Topic: Mafia XIX: Hang 'Em High. The sign-up, rules and roles thread.

[Khushrenada]

Yes, I realize that I have stolen the title for this mafia game from a Clint Eastwood film. But it is not based on that movie alone. Rather, I felt it was the best title for this theme. The Wild West. Yes sir, for Mafia 19, we're doing it old school. So, let's get out back story started.

The Story

Prologue:



The evening sun was bleeding out its final light on the day. Sheriff Rock Williams watched the sky. It had been another long day that kept getting worse and he was thankful that it was finally over. Another two ranchers had been found dead today. The work of Col. Sancho Volonté and his bandits. They had been terrorizing this countryside for a month now with great success. With the deaths of Stevens and Baker today, there were few, if any, who would dare openly oppose Volonté's gang now.

Indeed, Rock had already seen the effect the news of the deaths had on the townsfolk. Paranoia, fear and helplessness. It was on everyone's faces. It was expressed by everyone's body language. The deaths today seemed to signal the end of a war. Defeat. That's what it was. Defeat was what everyone felt. Volonté had won and he was now the lord of this county.

Rock sighed. Had he been responsible for this? He had been sheriff for so long now. Had he gotten too old? Too tired? Too lax? He had the respect and admiration of the townsfolk for so many years. But more importantly, he had their trust. Not automatically but because he earned. Because he had fought hard to preserve its citizens and to protect their freedom. Success after success. Anyone who dared start trouble didn't last long. But was the relative peace that everyone had enjoyed for some time the cause of this? Was it because there had been no trouble for so long, that he now forgot how to deal with it? Had success made Rock ignorant that he might be defeated?

Rock knew that his reaction to Volonté had not been swift when his band started causing trouble. In fact, Rock knew now that he had underestimated the threat of this group. That slow start is no doubt why it felt like Rock he was always trying to catch up to Volonté; why it felt Volonté was always ahead of him. And today, the truth about Volonté and his band had finally been revealed to Rock.

After the death of Stevens and Baker had been conveyed to the town, Rock quickly gathered a posse to follow the trail left behind by Volonté and his men. It was more just a token show of force. Nothing had come of the other times he had rode out against this group. But it appears success had also affected Volonté and his men as this time, they did leave a trail behind and only halfheartedly attempted to throw people off it. After following the trail for some time it eventually looped back towards the town. This concerned Rock since he feared the band may have felt brazen enough to now attack the town in broad daylight. Rock and his posse kept following the trail as it came closer and closer to town. And then he was unable to follow it any longer as it joined the main road leading into the town. It appeared Volonté had decided on riding into town after all. Rock and the posse quickly sped back to the town to see if everyone was all right.

They were. There had been no disturbance in the town since he rode out. Puzzled, Rock tried to figure out what had happened. He followed the main road some more but there was no sign of Volonté and his men's trail coming off the main road after they got on it. How could they have just vanished? They couldn't have gone back on the road or they would have been spotted by Rock and his posse. But if they went forwards and into town, they would have spotted which is something they had avoided. No one had yet been able to give a description of Volonté and his men for anyone that saw them was killed. Since no reported seeing any strangers on the road, Rock couldn't figure out what had happened. Until Maria came.

As John Baxter, the town's doctor, came out of the house and on to the porch, Rock turned away from his view of the starry night sky to hear the verdict.

"How is she?" Rock asked.

"She's dead," John flatly responded.

Rock sighed again, his shoulders limp and head to the floor. "Hell," he whispered. It was all he could think of saying.

"Care to tell me what happened to her?" John asked.

"Volonté," Rock answered.

"I could surmise that. But why her?" John pressed, "What did Maria do?"

"It wasn't Maria they were after. It was her husband," Rock replied.

"Henry? He's not a wealthy fellow. He barely gets by month after month. What would Volonté have wanted from him?" John asked.

Rock raised his eyes up from the floor and faced John again. "I'll let you know. Not just you but the whole town tomorrow. When you ride back tonight, let everyone know that Sheriff Rock Williams has an announcement to make about Col. Sancho Volonté and his gang. Tell them that I have a solution to this problem also and that Volonté's reign of terror is coming to an end," Rock steely explained.

"Alright Rock. But you better mean it. This town is running out of hope fast," John said.

"I mean it," Rock replied. Then he got on his horse and rode home. John Baxter watched him ride off for a bit and then saddled up on to his horse and rode into to town.        

[Khushrenada]

The Rules

How to Play. (If you are familiar with the mafia games already, skip to the gameplay reminders section)

Playing mafia can be summerized in one word: Survive! As long as you are still alive in the game, chances are you are winning.

Of course, it is a bit more complicated than that. You should remember that there are two sides to a mafia game. You are either a part of the townie side or the mafia side. If you belong to one side, you are looking to eliminate the rival side. So, how do you eliminate players?

Everyday there is a vote to choose one person to eliminate from the game. The person with the most votes at the end of the day is killed. Both sides can vote during the day, mafia and townies. However, after the day vote, there is a night action period. During this time, the mafia can send in a hit for whichever person they choose. The townies have no say in the matter. The next day or turn, the townies learn who the mafia killed and the game repeats until one side is left.

The victory conditions are a bit different for either side. For the townies to win, every mafia member must be eliminated. For the mafia to win, they just need to equal the number of townies left. So, if there are 3 mafia members left and 3 townies, the game is over and the mafia wins. The reason for this is that mafia members are supposed to be so powerful as to overwhelm the townies one-on-one. Obviously, if the townie number is lower than the number of mafia remaining, the mafia wins. A tie is the minimum win condition for the mafia.

It should be noted that there may be a role that doesn't fit into either catagory (mafia or townie) and has a different win condition. This role must also be eliminated before one side can claim victory.

Voting Rules

Everyday, a new thread will be created for each day the game lasts. In this thread, you can cast a vote for whomever you want. To do so, simply type in bold "VOTE (Name)" where name is the person you are voting for. You can only vote for one person so votes for different people will not be counted. If you wish to change your vote at anytime, simply edit your message and erase the vote. There will be a deadline each day for when votes can be cast. Once the deadline is reached, all votes are binding. If you change or edit a vote after the deadline, the new vote will not be counted and the old vote will remain as your choice instead.

Gameplay Reminders

I am going to stick with the long voting hours I introduced in Mafia 10. So, basically, the voting thread will be open for 21-22 hours. This gives everyone in all time zones a fair chance to play.

Breaking voting ties.

If there is a tie at the end of the day's vote, there are three ways to resolve it.

First, there is a role that allows one player to pm me and switch one person's vote to another person. If this has happened, the tie may be resolved.

If the person with this role is dead or has not sent me a pm by the voting deadline, I will leave the thread open for a length of time afterwards and extend the deadline. Important:The extended deadline time will be a maximum of 30 minutes if no other time limit is posted at the end of the day by me. During this extra time, any player can change their vote if they wish. As well, any player who hasn't voted that day may then cast a vote. The first vote that breaks the tie ends the voting. The person with the most votes will then be killed.

If, however, the remaining time has expired and the vote is still tied, the players who are tied are all killed. However, those players get to choose one person who voted for them to die with them. Thus, you may want to avoid ties.

Revealing someone's role after you are out of the game.

If you are eliminated and then give away someone's role, you are stupid. And no one loves you. Do not under any circumstances give away information or a role when you are eliminated. This may lead to a banning by Crimm (He really wants to test out his new mod powers and is just looking for an excuse) and/or general ostratization from the rest of the NWR forum members. Plus, I will take whatever action necessary to rectify your interference and try to screw you over for it.

Just play fair. Is that too much to ask?

Giving out information. Legally.

If you are not dead and wish to tell the players in the game a message, you have a couple of legal channels to do so. One, you can post this information in the voting thread or two you can send a private message to players. You can not, however, create another account and use it to hide your identity while giving out information. If you want to say something, you must accept the responsibility of saying it.


That should about cover the rules for playing the game. If there is something you are still confused about or something I didn't mention that you think should be covered, you can let me know by sending me a message or just posting it in this thread. Thank you.

[Khushrenada]

Townie Roles:

Sheriff Rock Williams - The sheriff of Stumbleton Creek Valley. He has the ability to investigate one person each night to learn their role. The player with this role will sned me a pm with the name of the person they want investigated and I will send them that info. Remember, though, that Col. Sancho Volonté is a master thief and if investigated he will be revealed as a townie not as himself.

Doctor John Baxter - The doctor of Stumbleton Creek Valley. He has the ability to protect any player except himself from the day's vote and the night actions. Note: He can only use this ability three times. Due to Stumbleton Creek Valley being so far out west, medical supplies are limited and take a long time to get to the town. In order to protect a person, the doctor will pm me the name of the person he wants protected. He can send me this information at anytime during the day. However, I will not post who was protected. Thus, if the person protected had the most votes for the day, he would not die and there would be no death through the vote. If the mafia sends out a hit on that person, the hit will fail. The story will reflect this event the next day. One last reminder. If the doctor is killed before he uses his 3 protections, the mafia will steal his remaining supplies and get to use however many protections are still remaining.

Saloon Girl Sally - The most disreputable citizen of Stumbleton Creek Valley. Sally is fighting a losing battle against old age and alcoholism. Sally's still a sharp girl however and can use her wits and charms to still seduce men to bend to her ways. She has the ability to change one person's vote. This is most useful in days when the vote is close and there seems to be a tie. The player will send me a pm stating who's vote they want to change and who that person will be voting for now. Note, the person who's vote is changed does not know and it is not revealed. Only the fact that Sally changed the vote is shown in the story.

Bounty Hunter Captain Aran - Tired of eking out a living in this stinkin' town, Captain Aran has decided to use his cavalry training to collect the bounties on Col. Sancho Volonté and his men instead. He has the ability to send out a hit on one person on any night. However, as a bounty hunter, he must observe the law. He can only rightfully kill a member of Col. Sancho's men. If he kills an innocent man, he will be brought to justice and killed also. The player must send me the name of the person he wants to put the hit on. His action will be carried out at night.

Alright. I couldn't resist. Two new roles have been created for this game.

Telegrapher George "Cactus" Bartlett - Cactus is a prickly old coot who sends out messages for the townsfolk using this newfangled device called the telegraph and morse code. Cactus is Stumbleton Creek Valley's doorway to the whole wide world. He has the ability to call the cavalry to come to the rescue of this town at any time. To do so, Cactus must contact someone not playing this game yet. That person has to agree to join in the game. Cactus must then give me the name of that person and this new player must also confirm that they will take the role of the cavalry. If Cactus gets killed before sending his message, the town loses its link to the outside world and must deal with the situation on its own. Also, if "Cactus" sends out his message but is voted out that same day or killed during the night, the message does not go through.

Cavalry Scout Frank Thorbird - Sent by the cavalry division located at Fort Arnandoz becuase of "Cactus" Bartlett's emergency message, Frank Thorbird is sent to investigate the situation and protect the townsfolk. However, since he is new to the town, Frank Thorbird does not vote. Instead, Frank Thorbird will arrest someone each day if he chooses. The person arrested will not be able to vote or perform any actions that day nor can they be voted for. This does not mean the arrested person can not talk during the day. The arrested person can still receive visitors to his cell and can still yell out messages to the townsfolk from his cell. At the start of the next day, the arrested person will be released and Frank Thorbird will know his role. If Frank wants to arrest the same person over and over, he can. Keep in mind these other factors. When Frank first comes to town, he never sleeps. This makes him immune on the first day he arrives but afterwards he slowly becomes more tired. If the mafia send a hit on him, the first hit will fail but the second hit will succeed. Also, because he was contacted by "Cactus", Frank knows who "Cactus" is.

Townies - These are the citizens of Stumbleton Creek Valley. They only have one ability. Each day, they can vote for who they think is a member of the mafia. Good for them.

Mafia (Bandits) Roles:

Col. Sancho Volonté - A former cavalry officer and ruthless outlaw, Col. Sancho Volonté has come to Stumbleton Creek Valley due to its distance and rich land. He hopes to conquer the town and subject its citizens to his rule so that he can use it as a base of operations and demand goods and services to be given to his men. He has the ability to kill a player any night provided they are not protected by the doctor or in jail. The player will pm me the name of the person he wants eliminated and then that night, the action will be carried out. As well, Col. Sancho Volonté will appear as a townie to the Sheriff and the Cavalry Scout. Finally, if the doctor is killed and still has some unused protections, Col. Sancho Volonté will give me the name of one of his bandits who will become the bandit doctor. If Col. Sancho Volonté is killed during the day or night, he can only assign another bandit to take his place and no hit occurs. The player will pm me the name of the person who is to become the leader of the bandits.

Col. Sancho Volonté's bandits -  There are 5 other people who have joined Col. Sancho Volonté in his quest to take over the town. They have no special abilities unless given to them by Volonté. Some reminders to be aware of. If one bandit is made the doctor, he can not protect himself. Also, if he gets killed and there are still unused protections, the protections are lost forever. If a bandit is made godfather, he does not appear as a townie to an investigation. He will still be revealed as a bandit. Only Volonté has that ability. If a bandit is made the doctor and later the godfather, he can use both abilities.

Third Party Roles

For this game, there is only one third party role. That means that in order for the mafir or the townies to win, it must be eliminated. As well, this role will have its own special win condition. So, let me introduce you to:

The Killer Black Heart Jack - The man with no soul. His only desire is to turn Stumbleton Creek Valley into a wasteland. He has the ability to eliminate any player he chooses on any night. The player will pm me the name of the person he wants to take out and that night the action will be carried out. However, if the killer is voted out during the day, his night action will not occur. He only wins by being the last person standing and eliminating all his competition. One last note: When the cavalry comes to town, he can not put a hit on him the first day he arrives. Like the godfather, his first hit on the cavalry will fail but the second hit will succeed.

And that's it for roles.  

[Khushrenada]

List of Players:

Stevey
Thatguy - (Crazy Toy Story Prospector)
ShyGuy - (The Duke)
Sessha - (Vash) The Stampede?
Wandering - (Jake Marshell)
Shift Key - (Blondie)
Sir_Stabbalot - (Generic Sane Prospector)
Pale
Darkheart
Dasmos
TVMan - (Lucky Luke)
18 Days
Vudu - (Gulch?)
Zach - (Hedley Lamarr)
Crimm - (Custer)
Spak-Spang - (Marty McFly)
Athrun Zala
KashogiStogi
Decoyman - (Brisco County Jr.)
Windyman - (Mongo)
Bustin98 - (Angel Eyes)
Nuclearspeed
Golden Phoenix
Patchkid15

24 players have signed up so far.

Announcements:

First announcement. Sign-up's will be open until noon Eastern time Oct. 8, 2007. Roles will go out on that day and the first day will begin hopefully in the evening. Since I am going away for the long weekend, I am not sure what time I will be back on Monday but my goal is to start the game that evening.

Second announcement. The theme is the old west or wild west. So, if you are inclined to roleplay or adopt a character based on the theme, (and if you aren't, shame on you and your laziness) feel free to choose any western character you want. Whether it be a movie character, cartoon character, video game character or mascot, it's up to you. It just has to be a cowboy or cowgirl (or saloon girl for those feeling saucy). The only thing to remember is this. Even though I wrote the opening in a serious tone, I'm willing to change up the mood depending on your character and if they die. I'm even willing to listen to suggestions about how you would like your death portrayed if you feel so inclined.                

[stevey]

In

[that Baby guy]

I'm signing up, and just so you know, I will not be sending any private messages to anyone participating after the roles go out, at least, about the game (unless I'm mafia, and then, only to mafia mates).  You can feel free to message me and tell me things, or suggest actions, but everything I do and say will be public.

Essentially, this means that I'll be posting a lot more, or perhaps, I'll be very quiet-like.  I don't know yet.  However, it has finally occurred that my previous strategy has finally placed me as an early target to mafia, so I'm changing things up a whole lot.

I'll also be deciding a character soon.  Any suggestions are nice.

[ShyGuy]

I'm a sucker for a mafia with illustrations. I think I will take the thatguy pledge as well, with one caveat. If I know someones role for certain (by way of an investigator or something) then I will PM. Otherwise, all in-game cut scenes baby!

[Sessha]

I'm in, Flint's in all is well

[wandering]

I call Jake Marshall.

[Shift Key]

Changing my avatar to celebrate a new mafia game but probably won't be available.  

[Sir_Stabbalot]

In.

[Pale]

I'm in.

[Darkheart]

Trying this again, in.

[Dasmos]

I'll sign up.

[nickmitch]

I'm up for another game.

[ShyGuy]

The Duke!

[18 Days]

Let's make this happen.

[vudu]

I'm a gulch.

[Zach]

in, Ill think of a character later

[Zach]

Edit:  **** I double posted

[Crimm]

DO WANT!

I was so pissed I missed the last one, and it went on forever!  I mean, good god people!

[Zach]

Blame Stevey

[nickmitch]

Dibs on Lucky Luke. Did anyone call Lucky Luke?

Dibs on Lucky Luke.

[Spak-Spang]

Spak-Spang is in as Marty McFly.

[that Baby guy]

Yeah, I'm going to be the Crazy Prospector.  Probably the one from Toy Story 2, only with insane ramblings, too, or something.