Stars Aligned II - Game Over!

[Percy]

Stars Aligned II

is a Large Theme game for 25 players.

Moderator

: Percy

Backup Moderator

: Vi


This game has finished.

Skip straight to

the Rules post

if you would like to read the game without being spoiled.
====
































====

To skip straight to the end, click

here

! Might want to check the Rules post first though...

Those who Live:

semioldguy

-

Survived

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count:

5

.

Those who have Died:

Nothing but

Dust

remains

Those who have returned to Dust:

Nicodemus

-

Lynched

on the

First Day

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count

: 0

.

Sajin

-

Murdered

during the

First Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 0

.

Iecerint

-

Murdered

during the

First Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 0

.

Katy

replacing Seacore

-

Murdered

during the

First Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 0

.

CSL

replacing Col.Cathart

-

Lynched

on the

Second Day

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count

: 2

Phate

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

during the

Second Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 1

.

startransmission

-

Murdered

during the

Second Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 3

.

SlySly

-

Lynched

on the

Third Day

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count

: 2

Wickedestjr

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

on the

Third Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 0

elvis_knits

-

Murdered

on the

Third Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 1

vikingfan

-

Lynched

on the

Fourth Day

,

Murderer

.

Insanity Count

: 4

.

evilsnail

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

on the

Fourth Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count

: 1

Plum

replacing Sarag

-

Lynched

on the

Fifth Day

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count

: 2

dramonic

-

Lynched

on the

Sixth Day

,

Murderer

.

Insanity Count:

8

.

Ellibereth

-

Lynched

on the

Seventh Day

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

6

.

DrippingGoofball

-

Murdered

during the

Seventh Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

3

.

iLord

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

during the

Seventh Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

4

.

farside22

replacing Chaco

,

Modkilled

during the

Eighth Day

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

5

.

VP Baltar

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

during the

Eighth Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

4

.

Magua

replacing Amished

-

Lynched

on the

Ninth Day

,

Cultist

.

Insanity Count:

7

.

rewq455

replacing Faraday

-

Destroyed by an Unspeakable Being

during the

Ninth Night

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

2

.

Furcolow

replacing Hayker replacing Adel

-

Lynched

on the

Tenth Day

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

6

.

animorpherv1

-

Destroyed during the Ascension

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

4

.

kunkstar7

replacing Drench

-

Destroyed during the Ascension

,

Investigator

.

Insanity Count:

8

.

[Percy]

Roles

There are three Roles in this game -

Investigators

, who number approximately three quarters of the starting players;

Cultists

, who number approximately one quarter; and

Murderers

, who appear later in the game.

Investigator

You are an

Investigator

, and have travelled to this place to seek the truth of what lies beneath the temple.

Honest individuals caught in the deadly machinations of the Cult. You must outwit and outplay the evil Cultists and deranged Murderers, fending off the strange and horrifying supernatural world that threatens to overwhelm you.

Win Condition

: The Investigators win when all Cultists and Murderers have been killed, provided there is at least one Investigator still alive.

Cultist

Many years ago, you dedicated your life to the service of the gods who wait; Hastur, Dagon, Zoth-Ommog, Nyogtha, Cthulhu. You are a

Cultist

, and have travelled to this place to perform your dark Rituals.

Depraved individuals intent on slaughtering the Investigators. They command the dark, supernatural forces that threaten the lives of every Investigator and Murderer, but at a price; their sanity will slowly be eaten away by the very beasts they try to control.

Special Abilities

:

Secret communication

- All Cultists will receive a link to a QuickTopic thread with their PM. They may communicate with each other in this thread at any time, provided they are still alive.

The Ritual

- Cultists may select the Night Actions

Pass Fetish

,

Craft Fetish

and

Participate in the Ritual

. However, they may not select the Night Action

Stalk

.

Win Condition

: The Cultists win when they number at least half the remaining players, and there are no surviving Murderers, at the beginning of either the

Night

phase or the

Day

phase.

Murderer

Players who succumb to the urge to strike out against unseen horrors and go on a killing spree become Murderers. They become lone wolves, fighting for themselves alone. They descend the dark steps to insanity as they strike out at former friends and foes with equal ferocity.

Special Ability

:

Killer

- Murderers may take the

Murder

action more than once.

Win Condition

: A Murderer wins instantly upon the completion of a Murder action, provided that they:
-are the only Murderer alive,
-have completed more successful murders than any deceased Murderer, and
-have completed at least two Murders before this one.

Global Mechanics

Night and Day

The game is broken into two phases,

Night

and

Day

. During the

Day

, the spirits retreat from the harsh sunlight; at

Night

, they come out to play... The Investigators retreat to dark corners and small rooms to await the day, managing only small bursts of activity to do what they can to save their fellows and root out the Cultists.

Each

Night

, all players may perform a single

Night Action

. The Cultists may perform

The Ritual

. Players may not publicly post at

Night

.

During the

Day

, all characters discuss events in the game thread and perform a

Lynching

. Play then proceeds to

Night

again.

The game begins at

Night

.

Lynching

During the

Day

, a

Lynch

is performed. Each character has one vote as to who they want lynched, which can be changed at any time. Once at least half of the characters left alive have voted to lynch a player, that player is killed (and therefore becomes

Dead

). Once the required number of votes has been reached, no further vote changes will be counted. The lynched player may not post, though others may continue to post until the thread is locked by a moderator. The option to lynch nobody is available (

Vote: No Lynch

). Once a majority has been reached, the game moves to the

Night

phase.

Votes must be marked in bold in the format

Vote: Herbert West

. You may

Unvote: Herbert West

to undo the previous vote. Whilst they are encouraged when changing your vote,

Unvote

s are not mandatory.

A successful lynch will reveal the

Insanity count

of the lynched player, but not his role (but see

Rob Grave

, below).

A deadline of three RL weeks will be in place for the first three

Days

, falling to two RL weeks for subsequent

Days

. If activity has been good, the Moderator may extend the deadline by one RL week up to two times per

Day

by request from the players. At deadline, whoever has the majority of votes will be lynched. If there is a tie, whoever received their final vote first will be lynched.

States

Various things can happen to you during the course of the game - you may become

Bloody

, hear

Noise

, go

Insane

, become

Dead

and eventually turn to

Dust

. You must also be wary of a descent into

Chaos

.

Bloody

Characters may get blood on their clothes from the

Resuscitate

and

Murder

actions, as well as from

The Ritual

. The

Investigate

action can detect blood. The

Launder

action will clean the blood away. You will be told when you become

Bloody

.

Hearing

Noise

Night Actions

that target a character will often make noise. If your character is the target of at least one of

Pass Fetish

,

Craft Fetish

,

Resuscitate

,

Investigate

,

Ward

or

Stalk

, or if your character performs the

Ward

action, you will receive the message "You heard

Noise

in the night" upon the start of the next

Day

. You will receive the same message, even if multiple noisy actions target you.

Insanity

Every character begins the game with an Insanity Count of 0. As they are exposed to the bleak horrors of their environment (willingly or unwillingly), their count rises. The

Rob Grave

,

Stalk

,

Murder

and

Commune

actions all cause Insanity, as will being saved from death by a successful

Resuscitate

and participating in

The Ritual

.

Launder

and

Ward

can also cause insanity, as will receiving a

Fetish

of yourself from a Cultist.

Each time a player's insanity score goes up, they will receive a PM from the Moderator. They must choose an insanity from the list below at the start of the next

Day

, prior to posting. You cannot choose the same insanity more than once. You can never remove or change your insanities.

(i)

Taboo

- Choose an action you have Equipment for,

Launder

or (if a cultist)

Craft Fetish

. You may no longer take that action. If you choose

Taboo

(Launder)

, you may not take

Compulsion

.
(ii)

Hallucination

- You always hear

Noises

each

Night

regardless of actions taken.
(iii)

Compulsion

- If you are

Bloody

, you must

Launder

. You may not choose

Taboo

(Launder)

in the future.
(iv)

Aversion

- Choose a player who is alive. You may no longer vote to lynch that player. If and when that player dies, you must choose a new player from among those still alive. If you are a

Cultist

, you may never choose another Cultist.
(v)

Distraction

- Your lynch vote, once placed on another player, cannot revert to a player you voted to lynch earlier this

Day

.
(vi)

Paranoid

- Each

Day

, if any living player has voted to lynch you, you may only change your vote to players who have voted to lynch you that

Day

.
(vii)

Twitchy

- All posts by you in which you vote or unvote must contain "*twitch*" or "*twitches*".
(viii)

Avolition

- For three

Days

, your vote no longer contributes to a lynch. Your vote still shows up in vote counts.
(ix)

Sadism

- You may only place your votes on players who are one or two votes away from a lynch.
(x)

Psychopathy

- You are now a

Murderer

.

Only Investigators may take this Insanity, and cannot take it as their first Insanity

.

If a character posts before PMing their Insanity choice(s) to the Moderator, or if they contradict one of their Insanities in any post, the Moderator will insert the text

Insanity Infraction

into the post.

If a character receives 3 Insanity Infractions in one game

Day

, they will lose their

Night Action

for the following

Night

, and will gain an

Insanity

instead. If this occurs for a second time, or gains 8 Insanity Infractions over the course of the game, they will be modkilled.

If a player reaches an Insanity Count of

8

, they will no longer gain any

Insanities

. Votes that contradict Insanities will not contribute to a Lynch.

Dead

Once you have been lynched, murdered or killed by the Ritual, you may no longer post. You may still be the target of the

Rob Grave

action.

Dust

You may no longer be the target of

Rob Grave

. All of your Equipment is destroyed (if it was not taken by a grave robber), and your alignment is made known to the players.

Chaos

If

every living player

is

Bloody

at any time, all

Investigators

gain the

Psychopathy

insanity, and the

Day

phase no longer occurs. For this state to be triggered, there must be at least three more Investigators than Cultists remaining.

Night Actions

The following are the available Night Actions. They take place in the listed order, and each action resolves simultaneously amongst those who have chosen it (most relevant for

Murder

,

Ward

and

Commune

). If your action fails for any reason, you will be informed via PM (with

Ward

and some instances of

Resuscitate

being the only exceptions). A failed action will not produce the

Effect

, but all

Side Effects

still apply. Some actions allow you to take another action, but you may never perform more than two actions in a single Night.

Participate in the Ritual

Together with [Other Participants], you venture into the heart of the temple. The long, winding tunnels stretch on for hours, always slanting down. Eventually you come to the circular Ritual hall.

You smear your own blood on the walls, and take your seat around the circle of dread power, lit with black candles scented with the tears of innocents.

Holding aloft your fetish of

Target

, you beseech the gods you serve to deliver chaos, blood and murder upon him!

A dark vortex swirls in front of you, and what slithers, floats, crawls its way out brings madness. It is a loathesome, fleshy construct of unimaginable power, covered with coiling tentacles and oozing putrid rot.

It sets off through the house to fulfil its purpose.

You breathe deeply as reality slowly reasserts itself. You blow out the candles...

Target

: Any player.

Effect

: You submit the target's name to the Ritual.

Prerequisites

: Only

Cultists

may take this action. At least one third (rounding up) of the Cultists must submit the same name for the Ritual to take effect, and the Cultists must possess a

Fetish

linked to the target.

Greater Ritual

: If two thirds (rounding up) of the Cultists target the same player, the Ritual counts as two kills for the purpose of

Resuscitate

.

Free Action

: You may

Participate in the Ritual

and perform another

Night Action

.

Launder

When

Bloody

:

You rush outside, and use a small gas heater to melt some snow. Looking nervously over your shoulder, you jam your

Bloody

clothes into the hole and furiously scrub them clean with your hands. Your hands soon grow numb with cold.

You return inside.

When not Bloody

:

You rush outside, and use a small gas heater to melt some snow. Looking nervously over your shoulder, you jam your clothes into the hole and furiously scrub them clean with your hands.

"Can't make it clean. Need to make it clean again. I can't make it clean! They'll know, they can see it, I can see it, make it clean! Clean again!"

Your hands soon grow numb with cold as you howl in the night. You return inside.

Target

: Yourself.

Effect

: If you are

Bloody

, your

Blood

is removed.

Prerequisites

: None.

Side Effects

: If you are not

Bloody

when you take this action, you gain an

Insanity

.

Notes

: Players who do not submit a

Night Action

will default to this action.

Search

Target

: Yourself.

Effect

: You acquire your choice of equipment -

Forensic Tools

,

Resuscitation Kit

, or

Occult Books

.

Prerequisites

: You may not search for a

Resuscitation Kit

while

Bloody

.

Forensic Tools

After the others leave, you begin searching through the mess strewn about the large rooms on the ground floor of the temple. After some digging, you find a UV lamp and some batteries, perfect for detecting unseen blood.

Effect

: You may choose the

Investigate

Night Action.

Destroyed when

: An

Investigate

you perform discovers

Blood

.

Resuscitation Kit

After the others leave, you begin searching through the mess strewn about the large rooms on the ground floor of the temple. You find some electronic equipment, and what looks like some chest paddles. You turn it over in your hands, and manage to switch it on. Perhaps you can save another.

Effect

: You may choose the

Resuscitate

Night Action.

Destroyed when

: You become

Bloody

.

Occult Books

Hidden near the back of the temple is an old, dusty library. It smells of old parchment and lavender, but your skin crawls as you approach the shelves. You draw out a volume bound with red leather, and its power floods through your hand and fills your vision with blackened rage. This is what you were looking for.

Effect

: You may choose the

Commune

Night Action.

Destroyed when

:

Commune

discovers someone more

Insane

than you are.

Ward

With care and practiced grace, you sketch the protective wards around the sleeping form of

Target

. The chalk, tinged with your own blood, seeps into the floor and disappears after your whispered incantation, before flaring into ghostly light. He will be safe tonight.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: If your target is targeted by the

Pass Fetish

,

Craft Fetish

or

Stalk

actions, those actions fail.

Prerequisites

: None.

Side Effects

: Your target hears

Noise

. You hear

Noise

. Your action will fail if someone targets you with

Ward

, and you will not be notified of the failure. If you choose this action two nights in a row, you gain an

Insanity

.

Pass Fetish

Success

:

You sneak into

Target

's room as soon as they are gone. You leave the

Fetish

sitting atop their things, staring into the room with vacant, evil eyes.

Failure

:

You attempt to do the same with

Target

, but a large circle, wrought with ancient runes, turns you away.

Target

receives

:

You leave your room for a few moments, and when you return, you find something horrible.

Something disgusting, intrusive, a part of you twisted and shaped for evil purposes. The small doll seems to look right into your soul, and you feel yourself go mad.

Target

: Up to three (different) non-Cultists.

Effect

: The targets aquire a

Fetish

of themselves, causing them to gain an

Insanity

. Investigators cannot gain more than one Insanity per night as a result of this action. The Cultists lose any Fetishes they successfully pass.

Prerequisites

: You must be a

Cultist

to choose this action. The Cult must also possess

Fetishes

of each of your targets.

Side Effects

: Your targets hear

Noise

.

Craft Fetish

Success

:

You find

Target

thrashing in their sleep in a small, dark room. You carefully pluck some hair from their head and escape back to The Sanctum. You fashion a small doll; canvas from hemp hewn by silver on the full moon, filled with the wool of a day old lamb, stitched with the entrails of a man slain by demons, and

Target

's hair tying a noose around its neck. It pulses with the power of the gods you serve.

Failure

:

You attempt to do the same with

Target

, but a large circle, wrought with ancient runes, turns you away.

Target

: Up to two non-Cultists.

Effect

: You create a

Fetish

of your targets.

Prerequisite

: You must be a

Cultist

to choose this action.

Side Effect

: Your targets hear

Noise

.

Notes

: Fetishes are not equipment, and once made are available to the Cult as a group. This action will fail if your target has also been the target of

Pass Fetish

.

Rob Grave

You pause at the top of the stairs that leads down to the ice outside. You take a deep breath and prepare yourself for the descent.

Down, down, through the thick night air, towards the hasty cairn built for

Target

. You dig up his corpse, spray some lighter fluid on his flesh and set him alight.

If Cultist

:

You watch as his body disintegrates and his spirit leaves his fleshy body, cackling with the insanity of the Elder Gods.

If Investigator

:

You watch as his body disintegrates and his spirit leaves his fleshy body, weeping with the loss of life and mind.

If Murderer

:

You watch as his body disintegrates and his spirit leaves his fleshy body, cackling with the madness of death and murder.

If Sole Targetter

:

You hastily remove [

Equipment

] before you set them alight.

Target

: Any

Dead

player.

Effects

: The alignment of the Dead player is publicly revealed the next

Day

. If you are the only player to target them, you will receive all of their equipment (

Resuscitation Kits

provided you are not

Bloody

,

Forensic Kits

and/or

Occult Books

) if they had any.

Prerequisites

: None.

Side Effects

: You gain an

Insanity

. Your target turns to

Dust

.

Free Action

: You may choose

Rob Grave

and another

Night Action

.

Resuscitate

You keep your

Resuscitation Kit

at the ready, ghosting

Target

for the evening.

If successfully

Resuscitated

:

Just when you thought everything was going to be quiet for the evening, your blood runs cold. Your skin prickles in horrified anticipation.

You hear

Target

scream, and rush in to find his badly mutilated body lying on the floor. His assailant is nowhere to be seen.

"You're going to be OK, just hold on..." you whisper, but he's lost consciousness. You shock him once, twice, three times... He splutters, and breathes again. You wrap his wounds as best you can, shoot him full of painkillers and leave before you pass out from shock.

Covered in blood, your

Resuscitation Kit

is unusable.

If unsuccessfully

Resuscitated

:

Just when you thought everything was going to be quiet for the evening, your blood runs cold. Your skin prickles in horrified anticipation.

You hear

Target

scream, and rush in to find his badly mutilated body lying on the floor. His assailant is nowhere to be seen.

"You're going to be OK, just hold on..." you whisper, but he's lost consciousness. You shock him once, twice, three times... He splutters, and breathes again. You wrap his wounds as best you can, but he's too far gone. He dies in your arms.

Covered in blood, your

Resuscitation Kit

is unusable.

If no killing actions target player

:

No ill befalls them.

Target

receives on successful

Resuscitate

:

...


...


...

"Can you hear me?"

...


"Can you hear me?"

Pain, everywhere. Nothing but black and red and oh god what has happened to me

"You're going to be OK,

you're going

to..."

Sleep reclaims you. When you awake in the morning, you are alone. You are drenched in blood, and bear the mental scars of your near-death experience.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: You protect your target against one of either

Murder

or

The Ritual

.

Prerequisite

: You must possess a

Resuscitation Kit

.

Side Effects

: Your target hears

Noise

. Any Resuscitate action targeting you tonight will fail, and the player who targeted you will not be notified of the failure. If you successfully protect them, you become

Bloody

, and your target both becomes

Bloody

and gains an

Insanity

when the killing action (

Murder

or

the Ritual

) resolves.

Notes

: If more killing actions target the player than there are players Resuscitating them, then the kill is not prevented, though you still become

Bloody

when the killing action resolves. If you save your target from death, they will be notified that they were saved, but not by whom.

Investigate

You wait outside

Target

's room. Eventually, he leaves; you dash in and shine your UV light all over his clothes, attempting to catch a glimpse of blood with your

Forensic Tools

.

Target

Bloody

:

The light does not lie.

Blood

is everywhere. Your light shudders and dies out; your

Forensic Tools

are broken.

Target

not bloody

:

There is none to be found.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: You determine whether your target has

Blood

on their clothes.

Prerequisite

: You must possess

Forensic Tools

.

Side Effect

: Your target hears

Noise

.

Stalk

You watch

Target

dash off into the massive temple, and slip quietly away in the confusion. You follow, and attempt to catch up to them.

Success

:

You spend the whole night ghosting

Target

- finding hiding places, learning habits, learning noises. The desire to snuff out those noises and desecrate their hiding places with their warm, red blood builds in you. You are ready to strike just after sunset tomorrow. You return to your room and sharpen your knives.

Failure

:

As they run before you down a long, straight corridor, you come to a circle drawn in the dust. Try as you might, you cannot fight your way past it, and you lose them into the night.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: You prepare yourself to

Murder

your target.

Prerequisites

: You must be an

Investigator

or a

Murderer

.

Side Effect

: Your target hears

Noise

. You gain an

Insanity

.

Murder

You sharpen your knife and watch

Target

move about the mansion. After a few hours, you know it's time.

You leap from the shadows and draw your blade across his throat, cackling with pride and elation. You let the blood, gushing from his wound, run down your arms and soak you in his death.

Target

successfully

Resuscitated

:

When you return to join the others,

Target

still breathes. Someone must have saved him from death!

Target

receives

:

You begin to make your way back to your room. Waiting for you is not peaceful slumber, however. Someone there, lurking in the darkness. The knife glints, and your world explodes in pain.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: You kill your target. They are now

Dead

.

Prerequisite

: You must have targetted them with

Stalk

the previous night. You also cannot take this action for a second time unless you have the insanity

Psychopathy

.

Side Effects

: You become

Bloody

. You gain an

Insanity

.

Commune

You open the

Occult Books

bound in red leather, containing your notes and annotations and clippings and spells. You locate the one you seek, and sit yourself in the centre of a circle of salt. You invoke the spirits to attend to you, to assess the mind of another person here imprisoned. You invoke

Target

's name, and they fill your mind with images, flashes, half-stitched-together memories all tumbling through.

Target

more

Insane

:

They push against your will until finally, you know

Target

's mind, twisted in grave and terrible

Insanity

. You expel them by breaking the circle with a brush of your hand. Their presence lingers.

Your

Occult Books

burst into green flame, leaving nothing but ashes.

Target

not more

Insane

:

They push against your will until finally, satisfied with

Target

's sanity, you expel them by breaking the circle with a brush of your hand. Their presence lingers.

Target

: Any other player.

Effect

: You learn whether your target has (strictly) more

Insanities

than you.

Prerequisites

: You must possess

Occult Books

.

Side Effects

: You gain an

Insanity

after the

Effect

resolves.

Ritual Resolves

Success

:

You return to the scene of the Ritual and await the return of your... fellow servant.

It returns before too long, dripping with the blood of its victim. The madness grips you again as it reports its success in the gutteral language of your gods.

Target

's blood flies all over the room, and spatters all over your clothes. It retreats back through the portal to the nether realms.

Failure

:

You return to the scene of the Ritual and await the return of your... fellow servant.

It returns before too long, the same as it entered. The madness grips you again as it reports that

Target

had already died. It retreats back through the portal to the nether realms.

Target

successfully

Resuscitated

:

When you return to join the others,

Target

still breathes. Someone must have saved him from death!

Target

receives

:

You return to your room, and intend to wait the night out there. Waiting for you is not peaceful slumber, however.

Something slithers, floats, crawls in the darkness. It is a loathesome, fleshy construct of unimaginable power, covered with coiling tentacles and oozing putrid rot. Before you can scream, it lets out a terrible roar, a noise no mortal should hear. Your mind is blasted from your body.

Your face stretches into a terrible rictus, and you walk smiling to your death.

Effect

: The target of the Ritual is killed.

Side Effects

: All

Cultists

who selected

Participate in the Ritual

gain an

Insanity

. If the target was not

Murdered

, they also become

Bloody

, even if the kill was prevented by

Resuscitate

.

Notes

: Only one Ritual may succeed per night. If there are multiple names submitted for the Ritual, whoever has the clear majority will be killed. If there is no clear majority, the Ritual will fail.

Other Game Rules

Do not discuss this game with other players outside this thread. The only exception to this rule are the Cultists, who may post in their QuickTopic thread.

Do not directly quote any PMs you receive from the Moderator. Do not mention any content in an attempt to learn the content of another PM ("its third and fifteenth letter is g", etc.) - PMs will be flavoured and (hopefully) interesting, but they are just for you. Don't fake a PM and quote it, either.

Your

Night Action

choices are due to me by the posted deadline. If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline (usually 72 hours from the threadlock) you will default to the action

Launder

.

This game is a commitment, and should be treated as such. If you're going to be unable to post for a significant period of time, let me know

(it will help to let the other players know as well, of course).

I will prod players for being inactive for 5 RL days, and then possibly replace at my discretion. Players who receive multiple prods throughout the course of the game may be replaced as well.

All of the Moderator's decisions are final.

Purple is the Moderator's colour

. Do not use it. Do not use small/invisible text.

Violating any of these rules will result in a punishment according to their severity, from a private or public rebuke up to and including a Modkill. Modkills may be accompanied by a change in phase, at the discretion of the Moderator.

If you see something you don't understand, ASK! If you have any questions feel free to PM me directly, or

mark your question in bold

in the thread.

Questions and Answers

Questions asked publicly of the Moderator will be appended to this post.

Q: I'm an

Investigator

. What can I do on Night 0?
A: You may take the

Ward

action to interfere with the

Cultists'

plans, or

Search

to allow greater choice of Night Action for subsequent nights. You can also

Launder

(not recommended) or

Stalk

.

Q: I'm a

Cultist

. What can I do on Night 0?
A: The first thing you should do is talk to your fellow Cultists in your quicktopic. On the first Night, you should be looking to perform

Craft Fetish

on multiple targets, as well as choosing

Search

to get Equipment that will help your side later on (such as a

Resuscitation Kit

in case you are threatened by

Murderers

). An important strategy will be faking claims - such as explaining your

Insanities

, what

Night Actions

you took and when and how you heard or produced

Noise

, so discuss this with your Cultist buddies.

Q: I want to be a

Murderer

! What should I do?
A: Carefully read the Murderer Win Condition. Your first action should be

Stalk

.

Q: The

Murderer

Win Condition actually doesn't require everyone else to be dead. What happens when a Murderer wins? Does the game continue?
A: Game ends, Murderer wins! Winning as a Murderer takes at least 6 nights worth of effort, and a lot of luck.

Q: Are

Commune

and

Investigate

results always accurate?
A: Yes.

Q: The

Cultists

cannot kill Night 0 because they must first craft fetishes, right?
A: Yes, Investigators are safe from being killed by the Ritual (or Murder) on Night 0.

Q: For

Commune

, do you gain an

Insanity

before or after the action?
A: Afterwards.

Q: Actions like

Murder

and

Stalk

can be prevented. Do I still gain an

Insanity

if they are?
A: Yes.

Side Effects

always apply, even if the

Effect

is cancelled.

Q: Can I submit "No Action"?
A: No. The default action is

Launder

, which will probably send you

Insane

. There will always be a better choice than doing nothing. If you default to Launder and cannot choose Launder (due to an Insanity), you only gain an

Insanity

.

Q: Can I have more than one piece of

Equipment

?
A: Yes, there is no limit.

Q: Can I make multiple

Fetishes

of the same player?
A: Yes, there is no limit.

Q: Can a

Cultist

become a

Murderer

?
A: No;

Psychopathy

is available only to

Investigators

.

Q: Can

Rob Grave

be used multiple times per

Night

?
A: Yes, but the maximum of 2

Night Actions

per player per

Night

still applies.

Q: If my

Night Action

fails, will I be notified?
A: Yes, with two exceptions: (1) You are not notified if your

Ward

action fails due to someone warding you, and (2) You are not notified if your

Resuscitate

action fails due to your target also choosing

Resuscitate

.

Q: What happens if my

Insanity Count

reaches 8 and I gain another

Insanity

?
A: Your

Insanity Count

continues to go up as usual, but you don't choose any new

Insanities

.

Q: Will we be able to tell whether a death was due to a

Murder

or

The Ritual

?
A: Yes, but no further information will be given (such as number of

Murders

and/or who committed them).

Q: If a player is the target of

Murder

,

Resuscitate

and

The Ritual

, what happens?
A:

Resuscitate

prevents the

Murder

, but

The Ritual

succeeds.

Q: This game is so complicated!
A: Well, that's not really a question, is it? This game is complex, with multiple strategies that can be employed by the players.

Q: I played in the first game of Stars Aligned. What's changed?
A: The following has been changed from the previous edition:
-

Investigators

no longer begin the game with equipment.
-

Ward

requires no equipment.
-

Distraction

,

Aversion

,

Avolition

and

Twitchy

have been slightly altered. You cannot choose the same Insanity twice anymore. You cannot gain more than 8 Insanities.
-

Commune

(the old

Research

) no longer interferes with

The Ritual

, and

The Ritual

requires at least one third of Cultists to participate. Cultists can also make their Ritual kill harder to prevent.
-

Craft Fetish

has been altered so that Cultists can more easily manage their Fetishes, as has

Pass Fetish

.
-

Search

is the old

Equip

, but only the name has changed.
-Default action is

Launder

.
-

Rob Grave

is now a free action.
-

Cultists

are free to talk during the

Day

.
-

Fetishes

are no longer equipment, and are available to all Cultists.
-Enough

Insanity Infractions

result in the loss of your

Night Action

rather than a modkill.
-Cultists may no longer become

Traitors

.

“Fools!” said West, his clenched fist striking the lectern before him. “We must prepare today’s youth for a world whose terrors are etched upon ancient clay tablets recounting the fever-dreams of the other gods... who lie beneath the earth, waiting until the stars align so they can return to their rightful place as our masters...”

[Percy]

Quick Reference for Night Actions

Below is a greatly simplified list of the Night Actions, presented in the order in which they resolve. Consult the post above for more details; many actions have

Side Effects

.

Participate in the Ritual

-

Cultists only

,

Free Action

. Kills a player.

Launder

- Default action. Removes

Blood

.

Search

- Acquire equipment.

Ward

- Prevents

Stalk

,

Pass Fetish

and

Craft Fetish

.

Pass Fetish

-

Cultists only

. Causes

Insanity

.

Craft Fetish

-

Cultists only

. Required for

Pass Fetish

and

The Ritual

.

Rob Grave

-

Free Action

. Reveals alignment of

Dead

players, can acquire equipment.

Resuscitate

- Requires

Resuscitation Kit

. Prevents kills.

Investigate

- Requires

Forensic Tools

. Determines the presence of

Blood

.

Stalk

-

Investigators

and

Murderers

only. Prepares for

Murder

.

Murder

- Requires

Stalk

from the

Night

before. Kills the target.

Commune

- Requires

Occult Books

. Determines whether your target's

Insanity

is higher than your own.

Ritual Resolves

- Target of the Ritual is killed.

[Percy]

"What you are seeking lies to the North. Go North. North."

Every night, my dreams were invaded by the monotonous, maddening voice. The newspaper clippings strewn around the room, covered in insane scratchings I barely recognised as my own, pointed to something, but clarity eluded me. I hadn't left the house in weeks. My wife had left me months ago. Or perhaps years. Did I ever have a wife?

"North. Go North."

It was a dim winter's evening when I set out to find the object of my hunt - foretold in the stars, prophesied upon ancient clay tablets. It... called to me. What "It" was I could not say.

"North."

I rented a car and drove for days. When the car broke down, I walked. The snow was perpetual during the day, though the stars were clear at night. I spelt out words with them and formed my own constellations, making my own prophesy.

"North."

I was joined by another man, then a woman. We said not a word. We pushed on. Days passed. Weeks.

"North."

My body had withered, but still I walked. It was night again, and staring up at the stars, they seemed to blur, or shift. Far off in the distance, I saw a searchlight beaming its feeble light into the cosmos. I ran. I had made it.

The structure was immense, larger than any work of man; a mansion of some sorts, or perhaps a temple. Carved directly into the face of the mountain, it jutted out at strange angles, twisting the eye and turning the mind. We bounded up the great stone steps to the warm, inviting glow from inside.

Looking around, there were twenty-five of us, cold and miserable, eyes searching for some clue as to why we were called here. The entrance hall was well-lit, and passing through we found dinner laid out for us. Still not a word was spoken as we gorged ourselves on the strange food and drink; meat from no animal I had ever seen, fruits of all hues that burst with the slightest pressure, and a strange green liquid that burned inside.

Before long, I regained my senses. Looking at the others, these strange creatures, I knew I was in danger. I ran.

It is now Night 0. Role PMs are going out now.

[Percy]

All players confirmed.

Please send in your Night Action choice by the deadline. You may change your choice up until deadline by sending me another PM.

[Percy]

The vast majority of players have sent me their Night Action choice. If I receive

all

Night Action choices by 8:00am site time on Thursday the 19th of January (exactly one day before the posted deadline), I'll start the First Day.

[Percy]

"I managed to find a small alcove where I thought I could get some sleep, and though my body yearned for sleep, the noises of the others kept me awake.

The rooms in this place were immense. The high ceilings, supported by twisting pillars, hung menacingly over me, as though they had watched thousands of fools like me dare to learn the secrets of this place.

I returned to my hiding place and pulled my ragged coat over my head. I escaped into the land of dreams...

Far below this place, I choked for air, thrashing and churning the water around me. I was drowning, and there was nothing but darkness around me. As the blood ran from my head, I felt it move - the thing that had called me here, slowly rising below me. The size of it was... incomprehensible. I saw an enormous, pale tentacle reach out towards me, and I screamed.

I woke up screaming, covered in sweat. I held onto the floor, digging my fingers into the solidity of reality, and slowly caught my breath.

My scalp hurt, but I couldn't recall injuring myself. Puzzled and scared, I made my way back to the dining hall where the others had been last night.

I found them gathered there, frightened and haggard. The sunlight, filtered through the clouds and slicing up from the snow outside, was warming and welcome in this dark and terrible place. We began to talk."

It is now

the First Day.

Make sure you read your

Night 0 Result PM

before posting in this thread.

Deadline for today is 8:00am (site time) on Thursday the 11th of March. You can view a countdown to the deadline here.

With 25 alive, 13 votes are required to lynch.

EDIT: Site seems to be having issues. Apologies to anyone who received more than one Result PM; they will be identical if you did.

[dramonic]

good morning, strangers.

[iLord]

First post .

So, can anyone who played in the last one explain the merits and disadvantages of a noise claim for those who haven't read it? It doesn't look like a lot in regards to noise has been changed.

[iLord]

@dramonic:

[Phate]

I'm in favor of a noiseclaim. I also think anyone who gained an insanity should explain why.

[DrippingGoofball]

I love me a sparkling new game. I place my trust on the players that were in the first game for strategy.

[DrippingGoofball]

I heard noise, how's that, babycakes?

[dramonic]

advantages: Since craft fetish and stalk produce noise, we know who is at a risk of getting murdered/destroyed by an unspeakable being. Anyone who's picked up a res kit can work their target from there, if we also get a ward claim like last game.

disadvantage: Like Adel(?) said in the sign-up topic, a preemptive noiseclaim makes for easy fakeclaims from the cult, since they have less actions to lie about. Additionally, since this time they can daytalk, contradicting claims cant cause their downfall

[Phate]

Although, now that I look at it, I don't think you can gain an insanity on N0 except by laundering.

[dramonic]

stalking would cause insanity too.

[Phate]

I heard noise, how's that, babycakes?

As did I.

[elvis_knits]

I read the first few pages of the last game (like maybe 4 pages?), and I can think of atleast one way to catch scum while claiming noises. I'm not going to explain at this time

While asking questions of our dear mod, I found out that cultists are notified if their fetish action fails due to a ward. So, they know who was warded (if they tried to craft fetish on a person). But the target will have heard noise either way and doesn't know if it's because there is a fetish of them, or because they were protected.

I also think it's important to find out who heard noise that wasn't warded, so we know they are people that are either 1)targets of the cult from fetish action or stalk action; or 2)cultists faking some shit. Then it is up to the other investigators to look at these people to decide if they are pro-town and worthy of a ward or a resuscitate action tonight.

My idea is that everybody claims 1)Did you hear noise; and 2)Did you ward? (Note: ward targets should not be revealed until later).

OBV, I am open to other strategies since I am not always the best at this kind of thing. But that's my idea. It's sort of like what the last game did, I think.

[elvis_knits]

I heard noise, how's that, babycakes?

Of course you did! You're dgb!

[elvis_knits]

OH!

Also, I was wondering if there was some way to circle protect each other, and then maybe according to who dies we know where there is a link in the chain?

I haven't thought through that idea completely if it will work or not, but I remember one game I played with all doctors we did that, and it helps narrow things down. Somebody with a more mathematical mind may need ot help me here!

[iLord]

Sounds good.

I heard noise and I did not ward.

[dramonic]

Ward
Side Effects: Your target hears Noise. You hear Noise. Your action will fail if someone targets you with Ward, and you will not be notified of the failure. If you choose this action two nights in a row, you gain an Insanity.

Not a good idea?

[dramonic]

post 19 I mean not being a good idea

didnt ward. heard noise. adopted fetal position.

[Phate]

Didn't ward. Lot of noise being heard.

[Percy]

Just wanted to make something abundantly clear:

Your PMs have been flavoured. The flavour is for you and you

alone

. Any attempts to even

reference

the content of the flavour for a particular action in public will be dealt with swiftly and mercilessly.