redone to avoid showing anything too disturbing, while still excellently implying what's happening. The nearly cut scenes that had been mucking with the pacing of the film have been altered instead, giving a much better overall flow. Best of all, Jeff and Joe are thick as thieves on this, and have pulled Don into their circle as well. Overall, you couldn't be happier with how this turned out. The question now is, how do you want to handle the release?

-[] Release the movie now, with only a slight delay for foreign markets. It's been built up enough. +5 Board Approval.

-[] Release the movie now, with a longer delay for foreign markets to build hype. Reroll reception rolls below 50.

-[] Save the movie for a Halloween release, worldwide. It's still a scary movie, and you can run a major ad campaign for that. This will also give the team enough time for a few more edits to make everything perfect. -5 Board Approval, Reroll any quality rolls below 95 for the movie, reroll any reception rolls below 50.


On top of all that, though, with Don's help, they've put together a completed Director's Cut edition that has all the more graphic scenes tastefully rebuilt. This version would easily earn the still new PG-13 rating, but it's the sort of thing that you can easily see making a splash among more mature audiences. The question is, what's the best way to market this version of the film?

-[] Save the Director's Cut for later. You can always drop this some years down the line as an anniversary edition. No effect.

-[] Release on Halloween. Let the original run continue until Halloween, and then have this hit the theaters to rekindle interest. Board Approval based on reception of rerelease, minor chance for PR hit.


Finally, Joe Hale is done working so intently on the film. He's also willing to be a more direct hand for you in the department. What do you think he's best suited to do?

-[] Direct Adviser. You can always use more people helping you run things, and Joe's proven his worth twice over. +1 movie action, -10 DC to all animated film checks.

-[] Let him do his own thing. You've been getting by, and Joe might be able to help out more on his own. -10 DC to all checks in the movie section. +10 to all rolls involving animated films.


Movie to be released: "The Black Cauldron."

In the land of Prydain, Taran is an "assistant pig-keeper" on the small farm of Caer Dallben, home of Dallben the Enchanter. Dallben learns that the Horned King is searching for a mystical relic known as the Black Cauldron, which is capable of creating an invincible army of undead warriors, the "Cauldron-Born". Dallben fears the Horned King may try to steal his pig Hen Wen, which has oracular powers, and use her to locate the cauldron. Dallben directs Taran to take Hen Wen to safety; unfortunately, Taran's foolish daydreaming causes Hen Wen to be captured by the Horned King's forces.


Quality Roll: 89+50+10+30. 179. +125 to film reception roll from quality.


AN: No need for a moratorium on this, expect the vote to last 24 hours. Up next will be "Now Boarding."

 

[Slynnwen]

-[X] Meet the Board: After a good look at things, you're pretty certain that the board set you up to fail in several areas. As far as you can tell, no one builds a hotel on the scale they were looking for in a year, and the odds of you finishing any ride in EPCOT by the end of the year were slim to none depending on how quickly you could get the Rhine River Cruise finished.

DC: 30.

Benefits: Chance to improve Board Approval, will lose approval on failure. Chance to change Board Goals.

Result: 48. Success.

You were a bit apprehensive when you walked into the board meeting, but managed to keep it from showing. You knew Roy was fairly firmly on your side at this point, which was a massive boon. After everyone was seated you began. "Now, I'm sure as you all know, we've managed to start work on a new hotel, and despite some setbacks, we're moving ahead with the Rhine River Cruise in EPCOT." There's nods. "However, on further review, I simply don't think it's possible for the hotel to be finished by the end of the year, no matter how much we push." There's glances all around the table… Continued in "Now Boarding."

Click to shrink...

MAJOR BOARD GOALS

{} - Build a New Hotel, by the end of 1985

{} - Complete a New Ride in EPCOT, by the end of 1985

{} - Begin Planning (at least 5 successes) a New Resort, by the end of 1985

MINOR BOARD GOALS

{X} - Find an Adviser, by the end of 1985

{} - Improve the Walt Disney World Village, by the end of 1985



The board takes a few moments before a couple of chuckles break out. "Mike, a hotel was never going to be finished by the end of the year." Says Stanley. "Not unless it was so small that it wouldn't really solve any problems, at any rate."

You need a couple of moments to process that. "Then why…"

Stanley speaks before you can finish the thought. "Disney's a big company, Mike. You were top dog at Paramount, and while it is true that Disney is a film studio, it's a lot more as well." He gestures towards some of the Disneyland posters hung up in the boardroom. "You're ambitious, you're driven, and you're smart. But we wanted to see how you handled a company that was different from what you were used to, and how you dealt with not being able to meet our expectations."

You take a second to consider that. "How do you think I've done?"

Peter's voice crackles to life over the phone. "Well, I think I can speak for all of us here when I say that we're impressed." There's a general murmuring of consent around the table. "You've managed to make more progress on the hotel than we'd have ever dreamed, and you've made good progress on everything else we've asked of you as well."

Charles speaks up next. "Not to mention, the moment you thought there was going to be any problems with meeting our deadlines, you came to us and owned up about the issue without excuses or deflections." You can see the rest of the board nodding along. "You've been working with us, instead of around or against us. We can all tell, you were the right choice to lead Disney."

You lean back into your chair, relieved. You thought this was going to go much worse. "I just did what was right." There's a couple of heads shaking at that. "You can't really run a company with conflict at the top."

Roy laughs a little. "If only more people had your outlook, Mike." He looks out the windows at the California view. "There's been too many people who think they can just show up and have everyone fall in line." You wince internally, Jeff is definitely like that sometimes.

Card waits for Roy to finish before talking. "So, here's what we're actually looking for from you…" A couple of papers get shuffled around. "We did want to see some progress on the hotel, but we honestly weren't expecting you to get much further than finishing up the groundbreaking by year's end."

Ray continues with, "And while we were fairly certain that you were going to finish up one of the already in progress rides at EPCOT, we were willing to accept a solid plan for a completely new design instead."

Roy chimes in again, looking a bit in thought. "Also, just like with the hotel, we weren't expecting to see the whole shopping village renovated before sometime next year." He chuckles. "Of course, with just how much interest bringing the monorail out there has netted, it might actually get done faster than that."

Card takes the opportunity to expand on that. "To be honest, we didn't realize how enticing the monorail actually was." There's a pause as the rest of the board members quietly talk among themselves. "We're going to be a lot more supportive of monorail expansion plans in the future, I think." With that agreement, the board meeting moves to more informal topics, and discussions of what might be in the works for the future beyond what you've already got planned.


Board Goals Updated, +5 Board Approval, Update on Board Bonuses.
25 Board Approval Bonus revealed: Remove -5 penalty to rolls on turns without an action dedicated to a Board Goal.


MAJOR BOARD GOALS

{} - Finish Groundbreaking for a New Hotel, by the end of 1985

{} - Finish One of the Already In Progress rides at EPCOT or Plan a New One, by the end of 1985

{} - Begin Planning (at least 5 successes) a New Resort, by the end of 1985

MINOR BOARD GOALS

{X} - Find an Adviser, by the end of 1985

{} - Have Plans to Improve the Walt Disney World Village, by the end of 1985


You may request additional Board Goals! Each Successful Goal will improve Board Approval by 5/10 for a Minor/Major Goal, or lose that much on a Failed Goal.

Major Goal Options

-[] No Additional Goals. You're busy enough as it is.

-[] Begin Planning a New Gate, Florida (At least 5 Successes), by the end of 1985

-[] Begin Renovating Tomorrowland (California), (15 Successes total needed), by the end of 1985

Minor Goal Options

-[] No Additional Goals. You're busy enough as it is.

-[] Improve the Disney Channel, by the end of 1985

-[] Have 3 Advisers, by the end of 1985

AN: Another shorter vote, with the chance to pile more goals on yourself! Quick note, the +5 approval here is not from completing the minor board goal of getting an adviser, it's from the meeting itself. Board Goal Approval is assessed at the year-end meetings. This vote will remain open for 24 hours, followed by "Reagan, The Rhine, and The Russians."

 

[Slynnwen]

Vote Closed!

-[X] Begin Renovating Tomorrowland (California), (15 Successes total needed), by the end of 1985
-[X] Improve the Disney Channel, by the end of 1985

Click to shrink...

-[X] Finish the Rhine River Cruise: This was planned for the German pavilion, but a number of development setbacks have kept it from seeing the light of day. You yourself ran into a number of them. But that won't stop you, damn it! This ride deserves to be finished. There must be something more here.

DC: 15 per success, requires 8 successes to complete. ?. ???.

Benefits: Increased park draw, PR boost with Germany and increased attendance from Germany. ???.
--[X] Personal Focus: Finish the Rhine River Cruise

Result: 68+10+15, 93. 6 total successes. ?=75. Success.

Finally, finally, you made good headway on this damn ride. Personally getting involved seems to have helped. And then you got a polite visit from some spooks… Continued in "Reagan, The Rhine, and The Russians"

----------------------------------------​

-[X] A New Resort: With how well Tokyo Disney has been working out (and as much as the board groans about it), there's clearly a market for Disney parks overseas. Europe would be a prime location, if you can pick the right spot. Then again, you've always thought about another park here, focused on American history… Begins first step to opening a new resort.

DC: 15 per success, requires 50 total successes.

Benefits: Move to Groundbreaking.

Result: 38+10, 48. 3 successes.

You don't make too much headway on this, simply getting a good accounting of how all the current Disney parks are doing and locating some spots that might be good for future expansion. Of course, you could always ask your new friends for some help… Continued in "Reagan, The Rhine, and The Russians"

Click to shrink...

You look around at the work that's underway on the Rhine River Cruise. You were stymied at every turn last quarter, but this quarter things seem to be sailing right along. Honestly, you almost suspect that things are going too well. The government agents poking around aren't doing anything to disabuse you of that notion. You turn around to head out, when you realize that there's an agent right behind you.

You don't shriek. Absolutely not. The agent (you actually aren't even sure what department he's from) simply raises an eyebrow. You take a moment to collect yourself before you talk. "Was there anything you needed?" You ask.

The agent simply nods, gesturing towards a black limo. Well, at least it isn't an unmarked white van. Even if Disney does have a couple of those lying around. As you get in the limo, you can hear the agent say "VIP secure. Continue monitoring." The car starts moving, a sedate pace that seems to just be circling the parking lot. You aren't sure what that's about, but assume that it's some sort of spy thing. As you get situated, you look at who's in the limo with you and freeze.

William Casey, current head of the CIA, is sitting across from you with a neutral expression on his face. "Mr. Eisner." He says. "I'd say it's good to meet you, but quite frankly, in better circumstances, I don't think we'd be meeting at all."

"Uh…" You simply have no idea what to say. Or if you should even say anything.

"Relax, Mr. Eisner. I'm not here for you." William looks out the window at a group of workers. "I'm here because, unfortunately, a couple of… foreign rabble-rousers, shall we say, managed to slip through the net."

"Wait, there's spies here?" You ask. Sure, it was always a possibility, but you were Disney. Why go after Disney instead of some bigger target? The Cold War was still ongoing, but the general consensus was that it was that tensions were lowering with the imminent appointment of Gorbachev.

"There's spies just about everywhere. Usually they don't do anything, just gather information to use later on." He scowls. "However, this time, they decided or got orders to try and sabotage your project here."

"What? Why?" The Rhine River Cruise was just a minor theme park ride, it wasn't even an E-ticket. EPCOT was plenty popular without it, if you were being honest.

"Who knows? If I had to guess, I'd say that they wanted to stop any sort of ties between America and Germany from getting stronger." You lean into the surprisingly comfortable seat, deep in thought. "Well, that, and the fact that Disney's rapid turnaround is looking like one of capitalism's big success stories." William chuckles. "Add in the rumours that you're looking to expand into Europe, and they felt they had to do something."

You hadn't thought about that. "Is there anything we can do? We try and do some level of background checking, but there's simply too many employees needed to keep the parks running, and with the expansions coming in on top of that…" You really can't afford to do an in-depth review of every person you hire.

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Eisner." William says. "We're just as invested in Disney's success as you are. We're keeping an eye on the situation." He takes a moment. "Although, if you were willing, I've got an offer here that I think you just might find compelling…"


-[] Make a public declaration against the USSR's recent sabotage, adding in support of the Reagan Administration. Instantly complete The Rhine River Cruise, as Army Corps Engineers come to Disney for "additional training on aquatic projects." Become enmeshed with Cold War Politics. -5 Board Approval for explicit political statement. CIA will largely prevent any foreign meddling in Disney affairs, although of course, American meddling in Disney affairs may still occur.

-[] Decline to make a public statement. You can finish the Rhine River Cruise on your time, it's practically done. Disney has tried very hard to stay apolitical, there's no reason to give up on that now. Reroll any rolls below 10 on the Rhine River Cruise when attempting to complete it, as closer scrutiny from you prevents any sabotage or mishaps.


He gives you a moment to consider the offer before continuing. "Now, Gorbachev isn't a pushover, by any means, but he's not as savvy as his predecessor." You nod, and William continues. "The President thinks that the commies have maybe a couple more years before a complete collapse, and he wants to put some pressure on them. Rack up some wins."

"And he thinks Disney can give him those wins?" You ask.

"Well, if you were to be opening a park in Europe, let's just say that there's a plot of land in Germany that I think looks perfect for a new theme park." William then taps the seat with his fingers. "And if the President was just so happening to be funding aid projects out there at the time, helping to clear out the specter of recession, well, Disney would bring plenty of jobs to the area." He takes a moment to look at you. "Of course, if there were things other than funding that were needed, well..." A dangerous seeming smile slips onto his face. "You'd be surprised how much faster things can be cleared up with the US government on your side."


-[] Plan for the new resort to be near Frankfurt in Germany. Limited to medium size park, with up to four small, two medium, or one large hotel. May have difficulties in construction from being inside the still divided Germany. +25 successes towards Planning a New Resort. Expect the US government to be heavily involved in the project, and owe them some nebulous favor to be cashed at a later date. Potential for scandal if exact nature of funding gets out.

-[] Continue looking into the best place for a future theme park on your own. It may end up that the Frankfurt location is best, but you aren't willing to be limited this early in the process. And you don't want to deal with the spooks any more than you have to. +5 to future rolls on Planning a New Resort from gained knowledge.


"Can I have a bit to consider this?" You ask. "It's a lot to take in."

The limo pulls back up to where you first got in, and the same agent that surprised you before starts walking over. "Of course, Mr. Eisner." Says William. "Take your time." He hands you a card. "When you decide to work with us, just call that number and ask for the big cheese."

You force a laugh at his joke, before stepping out onto the parking lot pavement. The limo pulls away and the agent nods at you. You start walking back over to look at the work that's been done since you were pulled away, but can't help surreptitiously glancing over at the workers that William had looked at. Shaking your head, you focus back on the project. "Alright people, let's keep going! You've all been doing great!" And if your hands are a bit shaky the rest of the day, no one comments on it.


AN: Moratorium on this vote for 6 hours, followed by 42 hours of voting.
Feel free to ask questions! The winning vote for Board Goals is at the top of the post as well, by a pretty decent margin it was Tomorrowland and Disney Channel.