Post by Beelzebibble on Feb 10, 2007 4:26:38 GMT -5
MAFIA II
WELCOME THREAD
I. INTRODUCTION
Greetings! Welcome to the new and improved sequel to the smash hit game known in these circles as Mafia! You’re looking at the welcome thread for the s
You’ve probably encountered this game in real life or online before, but in case you haven’t, these are the basics: Several Mafia members have betrayed a town and are picking off its residents one by one. The Innocents are holding regular executions in the hope of killing Mafia members, but unlike the Mafia members, the Innocents don’t know who’s on which side. The objective of either team is to completely wipe away the opposition. Deceit, treachery, fraud, and every other synonym for “lies” run rampant through the town as the game speeds toward its conclusion.
II. VOCABULARY
A brief vocabulary lesson to clarify the terms ahead: “Day” and “night” refer to the 48-hour periods, not regular days and nights. “Role” indicates a player’s powers, but “alliance” simply denotes whether they’re on the side of the Mafia or of the Innocents. “Townsperson” and “townspeople” refer to all the players in the game, and shouldn’t be confused with “Innocents”. “Real-time day” means our standard 24-hour period, regardless of whether it’s day or night within the game.
III. PLAYERS
Below is the complete list of characters taking part in this Mafia game.
Andurin
Baboon
Bulbs
Cinders
Kazkame
Kevin
Lee
Loogs
Ocelot
Pikachu
The Pope
Prime
RLRL
IV. BOARDS
This board is where the bulk of the game will take place. I will create a new topic for each day, where accusations, voting, and the execution will take place. You are welcome to create your own topics on this board, as long as they pertain to the Mafia game.
Mafia members will conduct their nightly assassinations on a Xanga I have created for the purpose of the game. The Mafia members have been given more detail about how to make that work.
The topic “The Shop” is for item purchases. All new games will be accompanied by the creation of a new topic.
The topic “The Cemetery” is for dead characters to discuss the game. Dead characters may not participate in the voting topics or games; unless otherwise specified, they may only post in the Cemetery.
V. THE DAY/NIGHT CYCLE
Mafia rotates on a day/night cycle, with different events taking place on each. For the convenience of this online community where nobody’s schedule matches up precisely, this game of Mafia will allow no less than 48 hours for each day and 48 hours for each night. I will signal the beginning of a new day by creating a new topic for it on this board; at the beginning of each night, I will lock that topic.
A number of things occur during the day:
Immediately, if there has been a consensus among the Mafia the previous night, their choice of victim is murdered. However, if the Doctor successfully guessed which Innocent was chosen by the Mafia, the Innocent does not die. If the Bomb was chosen by the Mafia (and not rescued by the Doctor), both the Bomb and the appropriate Mafia member(s) die. If the Vigilante successfully fired a bullet at a Mafia member, that Mafia member dies. If one of the Lovers was killed in the last round, the other Lover now dies. If the Doctor has been killed, the Nurse assumes the Doctor’s power. If the Thief successfully pulled off a burglary the previous night, an item is awarded to the Thief. Every other day, the Bodyguard and the Chronomancer are given a new shield and freeze, respectively. If a resurrection was used at any point in the night, the targeted character is now resurrected. The effects of freezes and shields used at the appropriate time wear off.
That will all make a heck of a lot more sense once you read the next section.
For the rest of the day, surviving members must make accusations and vote for an execution. Players must participate in the day’s game. Any player may purchase an item at the Shop, or PM me choosing a target for a resurrection, freeze or shield, or PM me announcing their desire to use an extra vote.
A number of things occur during the night:
Immediately, if there has been a consensus among the townspeople the previous day, their choice of suspect is executed. The alliance of the suspect – but not the specific role – is revealed. If the suspect was the Doctor, the Nurse assumes the Doctor’s power. If the suspect was the Bomb, both the Bomb and the appropriate townsperson(s) die. If a resurrection was used at any point in the day, the targeted character is now resurrected. The effects of freezes and shields used at the appropriate time wear off.
For the rest of the night, Mafia members must confer on the Xanga to select a victim. The Doctor (or Nurse) may PM me selecting a player to protect. The Detective may PM me selecting a player whose alliance will be revealed. The Vigilante may PM me selecting a player to fire his or her bullet at. The Thief may PM me selecting a player to attempt to rob. Any player may purchase an item at the Shop, or PM me choosing a target for a resurrection, freeze or shield. Any Mafia member may PM me announcing their desire to use an extra vote.
VI. ROLES
The following characters appear in Mafia II:
Mafia Members – There are two “generic” Mafia Members. These characters meet on the Xanga each night to decide which townsperson they should assassinate. The Mafia Members know the identities of each other as well as of the Godfather and of the Bodyguard.
Godfather – A special Mafia Member. He/she is completely identical to the other Mafia Members except for one special trick: the Godfather’s dealings in the underworld are so well-concealed by his/her network of minions that the Godfather always appears innocent to any investigation. Should the Detective ask the Host about the Godfather’s alliance, the Host is required to say that he or she is an Innocent.
Bodyguard – A special Mafia Member. He/she is completely identical to the other Mafia Members except for one special trick: the Bodyguard begins the game with a free shield, and gains another shield every other day.
Doctor – The champion of the Innocents. The Doctor has the power to rescue assassination targets from the brink of death. Every night, the Doctor may PM the Host naming a player to protect. If that player is the one the Mafia Members selected, the player isn’t killed after all. Furthermore, the player will be notified of the identity of the Doctor. For his/her own part, the Doctor begins the game with knowledge of the Nurse’s identity.
Nurse – The hopeful Nurse begins the game with no special powers. However, in the event of the Doctor’s death (by execution, assassination, or otherwise), the Nurse will take on the Doctor’s power of saving players. The Nurse knows who the Doctor is.
Detective – Prowling in the shadows, the Detective has arrived in town to sniff out the Mafia. Every night, the Detective may PM the Host to enquire about the alliance (not specific role) of any player. The Host will reply naming the player’s alliance. Unless the player is the Godfather or Miller, the Host is expected to be truthful.
Vigilante – This trigger-happy hunter has taken it on him/herself to save the town from that Mafia scum. Twice throughout the course of the game, the Vigilante may PM the Host during the night naming a player to fire a bullet at. If the player turns out to be a Mafia member, he or she is killed the following morning. If the player turns out to be an Innocent, the bullet misses and the incident is not mentioned the following morning. The Vigilante knows who the Miller and Thief are. (The Vigilante’s bullet will kill the Godfather, and will not kill the Miller; unlike the Detective, the Vigilante cannot be fooled.)
Miller – The Miller is a good-natured soul who toils on the outskirts of the town. Unfortunately, he/she has become the scapegoat in light of recent events, quick to be accused by the more sophisticated townspeople. If the Detective asks the Host about the alliance of the Miller, the Host is obligated to say that he or she is a Mafia Member. The Miller knows who the Vigilante and Thief are.
Thief – Although he may be a criminal, he’s no Mafia member, and is as liable a target for assassination as any other. The roguish Thief makes a business out of burglary, stealing into others’ homes in the dead of night and snatching their goods. Every night, the Thief may PM the Host naming a player to rob. If the burglary is successful (the mechanic to determine success has been explained to the Thief in his/her PM), the Thief gains one item from the player’s inventory. The Thief knows who the Vigilante and Miller are.
Merchant – Our local trader seems to know far more about the art of the bargain than anyone else in the town. The innocent Merchant has the ability to purchase all items in the game at half price. Since he/she can get his hands on those valuable resurrections half as easily as anyone else, he/she can prove an immensely useful ally. The Merchant can also give other players up to two items per day instead of one.
Chronomancer – A mystical practicioner of Time Magic, analogous to the Mafia’s Bodyguard. The Chronomancer is an Innocent who begins the game with a free freeze, and gains another freeze every other day.
Bomb – What on earth? It seems one of the townspeople isn’t a townsperson at all! Yes, somebody in the village is actually a human-looking cyborg carrying a high-powered explosive in its stomach. Bad news for whoever tries to kill this guy. If, on a particular night, the Mafia Members decide to assassinate this player, then both the Bomb and the last Mafia Member to agree on the victim will be destroyed. The same goes for the daytime and the townspeople’s execution. However, there is one extra caveat: if not everyone in the Mafia/town (depending on whether it’s day or night) votes at all, then the absent Mafia members/townspeople will be destroyed instead of the last player who actually did vote.
Physically, that rounds off the characters. However, there are a few more roles to note. First, the Lovers. These characters might both be Mafia Members, both Innocent, or one on each side (their roles are added on to whichever roles their players already have). However, if one of the Lovers is killed, the other Lover will commit suicide at the beginning of the next cycle. Yay for tragic, noble deaths! The Lovers know each others’ identities, but not each others’ alliances or primary roles. There is an advantage to being a Lover, though; if the two Lovers are the only players remaining in the game, they win regardless of their alliance.
Lastly, there are the Fringers, a trio of players on the outskirts of the village. These are the Vigilante, the Miller and the Thief. Their only defining attribute is the fact that they all know each others’ identities, making them the strongest sub-group of Innocents. (Knowing the identities of the Vigilante and the Miller does not prevent the Thief from being able to rob either of them if he wants – but, of course, they will be able to figure it out rather quickly.)
VII. EXECUTION
During the night, Mafia Members convene in private to kill off an Innocent. Okay, swell. But during the daytime, all the townspeople gather to execute one of their own. And this is where half the excitement of Mafia lies. You see, it’s no fun just to submit bland little votes for people and kill them off. Pfft! If any of you have encountered the game in real life, it was probably within some sort of theatre context, and executions are precisely the reason for that. Compare:
I vote for Prime.
VOTE: Prime
Alongside:
I think Prime did it. I saw him checking out that library book about medieval weaponry. Dead giveaway! Who else here would even KNOW how to operate a crossbow? I sure don’t.
VOTE: Prime
You’re all RPers, heck, you’re probably even better at this stuff than I would be. I want to see real accusations. Make up bizarre motives, or come up with weird circumstances that just happen to lead your target to the scene of the crime. Watch as Prime comes up with a legitimate defense:
It was for my Dungeons & Dragons campaign! I wanted to make an all-new divine weapon and I thought it’d be better to draw on actual history as my source. Look, Cinders does D&D with me, she can back me up on this! And besides, how do you expect me to own an authentic crossbow? You’d have to be rich to get your hands on something like that. As rich as… say… RLRL…
VOTE: RLRL
This is crucial, guys. We’re not a big crowd. If this game is going to be interesting, you’ve got add some flavor to the accusations and counteraccusations. Take away that psychological aspect and you’ve just got a bunch of people jumping on a bandwagon. Dull.
At the end of each day, I’ll tally up the results and the majority vote will prevail. I assume each player will chip in with at least one vote, but the more the better. You can change your vote over the course of the day as you like; your final post will be the one considered definitive.
If a player can’t vote, their replacement voter’s vote will have an extra point’s strength. In the event of a chain of silent players, strength will keep being added to votes until “everyone” still in the game has “voted”. If you have purchased an extra vote at the Shop, you may PM me during the day announcing your intention to use it, and another point of power will be added to your vote.
VIII. DENARII AND ITEMS
Items are purchased through the use of denarii. The denarii will be awarded as prizes for a series of games I will run during the day. I’ll give no further detail of these games at the moment. But I will list the denarii-to-item ratio.
1 denarius = 20 EP. At the end of the game, you will be able to convert all of your remaining denarii into EP.
10 denarii = 1 extra vote. If you own an extra vote, you can PM me during the day and use it if you wish. The strength of your vote during the execution will be increased by one point. Mafia members can also use extra votes during the night, again by PMing me. Use of extra votes in either context is kept private – that is, I won’t mention it on the boards. You can only use one extra vote per voting session.
25 denarii = 1 shield. If you own a shield, you can PM me during the day or night and select a player on whom to use it. You cannot select yourself. For the rest of that day/night, the targeted player will be immune to death.
50 denarii = 1 freeze. If you own a shield, you can PM me during the day or night and select a player on whom to use it. You cannot select yourself… but you wouldn’t want to. For the rest of that day/night, all actions taken by the targeted player (except for participation in games) will be ignored.
75 denarii = 1 resurrection. If you own a resurrection, you can PM me during the day or night and select a dead player on whom to use it. You obviously cannot select yourself, because you would have to be dead. At the end of that day/night, the targeted player will return from the Cemetery and be allowed to participate in the game again.
You can give items to other players, but (unless you’re the Merchant) at a rate of only one item per 48-hour period. If you wish to give an item to another player, PM me and I will carry out the transaction. Tell me as well whether you wish to give the item anonymously or with your name.
You must purchase items by posting at the Shop. This means other players will be able to track the items you have bought. However, the number of denarii you own and your total inventory at any one time is kept secret. Every time your denarii count and/or inventory changes, I will PM you informing you of your current denarii count and inventory.
IX. PRIZES
Prizes will be administered in the following way:
Whenever the Doctor/Nurse successfully saves a player, the Doctor/Nurse receives 50 denarii. Whenever the Vigilante successfully kills a Mafia member, the Vigilante receives 50 denarii. If one Lover dies, his/her will dictates that the other Lover will receive 50 denarii.
All surviving players at the end of the game receive an equal share of an EP pot containing 100 EP times the number of real-time days the game has taken. And, of course, all players have the opportunity to exchange their remaining denarii for EP when the game is over. You can also trade your unused items back for a full denarius refund, whereupon you can convert the denarii into EP.
X. HONESTY
This is pretty vital, for obvious reasons. I already wrote this general blurb in the previous Mafia game, so there’s really no need to reiterate it. All the same:
I’m trusting that you won’t PM, email, or in other way contact other players revealing your role, alliance or replacement voter (or anyone else’s), whether or not you are still alive. Needless to say, I’m also trusting you won’t reveal any of that on the actual boards. However, in the Cemetery, dead players may freely reveal their alliance – but not their specific role or anyone for whom they worked as a replacement voter.
I'm also trusting that you won't PM each other strategizing about the games. A lot of them will be quite easy to ruin if the players talk to each other privately. We Can't Have That.
Additionally, for you Mafia members, I’m trusting that you won’t give out the name of the Xanga, or reveal to others that you’re posting on that board. (Thanks to the machinations of Xanga, you won’t need a password to access it or anything.)
Again, I don’t think there’s any need to stress this point. We’re all good people here, and cheating = less fun for all.
XI. YOUR MISSION
I’ll put these in big ol’ Impact font so’s you can’t miss ‘em, y’hear?
CHECK YOUR INBOX NOW. You have been private messaged with your role and responsibilities.
REPLY TO THAT PRIVATE MESSAGE. You need to name your replacement voter. Note the list at the top of this thread to see who’s still open to serve in that capacity. Don’t claim people whose names are stricken-out; I’d rather not have one player act as replacement voter for multiple people.
OPEN A BOX IN THE FIRST DAY THREAD. The “Mafia II: The First Day” topic has already been opened. There will be no execution, however; instead, until Monday you will have the opportunity to open boxes (whee!) for random prizes. Go check that out now why don’t you.
JUST GENERALLY CHECK THE HELL OUT OF YOUR INBOX AS WELL AS THIS BOARD AND, WHERE APPLICABLE, THE XANGA, AS OFTEN AS POSSIBLE. Setting your inbox to give you a popup every time you receive a PM is a really good idea.
IF I’M DOING SOMETHING WRONG, TELL ME. Helpful critique of my performance as the Host would be appreciated to the utmost. Although I consider the first Mafia game to have been a success overall, there were definitely a few glitches. I’ve tried to improve those problems in designing this game, but if I’ve failed, tell me. Also, of course, let me know if things go wrong with the new ideas – the item system, the games and the new roles. Forgive me my mistakes, but don’t hesitate to draw attention to them.
HAVE FUN. You’ve seen this in every game introduction you’ve ever read. Personally it never made sense to me because you can’t just order someone to have fun and expect them to comply automatically. Even if you hand them some potato chips and balloon animals and, I don’t know, hot naked people. What was I talking about?