The Art of Game Creation

[Wyrmhero]

In honour of the passing of a great man. I've had this thought floating around my head for a few days, but after today... Well, I had to finish it and post it. I've tried to get in as many references as possible for a game like this.

 

Ankh-Morpork Elimination (LG)

 

General Rules

The Game progresses as a standard Long Game. In the style of LG6, there is a standard Eliminator faction, and a cult group (but not limited in size). There is also a monetary aspect, and I'd appreciate ideas to help with that. This game will most likely be Role Madness.

 

Players start with 1 Ankh-Morpork dollar (Lords start with 3, Beggars start with 0). Players gain 1 dollar for posting in the thread each Turn (so one in the Day, one in the Night). Money is lost on death, not stolen. Players with 10+ coins become publicly known.

• Players may give any amount of money to each other without using an Action, by informing the GM. The player will not be told who gave them the money.
• Players may spend 2 dollars to add 2 to the bounty on a player as a Night Action.
• Players may spend N+1 dollars as a Night Action, where N is the number of Thieves, to become safe from Thieves for 5 Cycles. In this case, each Thief will receive 1 dollar.

 

Roles

• Officer of the Watch (Day/Night) - Players may be Day Watch or Night Watch. During the relevant Turn, an Officer may detain another player, preventing their vote from going through, or from any actions taking place that Turn.
• Assassin - At the beginning of each Night, the GM will inform you of the bounties on the three players with the highest bounty, as long as it is above 4. You may choose one of the three people with the highest bounty and kill them as your Night Action. Upon the successful completion of this bounty, you will get the bounty in dollars, minus 2 dollars Guild tax. If unsuccessful, their bounty will be cleared.
• Thief - Each Night, you may steal from a player who isn't paid up with the Thief's Guild. You will steal 2-4 dollars from them. 1 dollar will then be paid to the Guild. If a player buys Theft Insurance, 1 dollar will be given to each Thief, and they will be notified that the player cannot be stolen from for five whole Cycles.
• Beggar - Your Role is to try and coax as much money out of players as possible. Each Day, you may spend your Action to follow a player around for the entire Cycle, annoy them, and discover their Role if they use it. You start with no money.
• Fool - Once per game, during either the Day or Night, you may reshuffle the Roles of everyone else still alive (not their Alignment).
• Seamstress - During the Day, you may target a player with your Action. Their vote will be changed to one of your choice. You will also take one of their Dollars.
• Retrophrenologist - You may target a player each Day and give them a random Role from amongst their own and ones lost by death/Retrophrenology (this does not affect their Alignment).
• Postman - Neither rain nor snow nor glom of nit can stay these mesengers abot their duty. As long as there is at least one Postman alive, PMs can be sent between players without any restrictions. You also know the identities of all other Postmen.
• Ankh-Morpork Times Journalist - The Truth Shall Make Ye Fret! During the Night, you may either send the GM a message to be posted in the writeup (you must sign your article off the same way each time, though it doesn't have to be with your character's name), or you may follow a player around and discover their Alignment.
• Mended Drum Bouncer - You can protect a player (yourself included) from attacks during the Night, including Thieves, Assassins, and Eliminators. However, if you protect against an Eliminator, or an Assassin targets you and you protect yourself to survive, you will become injured and lose this ability.
• Wizard - You spend most of your time being very good at not casting spells. Should you wish to though, you may as your Action each Cycle (Day or Night depending on the Role chosen), copy any Role's ability, aside from the Fool. You may not copy the same Role twice. You should also be rather wary about casting spells too often...

 

Alignments

• 'Loyal' Ankh-Morporkians - Most players will be loyal Ankh-Morporkians (loyal to the Ankh-Morpork dollar, that is). They have no special rules. They win when all the Treasonous Lords or Elucidaed Brethren of the Ebon Night are dead.
• The Guilds - Regardless of whether they are 'Loyal', a Lord or one of the Bretheren, mBeggars, Thieves, Assassins and Seamstresses all also belong to Guilds (as do the Fools, but they don't care about monetary matters). The Guild with the most money at the end of the game will win a secondary victory over the other Guilds.
• Treasonous Lord - The Patrician may have been a good thing for Ankh-Morpork, but you know you could do better now. It's time for him and his supporters to be retired - with force if necessary. You start off with more money than any other player. You know the bounties on each player. You automatically start in a PM group with the others. Once per Night, one of you may use your action to target a player and have them assassinated (by an NPC Assassin). Lords employ NPCs with Roles rather than having one themselves: Effectively they may have another Role, just like Thud Players, but their Role cannot be gifted by Retrophrenology.
• Elucidated Brother of the Ebon Night - The Brethren may have become a little smaller (in fact, decreasing to 1 person) in the last few years, but you are determined to rebuild it. Each Night the Grandmaster may target a player and convert them to the cult. You may talk via a PM without the presence of a Postman, and win together when the Brethren outnumber the other players. Aside from the Grand Master, Brothers may also have another Role (The Grandmaster may lose their role and gain a new one via The Fool or Retrophrenology. If this happens, the Grandmaster Role is lost permanently).

Edited March 12, 2015 by Wyrmhero

[Metacognition]

I'd play it just because I can never get enough Discworld and now there will be no more stories of them.  

 

The currency system does likely need some work. There's a lot of ways to lose money and only some roles can gain money in any other fashion besides the posts, which means either the need for a lot more money in circulation or some way for roles that can't take money in some form or another to be able to make up for it. I like this idea though, so it's definitely something to try to balance. 

 

Officer of the Watch (Day/Night): This needs to have a mention of sturdy boots in there somewhere, whether it affects the game or not. 

Thief: 5 cycles might be excessive. Or maybe you can spend less than the given number of thieves and thus are given a chance for any thief that targets you for their action to fail. 

Fool: once this power is used, would the new Fool (after the shuffle) be able to use the power? Cause if not, then it becomes a vanilla role. Maybe they have a secondary power that can only be used after the shuffle?

 

Possible additional role?

Ook!: As the Librarian, you have access to knowledge... just all of it. If only you could get it to sit still long enough to sort it all out! During each night turn, the GM will give you a cryptic hint towards a player's role or alignment. These hints can be as obtuse as the GM feels like making them. Also, if anyone calls you a monkey, you have a vendetta against them. If they die before you do, you win a minor victory condition.

 

I thought about just giving this player all of the information, but could only say "Ook!" but I thought that wouldn't be all that fun for whomever gets it. It would be hilarious though! 

[Peng the Just]

This may be an odd request, but can we move this game up to being next? If we're honoring Sir Terry Pratchet, I would prefer it to be now instead of eighteen months. Who's next in line and would they be okay with that?

[Wyrmhero]

This may be an odd request, but can we move this game up to being next? If we're honoring Sir Terry Pratchet, I would prefer it to be now instead of eighteen months. Who's next in line and would they be okay with that?

 

In all honesty, this game has a load of holes that need patching up before it gets into a properly playable state. Current modification thoughts:

• Journalists get paid 1 dollar each article they write. Players must pay 1 dollar each Night (not as an action) to receive the Newspaper.
• Postmen get paid 1 dollar each Cycle. Postmen are responsible for a proportion of the players' PMs. If a Postman decides not to work, the people they are responsible for lose their PMs the next Cycle.
• Only Thieves get told who is rich.

[Alvron]

 

• Fool - Once per game, during either the Day or Night, you may reshuffle the Roles of everyone else still alive (not their Alignment)

 

• Elucidated Brother of the Ebon Night - The Brethren may have become a little smaller (in fact, decreasing to 1 person) in the last few years, but you are determined to rebuild it. Each Night the Grandmaster may target a player and convert them to the cult. You may talk via a PM without the presence of a Postman, and win together when the Brethren outnumber the other players. Aside from the Grand Master, Brothers may also have another Role (The Grandmaster may lose their role and gain a new one via The Fool or Retrophrenology. If this happens, the Grandmaster Role is lost permanently).

 

Question.  What's to stop the fool from reshuffling the roles on the first day cycle?  That would effectively remove the cult from the game.  Maybe have it so that the fool has to wait at least three cycles before being able to use their ability.

[Wyrmhero]

Question.  What's to stop the fool from reshuffling the roles on the first day cycle?  That would effectively remove the cult from the game.  Maybe have it so that the fool has to wait at least three cycles before being able to use their ability.

 

Good catch. I may rethink the Grandmaster being affected by the Fool entirely then. Anything else would just lead to a 'soon as possible' thing.

Edited March 13, 2015 by Wyrmhero

[Gamma Fiend]

If there's need for more money to possibly be circulating, I'm not sure how much there might be depending on peak game activity, but maybe add it so most Roles earn 1 money by doing their jobs Or even charge the people they use the powers on?? So it wouldn't even be adding more money to the circulation, it'd just spread the love around some more?

 

Like the Guards rifle through their Detainees' belongings, stealing a money from them, or a Retrophrenologist charges their client for their services?

Does the Beggar get anything special from having the most money, or it just more of a personal goal? If so, then perhaps they can be paid off to be left alone by players they're trailing? (Player is notified the beggar is following them, has a choice to pay them a fee to sod off and not learn their Role?)

 

Does the Fool's reshuffle change any of the converted cultists? Or is Cult basically Alignment at that point, and not a Role?

 

Do all Roles belong to Guilds, or just Thieves, Beggars, Seamstresses, etc?

Loving the game design though! I've never read any of the books myself yet (I know, blasphemy...) but this definitely paints an interesting picture of the series! Nice job, Wyrm!

[vineyarddawg]

I have to admit that I've never read any of the Discworld books (yet...), but I understand that they satirize both the fantasy genre and the real world as it existed at the time in which they were written, right?  

 

So in keeping with that theme, if there's a need for greater circulation of money, perhaps you could have the GM also function as a "central bank" role and perform "quantitative easing" at times by creating additional money and distributing it to players, either based on a pre-set (but not publicly divulged) pattern or based on a random dice-roll.

 

EDIT:  In fact, you might not even mention the QE role of the GM at all before the game starts, if you like secrets.  Just say something in a write-up like, "The Ankh-Morporkian (or whatever) central bank has decided that the economy requires a period of quantitative easing, and has taken appropriate action to achieve that goal."

Edited March 14, 2015 by vineyarddawg

[Wyrmhero]

I have to admit that I've never read any of the Discworld books (yet...), but I understand that they satirize both the fantasy genre and the real world as it existed at the time in which they were written, right?  

 

So in keeping with that theme, if there's a need for greater circulation of money, perhaps you could have the GM also function as a "central bank" role and perform "quantitative easing" at times by creating additional money and distributing it to players, either based on a pre-set (but not publicly divulged) pattern or based on a random dice-roll.

 

EDIT:  In fact, you might not even mention the QE role of the GM at all before the game starts, if you like secrets.  Just say something in a write-up like, "The Ankh-Morporkian (or whatever) central bank has decided that the economy requires a period of quantitative easing, and has taken appropriate action to achieve that goal."

 

The Royal Mint can indeed open for business, that's true. I could 'fix' things a bit potentially, but I'd sort of rather that I, as the GM, didn't have to. I could certainly consider doing it based on a set pattern - The Head of the Royal Bank/Mint could even be an additional Role, with the passive power of generating money for the game.

 

If there's need for more money to possibly be circulating, I'm not sure how much there might be depending on peak game activity, but maybe add it so most Roles earn 1 money by doing their jobs Or even charge the people they use the powers on?? So it wouldn't even be adding more money to the circulation, it'd just spread the love around some more?

 

Like the Guards rifle through their Detainees' belongings, stealing a money from them, or a Retrophrenologist charges their client for their services?

Does the Beggar get anything special from having the most money, or it just more of a personal goal? If so, then perhaps they can be paid off to be left alone by players they're trailing? (Player is notified the beggar is following them, has a choice to pay them a fee to sod off and not learn their Role?)

 

Does the Fool's reshuffle change any of the converted cultists? Or is Cult basically Alignment at that point, and not a Role?

 

Do all Roles belong to Guilds, or just Thieves, Beggars, Seamstresses, etc?

Loving the game design though! I've never read any of the books myself yet (I know, blasphemy...) but this definitely paints an interesting picture of the series! Nice job, Wyrm!

 

Currently certain Roles charge for their services. I could consider certain other Roles doing that though - Retrophrenolgist would be a good one, as would the Bouncer. Policemen though, I would give money rather than taking it from people - Thematically speaking, the policemen stealing money from their suspects doesn't fit the Disc.

 

The idea for the Beggar though is a good one - And one that's canon. The Beggar could follow someone Day and Night and need to be paid off during the Night to prevent them finding out their Role. That works rather well. The Beggar gets no bonuses from having money, they're just greedy .

 

The Fool also belongs to their own Guild (not that they have benefits from being part of it...), and their ability does not shuffle Cult membership, which is Alignment. However, I don't know how I could forget the Alchemist's Guild. They need something rather explosive... Could also do Gambler's Guild (Excretvs ex fortvna), who just gets to bet money.

 

I am going to rewrite the rules I have, flesh them out and make them a bit more amusing/fixed, and place them in my doc.

[the winter system]

Here's a Mid Range game in which after being given advice on how to make it balanced, I would like it to be the MR Game that I will do once it is my turn. 

 

A Venture In Atium

It is the 9th Century of the Lord Ruler’s reign. The House Venture has sprung to success in the last couple of years and every one of the other Great Houses are eager to get in on the secret of Venture’s riches. Many minor houses also wish to gain an alliance with the new Great House, flocking to Keep Venture for the time of their lives…

 

The Great Houses have disguised themselves among the minor houses pandering to the Lord Venture and Lady Venture in hopes of figuring out the secrets of Venture… and bring it tumbling down. Luck happened to be in favor of House Venture as they discovered the plot. The minor houses offered to discover who the Great House spies were in exchange for being brought into Venture itself.

 

24 hour cycle. See Tin under Roles for PM rules. Every other player may choose to write an anonymous message to be revealed in the writeup. The next cycle, the players who did not write a message before take a turn to. Eliminators get a doc to conspire in.

 

Order of Actions

 

Roles

Mistborn- A Mistborn may burn one of any of the metals below. They must chose one metal per turn and cannot use the same metal two times in a row.

Steel- A Coinshot/Mistborn may burn steel to kill a different player. If that player coincidentally is also a Coinshot/Mistborn and targets you for death as well, neither player dies.

Iron- A Lurcher or Mistborn may burn iron to save a different player from death. If that player is a Coinshot/Mistborn and targets someone for death, the kill is cancelled as well as the Coinshot/Mistborn being saved. Is only a nighttime ability and cannot save from lynch. You cannot Lurch yourself.

Pewter- Your pewter enhanced muscles prevent you from dying from the first time you would die. This is the only role that will let you live through a lynch. This effect can only be used during night for a Mistborn.

Tin- If the tineye is alive, any allomancer can request that a message be given to another player through the GM. If the Tineye/Mistborn burning tin who is given that particular message decides to let it through, the GM tells the player what it is. However, the Tineye/Mistborn burning tin may opt to modify the message slightly.

Bronze- You may burn bronze to discover another player’s role. It only shows if they are an allomancer and which metal they’re burning. The same result will show up if they’re being Smoked or if they simply not an allomancer.

Copper- You may hide your and anyone else’s allomancy.
Zinc- You may change one person’s vote, deleting your own.

Brass- You may delete one person’s vote.

Atium- May only be burned by a Mistborn. Will let you survive all attacks on a night cycle.  

 

Special Roles (may be included or not)

Kandra- You may decide to eat a person who dies the cycle before. You are not told which options you will have. You will be told any messages the tineye has allowed them and then discovered. Whoever owns your Contract  will be told whatever info you gain. You start as the Venture’s contract. If the Venture is killed, your Contract will be given to the person with the highest amount of atium. You will be told the owner of your Contract. They will be told what information you get but not you. You can survive one kill, including the lynch. Your alignment is the same as the owner of your Contract at the end of the game.

Venture- You are a member of the House Venture and have the force of the Great House on your side. You start with two atium and the Contract to the kandra.

Skaa- You don’t like any of these nobles! You just want to kill as many of them as you can before you’re discovered and lynched. You may kill once each night and you have the ability to escape from one kill except the Inquisitor’s. You may not use atium in any way. Victory Condition: Kill all nobles.

Inquisitor- You don’t really care about any of the petty noble problems. Your only issue is the Skaa. You may kill once each night. Victory Condition: Kill the skaa.

Atium

Atium is a valuable resource. Many will kill for it. During a night cycle, a player with a role may give up the option to use their action (and disable an extra life) in exchange for x pieces of atium. Or, in the day cycle, the option to vote. Each cycle, x amount of atium is available. Atium may be used to:

• Burn, for a Mistborn.

• Bribe someone to change their vote (the other player will receive one atium)

• Bribe someone to not take an action (the other player will receive two atium. Does not affect vanillas, with or without items)

• Buy an item

• Give to someone else

X amount of items will be up for purchase for x amount of atium in day cycles. See Items for more details.

Items

Dueling Cane (1 atium) - Will kill one player before shattering.

Poison (1 atium) - May be used to poison one player. They will die when you die.

Marriage Contract (3 atium) - Join two Minor Houses together and turn them into one secondary goal wise. (see Houses) Will not effect a Great House Spy’s victory condition, they will simply be added into the Google Doc. The Minor House who offered the contract’s House Doc will be the newly joined one. The Great House Spies may not purchase a Marriage Contract but it may be used on them.

Extra Metal Vials (4 atium) - Mistborn may burn the same metal twice in a row, but only twice.

Houses

There will be multiple Minor Houses. They may have two or three members. Each Minor House will have a Google Doc to share. A Marriage Contract will bring one Minor House into another’s. Each Minor House has a secondary victory condition, to be the largest at the end of the game. Marriage Contracts make the two houses one and their joint Victory Condition.

[Lord Pifferdoo]

Is there a current list of the current games slated to be played? 

[Metacognition]

2nd Post in the General Rules thread. 

[Lord Pifferdoo]

Thanks!

[little wilson]

Okay. So. I've mentioned that I've been building a Kingkiller game a few different times the last couple months. Thanks to a lot of help from Aonar (seriously, he's a game-building genius if you ever need help with a game), and other bits and pieces of help from Kas, Wyrm, and Gamma, it's finally almost complete. It's at least complete enough to show here and see what you guys think about the balance. Maybe some of you will even have ideas on powers for one of the fields I'm really discontented with and/or names for some of the role abilities that are currently lacking names. Anything, really, would be much appreciated.

 

I should warn you all that this game is massive. Seriously. I tried to get it to encompass as much as possible about life at the University. I think it all fits together well, and it's got a great theme of risk/reward to it, but it is massive and complex. But you need to see it to fully understand. So without any further adieu, I bring you.....

 

The University

 

Welcome to The University! You’ve heard about the famed institution your entire life, dreaming of attending and possibly even learning the arcane arts. Well, congratulations! You’ve finally made it. You’ll have no problem impressing the Masters enough to let you into the school, though perhaps your tuition could be high. Or it could be low. You just don’t know! All you  really know is that you’re where you’ve always wanted to be, and you’re here to learn all you can.

 

But what’s this now? Rumors abound of Skindancers in The University. But the Skindancers are all supposed to be dead, right? Apparently not, because sure enough, students and Masters alike start having problems. Most of them seem to go crazy, and the Crockery is filling up, though some even die. Although you’re no Taborlin the Great or Kvothe the Bloodless, you and a bunch of fellow students have taken it upon yourselves to solve the mystery. You’ve resolved to eliminate the Skindancers once and for all. Only then will you be able to resume your studies and learn to your little heart’s content.

 

Good luck!

 

Factions

There are two factions in this game: Students/Original Masters and Skindancers. The Skindancers are the eliminator faction.

 

Students and Masters

The students and the Masters are the protagonists of this story. The students are trying to learn all they can in the fields of their choice, so they can have more power to kill the Skindancers. The Masters are trying to do the same thing, as well as bringing more students into the Arcanum so there are more Arcanists fighting these Fae infiltrators.

 

Win Condition: Kill all the Skindancers.

 

Skindancers

Fae creatures believed to have been exterminated by the Sithe centuries ago, the Skindancers are making one last stand at the University. A small group has infiltrated the students, taking over their bodies. They have one mission: eliminate the arcanists.

 

Skindancers have access to a Google doc to plan and conspire. They start the game mixed with the students, and they are able to do anything a student can, including becoming a Master should anything happen to a Master.

 

Skindancers can sabotage one person per turn. If they sabotage a student or a Master, the sabotage appears as if the person simply cracked and they are sent to the Crockery. If they sabotage someone in the Crockery or an expelled student, that player dies.

 

Win Condition: Kill or sabotage all of the arcanists.

 

Cycles

As this is a Long Game, the game will have two turns, 48 hours each. However, these turns are not days and nights. Terms at the University are two months in length, so each turn will be one month, and every cycle will be a new term.

 

Turns will be nearly indistinguishable from each other, as all actions can be taken on any and every turn, though some are restricted by only being possible once per cycle (like going to Imre). Additionally, every student goes through admissions, which requires tuition being paid at the beginning of the cycle/term. Each student must also choose where they want to bunk for the following cycle before the next cycle begins.

 

For the first cycle: All students start the game with a set amount of money determined by their class. Students are also placed in an inn for that cycle, free of charge. This is also determined by their class. This is only done on the first cycle.

 

Turn Events

Most events/actions will take place in both turns, but some events will only happen at the end of the second turn of the cycle. Here is the order of events, for both turns.

 

First Turn

Complaint-Filing

All Role & Item Actions that Aren’t Offensive

Disciplining & Punishments

Eliminator Sabotage & Offensive Actions

All Imre Events: Devi, Eolian, Black Market, Apothecary

Insanity Roll

Elevations

 

Second Turn

Complaint-Filing

All Role & Item Actions that Aren’t Offensive

Disciplining & Punishments

Eliminator Sabotage & Offensive Actions

All Imre Events: Devi, Eolian, Black Market, Apothecary

Insanity Roll

Elevations

Stipend Payout

Admissions & Tuition

Finding Lodging for the Next Term

 

Currency

The University uses Cealdish money, and each student gets a stipend every term, determined by their class. At the beginning of each cycle, the GM will PM each player to tell them how much money they have after admissions, stipend renewal, and any items they may have purchased/sold the previous cycle.

 

Coins

Iron Drab: lowest denomination. worth 1/10 of a copper jot

Copper Jot: worth 10 iron drabs and 1/10 of a silver talent

Silver Talent: highest denomination. worth 10 copper jots

 

Class

Vintish Nobleman: You start the game with 20 talents burning a hole in your pocket and staying at The Horse and Four. You also have a 30 talent stipend per term, which puts you among the richest students at the University. Unfortunately, no one really likes you, including the Masters, so your admissions tend to be higher than most (33% higher than they should be, to be exact). Still, you can afford it, so it’s not a bother. Right?

 

Aturan Nobleman: You start the game with 13 talents, 3 jots, and 4 drabs and staying at either The Golden Pony or The Horse and Four. You have a 20 talent stipend per term, and you’ve also made sure to not make enemies of any of the Masters, which means your admissions aren’t horribly inflated unlike those other noblemen around. Your admissions accurately reflect your skill and knowledge. You just tend to lack a little skill and knowledge when it comes to the arcane arts. Your superstitious nature makes you hesitant to really dedicate time to them. (10% chance you’ll back out if elevated in Sympathy, Naming, Alchemy, or Artificery)

 

Yllish Commoner: You start the game with 7 talents, 4 jots, and 9 drabs and staying at either The Golden Pony or Anker’s. You have a stipend of 11 talents, 2 jots, and 3 drabs per term. You’re the average student, with an average stipend, and no real bonuses or drawbacks to speak of based on your status. And you’re okay with that.

 

Cealdish Commoner: You start the game with 6 talents, 5 jots, and 8 drabs, and staying at either The Golden Pony or Anker’s. You have a stipend of 9 talents, 8 jots, and 7 drabs per term, which can sometimes get a little tight, but you’ve never had problem balancing your finances, so you make it work. In fact, you’re so good with money, you tend to get a little extra when you sell or purchase items. (10% increase when selling, and 10% decrease when purchasing)

 

Edema Ruh: You start the game with 3 talents and 4 drabs and staying at Anker’s. The poorest of the poor, you have a stipend of 4 talents, 5 jots, and 6 drabs. Fortunately, you’ve grown up playing music and entertaining crowds, so you’re able to reduce your room rentals through your playing. Your rooms are half-price.

 

Admissions

Every term/cycle, students must go through admissions and pay tuition if they want to continue studying at the University. Tuition varies on a student-by-student basis, as well as a term-by-term basis. If a student cannot pay tuition, they cannot attend the University for that term. They can continue using abilities or items previously acquired, but they cannot impress a Master nor can they create any items. Students who cannot/do not attend a term do not go through admissions again, so they retain the tuition cost given to them until they have enough to attend another term. Players who fail to attend the University for a term will be required to tell the GM when they would like to return to their studies. The GM will not automatically enroll them when they have enough to pay.

 

Each player’s tuition is determined through various game elements. By participating in these elements, players can reduce their tuition, making it easier on their pocketbooks to attend. Reductions and Inflations are calculated per turn and averaged together for the cycle. The starting tuition per term for each student is 10 talents.

 

Tuition Reductions

Post once in the thread: 1 talent

Quality thread participation: 5 drabs per post

Quality RP: 5 jots per post

Impress a Master (regardless of elevation): 1 talent

File a complaint: 5 jots

Send messages: 5 jots

Selling an item in Imre: 5 drabs

Purchasing an item from the Apothecary: 5 jots-1 talent (depends on the item purchased)

Placing a request on the Black Market: 5 jots-2 talents (depends on the request and amount placed with it)

Trying for Talent Pipes: 1 talent

Fulfilling a Black Market contract: 5 jots

 

Tuition Inflations

Participate heavily in messages but very little in the thread: 1-4 talents (75-85% of the communication being in PMs, as opposed to in the thread, is 1 talent; 86-90% is 2 talents; 91-95% is 3 talents; and 96% or higher is 4 talents)

Being brought On the Horns: 2 talents

Re’lar: 1 talent

El’the: 2 talents

For Masters:

Fail to post in the thread: 3 talents

Don’t elevate a student: 1 talent

Fail to use any actions for the entire term (role-blocks do not count): 4 talents

 

Lodging

There are multiple places at the University and in the town around the University where students can lodge. Where you lodge can either positively or negatively affect students. Each location has a set cost that varies from location to location. Players should PM the GM once per cycle to say where they are lodging for the next cycle/term. If players fail to send in a location, they will spend that cycle on the streets.

 

All players not in the Crockery must have lodging, even if they are expelled or not attending the University for that term. Lodging is paid after tuition, unless otherwise specified (students can say that if they can’t afford tuition and the location they’ve chosen, they choose not to attend the University that term). If a student cannot afford their chosen lodging after tuition, they will be moved to the most expensive location they can afford.

 

For example: Kas chooses to lodge at The Golden Pony for the next term. However, after his high tuition, he only has 6 talents. He will lodge at Anker’s instead. If he only had 4 talents, he would be lodging in the Mews. If he instead sent an order to the GM saying “I will lodge at The Golden Pony next term, and if my tuition is too high to stay there, I’ll skip term,” he would stay at the Golden Pony and keep the money that would’ve been paid for tuition.

 

On the streets (no location): no cost. Living out on the street makes it so all actions against you succeed. Positive actions (like protection or being given an item) have 50% chance of failing, due to the rough circumstances you’re surrounded by. Your own actions also have a 50% chance of failing. There is a 25% chance you will be killed by a rogue mercenary just for looking at him the wrong way.

Mews: 1 talent. Having to deal with other students constantly gives you a +1 bonus to Insanity rolls.

Ankers: 5 talents. Rough living and lacking security gives you a 10% chance one of your actions will fail or you will be robbed of one item.

The Golden Pony: 9 talents. Security: 25% chance for Sabotage/Kills to fail.

The Horse and Four: 12 talents. Students staying here have enough money that they've got an in with the Masters. They go into the secret vote with (-1) votes on them.

 

The Arcanum

The Arcanum is where all the fun happens at the University. Led by the 9 Masters, there are many different fields of study in which for students to try their hands including Sympathy, Artificery, Alchemy, Naming, Rhetoric & Logic, Arithmetic, Linguistics, Physicking, and Archives. University students do not start in the Arcanum. They are brought into the Arcanum once they have shown they have the moral fortitude necessary for a member of the Arcanum, sponsored by a Master and elevated to the rank of E’lir, which is the lowest of the Arcanum ranks.

 

Ranks

There are three main ranks in the Arcanum: E’lir, Re’lar, and El’the. Most players will start as regular students, outside of the Arcanum, but 25% of the players will start already in the Arcanum, with the rank of E’lir, under a random Master, with a random ability (if applicable). Students can choose which Masters they want to impress to be elevated in/into the Arcanum. Masters can elevate students once per half-cycle (so a maximum of twice per cycle/term).

 

No one will be raised in the first turn of the game, but students can place orders that turn to impress the Master of their choice (named by field, since the person is hidden), and the next turn, the Master will be given a list of all the students who tried to impress them the previous half-cycle, and they can choose who (or if) they want to elevate anyone, as well as what ability they want to give that student if they do.

 

Students cannot be elevated by multiple Masters in the same half-cycle. If multiple Masters choose to elevate them, only one will succeed. To make sure the student gets their preferred Master, students should place their preference when submitting their order.

 

Bad Example: I want to impress the Masters of Linguistics, Arithmetics, and Archives

Good Example: I want to impress the Masters of 1-Sympathy, 2-Alchemy, 3-Naming.

 

This way, if both the Masters of Alchemy and Naming chose to elevate that student, the Alchemist will win, since that’s the Master the student would prefer to study under, between the two.

 

Students can choose to impress the same Master multiple times in a row to gain new abilities in that field, or they can try to impress a Master in a different field to gain abilities in a variety of fields. There are bonuses to either of these strategies.

 

If a student chooses to stay in their field, they’ll gain a new ability when elevated to the next level. Fields with power-abilities are reigned over by the Master, with students being given abilities through the Master. (Alchemy, Artificery, and Naming work differently than the rest, because Alchemy and Artificery are based on item-creation with each item requiring a certain skill level before creating, and Naming is based on the player’s use of the Names they know.)

 

Regular students: 3 Master impressions

E’lir: 2 Master impressions

Re’lar: 1 Master impression

 

Fields and Abilities

There are 9 different fields of study for students at the University. By impressing a Master and being elevated into a field, students learn abilities in that field. Most fields have 2-4 role abilities accessible, with the Master choosing which of those abilities they want that student to learn. By impressing a Master multiple times and being elevated multiple times, students increase their knowledge in that field, and gain another ability.

 

While most fields have role abilities, Alchemy and Artificery students are able to create items. Items can be kept by the student who made it, or they can be given away to other players. The Masters of Alchemy and Artificery do not give their students items to create. Each item in those fields requires students to be a certain level before they can make that item. Items take one turn to create, and during that turn, students creating an item cannot file a complaint or impress a Master (flavor-wise, because they’re too busy creating the item to focus on anything else).

 

Linguistics

The Linguistics field works solely with words and languages. The abilities are basic, but they get more powerful when combined together. Additionally, students who stick with Linguistics gain a little extra. Second level upgrade: Gain a second action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth action period.

 

Mysterious Bulletins: Send messages anonymously through the write-ups.

?: PMs made by you cannot be intercepted. This is a passive ability. If it gets randomly role-blocked, your PMs will be able to be intercepted the turn the role-block happens.

?: You can intercept another’s PMs.

 

Arithmetics

Like Linguistics, Arithmetic abilities don’t increase in potency as you elevate further in the field, but because the added abilities compound, students who stay in Arithmetics become stronger from the combined powers they can do. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Arithmetic action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Arithmetic action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Arithmetic action period.

 

Reduced Interest: If you go to Devi, your interest is cut by half, to 25%.

?: Target a random person targeting you that cycle and take 20% of their coins.

Great Deals: 10% increase in the payout when you fulfill a Black Market contract. 10% decrease when purchasing items from the Black Market or the Apothecary. (This percentage does stack, so if a Cealdish Commoner was an Arithmetic student, they would get a 20% increase/decrease)

Decreased Tuition: 10% decrease to your tuition.

 

Rhetoric & Logic

Rhetoricians have learned the power of persuasion and manipulation better than almost anyone else. Their abilities are mostly focused around action and vote manipulation or role-blocking. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Rhetoric action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Rhetoric action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Rhetoric action level period.

 

?: Redirect a targeted action of another player to another player of your choice.

?: Role-block abilities (not items)

?: Role-block items?

?: Change someone’s complaint to someone else.

 

Any suggestions to these powers and names will be very much appreciated. I like the redirect and the complaint-change, and I think one role-block would be nice, but I think there needs to be a fourth power, and I've no idea what would fit with Rhetoric & Logic that hasn't already been used.

 

Archives

Scrivs spend a lot of time in the Stacks and Tomes. There’s a lot of knowledge crammed in their heads, making them an unexpected sort of formidable foe. Second level upgrade: Gain a second Archive action period. Third level upgrade: Gain a third Archive action period. Master level upgrade: Gain a fourth Archive action period.

 

Fae Lore: Your fellow students may laugh at your studies, but they’ve come in awfully handy lately. While they’re all carrying around iron to protect themselves from the Skindancers, you know holly is the way to go. If you target a Skindancer, their actions are cancelled.

 

Omen Recognition: You recognize the signs of all kinds of fae. Because of this, you can investigate any event and determine whether or not it was caused by a fae.

 

School Records: You can research any student, learning what fields they’ve been elevated in and what their specialties are.

 

Banned Books: With a bit of searching, you’ve managed to find a few dangerous books deep in the Stacks. If you’ve studied in another field (with the exception of Naming), you may use these books to learn another of that field’s techniques, after a term researching (you can use two action periods in the same turn, cramming, but if you do, you’ll lose all other actions you may have, including PMs and complaints, since you’re essentially spending all of your time studying in the Stacks). If you have only studied archives, you can research a field and learn a random ability in that field, gaining lower level skills in that ability. If you are caught researching, you will be brought up on Conduct Unbecoming and will receive lashes as your punishment. 10% chance getting caught first term you use it. 10% increase each time you use it after. (If you’ve used two action periods in a turn, you’ll have a 20% chance of getting caught that turn). Master level: No chance of getting caught. They’re not banned from you, after all. You will still lose all other actions that cycle, including participating in the Secret Vote.

 

Sympathy

Sympathy only has two abilities, with the Master choosing which one students get. If a student stays in the field for an additional rank, they can either get the other ability, or the Master can give them the upgraded version to the one they already have. Those who study Sympathy are susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Mommet-making - Target someone who was sabotaged/killed the previous cycle to search for traces of their killer/saboteur, making a mommet of what you find (though you won’t know the target of the mommet). You can then use that mommet to role-block them for as long as you have the mommet.. (25% chance the mommet won’t be the killer but someone else the person was in contact with). Upgrade: Mommet can kill.

Malignant Sympathy Protection - Protect you or someone else from malignant sympathy (including mommets). Cannot be used two turns in a row. Downgraded effects: role-blocks→no effect, kills→role-blocks (all other actions that cycle are cancelled for the player: complaints, impressing, anything in Imre, etc). Upgrade: kills→no effect.

 

Physicking

The Medica is a great place to learn all about medicine and keeping people healthy through treatment and preventive care. Most Physikers only have one action period, but the Master Physiker has two action periods.

 

Medica Emergency: Due to a medical emergency, you’re spending a lot of time in the Medica to help out. All actions targeting you fail. Cannot be used twice in a row. First level: You cannot take any other actions, including PMing or filing a complaint. Second level upgrade: You’ve learned to juggle things a little better, so you can PM, but you still can’t file complaints. Third level upgrade: You can both PM and file complaints. Master level upgrade: You can still use your second action period, but only through items or other specifically Medica powers (like Medica Detainment), since the other Physiker powers require more attention than you can give.

 

Medica Detainment: Detain a player in Medica for a turn, role-blocking all of their actions for one turn. First level: 30% chance you’ll get caught and brought up on charges of Conduct Unbecoming, with a punishment of lashings. Second level upgrade: 20% chance of getting caught. Third level upgrade: 10% chance of getting caught. Master level upgrade: No chance of getting caught (you’re not doing anything wrong).

 

?: Reduce target's insanity bonus in the Insanity Roll. First level: -1 reduction. Second level upgrade: -2 reduction. Third level upgrade: -3 reduction. Master level upgrade: -4 reduction.

 

Cheating Death: Follow a player and if they’re attacked with a sabotage or kill, your amazing skills prevents them from dying. Unfortunately, this also drains you of energy, so you can’t do it twice in a row. First level: 50% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. 25% chance you won’t prevent a sabotage. If you don’t succeed in fully protecting them, you’ll at least succeed in delaying their death, and they will have an extra turn before they succumb to their insanity/death. Second level upgrade: 50% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. Sabotages are fully prevented. If you don’t succeed in protecting someone from death, you will at least delay their death for a turn. Third level upgrade: 25% chance their wounds from a kill attempt are beyond your abilities and they will die. Sabotages are fully prevented. Deaths you can’t prevent will be delayed an extra turn. Master level upgrade: Both kills and sabotages are fully prevented.

 

Artificery

All artificery items can be given away or stolen, and most can be destroyed. First level: Items are usable only once. Second level upgrade: Items have a 50% chance of being usable twice (decided at the creation, so the creator knows upon creating the item if it has one or two uses). Third level upgrade: Items are usable twice. Master level upgrade: Items are usable thrice. Note: Players who create an item and then are elevated to a new level do not gain the upgrade on the item they created previously. Items retain the upgrade of the level the player was when they created them.

 

Those who study artificery are more susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Ward: E’lir - Detects an random action used on you by someone else (either offensive or defensive)

Bloodless: Re’lar - Passively protects from a sabotage

Thieves Lamp: Re’lar - Robs a player of 30% of their money

Gram: El’the - Passively protects from sabotages, kills, and malignant sympathy (cannot be destroyed)

 

Alchemy

All alchemy items are usable only once. Each has a risk to it that lessens as the student is elevated higher in the field. All of these items can be given away, stolen or destroyed. Those who study Alchemy are more susceptible to cracking and being sent to the Crockery. E’lir: +1 bonus to Insanity Roll. Re’lar: +2 bonus. El’the: +3 bonus. Master: +4 bonus.

 

Tenaculum: E’lir - Destroy an item or cancel an action. First level: 20% chance of going awry and destroying a different item or canceling a random action of the target or yourself. Second level upgrade: 10% chance of going awry. Third level upgrade: 100% chance it will destroy what you want or cancel what you request. Master level upgrade: You have enough for two uses.

 

Firestop [Kvothe’s name] (That thing Sim develops that is fireproof, but volatile under the right circumstances): Re’lar - Protects from heat-based malfeasance and bone tar. First level: 20%  chance of failing and going volatile, sending the target to Medica (total role-block for that turn and the next while they recover). Second level upgrade: 10% chance of failing and going volatile, sending the target to Medica (total role-block for that turn and the next while they recover). Third level upgrade: no chance of failure. Master level upgrade: You’ve made enough for two uses.

 

Plum bob: Re’lar - Drug a player and gather information from them. When using the plum bob, player will PM the GM, informing them of the use, and the questions they want to ask, just to make sure the questions are valid. Players can ask a maximum of 5 basic questions (questions like “Who are the other Skindancers” and “What abilities do you have/What fields are you studying” do not count as a single question). Once the questions have been cleared, the GM will set up a PM between the two players during the next turn. Target must answer all questions truthfully. Because the plum bob is dangerous, there is a chance the target will fly into a rage. If this happens, the student who used the plum bob will instantly be brought on the horns for Conduct Unbecoming, receiving lashings as punishment, and no more questions will be asked. First level: 30% chance the target will fly into a rage on the second question. Third and fourth questions go up each 20%, with the fifth question increasing another 30%. Second level upgrade: 30% chance of flying into a rage on second question, 10% on third and fourth, 30% on fifth. Third level upgrade: 10% chance on second question and third questions, 20% on fourth question, 30% on fifth. Master level upgrade: Same chances of target flying into a rage as the third level, but you will not be punished for using the plum bob.

 

Bone-tar: El’the - destroy a location (Mews or an inn). First level: 50% chance of it going volatile, and killing half of the players staying at the location (including yourself). Second level upgrade: 25% chance of going volatile. Third level upgrade: 10% chance of going volatile. If it does, you will be injured and cannot make any actions the following turn, as you’re recovering in Medica. Master level upgrade: You may choose if it goes volatile or not. If you choose for it to go volatile, there’s a 10% chance you’ll be injured in the fire-fog and you’ll spend the next turn recovering in Medica, unable to make any actions (including disciplining).

 

Naming

Naming is perhaps the most arcane of all the arcane arts. Seeing the true Name of a thing or living being, if one calls the true Name, one can control it. As such, Naming works a little differently than the other fields. There are no specific abilities, but there are Names students who wish to learn Naming can learn. Each Name has a basic function, but it’s up to the Namer’s discretion on what they want to actually do with that Name.

 

When the Master Namer elevates a student the first time, the student learns the Name of the Wind, and by using Wind, they can learn more Names. Once the Namer has used Wind once, they have a 25% chance of learning a new, random Name. Upon using Wind twice, they have a 50% chance of learning a new Name. This percent increases until the Namer learns a Name, and then it resets, contingent upon using the new Name. While the Namer is still on their first Naming rank, they can only use one Name per turn, regardless of how many Names they learn.

 

If the Master Namer elevates the Namer to a new level, the Namer gains a new Naming action, so they can use two Names in a single turn. If the Master Names elevates the Namer a third time, the Namer gains a third action, and can use three Names in a single turn. Names cannot be used more than once in a single turn.

 

Warning: As a Namer learns new Names, their sanity is affected. For each Name beyond the first that they learn, their insanity roll bonus increases by one per Name. Additionally, each time they use more than one Name in a single turn, their insanity bonus increases.

 

First level: Namer learns the Name of the Wind. Each Name learned after the first gains a +1 bonus to the insanity roll. Second level: Gain a second Naming action. +2 bonus to insanity rolls each time you use two Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Third level: Gain a third Naming action. +4 bonus to insanity rolls each time you use three Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Master level: Gain a fourth Naming action. +6 each time you use four Names in a turn (on top of the Names bonus). Note on the Master Namer: They know all 10 Names, but because they are the Master and have therefore proven themselves to be a competent and responsible Namer, their Naming knowledge insanity bonus is only +3.

 

Multi-Name Order Example: Use Fire to kill all those who attack me this cycle and use Earth to prevent my death.

 

Insanity Bonus Example: Aonar is an El’the Namer who has been elevated by the Master Namer through E’lir and Re’lar. He knows 5 Names, so by default, he has a +4 bonus to his insanity rolls. If he uses three of his Names in a turn, he will gain an additional +4 bonus to his insanity roll. Therefore, his insanity roll will have a +8 bonus, making it much more likely that he will crack and be sent to the Crockery.

 

Wind - Offensive/Defensive/Info-Based

Earth - Defensive

Fire - Offensive

Bone - Defensive/Offensive/Alchemy Item-Affecting

Iron - Defensive/Artificery Item-Affecting /Info-Based (when targeting Fae)

Blood - Defensive/Offensive

Stone - Defensive/Item-Affecting

Wood - Defensive/Artificery Item-Affecting

Water - Defensive

Amber - Affects Mommets and Alchemy Items

 

Example 1: Use Fire, Bone, and Iron to destroy all Wilson’s Items. Use Blood to prevent role-blocks on this action.

Example 2: Invoke Iron, Bone, Wood and Amber to destroy all items. (Or, if you’re not a Master: Invoke Fire, Bone and Amber to destroy all Alchemy Items.)

Example 3: Invoke Wind and Blood to draw all offensive actions towards you, Fire to kill all who attack you, and Bone to prevent your death. (If you’re not a Master, take out Fire if you don’t care about killing, or Bone if you don’t care about dying.)

Example 4: Invoke Blood, Wind, Bone, and Stone to draw all actions to a single person. (If you’re not a Master, take out Bone to narrow it to offensive actions only.)

Example 5: Invoke Iron in the presence of X to cancel their action and determine if they are Fae.

 

Important Note: Be ready to explain how you’re using each Name when placing an order. It’s fine to say “Invoke Blood, Wind, Bone, and Stone to draw all actions to a single person,” but be sure that you can then explain why and how each of those Names does what you want--Blood and Bone are pulling Names, Sabotages, Alchemy, Medica, and Sympathy; Stone is drawing items; Wind is drawing PM-related/misc actions.

 

The Masters

There are nine Masters: Alchemist, Archivist, Arithmetician, Artificer, Linguist, Namer, Physiker, Rhetorician, Sympathist. At the start of the game, all Masters are on Team Good. During the first turn of the game, all of the Masters will vote on which Master will be Chancellor. They cannot vote for themselves. The Chancellor gets an additional half-vote when dealing with disciplinary issues. If the Chancellor dies, the Masters will vote again for a new Chancellor.

 

Elevations

Masters can elevate students up the Arcanum ranks. Each student can choose if they want to impress a Master, and they can also choose which Master(s) they would like to impress. Elevations take place each turn, so Masters get a maximum of two elevations each cycle. At the end of each turn, Masters receive a list of the students who tried to impress them the previous turn. They can choose a student from that list to elevate. If they would prefer not to elevate anyone, they can do so.

 

If two Masters try to elevate the same student, that student’s field preferences are taken into consideration to make sure they are elevated into their prefered field. To make sure all Masters are able to elevate a student should they choose to, Masters should also send a prefered list of students they would like to elevate. A list of three should suffice (though if you really want to guarantee to elevate someone, you can do as many as you have students who tried to impress you). For the Sympathist, Linguist, Rhetorician, Arithmetician, Physiker, and Archivist, they should also choose which ability they want to give the student.

 

Example: The Master Archivist would like to elevate 1-Kas (Banned Books), 2-Wyrm (Omen Recognition), 3-Aonar (Fae Lore).

 

In the above example, if Archives was Kas’ third choice, and the Master Rhetorician (Kas’ first choice) wanted to elevate him, the Master Archivist would be unable to elevate Kas, so his second choice, Wyrm, would be elevated instead getting the power of Omen Recognition. If Wyrm was also chosen by a more preferred Master, Aonar would be elevated, receiving the power of Fae Lore.

 

Replacing a Master

Upon the death or sabotage of any Master, they are replaced by the student they’ve personally moved the farthest in the Arcanum, and who has been under them the longest.

 

Example: Wyrm is the Master Sympathist. He is killed. There are three Re’lars studying Sympathy—Kas, Gamma, and Aonar. Aonar was elevated to Re’lar by the Master Namer, but Kas and Gamma were both elevated by Wyrm. Kas was elevated first, so he will be the next Master Sympathist.

 

Skindancers Becoming Master

If a Skindancer becomes a Master, they have a special ability they can use on any turn while they are a Master: destroy that field of study. If a field is destroyed, no one else can be elevated into it, even if the Skindancer Master is killed and replaced. Students already in the field can continue using the powers they already have and any items they have may already created, but they cannot gain new powers nor can they create new items. The Master who replaces the Skindancer will only have the abilities they had before they became Master.

 

Lodging & Tuition

Normally, Masters wouldn’t have to worry about lodging, as Masters have their own quarters. However, to work with the format of the game, Masters will have the same options of lodging as the students—the inns (or Mews, if the Master is particularly crazy). The Master’s lodging costs 25% less than student’s.

 

The Masters also wouldn’t typically have to worry about tuition either. After all, they’re the ones dictating the tuition. However, this is one of the few ways to weed out an inactive Master, so this mechanic will stay. It will be reduced, though, with Masters only having to pay half tuition. If a Master cannot pay tuition, they are removed from their position, losing all of their powers, and replaced with their highest-ranked student. Should the former Master return to the game later, they will be treated as a regular student who needs admittance to the Arcanum. They will be able to continue at the University once they pay the tuition they failed to pay before.

 

A Master’s stipend will remain the same.

 

The Horns

The Horns is the University’s way of disciplining students for varying levels of malfeasance. The Masters are the ultimate deciders about the fate of each student brought On the Horns, through a vote that only they participate in. This vote will be covered further in the next section.

 

This site is saying this post is too long for one post, so I have to split it somewhere, and this looks like a good spot. To be continued in the next post.

[little wilson]

The continuation of The University game.....

 

Voting

Filing Complaints

Instead of lynching players with the daily vote, the voting each turn will instead be filing complaints with the Masters. Each official vote counts as a complaint lodged against that player, and every two complaints adds a half vote to that player in the Masters’ secret vote.

 

The Masters’ Secret Vote

Every turn, the Masters have a secret vote. If a student accrues 2.5 or more votes on them in any cycle, they will be brought On the Horns. Students with 4.5 or more votes on them will risk expulsion from the University.

 

Different charges of malfeasance possible, each one based on a percentage (which varies depending on the number of votes on the student). There is also a chance that all forms of malfeasance will be dropped, but this option goes away after a student has 4.5 votes on them. The more votes a student has, the higher the risk of expulsion.

 

2.5-3 votes: 60% charges dropped, 30% Undignified Mischief (apology), 10% Reckless Use of Sympathy (lashings)

 

3.5-4 votes: 20% charges dropped, 30% Undignified Mischief (apology), 30% Reckless Use of Sympathy (lashings), 20% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (lashings)

 

4.5-5.5 votes: 20% Undignified Mischief (apology), 20% Reckless Use of Sympathy (lashings), 50% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (lashings), 10% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (expulsion)

 

6-7 votes: 10% Undignified Mischief (apology), 20% Reckless Use of Sympathy (lashings), 40%  Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (lashings), 30% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (expulsion)

 

7.5-8.5 votes: 5% Undignified Mischief (apology), 5% Reckless Use of Sympathy (lashings), 25%  Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (lashings), 65% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (expulsion)

 

9-9.5 votes: 20%  Conduct Unbecoming a Member of Arcanum (lashings), 80% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of Arcanum (expulsion)

 

10 votes: 10%  Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (lashings), 90% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (expulsion)

 

10.5 votes+: 100% Conduct Unbecoming a Member of the Arcanum (expulsion)

 

Punishments

All malfeasance charges have a punishment to go along with them, with a varying level of harshness.

 

Formal Apology: Player must apologize in-thread, making up a misdemeanor—RPing the apology is a must.

 

Public Lashing: Cannot take action for X amount of turns, unless they have nahlrout. Reckless Use: 1 turn. Conduct Unbecoming: 3 turns.

 

Expulsion: Student is kicked out of the University. They also lose their ability to speak in the thread, but  they can still talk in PM (or on a doc, if applicable). They must still arrange boarding each term, but they cannot sleep in the Mews, since that’s an option available only for University students. Expelled students can continue using any field ability they may have had and any items they created. They cannot gain any more abilities or make any more items. Their abilities can only affect people in Imre, but players still in the Arcanum can affect them, even if they are not in Imre. Sabotages kill expelled students, if they are unprotected.

 

The Crockery

All players in the Arcanum have a chance of going crazy and being sent to The Crockery, the University’s famed insane asylum. Depending on the field a player chooses to study and their rank in the field, each player’s chances of going insane could increase—sometimes drastically.

 

Insanity

Insanity is based on a 12 point scale, with players going insane when they hit or surpass 12 points. The GM will use a d8 when doing the Insanity Roll. This means that the only way a person can go insane is through bonuses gained in the more arcane fields or through sabotages. Insanity bonuses in arcane fields stack.

 

Example: Wyrm is a Re’lar studying Alchemy and Artificery. Both of these fields have a bonus of +2 to the Insanity Roll for Re’lars. Wyrm will have +4 to his Insanity Roll, making it all that much more likely that he will go insane.

 

When a person goes insane, they cannot use any abilities or items they had. Their stipend is put on hold and they will not have access to their coins. Their tuition is frozen at the amount it would’ve been had the player not gone insane. They do not have to worry about lodging, as the Crockery is their home now. Sabotages on the insane function as a kill, and they cannot be blocked. No action targeting the insane can be blocked, regardless of bodyguards or Medica/item actions.

 

Breakout

There is a small chance that those in the Crockery can escape, returning to the game. The GM will do a breakout roll each turn for all players in the Crockery. This breakout roll will be done using a d20 unless the player has a background in Naming, knowing at least 5 Names. Then, it will be a d10. There is a 1/20 chance players without a solid background in Naming will break out. There is a 1/10 chance Namers will break out.

 

If a player breaks out from the Crockery, they will return to the game. However, they will return one rank lower than they were when they went insane, and they will have one random power less than they had when they entered. Their stipend and coins will unfreeze, and they will resume studies at the University using the same orders they had in place before they went insane. If they went insane during the first turn of a cycle and therefore didn’t have lodging orders placed, they will lodge in their previous lodgings if they can afford it. If they cannot, they’ll be placed in the most expensive lodging they can afford.

 

Players who break out from the Crockery can no longer impress a Master and be elevated.

 

Masters Breaking Out

If a Master cracks, gets sent to the Crockery, and then breaks out, they will not be reinstated to their former position. However, they will have priority over all other candidates should anything happen to the current Master.

 

Imre

Every term/full cycle, players (students and Masters alike) can go to Imre once. For the half-cycle they are in Imre, students cannot impress a Master and Masters cannot elevate students. Players cannot do any University action (use a field ability or create an item), but they can do anything in Imre.

 

Imre has a whole host of possibilities that aren’t necessarily available at the University. There are four locations players can stop by: The Eolian, The Apothecary, Devi’s, and The Black Market. Items for sale at the Apothecary and Black Market will be given to each player going to Imre at the beginning of the cycle they are heading there. Players can also sell items and contracts on the Black Market. Contracts are sold for whatever the seller thinks they are worth.

 

Players can only go to the Eolian once per game, and they can only go to Devi’s once per time they are in Imre. They can purchase/sell any number of items/contracts at the Black Market or the Apothecary.

 

Eolian

Each player can try for their Talent Pipes once in the game. An attempt costs 1 talent, nonrefundable. Every player has a randomly-distributed hidden stat on whether they would win the Pipes, though there is something players can do to try to boost their hidden stats to make it more likely they will win the Pipes.

 

Pre-game, players can send a recording to the GM showing off a musical ability—instrumental and/or vocal—and if this passes muster, the player will receive a little boost to their hidden stats. This boost does not necessarily mean you will win the Pipes, since the hidden stats will be distributed randomly and if yours is too low the boost might not effect it enough, but you’ll never know until you try.

 

Talent Pipes give an additional 10 talents per cycle to the player who holds it. Talent Pipes can be given to other players, but they cannot be stolen. If given away, the player who initially won them cannot win another set.

 

Apothecary

Each half cycle, a variety of items/services are available for purchase by anyone who wants to pay the cost. These items/services are always available. Important Note: All Apothecary items can be stolen and most can be destroyed.

 

Nahlrout: 1 talent per ounce. Protects against lashing effects when used on self; action-cancellation when used on someone else. (one-time use per ounce)

Couriers: 2 talents per message. Sends an anonymous message to any player, delivered at the end of the half-cycle.

Bloodless: 5 talents. Protects against sabotage.

Gram: 10 talents. Stops kill/sabotage/malignant sympathy actions against the holder. (cannot be destroyed)

 

Devi’s

Each player can go to Devi’s to borrow money from them. The minimum loaned is 4 talents and the maximum is half of the player’s term income. Interest starts accruing immediately, at a rate of .5, so if a student borrows 4 talents, the interest will be 2 talents, making the full amount owed 6 talents.

 

The amount of interest is due at the end of each cycle, though students are more than welcome to pay more than the interest. If students cannot pay the interest, Devi will make a mommet with the player’s blood, and that mommet will go into the Black Market for other players to purchase, with a cost equal to the player’s debt.

 

Black Market

The Black Market can be separated into two distinct sections: Items for Sale and Contracts. Items for sale at the Black Market vary, often on a first-come-first-serve basis while supplies last. Players can sell items on the Black Market, for whatever cost they want. Also, some very rare items (like mommets) are only available on the Market as a consequence to a player. The other half of the Black Market, Contracts, is populated by the players themselves, by selling contracts anonymously, with the price of the contract paid to the person who fulfills the contract.

 

Items for Sale

Mommets: Price is the player’s debt to Devi. Mommets can be used for role-blocking, effectively cancelling all of that player’s actions (complaint, impressing, etc) the turn it is used (use does take up your own action). Mommets can be stolen, but the player who steals them doesn’t know who the mommet is of. If multiple people try to buy the same mommet while in Imre, only the first will succeed.

Assassins: 15 talents. Kills a player of your choice, even if they are still attending the University. Can be blocked by actions/items that stop a kill, but cannot be blocked by actions/items that only stop sabotages.

Bodyguards: 12 talents. When purchasing the bodyguard, you tell them who they are to protect, and that’s who they will protect for as long as they are able. The bodyguard cannot be transferred to another player. Protects from kills, sabotages, and theft. Will protect from theft indefinitely, but can only protect from two sabotages, and one kill. (Note: if the bodyguard protects from a sabotage one turn and a kill comes the next, he will protect from both, but if both come through on the same turn, he will only protect from the kill. If theft comes through in either of those scenarios as well, he will protect from the theft in all cases).

 

Contracts

As these are solely based on players, there are no set options available here, but some ideas are killing a particular person, intercepting messages, bribing a Master’s vote or a player’s complaint filing, providing information, etc.

 

If a player takes a contract, they must fulfill it by the end of the next cycle, or the contract goes back into the Black Market and the one who accepted it doesn’t get any money. The amount tied to the contract is paid upon delivery.

 

Example: Kas goes to Imre and sells a contract for someone to sabotage Wyrm for 100 talents. Aonar goes to Imre and only sees “Sabotage Wyrm - 100 talents”. The seller of the contract remains anonymous. Should Aonar choose to accept this contract, he must sabotage Wyrm the next cycle. Once he has, Kas loses 100 talents and Aonar gains 100, but Kas won’t know who took the contract and Aonar still won’t know who sold it.

[the winter system]

Wow. And I thought that Newan's game was insane. Are you actually intending to run this, Wilson? 

[little wilson]

Oh yes. I'm already signed up for it. I'll probably need help with it though, so if anyone would like to co-GM it with me, let me know. I plan on using functions to make the spreadsheet do the majority of the hard work, but I haven't started working on that yet, so I'm not sure exactly how much what I'm envisioning will be possible. Still, this is definitely happening.

[the winter system]

Oh yes. I'm already signed up for it. I'll probably need help with it though, so if anyone would like to co-GM it with me, let me know. I plan on using functions to make the spreadsheet do the majority of the hard work, but I haven't started working on that yet, so I'm not sure exactly how much what I'm envisioning will be possible. Still, this is definitely happening.

I could co-GM with you, depending on when it is. If it's over the Summer, I'll probably be too busy.  

[vineyarddawg]

That game makes my head spin just after reading all the rules. I love it!

[A Joe in the Bush]

The Masters

 

There are nine Masters: Alchemist, Archivist, Arithmetician, Artificer, Linguist, Namer, Physiker, Rhetorician, Sympathist. At the start of the game, all Masters are on Team Good. During the first turn of the game, all of the Masters will vote on which Master will be Chancellor. They cannot vote for themselves. The Chancellor gets an additional half-vote when dealing with disciplinary issues. If the Chancellor dies, the Masters will vote again for a new Chancellor.

 

 

 

Do the master start out knowing who eachother are? or are they just voting for a specific Ability to be the chancellor? Because I could easily see this becoming the Shardic coalition again.

 

 

Contracts

As these are solely based on players, there are no set options available here, but some ideas are killing a particular person, intercepting messages, bribing a Master’s vote or a player’s complaint filing, providing information, etc.

 

If a player takes a contract, they must fulfill it by the end of the next cycle, or the contract goes back into the Black Market and the one who accepted it doesn’t get any money. The amount tied to the contract is paid upon delivery.

 

 

 

If I fail to complete a contract, can I try again? And Can I accept contracts about targeting me? If yes, then if someone puts out a contract to kill me, i'll take it, but not do it. Then it would go back to the black market, where I take it again, to prevent anyone from attempting to kill me for cash.

[the winter system]

Because I could easily see this becoming the Shardic coalition again.

Ugh. Yes. I could see that too.

[little wilson]

Do the master start out knowing who eachother are? or are they just voting for a specific Ability to be the chancellor? Because I could easily see this becoming the Shardic coalition again.

They do not. They'll be voting for the "Master Alchemist" or the "Master Namer," etc. I hate safe roles with a passion, and I intentionally built this one so it would be very detrimental for any of the Masters' identities to become known. Not even the people who are elevated will know the identity of the Master who elevated them.

If I fail to complete a contract, can I try again? And Can I accept contracts about targeting me? If yes, then if someone puts out a contract to kill me, i'll take it, but not do it. Then it would go back to the black market, where I take it again, to prevent anyone from attempting to kill me for cash.

Nope. The next time you go to Imre, contracts you accepted previously and failed to fulfill will not show up for you. Same with contracts you placed. You're more than welcome to accepts contacts regarding you though.

[the winter system]

When do you think it'll be going on? 

[little wilson]

When do you think it'll be going on?

Right now, I'm guessing Nov/Dec. Right smack in the middle of the holidays. My family (particularly my mother) is going to hate me.

[the winter system]

If it stays that time, I'd be willing to co-GM with you. Though it really depends on how things are going around then.