Help! I Have A Crush On My Rival?! - A CARTA Journaling Game

[Teviko604]

INTRODUCTION:

If I haven't mentioned it already 😉, I've been distracted from my main role-playing game by a journaling game.  I am now far enough along in that game to start making posts.  If you're just here to read a good story, feel free to skip down to Prompt 1 and avoid all this background stuff. However, if you want to know why I became interested in this game and learn some of its mechanics, please read on.

The game I'm playing is Help! I Have A Crush On My Rival?! I think the reason I found this game so compelling is nostalgia. When I was in high school and discovering my enjoyment of creative writing, I wrote a lot of “crush” stories. Of course, they typically had a twist or involved bizarre circumstances: a murdered cheerleader; a demon unleashed into the world; a boy trapped in a coma because he preferred his dream world to the real one; chasing an evil warlord across time in a Highlander rip-off; or dead characters living in purgatory. I didn't have a successful dating life back then (frankly, I had no dating life) and maybe those stories were my chance to live the relationships I longed to have. (Considering the subject matter I previously listed, I must've had some real strange ideas about what would make the perfect date. 😳)

Today, I'm happily married to my “Crush,” having a great life, and wouldn't want to be with anyone else. Even so, I have a certain affinity for stories that explore new relationships.  Perhaps that is why I find Hallmark movies and other rom-coms more enjoyable to watch than many other men. Though my reasons for writing - not just demented romances, but all kinds of stories - might have changed over the years, I still love to imagine and document what another life might be like, whether it's a young woman developing her skills as a thief, new partners surviving in a post-apocalyptic Pennsylvania, a clown hunting giant chickens, a band of mercenaries exploring a mysterious island, or a young man beginning to have some curious feelings about their greatest gaming opponent.

Help! I Have A Crush On My Rival?! by Dice Problems is available on itch.io, and is based on the Carta game system.  Carta games are role-playing games that require a standard deck of playing cards.  The game “board” is made by arranging a certain number of random cards in a pattern, typically a grid.  A card is revealed and matched with a corresponding prompt for that card, which explains what happens to your character or how the game proceeds.  The game continues as the player moves from one adjoining card to another, following their prompts.  The game is over once they reveal the designated “end game” card or are eliminated in the process.  The developer using this system sets the theme and goal of the game, and may tweak and/or add new mechanics.

In the case of Help! I Have A Crush On My Rival!? its theme should be obvious. Also, it pairs the Carta mechanics with the task of creating a journal.  Each card prompt describes a situation or event for you to write about as you move the story along.  One of the mechanics this game uses is “Potential,” a scoring system that determines how successful an outcome your story will have.  When you turn over a red card, you gain Potential.  A back card looses you Potential.  Once you’ve revealed both Jokers, the game ends and you have to complete your story in a manner that reflects your amount of Potential.  There are a few other mechanics that can assist your character, but I will discuss those whenever they occur in the game.

Now, disclaimer upon disclaimer:

Help! is available on Itch.io as a “Name Your Own Price” game.  This means that while donations to the developer are encouraged, the game is fully available for free.  For that reason, I feel comfortable sharing the full wording of each prompt so the reader can fully appreciate how it influenced the story.  If you are interested in playing the game or reading it for yourself, I encourage you to download your own copy and donate, if that is something you feel led to do.

My story is not meant to be a deep, serious work of literature.  It’s a fun, casual game. As such, expect it to be full of romance and rom-com tropes.  I’m not looking to rework the genre or necessarily do something unique, different, or game-changing.

With the exception of a few classic games, all the titles I have used are original and, to the best of my knowledge, not real games (at least at the time of this writing).  That being said, while the titles are original, descriptions of each title’s gameplay might resemble, or outright mimic, a real, existing game.

The board and game progress is being tracked, and the cards were “shuffled” in Google Sheets. Screenshots will be included to monitor my progress.  If you have any questions or comments about how or why I am using this method, feel free to email me at [email protected] or leave a comment.

For graphics, I have decided I was going to use AI generated images for this story.  The main online tools I used were the generators that can be found at perchance.org. Whenever a different AI tool was used, it will be noted. Any edits or cleanup were done by me using GIMP.

While the images are generated, the text is not.  All the writing is a product of my own creativity, as directed by the prompts, with occasional help from a random name generator, here and there.

Thank you for bearing with me.  Now let’s get to the game.

[Teviko604]

PROMPT 1: THE DICE & DECK

Before you even flip a card, the game asks you to answer the first prompt.

PROMPT: You’ve been thinking about your Rival a lot. They’ve always gotten under your skin,  But something has been different recently. You’ve started to think you could like this person, despite yourself. What incident gave you this hint of possibility? How do you feel?

*  *  * 

Gwen Anders!  What is she doing here? 

It’s the monthly game tournament at the “Dice & Deck,” and the featured game is  Australia: The Northern Territory.  I thought Gwen didn’t like worker placement/resource gathering games.  Honestly, they’re not my first choice either, but I was sure that, at the very least, I could compete without have to worry about playing against her!

But I’m ahead of myself.  Maybe I should rewind this story several years.

My name is Lance Walsh and I live with my family in Winter Shores. I’ve grown up on Family Game Night, where my parents, sister, and I would play games like Clue, Monopoly, Sorry, and Uno.  Party games were fun, but as I got older,, about the time I was a freshman in high school, I discovered games that were more complex, strategic, and involved.  However, after trying a few at home, it was clear that they would never be accepted into the regular rotation of games.  Even at school, finding opponents among my friends was difficult.  So when I heard that there was a group of like-minded individuals who met every Saturday at the “Dice & Deck” comic store for the sole purpose of learning, playing, and competing in all sorts of games, I knew I had found my home away from home.

I thought I had a vast knowledge of games, and that was true at home and at school.  However, after my first weekend, I realized my knowledge was basically infantile.  Over the next several months I was introduced to all kinds of different games: board games such as worker placement, roads and rails, deck builders, war games, area control, and resource management; boardless games such as social deduction and role-playing; and what would become my personal favorite, trading card games.

I’m not ashamed to say that I pretty much sucked those first few months. I lost most games. I was eliminated in the first round of the few tournaments I played.  But I wasn’t deterred, and before too long I found myself winning more games than I lost, at least of the titles I played regularly.  I was even able to make it through the first round of the tournaments I entered. I continued to improve until by my sophomore year in school, I was one of the top players in my age range and able to hold my own against the college aged kids and adults. Nothing was going to stand in my way of a promising gaming future at the “Dice & Deck.”

That was, until Gwen Anders walked through the door.

It was just after Christmas break when this girl I had never seen before visited the store.  She appeared to be about my age (I later found out she was also a high school sophomore) and instantly drew everyone’s attention.  I may have been because she was a girl -- a rarity at the time, since over 80 percent of the players were male -- but if so, I wasn’t sure why.  She wore a plain, white t-shirt and jeans and her auburn hair that was cut short. Think Molly Ringwald from Sixteen Candles, but not as girly. In fact, she was much a tomboy, unshed baby fat making her a little pudgy. As for the other boys in the group, if any were hoping for more than just a game, they would soon find out that they would be out of luck. Gwen was looking for competition, and nothing else.

Trying to be friendly, I reached out to her the first day.  I asked if she wanted to play a game of Turf Wars, a deck battling game that I was rather good at.  I wouldn’t have been surprised if she refused -- the game was about battling lawn insects --- but she agreed.  Gwen admitted to me that she had never played Turf Wars, however, it was clear she knew the basics of this type of card game.  I won, but Gwen had caught on fast and it wasn’t the cakewalk I expected it to be.

She returned the next week, we played again.  This time, however, she won.  Actually, that’s not exactly correct.  You could say she annihilated me, winning in a mere five rounds.  I was impressed and told her so, especially since I had been victorious the previous week.

“You must’ve had beginner’s luck,” she announced, then walked away to find another opponent.

I must’ve had beginners luck!?  Me!  Who did she think she was, calling me a beginner?  She didn’t even know the game.  I’ve been playing for the last three months. The arrogance!

Turns out, she wasn’t just blowing smoke.  Over the next couple of months, regardless of the game, Gwen either beat me easily, or, in the few instances I was able to squeak out a victory, it was thanks to a lucky roll of the dice or draw of a card.  In other words, unless the game involved some random mechanic, she couldn’t lose.

It all culminated in our first tournament together.  As usual, I felt confident going into the tournament.  It had been months since I failed to make to at least the semi-final round.  However, by the luck of the draw, Gwen and I were seated at the same table. Needless to say, she knocked me out of the tournament in the first round. She didn’t even have the courtesy to say, “Good game.” She just smirked at me as I left the table dejected.

After that, I adopted a new strategy when it came playing against Gwen: avoid doing so as much as I could!  That turned out to be rather easy, as she was interested in playing RPG themed board games, while I preferred the trading card variety.  We happily maintained that relationship -- members of the same group but living separate lives -- for the remainder of our sophomore year and all of our junior year.  However, when our senior year rolled around, our rivalry blossomed.

The Saturday gaming group at the “Dice & Deck” wasn’t just a random group of like individuals coming together every week to play games. Okay, maybe it was, but this seemingly random group did have some organization, and overseeing it was the “Game Board.”  It was our board of directors, but for games.  Get it?  “Game Board?”  Anyway, the Game Board consisted of anywhere from three to five members who would organize the group and plan out the various tournaments throughout the year.  The biggest and most anticipated tournament was the end-of-the-year Holiday Bowl, where one game would be picked and everyone would participate, hoping to be crowned to Champion of the Year!

While there was no age limit to be a Board member, no one younger than a college junior  had ever held the position.  However, if you were a long-time, regular Saturday gamer, the Game Board took your opinions seriously. If one was lucky, they may have some sway with the Board over what games were played at the various events.  By the time I was a high school senior, I was hoping to have earned some of that sway.

Over the past year, I nade it a point to build friendships with several of the Board Members. Bowl recommendations didn't bein until October. But that didn't keep me from making it known that I was hoping to play a trading card game in the year end tournament.  Gwen, who had also been around for a while,  must have had a similar idea, because he spent a lot if time talking to the board, as well. There was a big difference berween us, however. We both may have had the Board's ear, but Gwen had the influence!  They didn’t just listen to her, but, in my opinion  went out of their way to make sure that the Holiday Bowl would decided by playing her suggestion, a war-themed board game, 1945: War in Europe.

The tournament was a disaster, at least for me.  I was outed in the first round and, not surprisingly, Gwen made it to the final table.  even One of the older members took the top prize, but it didn't change Gwen's bragging to me for the next several weeks.  It was all too clear, as long as Gwen was around, my tournament success would be effectively limited.

Lucky for me, however, Gwen had ambitions for her future that could not be accommodated by our small local college.  After high school, she left for a larger university a few states away.  What was more important, however, was that her presence would no longer haunt me from across the game board. Except for the occasional weekend here and there when she returned home on break, Gwen was gone from the “Dice & Deck” forever, and I could begin to regain dominance over my fellow gamers.

Too much?  Okay, maybe I just wouldn't lose as much.

Unlike Gwen, I had no real direction in my life. I stayed in Winter Shores and enrolled in the local community college. But, while my career plans may have stagnated, my gaming goals continued to increase. In addition to playing games, I made it a point to befriend the members of the Board and help out wherever I could.  When they needed someone to set up for tournaments, I was there.  If new players needed help be introduced into the group, I made sure they found a good mentor or opponent. I’d pick up snacks, make posters, anything that benefitted Saturday Game Day..

Then, about six months ago, at the start of my second and final year of community college, it happened!  I was officially asked to join the Game Board as an official member.  They had lost a couple of members this past year and were down to only two: Elaine, who was in her thirties and considered the mother of the group, even though several of the regulars were older than her, and Art, who was in his last year of college and only been on the Board himself for a little over a year.  I eagerly jumped in, but bade my time before making my recommendations for this year’s Holiday Bowl.  I didn’t want to sound desperate, after all.

After graduating from college, I spent more time at the “Dice & Deck” than was probably healthy.  In fact, I spent so much time, I was offered a job.  The game store was pretty much my home and the Saturday group my family.  Summer was nearly over and plans for the Bowl would begin soon. I was living my best life . . .

Until she came back!

Gwen Anders returned in early August.  She had grown a bit over the past two years, having trimmed up from her pudgy high school look.  Instead of her old tomboy haircut, her auburn hair was much longer and tied it back in a ponytail.  She still wore jeans and t-shirts, which usually featured a game logo, but she added a black leather jacket to her ensemble, even though the weather was still warm.

I expected her to stick around for a couple of weeks, play a few games with the group for old time’s sake, then head back to college.  Except she didn’t.  I don’t know why she didn’t go back, but I certainly wasn’t going to ask her.  I didn’t relish the idea of my rival’s return, but as long as I didn’t have to play against her, it might be okay.  And if ever we met in a tournament, I had to have improved the past two years. Hadn’t I? Regardless, I was cordial to Gwen when I had to be and avoided her otherwise.

Which brings us to where the story began, Gwen surprising me by participating in the Australia: The Northern Territory tournament. I’m happy to say, Gwen did not knock me out the tournament this time! However, that was because I was eliminated in the second round without ever being say at her table.  How did Gwen do?  I think that’s best left a mystery.

Eventually, the first Saturday in October rolled around, and I was eager to get to the “Dice & Deck” early.  This was the day the Board officially began discussing plans for the end of the year Holiday Bowl. This is what I’d been waiting for, the day I would officially present my pitch for Andromeda Factions, a sci-fi themed trading card game that I discovered last year.  I'd discussed the game a time or two with Elaine and Art, and not sensing any objections from them, I believed I had a great chance of convincing them to feature Factions at this year's final tournament. 

I arrived at the store ten minutes after it had opened. There were only a few cars in the parking lot, but I did see Art's and rushed in to speak with him before the other's began to arrive. I headed to the back of the store where the gaming tables were located and saw that Art wasn't alone.  I nearly gasped when I realized it was Gwen!

I thought this couldn't be good, and my fears were confirmed when I got close and could hear their conversation. Gwen was asking Art to consider Wyvern's Retreat for the Bowl.  Please, not another board game. And certainly not hers!

“Art,” I interrupted.  “I was hoping we could talk before everyone starts arriving?”

Art held up a hand to cut me off.  “Sure, Lance.  I'll be with you as soon as I'm done with Gwen.”

To Gwen, he said, “Thanks for the suggestion. It's early yet, but I'll be sure to have Elaine talk to you. That might also be a good time for her and I to talk to ou about something elsa we've been discussing. The Game Board has grown thin this past year, but the number of people coming to play every week is increasing.  Elaine and I really want to build the Board back up to five members again, and since it looks like you'll be staying in Winter Shores for a while, we were hoping to get your thoughts about becoming a Board member yourself.”

I was shocked! Did I hear right. Elaine and Art were offering Gwen a position on the Board. I was puzzled. I'm on the Board. Why didn't they ask me? Then I got angry. Gwen's hasn't been around for two years. What right did she have suddenly getting a say in the group’s business?

But then, I felt something totally unexpected.  I was a little jealous. Not because of Art's invitation to Gwen, or even the possibility that he would choose her game over mine.

No. My jealousy came from the simple fact that Art was getting to talk to Gwen.

===============

Teen Gwen image generated at perchance.org

[Teviko604]

Prompt 2:

Random Starting point, counting from lower left: Use Google to generate a random number - 4

Card: 2 Hearts [Red] (How appropriate, though probably early) Gain 2 potential.

Prompt: The two of you have a shared goal, for once. What’s challenging both of you enough that you can form a temporary truce? How do you overcome it? How well can the two of you work together when you have to?

* * *

The rest of the morning was a blur. I simply couldn't concentrate. I just kept thinking about the conversation between Gwen and Art.  Art wasn't really considering Gwen game suggestion, was he?  And why didn't he and Elaine tell me they were inviting her? I am a member of this Board.  I should have a say! And … and … well, I just didn't want to think about it anymore.  I wanted to play. 

However, that didn't go very well either. I lost every match and I was twenty minutes into a game of (ready for this?) Wyvern's Retreat, the Devil's (and read that “Gwen’s”) Kool-Aid before I knew what I was doing. It was no surprise. I couldn't help but keep looking over to where Elaine and Art were having their meeting with Gwen.

I really wanted to know what they were talking about. Were they still talking about the Holiday Bowl? Or were they now discussing her joining the Board, and if so, shouldn't I be part of that? And why did Art … I mean, the two of them need to talk to her for so long.

It was almost noon, and it was obvious that I was finding no enjoyment today. I was ready to head home, but as I headed for the door, I saw Gwen several steps ahead of me leaving as well.  In a snap decision, I decided I wanted to try and fix this situation now, instead of stewing over it all week. I didn't want to know about the Board, that was a horror I preferred not to think about as long as possible.

“Gwen!”

“Hey, Lance. What’s up?” My heart skipped a beat when Gwen turned around.  She didn’t exactly smile, but her eyes were curiously kind.

Okay, I think I better explain something before you get the wrong idea.  The way I described our relationship earlier, I suspect you think Gwen and I were the definition of antagonism, every meeting a battle for dominance.  That’s not exactly true.  Gwen was confident, determined, and competitive, but she wasn’t evil! Truth be told, I was the one who was rude, obnoxious, and dismissive.  In fact, right now, Gwen was probably wondering what was so important that I would even want to talk with her.

“I heard you talking with Art this morning about the Holiday Bash.  I thought we might be able to work together to choose the best game.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“As I’m sure you know, this is my first year on the Game Board. I’ve worked really hard for this, helping out when I can, running errands.  I even got a job here and am able to a little during the week, when Elaine and Art can’t.  What I’m trying to say is, I’ve been wanting to be as useful on the Board as I could so that I might have a say in what the year’s final tournament would be.  So . . . maybe you could not push your game anymore and let me have it this year?  Then you can talk up Wyvern’s Retreat as much as you want for next year.”

This time Gwen did smile . . . a wide “You can’t fool me” smile.

“That doesn’t sound like working together,” she said.  “That sounds like you getting your way.  Let me guess, you want a trading card game?”

“Andromeda Factions,” I admitted.

“C’mon, Lance.  You know a trading card game isn’t a great choice for the Bowl.”

“Whattdya mean?”

“Not only can each individual title be niche, no one is starting off on an even playing field.  Depending on how much you play, and let’s face it, how much money you are willing to spend, or even have for that matter, one player may have a strong deck with all sorts of advanced cards while others decks may have weaker base cards and whatever trades its owner was able to make. It doesn’t seem fair.”

“We could make it sealed deck, where everyone gets random boosters and have to make their deck from that?”

“Still, it makes for a better, more inviting tournament, if all the players have access to the same items as everyone else.  That’s why self-contained games are best. Besides, that's not how this works.  Anyone can offer suggestions to the Board, and since I’m friends with Art . . .”

My heart suddenly skipped another beat.

“. . . I thought he might give it more than just a passing thought.” Then her eyes narrowed, and her tone became very matter-of-fact. “Nice try, Lance, but I don’t really know what you are worried about.  Like you said, you’re on the Board.  I’m sure you’ll do all you can to sabotage me.”

Ouch!

“I wouldn’t do that!”

“Sure,” Gwen responded, not sounding convinced. “See you next week, Lance,” she said, turned, and walked away.

===============

Gwen image created at Perchance.org.

[Teviko604]

Prompt 3:

Not sure which way I want to move, so I’ll roll for it: 2 (east)

Card: 6 Clubs [Black], Lose 1 potential

In a moment of feeling especially cordial toward your Rival, you make a small gesture of friendship toward them. (Example: Sending them a holiday card, or inviting them to a meal with you and your friends.) Your Rival seems to ignore your overture completely. How do you feel?

I have an idea of what to offer, but I’ll make a couple of rolls on RPGSolo’s Complex Questions for inspiration:  Aggressively / Enormous  Innocently / Nondescript 

Okay, that couldn’t have been two more opposite descriptions, but the enormous and innocent confirm some of my original idea, so I’ll go with it.

RPGSolo’s Oracle: How did Gwen respond to the discussion about the Board?  Was she interested in joining?  (Unlikely, because she just returned home and the invite is out of the blue.  Not something she was expecting and unsure what her future plans are.)  No.

*  *  *

“I'm sorry I didn't get back to you on Saturday. What did you want to talk to me about?”

It was Art. He was calling to apologize for not talking to me on Saturday.  I accepted the apology, even though I was the one avoiding Art after hearing his conversation with Gwen. I gave him my Andromeda Faction pitch over the phone, though it was admittedly less enthusiastic than I had planned. He brought up some of the same points Gwen did, but started brainstorming about ways to make it work without any prompting from me.

“One more thing,” I asked, daring to broach Gwen’s invitation. “Were you going to talk to me about Gwen joining the Game Board?”

“Oh. That. The thought only came to me last Friday night. I called Elaine to get her opinion, and she wanted to wait till the morning and talk to Gwen before considering an official invite. I probably shouldn't have said anything to Gwen until Elaine and I were able to speak with her together.”

“Shouldn’t I have been included in that conversation?”

“You’re right.  I’m sorry,” Art apologized.  “The last invite was you, and of course the only one I had to discuss it with was Elaine.  I still think of Elaine as the head of the Board and she’s the one to give any final blessings.  Besides, I didn’t think you would mind if we asked Gwen.

I was hurt that he didn’t think of me as an important member of our trio, but I couldn't really fault him. I thought of Elaine the same way, and Art and I had different friends when I was in high school, so he wouldn't have known about Gwen’s and my rivalry.

“As it turns out,” he continued, “it's not going to happen. Gwen's not interested.  She just got back to town and is not sure about her plans for the next several months. To her credit, she also thought it would be unfair to others who have been here a while.  I can’t lie, I was disappointed. Hopefully, she’ll reconsider in the future.”

Because you think she'll be good at it, or because you want to spend more time with her?

I'm not sure why I thought that, but I brushed it away.  I had one quick, final thought, one that required me to ask Art another question.

“Do you know if Gwen drinks coffee? I don't remember if I've seen her with one?”

“Hmm, I think I've seen her come in with a cup from JavaBeans, but I'm not positive.”

Despite Gwen’s and my conversation last Saturday, I wasn’t ready to give up on changing her mind.  More importantly, however, she thought I was a saboteur and I had to do something about that.  And third, I hadn’t been as friendly toward her as I should have been.  Maybe I could take care of all three with one big gesture.

*  *  *

I can’t say I’ve ever been to JavaBeans myself.  Why pay over five bucks for something that can just as easily brew in a pot at home yourself?  But everyone seemed to rave about their coffee and this was a special circumstance.  I could have just picked up a plain coffee, but I really wanted to make an impression, so I asked the kid at the drive-through to recommend a really fancy drink.  The vanilla latte sounded nice, and I had it topped with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles. 

The coffee shop was across the street from the “Dice & Deck”, and as I was paying, I saw Gwen walking across its parking lot.  What perfect timing!

As I walked into the store, I noticed Gwen wasn’t holding a coffee cup.  I didn’t think about it until then, but I could have looked really stupid, offering her a coffee when she already had one. Lucky break there, until I thought, What if she doesn’t have a coffee because Art was wrong and she doesn’t like coffee? Before I started second-guessing myself too much, I approached her and extended my olive branch.

“Good morning, Gwen.  I was in the drive-through of JavaBeans when I saw you walking in the store.  I thought I do something nice and pick this up for you.”

Inwardly, I chastised myself.  When I was stopped at JavaBeans? I didn’t have a coffee of my own.  What if she noticed? 

“What’s that?” she asked instead, wrinkling her nose.

“A vanilla latte with whipped cream and cinnamon sprinkles.  I wanted to get you something good.”

“Ugh,” She looked disgusted.  “I can’t have all that!”

“I’m sorry . . . I didn’t . . . I didn’t know you were . . . “ As I stammered, I couldn’t help but drop my eyes to look at her body.

“Please!” Gwen rolled her eyes.  “I’m not watching my weight.  I’m a diabetic. That’s too much sugar for me.  You can have it.” She glanced around. “Or give it to Wayne.  I think he likes that stuff.”

She didn’t even say goodbye as she walked away to join Morgan and Daniel, who were setting up a game at a table in the back.

I stood there dumbfounded, holding the latte, whipped cream beginning to melt down the side.

Shit!

=================

Lance image generated at perchance.org.