Dealer

General description

The dealer, real name Josh J. Tarver, is the main antagonist of the 2024 strategy horror board game Buckshot Roulette.

Description

Seemingly lacking any real name or personality, the Dealer resembles a creepy floating head with two arms and a toothy grin that turns into a frown or pained expression when shot.

Biography(Past)

It is hinted that at some point in the past, the Dealer won against God at roulette with buckshot. This is evidenced by the bloody general release of liability, a document the Dealer makes all players sign before the game begins so that he will not be legally responsible for their deaths should they die, with God's name in the name box. This is also implied if the player dies in the final round against the Dealer, as losing will send the player to a barren and broken afterlife, with no God to oversee it. On the other hand, it is also possible that the afterlife has always been like this and that the blood on the document belongs to the Dealer, but whether this is true or not is unknown. This is because neither the color of God's blood nor the original state of the afterlife is known. It is also possible that this is a symbol of something else, or a fake document designed to make the player lose hope. The origins of the Dealer remain largely a mystery, but based on some popular theories, it is possible that the Dealer's true identity is Josh Jay Tarver. When he was a child, he survived a house fire, which gave him his supernatural appearance. It is also possible that the Dealer is some kind of supernatural being or a literal manifestation of addiction. It is even possible that the entire game is a symbol of someone's struggle with addiction.

The essence of the game

When the player first encounters the Dealer after leaving the restroom and entering his office, the Dealer forces the player to sign a General Release of Liability. Once they do, the side monitor comes to life, revealing that their game will last three rounds. The third round is highlighted by a skull, representing the final round. The first round is relatively easy for both players, as you cannot "die" because you and the Dealer are hooked up to defibrillators unless one of you is unlucky enough to shoot yourself or each other with buckshot. However, the Dealer will use "items" in the next round once the first round is over. These items are taken from the Magic Item Box and can range from beer cans, which allow the drinker to hold the shotgun in their hand to dispose of the current shell; handcuffs, which prevent the opponent from making a move; cigarettes, which give the smoker more health; a magnifying glass, which allows the user to look into the shotgun and check the current shell; and a handsaw, which doubles the shotgun's damage, given that the shell is live and not blank. After defeating the Dealer a second time, the two enter a death round, in which the Dealer turns off the defibrillators and tells the player to brace themselves. In the final round, the Dealer either wins and the player dies, or loses and dies. If the Dealer wins, the player is sent to the Dealer's barren afterlife of black spikes and long metal gates. If the player wins, the Dealer is killed by a shotgun blast (either by the player or by the Dealer), and the player is seen driving away from the nightclub where the buckshot roulette game was taking place, with a briefcase of cash and the Dealer's shotgun in the passenger seat next to him. Whether or not Dealer actually died remains unclear. His relatively calm demeanor and methodical, practiced movements suggest that he was not dead, but rather incapacitated or unwilling to continue.

The essence of the game

The glowing red orbs or eyes that appear briefly before the player receives the briefcase in the good ending also hint at his possible survival. His calm demeanor may also hint that he is truly dead, as the Dealer seems to value the rules and thrills of Buckshot Roulette above all else, and since a game of Buckshot Roulette, especially in its final round, can only (officially) end when one player is dead, it is also possible that the Dealer is truly dead. Furthermore, the Dealer's final monologue before the third round also implies his death in the good ending, as he claims that he and the player are both "dancing on the edge of life and death." Based on the evidence presented, it is most likely that the Dealer died in the good ending of Buckshot Roulette, as the evidence supports his desire to play his game to the fullest, including the consequences.