Mid-Range Game 19: Return to Urithiru

[A Joe in the Bush]

12 minutes ago, Seonid said:

I'll pass on the coffee, though a good hot chocolate might interest me.

Other than making one of the first posts of the game, advocating against the use of cooks first cycle, and expressing my preference for the bondsmith win con, thereby sparking a decent discussion culminating in Joe's avowal to lynch anyone who supports the win con - no, I haven't had much to say.

I've got thoughts on possible distributions of ranks - I suspect 2 commanders, each with a captain and either 2 or 3 privates reporting to them. That gives us a nicely split 10 per side - I'd assume a symmetric proportion of diagrammists, so either 2 or 3 per side. Most likely 2, since 6 total diagrammists means that only one of each of the other 2 factions need to die for the bondsmith ability.

So 4 total eliminators, and the rest of us.

Don't have much time beyond this tonight, so I'll see y'all in the morning

Same man. I'm drinking ht chocolate right now actually.

To be clear, i support the Bondsmith win con, i just don't support it over my faction win con, and am unwilling to let this turn into a game devoted to achieving the Bondsmith win con. I'm not going to lynch people who agree that the Bondsmith win con is good, I'm going to lynch people who want to pursuit the Bondsmith win con at the cost of their faction win con, because doing so is selfish, and hurts their own team. a Player who has the best interests of his team (Not the currently living members of his team, his entire team) shouldn't be pursuing such a win con, because the dead members of his team lose. Yes, i know that I am making a generalization, and also writing down my views as facts. I also know that I am assuming all players share my views of the team first, then me, which is untrue. My intention is not to force everyone to be like me, I am simply establishing the danger of supporting the Bondsmith win con. 

I hadn't put much thought into the actual math of that, but i will go on record as agreeing with that. 1 leader, 2 commanders, 2 captains, 5 privates per team. I'm a tad less certain about the 4 eliminators. But that's because Wilson is a GM, and she actively tries to shape the meta through people's expectations, but also has a deep respect for balance. So I'm only 90% certain that you're right about 4 eliminators.

[Jondesu]

9 hours ago, Drake Marshall said:

Stick should be a role immune to surge of transformation

Yes! If I ever run a game set on Roshar, I will definitely include Stick. It's only win con would be to still be a stick at the end of the game.

As for strategy, I'll do more analysis tomorrow when I can sit at the computer, but I would be cautious about going for the Bondsmith win. It'll be great if that happens since pretty much everyone wins that way, but there's a high probability that the Bondsmith will die before the end of the game, so I'm not resting my hopes on that one. I know the first cycle lynch has been discussed endlessly, and I'll have to reread the rules, but I'm not going to place a vote just yet. I want to read the posts again here and actually make myself a doc to track this game since I plan to also play the AG.

[Berenion]

I prefer the killing the other faction over going for the Bondsmith win con, simply because it seems more fun and exciting that way . 
As for the math and numbers, I'm inclined to believe that there's one Private under each Captain*. So that makes each faction with 1 Leader, 3 Commanders, 3 Captains and 3 Privates. This way, the Commanders would only have the knowledge of the Leader, 1 Captain and 1 Private, which takes care of the issue of the Commanders knowing almost as much as the Leaders. (I could be very, very wrong here, so feel free to correct me)

*Because I, a Private, received a PM from my Captain. I mean, if I was a Captain I wouldn't use my first PM on the newest player. But, of course, that's just me. It could very well be that my Captain is just nice that way where I wouldn't be  but it could also be that they had no other choice.

9 hours ago, Seonid said:

Now, if there's only one commander, then there could be 2 captains, each with 3 underlings. But that would leave the commander knowing exactly as much about his organization as his honored supreme leader. While that would be good in the real world for redundancy's sake, it would remove the niche of the supreme leader - they would be largely superfluous.

Agreed. It is also said in the rules: 

Quote

Commander - You report directly to your leader. As such, you know his identity. You also know the identities of the people who report to you. This is only a fraction of the members in the group though, as there are multiple Commanders.

So I guess this completely rules out the possibility of there being only one Commander per faction.

Edited January 3, 2017 by Berenion

[Amanuensis]

Beyond the incomprehensible depths of the mortal subconscious, there exists a place that is so much like your reality, and yet so very, very different. It is there that a man who's not really a man wades through an ocean that is not really an ocean. In truth, the man is just a mere thought that's manifested existence through purpose. In earnest, the ocean is but an expanse of unyielding silence, freckled with tiny resonances that to you might seem as large as the very stars. In this place, the man has no shape or form, but if you'd like, consider him a undulating wave of gold in an otherwise motionless shadow. In this manner, he weaves between countless glints of white hot luminescence, looking for a spark that may seem indistinguishable from the rest, but if you could only visit this place, you'd realize that no two glimmers shine alike.

Here and now, time is meaningless, but if the man desires, he can glimpse into a light and watch as history unfolds. When he finally does find the spark he's looking for, he dives within, and suddenly the man is really a man, though he does not wade in a real ocean. Before him rests a maze of weathered stone with shelves cut so impossibly precise that a million books of disparate sizes can fit into them perfectly. Above him, translucent orbs with jagged scars of color for hearts float in peculiar directions, some even remaining in the air, as if bound there by some unseen force. Even further up, a storm as dark as the night ripples with malevolent energy, though fortunately, it's torrent of hatred is unable to reach the earth.

Casually, the man strolls through the winding library. Though he is careful not to trip on the uneven ground, his eyes seldom leave the spines of the books. He does not recognize the odd, symmetric lettering impressed upon them, but the tomes - like the stars - whisper to him, telling him where to go. After an age or so, he hesitates beside a rather large opus, big enough that it could only belong to a king. Curious, the man reaches into his azure coat and retrieves a tiny Crystal Lens, which he then peers through at the name.

Nohadon. An interesting person, for sure. A wise philosopher, and brave leader. The sort that the man would love to sit down for a chat. Curious as he was to sift through the King's memories, his was not the story he was searching for, and so he moved on, telling himself he'd return when his job was done.

For what could have been a millennia, the man pressed forward until he came upon a series of much smaller books, one of which was so thin it could have passed for a novella. Instantly a pang of sadness thrummed in his heart, for the man knew that most tales as short as these seldom had a happy ending. And yet even without his Crystal Lens, he knew this was the book he was meant to read. To read, and then to retell, for within it existed a lesson worth learning... a life worth remembering.

As always, the man started from the beginning. A few words in, and already his eyes had gone wet. But the best storytellers new to never start their tale from the start. And so when he set to do his work, he began, instead, in the middle.

Sadly, it wasn't very happy either.

---

With a heavy heart and a shallow stomach, Berilen Valdev - or as she had learned exactly three years to this day, Berilen Leiken - had finally accepted that in many ways, the end was near.

On a broad scale, the True Desolation had come. Once upon a time, she would have trusted in the Almighty to deliver them from this evil. Back when she still believed she was the daughter of a wayward priest who had managed to "obtain forgiveness" despite his "multiple indiscretions." Maybe even after she discovered the crimes her true father committed, so terrible that the entire Ardentia insisted on lying to her about it, she would have had faith in humanity. But even that hope had died once she got tangled in this petty war between the Ghostbloods and the Sons of Honor, between the Alethi and the Parshendi.

Death. So much death.

And it was only the beginning.

At the start of her journey, she was but an ignorant little girl, clueless about the world, despite all of her learning. Obsessed with a single goal - to find her father and make him pay - she would have done anything to fulfill it. But of course, alone it was an impossible task. It was as if the man's entire history had been erased once he joined the Diagrammists. But they couldn't possibly kill everyone who met the man. If they did, they would have left her a trail straight to him. Eventually, she did find someone; or rather, that someone found her. Jaral. That bastard. What she wouldn't give to slit his throat for getting her into this mess.

Why didn't he warn her of the horrors she would have to witness? Why not tell her of the crimes she would have to commit?

Until this Weeping, Berilen had never seen war. Until this Weeping, Berilen had never killed a man. She'd read about war in the history books, but those were just numbers without faces, broken down and processed so that even a child could digest the information. She'd trained how to disable an attacker, or to end his life if there was no other way, but even that was just exercise. Truly no different than running or lifting stones. Or, at least, only until she was truly in danger.

Berilen was exhausted. Berilen felt sick. And yet Berilen was here, in Uritheru. The same place her father was. The same place where he had just recently slaughtered so many people indiscriminately. Sure, they might have all been Sons of Honor and Ghostbloods. But what of the others before them? The innocent souls, like her mother and her step-father, or that pregnant Horneater in the Peaks? What of the countless others that he would surely kill to fulfill his precious Diagram?

No matter how hard her heart pounded, or how relentlessly her stomach writhed, she had to find him. She had to make him pay.

And so she found herself in a market, surrounded by both allies and enemies. Even the allies who didn't secretly work for her father weren't really allies, but she'd have to pretend they were if she wanted to succeed. Once it was over, once she found Agrigar and dealt him justice, she would run. She cared nothing for the Sons of Honor or the Ghostbloods and their idiotic squabbles. And though she knew they'd chase her if she fled - kill her, even - she wouldn't mind. Not so long as she saw the light leave Agrigar's eyes. After that, she too could die in peace. Nothing else mattered.

But perhaps that wasn't exactly true... not that the girl would ever admit it.

Some part of her conscience thought that if she helped kill enough of these monsters, she might be able to find hope again. She was no Radiant, but since coming to Urithiru, she had seen quite a few, and each found a way to inspire a different sort of hope in different kinds of people, even after the Battle of Narak or the destruction left in the Everstorm's wake. Whether it was Dalinar with his wise guidance, or Kaladin with his unwavering determination, or Shallan with her vast intelligence, they were beginning to change people, affect the world around them in a way that actually meant something. Compared to them, Berilen was small - after all, she was just a child of 15 - but that didn't mean she couldn't be of use to them... to the world.

After a while, Berilen realized the others had begun talking, none paying the girl much mind. She had thought her Captain would have attempted to speak with her by now, but alas, she hadn't been passed letters by anyone. Well, she wasn't going to get any closer to finding her father standing here and listening, and thus she deliberated on what she had heard and decided to start a conversation of her own.

Already she could tell that this wasn't going to end well.

"Seonid," Berilen whispered, the name tasting odd as it passed by her lips. When she realized the man didn't hear her, she tugged on his wrist and repeated it again, this time loud enough that several people could hear her. "Most of what you say makes sense, but I get this feeling that your words are practiced, as if you're just telling us what you think we want to hear. And perhaps this applies to a few others more than you," Berilen looks pointedly that man with the dead eye and the woman who can't seem to stop talking or retracting statements, "but honestly, why discuss the organization of our factions openly? If the leaders do their jobs right, we'll find that out anyway, and bringing it up in public like this is only distracting us from what matters: Finding the Diagrammists.

"I may be young, but I learned many years ago how to manipulate an adult when they want you to do something you'd rather not. Just mention something unimportant that interests them, and then sneak off when they're busy with their thoughts. A discussion such as this seems like the perfect way for the Diagrammists to keep our eyes diverted from the knives they're aiming for our backs."

Edited January 3, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Seonid]

@Amanuensis, there's not much to say to that charge. I was at work, and literally just spewing out my thoughts on the game. I almost never have suspicions on the first cycle, and I hate the institution of Day 1 lynches (even as I recognize it as the most effective use of the village's time). Mostly because I'm no good at it, of course - I'd feel much better if I actually had any skill at analyzing statements and finding suspicious behavior.

But what I am good at - is distribution analysis and other forms of meta-analysis. I can look at places roles have been and work out who is what and why, and what that could mean for alignment. Of course, that means that I'm not really valuable until later on in the game, and often even not then. I'm a mediocre to poor SE player, and I own it. I play these games to have fun, and guessing distributions is fun to me (so is RP, though I don't have enough energy and time to GM LG29, RP in the AG, try to keep LG 28 alive, and be a super-active RPer in this game.) And when I'm asked so early in the cycle if I have any thoughts, while I'm at work without much ability to go back over and actually analyze a bunch of posts - well, then I'll just give my public thoughts. Even if they aren't useful yet.

If you want to lynch me for it, go ahead.

[Amanuensis]

When Seonid replied, Berilen did not understand many of his words. Perhaps he was from a far away land that used a strange dialect, or perhaps she did not remain in Kholinar long enough to learn them, but either way, she got enough of what he was saying to make a judgment. Still, to release pressure too soon might allow a potential crack to never surface, so with eyes so dark a shade of blue that they were nearly black, she stared beyond her reflection upon the pair of shaded glasses that rested upon Seonid's nose, searching for the outline of his iris' and for any hint of wavering. Finding nothing, she began to study his brow for drops of sweat, then traced the length of his lips and the set of his jaw, hoping for a flicker that might tell her he was nervous, or perhaps even lying.

Suddenly she wished she knew the man better. The way he presented himself appeared innocent enough, and he had a bit of a scholarly air about him, despite his youth. And so, she decided to ignore the knot that formed in her chest whenever she looked at the man, and move on to someone else. For now.

"I think I see where you're coming from, Seonid. I can see the fun in the speculation, but to me, doing it so openly defeats the purpose of our organizations, doesn't it? Even the most innocent, off handed statement can give people's enemies information. Whether you're a Son of Honor or a Ghostblood, you already know Diagrammists walk among you. They'll figure things out, and fast, likely without us having to talk about it. But for many of you, they're only one half of the problem. Have you not heard of what happened to the larger cells before us? Thaidakar's blood and Restares' children focused too much on each other, allowing Agrigar and his ilk to annihilate those that opposed them. I've come here to stop exactly that unfolding again, and redeem those whom they slaughtered.

"So, let's talk Diagrammists. While they might not create the distractions, I see no reason why they'd try to discourage them. For that reason, I'm somewhat trusting of... Sani, wasn't it?, given how quickly she interfered with the Bondsmith discussion. While possible, I have doubts that a Diagrammist would make the effort, especially so fervently. I've got some bad feelings about Bzeth, but for the moment I find them difficult to articulate, and thus will deliberate on them longer. How about you, Davis (Ecth)? Besides offering people coffee and potentially compromising information, how do you feel about the crowd so far?"

Edited January 3, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Jondesu]

Quintus sighed and rubbed his temples as he sat in the corner of the marketplace.  He wasn't here to barter or even trade information, but simply to observe and learn.  He'd come to Roshar and made his way from the Horneater Peaks to the Shattered Plains looking for true knowledge of the magic systems on this baffling and unique planet, but it turned out little was known, at least that was made public.  Now, however, the Knights Radiant seemed to be re-emerging, if the stories were true, and considering he'd been teleported to Urithiru through a huge portal that at least appeared to use Stormlight and Surgebinding, he was inclined to believe them.  That offered a huge potential, as long as he could gain the trust of those with the power enough for them to help him study their abilities.  For now, though, he sat and observed as one man claimed (absurdly) to have lost a bead of Lerasium (only one of the most valuable substances in the Cosmere, Colors), and others casting suspicion and accusations around talking about the many secret societies Quintus had been gathering inklings about.  The Sons of Honor seemed dangerously naive, but with a possibly altruistic goal.  The Ghostbloods were cunning and devious, and while they might be altruistic, he wasn't counting on it.  Then there was the Diagram, with it's followers oddly named Diagrammists.  Little was known about this outside their group, but he understood that one of their leaders had had…some sort of vision, or fit of inspiration, and had decided they knew how the world should behave for years to come.  That was truly dangerous, Quintus understood, having seen other civilizations go through major shifts in culture and people over smaller threats.  He would support any effort to root them out and drive them from Urithiru, destroying them if necessary.

The order of the Bondsmiths did offer another option, possibly uniting some of these various factions, but Quintus didn't hold much hope in that.  He would support a Bondsmith who could truly achieve that goal, but they would be in danger from those who would seek to sow strife, so that goal would be very difficult to achieve.

He sat back and listened more to the conversation.  There was precious little information to go on yet, so he waited and listened and gathered his information, scholarly as always.  He'd have to keep an eye on Ryth and Sart, as well as the strangely named Harambe (or was it Manukos?).  Sani and Dark seemed level-headed and would likely be helpful, and Seonid seemed both paranoid and yet somehow calm and focused.  He'd bear watching as well. There were a few others watching silently so far, about five of them standing around the square, so Quintus made a note to observe them carefully as well.  Anyone sitting quietly could be simply observing and gaining information like him, but they could also be maintaining a low profile while carrying out nefarious plots (nefarious, he loved that word despite it's danger).

 

EDIT: To actually call out those who are so far inactive, @Magestar, @DroughtBringer, @Doc12, @TheMightyLopen, and @The Young Bard, thoughts on the strategies for this game and those who have commented so far?

Edited January 3, 2017 by Jondesu

[Conquestor]

Seonid, I have no SE skills, (at least none I have found yet), so, I know where you come from.

"Wow, if anyone has found my Lerisium they haven't told me yet," Mr Hoid grumbled to himself. Wait what was that? A sparkling in the corner of that tower. He carefully walked over to it, and . . . YES! "Hey everyone, I found my Lerisium!" The few people that looked at him, looked at him as though he was crazy. He was not crazy, well, maybe partially crazy, but besides that, not crazy at all. Except, there was a person that looked at him longer than the others, what was his name again, oh yeah, Quintus. "Hello, how are you doing, sir?"

Also, @TheMightyLopen Lopen. You usually have something to say.

[Ecthelion III]

@Amanuensis Aaaand here we return to the immortal discussion as to whether or not D1 lynches are a good idea. Let's discuss the issue in depth over coffee, shall we?

-

My standpoint is this: on the one hand, without lynching people, we don't come any closer to rooting out the Diagrammists. (Now, in this game, we do have the Cook kills, but they are randomly sent out by individuals who have even less evidence to work with than the village combined, even on D1.)

On the other hand, we indeed do not have very much evidence to work with, The thing is, the main way the village gathers evidence when scan roles are not involved is:

1) By analyzing who votes on whom, and

2) By analyzing everyone's standpoint in the discussion.

If clues are not gathered this way on D1, then D2 becomes just another D1. In short, I believe that all problems with a D1 lynch are not because it is D1, but because it is the first day we do a lynch.

The other thing that scares me about not having a D1 lynch is someone can hop on at the end and lynch someone with only one vote. This kind of goes back to what I said earlier about Cook kills: it's better to have a kill when the entire village discusses the best target than just one person choosing what they believe to be the best target. It's like the SE equivalent of the problem with dictatorships.

-

So, that being said, I should probably pick someone to vote on, haha. Like Kipper (I think) said, pokevotes are rather unproductive. I feel like we should lynch someone who early-on supported the Bondsmith win, since that's something a Diagrammist is likely to do. Silverblade supported the Bondsmith win and advocated for a quick decision about what win condition we should shoot for. Seems a little sus to me.

[Magestar]

1 hour ago, Jondesu said:

EDIT: To actually call out those who are so far inactive, @Magestar, @DroughtBringer, @Doc12, @TheMightyLopen, and @The Young Bard, thoughts on the strategies for this game and those who have commented so far?

To be honest, I'm watching and waiting to see if I have anything relevant to contribute.  I don't right now, plus, I've been somewhat busy since this game started, due to RL issues,  and I'm trying to do things in the other games I'm in.  I hope to have my thoughts gathered by tomorrow, when I'll have more time, but as of right now I don't have a whole lot to contribute.  I also plan on playing the AG, so I need to build a character.  While I'm not quite as booked as Seonid, I'm still kind of busy.  Seonid is taking the cake for business RN.

I will say that while it's unlikely that the Ghostbloods and the Sons of Honor will be able to work together in the long run, I think that killing the Diagramists should still be our top priority.  So basically, I agree with what's been said so far.  I think.  

[Jondesu]

Quintus smiled faintly at the man ("Mr Hoid", he'd called himself, though he certainly didn't appear to be Quintus' old master) as he was greeted.

"I fare well so far, thank the Iridescent Tones. Or I suppose since I'm here, I can thank the Almighty, though I don't expect it'll do much good either way. I see you found your shiny bauble? Where did you come by such a curious trinket anyway?"

---

@Magestar, totally understandable. @Ecthelion III, I agree in principle with lynching someone who was advocating a strategy that will hurt us long-term. I'm not sure on Silverblade, but I'll review my notes and put in a vote soon.

Edited January 4, 2017 by Jondesu

[TheMightyLopen]

1 hour ago, Conquestor said:

Seonid, I have no SE skills, (at least none I have found yet), so, I know where you come from.

"Wow, if anyone has found my Lerisium they haven't told me yet," Mr Hoid grumbled to himself. Wait what was that? A sparkling in the corner of that tower. He carefully walked over to it, and . . . YES! "Hey everyone, I found my Lerisium!" The few people that looked at him, looked at him as though he was crazy. He was not crazy, well, maybe partially crazy, but besides that, not crazy at all. Except, there was a person that looked at him longer than the others, what was his name again, oh yeah, Quintus. "Hello, how are you doing, sir?"

Also, @TheMightyLopen Lopen. You usually have something to say.

I haven't read over all of the posts yet sorry. I'll get something up by the end of the day though, for sure. I got a little bit of a bad vibe from Silverblade I think, but eh, not really sure.

[Amanuensis]

1 hour ago, Ecthelion III said:

 

 

 

 

@Amanuensis Aaaand here we return to the immortal discussion as to whether or not D1 lynches are a good idea. Let's discuss the issue in depth over coffee, shall we?

...

So, that being said, I should probably pick someone to vote on, haha. Like Kipper (I think) said, pokevotes are rather unproductive. I feel like we should lynch someone who early-on supported the Bondsmith win, since that's something a Diagrammist is likely to do. Silverblade supported the Bondsmith win and advocated for a quick decision about what win condition we should shoot for. Seems a little sus to me.

Berilen's pale brow furrowed in confusion. Sweeping a curl of black hair behind her right ear - unintentionally revealing a jagged edge where her lobe should be - she strained to read the man's expression and his body language for any hint of cruel intentions. "Storm your coffee, mister," she said, growing both more irritated and suspicious. A sudden, unfounded thought crossed her mind, then. What if this self-proclaimed "honest" man had been trained by Agrigar himself, and his so called coffee was secretly a fast acting poison, like her father used so often on his enemies? For now she tossed the idea aside, though she would not be taking anything from him. Not anytime soon, at least.

"I've noticed you're avoiding my question. I never asked you anything about the time of day, nor lynches. I asked you for your thoughts on the crowd. Not a lone individual. If it makes you feel any better, I'll share a few things I've noticed, and some thoughts of my own. I've watched as Nelop listened quietly before writing down his thoughts and drifting through the ranks, surely to pass a note to a target, though I can't say for sure, who. I've seen Drak watch the conversation from the shadows, then fade into them entirely, as if he was the darkness himself. As for Ryth, whom you now accuse, we've all seen him ask questions that would be unwise for a Diagrammist to mutter aloud. Perhaps that's not the best reason for me to trust him, but coupled with your evasiveness, I'm starting to think he might be innocent."

Edited January 4, 2017 by Amanuensis

[Silverblade5]

@Ecthelion III

Well, I guess I should defend myself now  I saw multiple ways to win, and thought it would be a good idea to establish which one we, as a group, were going for (which we did. Good discussion by the way.) I advocated it because I got suckered in to the "Yay everyone wins" without completely thinking through the problems with it. When Joe posted he laid out the problems with such a plan. I am no longer supporting that plan.

[A Joe in the Bush]

37 minutes ago, Silverblade5 said:

@Ecthelion III

Well, I guess I should defend myself now  I saw multiple ways to win, and thought it would be a good idea to establish which one we, as a group, were going for (which we did. Good discussion by the way.) I advocated it because I got suckered in to the "Yay everyone wins" without completely thinking through the problems with it. When Joe posted he laid out the problems with such a plan. I am no longer supporting that plan.

Which is exactly why i said 'From this point on" (Or something like that, too lazy to check for exact wording.)

Now, this is partially off topic for this game, partially about the Meta, but I want it out there as a matter of public record.

D1 Lynches are necessary, in a Normal, Eliminator vs. Village mafia game. That has been established beyond a shadow of a doubt. But I'm getting tired of people saying D1 lynches are necessary in every game. Not every game has the same structure of Eliminator vs Village. Some games have conversions, some games have multiple teams. Those games cannot be considered to be the same in regards to D1 Lynches. But here's my rule of thumb for deciding whether or not to participate in a D1 Lynch. I participate in a D1 lynch if the enemy is in a clear majority or clear minority, and i know that my faction cannot be changed. If either of those things are untrue, then i do not participate.

The Enemy is not in a clear majority/minority. I am not voting for a d1 lynch today because we need time to build up chain of command PM's. None of us are part of a faction with a clear majority. We have at most half the players on our side, and at least a quarter of the players on our side, depending on how the Diagrammists are spread out. Either one is bad odds for me to be willing to lynch a random player. Suppose We accidentally put Thad or Rest up for the lynch? Communications amongst the team is crippled. That's worst case scenario, but it's possible. So i won't participate, except to save someone i am certain* is part of my faction.

*Reasonably certain. I know that the people who are connected to me are part of my Son/Ghost Faction, though I don't know if they're part of the Diagrammists. Either way, they're the ones I'll be voting to save.

That said, I am not voting we don't have a D1 Lynch. I would prefer we don't, but that's not going to happen. I'm simply not going to participate until i have a better chain of command established, so that Thad/Rest can inform me through the chain to not vote on this person or that person, because they are part of our faction.

[DrakeMarshall]

A man wearing the livery of one of Sebarial's soldiers watches the crowd. His name is Uther, and like everyone else in the crowd, he is not what he seems.

He doesn't say very much, not yet. It isn't time. Always let them make the first move. It didn't matter if it were a plateau assault, a war of information, or a game of Breakneck. A man from another time once said that "the best way to know if you can trust something, is to trust it." He was right of coarse, but it always pays to let someone else take that first risk of trusting. Always let them make the first move.

Still, the time had come to speak. A decision was to be made. He had originally wondered if a lynching on this night was prudent. He still believed it undesirable to actually execute someone this early... But voting was still an important duty at this time. Through voting, he could learn where the others in the crowd stand. Perhaps some probing was in order...

He steps from the fringes of the square into the center of the crowd, listening and weighing people's words as they argue who is suspect.

His eye eventually settles on @Assassin in Burgundy. "Nelop, care to add anything? So far I have seen you advocate a course of action I think we have already established is probably undesirable... Then slip away into the fringes of the conversation, hopefully forgotten, without very much else to say. Indeed, even if you are not a diagramist, I am almost tempted to question your loyalty to the faction you do serve if you want everyone to be united. The three causes that clash in this square are different in more but name. Our ideologies are irreconcilable, and I for one would sooner be killed in the struggle than renounce my beliefs in the name of so-called peace. The dangers we face are hardly trivial. The everstorm has come, and agents I am tempted to label terrorists and zealots have infiltrated our ranks. I will not accept peace with them."

Edited January 4, 2017 by Drake Marshall

[Silverblade5]

Going back to what Joe said, if you're not at private, only message a person directly below you in the chain of command. That way, the chance of people getting multiple messages gets easier, and the chain of command is more quickly organised.

EDIT: Edit for stupidity. I just remembered that not all ranking players have pm abilities

Edited January 4, 2017 by Silverblade5

[DrakeMarshall]

1 minute ago, Silverblade5 said:

Going back to what Joe said, if you're not at private, only message a person directly below you in the chain of command. That way, the chance of people getting multiple messages gets easier, and the chain of command is more quickly organised.

Pretty sure that unless you are Thaidakar or Restares, you are only allowed to message the people directly below you in the chain of command. So yeah.

[Silverblade5]

Just now, Drake Marshall said:

Pretty sure that unless you are Thaidakar or Restares, you are only allowed to message the people directly below you in the chain of command. So yeah.

Not true. People should know the person that they report to as well as who reports to them.

[DrakeMarshall]

Yeah but you aren't allowed to message your superiors I think... Pretty sure I saw somewhere that they have to message you.

[A Joe in the Bush]

You can only message your inferiors, yeah. If you are a private, remember that your commanding officer has multiple people to contact, so even though you didn't get contacted, just be patient. You'll be contacted by cycle 3 at the latest. Unless your officer gets killed. (There are a lot of windows to fall out of in Urithiru.)

[Assassin in Burgundy]

@Drake Marshall @A Joe in the Bush If you are Thaidiakar/Restares, a commander, or a captain, you can message your inferiors IIRC. If you are that inferior that was contacted, you can reply to it. And @Drake Marshall, was that a poke vote or what? Yes, the majority of people wouldn't prefer a Bondsmith win, but does that make me a Diagrammist because I thought differently? And on that point, I'm fine with another win con. I didn't respond because no one had singled me out for my opinion, not because I was trying to lurk. 

[Silverblade5]

After PM chains have been established, Thaid/Rest should probably decide which commander will likely be most active, and the same for commanders and their captains. That way, we'll be able to ensure maximum communication.

@little wilson

In future cycles, think you could provide a list of links to the start of previous cycles in the write up?

[Ecthelion III]

@Amanuensis "Thoughts on the crowd? Do you mean to say you want me to analyze everyone, at this point in the game? Your mind must be addled. Here, have some coffee. It'll get your head feeling clearer in no time."

Davis drained his cup, and as he did, a piece of metal clinked against his teeth. He reached in and pulled it out. "Hey, was anyone looking for this? I almost swallowed it! That would have been really bad..."

[little wilson]

16 minutes ago, Silverblade5 said:

In future cycles, think you could provide a list of links to the start of previous cycles in the write up?

The first post of the game, with the rules, will be updated to include quick links to all prior cycles. Rather than posting them in each writeup, you can check that first post and go from there. That first post also contains the player list.