Welcome to Act 2! So far, every character had two scenes to figure out what they’re going to do with the situations handed to them. And most of it didn’t go so well for any of them, not really. We have an armed and damaged bomb on a moving train, the person in charge of the detonator disappeared, and someone may or may not have called the cops. There are also some unanswered questions, like why would the Boss give our trio this incredibly dangerous job? What’s the endgame here? Is there even one?

This scene will follow Bill, and I have a pretty good idea about the framing: He’ll arrive at the train station ahead of the train, still considering calling this one in (I don’t think he has, yet). But, for whatever reason Ash and Jay aren’t stepping off the train. So, at the last minute, Bill has no choice but to board it himself.

I think at least the next three scenes play out in the train itself.

But, before we get there, let’s look at the card for this—and this one is sure to be dramatic, even before we consider the Tilt elements I established earlier.

47 – It’s A Trap!

A nice pair excited to enter their beautiful new home, unaware that it’s set on top of a giant mouse trap.

The flavor text reads, “Don’t take the bait.”

Characters set traps to surprise their opponents. From Old West ambushes to Home Alone staircases, a well-designed trap can suddenly change everything.

Heroes can set traps or be the victims. Either way, traps take planning.

Traps aren’t always tangible. Your defense attorney’s brilliant questioning can trap a witness on the stand. That amazing job offer might find your hero working for the villain.

I called this project “Rat Trap” because of the first scene with Bill and everything he went through. How he is rat, how the Boss onto him (or someone), how this all feels like a giant trap for him. And now, at the start of Act, when everything is supposed to fall apart, I draw this card for Bill’s first scene.

I don’t think there will be a single good choice he’ll be able to make.

Try This

Every trap has bait. List three things your hero finds irresistible.

Saving Ash and Jay. and getting the chance for them to get out of this, get away from it.

Getting the evidence he needs to stop the Boss. Even being able to flip Ash and/or Jay could be huge here, albeit in conflict with number 1.

I think “Control” is something he’d do just about anything for. Maybe it’s time he’d take charge, get this situation under control. He’s been rather passive, more of an observer, for fear of being found out.

What if your hero recognizes it’s a trap? How could they disarm it, avoid it, or use it to their advantage?

If we consider the trap as being Bill’s entire situation, maybe he’ll use his station to his advantage. The Boss is already on to him, the bomb is set, and his friends are involved too deeply to get out of this unharmed. In other words, his cover is blown—or at least it’s about to. So, why not take out his police ID hidden in the sole of his boot (saw that in a show once), and make it to the front of the train to get them to stop them. Use his authority to convince them that there’s a bomb, and everyone needs to abandon the train right the fuck now,

Traps rely on timing. What’s the most surprising moment to reveal the trap? What if it goes off early—or late?

If—if—this entire job is really a trap from the Boss, when exactly would this trap be revealed? Bill will be waiting for the train to show up, probably fidgeting with his phone still set up to call his handler. What if the Boss shows up now? Just casually sits next to him, and talks him through what’s really going on. I think I’d like to have the Boss play some part in act 2, nothing major, but for the sake of the story, the setup with the phone in the first scene’s flashback should pay off at some point. The phone was part of the card drawn for that scene, after all.

Would she spring her trap now? Does she actually trust Bill and the trap was for one of the other two? What if she’s showing her hand too soon, and Bill uses this opportunity to arrest her right on that train station? And only when he notices that his friends aren’t leaving the train does he run after them instead. And if we assume the Boss would have guards around, the tilt “A Frantic Chase” would come in play right away.

Fiasco is a game about people with high ambitions and low impulse control. I assume the Boss, however small her role is, would also fall within that spectrum, right?

Final Thoughts

I think the jig is up for Bill in this scene. The outline I wrote said that he’ll come clean in his next scene, but this card seems to force my hand. It’s a trap. The whole thing. The missions, Ash, the train; everything is leading to him blowing his cover. Maybe the bomb wasn’t even supposed to blow up, though Jay’s bad outcome in the last scene might have changed that a bit. I do think it’s a real enough bomb—if this is truly a trap for Bill, the Boss wouldn’t risk him noticing a fake with his, albeit basic, police training. The threat—the bait—has to be real for the rat to step into the trap.