Roberto Bisceglie (perhaps best known in the solo play space for writing Loner), has just released version 2 of Solo TTRPG Notation under the Loreseed Workshop brand.
Now, I have my own pretty extensive HTML-based notation system (Anatomy of a Post) that evolves and changes, but I also know that people wanting to try out solo RPGs can find journaling to be a point of stress. Traditional tabletop involves note-taking and mapping and such, but finding a pattern to mark out dice vs dialogue can take some time. And the more exciting the play, the harder it is to break immersion to write it down.
Before I write up anything longer, I figured I'd repeat the experiment with Berg & Erzse where I play a quick side story with reduced tools and focus to try out the tool for myself.
In this case, we have Bunny and Frank. Bunny was at the PREMIUM with Raymond/"Cash" and then a nameless other cultist showed up. Frank just popped in my head so here we go.
I'll recap it first and then post the markdown code from my notes. It will "spoil" it but it's a nothing story. Then, in a day or so, I'll write up a review and post it.
Recap: Side Story, Bunny and Frank
Bunny and his younger cousin, Frank, are doing their weekly task of managing inventory at Raymond's discount tobacco store. Don approaches them and pays them $300 + $200 to tail Maria that night. Don's growing hedge magic powers can sense something going wrong and he needs Maria alive so he can sacrifice her in the ritual to summon The Kid.
Bunny and Frank, despite being easily taken for idiots, are actually quite capable and are able to track Maria without her realizing it.
However, once they get to the bonfire, Claus's plan to betray the Ancient Terranauts is underway. In the resulting explosion, Frank is killed [Doug's Note: They each only had one Resolve] immediately and Bunny rushes to fight Claus to get revenge and free Maria. Bunny is incapacitated and burned on the fire.
Content Warning
While not necessarily worse than most of The GLOW, Bunny and Frank are more abrasive and some of their dialogue is a bit more mean-spirited than my usual characters.
Raw Markdown Notes
title: The GLOW 1992: Side Story, Bunny and Frank
ruleset: Tricube Tales
genre: Dumb Redneck Horror
player: Doug Bolden
pcs: [PC: Bunny | Unwavering, Brawny Shop Clerk who Overestimates His Abilities | R: 1 K:0] [PC: Frank | Aggressive, Agile Younger Cousin who Acts Before He Thinks | R:1 K:0]
start_date: 2025-10-29
last_update: 2025-10-29
tools: Arcane Agents One-Sheet, One-Page Mythic
themes: Violence, Horror, Bad Decisions
tone: Aggressive, Funny
notes: Simple test of the notation
# [The GLOW 1992: Side Story, Bunny and Frank]
## Session 1
*Played on 2025-10-29*
### S1 *Cash's Discount Tobacco, Back Room*
[L:Cash's Discount Tobacco | Bright | Well-Stocked -> Closed for July 4]
[L:CDT's Backroom | Large | Full | Smells of Stale Smoke]
> Does Bunny like the cultists (besides Raymond)?
d: (50/50) 41
-> Yes
=> Bunny is part of the cult, though perhaps mostly in it to help Raymond
> Does Frank like the cultists (besides Raymond and Bunny)?
d: (50/5) 68
-> No
=> Frank backs up his cousin and boss, but finds the cult activities a bit freakish
> Who comes to visit B & F?
tbl: {Raymond (1-3) | Don (4-5) | Celia (6)} 5
-> Don
> Why does Don want them to track Maria?
gen: 3,2 "Cut Palm" + 4,2 "Horned Reptile"
=> Don wants to sacrifice Maria at the end of the ritual.
> Is working on the stock room on Saturdays a normal task for B & F?
d: (Likely) 27
-> Yes
> Are they getting paid extra (in money)?
d: (50/50) 19
-> Yes
PC (Bunny): Hurry up, dipshit. Quicker we get this counted, quicker we can go and buy the gear.
PC (Frank, unlit cigarette in mouth): We're paid hourly, fucklechecks. Relax. Enjoy that time-and-half.
=> The two playfully jostle, even tossing cartons of cigs at each other.
> Do they do a good job?
d: (Agile | Crafty) Normal | Bunny: 5,4 => 1S | Frank: 6,6,4 => 2S
-> Each gets at least 1 success
=> They are doing a great job despite their complaints.
=> Don enters into through the back door and all three greet each other. Don and Bunny fist bump, Frank stands back but Don is unbothered.
N (Don): You two about done here?
PC (Bunny): Yep, just a couple more boxes and shop'll be ready for Monday.
N (Don): I got a task for you, will pay $300. For both.
PC (Frank): No, we are getting out of here, getting high as shit, and exploding fireworks.
=> Don pulls out three hundred dollar bills and sets them on a box.
N (Don): Fine, $300 to start, another pair of bills if you do the task right.
PC (Bunny): What do you need?
N (Don): Salas is acting weird after the fed escape. She's tugging too many strings. I need to make sure she's tight and safe for the ritual.
> Does Bunny know about the sacrifice?
d: (50/50) 69
-> No
=> Bunny would be too big a risk to tell Raymond, who will definitely oppose it.
PC (Bunny): Why don't you just pay her to stick around?
N (Don): You ever get one of those feelings? A tingle that something is going poorly?
PC (Bunny): We need any sort of heat for this?
N (Don): Go with your gut.
PC (Frank, following after Bunny's lead): Fine, but when we start?
N (Don): Right after you two are done here. Stake out her house. But fuck's sake, don't think about following her. Plan to do anything but. Plan to go get drunk and blow your hand off with roman candles. Picture that. Buy the damned candles. Think of your trailer. Just *accidentally* follow her. Otherwise she might know.
### S2 *Following Maria after she leaves PREMIUM Motel with Billy and Jayson*
> Who is driving?
tbl: {Bunny | Frank} 2, Even => Frank
> How well can he follow, carefully, in the fog?
d: (Agile | Crafty) Hard 5,6,3 => 1S
-> success
=> He keeps far enough back even without headlights that she doesn't sense him.
PC (Frank): That wasn't the cop that chickened out back in the motel.
PC (Bunny): No, fat boy and thin boy, she's branching out.
PC (Frank): Which one gets first dibs?
PC (Bunny): Maybe she just watches.
> Do either of them actually like Maria?
d: (50/50) 96
-> Exceptional No
PC (Frank): I really hate her guts, you know she thinks she's better than this.
PC (Bunny): Yeah, well, Cash has got the hots and Don wants her around. At least until Celia busts both their balls.
### S3 *Campfire, A Few Minutes after Maria, Billy, and Jayson have split up*
Note: This will take place right around the time Jayson does his distraction and Claus detonates the bomb in the fire.
> Did they have time to get weapons?
d: (Likely) 30
-> Yes
=> They each have a pistol and a knife.
PC (Frank): The fat fuck is over there talking to a dude who looks like a professor.
PC (Bunny): And skinny boy is over there shouting some shit while the hippy fucks are laughing and trying to get his pants off.
PC (Frank): Goddamn, Sodom and Gamera bullshit.
PC (Bunny): Gomorrah, dumbass. Gamera1 is the big ass turtle.
=> Frank stops and looks at Bunny and slowly starts nodding.
> Does Bunny OR Frank know that Claus is a cop?
d: (Brainy) Normal | Bunny 3,3 => F | Frank 2,2 => F
-> No
=> Henry shouts "Claus!" and Maria shouts as Claus grabs her by the hair and pulls out the device.
PC (Bunny): Fuck! Don's going to be pissed.
PC (Frank): We could just wait while...
=> The bonfire explodes.
=> Claus grabs Maria even harder as people are running around on fire and screaming.
> Do Bunny and Frank get hit?
d: (Agile | Brawny) Hard | Bunny 4, 6, 1 => 1S | Frank 1, 5, 1 => F
=> Frank is knocked down and strikes his head while Bunny rolls with the blast, ears ringing.
=> Grabbing Frank's body and beating the fire off his young cousin.
PC (Bunny): MOTHERFUCKER!
> Can he finish off Claus without hurting Maria?
d: (Brawny, gunfire is too risky) Hard [requires: 3S] | 5,4,3 => Fail
-> Bunny gets struck in the first round and goes down
=> After a few seconds of struggle, a pair Claus's thugs take Bunny's body and toss it into the fire. Impact on the Main Story
Obviously, Bunny and Frank are removed as characters.
Don (and likely Celia) knows that Bunny and Frank were tailing Maria but not precisely where. When the two fail to show up, and Frank's body is possibly identified, he might put the blame on her. Otherwise, the cult will be in opposition to Claus's new more violent Terranauts.
+ THREAD: The murders of Bunny and Frank.
- I have no idea if Gamera would have even been readily available for B & F to watch in 1992, but the joke made *me* laugh. ↩︎
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