DrakeMarshall

Thank you for feedback. In response: 1. Now that I've had some experience co-GMing, I think I understand what you are saying. Probably better to do 48 day / 24 night, because that seems to work pretty well. 2. I considered making it that the "second choice" thing just kill a random person on the same island as the one who put in the kill order. I'm pretty sure the reason I didn't end up doing that is because the environment was already dangerous. But that disadvantages the elims as much as the village, so I think I might change it so that if the specified target isn't available, a random person on the island is attacked instead. In regard to location reveals... I thought about this, yes, because it is pretty central to the gameplay. In most cases, players can lie about their location. Eliminators will obviously want to do this occasionally, because if one player is consistently on the island that a murder takes place, they are instantly suspect. Some villagers may want to lie about this sometimes as well, if they believe that they are likely to be targeted by eliminators. This fact makes the tracker Aviar particularly useful (especially when combined with mindshield), since you can use it as an investigative role as village, or use it to kill specific targets as an eliminator. And the mindshield makes traveling safe, so you can hop islands quickly and make it hard for people to be sure you were on a given island in a given cycle. The only exception to lying about your location is Sori. Sori is the only island that gets a group PM. If everyone goes on Sori, the game becomes pretty much a vanilla mafia game. Power roles become pretty rare and location is no longer a factor. 3. Traveling is a very bad idea unless you have a mindshield Aviar (Speaking of which, I'd probably change it so that mindshield reduce travel dangers to 0%, not 3%. In retrospect, it would be stupid to die on that 3%). Fortunately, mindshield Aviar are by far the easiest type to acquire. I would guess the amount of traveling will increase substantially in the later game when most living players own a mindshield Aviar, but at the beginning, people are basically trapped on their starting island. I realize this means that certain starting island setups would be unbalanced. It is possible that players would need to be arbitrarily assigned starting islands, but I still like the idea of players selecting a starting island themselves since choosing certain islands can be risky. 4. Aviar are never depleted. That is not a final decision though. Similarly, the odds I listed at capturing Aviar are not final. I will need to think about this more and calculate the projected number of each role given the current odds, per cycle. That would give me a better idea of what numbers to use. But I think that for an average sized SE game, the numbers I gave should be sort of close to the target. 5. Depending on how people play it, I can foresee the game going very fast or very slow. But I could get behind it being an MR and not an LG. The only real reason I gravitated towards LG for this one is because the rules are a little complicated.

If I am going to follow the same general approach as Seonid, then the particular details in the write-up are not to be wholly trusted. And I believe I should follow that approach, because this is Seonid's game. So I will not confirm or deny your supposition.

Day 5: A Test of Metal Second Nameless quietly shut the door to his room, careful not to awake any of the other guards. It was colder in his quarters then he expected. No matter. Second absentmindedly sorted through a stack of papers on his table. Mostly orders for more metals. Metal trade was a major industry on this world, and PRIME preferred that his servants be financially able to support themselves. Wealth without any apparent source drew the wrong kind of attention. Of coarse, with the recent crackdown on metals, supplying people with good alloys of allomantic grade metal also drew its share of unwanted attention. The grey stone in Second's ring began to pulse with a dim inner light. "ANY NEWS OF FIFTH TODAY?" PRIME inquired, speaking directly in Second's mind. "No, sir, none so far. Just more signs of Conrad and Venture fighting." "VERY WELL... YOU ARE TO KEEP SEARCHING FOR FIFTH." "Of coarse, sir. I will be--" Second hesitated as he saw the tendrils of mist creeping into his room through his shattered window, quickly evaporating as if reluctant to trespass in a home. Outside, a figure calmly regarded him, motionless. "WHAT IS IT?" PRIME asked, currently not linked to see through Second's eyes. "I... I am not sure, my lord. One moment." Second slowly walked towards the door of his room, while reaching for the silvery coin in his pocket. A slight cough sounded behind him, as if to get Second's attention. He spun around, tossing his coin in the air. When he caught it again, it had morphed into a long, silver blade, exquisitely balanced. "A fascinating weapon." a voice sounded. Second located its source: a second figure in the shadowed corner of his room, wearing the attire of a guard. "One wonders where it came from. At any rate, you are not the only one here who would use a coin as a weapon." The intruder snapped their fingers, and a handful of boxings flew towards Second. Patches of red blossomed on his clothing as the coins ripped through him, and Second keeled over. The pain was indescribable. "Goodbye, Lance." The guard silently opened the door and left. "SECOND. REPORT!" PRIME sounded in his head. Second attempted to muster a response, but could not. He blacked out. ------------------------------------ Barry Allen couldn't sleep. No matter how much he tried to. He lay awake in his quarters, aware that everyone else in the barracks was likely fast asleep. But because he was awake, Barry saw the door to his room swing open, and one of the other guards entering. They were coming. And he'd known they would. The Ventures weren't about to tolerate a mistborn in Conrad's guard force, were they? They had come to finish him off. Barry remained motionless, waiting, trying to breathe evenly, as if still asleep. He couldn't reach any of his weapons without alerting the intruder... Nor could he easily fight them off. Not only were his metals missing, but there was probably more than one attacker. He could call for help, but it would be too late. He was almost helpless. The intruder reached Barry. There was a flash of a glass dagger. Barry Allen tried to scream, but his throat was slit. He lay on his bed, bleeding profusely and watching his attacker quietly leave. ------------------------------------ "UP!" Gern bellowed at Lance's door. Sometimes the guards were slow in the morning, which was unacceptable. Still, it was rare behavior for Lance... "Lord Ruler man, get to your post or I'll drag you there!!!" he shouted. There was no reply. Gern sighed, and barged open the door, ready to shake Lance awake. "Lord Ruler..." He whispered in disbelief. Lance lay dead in a pool of blood, glaring sightlessly back at Gern, surrounded by scattered slips of paper that seemed to be requests for allomantic metals. He raised the alarm. ------------------------------------ Gern moved on to Barry Allen's room, dreading what he would find. Surely another corpse. Still, just in case, he yelled his customary "UP!" before barging in, in the event that the guard was simply just sleeping in. Allen's bed was empty, with a large brown stain of dried blood on the sheet. Gern cursed. That was probably the last he would see of Barry Allen. He heard a thump emanating from from the closet. What? Carefully, he swung open the closet door... And Barry Allen waited on the other side, very much alive and holding a sword out wardingly. Gern could see a long, jagged scar running across Allen's neck. Impossible. Such a wound should have killed him. "Thank the Lord Ruler," Allen said. "You aren't one of them." Day 5 has begun! It will end at 10:30 PM, Mountain Daylight Time, June 13th. Lance (Ecthelion III) was attacked! They were a Metallurgist! Barry Allen (The Flash) was attacked, but survived! Player List: Marv (Hemalurgic_Headshot) Barry Allen (The Flash) Jeff (Manukos) - short for Jeffonimo Lance (Ecthelion III) - The Second Nameless Metallurgist Booken (Paranoid King) - a victim of the "common word + en" method of naming Village Seeker Garshin (Yitzi2) Ribis (cloudjumper) - the bored second son of a noble from the Remote Dominance Stick McStick (_Stick_) Village Courier and Brass Spiked Remart (Jondesu) Beet Asper (Ornstein) - an old timer who knows his stuff Metallurgist Locke Tekiel (OrlokTsubodai) - a scion of a well - respected noble house Village Captain Absolen (StrikerEZ) - a skaa worker in the Conrad fields Village Lurcher Jay (DroughtBringer) - a blind young man attempting to keep his blindness a secret Boris (Elenion) - a guard known for laziness and general apathy Hadrian Penrod (Araris Valerian) - hoping to ascend to Ruin Mehir (Metacognition) - a mute and paranoid guard Cluny (Cluny the Scourge) - a man who believes he is a rat with a spearhead on his tail Valbar (TheMightyLopen) - who always gets ignored despite his large stature Village Rioter Mila (BrightnessRadiant) - a girl from the country Venture Courier Sorren Karidor (Dalinar Kholin) - an old guard who's been here longer than any of you whippersnappers Village Thug Argyle (Sart) - a very clumsy man

I'm glad to see we agree then...

I have returned. Well it as a good game. Also the first time I've been on the winning team I think. Anyways, El your writeups have been excellent. Also I would like to mention that I studied artificery, not physicking. Although I doubt the information would have mattered. Also out of curiosity, what was the reasoning behind double tapping me? It may have been voiced in a post, but I've only really been reading write-ups for this game recently. What with having a single ward before getting expelled, I am fairly sure that Jondesu was one of the attackers. The general structure of this game was fascinating. It seemed to work fairly well, and while village won a second time, I think it was mostly pretty close. Some other thoughts: -I do agree that being able to spy on the eliminator doc may have been a mistake. -I also agree that it sure would be nice to be able to create items even when not attending the university... -I also like Wilson's suggestion about lodging restrictions on nobles. And I generally approve of balancing social classes, although I should point out that part of elimination is unfair distribution. Power roles in "vanilla" setups are rarely spread equally (although I rather appreciate the idea I've seen in this game and in LG30 where players gain power roles based on their own decisions and activity, and start with no special powers). -In regard to no black market contracts. I was planning on using it to buy psychological counseling... Then use my ward to identify the physicker who took my contract, PM them, and start up a protection racket. It would be difficult, but... Supposing we both managed to get to master in our respective fields... And I supplied them with 3-shot grams and they kept me from going insane... We would both become nigh immortal in the game. So... Well I tried to use that system to great effect, but predictably, something went wrong. -The Eolian is pretty chancy, though I can attest that those dice aren't always evil. -Devi's interest rates are ruinous (which imo is as it should be, because this is Devi we are talking about), but the real kicker I think is that you just can't take out enough of a loan for it to be worth it. I mean, part of the point of a gaelet is that they will loan out to you an unsafe amount, simply because they are also going to charge really steep interest rates. Maybe you should be able to offer up certain items as collateral or something? Or maybe the consequences of defaulting on the loan could be steeper (after all a bigger loan just means you're voodoo doll is more expensive, possibly more expensive then a simple assassin, so the current consequences are in my opinion too low), but the maximum loanable amount could be higher. But the proposed loaning benefits to Cealdish should probably make Devi be a more useful feature. -Gambling den sounds like a fun idea. I just hope it isn't basically "put in one talent, you get a 50/50 to double or nothing." At that point it becomes raw luck, which I don't like. But calculated risks... Well, that's a major part of this game. If the gambling was a little more nuanced, it could certainly be an excellent addition to the game. -As for the apothecary... I agree that protection should be more expensive. It seems that assassins are a pretty important part of the game, because other than naming it is really the only way to kill someone... But I suppose that if protection is made more expensive, it would make sense to make killing somewhat more expensive as well. Anyways, I do believe I should go check up on the status of LG34; just thought I'd drop by.

Here's a thought I've had (please forgive the double post, but there is a sufficient time in between, and I believe these two ideas are unrelated enough to logically go in separate posts). I bet I could make a bot in either discord or slack that automatically administrates a quick-quick-fix SE game. I hear both discord and slack offer some decent APIs. Personally I think this wouldn't be as good as what we normally get on forums, but there are still certain advantages. Less time investment for our busy players, and a small set of rules that can be run repeatedly and balanced to perfection, without the bot "GM" ever getting tired of rerunning it. Would people generally be interested in that sort of thing?

Night 3: Fire Inevitably, the guards found themselves waiting in their barracks again as night drew near. The skies were uncharacteristically clean of ash today, and the mists were just beginning to set in. The mists were, in fact, one of the reasons the guards congregated indoors this night. As trained guards, they would go out in the mists if ordered to do so... But who hadn't heard stories of mistwraiths? Even if you didn't believe the stories, there was something undeniably haunting about the mists. Gazing into them, you knew there was something out there. Something so vastly powerful, and vastly alien, something looking back at you when you stared into the mists. The only people who were comfortable around the mists were the allomancers... And in times like these, few had the courage to admit to possessing allomancy. Needless to say, the guards were not content on this night. None of the Venture agents had yet been caught. And people were dying because of it. Barry Allen glowered at Locke, who had claimed responsibility for ordering Allen's incarceration. Earlier in the day, the two had nearly come to blows. But things had settled down... Mostly. As the last of the guards filed into the barracks, Hadrian spoke up. "I think it's time to re-open this issue. Why is there a stick in our guard force?" "Yes, we do need to discuss this. What is a stick doing here? The recruiter get drunk or something?" Lance chimed in. This just might be crazy enough to be related to fifth in some way... "Stick, what is your purpose here?" "I am a stick." the Stick answered. "We don't need a stick as a guard. We should make it become fire." Mila pointed out. "I am a stick." the Stick protested. "No, you are obviously a Venture agent!" Mehir shouted at the Stick. "I am a stick." Stick repeated, sounding hurt. "All in favor of removing this stick from the House Conrad guard force, say aye." "Aye," said Hadrian. "Aye," said Lance. "Aye," said Mila. "Aye," said Mehir. "I am a stick," said Stick. And so it was decided. The other guards threw Stick on the hearth to keep them warm for the night. And Stick became fire. Night 3 has begun! It will end at 10:30 PM, Mountain Daylight Time, June 8th. Stick McStick (_Stick_) was lynched! They were a Village Courier and a Spiked (Allomantic Brass)! The following metals are available for ordering: Allomantic Bronze Vote Count: _Stick_ (4): Ecthelion III, Araris Valerian, Metacognition, BrightnessRadiant The Flash (2): Jondesu, Cluny The Scourge Ecthelion III (1): Elenion Jondesu (1): The Flash OrlokTsubodai (1): Sart Player List: Marv (Hemalurgic_Headshot) Barry Allen (The Flash) Jeff (Manukos) - short for Jeffonimo Lance (Ecthelion III) - The Second Nameless Booken (Paranoid King) - a victim of the "common word + en" method of naming Village Seeker Garshin (Yitzi2) Ribis (cloudjumper) - the bored second son of a noble from the Remote Dominance Stick McStick (_Stick_) Village Courier and Brass Spiked Remart (Jondesu) Beet Asper (Ornstein) - an old timer who knows his stuff Metallurgist Locke Tekiel (OrlokTsubodai) - a scion of a well - respected noble house Absolen (StrikerEZ) - a skaa worker in the Conrad fields Jay (DroughtBringer) - a blind young man attempting to keep his blindness a secret Boris (Elenion) - a guard known for laziness and general apathy Hadrian Penrod (Araris Valerian) - hoping to ascend to Ruin Mehir (Metacognition) - a mute and paranoid guard Cluny (Cluny the Scourge) - a man who believes he is a rat with a spearhead on his tail Valbar (TheMightyLopen) - who always gets ignored despite his large stature Village Rioter Mila (BrightnessRadiant) - a girl from the country Sorren Karidor (Dalinar Kholin) - an old guard who's been here longer than any of you whippersnappers Village Thug Argyle (Sart) - a very clumsy man

This cycle is now closed!

I've never played one of these games (I have read through em though), but in the shards vs. Hoid game, this is one of the powers given to the shard of preservation. Ooooh I love this. It's probably still not-quite balanced but I'm still fascinated with the idea. And I bet certain adjustments can be made. If we ever do another kingkiller game... This should totally be the basis for a Cthaeh role. It would be so epic... It makes sense lore-wise too, because a kingmaker scenario is about as close as you can get to everybody losing. And the Cthaeh would approve of that. It could be an endgame condition where everybody loses but the Cthaeh. Another idea, to build on that... This role could get one other power, where every cycle they can choose to heal any person that they PMed that cycle. Not only does this fit the lore of taking the Cthaeh's counsel, but it gives them another little tool to give them a chance at actually becoming a kingmaker. This is obviously a two-edged sword, because using that ability risks outing yourself as the Cthaeh. I'll need to think about this a bit... But I quite like the concept.

Night 2: Going Gentle into that Good Night The sun touched the horizon, staining the ash-choked sky a murky orange. The House Conrad barracks were crowded with off-duty guards, grimly waiting. They knew someone among them would probably die that night, if the pattern continued. Worse, they knew that someone among them would be the killer. Tension hung heavily in the air, pressing down on them as a physical presence, smothering and snuffing out idle conversation, feeding on paranoia. Barry was the first to speak up. "Right, someone needs to bring up the possibility of traitors. That Cluny fellow is acting awful quiet. I'd bet he's hiding something. And I'll tell Lord Conrad so, too!" Valbar spoke next, "and why the hell do we have a stick in our guard force? Whose idea was that? Probably the Ventures' idea of a joke..." Nearly everyone in the barracks had an accusation to make, and soon arguments flew around the room. ------------------------------------------ Sorren watched the crowd, and snorted. Those younglings had no idea what they were doing. Inexperienced. Still, they looked out for blood. He touched his vials of pewter reassuringly. With metals scarce, he wasn't burning any yet, but he was glad to know that he could. If the younglings for some reason decided to turn on him. It was getting late. Sorren yawned, his disinterest evident. "What do you think about the Ventures, old man?" one of the crowd asked. "Go away," Sorren grumbled, "I'd like to get to sleep and you all keep shouting." "And what's wrong with shouting?!" one of them shouted. "Don't you want to find the spies??!" "You know, I'd rather get some sleep right now." "Maybe he's saying that because he is the spy!!!" Sorren rolled his eyes. The crowd suddenly surged forward to grab him by the arms. The guards might have torn him apart on the spot, except the captains shouted over everyone else, demanding Sorren be brought before Lord Conrad. Sorren sighed in relief. Maybe he wouldn't need his pewter after all. Conrad wasn't quite as young as this lot; maybe he would see reason. Sorren would come quietly. --- Lord Conrad stepped outside, removing a pair of spectacles and folding away a report. He inspected the assembled guardsmen with irritation. "What's the matter here?" he asked, glancing at Sorren, who was restrained by two captains. "He's the traitor! He's been acting suspicious!!" a guard shouted. "Very well. I trust your reports," Conrad replied. Sorren looked at Conrad, incredulous. He supposed Conrad was still younger then himself, and he was showing it. Sorren spoke up. "Now listen here, you young whippersnapper!!!" At this, Conrad's eyes widened in fury. "That's not how guarding works!!! Lord Ruler man, you don't just guess that so-and-so seems suspicious and then off them! We're guards. We keep watch and prevent Ventures from murderin' everyone in the first place!" Silence followed. Then, it was shattered as another voice in the crowd yelled, "That's just what a spy would say!" "Shall we detain him, Lord Conrad?" Gern, the chief guardsman asked. A dark look passed Conrad's face. "No... No, kill him." Conrad turned around and walked back inside. Sorren watched Conrad leave in surprise. He reached for his pewter. It was time to teach these younglings a lesson or two about respect. Then, suddenly, he felt a splitting pain in the back of his neck as Gern's sword hit him. The last thing that passed through Sorren's mind before his head hit the ground was "I shouldn't have come quietly..." Then oblivion. Night fell. --- That night, the guardsmen searched Sorren's belongings to find evidence of treachery, but could not find anything. They decided against reporting the findings of their unofficial investigation to Lord Conrad. Night 2 has begun! It will end at 10:30 PM, Mountain Daylight Time, June 5th. Sorren Karidor (Dalinar Kholin) was lynched! They were a Village Thug! The following metals are available for ordering: Allomantic Brass, Allomantic Copper Sorry about this writeup taking a while... I plead inexperience Vote Count: _Stick_ (1): Dalinar Kholin OrlokTsubodai (1): StrikerEZ TheMightyLopen (1): Elenion BrightnessRadiant (1): Araris Valerian Cluny The Scourge (2): Ecthelion III, Sart Dalinar Kholin (4): Hemalurgic Headshot, _Stick_, Jondesu, TheMightyLopen, BrightnessRadiant Player List: Marv (Hemalurgic_Headshot) Barry Allen (The Flash) Jeff (Manukos) - short for Jeffonimo Lance (Ecthelion III) - The Second Nameless Booken (Paranoid King) - a victim of the "common word + en" method of naming Village Seeker Garshin (Yitzi2) Ribis (cloudjumper) - the bored second son of a noble from the Remote Dominance Stick McStick (_Stick_) Remart (Jondesu) Beet Asper (Ornstein) - an old timer who knows his stuff Metallurgist Locke Tekiel (OrlokTsubodai) - a scion of a well - respected noble house Absolen (StrikerEZ) - a skaa worker in the Conrad fields Jay (DroughtBringer) - a blind young man attempting to keep his blindness a secret Boris (Elenion) - a guard known for laziness and general apathy Hadrian Penrod (Araris Valerian) - hoping to ascend to Ruin Mehir (Metacognition) - a mute and paranoid guard Cluny (Cluny the Scourge) - a man who believes he is a rat with a spearhead on his tail Valbar (TheMightyLopen) - who always gets ignored despite his large stature Mila (BrightnessRadiant) - a girl from the country Sorren Karidor (Dalinar Kholin) - an old guard who's been here longer than any of you whippersnappers Village Thug Argyle (Sart) - a very clumsy man

This cycle is now closed! Please do not post or send PMs until the next cycle is put up (it should be ready shortly).

See, I don't think Odium would be pulling the exact same trick as Ruin. Honestly, that would be kind of boring, and Sanderson isn't boring. But there is a very real possibility that the diagram is being manipulated. I still think the one manipulating it is cultivation. Anyways, I do want to point out that a lot of those small details like "taboo against prophecy" are likely to have significant underlying reasons. In my experience, the cultures Sanderson creates are remarkably... Purposed. They don't have random beliefs and traditions just for no reason, or to create flavor. Often the people don't have it quite right, but usually those kinds of beliefs have a rational basis. Then, maybe we on earth don't either. Most traditions in our cultures are started with some kind of solid reason. So... Yeah. There's probably a solid reason that there's a taboo against prophecy. Part of it may just be about Honor. Honor is utterly terrible at future sight, and so you can immediately assume that anyone who is telling the future is acting on behalf of a shard other than Honor (and Honor is basically the God of Vorinism). But I'm not sure if my hypothesis holds much water, because Ruin was bad at seeing the future, and yet you could still use Ruin's power to tell the future if you burned Atium.

Yes, I agree that Nale's actions are basically due to insanity. I figure that those who wield Honor's power still have a fair amount of discretion on how to act. As you say, people aren't shardic intents. Even vessels aren't perfectly aligned with shardic intents, as evidenced by the fact that Ati actually fought against Ruin's intent, holding back some of his power even when Ruin's intent forced him to try to destroy Scadrial. My point is more that Nale's actions, while unequivocally immoral, do not seem to be unequivocally in defiance of Honor's intent. Well, actually, that's a few degrees of separation from my original point, but whatever.

But see, that's exactly it. What is honor? In a narrow sense, the skybreaker mentality is "honorable." Follow the law completely; everything else is irrelevant. It's holding fast to a specific code of honor: the law. It isn't even that different from the other orders. For the windrunners, it becomes "protect people completely; everything else is irrelevant" (although obviously, that particular creed is much less dangerous, and generally leads windrunners to do good things). I think it's a mistake to say that "honor" is perfectly equivalent to morality. I understand that both honor and morality are components of ethos, but I do believe they are distinct. Plus, wouldn't it be kind of lame in terms of story, to have Honor be some perfectly omnibenevolent force? Are there any shards that are perfectly good or perfectly evil? I really don't think so. Definitely some shards are more good or more evil than others (Honor is morally better than Odium, obviously), but none are 100% good or 100% evil. I concede that what is honorable and what is moral are frequently the same, but they are most definitely not always the same. Honor, I believe, is intrinsically shortsighted, intrinsically idealistic. It's part of why I believe future telling is such a tabboo on Roshar. Honor is all about if you are acting ethically in the moment. I have a suspicion that if Honor's intent was perfectly unrestricted, and not tempered by an actual moral and rational human being... It would do nothing in the case of the trolley question, and allow more people to die. Because to actively kill someone would be dishonorable. Journey before destination. EDIT: On the other hand, killing to protect (which Kaladin certainly does) is fundamentally setting the destination before the journey. Killing to protect is engaging in an immoral action (murder) for the sake of a greater good (ultimately, less dead people, hopefully). Huh. So... That basically makes no sense. Anyway, I still hold that Honor being a perfect embodiment of good would be kind of odd, story wise. I get the feeling that Adolnasium is supposed to be a perfect embodiment of good, and that each shard only has a piece of that moral character. Odium is "divine hatred out of context" which implies that, in context, hatred is appropriate (I'm not sure I entirely agree, but moving on). Preservation can be good when its trying to save the world, but also evil when its approving of the Lord Ruler simply because he never changes. The point is, each shard represents a primal force that can at times be good, and at times be bad. I suspect that you can only truly get perfect goodness if you combine all of those shardic intents and put them in their respective contexts.

It seems strange, being only subconsciously aware of the other worlds. One would think that, seeing as this is massively significant to his plans, Taravangian would not so easily dismiss the notion that there was something else out there. Still, if Taravangian understood that in keeping some small part of Roshar alive, he kept Odium occupied, then that would be enough for him to know the other worlds would be saved from Odium as well. I am becoming more and more sure that this is Taravangians plan. Mind you, his plan may be imperfect. Personally I believe his plans reflect the influence and agenda of cultivation, and cultivation's intent is not necessarily perfect. But then, neither is Honor's intent perfect. Acting "honorably" in the moment at the expense of a known greater good is in fact immoral. We can see the dangerous paths honor can go down, well evidenced in Nale's behavior before he accepted that the desolations were really happening. Honor focuses on the proper conduct in the present, and while that is often a good thing it is not always a good thing by any means. I remember once someone hypothesized that Honor would possibly let everyone die before they dishonored themselves. I suspect that Tanavast was better then that, but I do believe that Honors pure intent might actually find that action acceptable. But I digress. Massively. Point is, I figured Taravangian would have plans that involved the whole cosmere. Sandersons quote seems to imply that this is not the case.

The footnote is written by a diagramist I'm pretty sure. Very likel adrotagia. So why would they bring up a known worldhopper in the context of this quote unless the diagramists had some notion of other worlds existing? To me this implies that either taravangian is being intentionally deluded, or (more likely in my opinion) his plans somehow incorporate the cosmere as a whole. I don't presume to know which specific portion of humanity taravangian means to save. Maybe he means to sacrifice Roshar for the sake of the rest of the cosmere. Maybe he intends to save part of roshar, foiling Odium and thus keeping him from moving on to destroy other planets. I can't really say what his specific plans are, but I suspect they involve more than just one planet.

I'll make this brief. But I believe the point I am making is somewhat significant, because it indicates that the diagram may not be what it seems. The stated purpose of the diagram is to ensure that some small fragment of humanity survives the desolation, no? And yet... In the diagram, Taravangian implies that he at least partially grasps the implications of worldhoppers on Roshar. So... The diagram is supposedly meant to be all about making sure humanity doesn't go extinct when Roshar gets destroyed... But Taravangian already knows that humanity exists on other worlds, and so would not go extinct even if Odium totally destroyed Roshar. Now, I get that saving some of the lives on Roshar is still a worthy goal... But the diagram does not indicate that Taravangian is simply trying to do damage control and salvage some of Roshar. The diagram indicates that everything is irrelevant but the survival of humanity. Those words sound a lot like Taravangian believes that if Roshar is destroyed, humanity will no longer exist. There are really only two conclusions I can make of this. Either 1. Taravangian realizes other worlds exist, but believes that Odium will be able to destroy those worlds easily once he destroys Roshar or 2. The diagram contradicts itself, and is highly suspect. Why is that suspect? Well, either taravangian made a pretty dumb mistake while he was super super super intelligent, or something manipulated him.

So like, the other day I read Sixth of Dusk. Wasn't a very long story but it proved a good installment into the cosmere as a whole. And I wondered if there's ever been an SE game set on first of the sun. I don't think there has been. Which is a shame, because I think the Pantheon would be a fantastic setting for an SE game. So... I drafted some rules for a game set on the Pantheon Isles. This would be an LG. Quick Overview: This game is set after the events in Sixth of Dusk. The Trappers, though normally reluctant to trust each other, have met on Sori to discuss the threat posed by the Ones Above. The meeting proves to be unproductive. Particularly when someone is murdered on Sori, and, distrusting each other, most of the trappers leave Sori for their own islands. It has been implied that not all of the Ones Above follow the rules that were limiting their interactions with First of the Sun. There is a rogue splinter of the Ones Above who would take the Pantheon by force, so that their people may make use of the Aviar. They have infiltrated this group of island-priests called the "trappers" and intend to destroy them. They may not have the experience to survive in a harsh environment, but they easily make up for it with their alien technology. Game Basics: A full cycle is 48 hours long, with a 36 hour day phase and a 12 hour night phase. One "day action" can be taken in a day, and one "night action" can be taken in a night. This game does not have free PMing. There is a PM creation power in-game however. This game has locations. Each player is located on one of the Pantheon islands at any given time (significantly fewer then all 40 of them will be available in-game ). Some actions may only be taken against a player on the same island as you. The location of a given player is not public. Islands have an inherent danger associated with them, expressed as two numbers. The percent odds of the island killing an occupant in a cycle, and the percent odds of the island roleblocking an occupant in a cycle. Actions: These are the basic game actions. Vote- Submit a lynch vote during the day cycle. You can vote on someone regardless of their island, and there is nothing that can protect from a lynch. Tied votes will randomly kill one of the people in the tie. Voting does not count as a day action, but your vote will be cancelled if you are roleblocked during a day turn. In terms of RP, people who are voted up for lynch are hunted down and killed by the other trappers. Travel- Travel to a new island. Normally, this has a 40% chance of resulting in death by one of the sea creatures in the deep (this danger can be reduced however). Traveling can be done by either day or night, and will take up a day or night action, respectively. Trap Aviar- Attempt to capture an Aviar native to your island, as a night action. Each island in the pantheon has somewhat different odds for successfully catching an Aviar, and a different selection of Aviar one could capture. A trapper may hold no more than two Aviar at a time. Aviar can be given away to another player as a day action. Murder- As an eliminator, make a kill as a night action. Eliminators will submit a first choice and a second choice. If the first choice target is not on the same island as any of the eliminators, the second choice target will be attempted. If neither target is available, no kill will be made. Special Roles: I may decide not to include some or all of these, but they are a few special roles. In either case, most players will not receive one of these special roles. Master Trapper: Makes good on the name "trapper." Can spend a night action to either add a trap to their current island or disarm a trap from it. Each trap an island has will increase the island's danger by 5% for killing and 5% for roleblocking. They are immune to their own traps, and 1/3 less likely to be killed or roleblocked by other people's traps. Herbalist: Well versed in all the vegitation in the Pantheon. Most of it is extraordinarily toxic. Can spend a day or night action mixing a poison, which can then be used as a night action to poison a target on the same island as you (unlike the eliminator kill action, you don't get to submit a second choice for this). Said target will be notified that they have been poisoned, and will die after one cycle. Poisons can be given to other people as a day action. Poisoners have 2/3 the usual odds to capture an Aviar, since trapping Aviar is not their area of expertise. Aviar Expert: Has a particular affinity with the Aviar. Can hold a maximum of three Aviar instead of two. 4/3 the usual odds to capture an Aviar. Paranoid: Even more paranoid then most trappers, which is saying something. Intrinsic island dangers are -5% to you. Traps are 2/3 as dangerous to you. This slightly reduces the risk of a dangerous island. Tracker: Particularly gifted at tracking people. Can use a day or night action to randomly identify one other person on your island, or be informed if they are the only person on the island. Aviar Powers: Mindshield- Reduces the danger of travelling to 3%. Also makes dangerous islands safer (does not reduce trap danger). The intrinsic danger on an island is reduced (killing risk is quartered, roleblocking risk is halved). Passive ability. Effects stack. Can be used as an active day or night ability to extend the protection of your Aviar to another player, but during that turn you will not have the protection. Danger Sense- Halve the danger odds of all risks, including travel risks, natural island danger odds, and man-made traps. 33% chance to save you from a murder (but not from poisoning, because a poison takes a while to actually kill you). Passive ability. Effects stack. Can be used as an active day or night ability to extend the protection of your Aviar to another player, but during that turn you will not have the protection. Note that murder protection is half as likely to work if used two nights in a row. Mind Tracker- An Aviar that can latch on to someone's mind and use it to find them, within a reasonable distance. Determine the location of another player, at the time the ability is used. Can be used as either a day or night action. 5% chance of a randomized false reading if the target has a mindshield. Hypnotic- An Aviar that can attack another being's mind, impairing thoughts. 50% chance to roleblock a target, does not tell you if roleblock was effective. Can be used as a day or night action. Will only roleblock target for the part of the cycle you used it, so using it at day will only cancel their day action. Does not tell the roleblocker if their 50% odds succeeded. Messenger- An Aviar with an uncanny sense of direction and the intelligence to deliver messages quite reliably. Can open a (secure) PM with someone, that lasts as long as one of the pair has a messenger Aviar. Does not count as an action, meaning you can open up any number of PMs with this (without this, you may not open up any new PMs). Seeker- An Aviar that can sense other Aviar. Can identify the Aviar another player has. Counts as a day or night action. Islands: Below are the islands one can travel to. On signup, each player will send in their GM PM a choice of what island they would like to begin on. Most likely, all players will be allowed to start on the island of their choosing. Patji: Danger rating 20-20 Trapping odds 60 Avialable Aviar: Mindshield (x2), Danger Sense, Mind Tracker Vasji: Danger rating 15-20 Trapping odds 50 Available Aviar: Danger Sense, Mind Tracker, Hypnotic, Seeker Oro: Danger rating 10-15 Trapping odds 40 Availale Aviar: Mindshield (x4), Hypnotic, Mind Tracker Arho: Danger rating 10-10 Trapping odds 35 Available Aviar: Mindshield (x2), Seeker, Messenger Keiki: Danger rating 3-10 Trapping odds 25 Available Aviar: Mindshield (x3), Mind Tracker (x2) Nani: Danger rating 5-5 Trapping odds 20 Available Aviar: Hypnotic, Mind Tracker Sori: Danger rating 0-3 Trapping odds 15 Available Aviar: Mindshield (x2), Messenger, Seeker Sori has a group PM

What about elderly skaa?

Dromea couldn't help but overhear the pair conversing, what with her tin on at a low burn. "Doubt the skaa would dare pull any tricks... I would, though, if ya tried disrespectin' me."

Redwall themed... Hrmm... There is a lot of possible setups in that. What is something with traitors... You could make it based on Martin the Warrior (the book, not the character) where there are prisoners with traitors in their midst... Kind of a stretch but it actually could be fun.

I have not watched the flash. I might look into that. I have read enough Brandon Sanderson to damage augment my sanity. Speaking of which I need to go do that. EDIT: It's okay though Cluny, I appreciate all your redwall references I've read all the books

Well, it is morning now, and my patience is at least somewhat replenished. Lets try that again. This time I'm making an RPdump.txt file. Dromea whistled tunelessly at the night, gazing at the mists. The alley she occupied was, of coarse, perfectly empty. This was a skaa quarter, and most of the fools would sooner die before venturing into the mists. Venturing into the mists... An ironic word, given the circumstance. Lord Conrad would be appearing any moment now. Senn had many flaws, but tardiness was not one of them. Not that she particularly cared. So long as her clients payed Dromea for her time, they could be as late as they damnation well pleased. And Conrad was easily Dromea's most important client. She just hoped he didn't get himself killed, or worse, destitute. Then who would pay for her services? She burned tin, and a wave of new sensations assailed her. There was the chill of the night air, suddenly magnified threefold, only offset slightly by the familiar warmth of burning metal spreading through her chest. There was the fiber of her clothing, suddenly much rougher and pressing into her skin. There was the drone of a sleeping city, suddenly resolving into recognizable sounds: the distant creaking of a rusty something, the pair of whispered voices conversing not quite loud enough for her to distinguish words just two doors down, and the gentle breeze flowing through twisted streets. Most importantly, she could see. The mists receded and became transparent before her eyes, and the night immediately looked less dark. She saw the newly swept paving of the alley, clear of ash for the time being, crowded in on either side by decrepit skaa residences and sweat shops. She saw all the way down the alleyway, where it branched off at haphazard angles with two larger streets. There! She spotted a noble, just turning onto her alleyway, walking purposefully. Dromea waited patiently for Conrad to reach the meeting place, leaning against a wall and continuing to whistle both loudly and horribly out of tune. "Informant," Conrad said, nodding in acknowledgement. She looked up with a small start, pretending to have only just noticed Conrad's approach. In her line of work, it helped if nobody knew she was a tineye. Much easier to eavesdrop that way. "Lord Conrad! What a pleasant surprise. What brings you here tonight?" Dromea leaned in towards him and cupped her ear, as if slightly hard of hearing. Another affectation that made her job easier. "You know why I'm here. You have news for me." "Yes... Remind me, what news was this? I fear my memory is failing me. Please forgive an old woman." Conrad sighed, then gave her an indulgent nod and a small pouch of boxings. "Venture." He said with a totality that seemed appropriate. "Venture." She nodded in agreement, uttering the name as if it were a curse. "Thank you for reminding me, Lord Conrad Sir," she continued, trying and failing to paste a smile on her face. "And another pouch after, if you have anything worth telling." "Yes, yes... So, Lord Venture has been spreading rumors in certain circles that House Conrad is soon to meet an untimely demise." "I know that already. Straff was absolutely livid when I paid off my debts. He was going to retaliate." "Hmm... And did you know that there are traitors among your guards?" Conrad paused, then rolled his eyes. "...this is Luthadel. Everyone who's anyone has a few traitors mixed in." Dromea shook her head. "No, no, it isn't like that. This isn't the run-of-the-mill scattering of spies in menial positions, like what you usually get. This is an organized group of assassins. Planted to kill." "How can you be so sure of that?" Conrad asked skeptically. "Venture's Terrisman. He took a trip all around Luthadel the very day before you did your recruiting. Tried to do it all quiet like, but I know he visited all the places your people did. This is a serious infiltration." Conrad uttered a curse. "I see... Thank you. I will investigate this. Is there anything else?" "Yes, one other thing... There are rumors about Straff and certain... Indiscretions. The story goes that he's fathered a few bastards... With the skaa. No idea if its true of coarse, but... Spread the rumors and you might get some dirt on Venture's name, no?" Conrad nodded in consideration. "Good enough." A second pouch of boxings changed hands. "From now on, I want you to keep an eye on my guards. You can work as their informant or whatever, just report anything suspicious you find to me." She nodded. "It will be done."

I had a quite large RP typed up, and then I accidentally clicked the "next unread topic" link at the bottom of the page and it all got delete. I'm not going to spend another hour rewriting it. I really wish it kept a backup...

Hmmmm so... I'm guessing that in spite of the consequences, everyone who starts with a single spike will probably spike themselves. Unless spiking can change your alignment and people start with many spikes, and then you get an LG32 sort of situation (but I really don't think you would do it quite like that). So... <information mining>I don't suppose there is some mechanic that will be injecting new spikes into the game?</information mining>