The Gauntlet
CREATOR
13 days ago
Project Update: The Queen of Hearts Conspiracy
Hey everyone, Jason here. While we're waiting on the Shadow Society PDF, I'm going to share and talk about a few more final texts, starting with the Queen of Hearts Conspiracy.
The original Queen of Hearts Mastermind has been around for several years now. It was written by Ben Bisogno, and is much-loved in The Gauntlet community because of its themes and that visceral, lurid prose Ben is known for. It's linked here so you can look at it and compare.
As much as I love the original edition, it presented a lot of challenges in adapting it for the new format. For starters, it's significantly more complex in its structure and procedures than the other Masterminds—Ben will always push out the boat when it comes to the rules of a game (and me then gently tugging that boat closer back to shore is a key part of our working relationship, haha). In this case, though, it was a bit tough because in the years since the QoH was written, The Between has changed quite a bit. The Mastermind structure is just so different now in this new edition, and I had to do a significant rework.
There were also some fictional complications. Certain characters, like the Huntsman and the Gepetto analogue, don't make as much sense in a world where we have, for example, a playbook inspired by Pinocchio. In fact, the whole "fairy tale" framing of Reverie is significantly complicated by how the setting has developed over the years. It also just feels a little... limiting, I guess?
So, with Ben's blessing, I got in there and rewrote a lot of it to make it better fit with where The Between's London is in 2026. As I did that, I saw an opportunity to make Reverie even weirder and more pronounced than just an occasional Unscene. The new Reverie Unscene and Lingerings mechanics help Reverie feel like a real thing that is happening in the city—pervasive and strange, almost Lynchian in its aspects. I added a Struggle in Layer Four that, while not directly connected to the QoH, is certainly connected to how Reverie is affecting the setting. I changed the fairy tale motifs in the original to be more about color, with the QoH's Servants being centered on the color red, and the Reverie Unscenes having more of a color focus inspired by fairy tales than direct fairy tale references. And the Alice in Wonderland references are more subtle throughout, which also helps preserve the special-ness of the Underground playbook. The end result is something that feels familiar but maybe in ways that aren't immediately obvious. It was a tricky bit of writing, but I think I got it.
I've added the text of the new Conspiracy to the folder. If you want to come discuss it, please come say hi in The Gauntlet Discord.
I'm meeting with layout early this week to get a read on when S.S. will be ready. I'll let you know when I know!
-Jason
The original Queen of Hearts Mastermind has been around for several years now. It was written by Ben Bisogno, and is much-loved in The Gauntlet community because of its themes and that visceral, lurid prose Ben is known for. It's linked here so you can look at it and compare.
As much as I love the original edition, it presented a lot of challenges in adapting it for the new format. For starters, it's significantly more complex in its structure and procedures than the other Masterminds—Ben will always push out the boat when it comes to the rules of a game (and me then gently tugging that boat closer back to shore is a key part of our working relationship, haha). In this case, though, it was a bit tough because in the years since the QoH was written, The Between has changed quite a bit. The Mastermind structure is just so different now in this new edition, and I had to do a significant rework.
There were also some fictional complications. Certain characters, like the Huntsman and the Gepetto analogue, don't make as much sense in a world where we have, for example, a playbook inspired by Pinocchio. In fact, the whole "fairy tale" framing of Reverie is significantly complicated by how the setting has developed over the years. It also just feels a little... limiting, I guess?
So, with Ben's blessing, I got in there and rewrote a lot of it to make it better fit with where The Between's London is in 2026. As I did that, I saw an opportunity to make Reverie even weirder and more pronounced than just an occasional Unscene. The new Reverie Unscene and Lingerings mechanics help Reverie feel like a real thing that is happening in the city—pervasive and strange, almost Lynchian in its aspects. I added a Struggle in Layer Four that, while not directly connected to the QoH, is certainly connected to how Reverie is affecting the setting. I changed the fairy tale motifs in the original to be more about color, with the QoH's Servants being centered on the color red, and the Reverie Unscenes having more of a color focus inspired by fairy tales than direct fairy tale references. And the Alice in Wonderland references are more subtle throughout, which also helps preserve the special-ness of the Underground playbook. The end result is something that feels familiar but maybe in ways that aren't immediately obvious. It was a tricky bit of writing, but I think I got it.
I've added the text of the new Conspiracy to the folder. If you want to come discuss it, please come say hi in The Gauntlet Discord.
I'm meeting with layout early this week to get a read on when S.S. will be ready. I'll let you know when I know!
-Jason
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