Back in high school in the 90s you were friends with one Bernard Cartwright. He was a geek's geek - well versed in movies, comics, video games, TV shows, anime - a geek-of-all-trades, if you will. Obsessed with it, maybe, obsessed with pop culture. Most of the time he was fun to hang out with, generous to a fault, accepting of others maybe because he was bullied so often, and he had one of the Midwest's premier collections of nerd media.

Eventually you grew up. He didn't, never moving out of his parents' basement, never going away to college, never really moving on with life. If anything, he became more and more obsessive as you fell out of touch - you eventually had a family or a career, something bigger in life than cartoons and games.
Bernie did not.

As your memories of the 90s faded so did your contact with Bernie, until one day you were surprisingly reminded of who he was when you received notice of his death - and that you'd been named in his will.

It was hard to track down what'd happened to Bernie over the last ten years, if you tried. His parents eventually died, he moved out of your hometown, and off to New Mexico, finally getting a job working for the government doing… something… involving computers. And then he'd died of a sudden aneurysm, and you'd gotten the call that he'd left you something.

The lawyer's office was in New Mexico, a fairly ordinary office with plush couches, walnut paneling, and tasteful art on the walls. There were plenty of seats for those coming to a reading of the will - some occupied by Bernie's cousins, aunts, and uncles - and a section reserved for the five friends he'd bonded with over two decades ago.

As far as what was being bequeathed, there was no clue, other than you should pack for a weekend trip to handle the affairs and plan to return Sunday evening.

This was, perhaps, the first time you'd seen each other in all that time.

ooc: Go ahead and make your establishing posts; give the other PCs a good idea of what they see and how you've changed. Physically, anyway! They can learn the rest by interacting with you.

Let's make sure to give players in other time zones or with slower rates the chance to get involved, so don't post more than once or twice before everybody else weighs in.

For our purposes, you've arrived alone, any significant others or family left behind wherever it is you're living these days.

This message was last edited by the GM at 13:15, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Good, old reliable Southwest would get her to Taos at a decent price and non-stop! The Taos Valley Lodge was about the cheapest place she found with four stars and sounded pretty nice: A/C, sitting area with a flatscreen, even an indoor pool.

Packing one bag wasn't too much of a hassle, just her most presentable warm weather outfits, a one-piece bathing suit that made the most of her assets but hid that little tummy bulge, a thigh-length leather jacket in case the nights were chilly, her travel-size hair dryer because the ones they provided in a motel were never very good (let's face it).

She couldn't resist packing the funeral outfit she wore for Mommy's cremation a few years ago--a simple black sheath with black stockings and pumps and a little hat with a retro veil over the eyes with a necklace of jet beads and matching stud earrings. Yes, it was a costume but it was psychic armor, even though she never felt close enough to Bernie to truly mourn. Oh! and the black gloves, might as well go all the way. Let the sisters and the cousins and the aunts make of it what they would.

What in the world might Bernie have bequeathed her? Nothing very practical or valuable she was certain. Nothing that would reimburse the hundreds of dollars she was putting on her long-suffering AmEx card that they'd get around to reducing the credit limit on sooner or later. But not just yet. Oh, God, what if he left her his Original DnD books in the wood-grain box. That would be a treasure for sure.

At the last minute, she dived into her closet and dug out her senior yearbook. Why? No clue. Maybe someone else would be there from the old high school days. It could be an ice breaker.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:57, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Pulling to a stop in the office parking lot, Caleb Rugger got out of his well-loved Accord and took a moment to soak everything in. The trip from Marietta, Ohio, had been a long one, and he had stretched it out over two days with a stopover in Tulsa. In honor of Bernie, Caleb had spent the journey listening to a Star Wars audiobook marathon - Heir to the Empire, the Thrawn trilogy, Darth Plagueis. On the return trip, he planned to do the same thing but with Star Trek audiobooks.

Bernie. He had probably been the closest friend Caleb had had in high school, though Caleb certainly wasn't Bernie's only friend Bernie. Caleb felt guilty now that he had not tried to stay in contact with Bernie or any of their other friends. Though they had been friends, Caleb had never expected that Bernie would leave him anything in his will, and he was curious about what he might have left. His collection of Star Trek: The Next Generation DVDs? Bernie's D&D books? The news had been a bit of a shock. Caleb had been browsing Reddit when he got the call. And Bernie had moved to New Mexico? That had been a surprise as well.

Caleb hadn't changed much since high school. True, he took better care of himself and had filled out a bit from his formerly scrawny self. The beard was a change, too. Glasses were cooler these days, and it had been a long time since Caleb had been called "four eyes." Even the terms geek and nerd, which had been slurs when Caleb was a kid, were more badges of pride now, especially with people like Elon Musk and Bill Gates as paragons of geekness.

When Caleb entered the law offices, the first thing he noticed were all the the seats. He had not expected so many. The setup reminded him of something out of Nero Wolfe, and a thought flit through his mind that this might become a murder mystery. He recognized some of the people already there, cousins and aunts and uncles. He didn't see Bernie's parents, though, and wondered if they had passed away.

Taking a seat in one of the empty chairs, Caleb wondered who else might show up. Maybe Jonathan and Rita, who had been near-constant fixtures at Bernie's D&D sessions. It would be good to reconnect with them, though he would have rather have done so at an RPG reunion with Bernie once again playing their DM.

David was no stranger to long distance travel, having spent a great deal of time on planes, riding on trains, or driving in his Nissan to some business meeting or another. However, it was new for him to be traveling to a will-reading, especially for someone he hadn't spoken to in more than 20 years. Sure, they'd watched some movies together, played a few video games, but David was never really close to Bernie. Certainly not close enough to keep in touch after he moved out to LA.

David arrived in a smart business suit, trading out his flashier ties for a somber grey tie appropriate to the occasion. Despite decades having passed, David was still unmistakably himself, with short dirty blonde hair, brown eyes and a face that had won (and broken) many hearts back in the day. There were still a few signs of aging, of course: some grey hair at the temples, a bit of pudginess around the middle, a slight limp from knees that didn't always cooperate when he got up in the morning. But all in all, the years had treated him well.

As he entered the law office, he did his best to be respectful. He didn't recognize most of the faces- he'd never really met any of Bernie's family, other than his parents, who didn't seem to be in attendance- but there were a few that seemed to ring a few bells. Now wasn't the time for catching up, though, because there was still a will reading to be done.

Jonathan breathes a sigh of relief as he finally reaches the lawyer's office. He'd just spend hours on a bus the previous day, followed by an uncomfortable night in the cheapest hotel he could find. And after walking half-way across the (thankfully small) town, he finally stepped into the office, putting on the ill-fitting suit he brought for the occasion.

Looking around the room, seeing so many people he didn't recognize... until he spotted two of his old friends, off to the side. "David? Caled? Man, it's been forever!" Joining them, they could see how he changed over the years. His pudgy turned a lot thinner, though it's hard to tell if it's from dieting or from eating less. His hair is still messy, though a gray streak is starting to show in the middle.

He takes his seat, keeping his voice low. "Did you keep in touch with Bernie? I didn't really speak with him since I moved... I never would have imagined I'd be in his will."

Melanie had flown to Albuquerque International Sunport and rented a car at the airport. She was already missing her kids and husband, but it was only for a weekend.

She'd almost forgotten Bernie Cartwright. It had been an odd friendship, the cheerleader and the geek's geek, bonding after sneaking in to see Batman Returns despite being underage. She smiled at the memory of watching episodes of Twin Peaks with him when her parents wouldn't let her.

She hadn't stayed in touch, though, and the lawyer's letter came out of the blue.

It was sweltering when she stepped out of the airport. Melanie reflected wryly that her favorite black leather jeans and jacket were more suitable for cool Seattle than baking Albuquerque. She cranked up the AC in the rental for the two-and-a-half hour drive to her hotel in Taos, El Monte Sagrado.

---

The next morning, Melanie was feeling refreshed after a good night's sleep and a dip in the hotel pool. She thought she'd left plenty of time, but finding a nearby parking lot had taken longer than she'd expected and she found several others had arrived before her.

Superficially, Melanie was still recognizable. In the last year or so of high school, she'd taken to dressing all in black, black leather when she could get away with it - and sometimes when she couldn't. Her hair was a similar length, and make-up hid some of the signs of age. But she wasn't as svelte as when she was a cheerleader: two children had seen to that. She wasn't overweight, but comfortably a mom.

"David!" she said, surprised, "Remember me?"

The others she was less sure of.

There were more of what Rita took to be family members chatting quietly, sometimes embracing,in the stuffy conference room than Rita had expected. Had Bernie improbably gotten rich to draw so many aunts and uncles and nieces and nephews to a lawyer’s office in New Mexico?

Then she saw the little, set aside row of almost-familiar people and drifted toward them. Ohmigod, was that Melanie? And yes, there was Jonathan, it was him she saw in the shop the other day. So, the other men would be Caleb and David talking to Melanie like they weren’t quite sure of each other.

She realized she was the one who looked least like her high school self. “Hi, Jonathan,” she said quietly, seeing uncertain recognition come into his eyes, “It’s Rita Lowenstine. Remember? I thought that was you at Avalon the other day, but I couldn’t break away from that old witch until you were gone. No, really, she’s about eighty and a Wiccan. I was helping her pick out crystal pendants for her coven.” Her laugh bubbles up, too loud for the room, as always.

"Rita?" Jonathan looks up to her in surprise. "Wait, no way... You look... good!" He has to shake his head, trying to reconcile the image of the pretty woman standing in front of him with that of the unremarkable girl he used to play D&D with.

"I'm sorry, I just... I would never have recognized you! What happened? Did that witch sell you a potion or something?" He jokes, forgetting where he was himself.

"Ah, is that you, Melanie?" he said, recognizing the woman from the brief time they dated. "It's been so long! You're looking good," he said, remembering not to push things now that he was a married man.

"Hey, John," he said to the man. "Now's not the best time to catch up, though. We'll talk later," he said, trying to keep his voice hushed.

He had to raise an eyebrow at Rita, though. When he knew her, she was the nerdy girl with skin issues. Clearly time had treated her well. "Rita, that really you? I didn't recognize you at all," he said, still trying to keep his voice to a respectful level.

After a few minutes of idle chatter a man in a sharp suit enters, carrying a briefcase that he places on a desk in front of the room. He looks around, makes brief eye contact with each of you, then clears his throat. Bernard's family - whom had been chatting idly - settle down.

"Thank you all for attending the reading of Bernard Cartwright's last will and testament. Everyone's present, there's no need to draw this out unnecessarily."

The bequest commences. Most of it is fairly conventional. Bernard was fairly well off, with investment accounts, properties, and shares in several tech companies - most of which went to his older brother - a guy you vaguely remember, but he'd been almost a decade your senior and didn't live at home back in the day.

Most of the rest went to his extended family - nobody seemed particularly surprised by how it all shook out. Until, of course, he came to the five of you.

"To my good friends, the bastion of my youth, the only ones who ever understood me - I leave you our childhood. My collection of games, movies, boxed sets, collectibles, and memorabilia, valued at over $300,000. Currently housed in a facility in the desert 20 miles outside of Taos."

There were, of course, two stipulations. "First, the collection can only be sold or split up if the decision to do so is in all way unanimous among the beneficiaries. Second, Mr. Robinson has requested that all said beneficiaries spend the weekend with the collection before they make that decision. Should they decide to keep the collection intact, the facility - referred to henceforth as 'The Clubhouse' - will be maintained for their free use by a trust set up by the deceased."

There's some muttering from the family at this - the brother in particular looks displeased. Nobody objects, however.

That was a lot of money, if you decided to sell. And all Bernie asked was that you relive a bit of your childhood. Surely, that wasn't too much to ask.

As the others entered and took their seats, names had come back to Caleb. Tina was nearly unrecognizable, and Jonathan had shed some of his plumpness. David and Melanie seemed similar, nearly the same as when Caleb had last seen them. He had nodded and gave Jonathan a smile when the other man greeted him. "Yeah, me neither," he had said quietly. "This was completely out of the blue. I always thought about reaching out to him, maybe getting together a game weekend for old time's sake. I guess that's not an option anymore."

Now, he listens quietly as Bernie's lawyer reads the will. Surprisingly, Bernard had done well for himself. Maybe he hadn't spent his entire life in his parents' basement after all. All of it seemed fairly straightforward. But then, the lawyer made Caleb raise his eyebrows. He knew Bernie had been an obsessive collector, but three hundred grand? Was it a collection or a still-open Tower Records store?

Two stipulations. Ah, yes, the fine print. He glances at the others. Could the five of them come to a consensus on who gets what? Perhaps they can settle things with a video game tournament. He wouldn't say no to some Goldeneye action.

And the second request, that they spend the weekend with Bernie's collection? Intriguing, but it sounds like fun to Caleb. A weekend spent reading, watching movies, maybe running through a MERP or Star Wars West End Games one-shot. Leaning over to Jon, Caleb says quietly, "Sounds like a great set-up for a mini-campaign. Weekend at Bernie's, eh?" Caleb had wondered if Bernie had made the exact same joke. The worst of it was that he wasn't around to see it. Bernie would have loved getting his friends together for one last weekend, which is likely why he made the stipulation in the will.

Keeping a "clubhouse," though? Maybe if Bernie hadn't moved. Two days was pretty far to drive just to read comics he could get on Comixology now.

Rita stopped looking at her old friends. She was pleased that the guys noticed how much she’d changed after high school. She was such an ugly duckling then. Not quite a swan now, but much improved. The four of them were comparatively unaltered. Older, of course, with time and gravity beginning to tell. The lawyer had gotten to their bequest. Wait what?

Rita blinked. $300,000. Could any collection of geek swag be worth that much? For real? Split five ways that’s $60,000 each. She could get a car to replace Pop’s ten-year-old Chrysler LeBaron. Beam me up, Scotty, I’m ready for the Clubhouse. She could barely keep from laughing out loud.
This message was last edited by the player at 03:39, Mon 04 Oct 2021.

Jon's jaw drops at the value of the collection. Sure, those old collectibles could be worth a lot (like the five hundred dollars he spent on that Unicron collectible...) but they're often over evaluated. Still, even if they doubled the price, it's an amazing amount.

He chuckles at Caleb's whisper. "Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time I run a game with no prep." He answers. "I just hope that clubhouse has a place to sleep, I really don't want to get back to that hotel..."

But at the same time, Jon got a bit worried. Would the other insist on selling it out? David doesn't look like he's short on cash, but you can never really tell... It would be awful to see his old friends again, only for everyone to end up at each other's throat over some cash.

Bernie's family starts filtering out, a few stopping to sign a few papers. The lawyer swings by to have a word with you all.

"If you're open to accepting Mr. Cartwright's bequest, check out of your hotels and return here in an hour - the facility has suitable amenities. We'll compensate you for any unused rate you cannot get refunded; provide our secretary with a printout of your bill."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:06, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Melanie grew bored during the initial bequests, and began to wonder if it was worth the trip. Of course, it was nice to see people she hadn't seen since high school, but...

It sounded like Bernie had done well for himself, but he'd died young all the same.

Then came the part that applied to them. 'Stunned' would be an understatement.

She immediately doubted it was worth as much as the lawyer stated. $300,000 sounded more like an insurance assessment, and people always over-estimated the market for old stuff. There was something touching about it, though.

"A last weekend with his collection. Almost as if he wants us to say goodbye to it. But if we're checking out and returning in an hour, we'd better hurry."

It would be a shame to give up the hotel - Melanie liked her creature comforts - but chances to pretend to be a teenager again didn't come along often.

David thought carefully about the offer. He'd already intended to take a couple of days on this trip- traveling such a long distance was no joke, and not something to do in one day if it could be avoided- but certainly not in the midst of some kind of weird retro-geek wonderland. Still, there were worse ways to do things, even if it meant spending a whole weekend with a bunch of people he hadn't seen in two decades.

"One hour, huh? Alright, I'll see what I can manage. Just need to let the family know where I'll be and grab my stuff from my hotel room, but I should be good to go."

Jonathan frowns, and turn to the others. "Um... do any of you stay at the Day Inn? Or close to it? I could use a lift..." After the night he's had, he would have jumped on a chance to sleep on an old couch. Spending a week-end with old friends is just the cherry on top.

"I'm in. Will transportation be provided?"

Rita realizes how unattached she is, seeing Melanie and David consider letting others know of their change in plans. Some days it felt like lonely but right now she sees her lack of family and close friends as freedom.

As they gather up their coats and possessions, she reaches out to touch Melanie on the arm with a smile. "Melanie...hi. It's been a long time. You look great. Oh, it's Rita Lowenstine, in case you don't remember me."

In answer to Jonathan, she says, "I'm at the Taos Valley Lodge out on 68. Don't know if that's near your Days Inn or not. I don't know anything about the town."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:01, Tue 05 Oct 2021.

Mr. West nods to Rita. "Yes. Access to the facility is through the desert - clearly marked, but more packed than paved, so we have a few off-road vehicles prepared for your use. If you've rented vehicles, they can be returned for you, and if you've your own transportation we can store it for the weekend."

He turns to Jonathan and David. "One of our associates would be more than happy to give you a lift to your lodgings and back, Mr. Wagner. And yes, there's no cell service at the clubhouse, so if you've any calls to make, do so now."

ooc: You can continue chatting here, but I'll open a new thread for the clubhouse.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:04, Tue 05 Oct 2021.