Weather Mafia II (GAME OVER)

[Tierce]

AT FUCKING LAST

Now to read amounts of delicious flavor.

SEE AMRUN
I TOLD YOU
GODDAMMIT

Holy fucking shit this was HARD. Congrats to everyone involved, it was a great game. Loved the experience.

[Amrun]

Oh, thank God. If town had lost that, it would have been truly shameful after that Day 1 we had. Truly, truly.

DGB is a hard read for me. But yeah, I was pretty cool with her lynch in the end, after I decided Tierce was probably town after all. I need to learn to stop letting scum buddy me. x.x

I had such a hard time getting solid scum reads this game. That was due to the strength of the player list. I enjoyed it, despite how frustrated I got at times. If I never get frustrated, the game isn't challenging enough.

I also really, really want TSQ to know that I meant no offense about his father and really knew absolutely nothing about that. I think it affected my ability to read him because his reaction to that was so genuine, and I felt so bad for accidentally invoking it.

Tierce - sorry for tunneling on you for so long, but the last two scum were tricky reads for me and PoE kept pointing to you.

Did DGB no kill last night?

[quadz08]

WOOOO GO TOWN

also flavorz so good <3

[quadz08]

By go I mean "good job"

[Glork]

Did DGB no kill last night?

You'll get an answer to this shortly. Writing up Epilogue flavor to go with Role PMs/Night Actions/Mod Notes.

[Staeg]

Getting a win despite actively being a detriment to my own faction >_>b

[Xalxe]

Glork, your flavor is beautiful and I want to have your flavor babies.

[MattP]

Great job town, was VERY fun to watch from the sidelines throughout.

Extra props to Tierce, I think you played an excellent game

[Glork]

Epilogue

Glork looked across the study, where his companion sat silently, watching him read.

Then, he did something odd. He put down his book, strolled over to where Keira sat, and extended his hand. She smiled and took it, and allowed him to lift her to her feet.

"Let's go for a stroll. There appear to be a few loose ends to tie up."

"Of course, Glork."

Glork smiled inwardly. Everything felt so surreal, and he wasn't talking about the giant, misty dragons that had been drawing a flaming chariot over his courtyard not more than a week before (although even he had to admit, that was pretty bizarre). No, Glork had a hard time believing that his plan had worked. He had drawn mith out. He had found and convinced some excellent people to help him.

"Keira, I have explianed everything in painstaking detail to our four surviving guests. Each one has agreed to help travel to mith's hideout and retrieve the glorking gun."

"But how do you know where he is?"

"Because mith invited us."

"I don't get it."

"You know the fake prototype mith gave scotmany? Mith intended for it to fall into my hands. When I dismantled it, I found a note inside the chamber. Here."

My Dearest Glork,

It has come to my attention that you seek the prototype of your glorking gun. I could tell you that you donated it for mass production, but you've grown so paranoid and delusional that I doubt you'd believe me. However, your brashness and complete disregard for the natural order that has kept mafiascum flourishing for ten years cannot go unpunished. In my time, I have defeated numerous threats to mafiascum's existence. Tigers. Bluehost. AniX. Mysterious Fifth Party. You are no different.

We both knew that we would meet before your little "Weather Mafia II" stunt ended. We both also knew that it was highly likely to end with casualties on both sides. So, you gave Keira a set of instructions. You told her to protect Ether, and to push for a peaceful resolution to our meeting. Ether wasn't ready to make a decision about her future, about whose side she would be on. You sought to test Keira, to see if she could resolve this issue and protect your life by herself. She succeeded, and you believe her loyal to you,

Gaspar

, because I transmitted to her instructions to go along with your "test."

I also know that you have recruited your four survivors to your cause. It's a pity, as I had thought Tierce and Amrun had the potential to be excellent members of mith's minions. They will be summarily dealt with.

Finally, I know that you will stop at nothing to obtain your glorking gun. So, I have enclosed with this letter the exact coordinates of my hideout. You will arrive on the date listed, in the manner detailed below. You have my word that this is not a trap, or an ambush, or any thinly veiled ruse to capture, destroy, or otherwise thwart you. When you arrive, you will find a crate containing the equipment necessary to infiltrate my minions. We will settle our dispute in the only honorable way we know. We will play a game of Mafia.

Sincerely yours,
mith

Keira looked up at Glork. He was smiling. She grinned back.

"He called you Gaspar when referring to me. He doesn't know."

"No, he does not. And that, my dear, is going to be his undoing. We have our team. We have a time, a location, and the means to accomplish what we want. And I'm already working on a plan."

"What about the Weathermaker?"

"What about it? It was Dr. Neo Cortex's, and I kept it around after he died in the original Weather Mafia incident. But, I don't think I'll have a need for it. See that it is destroyed."

"Then how will we continue with Weather Mafias?"

"I have an idea for that already. Different people like different types of weather, right? We'll use that to our advantage. I've already got a team working on the equipment we'll need."

"I see. So, what now?"

"Eat. Drink. Be merry. I think we've all learned a little rest."

"That sounds like a plan to me. Oh, one more thing."

"Hmm?"

"What did happen to all those missing night kills?"

The Setup

Name:

Miss Cleo

Alignment:

Mafia Cop

Flavor/Abilities:

Call me Cleo! Being a human woman with psychic abilties, you can see the unseen, know the unknowable. Once per night, provided you are not making the Mafia's kill, you may attempt to investigate one player. You will either recieve "Innocent," "Guilty," or "No Result."

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Name:

Hitokiri Battousai

Alignment:

Mafia Assassin

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Himura Kenshin, also known as Hitokiri Battousai (Battousai the Manslayer), the most feared human killer alive. Once during the game, when you make the mafia's nightkill, you may ensure that the kill will take place regardless of all other roles/abilities/forces acting upon the game, aside from Blizzard conditions.

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Name:

Metal Sonic

Alignment:

Mafia Goon

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Metal Sonic, one of Dr. Robotnik's most feared robot creations. You have no special abilities, so to speak.

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

MOD NOTES:

The Mafia may only kill Organic players until all non-Mafia Organic/Cyborg players have been killed, at which point they will be able to kill Machines. Hitokiri Battousai's guaranteed assassination is the lone exception to this rule. Battousi's knowledge and skill allow him to kill anything no matter what, as the role describes.

Name:

EV-9D9

Alignment:

Scumbag Roleblocker

Flavor/Abilities:

You are EV-9D9. You are a droid torturer, and you relish in your task. Once per night, if you are not making the Destructors' kill, you may attempt to roleblock one player. If successful, that player will be unable to take any actions that night.

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

Name:

BioHazard

Alignment:

Scumbag Annihilator

Flavor/Abilities:

And the winner is... BioHazard! You are BioHazard, possibly the most infamous robot from Robot Wars. Once during the game, when you make the Destructors' nightkill, you may attempt to completely annihilate your victim. Should you succeed in making the kill, that player's name and alignment will NOT be revealed under any circumstances. Please indicate whether you wish to annihilate your opponent when making the kill. A failed annihilation attempt will NOT warrant a second attempt.

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

Name:

Crazy Harry

Alignment:

Scumbag Henchman

Flavor/Abilities:

AHAHAHA! BOOM! HAHAHA! You are Crazy Harry, and you just like blowing stuff up. You have no special abilities, so to speak.

Win Condition:

You win when your faction gains and cannot lose a majority of the town's population, or if this scenario becomes inevitable.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

MOD NOTES:

The Scumbags may only kill "Machine" players until all non-Scumbag machines have been killed, at which point they will be able to kill anybody else. The one exception to this rule is if Navi uses her ability on the scumbag making the kill. BioHazard's annihilation ability will succeed if another player also kills his target (unless BioHazard is blocked for some reason).

Name:

Navi

Alignment:

Town Will-O-The-Wisp

Flavor/Abilities:

Hey! Listen! You're Navi... flesh and blood, presumably. After surviving your last ordeal, you are back for more. Once per Foggy, Rainy, Thunderstorm, or Snowy night, you may attempt to lure off a player and kill them. If that player is using an individual role ability that night, it will be redirected to target you, if possible. Then that player will also die, if possible. You are particularly vulnerable when luring a player to their death.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Organic. If Navi targets any Scumbag making their faction's kill, that player will kill Navi.

Name:

Al Robbins

Alignment:

Town Coroner

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Al Robbins, a human, male coroner from CSI. Once per night you may attempt to perform an examination on a deceased player. If you are able to examine that player, you will be given additional details about their role.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTE:

Organic. The coroner is given the player's ENTIRE role PM (without scumbuddy names). Needless to say, Al will not recieve any MOD NOTES regarding an investigated role.

Name:

Frederick Barbarossa

Alignment:

Town Villager

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Frederick Barbarossa, once a great human king... now a mere VILLAGER? Oh well. YOu have no special abilities, so to speak.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Name:

Dr. No

Alignment:

Town No-Sun Doctor

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Dr. No, once-villain, now lifesaver. Once per night, you may target one other player. That player will be protected from up to one kill during that night.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Cyborg (reveals "Organic" to Life Cop)

Name:

Chicken Little

Alignment:

Town Cloud-Covered Doomsayer

Flavor/Abilities:

The Sky is Falling! You are Chicken Little, the hysterical, panicked chicken. Once during the game, during a Cloudy, Rainy, Thunderstormy, or Snowy Day, you may post in-thread "

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

" in underlined letters. If you do, the day will end immediately and deadline rules for lynch will apply.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Name:

Inspector Gadget

Alignment:

Town Cop

Flavor/Abilities:

Wowsers! You are Inspector Gadget, part man and part machine. Once per night you may attempt to determine the alignment of another player in the game. You will either recieve "Innocent," "Guilty," or "No Result."

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Cyborg (reveals "Organic" to Life Cop). As one might expect from his character, Inspector Gadget is also an Insane Cop.

Name:

Johnny 5

Alignment:

Town Doublevoter

Flavor/Abilities:

Johnny 5 is alive! You're the robot Johnny 5 from Short Circuit. Through your affectionate nature, impressive know-how, and uncanny ability to learn extremely quickly, you've managed to gain TWO votes in this town. However, during Thunderstormy days, you will "short circuit" (pun fully intended) and be unable to use your second vote. Both votes must be in the same place at the same time, and your name will appear twice in the vote count while you are voting for another player.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

Name:

Mega Man

Alignment:

Town Jack-of-all-Trades

Flavor/Abilities:

You are Mega Man, a robot created by Dr. Light. You have the following abilities, each of which may be used exactly once during the game, day or night. To use an ability, simply PM the mod the name the ability and your target (if applicable):
Cut Man - You may attempt to kill another player, as a Vigilante.
Guts Man - You may not be killed by any role abilities during this period. You may still be lynched if used during day.
Ice Man - You may attempt to freeze a single player, as a Roleblocker.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine. Each ability may be used once, and will take place as soon as the PM is recieved by the mod. Abilities used during the day will take place as soon as the player's PM is read and processed.

Name:

C-3PO

Alignment:

Town Fair-Weather Neighbor Searcher

Flavor/Abilities:

You are C-3PO, human-cyborg relations. A protocol droid, you're looking for your counterpart, R2-D2. Once per day, provided the weather is not Rainy, Thunderstorm, Snowy, or Blizzard, you may PM the mod with the name of one player. If that player's rolename is R2-D2, you will become neighbors with that player. Note that R2-D2 may not be such a trusted ally, though.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine. There is no R2-D2 in the game. The ability is a mere red herring.

Name:

Solar Panel

Alignment:

Town Sunshine Motivator

Flavor/Abilities:

You are a Solar Panel, an inanimate object used to convert sunlight into energy. During any Sunny or Heat Advisory day, you may PM the mod the name of one player. During the ensuing night, that player will be allowed to use his or her role ability twice. They will be notified of this change at the start of night.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine. Motivation does not apply to scumgroup kills, even if the Assassination/Annihilation abilities are being activated.

Name:

Clock

Alignment:

Town Villager

Flavor/Abilities:

Whether digital or analog, you are Clock, an instrument used to tell time. You have no special abilities, just your voice and your vote.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

Name:

EVE

Alignment:

Town Life Cop

Flavor/Abilities:

You are EVE, the Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator. Though originally designed to look for vegetation on planet Earth, you've been slightly modified to detect other entities which are organic in nature. Once per night, you may target one player. You will attempt to learn if that player is "Machine" or "Flesh and Blood".

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Machine

Name:

Pineapple

Alignment:

Town Villager

Flavor/Abilities:

You are a Pineapple! You are delicious, and the world could certainly use more of you. Somehow, you have gained the ability to talk and vote. But you have no other abilities.

Win Condition:

You win when all threats to the town have been eliminated and at least one protown player is alive.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Name:

Stephen Fry

Alignment:

Town Villager

Flavor/Abilities:

You are renowned comedian Stephen Fry. Armed with your superior wit and intellect, you're here to help your fellow townspeople get through the game alive.

MOD NOTES:

Organic

Weather Conditions:
D1 Heat Advisory
N1 Night

D2 Thunderstorms
N2 Thunderstorms

D3 Sunny
N3 Foggy

D4 Sunny
N4 Snowy

D5 Windy
N5 Night

D6 Snowy
N6 Rainy

D7 Blizzard
N7 Windy

D8 Thunderstorms
N8 Night

MOD NOTES:

If the game lasts longer than eight day/night cycles, begin with the D1/N1 weather conditions and cycle through again. However, HEat Advisory would be replaced with Sunny.

Graveyard QuickTopic: http://www.quicktopic.com/47/H/PrszgMEAH3bg
Mafia and Scumbag QuickTopics may be made available by their teams, at their discretion.

Also, I accidentally saved the endgame scene over my night action summary. I'll re-compile them tomorrow, after work.

[hasdgfas]

I really want to see night actions, because there was some ridiculous stuff going on.

[Glork]

So. Thoughts.

This was the first multiball game I actually designed. My previous two endeavors were as a backup to Bamboomancer and MoS, but I didn't really have any input into the design of those games. I wanted to accomplish two things with the setup. First, I wanted to control crosskills. Each faction could only crosskill the Goon/Henchman in the other group. I didn't want a lucky, random, or similar crosskill to tip the balance too heavily against one faction compared to the other, so only the powerless scums could be crosskilled. Secondly, I wanted to limit the number of nightkills overall, but allow a particularly observant scumgroup to figure out the Organic/Machine mechanic to "enable" their team to nightkill consistently. I wanted the "basic" town power roles to be killable by either faction, hence the "Cyborg" designations for the Doctor and (Insane) Normal Cop. Other than that, the setup was a pretty basic 3-3-14.

I have to admit, I was severely disappointed that neither TSQ nor DGB ever figured this out, as were both chamber (setup designer) and TBM (backup mod). We all felt that if either player had just listed the people they targeted, and which kills succeeded or failed, they could have enabled their team to kill claimed players consistently. However, both scums felt that the nightkills were going missing for role-based reasons. In retrospect, I would have taken out the two "Cyborgs." I think that might have confused me into NOT looking at the Organic vs. Machine theme, and perhaps that's what happened to our scumbags.

As far as the game played out, I feel like it was reasonably well balanced. The town got off to a blazing start, then began misfiring left and right. I think had the scums been able to figure out the mechanic and eke out those extra nightkills, either faction could have won. In that respect, I feel that the balance was appropriate. Strong enough deduction from the scums probably wins them the game. However, that deduction did not take place, and the town righted the ship and won.

Naturally, I'm open to constructive criticism and opinions on the setup, gameplay, my moderating, etc.

Again, thanks to all. It was mostly a pleasure to mod for you people.

[Xalxe]

Glork, this was a glorious game and I look forward to any future Glork game ever. Also update your sig.

[Glork]

Glork, this was a glorious game and I look forward to any future Glork game ever. Also update your sig.

Thanks.

My next game will be MAFIACEPTION, a rather complicated Large Theme Game that I plan on running this fall. Weather Mafia III (subtitle to be determined) will take place sometime after that, in 2013.

[hasdgfas]

Ah, I missed the Organic/Machine thing. Interesting, although a bit difficult to deduce, apparently. I feel like some sort of indicator towards the fact that there was that additional mechanic would have been helpful(unless it was there and I just didn't see)

[Glork]

I really want to see night actions, because there was some ridiculous stuff going on.

The night you died, Katsuki used his ANNIHILATION kill on kuribo, while you vigged him (and subsequently redirected him to yourself).

[chamber]

Ah, I missed the Organic/Machine thing. Interesting, although a bit difficult to deduce, apparently. I feel like some sort of indicator towards the fact that there was that additional mechanic would have been helpful(unless it was there and I just didn't see)

I pushed for the flips to include organic/mechanical, I thought that would be enough but apparently I was wrong :/.

[Glork]

Ah, I missed the Organic/Machine thing. Interesting, although a bit difficult to deduce, apparently. I feel like some sort of indicator towards the fact that there was that additional mechanic would have been helpful(unless it was there and I just didn't see)

How much of the Organic/Machine mechanic to reveal was a MAJOR topic of discussion during setup design. Originally, I was going to include that information in each player's role PM. That evolved to not telling them, but telling each scumgroup that they couldn't kill Machines/Organics as appropriate. And eventually, it became the final mechanic included in the game.

The first one, we felt that the town could ahve exploited it by sacrificing the utility of the Town Life Cop to randomly claim Organic/Mechanic and destroy any scumgroup's chances of killing reliably. The second one, we felt that it wouldn't limit nightkills enough, and would probably just confuse the town while not hurting the scum at all. Eventually, we settled on the current mechanic, with the belief that the scumgroups would probably figure it out by D3/D4, and the town shortly thereafter. Like I said, we simply overestimated people's ability to get the mechanic figured out.

[Glork]

EBWOP: That reminds me, this is the first time I've tried any kind of "hidden" mechanic in one of my game designs. It was sort of a test run for future designs I've had floating around for a while. Definitely a helpful learning experience, and I'm just glad it didn't render the game broken or unplayable.

[Xalxe]

I really think that "role types blocking kills" isn't something that players will look for when trying to figure out why nobody died. Of course, next game they will have to, but unless you proclaim it as SUPER THEME GAME OF SETUP PUZZLES they won't look for it; it certainly never crossed my mind (or Tierce's, from what little she said to me).

[Glork]

See, I'm not convinced that that particular type of confusion is a bad thing, as long as it's handled with care. A lot of really good past games (mith's California Trilogy games, for example) included mechanics that were barely explained to the players (if at all), and became a matter of which faction could figure it out best/soonest, or get the most mileage despite the confusion.

[Amrun]

I really liked the set-up, a lot, and I will keep an eye on Glork games in the future for new innovations.

It's funny that my role was sort of negative utility in the end.

I think taking out the cyborgs would have made the game more cut and dry, which would have been good with the hidden mechanic.

I also would have taken out the doctor, personally, given the hidden mechanic.

[Glork]

Also, it's worth noting that the last two scums -- one on each faction -- were lynched because of good old-fashioned mafia play, not because of roles, mechanics, or anything else. I think that speaks very true to how protown players should generally approach games, and to how they should treat scenarios where they don't understand the game mechanics well/completely.

[Amrun]

Shadoweh is a champ for not even being scum and figuring out the lack of kills had to do with organic/machine.

[Xalxe]

See, I'm not convinced that that particular type of confusion is a bad thing, as long as it's handled with care. A lot of really good past games (mith's California Trilogy games, for example) included mechanics that were barely explained to the players (if at all), and became a matter of which faction could figure it out best/soonest, or get the most mileage despite the confusion.

Right, not saying it was a bad thing at all, just saying that IMO, odds of town figuring it out (or scum even) are lower than you might think. Most games we approach it as mafia, not a logic puzzle unless we suspect it needs to be (hey Mind Screw, how you doin')

But it was a good mechanic and I may steal the concept in the nebulous future.

[Tierce]

Town wouldn't figure it out, because town didn't know who were the failed kill targets, Xalxe. Shadoweh did a good job there, but we were simply submerged in too much information once we got there. A scumteam might have a better chance of going at it; I was raking my mind for the possible use of a flavor/life cop, and I couldn't figure it out. >.>

So tired. But so accomplished.