Ten years ago, you and your team of highly specialized, completely legitimate associates were cheated out of the score of a lifetime by someone you all trusted. Now that youre all out of jail or out of hiding, youve got the gang back together for one last job youre gonna hit the Cavalcade. As far as Reno gambling establishments go, the Cavalcade isnt much to write home about; its a third-rate establishment in a second-rate town. But the guy who conned you used the money he stole to buy it, so this is personal.

Thats thewhat.Thehowis that you have several briefcases full of leather masks and theatrical props that let you do magic realmagic, not stage-show misdirection. Theyre hundreds of years old, and they only work if you charge them up by performing a traditional Commedia dellArte improvised play during the heist. Its a bit unconventional, but youre good at it. And people come to Reno for a show.

If you can keep the gags coming and spin a tale of heartbreak, slapstick antics and comic misunderstandings, youre unstoppable. You can walk on air, change your face, make people fight, shrug off otherwise fatal injuries and do almost anything you can imagine, as long as you continue driving the rules of thecommediainto the real world.

Just remember: the show must go on. Dont break. Dont flub your entrances. Dont let the magic run out before youve got your money. Or your revenge.

Arlecchinos Eleven is a roleplaying game written by Grant Howitt and Daniel Lavery.