TEXT: A DISTRICT OF GLITZY CASINOS AND HIGH-RISK HEISTS
  
  FIND OUT MORE AT  
  WWW.CITYOFMIST.CO
  Written by Eran Aviram 
  Editing and Heist Rules: Amit Moshe 
  Game Production: Omer Shapira 
  Proofreading: Marshall Oppel 
  Art: Marcin Sobon, Hinchel Or (Gunship Revolution) 
  Graphic Design: Manuel Serra Sáez 
  City of Mist created by Amit Moshe
  © 2020 Son of Oak Game Studio / Amít Moshe
  Distributed by
  HOW TO USE THIS DISTRICT IN YOUR GAME
  This PDF describes a new district in the City set-
  ting for the City of Mist RPG: the fast-paced and 
  high-stakes Fortune Row. Here are some examples 
  of how to use the included locations, NPCs, and 
  Dangers:
  • The perfect setting for a heist. Amazing Relics are 
  hidden in the casinos’ well-guarded vaults, grant-
  ing powers that can’t be gained anywhere else. 
  The Row is where criminal professionals execute 
  daring, complex plans set against colorful hotels 
  and elaborate security systems. If the PCs are 
  not such professionals themselves, they can turn 
  to the district’s seething underworld scene and 
  recruit a team that suits their needs.
  • Shady dealings and anti-heroes. Some of the best 
  crooks in the world walk the streets of Fortune 
  Row, conning the rich out of their money. The PCs 
  may accidentally fall prey to one of their scams, 
  or deliberately search for them for their invaluable 
  skills. And when the inevitable betrayal arrives? 
  Hey, it’s just business.
  • The best rewards, at the highest risks. One who 
  knows where to look can gamble on anything, even 
  their Mythos. You can earn millions then lose it 
  all, within a single night. Even luck itself can be 
  gained here — or more accurately, stolen.
  • Themes of elegance and high class. In Fortune 
  Row, everyone tries to look their best, except for 
  those who know that there’s nothing less cool 
  than showing you’re trying. It’s where every City 
  denizen, regardless of their actual lot in life, can 
  spend a wonderful evening and feel like they’re 
  in charge of their own fate. It’s a grand show 
  powered by self-delusion, and orchestrated by a 
  shadowy cabal.
  “Hey can you spare a cig–... Ahh, 
  you’ve noticed the cat. Never 
  mind then, it won’t work on you. 
  I don’t mean my magic – oh, that 
  will work, believe me – but the 
  con. Can’t con people like us, 
  they’re too sharp! Too clever. I 
  guess it’s because they’re always 
  on their toes. There was this one 
  aware woman, she was… you 
  know what, let’s go over to the 
  hotel’s bar, buy me a drink and I’ll 
  tell you all about her.”
  – The beginning of Mervyn’s  
  well-rehearsed Rift con
  
  3   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  Even from several streets away, you can already hear 
  the music, a dozen different tunes clashing and echo-
  ing between the giant-sized hotels, each casino trying 
  to outdo its competitors. Day or night, you can see 
  beams of light blazing in a myriad of colors against the 
  dark clouds, which cover this den of vice like a blanket. 
  You can almost smell the copper of the slot machine 
  coins, the cheap cologne of men dressed in equally 
  cheap suits, the exotic perfumes spreading through the 
  gambling halls, desperately fighting against the sweat 
  of thousands of guests.
  Walking down Fortune Row, surrounded by awe-inspir-
  ing attractions and replicas of world wonders, you can 
  almost forget you’re still in the City. Are you still in the 
  City? There’s hardly any police around. The architec-
  ture looks nothing like the rest of town and even the 
  street signs are different. If you think about it for more 
  than a moment, you might remember you read some-
  where that Fortune Row is its own jurisdiction. But you 
  won’t even have that moment, as something alluring 
  will soon hook your senses, directing you into a trap, 
  meticulously crafted to arouse your desires, with a 
  tantalizing promise for more.
  With dozens of casinos to choose from, one is sure to 
  find something fitting their style. From slot machines 
  to roulette, from gambling a few bills on a horse to 
  spending millions in an exclusive poker table for the 
  mega-rich, Fortune Row has it all. Step out from the 
  main casinos and you’ll find yourself drinking in a 
  bar that also runs sports bets and an evening lottery. 
  Further along there’s even a small but popular horse 
  racing track, followed by a motor racing circuit, the 
  Autodrome.
  It’s a well-known fact that Fortune Row is one of the 
  safest places in town, despite the surprising lack of law 
  enforcement. It’s less known, yet still an open secret, 
  that many of the biggest crime bosses of the City use 
  the casinos for money laundering, either thanks to a 
  lucrative alliance with the owner or by owning one 
  themselves. It’s not at all known that the homeless 
  people who arrive at Fortune Row in hope of finding 
  some peace from the mobs and police forces in the rest 
  of town are kidnapped in the dark of night by black 
  vans and taken to the edge of the district. There, in 
  the ruins of an abandoned mall, the super-rich get the 
  highest high as they bet on the ultimate bloodsport – 
  hunting their fellow man.
  In Fortune Row, you can bet on anything, gamble ev-
  erything, and win it all… at least some of the time.
  BEYOND THE MIST
  During the early days of Fortune Row, 
  spirits of luck and fortune converged 
  on what was then a small gathering of 
  gambling houses right outside of the 
  City’s juridical borders. As the Row’s 
  reputation grew, it began attracting 
  more Sleepers and more powerful 
  Rifts. Tiny, dimly-lit back rooms 
  were replaced by wide casino floors, 
  advertising their presence with a free 
  buffet and women in glamorous dresses. 
  That’s when the strange times began.
  The aggregate energy of luck and fate, created by a 
  dozen different Mythoi, resulted in powerful conflict-
  ing currents. Eventually the surging power was so 
  great, it threatened to break not only through the Mist 
  but also the Rifts who were trying to control it. unusu-
  al events became an everyday occurrence, and even 
  the Gatekeepers found it hard to mobilize a powerful 
  enough offensive to take control of the situation, suf-
  fering from countless accidents and mishaps.
  The Rifts who owned the casinos, almighty masters of 
  luck manipulation, then gathered together and agreed 
  to establish the Regulatory Commission, a self-gov-
  erning body whose job is not to regulate gambling, 
  but luck itself. They constructed the main street in 
  an elaborate pattern, following feng shui principles, 
  to channel the tides of fortunes so they’ll fill up their 
  casinos, emptying unwanted misfortune into neigh-
  boring streets, which quickly became run-down slums. 
  The Commission’s influence grew with every year as 
  it began to take on more responsibilities, effectively 
  becoming the Row’s governing and policing force. The 
  City police and the Gatekeepers have only a little say 
  regarding what’s going on in the Row, but the Commis-
  sion maintains good relations with both; it’s in every-
  one’s interest to see the status quo is preserved.
  
  4   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  Visiting Rifts to Fortune Row tend to see it as a land of 
  opportunities. With barely any authorities around and 
  lots of people in different stages of hope and despair, 
  the average Rift might think they can finally let loose. 
  But this feeling is an orchestrated illusion, and the 
  Rifts are even bigger patsies than the people they seek 
  to exploit. The casino owners keep tight control over 
  their own turfs and have ways of dealing with annoying 
  Rifts while the Commission keeps track of some of the 
  more frequent visitors to the Row, occasionally manip-
  ulating their fates like pawns.
  The Mist in Fortune Row is well-maintained, thanks 
  to an ongoing cooperation between the Regulatory 
  Commission and the Gatekeepers, stretching back many 
  years. The casino owners want everyone to feel safe and 
  secure while sitting next to their slot machines, to keep 
  feeding their vaults one nickel at a time and not be con-
  cerned with any unusual sight or disturbing presence.
  CUSTOM MOVES
  At your group’s option, players 
  can make use of the Let’s Make It 
  Interesting move when operating in 
  Fortune Row to emphasize the gambling 
  nature of this district:
  LET’S MAKE IT INTERESTING
  Whenever you make a Core Move in Fortune Row, 
  you can choose one, two, or all of the following 
  options:
  Up the Stakes: Treat a final score of 7 as a miss (6 or 
  less) and treat a final score of 9 as a strong hit (10+). 
  Only a final score of 8 counts as a weak hit (7-9).
  Double or Nothing: After you calculate Power but 
  before you roll, remove one point from your Power; 
  this is your wager. If your final result is a strong 
  hit (10+), your wager is doubled; use your original 
  Power and increase it by one.
  Winner Takes All: On a double six, double your 
  power. On a double one (“snake eyes”), it’s always a 
  miss and the MC doubles the effect of the resulting 
  hard move.
  PLACES OF INTEREST
  THE SNAKE
  Fortune Row’s main street is also known as THE 
  SNAKE (Enclave of Feng Shui, Chinese geomatic prac-
  tice of balancing environment and individuals). Most 
  people think of Fortune Row as a single, coiling street, 
  but it actually stretches out of the glitz and light of the 
  hotels and into the neighboring slums, where it twists 
  and turns and returns to meet itself from the other 
  side, in an endless loop – creating a balance of good 
  and bad fortune.
  In its fortunate section, the Snake is a broad avenue 
  where expensive sports cars and armored vans drive in 
  the shadows of the ostentatious hotels and casinos. With 
  its bright lights and dangerous curves, it makes for a great 
  motor racing track, which the Row hosts from time to 
  time, drawing media attention. Just as commonly, it’s the 
  scene of a hot chase after an escaping heist crew.
  Where the Snake stretches into its neutral sections, 
  tracts of empty lots and hotels under perpetual con-
  struction separate those who have from those who 
  don’t. Just around the bend the setting changes again, 
  this time into derelict slums and dead-ended ghost 
  towns. Folks who live here are mythically pinned 
  down to this place by the pervading misfortune; only a 
  miraculous change of luck can help them escape. While 
  many glare at the lights down the road and plan their 
  hit, successful heists rarely originate from here. Those 
  who visit must leave quickly or be infected. Racing 
  breakdowns and accidents are common in the unluck-
  iest spots on the Snake, while only the most desperate 
  getaway driver will try to lose her pursuers in the alleys 
  of the Snake’s shanti houses. Casino owners tend to 
  stop their security forces and let a crew vanish if the 
  prize isn’t worth soiling their fortunes, trusting the 
  Snake’s loop to bring luck their way again.
  THE THEMED CASINO
  While it’s true that the promise of endless money is 
  enough to make almost any City resident willingly 
  step into a casino, it’s a little harder to make them stay 
  there despite repeated losses and accumulated debt, 
  and even harder to make them choose your gambling 
  pit over someone else’s. Fortune Row sports dozens 
  of places where one can gamble, but the truly great 
  casinos, those that have become establishments, did so 
  through specialization – offering something only they 
  can, a reason to come and keep playing until you go 
  broke, and beyond.
  
  5   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  THE GRAND BALL
  This casino is wider and “shorter” than its rivals, with 
  their towering, 20-story hotel buildings. It is essential-
  ly a series of open-sky arenas, with hundreds of dining 
  tables overlooking the field and hosting thousands of 
  elegantly dressed guests. Every afternoon and evening, 
  the audience feasts and cheers as they watch athletes 
  play in a variety of sports in the pit below, all for their 
  amusement.
  Most of the gambling in the Grand Ball is made while 
  sitting next to the dinner table, betting on the match 
  that’s currently happening in the arena. Some of the 
  most exciting sporting events and best culinary dishes 
  in the City can be found here, to keep the clientele 
  sitting, eating, drinking, and betting. There’s barely any 
  reason to get up (except to cheer for a win).
  The owner, Margarita “Grand Marge” Flores (Xo-
  chipilli, the Aztec god of feasts, games, and art) runs 
  the place with endless energy, moving between the are-
  nas to act as announcer in each one, then proceeding 
  to walk between the tables and show interest in each of 
  the guests. She cares for them, truly, and wants them to 
  have the best and most entertaining time of their lives. 
  She cares even more for the athletes who participate in 
  her games, because at the end of every year, the team 
  that loses in the finals is ritually sacrificed to ensure 
  the casino’s ongoing prosperity in the coming year. The 
  winning team, however, earns enough favor with luck 
  to last for a whole year, although some blow it all at 
  once on obtaining their heart’s single greatest desire.
  THE ZODIAC CASINO HOTEL
  Nothing can compare to the best and biggest of them 
  all, and in Fortune Row’s eye-popping scene, “big-
  gest” really means something. The night sky above 
  THE ZODIAC (Enclave of the Zodiac) is always lit by 
  searchlights, with the occasional colorful fireworks 
  display drawing the crowds to look at the street-facing 
  shows, with dozens of dancers moving in a sophisticat-
  ed, well-choreographed set. The Zodiac has a reputa-
  tion of being the most prestigious of the Fortune Row 
  hotels, while still being affordable for the middle-class 
  – pricey, but affordable. When people talk of the Row, 
  the Zodiac’s signature star-studded entrance is the first 
  thing that comes to their mind.
  The Zodiac’s famed restaurants and giant shopping 
  mall are themed and re-themed once every few years to 
  stay fresh with current trends, but its splashy gambling 
  floor is still the main attraction. With 24-hour buffets, 
  pleasant music, intoxicating smells, and a complete 
  lack of clocks or windows through which one might 
  accidentally see the time of day, thousands spend 
  countless hours and chips here, day after day. Beau-
  tiful waitresses in sparkling silver skirts, the Starlets 
  (Touched), serve free drinks and provide gambling 
  advice, while above a huge replica of the planet Jupiter 
  hangs prominently at the top of the arched ceiling.
  Mandla Klerck (The Crux, the smallest yet one of the 
  brightest constellations) is the casino’s manager, but 
  not its owner. This shrewd, clean-shaven South African 
  is an expert hotelier and a demanding boss who cares 
  only about the bottom line at the end of the fiscal year. 
  He reports to the actual owners of the Zodiac: the 
  Enclave itself, which can manifest any planet or star 
  constellations – and their powers – within the bound-
  aries of the casino. The Enclave communicates with 
  Mr. Klerck through the voices of the planets, but only 
  a handful of them are ever seen as full-blown Conjura-
  tions. One of those is the Jupiter model that hangs in 
  the gambling floor, its presence bestowing a powerful 
  astrological enriching effect on the entire casino. As 
  a side effect, star-related Rifts independent of the En-
  clave, like Mandla, gravitate to the casino.
  The bigger part of the casino’s revenue is kept in the 
  Zodiac’s supremely secure vault, which uses a one-of-
  a-kind, Rift-forged, top-secret security system and a 
  similarly arcane locking mechanism, the Astrolabe. 
  But money and riches are not the vault’s biggest prize. 
  The Zodiac Enclave uses the vault to secure its biggest 
  treasures: the independent Rifts of the planets Mars, 
  Venus, and Saturn, with their immense astrological 
  power. So secure is the Zodiac’s vault that no one has 
  seen Mars, Venus, or Saturn in decades, and few remain 
  who even know if they are manifested in a parson, a 
  Familiar, or a Relic. The Zodiac’s safe is kept secured 
  not only by technological and magical means, but also 
  by two Conjurations of the zodiac signs: Scorpio, a 
  room-sized scorpion, and Gemini, which manifests as 
  duplicates of anyone who tries to break into the safe.
  
  6   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  ZODIAC’S RIFT-FORGED HOTEL SECURITY yyy
  The Zodiac is famous for having recently installed the 
  best security system in the world. Only a handful of 
  experts even know which companies were involved in 
  developing it, and all copies of the plans were destroyed 
  after the construction was finished. It’s said that its 
  only weakness is being made through mundane means, 
  with no Rift intervention – but this is just another piece 
  of misinformation spread by Mandla Klerck, to make 
  any aspiring Rift robbers a bit too overconfident. In fact, 
  the Zodiac’s security system is packed with magical in-
  trusion countermeasures alongside technological ones.
  ALARM 3  /  OVERRIDE 6
  • Intrusion Detected: When alarm is maxed out, all 
  security measures elsewhere in the casino become 
  alert-3 or on-lockdown-3. In addition, any or all of the 
  following may happen:
   » Security!: Create new Dangers: Elite Security (MC 
  Toolkit, p.150) and/or Gemini.
   » Trapped!: The intruder is locked-in/out-5 and falls 
  under magical-sleep-5,  planar-binding-5, or any 
  other appropriate subdual or restraint status.
   » Exposed!: Remove all stealth and deception sta-
  tuses and story tags from the intruder.
   » Doomed!: The intruder takes misfortunate-5 as the 
  Zodiac Enclave alters her astrological chart.
   
  • Increase its internal threat level (give itself threat-1 
  on the alarm spectrum).
  • Curse anyone trying to override it with inauspi-
  cious-tidings-2. This status can only be prevented 
  using astrological methods.
   
  • Present a security countermeasure that must be 
  overcome:
  Logos
  Mythos
  A lock with a keypad, a 
  card reader, a fingerprint 
  reader, or a retinal scan
  A lock with astrological dials that 
  requires astronomy or occult 
  knowledge to unlock
  Security guard patrols
  Floating “unlucky star” mines that 
  project inauspicious radiation
  A room or corridor with 
  heat/metal/motion detec-
  tors or a laser grid
  A room or corridor bombarded 
  with cosmic rays, resisted only by 
  Rifts with star powers
  An armored wall or barrier
  Shimmering walls of starlight that 
  prevent magical transportation 
  and/or dispel invisibility and 
  illusory powers
  State-of-the-art firewall 
  or an off-the-grid system 
  that must be physically 
  reached
  Astrological command center 
  that can detect intrusions by 
  studying the casino’s chart
  
  7   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  SCORPIO yyyy
  A gigantic scorpion, Scorpio is a constellation made 
  material, looking both majestic and monstrous at the 
  same time. The stars that form its joints can be seen 
  shining for a moment through the dark crimson exo-
  skeleton, when observed from certain angles.
  Scorpio guards the main room of the sub-basement of 
  the vault. All routes from this floor, even maintenance 
  shafts and electrical cables, run through this room 
  and up the elevator shaft. Twice a week, Scorpio is fed 
  pure stardust that’s gathered on the hotel’s roof.
  HURT OR SUBDUE 6  /  BANISH 5
  • Majestic: When Scorpio enters the scene, it shines 
  in ethereal heavenly light, inspiring awe-3. Awed 
  individuals feel reluctant to approach or harm Scor-
  pio, entranced by its beauty. Those who resist his 
  splendor immediately notice his star joints.
  • Made of Stars: Scorpio is a Conjuration built upon 
  the stars that make up its constellation. Physical 
  damage to Scorpio’s star joints destabilizes the 
  Conjuration and goes on the banish spectrum, while 
  ignoring his Exoskeleton move. However, the star 
  joints are small and hard to pinpoint; to do so, a 
  PC must Investigate and spend a Clue. A new Clue 
  must be spent to find a star joint every time Scorpio 
  moves. 
  • Unearthly: When you try to Investigate the 
  constellation using a mundane ability, it first takes 
  not-of-this-world.
  • Exoskeleton: When Scorpio takes a physical harm 
  status, reduce its tier by 2.
   
  • Grab someone with a huge claw and sting them 
  with an enormous tail (grabbed-4 then poisoned-4). 
  If poisoned, you then take the same status again 
  at the beginning and at the end of each Downtime 
  thereafter, until the MC rules you have survived the 
  poison. Poison-curing effects only need to remove 
  the potion status once to stop its action.
  • Crush a creature that’s already grabbed-4 
  (squashed-5 and then splattered-to-pieces-6).
  • Grab a weapon and crush it (Burn a Tag).
  • Crash through a wall, causing mayhem (fallen-de-
  bris-2 and create a new Danger: Security Guards 
  (MC Toolkit p.148) or Helpless City Resident (MC 
  Toolkit p.142).
   
  • Move eerily quiet for such a huge creature
  THE ASTROLABE yyy
  The Zodiac’s vault is protected on all sides by im-
  penetrable armored walls and magical wards. The 
  only entrance (except, maybe, that old cable shaft...) 
  is through the vault door – an intricate, clockwork 
  device resembling an ancient astronomical instru-
  ment of golden circles and arcs. The lock mechanism 
  follows the current movements of the heavenly bodies 
  without deviation and the combination to open the 
  vault is a secret alignment of stars occurring at specif-
  ic dates. Hardly anyone knows how often this align-
  ment occurs and when the vault would be open.
  In actuality, the accurate alignment occurs very 
  rarely; Mandla Klerck uses his powers to override the 
  mechanism, but he can only do so when the stars pass 
  very close to the true alignment. This is possible be-
  cause fate and time manipulation powers can tamper 
  with the mechanism and move its latches out of sync 
  with the current star chart; so can legendary lockpick-
  ing and clockwork powers. The Zodiac staff regularly 
  open the vault at specific times and stow away the 
  casino earnings under tight security.
  Breaking into the vault would require at the very least 
  knowledge of the device, a chart that shows what 
  are the times closest to alignment, means to tamper 
  with the mechanism, and a plan that can provide the 
  safecracker with enough time to work. While Mandla 
  himself can open the vault, he is not much of a key; if 
  compromised and within the Enclave, he is as good as 
  dead – the Zodiac can hammer him with so much bad 
  luck that he would have an instant heart attack.
  ALARM 3  /  CRACK 6
  • Astrological Link: When the stars are not close to 
  alignment with the safe’s secret combination, it is 
  immune to cracking (crack:–). When the stars are 
  especially close to the true alignment, the safe is 
  easier to crack (crack:5).
  • Tamper Attempt Detected: When alarm is maxed 
  out, the Zodiac’s Rift-forged Hotel Security alarm 
  spectrum also maxes out.
   
  • Creak and vibrate when it’s being manipulated (give 
  itself tampered-1 on the alarm spectrum)
  • Intimidate-2 anyone who hears about it or sees it 
  with a break-in in mind
  • As a backlash to a tampering attempt, curse anyone 
  trying to override it with inauspicious-tidings-2. 
  This status can only be prevented using astrological 
  methods.
  
  8   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  GEMINI yyyy
  Gemini is the ultimate double, but it has no form of its 
  own. It therefore manifests as someone else’s double – 
  the crew’s.
  Gemini is kept inside a covered wall mirror close to 
  the main security offices below the gambling floor. It is 
  only released in times of need, since its non-corporeal 
  nature makes it hard to control; the security team has a 
  specialist Touched astrologer on site, who can devise a 
  horoscope to push Gemini back into the mirror. Such a 
  horoscope must be written on the spot, according to the 
  current hour and calendar day.
  Gemini doesn’t think like regular people do, but it can 
  be reasoned with. It seeks to disrupt and foil the crew’s 
  actions inside the casino, but it isn’t malicious, and it 
  doesn’t have any plans for the future; it will make you 
  chase it into a trap inside the casino and then shoot you 
  with your own gun, but it won’t call your parents and 
  pretend to be you. It only cares about the wellbeing of 
  itself and the other constellations (including Scorpio 
  and Mandla Klerck), but might be persuaded to care 
  about other things, as long as they relate to the heavens 
  and any danger that may befall them.
  HURT OR SUBDUE -  /  BANISH 4  /  MOTIVATE 4
  • Unearthly: When you try to Investigate the constel-
  lation using a mundane ability, it first takes not-of-
  this-world.
  • Body Double: Gemini exists as perfect copies of the 
  entire crew. It has complete replicas of all of their Logos 
  abilities, and knows their Identities. He can mimic 
  the material effects of their Mythos powers, such as 
  shooting blasts of fire or becoming invisible, but not any 
  psychic or mystical abilities. Gemini is able to perfectly 
  imitate the mannerism and looks of the crew. Each of 
  his bodies can be injured and killed, but that doesn’t 
  stop Gemini, who can recreate a body as a soft move. 
  When observed beyond the Mist, it is clearly seen as a 
  single entity despite existing as several bodies.
  • Like Looking in a Mirror: Gemini doesn’t know 
  what the crew thinks, but it knows how they think. It 
  has an ongoing I expected this story tag.
  • Made of Stars: Gemini is a Conjuration that exists 
  thanks to the stars that make up its constellation. 
  These stars are embedded into the back of the giant 
  mirror which covers a whole wall in one of the secret 
  rooms beneath the casino. Anyone Investigating the 
  mirror using Mythical powers can notice the star light 
  shining through from behind. Disturbing the mirror 
  in any way immediately summons Gemini, which 
  steps out of it. The mirror is hardened by the stars’ 
  magic and has a break:3 spectrum; if broken, the stars 
  fall out of alignment and Gemini’s banish spectrum 
  immediately maxes out.
  • Just in Time: Once per scene, when Gemini isn’t 
  around, it can appear from behind a corner or from 
  the crowd as an MC Intrusion, looking just like the 
  character to interrupt her at the worst moment 
  (Complicate Things, Bigtime and, in addition, Burn 
  a Tag or Turn Their Move Against Them).
   
  • use one’s own powers and methods against them:
   » Give a Status with 1 tier per relevant power tag the 
  original has
   » Create one tag or affect one size factor per relevant 
  power tag the original has
   » Reduce 1 tier of a status per relevant power tag the 
  original has (including incoming statuses, as an 
  intrusion, if appropriate)
  • Appear like another member of the crew, to lure you 
  away (Complicate Things, Bigtime). 
  SIDESTREETS OF THE ROW
  The abundance of instantly-rich people with bad sav-
  ing habits and the lack of real-estate on the Row itself 
  (which is packed with the casinos and the big brand 
  stores), gave rise to an infestation of speciality shops, 
  mite-ridden “love hotels”, and other dubious or pecu-
  liar service providers in the adjacent streets and alleys. 
  One need only walk a few steps from the Snake avenue 
  to find a double-storied motel with a NO VACANCY 
  sign half-lit and a small bike shop beneath it, right next 
  to a church full of decisions you’ll regret in the morn-
  ing. These overlooked side streets of the Row are where 
  a lot of the underhanded “business” takes place.
  Carrying enough flashy yet cheap junk to make even 
  some Tourist Trap shops pale in comparison, the 
  LUCKY PITSTOP is a relatively well-known specialist 
  shop, thanks to having sold a winning lottery ticket a 
  few years back. Dozens of card decks, chips, “Gambling 
  for Dummies” books, and other gambling accessories 
  fill the tight rows of shelves, giving the place a strange-
  ly leathery smell.
  In the back room, the curly grey-haired merchant and 
  trivia-master, Jedediah Willcem (Sleeper), sells high-
  end heist gear under the guise of premium extreme 
  sports equipment, such as military-grade rope and 
  rappelling harnesses, hi-tech crossbows, and foldable 
  air gliders. Anyone who’s operating in the shadow of 
  the casinos knows Jedediah can come by the craziest 
  gear you can imagine; the problem is how to get him to 
  shut up about it.
  
  9   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  “SNAKE EYES”
  In the exact spot where the invisible flows of fortune 
  and misfortune along the Snake neutralize each other 
  sits a small gambling hall by the name of SNAKE 
  EYES. It’s a two-story building, sharing its space with 
  a dirty bowling alley. You need to know where the en-
  trance is, or you’ll miss it.
  The woman behind the counter calls herself Ever (Ouro-
  boros, the snake that eats itself in an endless loop), and 
  she runs a fair business, frequented by low-income lo-
  cals. Occasionally, a wide-eyed businessperson in a $10K 
  suit will stumble inside, and ask with a hushed voice if 
  this is “the place”, if this is where “I can bet on anything, 
  I can finally change my life”. It is, and they can.
  In Ever’s small gambling hall, anyone can bet on any-
  thing, and be sure they’re not being cheated. Thanks 
  to a loop in the Snake’s tides of fortune, on Ever’s 
  table one can offer anything they have, from money, 
  through memories, to Rift powers... but not one’s fate, 
  as it doesn’t belong to them. Ever is the dealer, and she 
  plays a mean game, but fair, always fair. Those who try 
  to cheat simply fail. Those who try to bet on someone 
  else’s gains or bring something to the table that isn’t 
  wholly their own also fail – and are then pushed out 
  the door and asked never to come back again.
  THE REGULATORY COMMISSION
  On the other side of the street from a large, stat-
  ue-mounted fountain lies the unassuming offices of 
  the Row’s Regulatory Commission. With barely any 
  windows and of modern construction, the building 
  gives no reason to think there’s anything unusual 
  about it. The Mist is surprisingly thick here, completely 
  obliviating Sleepers and distracting most Rifts. Howev-
  er, a professional and awakened eye can spot under-
  cover enforcers disguised as passersby, as well as some 
  well-hidden security measures.
  The Commission is technically a private organization 
  but they hide it well. A section of the ground floor is 
  dedicated to a public-facing service center, where peo-
  ple can complain about problems they’ve encountered 
  with one of the casinos. The Commission employs 
  several lawyers whose job is to help such customers to 
  get their fair compensation, despite the fact the Com-
  mission is itself managed by the owners of the largest 
  casinos. “We regulate ourselves”, they say, “and we take 
  this responsibility very seriously.’’ They really do, but 
  mostly out of necessity.
  Despite the construction of the Snake, fortunes in 
  Fortune Row keep shifting and occasionally reach 
  dangerous levels. To avoid bankruptcy (and much, much 
  worse), the Rifts who operate the Commission make 
  sure to keep their fortunes in check. The polished statue 
  at the ground floor’s main hall, depicting Lady Justice 
  with her scale and sword, isn’t just for show – it’s a 
  Relic of the tarot card of Justice, creating equilibrium 
  (attentive onlookers can notice that the statue’s eyes 
  aren’t covered, meaning this isn’t in fact Lady Justice). 
  Through this device, some of the fortunes that flow 
  through the main street, both good and bad, can be 
  channeled into the hidden halls of the Commission 
  building, where they are stored inside hundreds of giant, 
  ever-spinning Mani wheels (Tibetan prayer wheels). At 
  times of need, the Commission releases some of these 
  reserves to balance the flows along the Snake.
  The Commission members are aware that these 
  reserves are, themselves, a prize at least as lucrative 
  as any of the caches of money they keep in their own 
  vaults, which is why knowledge of their existence is 
  limited to a select cabal of stakeholders, whose own 
  fortunes are tied to its existence. The Commission 
  also employs a special security force that doubles as 
  emergency anti-robbery services for the entire Row, 
  composed of Touched and Borderliner Rifts with a 
  variety of special powers, equipped with Mani grenades 
  of weaponized bad fortunes.
  LOCALS
  XAVIAR PEREZ 
  The Wild Card
  Xaviar’s 5-year plan used to include such items as 
  “learn acting”, “get an agent”, “get a role in a musi-
  cal”, and eventually “be a star”. None of these matter 
  anymore, since that fateful night during which Xaviar, 
  intoxicated and anxious for fame, bet on his future in 
  some gamling table he no longer remembers. By the 
  end of that game, he either received the Mythos of the 
  Wild Card through his winnings, or spontaneously be-
  came its Rift by losing. He’s not sure, and won’t be able 
  to tell the difference in any case.
  Xaviar has been spending the past few months getting 
  in and out of other people’s stories. unannounced, with-
  out warning, and with very little agency, Xaviar simply 
  appears in the middle of some high-stakes event, does 
  something that seems to mix things up, and disappears 
  again. He has no desire to push his nose into other 
  people’s business; it just happens. Xaviar seems to be 
  incapable of controlling his own powers and it isn’t even 
  clear to him what they are. He’s starting to lose any hope 
  that things will change, becoming more intoxicated and 
  carefree than he ever thought he could be.
  
  10   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  XAVIAR PEREZ yyy
  With a well-trimmed beard and a winking smile, Xaviar 
  seems at first to be a respectable, even impressive man. 
  A moment later his voice breaks and his smile turns 
  sour, as his mood swings with every few sentences he 
  speaks. He stumbles into and out of the situation with-
  out warning, walking aimlessly and with exaggerated 
  movements, like the clown he sees himself as.
  HURT OR SUBDUE 3  /  STABILIZE 6
  • Draw: Whenever a player rolls a double (same 
  result on both dice) during a high-stakes situation 
  in the Row, Xaviar enters the scene in a surpris-
  ing manner, inflicting distracted-2 on anyone who 
  witnesses. He can appear in any scene, regardless of 
  where he was previously.
  • Play: Once in each of his appearances, as an intru-
  sion, Xaviar either Complicates Things, Bigtime 
  or simplifies things bigtime for the crew, depending 
  on what is more cinematically interesting. This can 
  occur as he enters, but mostly he spends a few mo-
  ments in utter confusion until that special moment 
  arrives.
  • Back Up The Sleeve: As an intrusion, Xaviar leaves 
  as unexpectedly as he appeared: he stumbles into a 
  manhole, he is snatched into a van, or he is carried 
  away by a passing griffon.
  • Never Discarded: When Xaviar would take a 
  harmful physical status, reduce its tier by 2 as it is 
  mitigated by a lucky coincidence. When Xaviar’s 
  hurt-or-subdue spectrum would max out, Back Up 
  The Sleeve triggers instead.
  • Stabilized, For Now: While Xaviar’s stabilize 
  spectrum is maxed out, his moves Draw, Play, and 
  Back Up The Sleeve do not trigger. At the start 
  of each scene or downtime roll a die and remove a 
  number of tiers equal to the result from the stabilize 
  spectrum.
   
  • Offer a swig from a flask he keeps in his shirt pocket 
  (share-my-sorrows-2).
  • Walk up to someone and start being judgmental 
  about their choice of hairstyle, clothing, vehicle, 
  etc. (annoyed-2).
  • Appear while being chased by a raging Rift or Con-
  juration (Complicate Things, Bigtime).
   
  • Take something unlikely but useful from his coat 
  and put it in a character’s hand (create a story tag)
  • Stumble forward, asking for a smoke
  SNOWY 
  Buddhistic Vishuddhi, purity from all character flaws
  Very few scammers dare to go against the ultra-rich 
  in their own playground, but Snowy isn’t only such 
  a scammer – she’s one of the best. Capable of swin-
  dling millions of dollars before breakfast, she became 
  a legend among her peers, known for her ability to 
  completely change her demeanor and appearance. All 
  of this changed with a single roll of the dice.
  Snowy spent enough time among the powerful to know 
  that there’s something going on that she wasn’t aware 
  of. As a Sleeper she couldn’t see through the Mist, 
  but she realized that there is a Mist. When comparing 
  herself to her Rift counterparts and fellow swindlers, she 
  could tell that they have some edge she’s missing. She 
  wanted it. For a woman who already had all the money 
  she would ever need, reputation was everything; she 
  wanted to be known as the best. She started going after 
  her Rift rivals, trying to con the conmen, using every 
  trick in the book and then inventing her own scams. And 
  so, by being completely true to herself, she awakened as 
  the Rift of the Vishuddha, Buddhistic purity of character.
  Her awakening devastated her. She immediately 
  became aware of all flaws in every person she talked 
  to, but was unable to act on this knowledge since she 
  was painfully aware of her own flaws most of all. Even 
  worse, she now feels the need to fix all ‘flaws in moral-
  ity’ in others and in herself, effectively preventing her 
  from ever running a scam again.
  Snowy is currently living on her rainy-day funds, but 
  they’re beginning to run low (even though her current 
  spending is much more modest compared to the opu-
  lent lifestyle she once had). Always one to have an es-
  cape plan, Snowy is trying to manipulate her Rifthood 
  the same way she would manipulate a mark: by playing 
  to their strengths. She is currently trying to achieve an 
  even true-er state of self perfection, aiming to achieve 
  Nirvana and with it the realization that everything is 
  an illusion, even character flaws, even purity itself. 
  To liberate herself, Snowy first has to quench the three 
  flames of desire, aversion, and ignorance within her. 
  Then she plans to fire up desire again (She thinks. 
  Maybe. She’s pretty sure). To do so, she has devised 
  the mother of all heists: a multi-pronged operation 
  which will take place inside her soul. Now all she 
  needs is someone capable of taking her inside herself, 
  and a team qualified enough to penetrate the most 
  well-hidden recesses of her mind and root out its most 
  deep-rooted inclinations amidst a cosmic, spiritual, 
  inner dreamscape. She does love a challenge.
  
  11   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  LUKE WARD 
  Lugh of Irish myth, Master Craftsman of the Tuatha Dé Danann
  In a small alley, next to a car garage, stands a tiny 
  office with a blue window, looking almost like an estate 
  agency. Inside, a person by the name of Luke Ward sits 
  most early mornings and some afternoons, spending 
  some of his time on the phone, occasionally going to 
  the back room, the door to which is always kept locked. 
  This nameless office is one of Fortune Row’s best kept 
  secrets: Luke’s underworld “talent agency”.
  A stout, balding man, nevertheless of indeterminate 
  age, Luke specializes in connecting the right profes-
  sional criminal with the right job. He knows dozens 
  of talents-for-hire, freelancers who work with many 
  employers, but respect Luke most of all. When Luke 
  calls, they know the gig is going to be sweet, straight-
  forward, and elegant. He seems to just know what skills 
  are going to be needed and who works best with whom.
  Every year Luke organizes a private event for his 
  talents, “the games” (The Tailteann Games), a series 
  of urban contests meant to sharpen skills and foster 
  camaraderie. Luke spares no expenses on the games, 
  treating them with all seriousness. He always takes a 
  few minutes at the start of the event to talk of those 
  who were incarcerated or died this year, introduce new 
  talents to the group, and to reiterate his cardinal rules: 
  mercenaries may find themselves on opposing teams, 
  but talents must draw the line at blood. A talent of his 
  who seriously injures or kills another will incur the 
  wrath of them all.
  The talents don’t realize this, but by participating in 
  the Mythic games they recieve Lugh’s blessing, as he 
  bestows on each of them one of his countless skills, 
  pushing their natural and practiced abilities into 
  mythical levels. Sleeper professionals who participate 
  become Touched, while Rift talents gain a boost to 
  their abilities (if they are PCs, they receive an appro-
  priate ongoing story tag).
  Luke is averse to going into the field himself, and his 
  Mythos loathes breaking the law, which is why he 
  invested so much of his power in other people. Luke is 
  also not great with names, nor is he a great conversa-
  tionalist. He’s too goal-focused, too busy thinking of 
  the big picture, how to get the job done; such superflu-
  ous things as names or trappings for his office simply 
  don’t matter much to him.
  Luke’s side hobby is crafting magical items. He has 
  an ancient forge in the back room of his office, with 
  which he hammers his abilities into everyday items, 
  making them glow and shine with potential. He imbues 
  each item with one of his many artistic skills: poetry, 
  historical recitation, harp playing, fencing, or many 
  others. He sells these items to Rifts who are in-the-
  know, always with a warning: once an item leaves his 
  possession it can only be used three times, and by the 
  next sunrise all of its remaining power dissipates and 
  returns to him.
  Items are represented by an appropriate ongoing story 
  tag, which narratively expires after three uses: harp of 
  mesmerizing song, boots of running, toothpick of lockpick-
  ing, hairpin of historical recollection, cufflinks of climbing. 
  While he admits to enjoying crafting his Relics, he sells 
  them quickly and with no sentimentality, and doesn’t 
  seem to care how they’re being used – as long as they 
  are, indeed, being used. Nothing infuriates Luke more 
  than seeing hard work go to waste.
  LUKE’S TALENTS
  The following NPCs represent Luke’s best talents. 
  The crew may become involved with Luke’s talents by 
  negotiating a contract with Luke to hire them or by 
  meeting them in a heist as part of an opposing team. 
  If the crew wants to hire one or more of Luke’s talents, 
  it’s going to cost them, most likely a share of the prize 
  or something of equal value, with Luke collecting his 
  percentage of the talent’s share. upon agreement, the 
  talent joins the crew as a temporary Ally theme for the 
  duration of the heist and the Prep Sequence. It is even 
  possible to recruit a talent during the Prep Sequence. 
  Note that Luke is an expert negotiator: remove 2 tiers 
  of all negotiation-related statuses he takes and of any 
  statuses inflicted upon him with Convince.
  Other than the material cost there is the matter of 
  adding a member into the heist and trusting them, as 
  any talent will have the chance to betray the team, 
  even if Luke vouches for her. Each talent extra theme 
  comes with its own Identity. During the heist, try to 
  create situations that will force the crew to make Hard 
  Choices regarding their recruits. A talent that marks 
  three Crack walks away and/or betrays the crew, so the 
  crew might have to make concessions to meet those 
  Identities to avoid losing the theme and therefore the 
  talent’s service mid-heist.
  
  12   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  CAT BURGLAR: DIAMOND  
  The Fox of Aesop’s Tales
  It’s not easy being a showgirl in Fortune Row. The 
  wealthy (and cozy) casinos only hire the best, and 
  while Tabitha Nassar, stage name “Diamond”, is by far 
  the most athletic of her troupe, she’s no starlet when it 
  comes to ambition and flair. Driven to seek success by 
  her lover, agent, and backstreet cabaret owner, Dan-
  ielle Lavish, and lured by the promise of easy, unlawful 
  gains by the Fox in her, Diamond has recently taken 
  up a criminal career as a contortionist, thief, and cat 
  burglar.
  Like the fox of Aesop’s fables, Diamond comes across 
  as gullible and naive, but when her health or financial 
  security is in danger, bouts of sudden cunning help 
  her get out of any sticky situation. A clever person 
  can solve a problem that a wise person avoids – and 
  Diamond is definitely clever, but not at all wise. While 
  her foxlike agility and shrewdness have quickly made 
  a name for her in Fortune Row, it won’t last long. The 
  more she channels the Fox going after the proverbial 
  Grapes, the more she’ll be tempted to reach too far, act 
  too early, and miss the mark – and the more sour she’ll 
  be about it afterwards.
  As a Danger: Cat Burglar (MC Toolkit, p.145) with the 
  Thief Power Set (p.156)
  DIAMOND
  Ally
  IDENTITY
  What doesn’t come easy isn’t worth it, honey.
  POWER TAGS
  breaking & entering, acrobat & contortionist, legendary 
  sneakiness, hungry for easy money, override security 
  measures, hide in the rafters, heard it through the 
  grapevine, hi-tech rappelling gear, showgirls of Fortune 
  Row, shrewd as a fox.
  WEAKNESS TAGS
  rope knot, lacks ambition, doesn’t anticipate problems, 
  Danielle Lavish
  CON ARTIST: MERVYN 
  Puss in Boots
  Mervyn looks like a disheveled man in a well-worn 
  raincoat, with oily hair and an unpleasant case of hal-
  itosis. He is none of these things. In actuality, Melvyn 
  is the small, grey cat who accompanies the man and a 
  legendary con artist.
  Mervin runs two cons at the same time, a small one 
  and a big one. The lesser con is whatever his man is 
  currently doing to fool someone out of their money. 
  This man is always someone from the slums, usual-
  ly a boy who developed a kind heart despite a tough 
  childhood. The cat provides him with much needed 
  guidance, helping him learn social skills and gain 
  wealth through well-practiced cons. Mervin’s methods 
  are so effective, he usually manages to take someone 
  out of homelessness and into a comfortable life in the 
  suburbs in less than a year, at which point the two part 
  ways and the cat finds himself a new “master.”
  Replacing his “human face” is a great way to avoid 
  drawing attention, but it’s also the center point of his 
  other, bigger con. Mervyn’s long game has to do with 
  Avatarhood. He wishes to gain recognition and make 
  a place for himself in the human-controlled City, but 
  his Mythos pushes him to be a servant of humans. He 
  has a plan to settle the two conflicting desires, and it 
  begins with placing several men in positions of power 
  throughout the City, men who appreciate his counsel 
  and owe him a huge favor…
  As a Danger: Con Artist (MC Toolkit, p.145) with the 
  Mind Controller Set (without mind reading, p.156)
  MERVYN
  Ally
  IDENTITY
  The kid is with me. / The cat is with me.
  POWER TAGS
  elaborate scams, top-tier conman, sugarcoat anything, 
  mysterious agenda, sharp claws, multiple identities, 
  feline senses, expensive garments, previous proteges 
  in positions of power, utterly anonymous.
  WEAKNESS TAGS
  clueless kid, no pets allowed, unclear loyalties, catnip
  
  13   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  FACE: FONZO 
  Touched by Luke Ward
  Fonzo is a flamboyant socialite who can take you on a 
  night out like you’ll never forget (or have a hard time 
  remembering). He knows all the best tables (and which 
  dealers cheat), all the best shows (and in which dress-
  ing rooms there’re drugs), and all the penthouses with 
  the best after-parties (and what’s best on the room ser-
  vice menu). On a heist, he usually serves as the distrac-
  tion or the bait, disguising himself as a visiting sheik, 
  a rich playboy, or a naughty drag queen. using street 
  magic, sleight of hand, and an impeccable command 
  of social situations, he keeps all eyes on him while the 
  heist takes place.
  As a Danger: Social Butterfly (MC Toolkit, p.144) with 
  the Trickster Power Set (p.156)
  FONZO
  Ally
  IDENTITY
  I’m a frontman. Don’t make me sit backstage.
  POWER TAGS
  Impersonator, manipulator, sleight of hand, loves the 
  crowds, shut someone down, well-timed distraction, 
  lifestyle of the rich and bored, perfectly-crafted disguis-
  es, knows all the staff, spins a great yarn.
  WEAKNESS TAGS
  Forgets himself in the party, we’re done talking, loud-
  mouthed, defenseless in a fight
  GETAWAY DRIVER: NULA DAWG 
  Cu Chulainn, Charioteer Warrior-Hero of Irish Myth
  Nula Dawg isn’t from Fortune Row; she’s a drift race 
  driver from Cross End. It’s when her pockets are empty 
  and the boys from Fortune Row need a driver for a hit 
  that her sense of adventure gets the better of her and 
  she joins one of Luke Ward’s heists. The teenager get-
  away driver is always snuggled in a windbreaker and a 
  woolen hat pulled low, and covered in a funky assort-
  ment of stickers, pins, tattoos, nailpolish, earrings, 
  and badges. Despite her pouty attitude and snappy 
  comebacks, she and Luke share a special bond thanks 
  to their related Mythoi.
  There isn’t a turn Nula Dawg can’t make, and she 
  famously once spun a car on one wheel, but her true 
  powers show when adrenaline runs high and she goes 
  through her Transformation. At times of great duress, a 
  nimbus of incandescent energy engulfs her and the car 
  she’s driving, along with anyone in it. The car acceler-
  ates as it breaks down and is transformed within the 
  flames, with nuts, gears, engine parts, and passengers 
  all floating in a car-sized fireball that’s hurtling down 
  the streets. Very little can stand in the way of Nula 
  Dawg’s transformed car; her energy field packs an 
  unimaginable kinetic punch. Thankfully, when it finally 
  stops, everything and everyone snaps back into place in 
  one piece, usually having left pursuers far, far behind.
  As a Danger: Getaway Car (without the hired thugs, 
  MC Toolkit, p.146) with the Demigod Power Set (p.153)
  NULA DAWG
  Ally
  IDENTITY
  I said, I am staying in the car!
  POWER TAGS
  Getaway vehicle, drift racer, ”fireball” transformation, 
  thrives in high-risk situations, leave them far behind, 
  immune to kinetic harm, amateur mechanic, absorb 
  kinetic force, friends in the Fortune Row slums, reliable 
  team member.
  WEAKNESS TAGS
  lost in daydreams, leaves a trail of burn marks, teenag-
  er with attitude, engine burnout
  
  14   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  MASTERMIND: AXEL DUVAL 
  Touched by Luke Ward
  Axel Duval planned and executed dozens of successful 
  heists for Luke Ward before he was betrayed, caught, 
  and incarcerated. The man with a plan for every 
  situation simply didn’t expect being double crossed 
  by his own employer – Ward himself – who sacrificed 
  him to settle his debt to the Regulatory Commission. 
  Duval spent 9 years in prison and when he came out, 
  Luke was waiting for him. A punch and a broken nose 
  later, bleeding Luke offered to compensate Duval by 
  revealing to him a world beyond sight, where the true 
  machinations of reality can be seen. Duval refused and 
  walked away… but came back a few days later.
  Today Duval works for Luke Ward as a legendary-class 
  criminal mastermind. The two keep a cool and pro-
  fessional relationship, with Duval stifling his urge for 
  revenge in order to retain his awakened status, at least 
  until he can secure independent Rifthood. With Luke’s 
  skill-enhancing powers boosting his already-incredible 
  mind, it’s hard to outdo him in the field. The square-
  jawed middle-aged mastermind usually waltzes into 
  a heist in a sharp designer suit, looking dapper and in 
  control.
  As a Danger: Detective / Investigator (MC Toolkit, 
  p.148) with the Leader Power Set (p.154) as well as 
  Elena Albertini’s Architect of Fate and Unreliable 
  Servants moves (p.183), with a botch:3 spectrum.
  AXEL DUVAL
  Ally
  IDENTITY
  Follow my lead and we all go home rich.
  POWER TAGS
  expert heist planner, criminal mastermind, assess a 
  mark, driven by revenge, two-fisted, contingency plan, 
  eidetic memory, Kevlar-lined designer suits, knows 
  everyone in the heist biz, virtually impossible to fool.
  WEAKNESS TAGS
  relentless manipulator, control freak, depends on crew 
  cooperation, head injuries
  HEISTS IN THE CITY
  Heists have their own cinematic rules that create sus-
  pense and surprise. use this set of optional rules and 
  guides when your crew is hitting a mark, to make your 
  game feel more like a heist movie.
  HEIST TERMINOLOGY
  The Mark: the target of the heist in general, usually 
  a location or operation
  The Prize: an object, person, or goal within the Mark 
  that the heist seeks to obtain, achieve, control, 
  destroy, extract, etc.
  The House: those in possession of the prize and 
  those working on their behalf to protect the prize, 
  e.g., a casino owner and her security team
  THE PREP SEQUENCE
  When you play through a heist, you will be running 
  two series of scenes side-by-side: the heist itself, and 
  the Prep Sequence. The Prep Sequence is similar to a 
  flashback: it is played alongside the heist scene, even 
  though chronologically it happened in the past, before 
  the heist. You can cut in and out of the Prep Sequence 
  as you would between two parallel scenes. More im-
  portantly, the players can make moves in the Prep 
  Sequence and gain their benefits in the heist scene.
  The Prep Sequence shows the lead characters taking 
  the following actions:
  • Gathering intel about their mark
  • Hiring additional crew members
  • Shopping for the right gear
  • Preparing for the heist, creating specific solutions for 
  known or presumed obstacles
  • Training for specific feats
  • Cutting deals to secure a benefit, betraying the 
  crew, etc.
  • Talking about the heist, sharing their concerns and 
  hopes, building morale, figuring out other character’s 
  plans and allegiances, etc.
  While playing a heist, the Prep Sequence replaces the 
  Flashback move. It can be activated as many times as 
  the players would like (unlike Flashback, which can be 
  used once per session).
  
  15   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  INTRODUCING THE PREP SEQUENCE
  Thanks to the Prep Sequence and the players’ agency to 
  move in and out of it, there is no need to play through 
  the crew planning and preparing before starting the 
  heist. You can simply start the heist, even mid-action, 
  and flash back to the Prep Sequence when needed.
  However, if the crew so wishes, they can spend time 
  making some preparations for the heist before you begin 
  the heist. Ask the players how their characters prepare 
  for the heist, and describe it visually as a cinematic Prep 
  Sequence. Tell the players they’ll be able to flash back to 
  the Prep Sequence during the heist to add new informa-
  tion and to show how their characters had prepared in 
  advance for obstacles they encounter in the heist.
  MAKING A MOVE IN THE PREP SEQUENCE
  During the heist scene, when a player has the spotlight, 
  he can choose to cut to the Prep Sequence and describe 
  an action carried out by his character in the past. Time 
  in the heist scene stops and the story flashes back to 
  the Prep Sequence. The player then makes a move for 
  that action, such as:
  • Investigating to gather intel on a mark. Banked 
  Clues carry over to the heist scene.
  • Changing the Game to build up Juice that represents 
  the character’s preparedness for a certain task, or to 
  create tags and statuses that represent specific tools 
  or benefits useful for the heist. Effects created and 
  banked Juice carry over to the heist scene.
  • Convincing to put pressure on PCs and NPCs to act 
  in any given way during the heist. If the target is a 
  part of the heist and the choice at hand relates to an 
  action taken during the heist, she makes her choice 
  between doing as the PC says and taking the status 
  during the heist. E.g., the choice of a cleaning lady 
  paid to leave a door open will only be revealed when 
  the PCs approach the door. Conversely, if the deci-
  sion had to be made before the heist, e.g., the crew is 
  convincing a professional to join them, then it can be 
  revealed during the Prep Sequence.
  Refer to the Flashback move (MC Toolkit, p.199) for 
  further advice.
  The next player to receive the spotlight can cut back to 
  the heist scene or continue the Prep Sequence, tak-
  ing another action that either builds on the previous 
  actions in the Prep Sequence or focuses on another 
  aspect of the preparations. For example, one crew 
  member can get the schematics of a casino and locate 
  the vault, another can con the vault designer to reveal 
  its weakness, and a third can infiltrate the casino a day 
  before the heist and place customized explosives and a 
  security guard outfit in the service room.
  When a player cuts back to the heist, all the outcomes of 
  the moves taken during the Prep Sequence take effect.
  
  16   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  ROLLING A MISS IN THE PREP SEQUENCE
  A miss in the Prep Sequence leads to a hard move as 
  normal, but the hard move should mostly affect the 
  heist. If the character has taken a status or lost a tag 
  during the Prep Sequence, it should be revealed only 
  in the heist, if appropriate. For example, a bruiser that 
  was grazed-2 in a fight in the Prep Sequence was able 
  to function normally thus far but upon returning to the 
  “present” she grunts, revealing her bruise; a burglar 
  dropped his lockpick somewhere during the Prep 
  Sequence and is finding out only now, when the story 
  returns to the heist.
  Alternatively, a miss in the Prep Sequence can simply 
  mean the crew was unprepared for the current threat. 
  use the new hard move Force Them To Improvise:
  Force Them To Improvise: The crew’s prep did 
  not prepare them for the current threat. You cut 
  back to the heist and optionally make another hard 
  move within the heist scene (e.g., Give Them a 
  Status taken-by-surprise-2). Players may not flash 
  back to the Prep Sequence again until the current 
  threat is overcome or circumvented.
  TICK OF THE CLOCK
  If you wish to limit the players’ use of the Prep Se-
  quence, you can do so using a countdown spectrum 
  such as running-out-of-time, heat, or they’re-on-to-us 
  with a maximum of 4. Give the crew a tier-1 status on 
  this spectrum whenever they miss a move in the Prep 
  Sequence. Let them know that when the spectrum 
  maxes out, the crew has run out of time or resources, 
  or they’re about to be discovered and must execute the 
  heist immediately; in rules terms, they cannot make 
  any more moves in the Prep Sequence.
  You can make the limitation more challenging by giv-
  ing a status whenever the crew makes a move (whether 
  successful or not), but this may require increasing the 
  maximum to 5 or 6. Be mindful not to completely re-
  strict the crew’s options; heists should be suspenseful, 
  but they often succeed despite obstacles.
  DESIGNING HEISTS: THREE CARDS
  While within the fiction a heist can be a very compli-
  cated operation, cinematically, a heist most often con-
  sists of about three major challenges (give or take). It is 
  those three challenges that truly test the crew’s prepa-
  ration and skill; other obstacles, like easily-fooled 
  security guards and easy-to-hack security systems are 
  only there to warm up the crew members and show 
  their level of proficiency, or to pose an immediate 
  threat and increase the suspense when they slip up.
  To design a heist, start by determining the three major 
  obstacles the crew faces, which we will call the three 
  cards. Each such obstacle is a major problem which 
  may even seem insurmountable: a foolproof security 
  system, a mastermind security manager, a trick up 
  the house’s sleeve, etc. Normally, without the Prep 
  Sequence, it would be impossible for the heist team to 
  overcome these obstacles.
  The three cards represent three layers of defense. 
  • The first card or threat is most exposed; it is the 
  easiest to discover and study.
  • The second card is less exposed and represents a 
  more hidden layer of defense.
  • The third card is the ace up the defending team’s 
  sleeve, which they hold closest to their chest; it’s the 
  hardest to know of in advance.
  When PCs Investigate the mark (whether before the 
  heist starts or during the Prep Sequence), start by 
  revealing information about the first card. Move on 
  to the second card only when they actively dig deep-
  er. For dramatic purposes, try to reveal the third card 
  only during the heist (the PCs are still allowed to flash 
  back to the Prep Sequence and show how they actually 
  discovered about it, as normal). You can also represent 
  this increasing difficulty by giving the threat a count-
  er-investigative status with a tier relative to the card’s 
  ordinal number (1, 2, 3) such as hushed-1, sealed-lips-2, 
  private-3 or avoided-subject-1, scrubbed-records-2, no-
  one-heard-of-this-3.
  During the heist, place three playing cards or tarot 
  cards at the center of the table to create a dramatic 
  effect (if you are using the quick heist generator below, 
  they can be the same cards you drew). Flip over a card 
  whenever an obstacle is revealed for the first time.
  
  17   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  Spades - Unexpected Deception
  Clubs - Undefeatable Guards
  A 
  The prize is a decoy. The real prize is elsewhere.
  A 
  The mark is guarded by an unbeatable Rift or 
  Conjuration such as a sun-god Legendary or a 
  monstrous behemoth (5-stars challenge).
  2 
  There is a curse on the prize, affecting anyone who 
  touches/steals it.
  2 
  The mark is protected by the world’s best  
  (Sleeper) security force.
  3 
  The prize room is an inescapable deathtrap.
  3 
  The mark is guarded by an innumerable horde of 
  monsters, beasts, or foot soldiers.
  4 
  The prize keeps moving, physically or magically, 
  making it impossible to know where it is at any 
  given time.
  4 
  The mark’s security cannot be harmed by ordinary 
  means, but they can harm others.
  5 
  The prize has strings attached (e.g., it belongs to 
  an all-powerful Avatar whom the house will alert if 
  it is stolen).
  5 
  The mark’s security cannot be sensed by ordinary 
  means, and they have special senses with which 
  they detect infiltrators.
  6 
  The prize is useless unless unlocked by someone 
  or something else, or it has multiple parts.
  6 
  The mark’s security force only needs a single blow 
  or hit to subdue/kill a person.
  7 
  A special evacuation routine allows the house to 
  flee with the prize.
  7 
  The mark is protected by a battery of lawyers and 
  bigshots, ready to obliterate the crew’s private 
  lives.
  8 
  The prize is boobytrapped and will be destroyed/
  killed if moved, touched, etc.
  8 
  The mark or the mark’s entire security force is a 
  single living superorganism.
  9 
  A master-thief/trickster Rift is tasked with stealing 
  the prize back from anyone who steals it.
  9 
  The mark is protected by clones or copies of the 
  crew, or someone who can create such clones.
  10 
  Some time after being removed from the location 
  where it is held, the prize magically transports 
  back there, or disappears.
  10 
  The mark is protected by the crew’s mentor, mas-
  ter, employer, or idol, who knows their abilities and 
  surpasses them.
  j 
  Obtaining the prize involves a game of chance or a 
  trade with a cunning deceiver.
  J 
  The mark’s security can adapt their powers to 
  bypass infiltrators’ defenses and counter their 
  abilities.
  q 
  The prize room is fake or illusory.
  Q 
  The mark is guarded by a Nemesis of the crew or 
  of one of its members.
  k 
  The entire heist is staged or illusory.
  K 
  The mark is guarded by someone immune to 
  Mythos powers or who can take away Mythos 
  powers.
  QUICK HEIST GENERATOR
  You can quickly generate a heist using the table below 
  and a pack of playing cards. Draw three cards, one for 
  each threat, and consult the table.
  
  18   |   CITY OF MIST − FORTuNE ROW
  Diamonds - Infallible Security Measures
  Hearts - Insoluble Dilemma
  A 
  Magical protection interferes with Mythos powers 
  (some or all) around the mark.
  A 
  Someone in the heist team, PC or NPC, actually 
  works for the house. Confronting or exposing them 
  will alert the house.
  2 
  Reaching the prize requires supernatural abilities 
  (it’s in a dream, in the netherworld, etc.)
  2 
  The mark is rigged to put innocent lives in danger 
  if someone tries to hit it.
  3 
  The prize is kept in an extremely harsh environ-
  ment (lava cave, thunderstorm, acid vat).
  3 
  The prize is just a bait to lure in the crew or a spe-
  cific crew member, wanted for another reason.
  4 
  Access to the prize is guarded by a Relic of a leg-
  endary security measure (the cave of Ali Baba, the 
  nightingale floor, etc.).
  4 
  The house holds a major supporting character 
  hostage (or plans to).
  5 
  The entire premises is boobytrapped with an un-
  predictable variety of elaborate lethal traps.
  5 
  A major supporting character secretly works for 
  the house, potentially clashing with the crew.
  6 
  The place is rigged so that the use of Mythos 
  powers triggers the alarm, permanently blocking 
  access to the prize.
  6 
  A major supporting character is involved with the 
  house (or is the house), and stands to lose every-
  thing if the heist succeeds.
  7 
  After they locked up this mark in an impenetrable 
  place, they threw away the key (and its builder 
  went mad, died, or had her memory wiped).
  7 
  A specific part of the heist goes against a crew 
  member’s Identity or that of the whole crew.
  8 
  There is no physical way to reach the prize (e.g., 
  under a solid mountain).
  8 
  A specific part of the heist requires forgoing 
  answers to a crew member’s Mystery or that of the 
  whole crew.
  9 
  To reach the mark, one must traverse through a 
  malign force that drains one’s life, corrupts one’s 
  soul, erases one’s memories, etc.
  9 
  A specific part of the heist requires taking morally 
  questionable actions (e.g., access to prize can only 
  be achieved by releasing a serial killer).
  10 
  Anyone detected trying to infiltrate the mark is 
  transported to a distant place, a dangerous situa-
  tion, or another time.
  10 
  The house is relatable, raising moral questions 
  about the heist (e.g., rightful owner of prize, forced 
  to protect the prize by a third party, uses the prize 
  for good).
  j 
  An all-knowing or farsighted Rift or entity is watch-
  ing over the mark at all times.
  j 
  Something the crew or a crew member greatly de-
  sires becomes a secondary goal, distracting them 
  completely.
  q 
  Reaching the mark requires endless computational 
  or mental capacity, e.g., an ever changing maze, a 
  living firewall, etc.
  q 
  The house or someone they have a deal with takes 
  (or plans to take) an action that nullifies the crew’s 
  motivation for the heist.
  k 
  It is written in fate that only one person can pull off 
  this heist (an NPC). They are dead, indisposed, or 
  not interested.
  k 
  A mind-controlling Rift sets the crew members 
  against each other.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/City of Mist (PbtA)/District/City of Mist - District - Fortune Row.pdf