Be a singer for a day

The four things you protect as a Singer

• 🎤
  Voice

  If Voice reaches zero, your day ends early with “Lost your voice”. The voice went quiet and the concert became a story told with a very hoarse whisper.

  31% of the choices in this role lower it, and 27% raise it.

• 💖
  Fans

  If Fans reaches zero, your day ends early with “The crowd left early”. The fans drifted away. The hall was quiet and the popcorn was cold.

  21% of the choices in this role lower it, and 46% raise it.

• 🎸
  Band

  If Band reaches zero, your day ends early with “The band broke up”. The band walked off in the middle of the set. The drum stool is still spinning.

  21% of the choices in this role lower it, and 48% raise it.

• 🔥
  Buzz

  If Buzz reaches zero, your day ends early with “Forgotten by the morning”. The buzz faded and the posters came down. Even the parrot looked elsewhere.

  15% of the choices in this role lower it, and 48% raise it.

Tips for a better day as a Singer

1. Do not chase one number. In every role, a day with all four meters between 50 and 70 beats a day with one meter at 95 and another at 10. As a Singer, the danger is rarely the big mistake. It is the quiet neglect of one meter.
2. Watch Voice most closely. In this role, 31% of choices lower it, which makes it the meter that slips away fastest. Buzz is the most forgiving, with 15% of choices lowering it.
3. Read your advisors as opinions, not answers. Each one backs the option that helps the meters they care about, so when they disagree, ask which meter you can least afford to lose today.
4. Look for the choice that gives you something back. Many of the best options cost one meter a little and help two others. The tempting “easy” option often costs more than it seems.
5. Remember that choices can come back. A decision in the morning may return as a follow-up situation later in the day, so a quick fix early on can be expensive at six in the evening.

A sample day, step by step

Here is one example of how a careful player might get through a day as a Singer. It uses six of the sixteen situations, picks the option with the best overall balance each time, and shows what each choice did. Your own day will be different, because situations are drawn at random and some choices bring follow-ups later.

1. 7:00 AM

   The magazine interview

   A famous magazine asks for an interview about your new album. They want a controversial opinion.

   Chosen: “Praise a rival and smile”. Classy. It gets some attention.

   💖 Fans +6🎸 Band +2🔥 Buzz +2

   The road not taken: “Say something shocking”. Buzz goes through the roof. Your band is not thrilled.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 50 · 💖 56 · 🎸 52 · 🔥 52

2. 9:30 AM

   A cover request

   The crowd shouts for a famous old song. You know it well and the fans love it. It is not on the set list.

   Chosen: “Offer it as an encore”. A smart plan. The crowd stays.

   💖 Fans +6🎸 Band +2🔥 Buzz +2

   The road not taken: “Stick to the plan”. Professional and a bit stiff.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 50 · 💖 62 · 🎸 54 · 🔥 54

3. 12:00 PM

   The viral clip

   A video of you sneezing mid-song has gone viral. The comments are funny and a few are cruel.

   Chosen: “Laugh about it online”. It makes you more human.

   💖 Fans +6🔥 Buzz +6

   The road not taken: “Ask the website to remove it”. It is removed. It is also copied everywhere.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 50 · 💖 68 · 🎸 54 · 🔥 60

4. 3:00 PM

   A hospital visit

   A children’s hospital asks if you could drop in for twenty minutes before your show. It would mean a lot.

   Chosen: “Send a recorded message”. Kind and efficient.

   💖 Fans +2🔥 Buzz +2

   The road not taken: “Decline, you need to rest”. Sensible. A pang of guilt.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 50 · 💖 70 · 🎸 54 · 🔥 62

5. 6:00 PM

   The bandmate wants a solo

   Your drummer asks for a three-minute solo in tonight’s set. The concert is already long.

   Chosen: “Say yes with a time limit”. He is thrilled. The crowd goes wild.

   💖 Fans +2🎸 Band +11

   The road not taken: “Say no and promise next time”. He nods. He remembers.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 50 · 💖 72 · 🎸 65 · 🔥 62

6. 9:00 PM

   The vocal coach’s warning

   Your vocal coach says you must rest the voice for three days or risk damage. The tour has twelve more shows.

   Chosen: “Reduce the songs and add a story”. A thoughtful compromise.

   🎤 Voice +2🎸 Band +2

   The road not taken: “Cancel a show and rest”. Wise and costly.

   Standing after this call: 🎤 52 · 💖 72 · 🎸 67 · 🔥 62

Situations you may face

Every game uses six of these sixteen situations, so you will not meet them all in one day. There are also 4 follow-up situations that return after specific choices and 3 surprises that can appear without warning.

• A scratchy throat. You wake up with a scratchy throat. The concert is tonight. The tea has honey and a small lemon and your manager has opinions.
• The sound check. The sound engineer says the echo in the hall is “like singing inside a wardrobe”. He suggests turning the volume down.
• The guitarist is late. Your lead guitarist has not arrived and the sound check starts in ten minutes. He texts: “Almost there. Traffic. Also, a goat.”
• The fan at the gate. A girl has waited three hours at the stage door with a handmade poster. She just wants a hello.
• The magazine interview. A famous magazine asks for an interview about your new album. They want a controversial opinion.
• The new song. You have written a new song that your band loves and your manager thinks is “a bit strange for the radio”.
• A sponsor’s offer. A big soft-drink company offers a huge deal. They want your face on their cans and a jingle in your show.
• The tour bus breaks down. The tour bus has stopped on a hill. The driver says it will be four hours. The concert is tonight.
• The vocal coach’s warning. Your vocal coach says you must rest the voice for three days or risk damage. The tour has twelve more shows.
• The rival’s party. A rival singer invites your band to her birthday party. Your manager says it would be “great for the story”.
• The bandmate wants a solo. Your drummer asks for a three-minute solo in tonight’s set. The concert is already long.
• A cover request. The crowd shouts for a famous old song. You know it well and the fans love it. It is not on the set list.
• The viral clip. A video of you sneezing mid-song has gone viral. The comments are funny and a few are cruel.
• A hospital visit. A children’s hospital asks if you could drop in for twenty minutes before your show. It would mean a lot.
• The sound system fails. Ten minutes before the show, the main speakers cut out. The crowd is waiting and the engineer says “it is only the left side”.
• The late-night snack. After the show, the whole band wants spicy street noodles. Your throat says no. Your stomach says yes.

Every ending (spoilers)