Quick Fix Game 6: A Time of Nightmares

[Lord Pifferdoo]

I am voting for Antillar

I am moving to the Billard Room

(Could a fancy person change that to the right color for me? Mobile)

Edited February 22, 2015 by Lord Pifferdoo

[Aonar]

I will not vote.

 

I wish to move to the Lounge.

[Eolhondras]

Cheesy Rogers.

 

Lounge.

[Alvron]

Voting for Ant

 

At the end of the day I wish to move to Lounge Theatre

Edited February 22, 2015 by Alvron

[Herowannabe]

Day 3 is now closed

[Herowannabe]

Day 4: Tough Decisions

On the third day after the attack I rolled into the White Room to find all of my Aspects already engaged in conversation. “Stephen!” Abe Smith said, being the first one to spot me. Everyone turned their attention to me. The conversation didn’t stop, though. Everyone tried talking to me at once, telling me who they suspected, things they had learned, why they were themselves innocent, and so on. It all jumbled together into one big incoherent mess.

“Quiet! QUIET!” I yelled, and everyone stopped talking. “One at a time, please.”

Everyone started right back up again. I shut my eyes and clutched my head with both hands- My doctor had been by earlier that morning and had reduced the amount of pain meds I was taking, and I was feeling the effects. Everyone’s yammering wasn’t helping me.

“One!” I said, eyes still closed.

“Two!” Everyone stopped talking, realizing that I wasn’t listening to them.

“Three!”

I opened my eyes, then counted all of the pointing fingers. Then I counted them again.

An equal number of fingers pointed at Herr Pifferd and Mortimer Jennings.

I raised my pistol, first pointing at one, then the other.

“You know I’d never try to hurt you, or anyone for that matter,” Mortimer said, shaking his head.

“Das ist, weil du ein Feigling, Herr Jennings sind,” Herr Pifferd said, his outrageous mustache puffing out as he spoke earnestly. “Zurück in den Krieg, den wir taten, was wir an, damit wir überleben konnten. Ich war gezwungen, ... Schreckliche zu tun ... Aber nicht mehr! NICHT MEHR ICH GESAGT HABE!”

He shouted the last bit, then fell to the ground, sobbing into his hands.

I sighed, lowering my pistol. “Look,” I told them, “We have to find the traitors. Whatever you’ve been doing isn’t working. I know you have been spending nights alone, avoiding each other as much as possible. This has to stop. Get out, move around, watch everyone and see what they are up to. Got it?”

Everyone nodded.

“Good. You are all dismissed.”

As everyone began shuffling out of the room, I wheeled my chair over to Herr Pifferd. The large German man was still sobbing. I put my hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. He looked about frantically, before his attention focused on me.

“Here,” I said, handing him a slip of paper. “My cryptologist gave this to me earlier. Maybe you could work on it a bit for me? It will help take your mind off of… the past.”

The note read:

Pursuant to the Modest Proposal:
The first key: I will remember those who have been forgotten.
Consider extension of system to allow for role claims, using Line 1 'I am voting for <player name>.'

Psychologist = 1 + Underline
Bodyguard = 2
Demolitionist = 3
Cryptologist = 4
Espionage Agent = 5
Matchmaker = 6 <1 + Bold>
Lover = 7
Regular = 8
Nightmare = 9
Death unlocks the second. The second the third. All things unfold according to their own pace.
It is This Correspondents' Measured Opinion that Such a move might be the Hallmark of the Desperate and is to be utilised Only with Full Discretion and Careful Forethought.
 
P.S. As to my own part, having Turned my Thoughts to Matters other than that of the Modest Proposal and its Equally Modest Successor, but No Less Weighty, I have Apprehend that we Ought to Consider not Offering up another of our Fellow Aspects to a Death Most Terminal at Stephen's hands. I Confess that Many of you may Consider me Mad to Propose such. It is No Small Matter to Suggest we Leave Off of Death for a Day or So. There is, Nonetheless, a very Great Advantage in this scheme, that we have so far been Killing our fellow Aspects with Scant Information to Show for it. I have Reckoned in light of the silence from our Nightmarish Brethren that if we Cease and Desist from this Most Noble if Unfortunate Practice for the time being, we shall Perchance Force their hand if they Wish Kills, Allowing them to be Exposed. We Will Therefore be more Knowledgeable, more Wise, and Reasoned than in our current State.
 
This, Most Noble Gentlemen and Ladies, is a game of Wits, and if we Settle Upon the most Stubborn Strategy, we Shall See the Yellow-Bellied Coward who first Blinks. I grant Opposition may arise, who will Vociferously Proclaim that we Stand to Lose A Great Deal of information from such a Perspective. To them, my own Unworthy Rejoinder Claims that this Battle is one Unlike Any Other we have Fought and to Object on Grounds that we have not Fought this way before is Feeble-Minded Protestations blind to the Howling Gales of Change. How Many among you have had Conversations that formed Fecund and Receptive ground for your Suspicions to Flourish? We are Poorer than we Ever Were Before, & the time is Fully Ripe to Recognise That.

This Strategy, I Submit, is Prey to the One Hamartia that it becomes Futility Itself when the Treacherous Blackguards among us Begin to Slay Us, yet in Such a Pass, Good Readers, we Shall not Lack for Information, for Killing Exposes them to an Unprecedented Degree. A Most Learnèd Professor, a Man of Worthy Renown and a Gentleman of Good Standing has once Ventured that he Saw no Reason to Blink.

I remain,
Dragon.

HIC GAUDET MORS SUCCURRERE VITAE
IN GU HX BR AJ PE WK NRT DI TE EC CR
PA SI HH BM EG SF RL NAY GB GA SD CO

DH HB FF EJ XA OW XZ GM IH ML JR NK QS

YN GT CR PTJ QD GG TW LR ND VP PT NP

SH II HS PV FZ IR OQS DZ FN DS XMR GV

RN XJ DX DL BU JN YW UU EN CW OT BR

RK WU GR EW LD FZ IZ ZY TK JD HN OJ

DR ZIF GL SE EH PT KM GW RZ DB KGR HL

IN NL XY HZ JR WH DE JG UII JF JE EX UBN

PM VY LE WF VM JD GB ZU VM CW DQ CX

WZ COA GN FH GT GL RP HD GW SJ ZT AE

CO YO MC EZ BF JKD BZ JX LU ZD MY VM

YI MW BP BN BQQ

MI UZIGO RL PQR GR GPEU GZ HJ UOB RF OGI QIP YLF XG MF VM WFG IGI WWF XJ YAWR MI IYI LBGF

----

Nobody Died!

ATTENTION!
So as the GM, I have one primary rule that I try to follow, courtesy of Crafty-Alex of Crafty Games. Namely: “What sounds the most fun and the least broken?” I have realized that I have fallen short of this goal. I thought that the way I set the rooms up in the beginning with the restrictions on roles would be a fun twist. However, I didn’t foresee how difficult it would make things for the Nightmare Aspects- to the point where the game is broken and I believe is not becoming fun for many players. As such, from here on out, ALL ROLES MAY USE THEIR POWERS ON ANY PLAYER IN ANY ROOM, IRREGARDLESS OF WHO ELSE IS IN THE SAME ROOM. This applies to the Nightmare Kills, the Bodyguard, the Psychologist, the Matchmaker, and the Demolitionist.

I really REALLY hate to change rules mid-game, but I feel that this will be the best and most fun for everyone moving forward. I have talked it over with our Moderator, Little Wilson, and she supports this decision. If you have any questions about it you may ask me about it in a PM with me and Little Wilson.

----

Day 4 will begin as soon as you receive your invite into the next Room PM group. NOTE! I am closing down the Library today. Everybody who wished to move there will be moved to the Theatre (normally I would close the Theatre, since only one person chose to move there, but the guys in the Spectator Doc have been having fun picking the movies that are playing each day ) Room Assignments will be as follows:

Dining Hall
Clare Wintris (1- Liam)
Din (0)
Mortimer Jennings (3- Clare Wintris, Herr Pifferd, Ron Lav)
JP (0)

Lounge
Liam (0)
Adrian Fox (0)
Melvin (0)
Hondren (0)
Bernie Kassig (0)

Billiard Room
Herr Pifferd (3- Joe, Mortimer Jennings, Lily Carter)
Joe (0)
Lily Carter (1- Bernie Kassig)
Cheesy Rogers (1- Hondren)

Theatre
Ron Lav (0)
Bubba V (1- Roger De Bree / Alex Wunkel)
Roger De Bree / Alex Wunkel (2- Melvin, Din)
Jain (0)
Abe Smith (0)


EDIT: Also, a reminder, please do not make a new post in the White Room when you want to change your vote or room choice. Please just edit your original post. It makes it much easier for me to count and double check my work.

This is doubly true now that some players are trying to put secret codes in their vote and room choices.

EDIT2: Somebody pointed out to me that one player went to make or change a vote, but did it in his edit from Day 2 instead of Day 3. Unfortunately, I can't count that vote. Please make sure that you have one (and only one) new post for each new cycle, and that you are editing the current one. If it make it easier, you can post the Day # in your post. ie: "Day 4: I am voting for X and moving to Y."

Edited September 23, 2016 by Alvron

[Kasimir]

Day Four:

 

I am voting for Kassig.

 

I haven't yet decided where I'm going.

Edited February 22, 2015 by Kasimir

[the winter system]

I am voting, yes, me Piffrado

I move, yes I shall move, and this move I make is to the Billard Room, just because I wish to move?

TODAY IS DAY FOUR:

Edited February 22, 2015 by Winter Cloud

[phattemer]

I am voting for Joe

I am staying in the Theater.

Edited February 23, 2015 by phattemer

[A Joe in the Bush]

I will Contunet to Vote for Kasmir Luckat Pifferdoo.

 

I'll stay where I am.

Edited February 23, 2015 by The Only Joe

[Antillar Maximus]

Vote: Pifferdoo

 

Room: No Change

[Cheese United]

Pifferdoo

[vineyarddawg]

My DAY 4 vote is on Pifferdoo.

 

I am staying in the Holomax Theatre

[luckat]

I'll vote for Pifferdoo
I'll stay in the Billiard Room Theatre

Edited February 24, 2015 by luckat

[Lord Pifferdoo]

1. I using the new system and voting for Joe

2.

3.

4. Kasimir

5. Luckat

6. 

7.

8.

9.

 

I will remain in the Billiard Room

Edited February 23, 2015 by Lord Pifferdoo

[Peng the Just]

joe

billiard room

Edited February 23, 2015 by jasonpenguin

[Herowannabe]

Without naming names, some of these white-room posts are getting to be a bit excessive, as far secret codes go. I can't do much about posts that have already been made but everyone please keep your posts as close to the "I am voting for x, I am moving to y" format as possible. As this game is quickly revealing, you really don't need any more space than that to pass on a surprisingly large amount of encoded information.

[Mailliw73]

I am voting for Joe.

 

I will move to the Theater.

[Herowannabe]

Day 4 is now closed

[Herowannabe]

Day 5: Eine Zeit der Alpträume

When I rolled into the White Room all of my Aspects stood in little groups, arguing, shouting, and throwing accusations at the other groups. I took it as a good sign, and I had a feeling that they had discovered something. When the Aspects noticed my presence they immediately started pointing at each other, not waiting for me to count.

“Well, okay then. I take it the past twenty-four hours have been productive?” I said, as I counted the fingers. It didn’t take long, as more than half of the Aspect pointed at one man.

I leveled my pistol at Herr Pifferdoo. “Verdammten amerikaner,” he muttered, glaring darkly.

I cocked the trigger, and was about to fire, but something distracted me. “Wait, Bernie, why are you pointing at yourself?” I asked, perplexed.

Before he had a chance to answer, the lights went out. Someone screamed- Clare, I think- and there was a flurry of movement, grunts, and cries of surprise. In the darkness someone grabbed my hand, jerking the pistol to the side and squeezing my finger down on the trigger. The gun went off and during the brief light from the muzzle-flash I caught a glimpse of one of my Aspects- presumably the target of the gunshot- being tackled to the ground by one of the others. Several more people screamed at the sound of the shot. The would-be assassin released my wrist and was lost in the darkness.

“Grab Pifferd!” I shouted, trying to be heard over the commotion. “Someone get the lights back-”

Just then the room lit up- just briefly, as someone opened the door to the Room. I looked over to see Herr Pifferd dashing out of the room. “After him!” I shouted, and several more of my Aspects took up the chase. I wheeled my chair as fast as I could, trying to keep up. As I exited the room I glanced back over my shoulder, trying to see if anyone had been hurt, but everybody was up and moving, and I couldn’t see any blood, so I kept moving.

By the time I caught up, about a half dozen of my Aspects had surrounded Herr Pifferd, who was keeping them at bay with a large knife. “Sie Narren!” He bellowed. “Sie sind alle Puppen! Sklaven, seine Befehle! Ich habe versucht, uns alle vor seiner Tyrannei zu befreien, und das ist, wie du mich zurückzahlen!?”

Joe made a move, dashing in at Herr Pifferd’s right shoulder. He was so focused on the Pifferd’s knife that he didn’t see the German man’s fist until it had struck him in the jaw. Joe staggered back, but his move had distracted Pifferd long enough for several others to rush him. He flailed wildly for several seconds as they tried to grab him, and someone got in a lucky blow that knocked the knife from his hand, sending it skittering across the floor.

I tried to draw a bead on the traitor but with all the chaos of the fight there was no clear shot. Pifferd grabbed ahold of Lily’s arm and dragged her tight against his chest, using her as a human shield. Everyone backed away hesitantly. "Bleiben Sie zurück Hunde!” Herr Pifferd growled,  “Ich hätte wissen müssen, dass-” He cut off suddenly, eyes going wide. His arms slackened, and Lily broke free and ran to the others. Herr Pifferd toppled face first to the ground, his own knife protruding from his back. Behind him stood Joe, hands shaking and eyes wide at what he just did. He looked up at me, and I nodded, satisfied, before the Aspects swarmed him, congratulating him and thanking him for his heroics.

As they did I stayed back, eyeing everyone. Joe rubbed at his jaw and a few others sported minor cuts and bruised, but nobody was hurt. I was relieved, but also concerned. Who had grabbed my hand and fired the gun while Herr Pifferd was fleeing the White Room?

I looked down at my hand, still holding the gun, and noticed a short novel someone had dropped in my lap during the commotion. I flipped through the pages, curious. It read:

It may surprise you to note that I have written this message so baldly.

I am tired of hiding. So I will speak plainly, and hope with all I’ve got that my words are heeded. There have been many codes circulating throughout this game so far. Enough, I think, to prove Herr Wittgenstein wrong about the impossibility of a private language. And that is precisely the problem.

A good number of you will remember my arguments with Hreo in the AG about the importance of discussedlynches. I stand by that, even now. Public discussion is badly limited. And this has always been the Village’s strength: what does Eliminator coordination matter, when we lack this? ‘It’s fine’, you may say, ‘We can discuss in rooms.’ Really? Has information really been travelling fruitfully from rooms? Are you able to compare players’ previous stances or claims with evidence of what they previously said? How much information do we really have in circulation? My point is not that no one can be trusted. My point is that even ifsomeone can be trusted, it does not necessitate that they are a reliable reporter. They may leave out information. They may forget information. Information may die with them. Information may die within the black box of a room.

And that is the wound that the Village is suffering from. We are bleeding out. Individual players have become the bottlenecks through which information must pass. This does not result in an information-rich system for the Village but an information-impoverished one. So I write this one last time as a plea. I have identified myself to a room, and we have worked together to come up with a code—hopefully as simple as possible—to allow for communication. This overrides all other codes I’ve attempted to offer. All due credit for most of the code goes to Aonar.

I do not demand that everyone use the code. I have neither the power, the influence, nor the right. So this is a request. I ask you to at least consider using it. I appeal to your reason and ask you to remember that discussion has always been the Village’s weapon against Eliminators, and discussion that is as public as possible. I know that many people have been coming up with their own codes. I ask you to consider that a code so private or so obscure that only one or two people can understand it is a private language; even worse, it is pointless. It helps no one at all, particularly not the other members of Team Stephen.

Please, let’s work together.

Thank you.

-

General structure/syntax of the code



N.B. Extra spaces have been added between the letters for clarity of illustration.
N.B. 2: Not all components of the code will be necessary. Use with discretion. General format goes, ‘I will vote for X/I will move to Y.’
N.B. 3: The code has been designed to operate on either Line 1 or Line 2, or even both. Colours indicate how it transfers.

Key:

(Refer to appropriate labels on diagram)

Section 1.
Begin the appropriate sentence with a ‘-’ if you’re using this code. At the very least, this doesn’t confuse people if you decide you prefer to use your own code.

Section 2.

The format codes for each player are as follows:

Winter Cloud - iw
Mailliw73 - Iw
vineyarddawg - iW
Lightsworn Panda - IW
Lord Pifferdo - iw
Cheese United - Iw
Araris Valerian - iW
Alvron - IW
Gamma Fiend - iw
JasonPenguin - Iw
Aonar Faileas - iW
A Smart Guy - IW
The Only Joe - iw
Antillar Maximus - Iw
Metacognition - iW
Eolhondras - IW
Kasimir - iw
Luckat – Iw
Phattemer – iW
Snoopy - IW

If indicating no one – iw

[spaces have been omitted here for clarity.]

Section 3.

This is used to either indicate your disposition towards a player or that you are responding to a player’s question.

'i' – null
'i' – trustworthy
'i' – suspicious
'i' - response to question from player [player has been indicated previously by Section 2.]

Section 4.

This is used to either indicate what action you want to be taken on the player you’ve indicated. If answering a question, you use this to frame your reply.

'l' - null. Just making a statement, no suggestions.
'l' - Seek. Not worth killing, but the Psychologist should seek them if they don't have a better target.
'l' - Protect. Guaranteed trustworthy player. Should be protected at all costs. (i.e. the Psychologist, if we find them.)
'l' - Kill. Absolutely need to be lynched. Confirmed Nightmare Aspect. Do not use unless absolutely certain. If you use it, and the player indicated is safe, you will be lynched next.

OR:

'l' - cannot be answered Y/N
'l' - yes
'l' - no

Section 5.

You can use this to indicate your reasoning, for instance, for finding an indicated player suspicious/trustworthy, or for indicating your reasons for answering the question the way you have. Note that this just allows for basic info to be passed—can’t replace a proper post, alas.

'l' - no reasoning.
'l' - room PM. Other people who were in that PM can confirm.
'l' - Action result. (Psychologist, or someone in contact with psychologist could say this.)
'l' - Confirmation of powers.
'l' - Voting habits [=Person was involved in bandwagons/lynching of a certain player/not involved in the lynching of a Nightmare Aspect/avoided voting etc.]
'l' - Role claim.

Section 6.

This section indicates what kind of thing your expression is: is it a question, a statement, or a role-claim?

'v/m' - no questions.
'v/m' - questions.
'v/m' - 'I am X'

Section 7.

Use this to indicate the subject. If the subject is a player, then format ‘ot/ov’ the same way as how you would format the letters for their identifying code in Section 2. If the question has no subject, then use ‘ot/ov’.

But if this is a role-claim:

'ot/ov' - no role
'ot/ov' - Cryptologist
'ot/ov' - Psychologist
'ot/ov' - Bodyguard
'ot/ov' - Espionage
'ot/ov' - Demolitionist
'ot/ov' - Matchmaker
'ot/ov' - Lover

Section 7a.

If you are asking a question, use this to indicate what type of question is being asked. So, for example:

'e' - why vote for X? (X being the subject indicated earlier)
'e' - what happened/anything suspicious happen in Y room?
'e' - can someone protect me?
'e' - why did you vote for me?

Section 8.

Maybe rust went down somewhere. Need a location marker? This is how you indicate it.

'f/t' - Library
'f/t' - Theatre
'f/t' - Dining Hall
'f/t' - Lounge
'f/t' - Billiard Room

Section 9.

If you have really no idea what the chull is going down, or you agree with someone’s point, you can indicate this by replacing the full-stop with:

?! – confusion/’I just don’t get it.’
!! – expresses agreement.

Concluding Remarks:

I know it’s pretty complicated, but in most cases, it’s pretty possible to simply indicate a null and just convey a minimum of information. As I’ve argued, I think we cannot afford information bottlenecks. Particularly wheneveryone is a potential information bottleneck. ***You can feel free to strikethrough your previous code sentences and use a new line, like this:

"-i Will vote for X.
I will move to the Y.

-i Will vote for X.
I will move to the Y."

This lets everyone get a better idea of what you thought and what you’re thinking now.

I don’t particularly expect to survive for very long after my reveal, and so I hope this will at least not have proven in vain. Unfortunately or otherwise, it is not given to any of us to see the future. I will do my best as long as I’m still alive to keep the information flooding in.

I don’t have a cipher for y’lot today, but I do have this:

“Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must remain silent.” –Wittgenstein

-Kas.

 

(*** GM's note: I informed the Cryptologist, and I am informing all of you, that striking through your whole message and posting a new one is too excessive. The only thing you should ever need to strike through is the name of the person you are voting for and/or the name of the room you wish to move to. The Cryptologist did not change his message after I gave this information.

Also, this is another good time to remind players to not get carried away with their White Room PMs. You should follow the format of "I am voting for name, I am moving to room." The exact phrasing isn't crucial (ie: "my vote is for name, I will stay where I am" and "name, room" are both acceptable), but let's not get carried away. A few general guidelines: If your vote takes up more than 2 lines when viewed on a computer, or if it needs more than about 3 punctuation marks in order to be grammatically correct, or if it would not easily fit in a single text message, then it has become too excessive.

Thank you.)

----

Herr Pifferd was the Archeologist. He was also a Nightmare Aspect! (6 votes- Joe, Mortimer Jennings, Lily Carter, Cheesy Rogers, Bubba V, Clare Wintris)

Day 5 will begin as soon as you receive your invite into the next Room PM group. Room Assignments will be as follows:

Dining Hall
Mortimer Jennings (0)
Jain (0)
Din (0)
Ron Lav (0)

Lounge
Abe Smith (0)
Hondren (0)
Bernie Kassig (1- Bernie Kassig)
Melvin (0)

Billiard Room
Joe (4- Liam, JP, Herr Pifferd, Roger De Bree / Alex Wunkel)
Clare Wintris (0)
JP (0)
Cheesy Rogers (0)
Adrian Fox (0)

Theatre
Bubba V (0)
Roger De Bree / Alex Wunkel (0)
Lily Carter (0)
Liam (0)

EDIT: Also, in case it wasn't clear from the writeup, an attack was made last night, and blocked by the bodyguard. The identities of the attacker, the target, and the bodyguard are not going to be revealed in the write-ups.

EDIT2: Finally remembered to update the player list:
Updated Player List

Edited September 23, 2016 by Alvron

[Kasimir]

-I will vote for Liam.

I will remain in the Lounge.

Edited February 25, 2015 by Kasimir

[Antillar Maximus]

Vote: phattemer

 

Room: No Change

Edited February 25, 2015 by Antillar Maximus

[Sart]

Vote: Mailliw

Room: Dining Hall

[Peng the Just]

I will vote for Liam and move to the theater

[phattemer]

I am voting for Antillar(red)

I am moving to Billiard Room(purple)