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The Game at Carousel
1 web novel and 3 books

A series by Rob M. Lastrel, and lost_rambler
Royal RoadStub
Authors: Rob M. Lastrel (3 books), and lost_rambler (3 books)
Series status: Ongoing
First published: March 14, 2023
Description: Could you survive a horror movie?
That's the question Riley must answer after he and his friends get lured to Carousel, a malevolent town where horror movies come to life.
Riley thinks he is in big trouble when he is assigned the Film Buff archetype, a minor support class that has a penchant for dying early in movies. At first resigned to his fate to die over and over, he believes he has found a way to survive. Upon obtaining the Oblivious Bystander trope, monsters and killers will not harm him as long as he can convincingly pretend he has not noticed them. At first, this ability appears to be a joke, but Riley thinks that with some clever exploitation, it might just be his greatest strength.
Published Novel
Series: The Game at Carousel (book 1 out of 3)
Authors: Rob M. Lastrel (3 books), and lost_rambler (3 books)
Series status: Ongoing
First published: February 13, 2024
Description: When horror-obsessed Riley Lawrence and his group of college friends arrive in the small town of Carousel for their Centennial Celebration, the few decrepit cars parked in the street don’t scare them. But when they enter a locked building, an animatronic usher hands them each a ticket, and the lights dim, Riley realizes they’ve entered the inescapable patchwork of a horror movie set. And they’ve each been assigned an archetype—Scholar, Athlete, Eye Candy, Final Girl—to play out as the curtains rise.Assigned the Film Buff archetype, Riley’s doomed to repeat a pattern: knowing exactly who the killer is but never surviving the attacks himself. After all, film buffs may know what’s coming, but they’re always the first to be hunted down. Until, that is, Riley learns he can avoid a death or two by exploiting the Oblivious Bystander trope. It seems monsters and killers won’t harm him as long as he can convincingly pretend he hasn’t noticed them.To make it through this deadly game, Riley and his friends will need to leverage their tropes effectively to determine what’s trapping them there in the first place. But as the rounds continue and escape seems farther and farther out of reach, they’ll be forced to ask themselves: Would they survive in a horror movie?
Published Novel
Series: The Game at Carousel (book 2 out of 3)
Authors: Rob M. Lastrel (3 books), and lost_rambler (3 books)
Series status: Ongoing
First published: July 9, 2024
Description: Since they were lured to the festival at Carousel, Riley (the Film Buff), Antoine (the Athlete), Camden (the Scholar), Anna (the Final Girl), and Kimberly (the Eye Candy) have lived through entire horror movie plots. So far, Riley’s survival strategy is working. He’s high on his Moxie, Hustle, and Savvy stats. But his Mettle and Grit have dropped dangerously low, leaving him vulnerable. If he gets caught by a killer, he’s done for. Plus, no one seems to understand what use Film Buffs are to begin with. What good is knowing the killer is coming if everyone else does too?Worse, the stakes are only getting higher. Die in a successful storyline and you’ll be back for the next one. But die in the wrong storyline and you won’t come back at all. Because Riley has learned the secret of Carousel: that behind them every step of the way is a man with an ax, there to ensure any wrong storylines are immediately culled. And now Riley’s beginning to think Carousel itself may be talking to him...
Published Novel
Series: The Game at Carousel (book 3 out of 3)
Authors: Rob M. Lastrel (3 books), and lost_rambler (3 books)
Series status: Ongoing
First published: December 10, 2024
Description: Since the day they unwittingly found themselves in the horror show of Carousel, Riley (the Film Buff), Antoine (the Athlete), Kimberly (the Eye Candy), Camden (the Scholar), and Anna (the Final Girl) have learned the rules of their horror-movie world. They’ve fought through story after story and come out alive—or at least preserved the storyline enough to come back to life.But their biggest challenge yet lies ahead. While the vets who’ve been there longest want to travel to the mountain they believe to be the source of Carousel’s power, Riley is more concerned about something else: the murderous man with an axe who follows their every move to ensure they play by the rules. But even knowing the secrets of Carousel can’t save them from the real horrors to come . . .The longer they stay in Carousel, the more Riley and his friends wonder: Who’s running the game? Where does it end? And why don’t the vets seem to know any more than they do?