Mid-Range Game 55: Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal

[Elandera]

"This game is gonna get pretty interesting."

"Define interesting."

"Oh god, oh god, we're all gonna die?"

---

Welcome to Mid-Range Game 55: Sudden but Inevitable Betrayal! The theme of this game is based mostly on Serenity, the movie following the Firefly series. If you have not watched either, I recommend at least the movie. (Though, really, it's a single season. You've binged more than that in a day. Don't deny it.) It's not necessary in order to still enjoy the game. @Ookla the Porched (Araris Valerian) will be IMing.

Here are the Rules in pretty doc format. See below for not so pretty formatting.

General Rules

Spoiler

• 48-hour cycles, day/night combined
• One-vote minimum for the execution; tied votes will be decided by RNG
• PMs are limited, but do not take an action to open
  • `Two players total per PM
  • One player may open only two PMs per turn. PMs opened by another player that include them do not count towards the total
    • Example: Wilson opens a PM between herself and Elbereth and one between herself and Devotary. Araris can still open a PM with Wilson.
  • All PMs will close at the end of each turn
    • If you choose to reopen a PM with the same player, you may use the same PM thread but not during rollover
• Every player will have a role and any alignment may have any role. Not all alignments are guaranteed to be in the game.

Alignments

Spoiler

The Crew - While you explored the black, just trying to survive, you stumbled across a secret hidden in the darkness. A secret that could undermine Alliance for good. You discovered Miranda.

• Once per turn, any member of the Crew can use their action to find a piece of the Secret of Miranda with a 10% chance of success.
• The Secret of Miranda will be released to the ‘Verse once 4 pieces are found (subject to change based on player count). No more than 2 pieces can be found each cycle.
• The Crew wins if the Secret of Miranda is revealed to the ‘Verse before they all die.

The Reavers - Some think you’re a myth. Some think you’re monsters. Some think you’re men too long removed from civilization. What you really are is the result of Alliance meddling, driven by singular emotions of rage, desire, hunger. Everyone that is not with you must die.

• Once per turn, the Reavers have access to a kill. Their target has a 25% chance to be converted rather than killed.
• Due to their imbalanced state, any role actions they attempt will have a 5% chance of failure as their need to kill or eat overtakes them.
• The Reavers win when everyone is dead or converted.

The Alliance - There’s a smuggling crew, led by a sergeant of the fallen Independents, that has been a thorn in your side for too long, and now they’ve found something that could be disastrous for the Alliance. A secret that shows a chink in the armor of perfection the Alliance has carefully curated.

• Once per turn, all Alliance players can use their action to sabotage the efforts to discover the secret. This action fails if it targets a Psychic, Captain, or Fighter.
• The Alliance wins if the Secret of Miranda is never revealed; this is not dependent on their survival
• The Alliance will not share a doc and do not know the other’s identities.

The Operative - You don’t exist, officially. You’ve long been a weapon for the Alliance to make better worlds for everyone. Someone must get their hands dirty in the process, so why wouldn’t it be you? You’ve honed your skills as an assassin, stopping anyone in your way one way or another.

• The Operative wins if they assist in killing a Crew-aligned Psychic.
• Once per turn, you can assassinate a target player.
• If the Operative fails their primary win condition, they become a standard member of the Alliance and lose their Operative action. Until then, they do not have any Alliance actions and do not count as such for the purpose of other alignment-targeting roles.

Roles

Spoiler

Captain - They’ve got a job, you can do it, and you don’t much care what it is. Your ship means freedom. Freedom from the oppressive Alliance you fought against and lost good people to. Freedom from the expected roles of society. Freedom to explore the black. Ever since the battle of Serenity Valley, you’ve entered a world of the morally gray, yet you keep surviving. You know why? It’s because you’re too pretty to die. You will survive one kill or execution per game.

Fighter - You won’t go down without a fight. You lived through the battle of Serenity Valley when most of your companions died around you. A life of struggle has taught you how to keep going, and how to find hope even in the darkest times. You also have a PM with a Pilot. If someone kills you or your Pilot, you kill them back.

Pilot - A leaf on the wind. That’s what you like to call yourself. You’re the best pilot in the ‘Verse. No one can pull a Crazy Ivan like you. It’s why you’re essential in escaping attack. Once per game, you can pull some quick maneuvers and save everyone in your alignment from incoming attacks. Be careful, though. You don’t always soar. You have a 10% chance of getting killed in the process.

Doctor - You are a prodigy in your field, the youngest and brightest doctor the Alliance has ever known. Once per turn, you can target someone to protect them from death, whether that’s a kill or the execution. You cannot target the same player twice in a row, and cannot target yourself. Once per game, if a Psychic with your alignment is still alive, you can save everyone destined to be killed that turn (not including the execution).

Psychic - Naturally talented, nothing was outside your ability. You were graceful and strong and beyond intelligent. Then the Alliance became involved. They meddled and you became even more. You know things. You see things. But you’re also unhinged. Once per turn, you can approach someone to learn their role, but you have a 20% chance of having a mental break and learning nothing.

Mercenary - You’ll kill a man in a fair fight. Or if you think he’s going to start a fair fight. Or if you’re getting paid. Mostly when you’re getting paid. Twice per game, you can kill a player of your choice. If the person survives, it does not count against your total. If you are a Reaver Mercenary, your role kill will not cause a conversion.

Mechanic - Everything’s shiny cap’n, not to fret. No one knows the workings of the mechanical like you. You’ve been working a wrench since you were old enough to talk. It turns out that’s helpful in figuring out exactly what’s going on in Miranda. You have a 20% chance of revealing a Secret of Miranda if you search for one, but can only search once every other turn.

Shepherd - Using the knowledge gained from a past that haunts you and a faith you found in the darkest times, you can be a great comfort to those who find themselves in the grip of panic. You can convince them to take the better path. Once per turn, you can stop a target player from attacking. (This will stop the Fighter from taking revenge.)

Companion - People are your business. It’s not always about the physical pleasures, either. People are complicated and you have trained to be the perfect companion. You know how to read people, to excite them, to sway them. Once per turn, you can convince someone to vote who otherwise would not (change a random no-vote to a vote of your choice).

Sign-ups will close Monday, December 20 at 12 p.m. (noon) PST.

Special Note: Ookla Season

Because we are nearing the end of Ookla Season, please include your normal username in your sign-up post. I also ask people to vote using normal usernames because Ooklas get mixed up too easily.

Players

Spoiler

1. Illwei ( @Ooklil' the Wei )
2. @Ashbringer
3. Matrim's Dice ( @Ookla the Pianist )
4. @Lotus
5. Szeth_Pancakes ( @Ookla the Confused )
6. @Devotary of Spontaneity
7. @The Unknown Aon
8. @Walin
9. Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnex ( @ookla the quantificational )
10. Tiea ( @Ookla the Ginger )
11. @Steeldancer
12. Archer ( @Ookla the Paranormal )

Rule Clarifications

Spoiler

Order of Actions:

1. Saves: Pilot/Doctor
2. Blocks: Shepherd/Alliance Sabotage
3. Companion
4. Psychic
5. Kills: Reaver/Operative/Fighter/Mercenary
6. Crew Search

Quick Links

Spoiler

Cycle One: You Can't Take the Sky from Me
Cycle Two: Losing My Undefinable Allure
Cycle Three: You Guys Had a Riot? On Account of Me?
Cycle Four: We Have Done the Impossible, and That Makes Us Mighty
Cycle Five: Little Soul, Big World
Aftermath: To the Edge of the Galaxy

Edited February 10, 2022 by Elandera

[---]

Im in

(Illwei)

[Ashbringer]

As someone who has constantly heard of Firefly/Serenity, how spoilery would this end up being?

... bah. This starts after my finals end.

Ash is in, as Faleast.

(I won't promise RP, because 1) I'm not entirely sure how busy I'll be, 2) it's been a while since I've tried to really get in Faleast+AraRaash's headspace, and 3) every time Faleast+AraRaash have gotten anywhere near space they've died a horrible death. Oh, and 4) I've never seen Firefly and thus have no idea what they'd be looking for. So we'll see.)

[Elandera]

45 minutes ago, Ashbringer said:

how spoilery would this end up being?

Not very spoilery. I don't plan on doing a whole lot of complicated write-ups. It's entirely based on the movie Serenity, which you can watch without having seen the show.

[Mat]

No idea what this is based on! Cool

I’ll play as Kaden. Original username: Matrim’s Dice

[+Lotus]

Sign me up as Alexandra!

[Szeth_Pancakes]

I will play! Thy name is Szeth_Pancakes, and I hath not do RP because I’m lazy!

[Kasimir]

I assume from a RP perspective, you're the crews of multiple ships rather than just Serenity?

[Elandera]

13 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

I assume from a RP perspective, you're the crews of multiple ships rather than just Serenity?

Yeah, probably

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

I will sign up as Ensign Dzma, who was saved from Alliance psychic experimentation by a saboteur who tragically died in the escape attempt.

[The Unknown Ajah]

Count me in. Will make a character after watching the movie.

[Kasimir]

• Do Reavers have roles? (Suspect it's a PAFO but asking for flavour/thematic reasons because Serenity  )
• What does 'assist in killing a crew-aligned Psychic' mean - the Operative loses if Reavers kill the psychic? Is this condition phrased to allow having voted during that execution?
• Is it technically possible for: A. the Operative and the Crew, B. the Alliance, the Operative, and the Reavers, C. the Operative and the Reavers to win together? My read is this is a yes.

[Elandera]

2 hours ago, Kasimir said:

• Do Reavers have roles? (Suspect it's a PAFO but asking for flavour/thematic reasons because Serenity  )
• What does 'assist in killing a crew-aligned Psychic' mean - the Operative loses if Reavers kill the psychic? Is this condition phrased to allow having voted during that execution?
• Is it technically possible for: A. the Operative and the Crew, B. the Alliance, the Operative, and the Reavers, C. the Operative and the Reavers to win together? My read is this is a yes.

Yes, everyone will have a role.

Operative will lose their personal win-con if all Crew-aligned Psychics die without their involvement (them taking a kill action or voting on the Psychic the turn they die). They don't leave the game, but will become Alliance instead.

Yes. The Operative can win regardless of the others wins. Alliance and Reavers can win at the same time.

[Kasimir]

10 minutes ago, Elandera said:

Operative will lose their personal win-con if all Crew-aligned Psychics die without their involvement (them taking a kill action or voting on the Psychic the turn they die). They don't leave the game, but will become Alliance instead.

Does the Operative know when their personal win-con has succeeded or failed?

Edited to add: 

10 minutes ago, Elandera said:

Operative will lose their personal win-con if all Crew-aligned Psychics die without their involvement

Your phrasing earlier also says a Crew-aligned psychic, so to clarify I have understood correctly: as long as you help to kill one, you win your personal wincon?

Edited December 16, 2021 by Kasimir

[Elandera]

4 minutes ago, Kasimir said:

Does the Operative know when their personal win-con has succeeded or failed?

Yes. When they fail, they'll be notified and the Alliance actions will open to them

[Kasimir]

Me: "Should I join it's Firefly"
Me: "I'm on leave from now to Christmas Eve."
Me: "Wormmon tho."
Me: "Tired tho."

22 hours ago, Elandera said:

• Once per turn, the Reavers have access to a kill. Their target has a 25% chance to be converted rather than killed.

Me:

Spoiler

I need to think  

Edited to add: Sorry Elan, one more question. Can we get an OoA? I'm especially interested in whether kills block searches by preceding them.

Edited December 16, 2021 by Kasimir

[Elandera]

3 hours ago, Kasimir said:

Sorry Elan, one more question. Can we get an OoA? I'm especially interested in whether kills block searches by preceding them.

This has been added to the doc, but here is the OoA:

1. Saves: Pilot/Doctor
2. Blocks: Shepherd/Alliance Sabotage
3. Companion
4. Psychic
5. Kills: Reaver/Operative/Fighter/Mercenary
6. Crew Search

Crew searches are last, because thematically, the crewmember would be killed before they could get the information back. There's no Mr. Universe, after all.

[Walin]

It's been...a long time since I've played a game, and I haven't seen Firefly, but this sounds like fun. I've gotten better at setting priorities, or so I tell myself, anyway.

I'll sign up as Nonto Wheran, a maintenance technician who occasionally downloads ship schematics to browse through in his free time. (Until I watch the show/movie, in which case I might change his name and character development to fit the setting and environment better)

Thanks for putting up a game at this time of year when we (presumably) all have a bit more time!

 

[danex]

On 12/15/2021 at 9:52 PM, Elandera said:

Alliance and Reavers can win at the same time.

So if you were an alliance, get converted to a reaver, and win both of those wincons do you double win? 

also

im playing

Original Name: Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnex

[Elandera]

2 hours ago, ookla the quantificational said:

So if you were an alliance, get converted to a reaver, and win both of those wincons do you double win? 

also

im playing

Original Name: Dannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnex

That's a lot of Ns. 

And no, no double wins because once you're a reaver, you're no longer Alliance.

[Teia]

Yo, so.... I’m new and don’t really know what I’m doing. (Or what I’m getting myself into)
 

I’d like to join. (Original name: Teia)

Edited December 19, 2021 by Ookla the Ginger

[Elandera]

Last call for sign-ups! We'll be starting in about 25 hours. 

[Steeldancer]

Hi I'm signing up as Steel. 

[Elandera]

Two-hour warning! I would ideally like to have at least one more player, but can move forward with 11.

[Archer]

I can make it twelve. The 23rd, 24th, and 25th and busy days for me, because I have a lot of baking to do for my Koloss Head-Munching Day celebrations, among other commitments.

RP character is Owl Sity, who plays the piano very well but only knows one song. Usual Shard name is Archer.