How to Infiltrate a Super Villain Convention (A NoPro Adventure)
Our intrepid author sneaks into ‘Rogues’ Gallery’ and lives to tell the tale
A harsh wind draws snow out of the sky as a group of aspiring criminal masterminds descends upon Park Slope on a cold February night, all at the invitation of the mysterious Honey Badger. Upon arriving at the non-descript venue, each would-be villain is handed a dossier to help remind them of who they are, what they want, and what their deepest darkest secret is. We also remember what we might have brought with us and what we might be willing to trade for, if the price is right. Once given our dossiers, we are advised to conceal our identities with a wide variety of ingenious disguises.
(I, Cornelius Betterbuilt, am the heir to the Betterbuilt fortune and robber baron. I am here tonight in order to obtain some new items for my far too sparse art gallery. If only I could find someone here tonight who could help me procure some Modern Art to add to my collection.)
Once I was sure that my identity was concealed, Number 2, a henchman of our host, approached me and told me that the Honey Badger was expecting me. Making my way into a secret side room, I find him standing in suitably ominous lighting. Greeting me in his German accent (one which would put Hans Gruber to shame) he welcomes me, offers me a little detail about the evening, and shares a secret about the Reverend who will be here later. And with that I am escorted back into the bustling main room, where Vincent Hypnotico welcomes us all to the evening.
The first annual Super Villain Convention was underway.
During the course of evening it is clear that each criminal has their own narrative. Some of us are here to acquire precious items, and to obtain it by any means necessary. Others tonight are looking to trade secrets, to find out as much as they can about the other villains present tonight. Subplots on subplots on subplots abound this evening.
I meet with: the King of the Molemen who is looking for muscle to help protect her people; The Clamburglar, a petty thief who is looking for the Gloves of Deception; and Gold Schlaggen, an eccentric scientist, who just happens to be looking for an Armored Train Car. Lucky for her, I have such an item on my person (in laminated card form). And of course, if she could help me find some Modern Art, then perhaps we can discuss a trade.
Later in the evening a trivia round is presented, which just happens to include questions about the villains here tonight, so those who have been efficient in obtaining personal information have quite the advantage. Meanwhile there are a few who are trying to round people up into their own supervillain gang by giving them wristbands to prove their loyalty. The gang with the most members will be receiving a special reward from the Honey Badger himself. While running around in search of trading partners, the Ice-Cream Man approaches me, despite The Puzzler having already secured my allegiance. Of course being a villain, I don’t have to reveal the entire truth, and perhaps there may be a benefit to being in more than one gang. I greedily accept her bribe.
At one point in the evening I am handed a piece of paper by a henchman who quickly disappears into the crowd. I send a text message to the phone number scrawled on the note, and I am asked to complete a series of tests to prove my loyalty. Then having proved my worth, I am told to make my way into the basement, which until this point I had no idea even existed.
There I take part in a ritual and am initiated into the clan of the Black Mamba, and told that at some point tonight, the Black Mamba will reveal themselves. I am given a set of instructions as to what to do when that happens. (I later learn that the sinister character who inducted me into the Black Mambas was not in fact a member of the cast, but herself was one of the audience members following her own narrative for the evening. This was just one of the many “hidden” roles running parallel to each other throughout. I joked in passing that we should keep an eye out for any undercover detectives at the convention, unbeknownst to me that I was already speaking to one such agent!)
Broken Ghost Immersives have created a wonderful evening of entertainment, mashing some of the best aspects of RPGs, social deduction games, escape rooms, LARPs, puzzle narratives, and immersive theatre, into one glorious evening of scum and villainy, and they are clearly having a blast doing it. The entire evening was a delight, and with an open bar throughout, each participant could be involved exactly as much as they desired. Rogues’ Gallery worked not only for those who wanted to just sit and enjoy a lively party atmosphere with friends, but also for those of us who want to dive headfirst into the immersive aspects of the evening (which I’m glad to say was the vast majority of the 40-person audience). As with many immersive experiences, the more that the audience can become a part of the world, the better the experience for all involved, which is why Rogue’s Gallery was so delightful.
While never taking itself too seriously, the game mechanics of the evening are incredibly sound, and well interwoven into the event, without ever being too obvious. With any production like this, there’s always a risk an uncooperative audience member could spoil the evening for others; however Rogues’ Gallery has been so well coordinated and planned out that even the most sinister of people could not have spoiled the fun.
As you may expect, the evening came to a satisfyingly campy close, and each of us were given an epilogue for our character, depending on whether or not we had reached our own goal successfully, another great touch by the company to help round off the evening. This was one evening of villainy I know that I will remember for quite some time and I look forward to seeing more from this developing company over the next few months.
Broken Ghost Immersives produces live, theatrical events inspired by games. This version of Rogues’ Gallery took place mid-Feburary in Brooklyn and cost $10; the company are working on future iterations of both this production and other new experiences.
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