Moving to the Univesal ## Format - Discuss

[gorckat]

The reason I required it during my game are because of times when my home net connection is wonky or I'm crunched for time at work, I can look for ## and post a quick vote count and no one can bitch their vote wasn't counted if they didn't format it right.

I've seen players purposely not unvote when required or format votes wrong in order to not get counted but get reactions, and this does help facilitate that by allowing someone to 'fake-hammer' or bait people.

In those same situations where the player felt their vote wouldn't be counted, I've seen the mods count them. This removes any ambiguity.

I'm sure somewhere back when the Mafia was played on ArpaNet, they only required "vote:Bob" and then the bolding came along to make it easier. This is simply an evolution of that.

I like it.

[gorckat]

I've never seen that. You just give each player their own number?

No- a literal ## or $$ or some other double symbol that isn't going to pop up in random conversation. It makes CTRL-F quick.

[gorckat]

Im still confused as to how this is suddenly a problem when it wasn't five years ago?

We've evolved, you poor little Homo Erectus.

[gorckat]

Oh, come on- that was (moderately) witty!

I'm certainly not trying to be militant about ##. I simply see its benefits and feel its not that onerous.

[gorckat]

If a mod required this in a game I was interested in, I probably wouldn't play in said game.

this.

(For the queue changes thread in SI- note the support for mods posting rulesets prior to signups)

[gorckat]

ITT Oman tied a bunch of panties in a bunch.

Use it. Don't. Don't play in games with it. Skip games that don't use it.

[gorckat]

I don't like it because "##Vote" is hideously ugly.

I think there's an important aesthetic quality that goes into mafia, and that takes away a lot of it.

You should have raised that objection here. I may have listened back then :p

[gorckat]

I don't like it because "##Vote" is hideously ugly.

I think there's an important aesthetic quality that goes into mafia, and that takes away a lot of it.

which is odd, since the rule set LG is using is formatted quite nicely, and looks much better on the page than most rule sets do.

the "ugly" objection does have solutions:
see http://www.ascii.cl/htmlcodes.htm for a list of possible alternatives.


"¬" is cool because of the pun (it is the "not" symbol)
"¤¤" looks nice, as does "««" and "~~"

We should go with one that most closely resembles a noose.

[gorckat]

I am reading the game I am modding and am using the ## rule. Makes it easier.

[gorckat]

How is it any harder to find

vote

that it is to find

##vote

?

My game is ongoing, but on page 17:

I stopped counting "vote" at 25 hits and ~ 1/3 through the page.

## had 4, only 1 of which is an actual vote.

I suppose I could require a colon. No one bitches about the variations between games where mods do or don't require them.

8. For your vote to be counted, it must be bold, and in the form vote: playername. The colon is optional.

* Votes must be in bold. In fact, any inthread communications to the mod (me) should be done in bold. There is absolutely no need to unvote when revoting, as it doesn’t assist me in any way.

1. All votes must be in bold and look like Vote: Scummy McScummerson. Please Unvote as well.

1) A majority of the votes is required to lynch a player. Votes are made in the format Vote: Playername. Votes that are not in this format will not count. Unvoting (in the format Unvote) before voting another player is appreciated but not mandatory.

Voting: To vote for a player, type in bold the word "Vote:" followed by that player's name.

1)To vote, vote like vote: Playername

Your vote will not be counted unless it has the :. This is to make vote counts extremely easy to do. Remember, bold vote: to vote.

Un-voting is not necessary, but should you wish to, unvote:. Again, have a colon, or it will not be counted.

2.1.1 When voting, use this format: Vote: Name. If you do not use this format, your vote will not be counted. Also, the mod appreciates if votes are placed at the beginning of a line. You don't have to unvote, but feel free to do so.

4.) Voting must be done in the format Vote: Shea. Don't worry about unvoting, I don't care.

2. During Day, you may vote for one player at a time. Votes must be bold or they will not be counted. Unvoting is optional.

Colon, no colon, unvote, no unvote? Fuck, mafia is

hard!

[gorckat]

1) I read my game. For pleasure. I enjoy seeing how folks are making out.
2) I don't make the vote count as I go. I don't try to, more than casually, keep the votes in my head.
3) When appropriate, I update the vote count. By searching for ##. So I don't read "vote" 25 fucking times 1/3 of the way through the page to find the one vote that updated.

Oh, right- I should require "vote

:

" because that's the way it has been done for 5 years and it can't

ever

change. Except there's variation there on the requisite colon, so people might get confused on whether or not they need to use it, and if they need to unvote.

Damn, if only there was a symbol that would indicate a clear intention to vote that was distinct and didn't require me to be a colon nazi.

[gorckat]

How is it possible that real, living, breathing human beings feel this is an important issue, one way or the other?

My exact sentiment.

QFT. I know I'm not helping the issue any, but sheesh. Do it or don't, I don't care- just acknowledge that for the way I read and do my votecounts, it works.

[gorckat]

Every vote should count. Not counting votes out of mod convenience violates the spirit of the game.

I think a specific format allows additional tactical options, like fake hammers that look legit.


I see this as really no more significant than sitting down to a game of monopoly with folks and figuring out if the local house rules:

-have a free parking jackpot
-have auctions if a property isn't bought
-give out a couple properties at the beginning of the game
-let you sell "Get out of jail free" cards to the bank for $1000 (really not sure why we started playing this one when I was a kid...)
-allow houses and hotels on any property after a certain number of passes, even without a set
-pay $200 for 'take a ride on the Reading' and the $200 for passing go, etc...

Any game I ever mod will always have the rules posted up front. Feel free to pass them over for any rule you dislike.

[gorckat]

lol i made a game i replaced into stop using this format.

woo

What! You are so mean!

<_<
>_>