|TJ| Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Umm, I'm not sure where I was misunderstood. You do not need to give your email ID at all. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DramaQueen Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Just now, TJ Shade said: Umm, I'm not sure where I was misunderstood. You do not need to give your email ID at all. In order to have the docs shared with me? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
|TJ| Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 They'll just send the links via Personal Message here on the Shard. You can access the links anonymously, without logging in with your email. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kasimir Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 3 minutes ago, RadiantDramaQueen said: In order to have the docs shared with me? My spec doc is shared via a link in PMs. I can add you to the PM, if you want: we generally don't ask for emails here except for those one or two games (MR1 and MR7 coming to mind...) but fair warning: the spec doc for my game is deader than a Triton moon, though I do have a few dead players inside! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DramaQueen Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Just now, Kasimir said: My spec doc is shared via a link in PMs. I can add you to the PM, if you want: we generally don't ask for emails here except for those one or two games (MR1 and MR7 coming to mind...) but fair warning: the spec doc for my game is deader than a Triton moon, though I do have a few dead players inside! Oh, ok! I'd like to join the spectator doc, then. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Do you also want the spec doc link for LG67? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arrae Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 (edited) Ways to find eliminators: an uncomprehensive list I sent this in a PM to a new player, and thought that it would be worth reposting in here. Here are some strategies for finding villagers and eliminators that I've used: comparison to standard player analysis, player-specific analysis, gut reads, connection analysis, and process of elimination. These aren't official names, just ones that I made up to categorize them. Comparison to standard player is when you're comparing people to how you think the standard villager or eliminator will act. For example, eliminators generally want to keep their teammates alive, so they might vote to lynch a random villager over their teammate. If Player A makes some bad arguments for keeping Player B alive, and later you find out that Player B is an eliminator, Player A could be an eliminator who wanted Player B to live. Another thing is that eliminators want to seem like they're contributing to discussion without actually contributing to discussion, so pay attention to people who are using a lot of words to say very little, especially if they never mention who they are suspicious of and who they trust. Alternatively, look at players who post just enough to remind you that they're alive, but not enough to make their opinions very noticeable. Keep in mind, however, what makes up standard eliminator behavior can change over time. One eliminator activity is called bussing, where they will purposely lynch a teammate to gain trust, because lynch teammates is not considered standard eliminator behavior. Now that bussing has been around for so long, however, it's been accepted as something that some eliminators will do, and is a somewhat expected standard eliminator behavior. Standard villager behavior generally looks like someone who is trying very hard to find eliminators and lynch them. If someone has lynched multiple eliminators, they're almost definitely village. People who talk a lot are more likely to be village, but there are a few players who are very good at talking a lot even when they're eliminators. Player-specific analysis is like comparison to standard player analysis, except that you compare people to how they've acted in previous games when they were certain alignments. For example, you might know that Player A always posts less often when they're an elim than when they're village. You might also know that Player B always gets lynched early when village, so you might decide to vote for someone else instead of Player B because they're probably village anyways. This can be confounded by players deciding to change their playstyle just because. Easier to do after playing a few games with people in this community. Gut reads/tone reads are when you look at a player and decide that you don't like how they feel, but you're not sure why. Maybe their posts feel too slimy, or you don't like how they're weaseling around other player's questions. Alternatively, you look at someone and decide you trust them, but again you're not sure why. Gut reads are based off of your subconscious picking up cues that your conscious mind is missing. Some people have very accurate guts, other people don't. However, since gut reads are so difficult to explain, it's harder to convince people to vote along with you, and they're difficult to defend against. Connection analysis is when you pay no attention to what people say and instead pay attention to what they do. Break everything down into votes, attacks without votes, defenses without votes, and defenses with votes (as in saying someone is village so you vote to lynch someone else). If you know that Player A is an eliminator, and Player B kept stating suspicion of them from very early on the game and voting on them, Player B is likely to be village. However, if Player B only ever half-heartedly stated suspicion of A, and never voted on A, they might be an eliminator trying to do some distancing. Usually eliminators don't care if villagers are up for the lynch, but they do care if their teammates are. Process of elimination is when you figure out everyone in the game who you trust. Sometimes abbreviated as PoE. Usually the number of eliminators is around 1/5 of the number of players, or the square root of the number of players. Let's say a game had 25 players, and now it's down to 10. You think there are 5 eliminators. You know you are village, and you trust 4 other people, so the ones that are left must be eliminators. Generally a good thing to start doing towards the end of the game when there are fewer players. These are the strategies that I know about. Other players use other strategies, so this isn't the one and only way to play the game. If you're lost, though, this list might give you some ideas on how to get started. I hope this helps. Edited July 18, 2020 by Arraenae 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STINK Posted July 18, 2020 Report Share Posted July 18, 2020 Obviously this doesn't apply when you yourself are an eliminator In that case, you open your elim doc unless the game is very weird. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted July 20, 2020 Report Share Posted July 20, 2020 So, I was thinking about making fancy role PMs with images and stuff, so I made something to create them with: Fancy Role PM Generator To use it, follow these instructions: Make a copy. Fill in all role and faction information. Make sure to clean up your image URLs and put in colors that work with the color BBCode (simple color names or hex codes). Name and color are the only required fields. Fill in your distribution. Make sure all the names of roles and factions are the same as the names that you entered in step #2. Go over to the generator tab and select all the filled in PMs. For example, in a five person game, you'd select B2 to B6. Then just copy it. Go to a HTML previewer site (like this one) and paste your copied text in. Then get the preview. Now that you have the preview, copy it and paste it into the Shard (probably in a PM to yourself). Do not remove formatting. Add one BBcode center tag to each end ([*center] at the start and [*/center] at the end, both without the *) Hit preview to make sure everything looks fine, and then post it. You now should have a bunch of role PMs that you can copy and paste. Just make sure to center each when you post it. For example: MR42 Generator Output from generator: Brightness: Hello, Brightness! You are a Constable Gossip! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. DOCUMENT LINK Coda: Hello, Coda! You are a Constable Gossip! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. DOCUMENT LINK Mist: Hello, Mist! You are a Constable Extortionist! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Extortionist: You may force a player to target someone of your choice, even if they have not taken an action. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. You can choose a specific action to use, but if that action is not available to be used against the chosen target, it defaults to a random action. DOCUMENT LINK God King: Hello, God King! You are a Criminal Escort! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Escort: You may prevent a player from taking an action, and they will count as being asleep the following Hour. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. Archivist: Hello, Archivist! You are a Criminal Bartender! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Bartender: On even Hours, you may kill a player. Emi: Hello, Emi! You are a Criminal Stalker and Tycoon! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Stalker: You may watch a player and see who they visit. You may not target the same player twice in a row. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) Matrim: Hello, Matrim! You are a Criminal Impersonator! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Impersonator: You can Move another player’s Lynch Vote. You cannot target players who have not voted. Your vote will be canceled as if escorted. Xino: Hello, Xino! You are a Criminal Gossip and Tycoon! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) Zillah: Hello, Zillah! You are a Criminal Renowned! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Renowned: You can target a player and learn their role. Bleeder will appear as a bartender, Flogs as a bodyguard, Winsting as a Gambling Tycoon. Experience: Hello, Experience! You are a Constable Bodyguard! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Bodyguard: You may protect another player from one attack each hour. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. DOCUMENT LINK Megasif: Hello, Megasif! You are a Criminal Gossip and Tycoon! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) Bugsy: Hello, Bugsy! You are a Serial Killer Bleeder and Tycoon! Serial Killer: Completely alone Bleeder: Each cycle she can target someone and learn their Alignment and Role. If she does not do that, she can instead kill a player. If she attacks Winsting, her Kill cannot be blocked by a bodyguard. Kill actions taken against her fail as if she was protected by a bodyguard. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) DOCUMENT LINK DeTess: Hello, DeTess! You are a Criminal Tycoon! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) Sart: Hello, Sart! You are a Criminal Smuggler! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Smuggler: You can cancel a player’s vote. If your action would cause a global tie, it is roleblocked. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. (Lynch vote or Dispersal vote) Silberfarben: Hello, Silberfarben! You are a Constable Escort and 5th Octant Constable! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Escort: You may prevent a player from taking an action, and they will count as being asleep the following Hour. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. 5th Octant Constable: You have a secondary objective here tonight. In addition to any other skills you have, you will learn the identity and alignment of whomever kills Dowser. Any action you take that targets Dowser will become a kill action. You lose if the game ends with Dowser alive. DOCUMENT LINK Kynedath: Hello, Kynedath! You are a Criminal Renowned! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Renowned: You can target a player and learn their role. Bleeder will appear as a bartender, Flogs as a bodyguard, Winsting as a Gambling Tycoon. Devotary: Hello, Devotary! You are a Criminal Stalker and Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Stalker: You may watch a player and see who they visit. You may not target the same player twice in a row. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Wilson: Hello, Wilson! You are a Criminal Impersonator and Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Impersonator: You can Move another player’s Lynch Vote. You cannot target players who have not voted. Your vote will be canceled as if escorted. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. TJ Shade: Hello, TJ Shade! You are a Criminal Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Reading: Hello, Reading! You are a Constable Smuggler! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Smuggler: You can cancel a player’s vote. If your action would cause a global tie, it is roleblocked. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. (Lynch vote or Dispersal vote) DOCUMENT LINK Pyromancer: Hello, Pyromancer! You are a Constable Stalker! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Stalker: You may watch a player and see who they visit. You may not target the same player twice in a row. DOCUMENT LINK HH: Hello, HH! You are a Criminal Extortionist! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Extortionist: You may force a player to target someone of your choice, even if they have not taken an action. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. You can choose a specific action to use, but if that action is not available to be used against the chosen target, it defaults to a random action. Karnage: Hello, Karnage! You are a Criminal Flogs and Tycoon! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Flogs: Each cycle, Flogs can target a person, and figure out if they are a Constable or not. If he scans Bleeder, he is told she is not a Constable. This role cannot be lynched. Tycoon: The first time you would die, you will survive all attacks. (This includes the lynch.) Elkanah: Hello, Elkanah! You are a Criminal Dowser and Smuggler! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Dowser: You have a secondary objective here tonight. In addition to your Smuggler role, you will learn the identity and alignment of whomever kills 5th Constable. Any action you take that targets 5th Constable will become a kill action. You lose if the game ends with 5th Constable alive. Smuggler: You can cancel a player’s vote. If your action would cause a global tie, it is roleblocked. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. (Lynch vote or Dispersal vote) Arraenae: Hello, Arraenae! You are a Criminal Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Striker: Hello, Striker! You are a Criminal Bartender and Bodyguard! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Bartender: On even Hours, you may kill a player. Bodyguard: You may protect another player from one attack each hour. You cannot target the same player twice in a row. Orlok: Hello, Orlok! You are a Criminal Renowned and Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Renowned: You can target a player and learn their role. Bleeder will appear as a bartender, Flogs as a bodyguard, Winsting as a Gambling Tycoon. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. Straw: Hello, Straw! You are a Constable Renowned! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Renowned: You can target a player and learn their role. Bleeder will appear as a bartender, Flogs as a bodyguard, Winsting as a Gambling Tycoon. DOCUMENT LINK Fura: Hello, Fura! You are a Constable Gossip! Constable: Constables have a group doc and a night kill. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. DOCUMENT LINK Araris: Hello, Araris! You are a Criminal Gossip! Criminal: Criminals do not know each other, nor know how many of each other there are. They do not have a faction ability. Gossip: You may send 4 Private Messages each turn. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghanderflaffle Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 I’m interested in joining. I think I was in a spec doc a few months ago, then got busy, but I figured I would try again. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mist Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 1 minute ago, Ghanderflaffle said: I’m interested in joining. I think I was in a spec doc a few months ago, then got busy, but I figured I would try again. There's a game starting soon, LG 70. Here's the link. Just say you want to sign up there! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 Just now, Ghanderflaffle said: I’m interested in joining. I think I was in a spec doc a few months ago, then got busy, but I figured I would try again. Long Game 70 is currently in signups, so you can join that if you're interested in a more complex game. Quick Fix 47 has two more days left at most, so signups for the next mid-range game should be in signups soon as well if you're interested in something simpler. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghanderflaffle Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Mist said: There's a game starting soon, LG 70. Here's the link. Just say you want to sign up there! When's the next QF or MR? Those seem a touch simpler, so I’d like to start with one of them. Edit: Ninja'd Edited September 20, 2020 by Ghanderflaffle 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mist Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 Just now, Straw said: Long Game 70 is currently in signups, so you can join that if you're interested in a more complex game. Quick Fix 47 has two more days left at most, so signups for the next mid-range game should be in signups soon as well if you're interested in something simpler. Just now, Ghanderflaffle said: When's the next QF or MR? Those seem a touch simpler, so I’d like to start with one of them. The QF will finish soon, as Straw said, then signups will be for about a week for the next MR. Do you want to be @ed in that signup thread? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghanderflaffle Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 Just now, Mist said: The QF will finish soon, as Straw said, then signups will be for about a week for the next MR. Do you want to be @ed in that signup thread? Yes please! I’m excited to join! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted September 20, 2020 Report Share Posted September 20, 2020 I was bored, so I wrote down some of my thoughts on GMing here. Note: much of this advice is also in @Elbereth's Practical Guide to GMing, which is an excellent read. Stages of GMing: Determining game basics Creating the game Getting feedback on the game Submitting the game Preparing for the game Running the game These stages can switch around and mingle and loop around, but that tends to be the general order in my experience. Stage #1: Determining Basics Spoiler Before you begin the process of creating your game, it might be helpful to think of what kind of game you want to run. An obvious example of this is if you are signed up to run a particular format of game. Some of the questions below might be useful: What game format (QF/MR/LG) do I want to run? Is my game a rerun? Is my game anonymous? How complex is my game? Where is my game set? What makes my game interesting? These questions can help ensure that you go into the creation process with a focused idea of what you want to make. Whenever you figure out your game format, you can request a slot in your format of choice by asking a subforum mod (either through the GM PM or by @mentioning them in AoGC). Remember that in order to run an anonymous game you must have either run four games or played 15 games. Stage #2: Creating Spoiler When creating a game, your general goal is to create a game that is fun and balanced for all players. When adding something to your game, think about the following things: Will this addition make the game better? Is this addition more fun for everyone? Does this addition make it harder for the players to influence the game? Can everyone still have an impact on the game, regardless of role? Will this addition be easy to manage as a GM? The following things have been problematic in the past, among others. Be careful with them: Alignment scanners: Alignment scanners are particularly problematic in games with open PMs, as they don’t have to claim in the thread. Alignment scanners are also very dangerous when combined with protection roles. Elim security breaks: If the elims can’t trust each other or have limited communication, it severely weakens how effective they are. Confirmed good roles: Roles that are confirmed as village can be dangerous, particularly if there’s little downside to claiming. Cutting Stuff: On the first draft, you might find yourself adding too much stuff, or you might just generally want to make the rules smaller. When cutting, first remove the things that are the least balanced/fun. Next, see if anything’s disjointed from the rest of the game. If something seems like it doesn’t fit with the rest, it might be a good idea to cut it. Robustness: Robustness is generally a measure of how swingy your game is. For example, conversion games are very swingy because the converter could be taken out very early. To combat swing, think of ways to keep a necessary ability in play or limit the impact of someone dying. When making your game more robust, make sure not to go overboard. It’s important for the players to be able to swing the game slightly. Secrets: With secrets, you have to also consider how difficult they are to figure out, and how they will impact the game. When adding a secret, also think about whether your players will appreciate the surprise. Additionally, think about whether the secret fits with the rest of the game you’ve promised. It might also help to think about if something needs to be a secret, or if it could be just as fun if it was publicly revealed. Factions: If you’re creating a faction game, make sure that the players have interesting things to interact with. If there’s no elim team, people have far less to do during the day. Also, generally be careful when making faction games. They’re very hard to do well. Neutrals: If you want to include neutrals, make sure they’re interesting. Neutrals are somewhat separated from the normal flow of the game, which can make the game less fun for them. In particular, make sure that your neutrals aren’t just living mechanics, and think about what they can do to advance their goals during the game. Stage #3: Getting Feedback Spoiler After you’ve created your game, it is helpful to get feedback on it. Other players might see issues with your game or suggest ways to further improve it. Some possible sources of feedback are as follows: The Art of Game Creation: Simply post your game (preferably in a clean format), and listen to people’s feedback. This is the simplest and easiest way to get feedback. If you revise your game substantially, it might be helpful to post it again later on. Google Docs: If things are slow in a Google Doc, you can always talk about your game a bit, or post a link to the rules. I’ve seen many good game discussions occur due to this. Talking with a Co-GM: If you have a Co-GM, they are a good source of feedback for your game. Other GMs or Players: If you’re rerunning a game, or another game was similar to yours, it might be worthwhile to check the game thread to see if the GM or players posted any thoughts. It might also be useful to talk with the GM or one of the players to see what they think of your game. Yourself: It’s often useful to make a game, leave it alone for a while, and then come back to look at it with fresh eyes. Stage #4: Submitting Spoiler After you think you have a good draft of your game, you can go ahead and submit it to the game approval committee. The game approval committee has the following members: Devotary of Spontaneity, Elbereth, Fifth Scholar, little wilson, Araris Valerian, Amanuensis, Elandera, Sart, and STINK. They are all experienced players and/or GMs, and will help you improve your game. Once your game is sufficiently balanced, they’ll give you approval to run it. Additional notes on the committee: It is helpful to submit your game to the committee as soon as possible. This way, there’s a higher chance that more committee members will see your game, and there’s a larger window for you to discuss your game with them. It also saves you from having to rebalance your game at the last minute. If your game has secret rules, only post the rules that are available to the public. In your PM, just ask for anyone who’s willing to skip your game and take a look at the secret rules. Then just PM the secret rules to them in a different PM. If you are doing a rerun, you may want to also include any past GMs so they can give additional feedback if they feel like it. I find it useful to include your name and a brief description of the game in the PM name. That way members of the committee can find it easily. Stage #5: Preparing Spoiler At some point, you’ll probably want to set up a few things before the game actually starts. Here are some things that you can do before the game begins. Master spreadsheet: Spreadsheets are insanely useful for both running the game and keeping a record of what happened during the game, so I highly recommend that you have one. Spreadsheets can be as simple or complex as needed, but the bare minimum is usually a list of players and their role and alignment, and the actions and votes from each cycle. For a very simple example, see this example sheet made by Elbereth. Docs: For any game, you’ll want to have a spec/dead doc. Typically these are merged together, but if your game has death-related mechanics, you’d want to separate them. You’ll also probably have docs for the elims and/or factions in the game. Typically, in each doc, you’ll want a doc title, a list of any people in the doc and their colors, and a section for each turn. It might also be useful to have a table of contents (can be automatically created via Insert -> Table of contents) and a list of players and colors in the header (this makes it significantly easier to keep up with people’s colors). Distribution: While you cannot usually create a distribution too far before the game starts, you can typically make one a few days before the game starts, once signups have slowed down. Just make sure you have a plan for what to do if more people join. The number of different distributions you have greatly depends on your game, but I typically find around 3-7 to be ideal (on the larger end most of the distributions tend to be slightly different versions of each other though). Your IM and Co-GM are your first stops for checking over distributions, as they’re already involved. Beyond that, I’ve found it useful to get another perspective by asking someone experienced who I know won’t play if they’d look over the distributions. As for assigning players to roles, it tends to be random, and influencing it heavily is frowned upon. This site tends to be useful for randomizing. Role PMs: In order to prevent spam, posts and PMs on the Shard are rate limited to 30 seconds. This limit can be annoying when you’re quickly sending out role PMs when the game starts. A useful trick that some GMs figured out in the past is that adding people is not limited, so you can create the PMs beforehand and then add the relevant player. This trick is also useful because it allows you to check and make sure all doc links and formatting is correct. An additional PM-related note is that PM Folders can be created, and are very useful for keeping your game-related PMs out of the way. Simply click Inbox, Add Folder, and then click the checkbox next to each PM you want to move. Then simply click the arrow at the bottom to move them. It might also be useful to make a list of all your GM PM urls or separate them into a different folder if you think your game might have many PMs between players. Signups: If you haven’t already posted signups, it might be worth writing out your signup post and putting it in a PM. that way you can easily copy and paste it when it’s time for you to post signups. It also allows you to check your formatting, which can often be odd (particularly when spoiler boxes are involved). Talking to the IM: If you’ve posted signups, you’ll want to check in with your IM. If you don’t know who your IM is, just ask in the GM PM. You’ll want to send them links to all the docs and sheets and add them to role PMs. Writing: If you like having more writing in your writeups, you can always prepare some death scenes beforehand, and then just edit in the necessary information. Stage #6: Running the Game Spoiler Eventually, you’ll be near the top of the GM list, and you’ll finally have the chance to run your game. If you’ve been approved by the committee and no one else above you wants the spot, you’re free to announce that you’re taking the next game. Then just post signups when it’s time. Signups: The first part of running the game is posting signups. The official rules for signups are here. However, in addition to the requirements there, I find it useful to include some additional details. I’ll typically also include the typical rollover time, a list of spectators, a link to a doc to store clarifications in (very useful for keeping track), and a RP background (a brief description of the setting). Some people also include an opening piece of writing. Also, make sure that your signup post is nicely formatted and readable. Signups typically last for around one week, but might be extended due to a lack of players (note: try not to extend unless you really need to, since there’s the chance players will drop instead of joining) (also, if you do extend, make sure to communicate with your players). When signups are over, simply announce that they are closed, and send out role PMs. Rollover: The basic process of rollover is closing the thread -> resolving actions -> sending out PMs -> posting the new thread. For closing the thread, just post that the thread is closed at rollover. If you can’t be around then, either have your Co-GM take over if you have one, or clearly communicate to the players that rollover is delayed. For resolving actions, a sheet and an order of actions both help. Make sure you double-check the action submissions and results, particularly the deaths. If you have a Co-GM, they could help with this. Also, replying “Noted.” to action orders is useful for keeping track. Next, just send out any necessary PMs (action results or deaths). For deaths particularly, it helps to have a template PM that you can copy so you don’t have to write it out each time. As for posting the new thread, it also helps to have a template. For the new thread, it should usually contain the following: a small piece of writing about the deaths, a list of the dead and their roles/alignments, a vote count (if needed), the date and time of the next rollover, an updated player list, and anything else you wish to include. For the writing part, length and effort varies greatly. If you’re planning on writing something long, you might want to edit your writing into your post later. Involvement and Impartiality: As a GM, your role is to manage the game and make sure it’s running smoothly. Generally, comments and involvement should be kept to a minimum. Once you’ve started the game, it’s out of your hands. If you decide to do something like inactivity prompts, apply it fairly to all players. When making clarifications, look at the rules and think about what they indicate best rather than thinking about the current game state. Before posting something in response to a player, make sure that it only contains information that is absolutely necessary. Also remember that PAFO (play and find out) is a valid answer to spoilery questions. If you feel unsure about posting or doing something, run it past your IM first. Also, if you have an issue, talk to your IM. They’re there to help you. After the Game: Once the game is over, you’ll want to reveal all the hidden information. If your game has secrets, post the hidden rules. Change any doc or spreadsheet links to view only and share them in the thread. Post a full list of roles and alignments. At some point later on, I’d highly recommend posting your thoughts on the game. They can include whatever you want, but I generally include the following: any cool or funny moments in the game, thoughts on the distribution, thoughts on the mechanics, and possible changes for a rerun. I personally find it very valuable to make some kind of post like this, since it’s your chance to show what running the game was like. Extra: Reruns Spoiler Rerunning old games is very enjoyable, and I’d recommend it to any GM (new GMs especially). However, the process is pretty different from the normal process of creating a game. Typically, you’ll want to start out by figuring out what game you want to rerun. The easiest way to do this is to ask people what games they’d like to see rerun, or think back on what games you enjoyed. That way you can get a few good options to pick from. Once you’ve found a game that sounds fun to rerun, start looking at the rules. Generally, I look at the opening post rules and the aftermath. In the aftermath, particularly look for any thoughts on the game from the GM or players. Note down anything important you see. The dead/spec doc, elim doc, and the spreadsheet can also be useful resources. If you’re on Discord, I’ve also found a lot of good information by just searching the game’s shortened name in the search bar. You can also look at the player list for the game and talk to players who actually played it (or the GM, if they’re still around). The next step is revising the game. Depending on the game, you might make large changes or small changes. Your first stop will probably be fixing any notable issues that players or the GM mentioned. After that, just make any further changes that you think would improve the game. Reruns are just a base to go off of, and you have no obligation to keep things the same. When making changes, I usually find it helpful to note down everything I changed. If you made major changes to the game, it might be a good idea to ask for feedback from people other than the committee. However, you can normally just submit it to the committee once you think you’ve patched up any minor holes. It’s also useful to submit a list of changes along with your new ruleset, so the committee knows what you changed. Preparing and running the game is essentially the same as usual. However, I do try to remember to include something in the initial post that credits the original creator of the rules though, so consider doing that. It’s also possibly worth linking the last iteration and including a list of changes. Also, when running the game, remember that you’re not bound to rule clarifications the same as they were in the last version. Anyone else have thoughts on this stuff? 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 (edited) For anyone who misses those old pending.me.uk countdown timers that don't work anymore, I think I found a good replacement: 1. Go to https://countdownmail.com/timer/create and create an account (just use a throwaway email or something). 2. Set up time, formatting, etc. 3. Click on "save timer" and then click on "embed". 4. Copy the gif link in the embed (ex: http://i.countdownmail.com/plqhp.gif) 5. Use bbcode to insert the image into the Shard. For example: [img=http://i.countdownmail.com/plqhp.gif] becomes Edited October 22, 2020 by Straw 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elandera Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 5 hours ago, Straw said: For anyone who misses those old pending.me.uk countdown timers that don't work anymore, I think I found a good replacement: 1. Go to https://countdownmail.com/timer/create and create an account (just use a throwaway email or something). 2. Set up time, formatting, etc. 3. Click on "save timer" and then click on "embed". 4. Copy the gif link in the embed (ex: http://i.countdownmail.com/plqhp.gif) 5. Use bbcode to insert the image into the Shard. For example: [img=http://i.countdownmail.com/plqhp.gif] becomes [img=http://i.countdownmail.com/plqhp.gif] It's showing as the link and 404 error when I click it. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted October 22, 2020 Report Share Posted October 22, 2020 1 hour ago, Elandera said: It's showing as the link and 404 error when I click it. Looks like the Shard did something weird and included the ] as part of the link. Should be fine now. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abstrusity Posted October 30, 2020 Report Share Posted October 30, 2020 (edited) I'm running my own version of this game on Discord (though not Sanderson-related since not everyone is a fan) for a few friends and had a few uncertainties. I was wondering if any experienced GMs wanted to share some tips on designing games, since I have very little experience in the area. Edited October 30, 2020 by Abstrusity 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted October 30, 2020 Report Share Posted October 30, 2020 4 minutes ago, Abstrusity said: I'm running my own version of this game on Discord (though not Sanderson-related since not everyone is a fan) for a few friends and had a few uncertainties. I was wondering if any experienced GMs wanted to share some tips on designing games, since I have very little experience in the area. Sure. What questions did you have? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abstrusity Posted October 30, 2020 Report Share Posted October 30, 2020 I currently have eight players, and I'm thinking about which player roles I should include. Are there any roles that might mess with game balance too much, were I to include them? I'm thinking particularly about alignment scans - how many are safe to include in a small game? My current idea is to make two (village) players who can have one open PM a cycle (it must be abandoned to open a new one), two who can alignment scan, and two who remove a vote from themselves automatically and then giving the Elims no special abilities, but providing them a list of every player role and how many people have it (though not which players.) Any thoughts on this plan? It's just a rough draft at the moment, and I could use some help. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lotus Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 Does anyone have a master list of roles/powers that are commonly used? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straw Posted November 15, 2020 Report Share Posted November 15, 2020 19 minutes ago, Lotus said: Does anyone have a master list of roles/powers that are commonly used? The most commonly used and referenced powers are the LG1 roles, which frequently appear in games either directly or in modified forms. Some other good sources are: The SE Stats Sheet has some roles listed in the Key tab. The MafiaScum and Mafia Universe wikis have good role lists. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Lotus Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 I have a game idea... Yes another one https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bEqkC4UaTv-DnLgmt543qnXDJNNB_m0GjsS8mo6DY94/edit?usp=sharing 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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