Can you really get lucky at the Deserted Fairground?

Coconut Shy

I begin my investigation into my so called bad luck at the Fairground by visiting Leeroy the Quiggle. Though I’ve played this game before, I ask him for a rundown of the rules. He tells me if I hand him over 100 neopoints, that I can throw a ball at one of five coconuts. If I barely tap it, he’ll give me 50 neopoints back. If I almost knock it over, he’ll give me 300 neopoints. If I knock it over, he’ll hand over 10000 neopoints and an evil coconut souvenir. He mentions something about exploding coconuts too, but I am already a bit on edge because of his maniacal laugh.

Throw one: I barely hit it. He hands over 50 neopoints. Something about the look on his face sends chills down my spine. I hand him over more neopoints but take my time before my next throw. I look around for some sort of evidence of rigging and I feel Leeroy’s eyes follow me the whole time. There’s nothing suspicious laying around, so I wind up my arm for another throw. This time I nearly knock the coconut over. He hands me 200 neopoints and tells me to throw again. I ask why he didn’t give me all 300 and he tells me it’s because I am going to throw again. I insist that he hands me my neopoints, but instead, he hands me a ball. I throw it and barely hit the thing. He hands me 50 neopoints and asks me to play again. I decline. I have enough evidence.

While this game is certainly luck based, I am fairly certain Leeroy pressures people into playing. He knows that the odds of knocking down a coconut are extremely low, so he does his best to antagonize with his laugh. There is something so taunting about it that makes me really want to knock down a coconut. Of course, I can’t forget how he held back neopoints I have earned; I don’t think I could have convinced him to give me the full 300. There are outside factors that definitely affect one’s ability to win. While this game isn’t necessarily rigged, the odds are definitely not in your favor. This is one you should potentially avoid.

Test Your Strength

My next stop on my investigation is to test my strength. Being a relatively scrawny person, I have little faith that I’ll be able to make much of a dent on the meter. I am greeted by a mynci named Arnold. He’s less maniacal than Leeroy but seems like he could be a shady businessman. I ask him how to play. He tells me to hand over 100 neopoints so I do. He then hands me a mallet and instructs me to hit the button. I oblige and much to my disappointment I score 3 out of 100. He hands over some jellied eyeballs and tells me better luck next time. I ask when I can play again and he tells me six hours.

I don’t think Arnold has any influence on this game, which is a good thing. However, this game is definitely rigged. The person who came up right behind me seemed much stronger and only managed to score a 7 out of 10. There was this look on Arnold’s face that said it all. This game really isn’t about skill, it’s random. It is completely up to luck. Definitely a genuinely lucky game in the Deserted Fairgrounds. In my opinion, it’s safe to play.

Scratchcards

Seeking something that requires little physical exertion, I head over to the the Scratchcard kiosk and am greeted by a man named Sidney. He says “Ssidney sspies a cusstomer!” I nod, then ask him how much it will be for one card. He tells me 1200 neopoints and I am instantly skeptical. I tell him in Terror Mountain it only costs me 600. He rolls his eyes and tells me that the prizes here are worth much more. I ask him what I can win and he tells me it depends on the card I draw. I hand over 1200 neopoints and in return, he gives me a Crypt of Chance Scratchcard. I ask once again and he tells me I can win nothing, 3000 neopoints, 3 spooky foods, 5000 neopoints, up to 4 evil snowballs. In contrast, for the same value scratchcard at terror mountain I can win nothing, two random snowballs, a quiggle plushie, 2500 neopoints, 5000 neopoints or 10000 neopoints. I get a much better value on Terror Mountain, but I keep this to myself and scratch my card off.

1st scratch: a worm. I am 2 away from 5000 neopoints.

2nd scratch: a bat. I am 2 away from 3000 neopoints as well.

3rd scratch: Another bat. I am 1 away from 3000 neopoints.

4th scratch: Another bat. I win 3000 neopoints.

I can’t believe my luck. I actually have more neopoints than I started with. He hands it over and asks if I want to buy another. I am tempted to take him up on his offer, but I still have one more stop to make and I am losing daylight.

I’ve come to the conclusion that although the value at the Deserted Fairground scratchcard kiosk is worse, there is no way he could rig these cards. He might rig which one he hands over, but the actual prize is up to luck and chance. This is definitely an activity you should feel safe doing.

Wheel of Misfortune

Though there are a few things left to do here, I only have time for one more. I decide to give the Wheel of Misfortune a go, but that name alone makes me skeptical. I hand over 150 neopoints and examine the wheel. I can win a random gift, a random spooky petpet, I can lose neopoints, I can have an item in my inventory turn to sludge, my active pet can forget a book, I can win between 2-4000 neopoints, the pant devil can steal from me or my pet can come down with a disease. I instantly regret handing over my neopoints, but I reluctantly spin the wheel. The wheel goes round and round and I land on the pant devil. He steals the Jellied Eyeballs I won at test your strength.

There’s nothing rigged about this game. I took my time and examined the wheel. I don’t think it’s programmed to land on a spot. The odds aren’t in your favor, though. I wouldn’t want to win half the prizes on this wheel. Although this game is based off luck, I would advise against playing it. There’s no winning here.

In conclusion, I think that the Deserted Fairgrounds gets a bad rap. While Coconut Shy may not be 100% luck based, the other games most certainly are. The prizes can be bad, but you can avoid getting them if you avoid playing. That being said, while I may not visit the Fairgrounds on a day-to-day basis, I can definitely see myself go back there. For those of you counting at home, I spent 1750 neopoints and walked away with 3400. I guess I did get lucky at the Deserted Fairground today.