Poker Night at the Inventory

[socklever]

POKER NIGHT AT THE MEME

You heard of this place from a few people, through hushed whispers.

A rusty door in some back alley, with a door simply labeled ‘THE INVENTORY’. But instead of it actually opening like a door, the entrance varies. Sometimes there’s an undercover elevator just beneath you on that manhole. Sometimes the door opens like a reinforced security door. Sometimes the door is concealed by the brick wall beside it, for those who wish to park.

In any way you enter, you descend through the levels, until you see a dimly lit room with decoration dating back to the first half of the twentieth century. An early modern style of interior with the look and feel of a speakeasy.

A short, portly man with a sailor’s hat notices you, and spreads his arms in elation.

“Welcome! Welcome to the Inventory! I imagine you’re here for the card game? It is always good to see both new and familiar faces in here. Come, let me take you to the rest of the patrons,” he motions you to follow him.



“Just do make sure to keep this place a secret, will you? We know this site might be perfectly legal for some of the universes you might know, but since this place was founded because some suits in Washington had funny ideas for the 18th Amendment, we’d rather give most of our patrons a good site to play should those representatives choose to ‘protect the world-renowned determination and productivity of the american worker.’ Humph!”

On the way, you would see numerous colorful patrons, hailing from all sorts of worlds and backgrounds, as well as games of all kinds you might have either seen or not: Poker, sabbacc, hearts, chess, blackjack, dejarik, among others. There is a bar with a more than healthy variety of strong liquors, attended by people from various parts of the multiverse. There are even arcades with some games that are rarely found nowadays.

The tubby man spreads his arm to the dozens of gaming tables spread out in front of you. All of them lit by the telltale three dice lanterns that hang on the roof.

“There it is! Pick a table, set the betting pool with the rest of the players, and begin to play! Good luck to you! May the best player win.”

((OOC: Do not leave your top levels empty! Describe your character, put your preferences, how will they play, and even write a starter if you wish.))


PROMPTS AND SCENARIOS

1. Exploring and Finding Tables

Welcome to the Inventory. This is a place for all sorts of gaming and entertainment, so don’t be afraid if you just want to venture around, going for a drink, playing on old arcades, or simply watching other players. The place is big, but there might be trouble finding a good table to sit down and play with, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to mingle with fellow players, before choosing where to sit.


2. Betting Stakes

While the host is normally responsible for setting up the betting pool and the funds each play should bring over, most of the times, the players will get to choose how much and what do they gamble. From merely a pool of a hundred bucks, to one of ten thousand dollars each player.

Don’t have the money for it? No problem. Maybe you can also bet some good weapon you might have, a stradivarius violin you might have somewhere, a piece of art, an award you won once? As long as all the players do not have a problem with it, everything is fair game.

Just remember you might end up losing it.


3. Shooting the Shit

All of these people hail from various parts of the multiverse. Characters with so much color, with their respective quirks and insanities, that might have their own pieces of conversation. They all have stories to tell, adventures and incidents they all went through. Since this is a place for leisure, it might be actually entertaining to listen and share some of these stories.

Sometimes, listening to those stories might give you a window into their personalities, as well as how they play. It’s also good courtesy to buy your opponent drinks. They won’t mind, and it might give you easier tells, too.


4. Lady Luck’s Kiss or Kill

Even in a light-hearted game, every player has their tell. Some twitch, some expression, a tiny hint of a smile. The other players might have them but so do you. It will be a matter of trying to read everyone while containing your own tells, knowing when to fold them, and knowing when you can bluff your own way forward.

The round might have ended up in silence, or someone might have decided to go all in, followed by one or more madmen. This is it. Players might tremble as they all reveal their hands, wait expectantly for the cards the dealer might show, with either joy or despair and rage as the cards either save them or curse them…


5. Player’s Choice

Of course, you are not limited to these options. Maybe you’re not a guest, but you’re the bartender, a card dealer, or even a bartender, waiter or waitress.

Maybe you are already known to the Inventory, maybe you stumble in by accident and find the place yourself, maybe you go into some different areas of the place. Hell. Maybe a game went awry in some manner, somebody claimed another was cheating, or someone was just a bad loser, and guns were pulled. The sky is the limit.