Long Game 26: Cognitive Dissonance

[Amanuensis]

55 minutes ago, Nyali said:

It'd be instant, but then more people joined and we're still finalizing the new roles and rejiggering the casting. I totally agree that people will have questions and want to send them out asap. We'll see what happens. If no one else joins, El should have a role distribution down soon, and then we can start sending them out when signups end.

Sweet  can't wait!

[Nyali]

Signups are now closed. Roles will be going out in about an hour, I think.

[Nyali]

Everyone should now have their role PM. Please remember that the game does not start until tomorrow night, so please do not post anything about your character to anyone except me or Elbereth. All docs, PMs, and World PMs will be set up tomorrow - if you have a Doc Link, please do not write anything in the doc until the game starts.

If you have any questions, please ask them in your Role PM and we will answer them when we can. I'm expecting lots of questions, which is why the game isn't starting for 24 hours even though we managed to get everything ready before then.

I hope everyone enjoys their characters and that no one is spoiled - we tried really hard not to spoil anyone with this.

If you do not have your role PM, please let us know asap.

 

EDIT: Oh, and if you are the one person lacking a Background, sorry! I might fill that out if I'm inspired, but I ran out of creative energy by the time I got to character #33 x.x

Edited September 14, 2016 by Nyali

[Nyali]

A small rules change: you can no longer tap a Tinmind for two charges and specify "Role Name" as your category. Please see the new version of Tinmind below, if it is relevant to you:

Tinmind

• Charge Type: t<#>
• Store Type: Free [special]
• Store Effect: To Store in a Tinmind, you must use an ability that can target "Player (local)," but explicitly declare no target. Your target will then be randomly selected among people on the same world as you, but it will never be yourself even if the action is capable of targeting yourself. You will not be told who your target was. For every action so declared, gain t<1>. You may only gain up to t<2> this way per Night turn. This Store ability may not be interfered with in any way.
• Tap Type: Free [detect]
• Tap Requirement: You did not store tin this turn.
• Tap Effect: Learn one piece of information about each person on your Current World. You may learn the type of one action they took, the target of one action they took, how much Investiture they have, what one of their Passive Specials is, the name of one of the Items they have, or their Role name. If you tap t<1>, what you learn is random and each player is considered separately. If you tap t<2>, you may choose which category you wish to learn about, but you may not choose "Role Name" and you get the same category for everyone.

 

 

EDIT: Also, the question was brought up about copy/pasting and I realized I'm not sure if it's in the general rules or not. This game follows the standard policy: You may not copy/paste anything from a PM (including the GM PM) or Doc into another PM or Doc or the main thread. Paraphrase instead.

Edited September 14, 2016 by Nyali

[Nyali]

LG26: Day One - Beginnings

Within the Cognitive Realm, a mass of mist, beads, and sand swirls about in the grip of a violent storm. Colors flash across the mass like lightning, highlighting the landscape in a burst of vibrance that quickly fades. The storm subsides, revealing a figure who had stood at the storm's eye, unscathed save for the mess the lightning made of his white hair. The man shakes his head. "Nope," he says to himself as he walks away, "Not my problem. Someone else will clean this up. I have places to be." His form shimmers as he walks, and the figure that departs the Cognitive for calmer lands looks nothing like the man who stood at the center of that raging storm.
 

---

Day 1 has begun and will last 46 hours. World PMs, starting PMs, and Faction Docs that have not yet been set up will be set up shortly. Remember that PMs can only be created through abilities, and the GMs must be included on all PMs.
 

 

I ask that players not give the name of the Cosmere character on their Role sheet during Cycle 1. I think it will add to the game if people keep that to themselves at the very least for one Cycle. After Cycle 1 is over, use your own discretion, but keep in mind that this game only mostly follows canon, the characters are not necessarily what you'd expect, and some other players are looking for very specific people to kill or rob as part of their personal goals.
 

Player List

 

1. Magestar (Magestar)
2. The Healer (Doctor12)
3. Iohn (Iohn)
4. Lorien the Rithmatist (Conquestor)
5. Stick (I_am_a_Stick)
6. Jonly the Terrisman (The Only Joe)
7. NeLaar (Arraenae)
8. Spike (Paranoid King)
9. Ryth (Silverblade5)
10. Riza (Frozen Mint)
11. Ecthelion (Ecthelion III)
12. Kyla (Little Wilson)
13. The Young Bard (The Young Bard)
14. Grond (Elenion)
15. Brandon Sanderson (Darkness Ascendant)
16. Aralis (Araris Valerian)
17. Dr. Idem Occulta (Wonko the Sane)
18. Kelen Taldar (AliasSheep)
19. Gladium Paleas (Straw)
20. Victor (Amanuensis)
21. Bugsy (Bugsy6912)
22. Locke (OrlokTsubodai)
23. Dowanx (Dowanx)
24. Tom (Sart)
25. Kaloo (TheMightyLopen)
26. Unknown (Mark IV)
27. mmhmmnmhmm (LivingLegend)
28. Cy Lon (Clanky)
29. Emrys Morge (Bridge Boy)
30. Reginald Canuck (Dalinar Kholin)
31. Orik Ironfist (Haelbarde)
32. Lily (Luckat)
33. Odin (Stink)

 

 

 

Now, begin!

Edited September 17, 2016 by Nyali

[Amanuensis]

Greetings, fellow Worldhoppers; it is I, your beloved Hero of Eons, Victor! What's that? Haven’t heard of me, eh? Perhaps you know me by one of my many other titles, then. Does Prelude of Luck ring any bells? How about the name Fateblessed, or Fortune Incarnate? Still no? Strange… though I suppose it doesn’t really matter, as you all surely know who I am now!

If you have heard of me, then you must know just how brilliant a strategist I am. Let me tell you… I’ve already got an idea to help us catch Rayse and in his allies in the act! Of course, it’s not the sort of thing I can execute alone. It’s going to take a good deal of cooperation from us all for it to succeed. But if we do, I firmly believe it’ll ensure the continued survival of planets and people all across the Cosmere!

First, I must reveal that the world I currently inhabit is not my own. I suspect that many of you are away from your homeworlds as well, and thus I propose that, effective immediately, we agree to Worldhop back to the place we originated from.

I see the looks on your faces, and understand why you might be skeptical, but please… seriously consider the idea thoroughly for a moment. If every innocent soul holds true to their word, then we will be that much closer to narrowing down the forces who wish to destroy everything we love and hold dear... and here's how.

Those with [Evil] intentions will either: 1) be forced to reveal their place of origin, which they’d rather keep to themselves (aka, Rayse originating from Roshar), or 2) attempt to deceive others by traveling to another planet. Each world can then use their unique abilities to test each other’s claims… or, at the very least, use the knowledge of that claim to watch out for anything suspicious, so that when someone is caught in a lie they can be outed as traitors.

On Nalthis in particular, this could work incredibly well. The Awakeners can all use the “Follow and Report” command in a chain along with no other action to confirm that each person is indeed an Awakener. Anyone who doesn’t comply, or uses another action at the detriment of another, will be discovered quickly and can thus be interrogated. In this event, I suggest that if the residents of Nalthis wish to remain anonymous, they handle the situation on their own. If they cannot find a way of rid themselves of the traitor, however, then the results should be presented to the rest of us so we can take care of them as a team.

Of course, not every world will be able to accomplish something like this. I’ve performed extensive research into my own world’s magic system, however, and am confident that I could come up with a similar plan to prove my fellows innocent. Regardless, there are many other benefits to come from this plan. For example, it is common knowledge that all of us have our own personal goals; most of which, I reckon, align with other people from the same planet. I, for one, wish to contact a handful of individuals from my world immediately, as I’m confident that it will greatly improve the Cosmere’s chances of survival.

That being said, if you are not from my world but are innocent, I have no qualms with you… in fact, I would love to work alongside you, as well! I aim only to do one thing: Unite the Cosmere against Rayse and his allies. To ensure it, I am willing to aid any innocent soul that approaches me achieve their goals, so long as it is within my power to do so. Keep in mind, however, that if your goal involves murdering another innocent, I will refuse to assist you.

So, everyone… what do you think of this little idea of mine? I would like to hear a response from each and every one of you, even - no, especially! - if you’re against it. If you think it unwise, please explain why. If you do, then surely you have thoughts of your own to help improve this idea, or develop an even better strategy!

No war is won by the efforts of a single individual. A war of this scale and importance is truly going to require a great deal of trust and effort from us all. If we wish to put an end to hatred, we must do it together, now or never!

Edited September 15, 2016 by Amanuensis

[A Joe in the Bush]

Problem Amanuensis: I can't think of 33 good roles that are all from the five worlds we have access to. (I made a list of 45 probable roles before the game started.) I'd bet good money that there are people with no homeworld. Where do they go?

Also, I'm going to roshar. It's not my homeworld, but, for role reasons, I need to be there if I want to survive.

[Wonko the Sane]

I'm willing -- I also have countrymen I'd like to speak with. However, Joe's worry is valid. What if one of us is Nazh? He's innocent, more or less, but he can't go home to Threnody.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Wonko the Sane
Repairing Autocorrect.

[Arrae]

What is the advantage of having everybody go to their planet of origin? Sure, if everybody complies, Rayse will be on Roshar. But Rayse won't be the only person on Roshar, and I doubt all of the evil people will be from Roshar. We'll have to pick out Rayse from all of the people on Roshar, and we don't know how many evil people have Roshar as a planet of origin.

Also, we might not be able to accurately tell what the homeworlds of each role are. You say Rayse has the homeworld of Roshar. But Rayse could also have a homeworld of Braize. It's possible for a role to have a non-public homeworld, as stated here in the rules:

Quote

The following Worlds are in play: Nalthis, Roshar, Scadrial, Sel, and Taldain. All roles have a Homeworld, and some roles may have Homeworlds that are not on this list. Those other Homeworlds are not in play and cannot be traveled to or interacted with. They will be listed as "None [name]" to indicate this.

 

[Haelbarde]

Another concern. If we have Odium, Honor, and Cultivation all running around, and Odium has to break Honor and Cultivation, for example, Odium suddenly has limited his search to a handful of players. 

[Elenion]

9 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

First, I must reveal that the world I currently inhabit is not my own. I suspect that many of you are away from your homeworlds as well

You are right about that, at least for me.

11 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

I, for one, wish to contact a handful of individuals from my world immediately, as I’m confident that it will greatly improve the Cosmere’s chances of survival.

How would you propose doing so without revealing all members to the thread?

Just now, Haelbarde said:

Another concern. If we have Odium, Honor, and Cultivation all running around, and Odium has to break Honor and Cultivation, for example, Odium suddenly has limited his search to a handful of players. 

Good point.

19 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

Each world can then use their unique abilities to test each other’s claims… or, at the very least, use the knowledge of that claim to watch out for anything suspicious, so that when someone is caught in a lie they can be outed as traitors.

I foresee a problem: what if a player is from a world but does not possess the world's investiture system?

[Young Bard]

15 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

First, I must reveal that the world I currently inhabit is not my own. I suspect that many of you are away from your homeworlds as well, and thus I propose that, effective immediately, we agree to Worldhop back to the place we originated from.

I have heard tales that there are those who can not visit their home planet, as all but 5 are locked away from us, and others may have been severed from their planets. (EDIT: Ninja'd by Joe, and then Rae...)

In addition, the plan to stop Rayse has one fatal flaw. In attempting to banish Rayse to Roshar, you give many the potential to flee there and join him. If Rayse and his allies unite under a single banner, your mission will become much more perilous.

15 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

Regardless, there are many other benefits to come from this plan. For example, it is common knowledge that all of us have our own personal goals; most of which, I reckon, align with other people from the same planet.

In this, I suspect, you are wrong. Each planet has their own petty faction wars and disputes. Knights Radiants, Voidbringers, Pahn Kahl and Idrians... It is too much to hope for that a common planet will unite anyone.

I intend to worldhop to Scadrial at the end of this turn, as I have business there, except in the unlikely event something of interest occurs in my current world.

19 minutes ago, Amanuensis said:

I am willing to aid any innocent soul that approaches me achieve their goals, so long as it is within my power to do so. Keep in mind, however, that if your goal involves murdering another innocent, I will refuse to assist you.

Messages with others are forbidden to us, unfortunately, except where a precious few have their own methods... However, I will declare this for all the world to hear. I bear no love for Rayse, and will assist you in deposing him and all who would join him, though I do not think your current plan will work.

[Wonko the Sane]

I'm with you guys -- Rayse is planning to cause the deaths of far too many people for my comfort.

On the subject of uniting Rayse's followers, though... Who's to say they aren't already in touch? I would guess that they have a doc, if anyone does.

[A Joe in the Bush]

Does Rayse even have followers? I can't think of any other than Moash, maybe. Maybe Taravangian?

[Elenion]

Just now, The Only Joe said:

Does Rayse even have followers? I can't think of any other than Moash, maybe. Maybe Taravangian?

For the purposes of the game I'm sure Eshonai and other Parshendi would work well enough.

[A Joe in the Bush]

. . .

. . .

How, by the second name of Kore, did I forget freaking Eshonai?

[Elenion]

Just now, The Only Joe said:

. . .

. . .

How, by the second name of Kore, did I forget freaking Eshonai?

Stored one too many Copperminds? 

[Arrae]

8 minutes ago, Wonko the Sane said:

I'm with you guys -- Rayse is planning to cause the deaths of far too many people for my comfort.

On the subject of uniting Rayse's followers, though... Who's to say they aren't already in touch? I would guess that they have a doc, if anyone does.

So, you know what Rayse's win con is? Please tell us more, so we have a better idea of how to stop them.

[Wonko the Sane]

That bit was RP, but if I were to hazard a guess, he needs to end the game alive and with all the other Shards dead. Something like that.

As to followers, the rules post specifically refers to Rayse's accomplices, so I think he must have his own faction.

[Mark IV]

My two cents here agree to disagree with aman's plan. Notwithstanding other defects already pointed out, I also suspect aman might have his own personal goals on his home planet. Sure, these might not be detrimental to us, but they might be. Either way, I'm hesitant to revel my home planet so early in the game.

 

Also, has he put descriptions of his role in pink?

[Amanuensis]

5 hours ago, The Only Joe said:

Problem Amanuensis: I can't think of 33 good roles that are all from the five worlds we have access to. (I made a list of 45 probable roles before the game started.) I'd bet good money that there are people with no homeworld. Where do they go?

Also, I'm going to roshar. It's not my homeworld, but, for role reasons, I need to be there if I want to survive.

Amanuensis? Who's that? It is I! Victor!

I do doubt Rayse's allies are all from Roshar . I'd also be willing to bet that there are more enemies among us then him and his crew. However, one sure way to win a battle is to divide your enemies and overwhelm them. On one hand, they would have access to everyone one of us, but shouldn't we expect themselves to spread out on their own? This way we force them to do it on our terms, not theirs.

5 hours ago, Wonko the Sane said:

I'm willing -- I also have countrymen I'd like to speak with. However, Joe's worry is valid. What if one of us is Nazh? He's innocent, more or less, but he can't go home to Threnody.

Of course there will be Independents that we can not account for. It is inevitable for them to be revealed. Where they go should be entirely up to them, but they should expect to explain themselves eventually.

5 hours ago, Arraenae said:

What is the advantage of having everybody go to their planet of origin? Sure, if everybody complies, Rayse will be on Roshar. But Rayse won't be the only person on Roshar, and I doubt all of the evil people will be from Roshar. We'll have to pick out Rayse from all of the people on Roshar, and we don't know how many evil people have Roshar as a planet of origin.

Also, we might not be able to accurately tell what the homeworlds of each role are. You say Rayse has the homeworld of Roshar. But Rayse could also have a homeworld of Braize. It's possible for a role to have a non-public homeworld, as stated here in the rules:

There's plenty of advantages, and at the foremost is information. If you think our enemies haven't already began with a considerable amount of information than we have, then you're sorely mistaken. In executing this plan, even for a single cycle of the stars, we learn a great deal. I've already mentioned a couple others, like allies being able to find one another without risking mass reveals. As for your second counterpoint... I do not understand it, honestly. Would you rather attempt to detect Rayse from among 33 people, or ~7?

As I mentioned before, those who's homeworlds are currently out of reach are completely unknown to us. We have no idea what sort of goals they might have or abilities they might possess. Either way, they're going to go to the world that is most beneficial to them. It's the enemies we wish to trap by forcing them to choose a location, rather then leave them to execute any plot they wish.

5 hours ago, Haelbarde said:

Another concern. If we have Odium, Honor, and Cultivation all running around, and Odium has to break Honor and Cultivation, for example, Odium suddenly has limited his search to a handful of players. 

This is just a guess, but given Rayse's intent, I severely doubt he would want to stop at shattering those two Shards, which means he's eventually going to have to travel to achieve his goals.

5 hours ago, Elenion said:

How would you propose doing so without revealing all members to the thread?

I foresee a problem: what if a player is from a world but does not possess the world's investiture system?

I don't want mass reveals to occur. At least not yet. My intent is to get the innocent souls of each world united with one another while simultaneously dividing the enemy.

Then they'll likely have to explain the reason at some point, which is inevitable. It's not a perfect system, of course, but it helps those whom it is relevant to greatly.

5 hours ago, The Young Bard said:

In addition, the plan to stop Rayse has one fatal flaw. In attempting to banish Rayse to Roshar, you give many the potential to flee there and join him. If Rayse and his allies unite under a single banner, your mission will become much more perilous.

In this, I suspect, you are wrong. Each planet has their own petty faction wars and disputes. Knights Radiants, Voidbringers, Pahn Kahl and Idrians... It is too much to hope for that a common planet will unite anyone.

Messages with others are forbidden to us, unfortunately, except where a precious few have their own methods... However, I will declare this for all the world to hear. I bear no love for Rayse, and will assist you in deposing him and all who would join him, though I do not think your current plan will work.

Is it so bad, confining them to one world? If that's their plan, then that means those scattered elsewhere are untouchable, and they'll eventually become very easy to pick out.

A valid point. And in my opinion, worth the risk. Why? Because with faction wars come factions; assured allies that fight the same cause as you. As I've said before; my enemy is only Rayse and his allies. I do not care about those sorts of petty squabbles, though I'm sure the ones involved do. In a way, this plan helps them get closer to achieving their goals, too. Without order, there is only chaos.

As difficult as it may be to establish one on one contact, that should not deter us from forming alliances.

5 hours ago, Wonko the Sane said:

I'm with you guys -- Rayse is planning to cause the deaths of far too many people for my comfort.

On the subject of uniting Rayse's followers, though... Who's to say they aren't already in touch? I would guess that they have a doc, if anyone does.

Glad to hear it! And I'm sure they are. Which is why I want to force them to make a choice, rather than allow them to plot and do whatever they want without resistance.

5 hours ago, Elenion said:

For the purposes of the game I'm sure Eshonai and other Parshendi would work well enough.

Rayse will surely have a champion. I myself would not be surprised to find Eshonai, Venli, or perhaps even Taravangian among them. And who's to say what villains he may have allied with from the distant corners of the Cosmere.

4 hours ago, Mark IV said:

My two cents here agree to disagree with aman's plan. Notwithstanding other defects already pointed out, I also suspect aman might have his own personal goals on his home planet. Sure, these might not be detrimental to us, but they might be. Either way, I'm hesitant to revel my home planet so early in the game.

Also, has he put descriptions of his role in pink?

Who is this Aman everyone keeps speaking of? No matter! I've already said that my only qualms are with Rayse and that I wish ally myself with specific people from my world. I vow, in the divine name of Adonalsium, that every word I speak has been and will be a hundred percent true.

That color is reserved for our disguises. It is nothing more than flavor.

Edited September 15, 2016 by Amanuensis

[Arrae]

@Amanuensis, fair enough. I'll respond to that massive wall of text in the morning. I've already been on the computer for far too long with too much homework still left to do. If all goes well, I'll be on tomorrow sometime in the morning.

[Araris Valerian]

Aralis

Homeworld: Scadrial

Starting World: Unknown

Alignment: Village

Starting Investiture: {-2}


 

Goal - Whack Heads: Travel to each world and get involved in a conversation where someone is clearly wrong, then whack them upside the head. For you to win the game, you must have a player from each world alive at the end that you have successfully whacked.
 

Goal - Kill Wilson: Actually, you don't have to kill Wilson. You just have to be complicit in her death if she does die. And if you betray her in any way, the wrath you incur automatically causes you to die.
 

Special - Cynic

• Type: Passive

• Effect: You have harnessed the power of disbelief! Any kill attempt made against you that is too outrageous will fail. Koloss and Spiked are not included
   

Special - Old

• Type: Passive

• Effect: You have earned the respect of all your peers (or at least outlived them all). As a result, you can Whack any player that tries to steal from you.

 

Item - Death Riddle

• Origin: Renegade

• Investiture Level: Strong

• Trade Value: 8

• Type: Passive

• Effect: You may become Awesome!
   

 

[Nyali]

I would like to remind everyone of something from the General Rules:

You can't use anything from the Game Master to prove you are a villager, like showing the GM's Private Messages to other players, nor show Private Messages from other players.

This means, you cannot say stuff like "the third word of my hidden faction's goal is Bison" or "use the name of our faction goal as the key to decipher this secret message." That's using information from the Game Master to prove you are a villager, or close enough for the purposes of this game.

[A Joe in the Bush]

"use the name of our faction goal as the key to decipher this secret message!"

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