The Art of Game Creation

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

19 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

When I played Resistance, we did that once and quickly discovered it wasn't a great idea.  I don't know if it'd be necessary to have a rule about that, but it doesn't necessarily work out well for the villagers.

Ok, thanks. 

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

Ok, I talked to Wyrmhero about it and he said to make it an LG, with 48 hour Days, 24 hour Plannings, and 24 hour nights. So, complete set of rules looks like this:

Spoiler

Setting: Los Angeles, post-Calamity. Several Reckoner Cells are joining forces to take down the ruling Epic, Darkblade. Unfortunately, his minions have infiltrated the Cells, with the intent of destroying the group from the inside.

Roles: 

Reckoner: Standard villager. Must vote "yes" on missions. (More on that in a bit). Win con: Eliminate all Minions or pass [number of players/4] missions.

Minion: Standard Elim. [number of players/5] of them. Starts game with google doc with other Elims. Can vote "yes" or "no." Win con: Outnumber Reckoners or fail [number of players/4] missions.

Day cycle: Lasts 48 hours. Village picks a lynch, etc. Proceeds as normal. 

Planning cycle: 24 hours. One person is randomly selected. They pick four people to go on a mission. This can be themselves. They put people in the mission by writing their name in red. To retract, they write it in green again, like voting. If they do not choose four people by the end of the cycle, they are killed and the mission fails. (Somewhat an inactivity filter). 

Night cycle: Lasts 24 hours. The four players are sent on a mission. They cannot post in the thread or in player-to-player PM's. Before the night ends, they must send a "yes" or a "no" to the gm PM. If they are villager, then they must send a "yes." If they do not send it in, it counts as a "no." If they are an Elim, they can send in either. If they do not send anything, it is counted as a "yes." If there is just one "no" that is sent, then the mission fails and a random villager in the mission is killed. Along with this, the Elims can send in an order to kill someone. If the mission fails because a villager didn't send in an order, that villager is the one that dies.

PM's: Anyone can start a new PM with themselves and someone else per day or night cycle. Group PM's are not allowed.

Other: No special roles. No special items. Trying to keep it simpleish. 

So, what else do I need to do? If that's it, can I sign up?

EDIT: @Metacognition? @A Joe in the Bush? @Jondesu?

 

Edited January 31, 2017 by Assassin in Burgundy

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

On 1/8/2017 at 7:42 PM, Assassin in Burgundy said:

24 hours. The four players are sent on a mission. They cannot post in the thread or in player-to-player PM's. Before the night ends, they must send a "yes" or a "no" to the gm PM. If they are villager, then they must send a "yes." If they do not send it in, it counts as a "no." If they are an Elim, they can send in either. If they do not send anything, it is counted as a "yes." If there is just one "no" that is sent, then the mission fails and a random villager in the mission is killed. Along with this, the Elims can send in an order to kill someone. 

A question and a suggestion.

What happens if multiple players send in a no? And if the mission fails because of an inactive villager, i vote it automatically kills the villager, rather than a random player on the mission.

And, according to the SE Games: Master Doc, you are signed up. Slot 27 for LG. 

[Seonid he/him]

I'll sign up for another LG. And another MR, while I'm at it

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

1 hour ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

A question and a suggestion.

What happens if multiple players send in a no? And if the mission fails because of an inactive villager, i vote it automatically kills the villager, rather than a random player on the mission.

And, according to the SE Games: Master Doc, you are signed up. Slot 27 for LG. 

Then it would still fail. And yeah, that's a good idea. 

EDIT: Oh wow. Will I be running this in 2019 or something?

Edited January 11, 2017 by Assassin in Burgundy

[Jondesu he/him]

I like the idea of the inactivity filter just being death for a member of the team that doesn't vote. There shouldn't be any difference between 1 No or 2-3 for a single mission, which is part of what adds a bit of nice complexity to the game without needing a bunch of roles. I think you'll be good to go with that one minor change.

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

6 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

I like the idea of the inactivity filter just being death for a member of the team that doesn't vote. There shouldn't be any difference between 1 No or 2-3 for a single mission, which is part of what adds a bit of nice complexity to the game without needing a bunch of roles. I think you'll be good to go with that one minor change.

Ok, thanks. Now I'll just need to wait until 2019 >.<

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

 

1 minute ago, Assassin in Burgundy said:

Ok, thanks. Now I'll just need to wait until 2019 >.<

Not Quite! An LG is posted on the 6th cycle of the previous game, and generally has 1 week of signups. So a LG is posted on average, every 22 days. We'll say 25 because there's sometimes a delay. (3 days per cycle, 5 full cycles, + 7 days of signups =22)

Of course, Slot 27 does not mean that there are 27 games between now and You. If you look at the first 9 slots, Slots 1 and 2 are already done, and we're currently waiting for Slot 3 to get to cycle 6 (Which should be in 14 days) After that, slots 4 through 9 and currently passing, due to various restraints, and also slot 11. So, there are actually 16 games waiting to start before yours will start. Going back to our formula, 17 games at 22/25 days before next game is only 374/425 days away.

So, your game will be posted between January 18, 2018 and March 11, 2018.

(Someone check my math please)

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

2 minutes ago, A Joe in the Bush said:

 

Not Quite! An LG is posted on the 6th cycle of the previous game, and generally has 1 week of signups. So a LG is posted on average, every 22 days. We'll say 25 because there's sometimes a delay. (3 days per cycle, 5 full cycles, + 7 days of signups =22)

Of course, Slot 27 does not mean that there are 27 games between now and You. If you look at the first 9 slots, Slots 1 and 2 are already done, and we're currently waiting for Slot 3 to get to cycle 6 (Which should be in 14 days) After that, slots 4 through 9 and currently passing, due to various restraints, and also slot 11. So, there are actually 16 games waiting to start before yours will start. Going back to our formula, 17 games at 22/25 days before next game is only 374/425 days away.

So, your game will be posted between January 18, 2018 and March 11, 2018.

(Someone check my math please)

Oh ok. Good. 

[Straw he/him]

@Assassin in Burgundy Also remember that people will pass/cancel their game!

[Assassin in Burgundy he/him]

1 hour ago, Straw said:

@Assassin in Burgundy Also remember that people will pass/cancel their game!

How often does this happen?

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

Often enough that the dates I gave you could very easily come after your game is finished.

[Jondesu he/him]

So I had an idea I'll probably use when I run a game, and I think it'd be cool if others do as well. I love the Cosmetic Rules from the AG, and the reward is awesome, but we can't all give out rewards of that type. Instead, I'm planning to reward Cosmetic Role usage with trophies or badges at the end of the game, like a special awards ceremony! Those will be just for fun, since I don't have power for anything else, but they should be enjoyable to receive (I know I'd like to win one, even those it's meaningless in the long run, as recognition for doing my CR really well). Some of those awards may just be for funny things too, even made up to reward someone I think is particularly funny or dedicated. They won't even require a person to live through the game necessarily, which should be a cool way to reward people even if they get lynched or kill by Elims/vigilantes.

Thoughts?

Edit: one other idea, I know lots of us have characters we've created stories for and will reuse in multiple games. Is there, or can we create, a place for us to share those characters and their changes? I'm thinking something like a thread where we'd post our characters and talk about changes that happened via or outside of games. I'm personally loving Quintus the Nalthian Scholar, and Remart the gluttonous cripple, who I plan to give a Bendalloy metalmind to help him out.

Edited January 18, 2017 by Jondesu

[TheMightyLopen he/him]

I'd like to sign up to run a LG and a QF please.

[Elenion he/him]

Please put me on the MR list for a Hidden Information game set on Roshar.

On a related note, I'm looking for a more-experienced player to help me ensure that the balancing is correct. Said player would not be able to play the game due to them having inside information.

[Jo and the Bush all/any]

1 hour ago, Elenion said:

Please put me on the MR list for a Hidden Information game set on Roshar.

On a related note, I'm looking for a more-experienced player to help me ensure that the balancing is correct. Said player would not be able to play the game due to them having inside information.

I would be willing to do that if you IM can't.

[Jondesu he/him]

Ok, a non-Sanderson game idea I think would be awesome (could probably work just fine in a Sanderson setting, but I'm not sure which right now):

Set the game in the Old Republic, KOTOR era (for those who haven't played the game, the Sith Empire is at pretty much full strength, openly conquering worlds and with an army of both force-users and regular soldiers). A group of Jedi and non-Jedi is inserted into the Sith army with a mission of assassinating key leaders. Everyone else will be playing Sith soldiers or officers, so the RP will be from the perspective of evil characters instead of good, the opposite of the normal approach (I guess infiltrating the Canton of Inquisition or something could work here, for a Sanderson setting). The assassination targets would be secret, but the Jedi team would have the standard Elim kill per night, and some type of seeker role (the Sith would have seekers and other roles too of course) to help them find the targets they have to kill to win. They wouldn't be required to outnumber the Sith, but they would win if they do, as well as if they simply kill all their targets.

Edit: I think for my game when it comes up (since I committed to running a normal style game first, instead of my Reckoners game, which I still want to run in the future), I'll do a game set on Taldain, in Lossand. A criminal gang setting up shop and asserting their power by killing off competition and innocents alike. Standard ruleset, few if any secret roles, not role madness. Easy to play and run.

Edit 2: Can someone who earns the right to choose a non-Sanderson setting please do a Firefly 'Verse game?

Edited January 31, 2017 by Jondesu

[Elbereth she/her]

On 1/17/2017 at 5:38 PM, Jondesu said:

So I had an idea I'll probably use when I run a game, and I think it'd be cool if others do as well. I love the Cosmetic Rules from the AG, and the reward is awesome, but we can't all give out rewards of that type. Instead, I'm planning to reward Cosmetic Role usage with trophies or badges at the end of the game, like a special awards ceremony! Those will be just for fun, since I don't have power for anything else, but they should be enjoyable to receive (I know I'd like to win one, even those it's meaningless in the long run, as recognition for doing my CR really well). Some of those awards may just be for funny things too, even made up to reward someone I think is particularly funny or dedicated. They won't even require a person to live through the game necessarily, which should be a cool way to reward people even if they get lynched or kill by Elims/vigilantes.

Thoughts?

Edit: one other idea, I know lots of us have characters we've created stories for and will reuse in multiple games. Is there, or can we create, a place for us to share those characters and their changes? I'm thinking something like a thread where we'd post our characters and talk about changes that happened via or outside of games. I'm personally loving Quintus the Nalthian Scholar, and Remart the gluttonous cripple, who I plan to give a Bendalloy metalmind to help him out.

We used to have similar awards for achievements in the games, I think (though that was before me). I think the idea of doing that for CRs is excellent. 

The Acropolis is kind of a place for that? More specifically, I'm reminded of the SEncyclopedia that Bard and I really need to get to working on... A similar place, like a doc or series of docs to give an outline of each character and discuss them, perhaps? 

On 1/20/2017 at 11:47 PM, Elenion said:

Please put me on the MR list for a Hidden Information game set on Roshar.

On a related note, I'm looking for a more-experienced player to help me ensure that the balancing is correct. Said player would not be able to play the game due to them having inside information.

 

On 1/21/2017 at 1:36 AM, A Joe in the Bush said:

I would be willing to do that if you IM can't.

Ditto Joe. 

On 1/31/2017 at 9:59 AM, Jondesu said:

Ok, a non-Sanderson game idea I think would be awesome (could probably work just fine in a Sanderson setting, but I'm not sure which right now):

Set the game in the Old Republic, KOTOR era (for those who haven't played the game, the Sith Empire is at pretty much full strength, openly conquering worlds and with an army of both force-users and regular soldiers). A group of Jedi and non-Jedi is inserted into the Sith army with a mission of assassinating key leaders. Everyone else will be playing Sith soldiers or officers, so the RP will be from the perspective of evil characters instead of good, the opposite of the normal approach (I guess infiltrating the Canton of Inquisition or something could work here, for a Sanderson setting). The assassination targets would be secret, but the Jedi team would have the standard Elim kill per night, and some type of seeker role (the Sith would have seekers and other roles too of course) to help them find the targets they have to kill to win. They wouldn't be required to outnumber the Sith, but they would win if they do, as well as if they simply kill all their targets.

Edit: I think for my game when it comes up (since I committed to running a normal style game first, instead of my Reckoners game, which I still want to run in the future), I'll do a game set on Taldain, in Lossand. A criminal gang setting up shop and asserting their power by killing off competition and innocents alike. Standard ruleset, few if any secret roles, not role madness. Easy to play and run.

Edit 2: Can someone who earns the right to choose a non-Sanderson setting please do a Firefly 'Verse game?

I like the game idea in general and see no problems with it - the bolded part is to note that we've had that, in MR9. Perspective of prospective Inquisitors with skaa infiltrators. (Caused problems when someone said 'skaa' referring to the village instead of the eliminators, a term now known as the Ripple Effect.)

[Darkness Ascendant he/him]

Ok here is an idea of a game I like to call "Tag". It also happens to take place in an original world, in a town called Icarus Fell.

Basically it's sort of like Hurt and Heal. There are Fallen Angels and there are the Agents of Providence

For some basic lore, The villagers like to fantasise that the lake next to their...village was where Icarus fell from the sky. But in fact, it was where Lucifer fell from his Expulsion from Heaven.

The town has always been a cursed place, abnormal things seem to happen there all the time, The Cardinal Sins run rampart there, as do The Dragon's fallen servants

There will be references to Islam, Christianity and Judaism (so bear with me) and roles relating to their teachings.

--------------------

I'm not completely set with the roles and things, but the general concept I just want to run through you guys.

There are the Villagers faction, the Agents of Providence and the Servants of Dragon. Every century, Providence attempts to "clean up" the town and close down the operations of the Servants. Some times they succeed, sometimes they don't, but the Servants eventually Reincarnate in new hosts.

The Villager faction are in a state of flux being Corrupted and Cleansed constantly. Someone who starts as a villager can end up as any faction. The original Agents have a doc that stays with only themselves. As do the Servants. There will be items in circulation that can provide a player with temporary powers such as PM creation etc. 

When someone gets corrupted, they cannot see the Servant's doc and vice versa. They get a PM saying that they have been Corrupted or Cleansed as well as any powers randomly gained. 

The Cardinal Sins are a random occurrence and Possess a player, making him instantly a Servant as long as they live. If a Servant dies, the players he has had a hand in Corrupting (explain in detail later) get Released and are Villagers again. If an Agent dies, the people they have cleansed, stay cleansed but the other Agents get the power of the dead angel split between them (minor boosts depending on the stacks). 

The Agents win if the Servants are successfully killed or if the Cleansed outnumber the Corrupted. And the Servants win if they outnumber the Agents and the Cleansed. 

If a player is killed then a random player is bestowed a Secret Word. The word allows the player to convene with the Dead via the GM or Co GM with a 100 word message. The answer is recorded over the Night cycle and returned to the player the next day should they still be alive.

[Silverblade5 he/him]

@little wilson@Metacognition 

I seem to remember there being a spreadsheet containing a schedule for when future games are expected to start. Would it be possible for a link to that to be added to the OP?

[Aonar he/him]

Figured I'd post an updated version of these rules, now that I've finished them. Although I am theoretically running an LG soonish, with the new restrictions I'm not sure when this is going to be run. Hopefully people find it interesting, though. There are a lot of new mechanics in here.

 

Coyote Stories: Dual-Game Gunnerkrigg Court LG:

So, before we get started, this game is going to be a little unusual. This is not a standard Elimination game. This is not a Faction game. This is not a free-for-all. It’s a bit of all three.

For this game, there will be two game threads, not one. One for the Court, and one for the Wood. Players can only communicate with or PM players in their respective threads, outside of special circumstances. (PMs are night only.) Likewise, there are two factions, Gunnerkrigg and Gillitie. In the Court thread, Gunnerkrigg is Village, and Gillitie Eliminator, and vice versa in the Wood thread. When one game ends, both do. Turns will be 48 hours long.

 

Because of the nature of this game, and the source material, there are a few additional mechanics.

 

The Test: Each player can, once in the game, choose to die. If they do, they will be resurrected into the other thread, given a random non-unique role and have a 60% chance to switch alignments (ergo, villagers will tend to stay villagers, just in the new thread, and elims will tend to stay elims). Note: players who become elims due to the test will not necessarily be added to the Elim doc.

 

Mediums, and Meetings: In addition to the lynch vote that each thread has, each thread also has a Medium vote, where a player can be given or stripped of the Medium role, with a majority vote from the living players. Mediums may post/PM in both threads, and gain a neutral alignment, unless they are an Eliminator. Additionally, they can appoint a Guardian from their original thread. This Guardian gains either the Dragonslayer, or Protector of the Forest role, depending on their thread, and gains the win-con of ensuring their Medium’s survival. If the Medium loses their role, so does their Guardian.

 

In addition to the powers the Medium had before, the appointed Medium gains the ability to call a Meeting. During a Meeting, there is only one thread, and all players can take actions on each other, PM each other, and they have a group lynch. The game cannot end during a Meeting. Meetings cannot be held concurrently.

 

Secrets: Given the source material, there are some things you're going to have to discover for yourselves. There are hidden roles and alignments, and while you'll have to take my word for this, they do not bias the game towards any one side.

 

 

Roles: Forest villagers are guaranteed to have a Forest role, and Court villagers are guaranteed a Court role. Eliminators can have roles of either type.

 

Forest:

 

Hollow Faerie: Hollow Faeries cannot undergo the Test. However, if they are killed, they are automatically resurrected in the other game following standard rules.

 

Regional Faerie: You have a small power over the Ether. While generally speaking you are harmless, you can be annoying. Target a player, any action they take has a 25% chance to fail, or any action taken against them has a 25% chance to fail.

 

Air Elemental: Using your mastery over the air, you can PM one player of your choice during the day.

 

Anwyn/Forest Elf: Although not the most Etherically powerful of Forest dwellers, you come from a strong people, and not many can boast your tolerance for alcohol. During the day, you can slip someone a glass of achewater, and they will pass out and forget to vote.

 

Rogat Orjak: Despite appearances, you are not an dragon, and would much rather not be compared to one of those barbarians, thank you. Your large size allows you to shrug off most attacks, and makes your fellows reluctant to accuse you, even though you’ve assured them multiple times you’re quite nice, really. (Extra life, optional -1 vote at the end of the Day.)

 

Shadowperson: One of the remnants of Coyote’s failed attempt to replicate humanity, you have no particular Etheric talents, but you are sneaky. You can follow a player at night and see what actions they take.

 

Wisp: A masterful illusionist, you can convince anyone of anything. During the day, you can move one player’s vote.

 

Ysengrin: An ancient wolf spirit who is unswervingly loyal to Coyote, you have an enormously powerful etheric presence. (Kill/Protect) Unique.

 

Reynard: An ancient trickster-spirit, your etheric skills revolve around misdirection and illusion. (Redirect/Conceal[<-Coppercloud equivalent, blocks Shadowperson scan and vote manipulation.]) Unique.

 

Protector of the Forest: Gifted enormous power by Coyote to protect your Medium, the very trees have become an extension of your being. In Gillitie Wood, you are all but omnipotent, although you feel your physical body atrophying. Kill, Protect, Roleblock, Redirect, Extra Life. Can use up to two actions each night, however, additional uses count towards atrophy. If they use three actions consecutively, they die. Powers weakened during Meetings (loses the extra action period). Unique.

 

 

Court:

 

Barrier Mage: You can attempt to protect a player each night. Although you will save them from death, there is a chance they will be injured, unable to place a vote or take actions next cycle.

 

Witch: Each night you may cast a spell attempt to gauge a player’s intentions. (Basically an alignment scanner, albeit with a chance of failure.)

 

Telepath: Each day, you are given the option to PM up to three random active players.

 

Making Everything Boring: Any random effect always lands the way you wish it. Unique. (Note, requires specific targets, and knowledge of the random effects; cannot affect more than two things at once.)

 

Demi Fire Elemental: One kill attempt per cycle; as with Barrier Mage, it cannot fail completely, but it can injure instead.

 

Dragonslayer: Trained and warded to enhance your physical abilities to a superhuman degree, you are the greatest warrior of the Court. Two lives, kill/protect. Unique.

 

Teleport: You can randomly swap two player’s locations, so that actions that would affect one instead affect the other. (Basically, trade actions that would target you for actions targeting a random other player.)

 

Zeta: Officially speaking, you do not have a power. Unofficially speaking, you are very, very scary. 10% chance each Turn for you and a random number of others to be transported to an nightmarish alternate dimension. If this happens, you will all be put in a PM together for the turn, and be unable to speak in-thread. Each player taken has a 20% chance to die, or change alignments. Actions taken while Zeta’s role is in effect can have unpredictable results. Unique.

 

Engineer: You specialize in building robots. You can send a drone to stalk a player, either listening in on their conversations or reporting back their actions. High failure chance. However, you can send this outside the Court. If you do, however, and it fails, the drone will attempt to take root, and you will be executed at the next Meeting.

 

Etheric Scientist: While you have no talent with the Ether yourself, you’ve devoted all your time to studying it. Largely powerless on your own, although you can disrupt or enhance Etheric abilities. (Roleblock or remove failure chance of roles, Engineer excepted.)

Edited February 25, 2017 by Aonar Faileas

[Jondesu he/him]

Anyone want to read over my writeup and basic concept for my Taldain game? No real spoilers, but it does include the names of one character from the book and a few places (only from the graphic novel, I haven't read the prose version, though I'm hoping to receive it before long, since I emailed Brandon a couple months ago I think). It's less about the actual gameplay than the setting, since the game itself will be a basically vanilla game with just some of the most common roles.

[Elenion he/him]

29 minutes ago, Jondesu said:

Anyone want to read over my writeup and basic concept for my Taldain game? No real spoilers, but it does include the names of one character from the book and a few places (only from the graphic novel, I haven't read the prose version, though I'm hoping to receive it before long, since I emailed Brandon a couple months ago I think). It's less about the actual gameplay than the setting, since the game itself will be a basically vanilla game with just some of the most common roles.

I'm up for it, unless you're looking for a more experienced player.

[Jondesu he/him]

5 minutes ago, Elenion said:

I'm up for it, unless you're looking for a more experienced player.

Nah, it's just RP write up, and maybe you can help me with some suggestions of how the story can progress to fit the game. I'll PM you.

[Ecthelion III he/him]

I've been working on a system which has the players use Google Sheets to submit their orders and then automatically gathers up all the information for the GM on one screen. It seems to work so far, which is good And it's much simpler for everyone to use.