Mid-Range Game 4: The Alethi War of Unification

[Wyrmhero]

Good news, you managed to get a job in the finest army this nation has seen or will ever see, under the just Gavilar and his powerful brother Dalinar! Fight for the unity of all Alethkar! Fight for glory! Fight for riches! Fight for Shardblades!

...But it's not that simple. It never is. Hidden in within your army are spies and saboteurs – And not just from one Brightlord's army either! All you know is that the spies have been sent into your army in pairs to ensure secrecy, and that they're from several different armies.

Even worse, you've not fought with most of the people around you before, and rare is the soldier who can vouch for someone else here. You don't even know what their job is around the camp, though you can probably guess in some cases. It will take careful thought and cooperation to find the ones that might be secretly planning your deaths...

General Rules

 

Each player is a member of The Blackthorn's army, and has their own position in the camp. Each cycle, four things things happen.

The players are notified of this cycle's Event at the start of the day.

The Blackthorn calls together his most trusted people and asks who they believe is a Spy. That player is placed at the vanguard of the army in next battle to prove their valour, and will almost certainly die during it.

Combat occurs, unless there is a Highstorm. The player with the most votes, and one of the players chosen by an Eliminator will die, unlesss saved somehow. A Lighteyes cannot avoid a battle that they would be in the vanguard for. If there is no battle this cycle due to a Highstorm, they will instead be forced to take a walk in it, and cannot be saved.

Any player that fails to report for their shift (by not posting) for two cycles in a row will be executed. Cycles last for 48 hours. A player may use all possible actions in one cycle - Lighteyed Vote, Role Actions, Spy Actions and Shardblade Kills.

Events

 

At the end of each cycle, one of three things will happen: A Highstorm (20%), a Skirmish (60%), or a Battle (20%). You will be told which will happen at the start of the Cycle.

During a Highstorm, no actions may be taken at all. Voting will still occur, however, and so the lynch will still take place. In fact, the player lynched at this time can’t be saved by anything and will definitely die.

During a Skirmish, one of the players chosen by the Eliminator teams will die, chosen at random. After this, protective roles will be applied to see if they die.

A Battle is similar to a Skirmish, except all the players chosen by the teams will die. A player loyal to Dalinar will publicly win a Shardblade. If they are not a Lighteyes, they will become one, with all the privileges that grants (though they keep their Role). If they die, the Shardblade goes to The Blackthorn, and leaves the game. A Shardblade can be used to kill a player, even if protected by a Surgeon. A Spy cannot be killed during combat with their own faction's army.

Spies

 

There are a number of spies, all working in pairs, from different armies. They do not know the identity of spies from other armies. Spies may be of any eye colour and may have any role. The spies all win together, providing their faction survives. A doc symbolises their Spanreed. If one of the Eliminators dies, a random player will gain the other Spanreed. Messages may be sent using these spanreeds anonymously, via the GM.

During each Cycle, each Eliminator team chooses a player to sabotage in the coming battle. During the next combat they take part in, a random player chosen this way will die, whether that combat is this Cycle or the next.

Eye Colour

 

Each player will have one of the eye colours below, and that will define which Role they have. The eye colour of each player will be known at the beginning of the game. There will be many more Darkeyes than Lighteyes, and only one Heterochromeric, who will be hidden amongst the list of Darkeyes.

Darkeyes have no special abilities (isn't it sad?).

Lighteyes may secretly send a PM to the GM once per cycle containing the name of a player. The player with the most votes from this secret ballot will have an additional vote placed against them (The Blackthorn’s). They may also choose, once per game, to skip this Cycle's combat (unless they would be lynched this combat).

Heterochromics are Darkeyes with a Lighteyes role. They are grouped under Darkeyes.

Roles

 

Spearmen [Darkeyes] are simple soldiers in the army, each hoping to with a Shardblade and rise to the ranks of the Lighteyes.

Watchmen [Darkeyes] keep an eye out each Cycle on a player, and will be informed of a random player whose action(s) affected that player that Cycle.

Messengers [Darkeyes] are able to start a PM chain between themselves and one other player, but only to one new person per cycle. The PM is set up by the GM. They do not need to stop the previous PM to start a new one.

Scouts [Darkeyes] can leave camp on every even-numbered Cycle to scout ahead, and are unable to be targeted by actions when doing so. They may not use any of their own actions when doing this, however. Their vote is not counted, but they can still be lynched. They cannot use this ability when there is a Highstorm.

Guardsmen [Darkeyes] can choose another player to protect each combat. If that player would die in the battle, they will survive instead. This does not protect from Shardblades, but does protect from a lynch. After the Guardsman protects a player, they are injured and cannot protect another person this game.

Squad Leaders [Darkeyes] have more sway within the group than most. They can choose to silence a Darkeyed player’s vote once each Cycle.

Swordsmen [Lighteyes] are more extravagant, wealthy soldiers. They have no special role in the army, but at least they're not Darkeyed.

Surgeons [Lighteyes] can choose another player each cycle, and that player will be saved if they die via a lynch or combat (but not by Shardblade).

Officers [Lighteyes] are able to order Darkeyes around without question, and can stop one taking any meaningful actions over a Cycle.

The King's Wit [Lighteyes] is a safe role, and wins a personal victory if they are either lynched (and die) or if they are killed by a Shardblader, as long as Dalinar’s forces also win in the end. The player that killed them or voted for them first will lose their role (but not their Shardblade or Spanreed, if they have one), and if they are a Lighteyes, they will be treated as a Darkeyes for the rest of the game.

So, welcome to my second game. As before, I will answer any questions on the main thread, so feel free to throw them at me if you want anything clarified. If there are not as many players as I would like, some Role(s) may be left out. Some (Guardsman and Messenger) have also been slightly modified from previous iterations as well.

The game will start Sunday 30th, at 8PM GMT. Cycles will last 48 hours each.

Quick Links:

 

Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8: Aftermath

Edited June 20, 2016 by Alvron

[Kasimir]

Signing up as Kaddar, a one-eyed veteran spearman with a fondness for riddles.
 
Just wanted to be the first to sign up for King's game
 
Edit: King, when will sign-ups end?
 
General note: depending on when the game starts, I might be less active for about Cycles 1 and/or 2, due to exams. Will be able to be (hopefully) more helpful, thereafter.
 
And, because nobody else seems to be doing it:

Player List
1. Kaddar, a one-eyed veteran spearman with a fondness for riddles. [Kas]
2. Damon Shan, Worldhopper [Jasnah Damodred]
3. Kenara, a scribe for the Blackthorn [Wilson]
4. Norlav, a mercenary drafted by the Blackthorn [Alv]
5. Wok, a Horneater princess serving the Blackthorn [Ash]
6. Jain, a possibly-resurrected Shin traveller with a panda [Jain]
7. Reihmer, a bad ketek poet [Ren]
8. Newan, a failed (and failing) Envisager [Newan]
9. Odysa of Shao, a former-assassin turned mercenary [pir2h Winter Cloud]
10. Jost Joslin, a soldier who never had a Shardblade [Joe]
11. Karlin, a Jah Keved Purelaker [surgebound Rainspren]
12. Aonaran Faialen, a wannabe musician [Aonar]
13. Seth, who has hundreds of cousins [mail-mi]
13. Marand, no further description [Maili]
14. Mek, a defector from Highprince Yenev's army [mckeedee123]
15. Alinel Lenia, Horneater exile, second son [Araris]
16. Ace, a guy with an oversized mallet and a talisman [Macen] 
17. Torwel, reluctant conscript, wants ale [Twei]
18. Eoldren, guy with a sweet tooth and a grudge [Eolhondras]
19. Meller, a bridge builder for the Blackthorn [Meta]
20. Tal, enthusiastic young recruit disguised as a boy [luckat]
 
I'll update this list as people sign up. Please let me know if you'd prefer to be described some other way.
 
Words of King:
 
What is the Wit's personal victory, anyway?
King: "They get to be smug and lord it over everyone that they achieved it. ...What else could you want?"

So, how does that Shardblade work?
King: "The Shardblade is an unblockable kill action. Only players loyal to Dalinar can obtain one. If that player dies, then the Shardblade is removed from the game. A player who obtains a Shardblade is publicly known, and they become a Lighteyes, though they keep their Role."
 
Can the Messenger use old PMs from previous cycles, even while they're talking to someone else? Or does the old PM only remain open for cross-referencing purposes?
King: "Originally only the cross-reference was allowed, but I have changed my mind now."
 
Will lynches/skirmish kills reveal role and alignment? What about Shardblade kills?
King: "In this case, a dead player will have their role and alignment be revealed. [...] Yes, same for Shardblade kills."
 
Does everyone with a vote on them get lynched during a battle? And can lighteyes avoid a battle in which they'd be lynched?
King: "Not quite. During a Battle, the player with the most votes will be lynched, and each player the Eliminator teams choose (one per team) will die. Lighteyes cannot skip a battle in which they would be lynched."
 
Do things such as sending in orders count as activity?
King: "You must post to be considered active. Sending in orders or responding to PMs is not enough to qualify as active. However, you don't need to vote to be considered active either, just post in the thread."

•Messengers only get their PM at the end of the Cycle, in case an Officer roleblocks them.
•Surgeons cannot target themselves.
•Players can use all actions available to them each Cycle. This includes Roles, Spy abilities, Lighteyed Vote (which is not an action) and Shardblades (though Shardblade and Spy abilities are mutually exclusive as a Spy cannot have a Shardblade).
•There may or may not be missing Roles.
•The Heterochromic does not get to take part in the Lighteyed vote.
•The number of Eliminator teams is hidden.
•Oh, I need one Eliminator per team to send in the Sabotage order via PM. Just telling me in the doc is not enough to qualify.

On the kill:
King: "There will only be one kill per Skirmish due to the Eliminator teams. Each Cycle, every Eliminator team can choose a player to add to the potential deaths this Cycle. The player killed in this way during a Skirmish will be chosen at random from all the players chosen in this way. Note that if a player is chosen twice by an Eliminator team, they will have twice the chance to die. Eliminators on this list who are facing their own army will be ignored. In a Battle, all viable targets chosen by Eliminator teams will die."

On the weather report and the information released upon death:
King: "It isn't important, I was just curious as to how long it'd take for someone to ask . It hints towards there being a Highstorm in the future, but you all already knew there was one coming anyway. Aside from clarifications, all the rules are in the first post. And yes, the information drop on death will also include the team the spy belongs to - I classify that under Alignment."
 
On the kill mechanics:
King: "At the end of each Combat, someone off the list will die. Everyone who took part in that battle (so everyone except Lighteyes who skipped it) will then have their equipment replaced and be removed from the list of possible deaths. Surviving a death will also remove you from the list. The only time someone is carried over to the next Cycle is if they skip a combat.

If a player is selected twice by Eliminators before they take part in a battle (so a Lighteyes skips a battle and is Sabotaged twice in a row, or multiple teams select the same person for Sabotage), then they will have two entries on the list, and thus twice the chance of dying in a Skirmish."

•The Officer's roleblock on a Darkeyes can stop the player from being Sabotaged. Therefore, they will not be on the list from that team in the first place, and hence they won't be one of the choices, unless they skipped the previous battle or another team has it out for them.
•The Officer's roleblock can stop any Role, Spy or Shardblade action. They cannot stop messages in progress. They can roleblock the Scout, and they do affect Heterochromics.
•Heterochromics have a Lighteyed Role (Wit, Surgeon, Officer or Swordsman) but do not get to take part in the Lighteyed vote or skip battles.
•The Wit's death in battle has no effect on the Spy who Sabotaged him.
•Guardsmen cannot protect themselves. They require a Knight Radiant for that.
•The army must kill all the Spies for a Good win. The Spies must collectively outnumber the other players for a joint Evil win.
•There must be two votes on a player for them to be lynched, and tied votes will prevent the lynch from happening.
•A tie in the Lighteyed vote will mean that Dalinar will be indecisive and abstain from voting.

Edited December 6, 2014 by Metacognition

[Wyrmhero]

Edit: King, when will sign-ups end?

 

General note: depending on when the game starts, I might be less active for about Cycles 1 and/or 2, due to exams. Will be able to be (hopefully) more helpful, thereafter.

 

Always forget something. Added it to the initial post.

[Jasnah Damodred]

Damon Shan is signing up again!

Edited November 21, 2014 by Jasnah Damodred

[little wilson]

Kenara, a scribe for the Blackthorn, is in.

[Alvron]

Norlav, a Mercenary drafted by the Blackthorn is in. (reluctantly)

Edited November 22, 2014 by Alvron

[Ashiok]

Wok, horneater princess, is serving the Blackthorn

[Lightsworn Panda]

Jain, a Sin traveller with a toy panda is back. Again. Possibly from the grave.

[Renegade]

Keteks his pride, Reihmer prides his keteks.
Raving mad, his mad ravings,
Awaken all who hear, who all awaken,
Angrily shaking doorframes, doorframes shaking angrily.
Then comes that highstorm, that comes then.
Food on wheels, for all to see, to all for wheels on food.
Keteks stink, storming stinking keteks.

 

Reihmer looked over his latest piece of poetry with pleasure, creationspren moving about on the table in front of him.  Assuredly, a masterpiece, he thought to himself with pride, and stuffed the poem into his bag, with all of the other pieces of poetry he had created.

 

Few people knew how many types of poetry existed on the great continent of Roshar.  Reihmer was one of those people.  Traveling from country to country, kingdom to kingdom, he learned of every place’s poems, and tried to emulate them.  Keteks were one of the most difficult forms of poetry, Reihmer had heard, but he had no trouble making the one that he just did.  Clearly, he was a true master of poetry.  Any time now, he’d be able to attract a spren and become a Lightweaver.  And then he’d become the life of all the parties!

 

------------

 

As an added challenge, I’m going to try to write the majority of my arguments this game in ketek form. 

Edited November 21, 2014 by Renegade

[Lightsworn Panda]

Wyrm, what exactly s the Wit's personal victory?

[Wyrmhero]

Wyrm, what exactly s the Wit's personal victory?

 

They get to be smug and lord it over everyone that they achieved it. ...What else could you want?

[Lightsworn Panda]

So the Wit is the Teemo troll of the game, huh?

 

Pardon me if I'm too blind to see it, but I don't see any rules about the Shardblade. How does it work?

[Wyrmhero]

Pardon me if I'm too blind to see it, but I don't see any rules about the Shardblade. How does it work?

 

The Shardblade is an unblockable kill action. Only players loyal to Dalinar can obtain one. If that player dies, then the Shardblade is removed from the game. A player who obtains a Shardblade is publicly known, and they become a Lighteyes, though they keep their Role.

[Newan]

Newan blew on the tiny ember until the tinder caught on fire.  He had piled brush around a large pole, and hung a rope from the top.  As the fire grew, Newan stood on a stool, tied the rope to his belt, and kicked the stool away.  He didn't stay upright, but the rope held.  The fire grew.  He was suspended sideways a few feet from the ground.  This time.  This time I will be in true mortal danger, and I will become a Knight Radiant!  

 

BOOM!  Thunder.  Storms! He had forgotten to check the weather forecast.  Rain started falling.  The fire sizzled and died.  The plan hadn't completely failed, though.  Newan was still in danger.  A highstorm would work even better than a fire!  Suddenly, a huge boulder was thrown forward by the storm and broke the pole off at it's base.  Newan fell to the ground.  No!  I'm not safe yet!  This pole is too big for me to lift, and I'm tied quite securely!  Come on, surges!  I definitely need some surges to get out of this situation.

 

Through the heavy rain, Newan saw the outline of a large shape walking toward him.  As it got closer, Newan saw that it was his pet chull, Nohadon.  "No, Nohadon!  Shoo!  Go away!  Daddy doesn't need you right now!"  Nohadon grabbed the piece of wood with his claws and started walking toward the stables, dragging Newan behind him in the mud.  "No!" Newan yelled. "Bad chull!  Let me go!  I want to be in danger!"  Newan clawed at the ground vainly as the chull dragged him inside, safe from the storm.  

 

Newan sighed.  "Thank you, Nohadon.  You're a good chull."  The chull made an affectionate noise.  

 

Newan wasn't a very good Envisager.  All of his attempts to put himself in mortal danger had failed miserably.  He would be a terrible Knight.  If he couldn't even injure himself, how was he going to injure others?  The Last Desolation was coming, but Newan would be absolutely useless in battle.  Then a thought occurred to him.  "Nohadon, I've got it!" Newan exclaimed.  "I'm going to join the army!  There's sure to be some danger there!"

 

Newan, the failure Envisager, is enlisting.

Edited November 21, 2014 by Newan

[the winter system]

I will probably do one or two posts per day, due to my busy schedule. They will be long, hopefully. Odysa of Shao (f), an mercenary with roots as an assassin, has joined the army.
Odysa watched the flow of people outside of her barracks carefully. Roots as an assassin had trained her to be careful. Better safe than sorry. Did that person come by too often? She squinted at his face. No, the person from before had lighteyes. Odysa ducked done, avoiding sight. 
"Why are you so paranoid?" Her bunkmate asked. He was polishing a sword. Odysa reached for her own, nervous. This was her first time in an army. She normally just killed them in the night. She wasn't looking exited to the slaughter of the battlefield. Except she could steal-sorry, win-a Shardblade. She did have her secret weapon, but she wouldn't be happy to release her secret. She itched at her golden bracelet, one with the symbol of her house. The symbol of Shao, the assassin's guild, was a golden snake with emeralds for its eyes.

 

An hour later, Odysa snuck out of the barracks. She was ready to fight, even if she didn't know who with. Her assignment would come in soon. Sure, she was a mercenary now, but one never left Shao. 

[A Joe in the Bush]

Wok, horneater princess, is serving the Blackthorn

You're being Way of Kings?

 

Anyway, since this is the real universe, rather than Mailliw's Alternate Universe, I'm going to be Jost Joslin again. A Soldier who has Never had a Shardblade, since in this universe, that was Kaladin.

 

I may or may not write in Journal Format again.

[Surgebound Rainspren]

karlin, The Jah kenved-purelaker signing up for the second time .

[Aonar]

I can't promise to be real active, (and I've noticed a distinctly disturbing trend where I become rather useless, if not actively detrimental to whichever team I'm on, when I'm inactive [see LG9, LG7, MR2... and so on]) but once again, I'm finding my common sense being overruled. People need to stop running games with new and interesting mechanics.

 

Aonaran Faialen, wannabee musician, at your service. Try not to kill me without cause this time, Joe.

[Newan]

Wok, horneater princess, is serving the Blackthorn

 

Does she have friends named Wor, Su, and Thow?

[mail-mi]

Seth signing up for duty! Along with all of my hundreds of cousins

[Kasimir]

"Hey, Kaddar!" Navar yelled. "Your pet chickens just went and--"

 

The breeze, Kaddar decided, was a good one, today. He lay on his hammock and turned words over in his head, wondering if he could create a decent riddle. A Ryshadium carries Alethkar on his back... He frowned. No. Perhaps not. It needed some working on, a better kenning for the object he was thinking of.

 

Hulin shot towards him, flapping and squawking indignantly. She landed on one of the strings of Kaddar's hammock, causing it to shake slightly, and let out a series of increasingly irate squawks that sounded like a string of obscenities.

 

Kaddar sighed. "Language, Hulin," he said, reproachfully. She cocked her head at him and made one, last, rude, squawk.

 

"Kaddar!" Navar bellowed. He stormed out of their barracks, holding Nirn, who had gone utterly still, as if he knew he was now knee-deep in crem. "There's the other one! Get your storming chickens to stop making a mess of my things!" Nirn bit him, and Navar yelped, swore, and in that moment, Nirn was free. "Kelek's breath!"

 

"Nirn," Kaddar said lazily, "We've had this conversation many times before. Stop poking among Navar's things, understand? And Hulin--the same goes for you too." Nirn made a chastised sound; Hulin defiant. "No, I do mean it," Kaddar said, "Nevermind that I paid that merchant a good number of spheres for the two of you. I'll give you to Navar if you keep poking in his things."

 

"I'll give the storming creatures to the cook and we'll have chicken stew for dinner!" Navar declared.

 

"Exactly," Kaddar said. "See?" Hulin finally sounded slightly resigned. "I'll handle it, Navar."
 

"That's what you said the last ten times!"

 

"This time, I mean it. They won't do it again, will they?" He glared at Nirn and Hulin. Hard to do, with only one eye, but Kaddar managed just fine. Way to ruin a relaxing afternoon, when they didn't even have training to do, he thought. "Besides, they're warchickens. They're supposed to do things like wrathfully peck the enemy's eyes out and s--and relieve themselves on them, not rifle through a squadmate's stuff."

 

"Right. Warchickens," Navar said, dubiously, folding his arms across his chest. "I'll believe it when I see it."

 

"Oh, you will," Kaddar said, confident. "Wait for it."

Edited November 22, 2014 by Kasimir

[Renegade]

Reihmer looked around Dalinar’s warcamp, and found a group of people standing idly around a tent.  Oh good, he thought giddily, a captive audience!  Reihmer walked up to the group from behind and cleared his throat.

 

“Ahem.  I call this piece: Horses are Mathematicians, and Vice Versa.  It’s a modern take on a well-known classic.  Here I go…”

 

The group of men and women, all bald and robed, looked confused.  “Um, excuse me sir,” one woman said, “but we’re trying to soulcast a new section of wall here.  Could you… go practice your poetry elsewhere?”

 

“Ha!  That’s a good joke!” Reihmer laughed.  “But you know, you’re really interrupting my poetic vibes here.  Don’t you ardents like keteks, with all the symmetry and stuff?  Like, ‘symmetry is life, life is symmetry.’  You people are too boring and stuffy.”

 

Some of the ardents stiffened, clearly not expecting this sort of response from the poet.  Where was this man’s sense of propriety?  Insulting a group of ardents like that?  The Almighty would never agree.  “Just… leave,” one man said, almost feeling ashamed to be in the blasphemer’s presence.

 

“You can try to make me,” Reihmer smiled, “but it’s not going to happen.  Now, my poem:

 

Horses are mathematicians, and mathematicians are horses.
Long faces have both, both have faces long.
Multiplying like mad, their madness like multiplication.
Finding them unhappy, my unhappiness them finds.
Then subtracting wealth, their wealth subtracting then.
Horses for feed, and feed for horses.
Adding weight, the weight adds.
Three becomes seven, and seven becomes… hey, ho, nice sword.  Really big, too.”

 

A tall man, wielding a shardblade and shardplate, pointed directly at Reihmer with his sword.  “Oh, you want an encore, then?” Reihmer asked.  “Well, I wasn’t really done yet, but I guess I could…”

 

The Shardbearer sliced Reihmer’s poem in half, and gestured for Reihmer to leave.

 

Reihmer scowled, squinting his eyes at the Shardbearer.  “Fine.  You don’t like poetry?  Well, I have another poem for you.  It’s called, Get Out of My Face, Storming Cremling Shardbearer; Cremling, Storming Face My of Out Get!  It goes like this:

 

Crem-faced Shardbearer, I spite thee, spite me, Shardbearer, crem-faced.
Your soul tastes like rocks; rocks like tasting souls; yours.
Painful agonies cause strenuous tension in your nose, your --"

 

The Shardbearer lifted his face plate, revealing a middle-aged man.  Was that the Blackthorn? Insulting him might have been a mistake, then.  “Do you want to live?” the man asked.

 

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

 

The Shardbearer pointed his Shardblade at Reihmer’s heart, the tip nearly touching his shirt.  “Get out.  Now.”

 

“Alright, fine, sheesh,” Reihmer said, turning around and grumbling all of the way back to his barracks.  Apparently old man Dalinar was a grouch.  He'd have to be more careful where he recited his poetry.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Renegade

[Mailliw73]

Marand is signing up for battle.

[Wyrmhero]

Storm you Ren, I only have so many upvotes to give.

 

Oh, while I remember, if anyone wants to be in the Spec Doc, just let me know.

Edited November 22, 2014 by Wyrmhero

[the winter system]

I should probably be a spectator because I'm busy.

 

Storm that, I probably have enough time for 1 post a cycle, except on weekends.