Quick Fix Game 33 - Deception: Murder in the Cosmere

[MetaTerminal]

Very well played by all 3 elims. It came down to the wire. That was a really interesting format, and I think the second game was much more balanced, especially without the planet location oracle card - having a Minor Shardworld clue to narrow it down would have meant a much earlier guess. We were stumped for a long while, which I think is how the game’s supposed to go.

As it stands, I like the idea of this being a semi-regular thing, and the reduced signup time should be alright as the game can be played with less people. Once we get into special roles, this thing’ll get insane. (Cut to Anonymous Lightining Game 37, with Role Madness, guess manipulation and items.)

Actually, last round I was the murderer and incorrectly accused PK of being the Witness; this round, he was the murderer and he incorrectly accused me! Coincidence? Probably. (And to think that the outcome of the entire game hinged on the fact that I suck at counting. Had I been more accurate, they wouldn’t have suspected me as much.) A few people acted impressed last round when we got it down to 2 options for witness; it’s actually surprisingly easy to narrow down, as you’ll notice throughout the game who seems to catch onto you. But picking the right one out of a lineup of three is pretty difficult.

Well played everyone. Look forward to if/when this format is played again.

[I think I am here.]

4 hours ago, Herowannabe said:

I'm curious to think what everyone else thought- particularly the Conspirators. 

As a Conspirator, I will say I loved this game. The plotting of finding ways to put the Investigators off track, the desperate attempts of finding the witness, and obviously, getting to act like a madman with no consequences, it’s all great.

I also thought the game was well balanced, two Conspirators with a murderer seems like a good sweet spot for standard games.

But yeah, deception is fun.  And I would certainly not be opposed for having this type of game become a recurring thing.

So, yeah, that’s my input. Great game, everyone!

(Special thanks to Herowannabe and Alvron for GMing IMing a new game type.)

(Also special thanks to my teammates, who benefited from my temporary insanity.)

(Also special thanks to Investigators,for putting up with said Insanity.)

(So, yeah, special thanks to everyone. Ain’t that wholesome?)

Edited September 11, 2018 by I think I am here.
Added special thanks

[DeTess]

First, I'd like to quickly apologize for being less active in the latter half of this game. I'd like to claim it was because I was super busy, but ti was in fact quite the opposite. I've just finished an internship and had very little to do last week, but that only made clear that i really needed some rest and time without doing anything involving using my brain for analytical stuff.

Anyway, well done to steeldancer for figuring it out, and to the elim team for making this one pretty difficult. Thanks to Herowannabe for running it and Alvron fro IM-ing it.

Anyway, i did really enjoy this style of game, as has already been suggested, I'd make every day 24 hours, or have the first day be 48 hours and then the rest be 24, as in the 2nd and 3rd day there's usually significantly less to discuss than in the first day. The conspirator role is also very interesting, especially in that figuring out what the best method and evidence to select is requires the same kind of skills as you need to solve the crime, so you're still very much playing the same game.

Edited September 11, 2018 by randuir

[Kidpen]

6 hours ago, Alvron said:

So, player of SE, what do you think?  Should these Lightning games become a semi regular thing?  Is there a way you can see to improve or tweak them?  Give your opinion whether good or bad for only together can we make our corner of the Shard a welcoming place for all.

Yes yes yes yes. Once I started actually contributing, I loved this game a ton, partially because I was making a relatively short commitment. Just hopping into one of these for a three day thing would be my ideal game during the school year cause of a generally low level of time (not that I wouldn't be active during those three days). During longer breaks I'll be able to commit more fully to longer games, but until then this is better.

[Madagascar]

Good game everyone. The short cycles/games were pretty convenient for me as well. Thanks, Hero.

[Rathmaskal]

Well played everyone.  Just read through the elim doc.  Looks like y'all had a lot of fun in there.

Thanks for the two games.  I'd enjoy having this in the rotation as well.  Provides a nice break, gets done pretty quickly (great for the time when signups are going on).  Bold play Squiddancer...actually making the guess as the witness.

[Steeldancer]

Heck, this one was difficult even knowing who the conspirators were! I don’t know that I would be able to make the time to always play this format, but it would be both simple to run and easy to play in the future. So I would be interested in keeping it around. Perhaps more like cosmere codenames? 

[Walin]

This game was really fun! I wish I had done more analysis in the middle, or done some more rp.

I suppose this will be a fitting aftermath:

Higsedal heard the announcement of the killer's identity. He could return to Investicon without fear of losing his metalminds, or getting killed. He looked around at all the opportunities, the different research available for sale, the signatures and the gadgets. He traded for a Scadrian musical device, noting that he had to replace the ettmetal battery once every two months--quite a chunk of Investiture, but then again, the device also functioned as a glass-breaker, sonic range-finder, deafener grenade, and speaker system. He really didn't get the appeal of making the multitool so...varied in application, but he supposed it was worth it if he kept it in good condition.

It was time to return to Scadrial, and make copies of this event. It might prove something useful in any further conflict.

[Alvron]

@Elandera, @Droughtbringer, @Bort, @Devotary of Spontaneity, @A Joe in the Bush and @Cadmium Compounder what are your thoughts?  Would you play this type of game again?  Did you find the turns lasted too long or were they about right?  Do you think 24 hours would fit better?

Same goes to anyone that didn't play.  What are your thoughts?  Did you find it easy enough to follow along?  Did you try and make some guesses as to who the murderer was and how close were you?

We need to hear from everyone that has an opinion whether good or bad so an informed decision can be made.  Last thing we want is for anyone to think they aren't heard for it is the combined efforts of everyone here, players, watchers and GMs that makes these games what they are.

[Elandera]

I would definitely play this style of game again. I personally think the 48-hour turns were just about right. Unless my schedule lines up just right, I wouldn't have enough time with 24-hour turns to really get a chance to dig through the clues (I hardly had that on the second round anyways because of overtime at work). However, there is a benefit to doing 24-hour turns if the plan is to do more than one round of the game at a time. If turns were shorter, we could feasibly fit 3 games into a week and a half or less.

The balance during round 2 was just about right. I think the biggest difference was removing the world-specific clue that made it more challenging for the investigators. It might be possible to go back to 4 evidence/4 methods, and still have the balance work out in that case.

Thank you Herowannabe for GMing/Oracle-ing this game. It was tons of fun! I'm sad I didn't get to participate quite as much during the second round, or finish up my RP. I kind of got stuck since my realmatic theory is a bit rusty, and I ran out of time to come up with something feasible. Just know Oyh and Veh made it back to Roshar just fine!

In summary, I think it should be kept on the roster as a possibility for QF games. It throws a bit more of variety into the mix.

[CadCom]

So, I didn't play this one as much as other games, and partly because I felt that the cycles were too long, but, at the same time, I can't see them being any shorter. I think I would enjoy this game with real people, but I personally think I would just spectate future games of this style. 

That doesn't mean it isn't fun, it's just not quite right for me. 

[Droughtbringer]

I quite enjoyed it, and would play it again if it came around.

[A Joe in the Bush]

I lobed both games, and would love a chance to play again. I would also be willing to run such games.

[Devotary of Spontaneity]

I did enjoy playing these games, even though I did not participate as much as I could have. For timing purposes, possibly 24 hours for the first round and second rounds and then 48 hours for the third?  I feel like a lot of the time in the early rounds was spent waiting for more information, but then we ended up needing all the time in the second play-through to arrive at an answer so maybe that's a bad suggestion.

[Herowannabe]

13 hours ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

I lobed both games, and would love a chance to play again. I would also be willing to run such games.

Oh that reminds me, now that the spreadsheet is set up I am happy to put myself available to GM this again anytime in the future OR to assist anyone else who wants a turn as GM/Oracle. Or, if anyone feels comfortable running it on their own, then I’ll be happy to sign up as a player.  

12 hours ago, Devotary of Spontaneity said:

I did enjoy playing these games, even though I did not participate as much as I could have. For timing purposes, possibly 24 hours for the first round and second rounds and then 48 hours for the third?  I feel like a lot of the time in the early rounds was spent waiting for more information, but then we ended up needing all the time in the second play-through to arrive at an answer so maybe that's a bad suggestion.

Perhaps we should do something like set a default of 24 hour turns, but allow players to request a 24 hour extension to the current cycle if they wish. That way if there isn’t much to discuss then we can hurry on to the next cycle, or if there is a lot to discuss we can slow the turns down a bit. 

[Elandera]

1 hour ago, Herowannabe said:

Perhaps we should do something like set a default of 24 hour turns, but allow players to request a 24 hour extension to the current cycle if they wish. That way if there isn’t much to discuss then we can hurry on to the next cycle, or if there is a lot to discuss we can slow the turns down a bit

That could work a little like a lynch vote with the majority winning. One player could start, petitioning for an extension, then people can vote Yes or No.

[Bort]

Honestly, I'd probably not play this style again. Not that I don't like the concept, but full cosmere meant I had no idea about half of the items listed. 

 

Maybe if it was limited to, say, just Mistborn or Stormlight,  then I could be tempted back.

[Fifth Scholar]

Having been quite a while since this game finished up, it’s time to lock it up for posterity. Seeing an unfamiliar format brought to SE as a QF was certainly intriguing, and it’s a pleasure to see that it was a success, even if these games aren’t regularly incorporated. Thanks are due to Hero for running both of these Deception games, and thanks are due to the players for being willing to give them a shot. Congrats to both teams of investigators for their victory, and to the assassins and their conspirators for two well-fought games.

As always, if anyone would like to try their hand at running a game, please get ahold of Wilson, Orlok, Alvron or myself. Not only will we get you added to the list, but we'd also be more than willing to help out in any way we can.

 

You can also ask questions and get some hints and feedback from everyone in our Art of Game Creation thread. With all the games that we've run so far, we have plenty of experienced GMs that can help you refine any game you're thinking about. If you would rather keep some detail secret, or are self-conscious about posting in thread (there's really no need to be; while we do slaughter each other, we are very polite about it), then I'm sure one of our fantastic committee members (Elbereth, Amanuensis, Aonar Faileas, A Joe in the Bush, or Stink) would be more than willing to help you out in private.

Thanks again to everyone that played, and we look forward to killing seeing you in future games!