Mini Games

Throughout the course of a loop of Budgens and Dragons, a player or player party may be expected to take place in a **Mini Game**. These can have beneficial or detrimental results for the player party. They may count as a "Yes, And...", meaning interacting with them may prevent players from having to deal with a more difficult challenge or Boss fight later in the loop.

## Blood Toll

The blood toll was the first major addition to the game when it was felt players were having too easy a time of things in the early going of loops. This mini game, such as it is, required the players to fill up a box on a toll booth with a certain, unspecified amount of blood, seemingly measured solely by the DM's satisfaction with the amount deposited. The source of the blood did not matter, regardless of whether it was human or otherwise in origin. Being a toll booth, the blood toll was payable in both directions. This mini game was removed in favour of the coconut shy as the game resulted in a severe imbalance in difficulty: it led to a number of player deaths that might have been considered unfair even by the standards of Budgens and Dragons; offered only further progression in the loop as an incentive for play; yet had to be played in order to progress *and* had to be played twice in order to win the game, with no real option to avoid it as with other events.

## Coconut Shy

Despite its appearance, the coconut shy does not require the party to actually play a coconut shy game. Instead, the traditional fairground coconut shy tent features as its only attraction a single service bell. Players are encouraged to ring the bell as many times as they wish. Doing so results in one of a number of events determined by a die roll from the DM, with one roll for each time the bell was rung. These may be beneficial such as changing an event in the world for the better (ie, making it easier for the players) giving the players Extra Lives and Do-Overs or reviving a player that has died during the course of gameplay. This is one of the very few ways to earn a Classic Do-Over, arguably the jackpot prize. However, the events may also prove detrimental to players, including changing an event in the world for the worse (ie, making it more difficult for the players) or immediately killing a party character. The results may also be neutral, such as the Sing-Song- which entails the DM playing a tune for the players on a kazoo- or even involve a further element of chance, such as asking the player who rang the bell to name a character in the party who will then either die, be resurrected or gain an extra life.

The bell can break from repeated use, though this is rare. The bell can be knocked over and made to ring as if it had been rung normally by the player who knocked it off the stand. The bell can also be picked up and brought on the journey by the party, though this won't provide it any protection from being accidentally rung or dropped. If every player in the party rings the bell, they will be rewarded by the appearance of The Man Who Looks and Sounds Just Like Ian McKellen, who allows the player to ask any question they like without the usual fear of death caused by remembering previous loops. The Kane boss fight can be triggered here if The Undertaker is present.

## A Question of Life and Death

One member of the party is able to ask their fellow players a question of their choosing, though it must be the same question asked to all players. They are then told by the DM to decide whose answer they liked the most. Dead players can appear in this game. Depending on a variety of factors, including the living status of the party member chosen and the whim of the DM, the selected player may die or be resurrected.

## Russian Roulette

Hosted by Eeyore, this mini game sees a six-shooter revolver with a single bullet loaded within its chambers placed on a table. The players and Eeyore must take it in turns to choose who to point the gun at before pulling the trigger, with a 1-in-6 chance (ie, a d6 roll) of the bullet being fired. However, crucially, the group cannot collectively aim at the same person twice in a row, meaning players cannot simply all choose to aim at Eeyore- sooner or later, they *must* aim at a party member. As a result, this only really works if there are at least two surviving players. Once the bullet has been fired, the game is over and, assuming the party has at least one player character remaining, the main game continues.

## Orgy

A room in which dozens of characters are having sex, including Mother. This has only occurred once so far and the party immediately decided they wanted no part of it and left the room, meaning the actual nature of the game remains unclear.