AMA: SE Mod Edition

[Gamma Fiend]

Welcome to the Sanderson Elimination AMA!

We (Gamma Fiend, Little Wilson, and Metacognition) are the Mods of the Sanderson Elimination games on the forum. We’ve been running, maintaining, and keeping things amazingly civil considering this is a game where we all wind up trying to kill each other for over a year already and we look forward to many more years of fun and mayhem!

Since the AMA’s have become so popular, we thought this would be a good way to explain what our games are and how you can get involved; as well as a wonderful resource for newer players to get their specific questions answered by the Sanderson Elimination Mods. Or if you just want to get to know us better!

That said, this is also really for anyone that is curious about the Sanderson Elimination games and to ask those burning questions you might have for us as officiators of the games or individually as people. If you’re unfamiliar with the games, our General Rules thread answers a lot of those questions, but we’re happy to answer questions in here as well.

We’re open to almost* any kind of question. To give you some idea of the questions that we’re typically asked that we would love to answer:

1. What are the games and how do I join?

2. Are there expectations for new players?

3. What is a meta-game and how does it work?

4. What’s the deal with these threat levels and some player’s reputations?

5. Which of Brandon’s books is your favorite?

6. What is the dichotomy between good and evil?

7. What is that weird looking mark on my back?

8. What’s your favorite Pokemon?

9. Be Creative! Really, ask us anything!*

*Well, almost anything…. While we are completely fine answering a wide range of questions on almost any topic there is, there are, of course, a few that we either can’t answer or won’t be able to comment on:

1. We can’t discuss anything happening within a game that is currently being played. Sorry. Even with as careful as we will try to be not to give anything away, we still could slip up and we don’t want to ruin the integrity of the games by giving people an unfair advantage. Those questions should be directed at the GM of that particular game or to the Impartial Mod for that game.

2. Anything that’s too personal (for example, asking us our bank account numbers and such) will either be answered with maximum snark or not at all; though most likely answered with snark. We’re evil like that.

3. That’s pretty much it.

Thanks in advance for your participation in this. We look forward to answering any questions any of you may have. And don’t worry so much! We only brutally murder people in the games. We’re actually quite nice, so ask away!

(For the record, I’ll only be accepting questions based off of the First Generation of Pokemon. And the answer is Jolteon.)

Edited June 14, 2015 by Gamma Fiend

[Kasimir]

I'm tempted to ask a really loaded question, like:
 
"So, uh, Great Lord Fien Urbain, did you like Ren better or me better?
Thanks,
-Kassel Erikell."
 
That probably won't go down too well with someone so I'll keep it straight Which of the games you've played so far did you most particularly enjoy? (And this question is directed at Gamma, but I'm cool if someone else takes it. Would still be nice to get an answer from the Great Lord though )
 
Edit: Okay, I have another question for Gamma (again, if someone else wants to take this, it's cool, but I'd like an answer from the Great Lord since I've sworn allegiance to him and all )
 
This is a Sanderson Elimination game and you see your Housemate tied to a railway track. You know that the lynchtrain is coming: and you're standing right before a switch with two settings. If you flip the switch to Setting 1, you can divert the lynchtrain to another track, where it kills ten innocent players. If you flip the switch to Setting 2, you can divert the lynchtrain to a second track, where it kills 2 innocent players you don't like and a puppy. What do you do? And what do you consider the ethical (i.e. 'morally good') thing to do?
 
And what if Peter Singer was one of the ten innocent players?
 
*No puppies were hurt in the making of this thought experiment.

Edited June 14, 2015 by Kasimir

[Gamma Fiend]

I'm tempted to ask a really loaded question, like:

 

"So, uh, Great Lord Fien Urbain, did you like Ren better or me better?

Thanks,

-Kassel Erikell."

 

That probably won't go down too well with someone so I'll keep it straight Which of the games you've played so far did you most particularly enjoy? (And this question is directed at Gamma, but I'm cool if someone else takes it. Would still be nice to get an answer from the Great Lord though )

 

Heh, jumping right into it, eh? As far as the House Urbain Subordinate question goes, I'ma go with a PAFO on that one! (Who knows, they might get a special mention eventually in Wyrm's Heirs of Luthadel, Generational RPG.)

 

My favorite game I've played so far? Or which one was most enjoyable?

I think I have a tie on that one, or two specific answers. LG 2:The Devil's Den was a really fun game, and possibly is one of my favorites! It introduced the Conversion mechanic that we all know I love so much, and being a victim of said Conversion, was my first time playing as an Eliminator, and I had way too much fun with Rioting/Soothing shenanigans!

 

But one of the most enjoyable games I've been in had to have been MR 5: Competing Realities.  The whole team-based free-for-all aspect of that game was super intriguing, and a lot of fun to navigate! (Even if a bit of a headache!) That game came down to the wire, and was very tense up til the very last cycle! Definitely very enjoyable!

 

Edit:

As for that edited question....

See, there's that conditional 'Sanderson Elimination Game' for the thought experiment, and most players are already well aware of my spontaneous and whimsical play style, so the answer would probably solely depend on what character I'm playing at the time! Believe it or not, look back at all my games, and most of their actions and how I played out the game loosely resembles their RP style! I always try and play the games like my characters would! (...So if my characters I'm playing are more inclined towards betrayal and moral ambiguity....)

Edited June 14, 2015 by Gamma Fiend

[Wyrmhero]

I have a question for you guys: Gamma, which of the other two mods do you like best? Wilson, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? And then the same question to Meta, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? [5 marks]

If that's too hard for you guys to answer, then I guess I have a separate question: If you could replay any game you've played, what game would you play again, and what would you do differently?

Also, which of you do I get to kill... I mean... Which of you is sitting out in my next game?

Edited June 14, 2015 by Wyrmhero

[little wilson]

I have a question for you guys: Gamma, which of the other two mods do you like best? Wilson, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? And then the same question to Meta, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? [5 marks]

If that's too hard for you guys to answer, then I guess I have a separate question: If you could replay any game you've played, what game would you play again, and what would you do differently?

Also, which of you do I get to kill... I mean... Which of you is sitting out in my next game?

 

Well, since Gamma's highly paranoid, and he's killed me twice (for no good reason!), I shall have to go with Meta. This Divinity is unhappy with the Fiend. (Also, I'm insulted that Meta can pick himself and I'm not even an option for him. Fie to you, Wyrmimir)

 

If I could replay any game, I would play MR5 again, and the only major thing I would change is my use of the Syphon. Instead of Syphoning Bort's life, I would Syphon Gamma's, ridding him of his pesky detonator glass and forcing him to use up his Reviver early on. I would still arrange a last minute lynch on him as well. I would also not make that alliance with Araris, because he tried to kill me twice before admitting that he'd broken it.

 

Definitely won't be me. I'm pretty sure your next game is the Shardship one, so Gamma and Meta can fight over which one you get to kill.

[Kasimir]

This is a question primarily directed to Wilson. (Once again though, if any other mod wants to take this, please feel free!)

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being meh and 10 being absolutely glorious, how would you rate this, as compared to:

Thank you

Edited June 14, 2015 by Kasimir

[Alvron]

Question for Wilson.  How much are you willing to pay for Kas' head after that last question?

[little wilson]

This is a question primarily directed to Wilson. (Once again though, if any other mod wants to take this, please feel free!)

On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being meh and 10 being absolutely glorious, how would you rate this, as compared to:

Thank you

 

That question has no correct answer due to the way it's been worded. You're asking me to measure it on a scale on which the gif you want me to compare it to doesn't even fit. So how am I supposed to measure it? I refuse to answer until I'm given an appropriate scale of judgement. Preferably one that replaces the word "glorious" with "terrifying," but I leave it to you to find the right scale.

 

Question for Wilson.  How much are you willing to pay for Kas' head after that last question?

 

.....Oh, now that's an interesting question. The problem is that I don't have to much to pay with. You've taken Claincy's blood from me (or at least the future holding of it), and I've already bribed you with the future gift of Meta's heart, and I lost my MEC suit and all of my money to a really shoddily placed bet. I'd offer a game of restraint, wherein I'd refuse to kill you even if it would be strategic, but I can see that potentially having game-breaking issues, so I shan't. Hm. The person who delivers Kas' head to me will be paid with one of the following (your choice):

 

An RP of at least 500 words in length about how much the Bloodthirsty Goddess Original Wilson is indebted to you.

 

A song parody written by me for you. You can even choose the song I parody. And if you're really lucky, I might even record it. Possibly.

I desperately hope no one takes that second offer.....

[Kasimir]

In order to cover all the mods: this question is for Meta. How many souls have you stolen/sold off to be able to survive so astonishingly well for such a dangerous player?

 

More seriously:

 

How do you survive that well in these games, given how everyone's terrified of you? What's your secret? The blood of a thousand orphans?

Edited June 15, 2015 by Kasimir

[Lightsworn Panda]

How do you survive that well in these games, given how everyone's terrified of you? What's your secret? The blood of a thousand orphans?

 

Tried that. It didn't work.

[Bort]

When are the mods going to slap Kas and Wyrm for being deliberately confusing and disorienting when they are in the middle of a game, and finally put their accounts back in order?

[the winter system]

Tried that. It didn't work.

The secret is the blood of 1000 and 1 orphans. 

[little wilson]

When are the mods going to slap Kas and Wyrm for being deliberately confusing and disorienting when they are in the middle of a game, and finally put their accounts back in order?

 

If they were doing it in the game, we'd act on it, but Hero already asked them to stop in the game and they did. Yeah, their signatures and avatars are still flipped and they're referring to each other by the other's name outside of the games, but not only is that not in the game, their usernames are still the same so if you focus just on that, it's easy enough to tell them apart, despite Kas calling Wyrm Kas and vice versa. I have a feeling it's only going to last for a little longer anyway. They're both having identity crises. Moreso Kas than Wyrm, but still. Of course, Kas might just embrace an existential crisis like that....Hm. Should be interesting to watch.

[the winter system]

What are your favorite length of games? 

[Metacognition]

I have a question for you guys: Gamma, which of the other two mods do you like best? Wilson, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? And then the same question to Meta, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? [5 marks]

If that's too hard for you guys to answer, then I guess I have a separate question: If you could replay any game you've played, what game would you play again, and what would you do differently?

Also, which of you do I get to kill... I mean... Which of you is sitting out in my next game?

 

Well if I, myself, is an option, then I'm definitely picking that!

 

But seriously, I couldn't choose. I have two of the best people I could ever think of working with me and it's been glorious. We all cover each other's weaknesses; thus allowing us to focus on our strengths. We are all on the same page about how to handle things 90% of the time, so I can feel confident that, if one of us is not around, any situation will be handled with the same care and professionalism and fairness that the rest of us would've shown to it. You can't put a price on that kind of peace of mind and trust. 

 

Picking a game to replay is as difficult as picking a favorite game, but I guess I'd have to pick Mid-Range 2. I, personally, wouldn't do anything different; I'd just want to replay it and hope that the rest of the players weren't as lucky as they were!

 

In order to cover all the mods: this question is for Meta. How many souls have you stolen/sold off to be able to survive so astonishingly well for such a dangerous player?

 

More seriously:

 

How do you survive that well in these games, given how everyone's terrified of you? What's your secret? The blood of a thousand orphans?

 

Someone else recently asked me basically the same question and it basically comes down to three things*: Expectation, Luck, and Skill. 

 

The Expectation is part of the meta-game. See, for quite some time there, I didn't survive for very long. I'd be lucky to make it past the 2nd or 3rd Cycle. Me being attacked early was as predictable as clockwork. As you well know, for the Eliminators, predictability is a bit of a death sentence. People were so confident that I'd get attacked that it became common place for people to use their protection on me early as well; that way to have the best chance to block an Eliminator kill. That's basically where we are now in the meta-game. The Eliminators are worried that trying to attack me early on will just be blocked, so they don't try and they go after other targets. I fully expect this to change now though. Thus the nature of the meta-game.

 

I've been very Lucky the last few games to have gotten roles that help me survive; like have Pewter or a Pendant or something similar (basically something that makes me harder to kill). Perhaps this is karma balancing out for all those early games where I died early, eh?

 

And the least of the reasons is Skill. When I do get a role or item that makes me harder to kill, I know how to use it to help me survive. Last game, I made sure to let people know that I had Pewter so that if any of the Spiked heard about it, they would know that they'd have to waste more time to bring me down. Or I might try to draw a kill towards me, basically urging the Eliminators to go ahead and take a shot at me. The idea, though, is to use what I've got to help survive the early game. If I can make it past a few cycles and into the late game, then by then, the Eliminators have either bigger threats or I've solidified myself enough to have protection.

 

I'm a big believer in the idea that no role, even a vanilla role is useless. You just have to figure out how to use it to its potential and that's what I try to do. 

 

*The sacrifices do help, but you're all going about them wrong. It's not quantity, but quality. You got to do them during a thunderstorm at midnight and on the lip of a volcano; preferably while you have NiN playing backwards. Use puppies and kittens and such instead of orphans; the cuter, the better. If you can find a cute baby endangered animal, they work the best.

 

What are your favorite length of games? 

 

I love the Long Games. I enjoy the Mid-Ranges and the Quick Fixes as well, but I love the complexity and how much more devious you can be in a Long Game. 

Edited June 15, 2015 by Metacognition

[Kasimir]

Of course, Kas might just embrace an existential crisis like that....Hm. Should be interesting to watch.

Every day is an existential crisis. Dasein is a Being for whom the question of its own Being is still unanasweed, answerable only by action. Dasein is therefore a Being for which its own existence is its ongoing project. Remember: existence precedes essence. There is no 'essence' that we can ascribe to Kasimir, no more than we can ascribe an 'essence' to Wyrmhero. We are the product of our own actions, as we are the product of our existential projects, and for that reason, we are not fixed, immutable Beings.

Dasein is consistently trying to answer the question of Being [die Seinsfrage], confronted with its own existential Angst. In Sartrean terms, there are moments when the lived-world recedes into the background and we are forced to confront the conditions of our own existence, absent bad faith. (Bad faith is what helps us cope.) And then, in that moment, once we're past bad faith, we understand what it is to be free. Nothing is true, everything is permitted. Nausea, Sartre calls it. The dizzying vertigo of standing on a great height and staring down at the world below. Absolute, radical, Sartrean freedom is nauseating. It is Sartrean freedom that lies at the heart of all existential crises: the realisation that our facticity is no restraint on our radical freedom. The realisation that we are what we make of ourselves.

This is why all of life is an existential crisis: because Dasein is not complete. Dasein is Being-in-the-world, and it is only in Angst that the world is disclosed, experienced as separate from Dasein. [This is similar to Sartrean nausea: it is with Angst that Dasein gains the philosophical distance from the world.] Furthermore, Dasein is fundamentally incomplate. We refer to a mode of Dasein's Being as Being-towards-death [sein zum Tode]. Dasein is incomplete until the moment of its death, but at the point of death, all that Dasein is is annihilated. There is no more Dasein; it is not.

Existential crises are everywhere. If you think hard enough, and if you stare long enough into the abyss to realise you're in the free fall in the dark and you don't know where you're gonna land, if you're ever going to. There's nothing to embrace or to not embrace. It is what it is.*

*On that cheerful note, I shall leave y'all with the reminder that I'm primarily trained as an analytic philosopher, so that's an extra-crude version of Heidegger and Sartre since I'm not a continental-trained person. And the difference between analytic and continental is the difference between bonding with an honourspren or a Cryptic, so.

[Metacognition]

*Lots of philosophy stuff*

 

So, in other words, you're showing off.

 

 

While I love the Heidegger model, it fails to alleviate the instance of time. True, time within itself is in contention, but Dasein seems to be all about "the moment" and as such, fits your needs to explain why you can be both Kasimir and Wyrmhero at the same time. 

 

If we take into account a timeline though, you're trying to say that you were Dasein the entirety of your time here and that you were both Kas and Wyrm the entire time, as we all witnessed you "being" as well as yourself having to "be" within all of these situations. So unless you claim to be both Kasimir and Wyrmhero throughout the time of "being," you're presenting a falsehood. 

 

I don't want to turn this into a philosophical debate (as much fun as that would be, though I know I couldn't stand up to your understanding to begin with). It's an AMA after all and we want everyone to feel free to ask any and all questions!

[Kasimir]

So, in other words, you're showing off.

Just a bit >> Other than that, I'm upholding Aonar's imperative and trying to live up to the very weighty bounty Wilson has seen fit to place on my head

 

While I love the Heidegger model, it fails to alleviate the instance of time. True, time within itself is in contention, but Dasein seems to be all about "the moment" and as such, fits your needs to explain why you can be both Kasimir and Wyrmhero at the same time. 

 

If we take into account a timeline though, you're trying to say that you were Dasein the entirety of your time here and that you were both Kas and Wyrm the entire time, as we all witnessed you "being" as well as yourself having to "be" within all of these situations. So unless you claim to be both Kasimir and Wyrmhero throughout the time of "being," you're presenting a falsehood.

I don't either, so let's just leave it at a simple analogy. You're using the methods/framework of analytic philosophy to attack a strongly continental philosopher Which is fine, but that's like telling a person who loves Star Trek and hates Star Wars about why the OT is better than the PT. If you apply a metaphysical framework that Heidegger doesn't even subscribe to, then there is going to be a problem from the start, because a Heideggerian would challenge why that framework even ought to be applied in this case [Remember, classic existentialists don't really want to talk about time without lived experience, and they're not big on the lived experience of the Other (comes later with people like Levinas), so appealing to your experiential perspective can't solve the problem here. The problem is magnified in the case of Heidegger because a existential phenomenologist appeals to first-person experience first and foremost! ] And at the bottom, squabbles over framework and methodology tend to be a bit useless in this pass, which is why we have the analytic and continental camps *cough* honourspren and Cryptics *cough*, and never shall the twain meet

To take a step back from this, I would liked it if you could answer my question too though. I'm genuinely curious about which games were your favourite, and which ones you enjoyed the most (to employ Gamma's distinction there.)

Also, Wilson? I mean that much to you? Really?

Edited June 16, 2015 by Kasimir

[Wyrmhero]

I didn't know Wyrmhero studied philosophy! >>

 

Next question then, for Meta (though the other two can certainly talk about expectations as well if they want): You introduced Mafia to this forum after playing and running several games elsewhere, so I would like to know how the metagame differs between here and Cracked. Is there anything very different that we do that they don't (or vice versa)? And did you expect these differences to form when you decided to run games on here?

Edited June 16, 2015 by Wyrmhero

[Kasimir]

I didn't know Wyrmhero studied philosophy! >>

What can I say, Kas, I learn by osmosis >> Wasn't me talking about entropy yesterday, certainly

Actually, I do have another general question for all three of you, and I'd like to ask it carefully. Could I ask what your respective policies on the idea of threat levels are? I get it that some players are often considered to be more dangerous than others; at the same time, I sometimes find myself worrying if people could wind up taking that the wrong way.

 

If this is a bit more shop-talk than expected, please feel free to ignore it

Edited June 16, 2015 by Kasimir

[little wilson]

What are your favorite length of games? 

 

I prefer the Long Games as well. More time to analyze and figure out what's going on, plus they fit better with real life, despite the fact that the typically take at least a month to play. And you can get a lot more scheming and manipulation in. The games tend to be a little more complex, whether through mechanics or role distribution and such, and that makes things more interesting for me to figure how everything meshes and all the fun problems you can encounter and have to work out.

 

Also, Wilson? I mean that much to you? Really?

 

Your head does. I'm not sure about the rest of you.

 

Actually, I do have another general question for all three of you, and I'd like to ask it carefully. Could I ask what your respective policies on the idea of threat levels are? I get it that some players are often considered to be more dangerous than others; at the same time, I sometimes find myself worrying if people could wind up taking that the wrong way.

 

It's more opinions on threat rep as opposed to policies. There's nothing official and I don't think we'll ever have anything official about them. I take threat reps with a grain of salt. There are people who I view as threats because they are typically very clever players, but just because they're threats doesn't mean that I'll try to kill them immediately in any game I play where I'm evil. That's rather dependent on role and activity and what they do. Not everyone who has a high threat level is going to be a high threat every game. Just like not everyone with a low threat level is going to stay low. Players adapt and get better at fooling others when necessary. That's just an aspect of the game.

 

Basically, I don't believe in acting solely based on the threat level. That might be because I know that I'm universally feared but I'm not actually as big a threat on team village as people seem to think I am. I can be, and when I get my sights set on someone, I rarely back down, but I get manipulated by eliminators just as much as anyone, if not more, based on how I play the game and things I refuse to do, and I don't really see that changing even though I recognize what's causing it. So just because someone is considered a dangerous player, it doesn't necessarily mean they're always a dangerous player and acting as if they are might not necessarily be wise. But those are just my own feelings on it.

[Metacognition]

To take a step back from this, I would liked it if you could answer my question too though. I'm genuinely curious about which games were your favourite, and which ones you enjoyed the most (to employ Gamma's distinction there.)

 

I honestly love all the games I've GMed. There's just something that is so satisfying about watching everyone else enjoying and struggling through a game you've created. I don't think I could pick a favorite or which one I enjoyed running the most out of those. They all had their own highlights. 

 

As far as everyone else's games, I did really enjoy LG3 and LG7. Blackwater Village was special, as that was the first game I got to play with everyone here (more on that below) and The Annealing of Luthadel had some of my favorite characters in it. Plus, I would've loved to have pulled off that final deception, where all of us Lesser Houses rised up and pulled down the Greater Houses before winning. I was so close too!    QF5 (The Hunger Games) and MR3 (When Chalklings Attack) both deserve props too. I still haven't been able to read Rithmatist yet, but MR3 made me realize that I really, really did need to get around to it! 

 

Next question then, for Meta (though the other two can certainly talk about expectations as well if they want): You introduced Mafia to this forum after playing and running several games elsewhere, so I would like to know how the metagame differs between here and Cracked. Is there anything very different that we do that they don't (or vice versa)? And did you expect these differences to form when you decided to run games on here?

 

Oh wow, where to start? There are a lot of differences between the two and that's to be expected. Each one has their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. The one thing that they both have in common though is that they're all fun!

 

One of the things that can truly change the way the game is played that most people wouldn't think about is the forum itself that the game is being played on. For example: the private message system on the Cracked forum is rudimentary at best. You can only send a PM to one other person at a time and if the GM wants to be included in all the PMs, the players have to send a copy of every PM they send in the game to the GM. As such, speaking privately isn't as highly valued over there as it is here. It's still used, but not to the extent that we do. When I came over here, I was surprised and delighted by the PM system here! Just the ability to have group PMs changes a lot in how things develop, IMO. 

 

Another thing with the forums is that Cracked is far less regulated as far as language and topic choices go. When I've described the 17th to some of them on the Cracked forums, I always have to remember to remind them that if they do decide to try a game with us on the 17th, that the forum here is very much PG13! As such, the types of shenanigans that we've gotten up to over on the Cracked forum are much more... vulgar than over here. 

 

The focus of the forum changes things as well. Cracked is a comedy site that does list-based articles for entertainment and information. As such, a lot of the storylines over there tend to be much more over the top and comical. For example, one of our games was a bunch of American Wizarding schools, like out of Harry Potter. We've had a game that was a bunch of gods in a nightclub. Right now, we're doing a MLP Elimination game (sorry MLP fans, it's already started, so no you can't join). So not only are the settings... weirder, but those things influence the quality of the RP as well. Here on the 17th, we have a lot more serious and dramatic RPs; with compelling storylines and heartfelt drama. Over on Cracked, they're more likely to be psychedelic drug trips and slapstick humor. 

 

And that's just what the differences in the style of forum you're on changes! The different types of players also shifts the meta-game. A lot of the stuff that we do here would be considered cheating to them over on Cracked. You see, they don't break character if at all possible. They don't do much with actions or interacting with the setting and such within their RP, but they always talk as if they are their character. They'll still discuss game mechanics to a degree and all that kind of good stuff, but nothing like what we do here. They'd consider breaking character to be a form of meta-gaming, which they use as if it's a bad word.  To them, "meta-gaming" means using absolutely anything outside of the current game to find out who the Eliminators are; up to and including previous playing style. Using anything, like when someone logs on and other stuff like that is a no go too. The biggest problem with this, IMO, is that it still doesn't stop those types of things from being taken into account, it just makes them a faux pas to talk about. 

 

The people here at the 17th are a lot more logical in their thought processes and are much better at picking up clues. Long, detailed, and extensive arguments over on Cracked just don't happen. Our games on here are also less random. Some GMs over on Cracked confuse lack of information with difficulty. I feel like our games here are much better balanced 90% of the time.  

 

In the end, each forum has its own twists and quirks. I really do enjoy how the people on Cracked are capable of keeping everything in character, but I absolutely love our long discussions about game dynamics and logic. Cracked doesn't take itself too seriously, but if I want a really good, in depth game, I come to the 17th for it. 

 

There's likely plenty of other things that I've missed, but those are some of the major differences that I can think of off the top of my head!

 

EDIT: Oh, another of the other things that we have here that they don't have is our own sub-forum. You have no idea how nice that can make things! We also have multiple game formats, which is refreshing in comparison to Cracked. We've been able to just do that much more with our games here and that is just the best. 

 

Actually, I do have another general question for all three of you, and I'd like to ask it carefully. Could I ask what your respective policies on the idea of threat levels are? I get it that some players are often considered to be more dangerous than others; at the same time, I sometimes find myself worrying if people could wind up taking that the wrong way.

 

If this is a bit more shop-talk than expected, please feel free to ignore it

 

We don't mind shop-talk; that's part of what this is for! We want people to feel comfortable with asking us literally anything. If someone has a question about something they did in a past game and how people found them out because of it, then we'll do what we can to answer it. If you're unsure about what people mean by certain tactics (EX: the Wounded Gazelle Gambit), then we'll talk you through it. This is as much a resource for newer players to get some of their questions answered as it is a place to ask us weird, random questions.

 

As Wilson said, threat levels are a personal and mutable concept. There's not real ranking that we all follow or expect everyone else to follow. Personally, I don't really buy into the whole threat level stuff at all; especially if it's coming from someone else. So you think someone is a threat, huh? Great. So they're threatening to you. That doesn't mean anything to me. As an example: some people might find you, Kas, a threat, but while I value your opinion and you have a great mind for figuring out what's going on, you're definitely not a threat to me. Karlin isn't someone that I trypically worry about, but to Jain, since they know each other outside of the game, he might be a much larger threat. 

 

It's all personal and so it's not a very good measuring stick. 

 

The other part of it is that every game is different and thus a player's threat level adjusts for that specific game. For example: Wilson becomes a much bigger threat if she winds up being an Eliminator. Gamma is a huge threat if there's the possibility of him being able to switch sides or be on both sides. If certain players get certain roles, they can use those roles to such a great advantage that their threat level increases. So if each game is different, then any attempt to record a player's threat level beyond a specific game just won't stack up very well. 

 

Now all that said, there is one area that will always make someone a threat. If a player is willing to talk and bring up ideas and discuss and just basically play the game, then they will always be a threat to the Eliminators. Why? Because the main way that you find the Eliminators is not through roles or through finding loopholes in the game. It's through talking things out and making people justify their actions. This is something everyone is capable of though, so no individual player is more of a threat than any other within this regard, IMO. 

 

EDIT: One other thing that I'd like to add about the whole threat levels thing: If someone does wind up considering you a threat, that's a compliment in these games! It means that they think that you're good enough to make things difficult for them if they're Eliminators or that they fear playing against you if you are the Eliminator. So yes, dying early in a game sucks, but you died because you were too good at this game to let you live! I can't think of a better compliment. Besides, there's always another game right around the corner and just like with me, that expectation will start working in your favor eventually!

Edited June 17, 2015 by Metacognition

[Gamma Fiend]

I have a question for you guys: Gamma, which of the other two mods do you like best? Wilson, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? And then the same question to Meta, who do you prefer out of Gamma and Meta? [5 marks]

If that's too hard for you guys to answer, then I guess I have a separate question: If you could replay any game you've played, what game would you play again, and what would you do differently?

Also, which of you do I get to kill... I mean... Which of you is sitting out in my next game?

 

Like how you worded it so we couldn't choose ourselves (except for Meta, of course )  For in-game/character feud's sake, seems like Wilson will have a vendetta against me for a minute now -- which is where half the fun comes in! But also me and Meta go back and forth between our characters either completely clashing, but him and I have also had great back and forth working together in games! Usually depends on the characters we play at the time and how the games turn out.

As far as games I'd like to play again, LG:4 was a complete blast, and would love to see a close version to that run again sometime soon! I'd probably not try and 'betray' the village that time then, though. (Note, it was just me talking with Wilson and knowing who Team Evil were and just not acting on it, and just spreading dissension among the villagers with my anti-dictatorship talk in fun RP.

 

We've still barely explored Nalthis in our games here in Elimination, which makes sense, because Breaths are a tricky as damnation mechanic to get balanced!

 

Edit: Apologies, a tired Gamma is bad at answering multiple questions at once. >.> I'll try and get back in here when I'm more well rested!

Edited June 18, 2015 by Gamma Fiend

[The Honey Badger]

Do you, the illustrious SE mods, take notes on players during games? If so, what do you take notes on? Is it worth it to take notes?

[little wilson]

Do you, the illustrious SE mods, take notes on players during games? If so, what do you take notes on? Is it worth it to take notes?

 

I'm not sure about Meta or Gamma, but I do. Rather than explain what I take notes on, I'll just show you. My notes for the latest game, LG12. I started slacking off on post count towards the end of the game and on turn results, and some of my thoughts on the players weren't entirely up-to-date, but for the most part, that's what my notes tend to look like.