"The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of" -- "Casablanca" meets "Wizard Of Oz" -- mixes the characters and plot elements of two great films from Hollywoods "golden age" in a (hopefully) entertaining fantasy. Oz is a troubled continent. The winged armies of the Wicked Witch of the West have overrun many lands, and refugees crowd the streets and flophouses of Casablanca hoping against hope for a chance to emigrate. They wait... and wait... Rick owns a fashionable club called "The Emerald City." A man with a hidden past, he is nonetheless charming and honorable. He's employed many Munchkins on the staff -- former leading members of the Lollipop Guild and Lullabye League, for example -- and is in good with the Chief of Police, a frequent visitor. "Everybody comes to Rick's." Rick's world is turned upside down by the sudden news of the assassination (by house) of the Wicked Witch of the East, and (if the rumors are true) that her Ruby Slippers of Transit have turned up in Casablanca. All sorts of parties will be interested in acquiring them. And then who should walk into his joint but Dorothy -- the lost love of his life; on the arm of Victor Laszlo, with three oddball sidekicks who could sure use some brains, heart, and nerve. And Dorothy is looking for the Slippers too... Rick: "I said play it, Sam! If she can take it, I can take it." Sam (singing) "Somewhere, over the rainbow..." Characters: Rick -- Cafe owner and wounded lover of Dorothy. Smart, rich, cynical; hard-as-nails but with a heart of gold. "I stick my neck out for no man." Yeah, right. Sam -- Rick's sidekick, cleans up after Rick when his emotions get squashed. Loyal, deferential, non-commital; great musician. The Lullabye League, and The Lollypop Guild -- leading women's and men's social clubs of Munchkinland; now taking on more and more of the attributes of protection rackets looking out for their own, with a bit of government-in-exile thrown in. No longer as innocent as they seem. Chief of Police -- The real power in town; but judicious (if arbitrary) in his use of it. He must balance the maintenance of law and order in town with the increasing tendency of the Vichy government to collaborate with the Witch of the West's tyranny. This makes him morally laissez-faire. "Round up the usual suspects." Captain of the Witch's Guard -- The up-and-coming power in town. He's in command of the Witch's occupation forces (oops! that's "new allies" of the Vichy government) in the area. He must balance the necessary measures for security among the increasingly disorderly and restive population with the need to avoid coming down too hard -- except in individual cases. The Wicked Witch of the West -- Dictator of Occupied Oz. Mean and cunning. Suddenly roused from her complacence by the successful assasination of her sister and right-hand-witch of the East, and by the theft of the powerful Ruby Slippers of Transit. She MUST get them back -- and find the assassin/thief. Domination is what she seeks, and the prevention of any escape. Cruelty is simply one means to that end (though it has it's attractive side). "These things must be done _delicately_!" Dorothy -- coolly stunning woman who came out of nowhere to win Rick's heart. Informed by Glenda the Good Witch of the value of the Ruby Slippers of Transit (not merely for escaping, but the source of the Witch of the East's power), she is desperately seeking them -- perhaps for her own ends, perhaps for those of her new lover Victor Laszlo, but definitely before the Witch of the West finds them! Victor Laszlo -- native of occupied Oz and active in the Resistance. Does very risky spy work -- might he have leant new meaning to the term "eaves-dropping"? On the run from the authorities. His great goal: a free Oz. His immediate goal: find the Ruby Slippers to continue his work -- or at least, to escape. Peter Lorre -- a small dubious character out to impress those with power, so's to save his skin. The Fat Man -- a large dubious character out to impress those with power, so's to make money. He has his own organization competing with the Munchkin groups. The Scarecrow -- A fearless but not very bright hero type. Very reliable. Follows orders well. Doesn't like fire. The Tin Man -- A fearless but not very bright hero type. Somewhat reliable, tending to freeze up at awkward moments. Emotional. The Lion -- A bright but extremely fearful non-hero who dreams of being a hero type. Reliable only in very tense situations. Glenda the Good Witch -- Head of the OSS (Oz Secret Service); knows everything about everyone, and what she doesn't know she can find out. Not too timely about passing it on. "So, are you a Good Witch -- or a Bad Witch?" The Wizard of Oz -- Figure-Head of the Oz government-in-exile, waiting for the moment when he will return; anything he says or does carries considerable weight among the Oz folk, but pretty powerless otherwise. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!" Back to Table of Contents -- Matrix Gamer #13 To Matrix Gamer List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by Chris Engle. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com