Joy's Wondrous Arcade
One of the most popular attractions of the Boardwalk in Sunrise Point in Senyon is a fairly large shop and gameroom known as Joy's Wondrous Arcade. The Arcade, as it is most often called, is not a casino or gambling den; rather, it is a place where people of all ages, including children, can go to enjoy small games of chance and skill, competing to win small prizes and the recognition of having one's name on the leaderboard for a game, won by having one of the top ten scores ever recorded for a game.
Visitors can compete in many different kinds of games at the Arcade. Hoopball is quite popular - competitors vie to see who is able to toss as many balls as they can through a small hoop in one minute. Another popular game is a darts competition, aiming darts at a target to gain the highest score. Some people like playing a game in which people can win small prizes by tossing a ring onto a set of bottles. Alongside the games of skill, there are also card games and some games of chance that people can play. These games are set up so that the winners get small prizes; wagering on the games is strictly forbidden.
On the Boardwalk just outside the Arcade, several tables are set up to play the traditional board game known as "chee" or "zo." Becoming a master of chee takes a powerful intellect and usually many years of practice, so most of the chee players at the Boardwalk chee tables are quite a few years older than those playing the games inside the Arcade. Posted on the wall just outside the Arcade is the leaderboard for chee. Once a year during Summer Forge, the Arcade hosts the Sunrise Point Chee Tournament, which draws masters from all over Senyon and beyond.
Beside the games at the arcade, there are always several artists with easels, paper or canvas, and ink or paint set up to do spontaneous portraits for guests. The kinds of protraits that the artists will do range from simple, usually humorous, ink sketches to serious, expensive artwork that can take many days for an artist to complete. The prices charged for the art vary accordingly.
When they visit Sunrise Point with their mother, Consort Gwanjiyan Annelia, the Arcade is a favorite of Princess Yixing-Jiumin Jinyat and Princess Yixing-Jiumin Jinsam. Princess Jinsam enjoys more active games, like hoopball and darts. Her name is even on the leaderboard for hoopball. Princess Jinyat especially enjoys card games. Her considerable intelligence and calm make her a formidable opponent. Few people have the confidence or skill to compete with her.
Purpose / Function
Joy's Wondrous Arcade is one of the most popular places for residents and tourists to entertain themselves in Sunrise Point, and indeed, in all of Senyon. On weekend evenings, the crowd at the Arcade can be so large that one must wait quite a long time to secure a place to play the games, especially the card and chance games, as they take much longer to play than hoopball, darts, and other active games.
Architecture
Joy's Wondrous Arcade occupies a large spot on the Boardwalk in Sunrise Point. Roughly 40 feet (12 meters) from side to side and about 65 feet (20 meters) deep. The front of the Arcade is enclosed by a low rail to control access, but otherwise open. The ceiling is about 15 feet high. There are several spaces for hoopball along one wall and darts on the opposite wall. Two ring toss games are toward the front of the Arcade, while card game and chance game tables are set toward the back.
On the left wall, dividing the hoopball games from card gaming tables, is a small gift shop in which sets of dice, cards imprinted with the logo of the Arcade, some clothing, and other merchandise is sold, mostly to tourists. Some of the dice sets are quite expensive, with the dice made from semi-precious stones, inlaid with gold numbers, and stored in boxes made from rare kinds of wood and inlaid with beautiful artwork.
Defenses
The Arcade building has no defenses, but it employs a relatively large number of well-trained staff that run the games and make sure any unruly visitors are dealt with promptly.
Tourism
Joy's Wondrous Arcade is a popular spot for the many tourists than come to Sunrise Point to vacation. It is renowned throughout Senyon. The visitors are often quite well off, including wealthy merchants and their family members, Senyon nobility, and even members of the imperial family of Senyon.
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