WARNING: This game is the ancestor of the Clerical Error game written more recently by Kathleen De Smet. The newer game has undergone heavy revision. If you read this game you will both spoil some secrets and end up with some wrong information.
The original character concept for Rae was repressed and emotionally torn up young woman with major anger issues. We all knew from the start that Rae was going to be our most difficult and dangerous character. Because she was going to be so angry, we tried especially hard to give her to players who we could trust not to take the spectacle too far. Fortunately this worked out well, and Rae was one of the most exciting and interesting characters in all three runs.
Rae's full character story was written by Kathleen. Katie and I had a little bit of editing input, but it was mostly all Kathleen (she is awesome!). The sections in italics represent the dialog of Rae's psychiatrist.
Rae's important item was a locket with her father's picture in it. I got a really cheap gold colored locket at a scrap-booking store (so I didn't really care if the players destroyed it) and Katie filled it with a picture of one of her relatives who served in WWII.
There are two versions of Rae's full story a female version with the character called Rae and a male version with the character called Ray. We had two male Ray's and one female Rae's in the three runs. Unfortunately I think I managed to send the guys the wrong version of the character story. I was awfully tired that night.
Rae's original concept paragraph:
Friday's Ray.Rae / Ray Angsten
Rae's beloved father Geoff went off to fight in World War II when she was young. He came back a different man, always sad and nervous, sometimes rousing the household out of their sleep with his screaming nightmares. He never wanted to play with her anymore and she thought she had done something naughty to make him mad at her. He began drinking too much, coming home from the bar to either yell at his wife and daughter or to collapse in tears. One night, his drunken rage got so far out of hand that he slapped Rae for a minor infraction. He realized immediately what he had done and went white and still. Without another word, he left the house for the shed, where he shot himself in the head. Rae heard the gunshot and ran out to find him dead. She blamed himself for his suicide but also resented him for abandoning her, so now she is a boiling pot of self-loathing, anger, and confusion. She grew up a bright, driven student, excelling especially in biology. Her mother even managed to send her to a public university so she could pursue her studies. That's where she met her boyfriend Ralph Morten, whom she loved to distraction. She lavished him with so much attention and affection that he got disgusted and eventually dumped her. Their break-up occurred on a foot bridge over the river that ran through campus. What she perceived as his betrayal and cowardly abandonment filled her with blinding rage and she attacked him. In the ensuing scuffle, she pushed him off the bridge into the rushing river. His body was never found and friends and classmates assumed that he had just left town, but Rae knows. The guilt eats at her, but she has never told anyone what happened. 1950's.
Rae's final character story (as given to players), for the female Rae:
Rae Angsten, age 19. 1959
Ok, before we start this session, I want to assure you that anything you say in this room will stay strictly between us. That's the joy of patient confidentiality. Now if you could please state your name for the record.
My name is Rae Angsten.Tell me about yourself, Rae.
I'm only nineteen; there's not much to tell. I grew up here and am now working on a degree in Biology at the State University. Not very exciting.What was your childhood like?
(pause) Why do you want to know about my childhood? Is that even relevant? And how would I even begin to tell you what it was like?Let's start with your parents. Tell me their names.
My mother is Nancy. She's okay, I guess. It's because of her that I am able to go to the University. She's had to work very hard to provide for us.And your father's name?
Geoff, I think.What is he like?
(mumbles) I don't know... I don't remember him very well.Why not?
He died when I was young.How did he die?
(silence)Ok, tell me what you do remember about him.
It's hard to describe. In my mind, it's like I had two fathers. There's the one who hugged me and read me bed-time stories when I was very little and pushed me on swings and called me cute names... And then there's the one who came back from the war. He looked like my daddy, but he didn't smile or play with me anymore. He was so sad and nervous. At the time, as young as I was, I thought I had done something very naughty to make him go away for a long time and come back so unhappy. I tried to be good, tried to make him laugh again like he used to, but it didn't work. Sometimes he would rouse the whole house with his screaming nightmares. Poor Daddy...
Saturday's Rae.Was he always sad?
No. Sometimes he was very angry. He must have started drinking a lot, now that I look back on it. He would come home from the bar and either scream at me and Mother or collapse into tears. Little things would set him off and try as I might, I couldn't figure out what not to do to upset him. His mood swings kept getting worse, until he even...Yes?
Nothing. He was just very upset.What happened?
Nothing, okay?! Nothing happened, he got better and we all lived happily ever after! The end!Rae, something happened and you are going to have to tell me about it. I have all day.
I don't have to do anything you tell me to, mister!You have a final exam at 4:00, don't you? I will keep you here until you answer my question.
(short, angry silence) Fine! He slapped me. Are you happy now? I was doing something naughty, I'm sure. Maybe I was making too much noise, or I broke a dish or something. Whatever it was, he screamed at me and for the first time ever, he hit me.Then what happened?
(glare)Rae...
He got really quiet all of a sudden. Even looked pale. And then he left the house.Where did he go?
To the... to the shed out back.What did he do in the shed?
He.. he.. shot himself. In the head. I... I heard the gunshot and ran out... and found him there. Oh God!How did that make you feel?
Fan-fucking-tastic, asshole! How do you think I felt?(long pause) Maybe if I hadn't made him angry all the time! What is wrong with me? I would have done anything to make him happy, but I didn't know how.
How old were you?
Just turned nine.Ok. And how did your mother react?
She never seemed to recover from it and was cold and silent for the rest of my childhood.(pause)
How could he have left us like that? All I have now is this damn locket with his stupid soldier picture. Some comfort. What could he have thought life would be like for us after he was gone? With no father, and my mother doing a fair imitation of an ice statue, who did I have to turn to? The only thing for me to do was bury myself in books and schoolwork. I was completely alone, until...
Until?
(clears throat) Until Ralph Morton, my boyfriend.Tell me about him.
Oh well... (fake laugh) Ralph's just your average guy, you know? He loves his cars and sports and all that. I met him here at the University and we hit it off right away. I just couldn't get enough of him. Any free time I had, I would spend with him, and whenever we were in the same room, I had to be touching him. I couldn't help it. I was so crazy about him.You are speaking in past tense now.
Oh! Um, well, I guess-you know-passion like that eventually dies. I mean, fades.Are you still together?
N-no, we broke up.Tell me about that.
God, you're nosy! Mind your own business, would you?This is my business, Rae. Tell me about your break-up.
(hisses) Fine. We were walking back from class... I was trying to put my arms around him, but he kept shrugging me off. And not politely, more like he was annoyed or disgusted. Finally he just turned to me and said, "Look, I can't do this anymore. You're too damn clingy and it's driving me nuts. I want to break up."I couldn't believe it. I just stared at him with my mouth open and said, "What?" "Yeah," he said. "The other guys are laughing at me, saying I don't have a girlfriend, just a pet lamprey." I was in shock and nearly in tears, trying to deny it. I threw my arms around him and begged him not to leave me, but he just pushed me away. Hard. Suddenly my heart was pounding like crazy and my vision clouded over... Seeing him walking away from me like that made me scream like a banshee and tackle him. I don't know what I was trying to do, clawing at him and swearing... I was out of my mind. We scuffled for a while and then...
Sunday's Ray.What happened?
(silence)Rae, what happened?
(in a small voice) We were on the foot-bridge. I didn't mean to. He must have been dazed from when he hit his head on the handrail, so when he fell into the river, he forgot to swim. He just sank and disappeared.Did you push him?
No! I don't know. We were fighting! Maybe he just tripped.Rae, did you push Ralph into the river?
(angry sob) Yes! He was trying to get up after he hit his head... he had his back turned to me... and I was so furious, I couldn't stop myself. I shoved him into the river and watched him fall.Did no one notice that he was gone?
Yes, after a while. But Ralph had always bragged that one of these days he was going to bust out of here without telling anyone and drive racecars for a living. Everyone assumed that's what he had done, and I just encouraged the idea.But you know better.
(whispers) Yes. I know better.Why You're Here:
You managed to get into a prestigious summer biology program in Portland, Oregon. Your mother couldn't afford a plane ticket, so you are driving across the country. You expect you'll be able to get there early tomorrow afternoon, but you don't think you could push through the night so you've stopped to check into the first hotel you saw. It looks like the place has a restaurant and you're hoping they will still serve you dinner.
Tips:
Rae is still very young and sometimes she has a hard time dealing with the world. We've given you this character because we trust you (more than your fellows) to behave in a safe manner and still have a good time. We will supply you with your father's picture (in a locket) and all other props that your character would carry. We are going to ask everyone to empty their pockets at the beginning of the evening, so you might not want to bring stuff you don't trust us to hold for you.
Ray's final character story (as it should have been given to players), for the male Ray:
Ray Angsten, age 19. 1959
Ok, before we start this session, I want to assure you that anything you say in this room will stay strictly between us. That's the joy of patient confidentiality. Now if you could please state your name for the record.
My name is Ray Angsten.Tell me about yourself, Ray.
I'm only nineteen; there's not much to tell. I grew up here and am now working on a degree in Biology at the State University. Not very exciting.What was your childhood like?
(pause) Why do you want to know about my childhood? Is that even relevant? And how would I even begin to tell you what it was like?Let's start with your parents. Tell me their names.
My mother is Nancy. She's okay, I guess. It's because of her that I am able to go to the University. She's had to work very hard to provide for us.And your father's name?
Geoff, I think.What is he like?
(mumbles) I don't know...I don't remember him very well.Why not?
He died when I was young.How did he die?
(silence)Ok, tell me what you do remember about him.
It's hard to describe. In my mind, it's like I had two fathers. There's the one who hugged me and read me bed-time stories when I was very little and pushed me on swings and played ball with me... And then there's the one who came back from the war. He looked like my dad, but he didn't smile or play with me anymore. He was so sad and nervous. At the time, as young as I was, I thought I had done something very naughty to make him go away for a long time and come back so unhappy. I tried to be good, tried to make him laugh again like he used to, but it didn't work. Sometimes he would rouse the whole house with his screaming nightmares...Was he always sad?
No. Sometimes he was very angry. He must have started drinking a lot, now that I look back on it. He would come home from the bar and either scream at me and Mother or collapse into tears. Little things would set him off and try as I might, I couldn't figure out what not to do to upset him. His mood swings kept getting worse, until he even...Yes?
Nothing. He was just very upset.What happened?
Nothing, okay?! Nothing happened, he got better and we all lived happily ever after! The end!Ray, something happened and you are going to have to tell me about it. I have all day.
I don't have to do anything you tell me to, mister!You have a final exam at 4:00, don't you? I will keep you here until you answer my question.
(short, angry silence) Fine! He slapped me. Are you happy now? I was doing something naughty, I'm sure. Maybe I was making too much noise, or I broke a dish or something. Whatever it was, he screamed at me and for the first time ever, he hit me.Then what happened?
(glare)Ray...
He got really quiet all of a sudden. Even looked pale. And then he left the house.Where did he go?
To the... to the shed out back.What did he do in the shed?
He.. he.. shot himself. In the head. I...I heard the gunshot and ran out... and found him there. Oh God!How did that make you feel?
Fan-fucking-tastic, asshole! How do you think I felt?(long pause)
Maybe if I hadn't made him angry all the time! What is wrong with me? I would have done anything to make him happy, but I didn't know how.How old were you?
Just turned nine.Ok. And how did your mother react?
She never seemed to recover from it and was cold and silent for the rest of my childhood.(pause)
How could he have left us like that? All I have now is this damn locket with his stupid soldier picture. Some comfort. What could he have thought life would be like for us after he was gone? With no father, and my mother doing a fair imitation of an ice statue, who did I have to turn to? The only thing for me to do was bury myself in books and schoolwork. I was completely alone, until...
Until?
(clears throat) Until Tricia Morton, my girlfriend.Tell me about her.
Oh well... (fake laugh) Tricia's just a sweet girl, you know? She loves dancing and singing and all that. I met her here at the University and we hit it off right away. I just couldn't get enough of her. Any free time I had, I would spend with her, and whenever we were in the same room, I had to be touching her. I couldn't help it. I was so crazy about her.You are speaking in past tense now.
Oh! Um, well, I guess-you know-passion like that eventually dies. I mean, fades.Are you still together?
N-no, we broke up.Tell me about that.
God, you're nosy! Mind your own business, would you?This is my business, Ray. Tell me about your break-up.
(growls) Fine. We were walking back from class... I was trying to kiss her, but she kept shrugging me off. And not politely, more like she was annoyed or disgusted. Finally she just turned to me and said, "Look, I can't do this anymore. You're too damn clingy and it's driving me nuts. I want to break up."I couldn't believe it. I just stared at her with my mouth open and said, "What?" "Yeah," she said. "My friends are laughing at me, saying I don't have a boyfriend, just a pet lamprey." I was in shock and sputtering, trying to deny it. I grabbed her arm and told her she couldn't leave me, but she just pushed me away. Hard. Suddenly my heart was pounding like crazy and my vision clouded over... Seeing her walking away from me like that made me scream like the devil and tackle her. I don't know what I was trying to do, pinning her down like that and swearing... I was out of my mind. We scuffled for a while and then...
What happened?
(silence)Ray, what happened?
(in a rough, low voice) We were on the foot-bridge. I didn't mean to. She must have been dazed from when she hit her head on the handrail, so when she fell into the river, she forgot to swim. She just sank and disappeared.Did you push her?
No! I don't know. We were fighting! Maybe she just tripped.Ray, did you push Tricia into the river?
(angry sob) Yes! She was trying to get up after she hit her head... she had her back turned to me...and I was so furious, I couldn't stop myself. I shoved her into the river and watched her fall.Did no one notice that she was gone?
Yes, after a while. But Tricia had always bragged that one of these days she was going to walk right on out of here without telling anyone and start singing for a living. Everyone assumed that's what she had done, and I just encouraged the idea.But you know better.
(whispers) Yes. I know better.Why You're Here:
You managed to get into a prestigious summer biology program in Portland, Oregon. Your mother couldn't afford a plane ticket, so you are driving across the country. You expect you'll be able to get there early tomorrow afternoon, but you don't think you could push through the night so you've stopped to check into the first hotel you saw. It looks like the place has a restaurant and you' are hoping they will still serve you dinner.
Tips:
Ray is still very young and sometimes he has a hard time dealing with the world. We've given you this character because we trust you (more than your fellows) to behave in a safe manner and still have a good time. We will supply you with your locket and all other props that your character would carry. We are going to ask everyone to empty their pockets at the beginning of the evening, so you might not want to bring stuff you don't trust us to hold for you.
