Kuzma and Iosef, getting a bit Metaphorgotten. note
We play through reverse John Wick! Joz buys a hotel! Paulo purchases a dog!
Episodes 51-52 of Film Reroll. Based on the 2014 action movie.
Things are going well for the steadily rising Tarasov crime family. Viggo Tarasov has just bought out one of his greatest rivals — the Stevenson family — and acquired their hotel, the Old Queen Bess. Meanwhile, his son Iosef has started making a name for himself, committing his first proper assassination. Unfortunately, Iosef may have also bitten on a little bit more than he can chew. A, to him, petty little street crime of the mob prince, directed at some seemingly random annoying guy to teach him a lesson, has made him an enemy of John Wick, the most infamous assassin in New York, who proceeds to start a one-man-war against the mob. Viggo starts putting all of his resources into taking Wick down. The question is, will it be enough?
Starring Paulo Quiros as Iosef Tarasov, Jocelyn "Joz" Vammer as Viggo Tarasov and Andy Hoover as the Dungeon Master.
Followed by Goonies.
Tropes:
- Adaptational Badass: Downplayed with Sven. He puts up more of a fight against Wick here, but still dies by his hand.
- Adaptational Nice Guy:
- Iosef isn't nearly as much of a Jerkass as he was in the film. When he realizes his mistake he actually tries to make up for it by returning John Wick's stolen car and buying him a new dog. (Though Viggo still believes that Wick won't accept the apology.) Iosef is also genuinely friendly with the Pet Store Lady, and reluctantly agrees to leave her behind to keep her out of trouble. Compare that to his movie counterpart, who used an innocent woman as a Human Shield.
- Ms. Perkins is also more Affably Evil than her movie counterpart, being on genuinely good terms with several of her colleagues.
- Adaptational Wimp: Downplayed, but thanks to a long string of bad rolls from Joz, Ms. Perkins ends up being one of the least competent of the people sent to kill John Wick.
- Adaptation Distillation: The campaign includes some elements from the second film, most notably Viggo's brother Abram and the Bowery King, (who,while he never shows up in person, is mentioned as one of Viggo's allies.)
Initially, Andy Hoover planned to possibly have the campaign adapt both movies. - Another Side, Another Story: The plot is told from the point of view of the film's villains, leading to a rare case of an Antagonist Title referring to a Hero Antagonist.
- Big Bad Wannabe: Viggo comes off a bit like this. Not only is Wick able to mop the floor with his Mooks, he is actually outsmarted by his son, Iosef. He still manages to get away in the end, though.
- The Big Guy: Kuzma. He tries to be a Genius Bruiser, but comes across more like a Bunny-Ears Lawyer.
- Call-Back:Damn, we're in a tight spot!
- The second episode features a lengthy action setpiece involving a falling elevator, much like another campaign based on a Keanu Reeves film.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Alex Lusko, who disappears from the plot before suddenly showing up during the climax to shoot John Wick unconscious.
- Coming of Age Story: Arguably, the whole story is now about Iosef learning to become a career criminal.
- Crosscast Role: Joz Vammer as Viggo Tarasov.
- Death by Adaptation: The villains actually manage to kill John Wick, with Iosef Tarasov landing the finishing blow.
- Description Porn: When the Red Circle massacre spills out from the baths into the club proper, Andy decides to zoom out for a cinematic monologue of John Wick just absolutely mowing everyone down.Andy: He comes through the doors, and he is just a killing machine [...] He’s going in, just dancing around columns. His very will is destruction, and nothing can be turned against him in any feasible way. He is essentially any kind of god of death that you could possibly want to imagine, working his unfathomable agency upon all manner of enforcers, themselves once upon a time fearsome men, now reduced to mere toddlers before this incomprehensible human scythe, carving and slicing, firing bullet after bullet into guts and brains. Methodical. A machine of murder. A machine of vengeance. John Wick cuts through the lounge like so much butter underneath the scimitar of rage. Taking them down one by one. Valued men. Men that have bled for you in Saint Petersburg, both Russian and Floridian, men who have stood up against foes you thought were so great, now rendered but mere sheep before the slaughter. Sheared for their wool, drank for their blood. It’s bad news, man.
- Developing Doomed Characters: The interactions between Ms. Perkins and Eliah end up becoming this.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Ms. Perkins now dies at the hands of John Wick on the roof of the Old Queen Bess rather than being executed for violating the Continental rules. Victor and Richard survive the Red Circle massacre, but eventually go down during John Wick's assault on the hotel.
- Different World, Different Movies: After making a Shout-Out to The Matrix, (also starring Keanu Reeves,) the players decide that said film was also made in the John Wick universe... as a Christian Bale vehicle, (and turned out better for it.)
- Disney Villain Death: Wick forces down both Kuzma and Avi from the roof of the hotel. They both end up landing on the same poor bystander's car.
- Elaborate Underground Base: Old Queen Bess, the hotel formerly owned by the Stevenson family, apparently has a basement with eight to twenty floors, which are used for various illegal activities.
- Enforced Method Acting: Andy specifically told Joz to watch the film and Paulo to not do it, as he wanted Viggo to be far more informed than Iosef.
- Elite Mook: To keep the campaign exciting instead of just having Viggo and Iosef sit around waiting for John Wick to reach the hotel roof in Part 2, Andy has Paulo and Joz take up the roles of Tarasov enforcers Alex Lusko and Alexi Komisaruk, as well as Ms. Perkins and another random mook by the name of Eliah.
- Excalibur: Apparently hangs over the fireplace at the British hotel, Old Queen Bess. It's clarified to just be a replica and not the Excalibur, but it's still a perfectly fine sword. It's never actually used until the very end, where Iosef uses it to deal an impaling Coup de Grâce on an unconscious John Wick.
- Experimented in College: Iosef says that he's not gay just because he kissed a boy back in high school, (though the way he still reminisces about it might make it a borderline case of If It's You, It's Okay.)
- Fall Guy: Gregory is asked to take the blame for killing John Wick's dog. He gladly accepts, thinking it will make him seem cool.
- Fan Sequel: Reddit user ymcameron made a mockup cover of a book detailing the events of the campaign.
Also a case of Canon Welding, as the In-Universe author was Laura Herris from Weekend at Bernie's. - Hellish Copter: John Wick manages to shoot down the helicopter Abram came to pick up his brother and nephew in.
- Humanoid Abomination: Bearing witness to the Red Circle massacre, Paulo decides to roll Religion for Iosef to see whether he thinks that John Wick is a full-on death god. He's not, but there isn't much difference with what he does see.Andy: You know enough that he is almost certainly not the actual god of death, but merely the shadow thrown by the god of death. He is essentially an extradimensional assassin. He is the reason that people fear the dark, he is the light at the end of the tunnel snuffed out by the very scepter of his will. He is the cloud that goes across the moon. He is a very dangerous man. He is basically Stage 6 cancer of the everything. He is... just the worst.
- Human Shield: Wick tries using Alexi as this against her brother Alex, but this plan ends up backfiring.
- Hurricane of Euphemisms: Between Iosef and the Pet Store Lady, who he eventually invites to the Red Circle.
- Named by the Adaptation: The mob boss Viggo buys out has now been given the name "Mr. Stevenson."
- No Indoor Voice: Julia the waitress loudly screeches out every word she says.
- Out of Focus:
- In the first episode, John Wick only appears in one scene and doesn't say a single word. This only makes him seem more mysterious and intimidating.
- The second episode, however, turns this completely on its head by putting the Tarasovs in the backseat and devoting a lot of time to the fight between Wick and the assassins.
- Promoted Fanboy: In-Universe. Eliah is a big fan of Ms. Perkins, and is glad to finally work with her.
- Retired Badass: Aside from John Wick himself, Julia also turns out to be a former assassin who is acquainted with Ms. Perkins, and is happy to serve her the ingredients for a Molotov Cocktail.
- Revolvers Are Just Better: Viggo arms himself with a six-shooter and eight bullets. One of them is a Good Luck Charm which manages to injure John Wick.
- Running Gag: Naturally, the players get a kick out of John Wick's car being manifactured in '69. (And yes, this was also the case in the film.)
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!:
- Victor immediately tries to leave town after hearing that they're dealing with John Wick. Unfortunately, Viggo calls him back into the fray.
- Iosef and his gang also do this once Wick shows up at the Red Circle and kills 40 of their allies.
- After John Wick's death, Viggo jumps off the building with a parachute, intending to go home to Moscow.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Viggo and Iosef both survive the events of the campaign, albeit with serious injuries.
- Sympathetic P.O.V.: Interestingly enough, not giving John Wick this makes him come across less like a Hitman with a Heart and more like a killer from a Slasher Movie. He regains his Noble Demon qualities in the second episode, though.
- Worthy Opponent: John Wick and Ms. Perkins seem to have this type of relationship. Both are reluctant to kill each other, but still determined to try once they are put in a position where they have to.
- Alex Lusko also gets this treatment from John Wick, with John apparently having seen much of himself in the up-and-comer. He even manages to score a couple of hits on Wick, shooting blind through an elevator roof.
