How to setup and mod a game

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How to setup and mod a game

Post Post #0 (ISO) » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:28 am

Post by Plotinus »

Modding a game is not hard, but there are a lot of steps. This is a checklist of all the things you have to remember to do to get your game up and running and keep it running smoothly. So you already have a reviewed setup, a playerlist, moderator privileges, and a listmod who has said you can run the game. Now what?

Pregame


Public Thread Introduction post

  1. Go to the Board Index and
    find the right subforum.
    If you are modding a Normal game, you want New York. If you are modding an Open Game, you want Central Park.
  2. Image Click the "
    New Topic
    " button above Announcements.
  3. In the
    subject
    line, write your game number, game title, game phase like this "Normal 1000 | Panda Bears | Pregame". Normal and Open games often don't have flavour but if you want something quick and easy you can pick a topic that is easy to google image search.
  4. Select the
    moon
    icon so that people know that your game is not open yet.
  5. In the body, you can put a picture and some kind of
    introduction
    , but most importantly: put a list of players, in the order the listmod gave you. Below it, put "Events:", where you will, at a minimum, put a link to the start of each dayphase, and possibly when people were replaced.
  6. Preview
    the OP, make sure it looks good, then submit it.
  7. At the very bottom of the page is "Quick mod tools:
    Lock topic
    ". Click "Go"
  8. At the bottom of the page, click "
    Bookmark topic
    ." When you're moderating a game there are lots of threads to keep track of, so the bookmarks page is handy.
Public Thread Rules/Setup Post
  1. Image The thread is locked, but you can still post, because you're the moderator!
    Click the locked button
    !
  2. Post your
    rules
    . If you don't have a ruleset yet, feel free to steal mine and change the parts you don't like. If you press "PM" on the link it will show you the formatting.
  3. Post any open parts of your
    setup
    . This can be its own post if you have a lot of information to share, or you can put it after the rules. What roles exist, what roles are guaranteed not to exist, whether mafia have daytalk. If you are running a normal game, put a link to the Normal Game page. If your setup has a wikipage of its own, like 09:12, then link to its wiki page in addition to putting the sample role PMs.
Mod PT


The bare minimum your mod PT needs is your
playerlist
and the
random.org results
for who has what role. I like to have a bit more than that, to make life easier for my future self. Here's my mod PT from a recently completed game.
  1. Go back to the Board Index and find the subforum.
  2. Click the
    New Topic
    button.
  3. In the
    subject
    , put the game number, the name and Mod PT
  4. First post: mod PT navigation links and
    playerlist
    .
    Spoiler: Navigation code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=OP][/anchor][float=right][area=navigation][goto=roles]Role assignments[/goto]
    [goto=links]Links[/goto]
    [goto=events]Events[/goto]
    [goto=flip]Flip[/goto]
    [goto=flavour]Flavour[/goto]
    [goto=phrases]Phrases[/goto]
    [goto=rolepms]Role PMs[/goto][/area][/float]
    
    PLAYERLIST
    
    Access: YOURNAME, BACKUPMOD, LISTMOD

  5. Preview
    it to make sure you like how it looks
  6. Then at the bottom of the page, find the "Users that can moderate this topic" box and type in your backup mod's name, hit "add moderator". Type in the listmod's name, hit "
    add moderator
    ". Don't hit preview again or you will have to start over. Hit submit.
  7. Bookmark
    it!
  8. Second post:
    role assignments
    . Write the roles that are in your game into this post. Then go to random.org/lists and enter your playerlist and click randomize. Paste the results. Then put it together: playerA is the mafia goon, playerB is the town doctor etc, everybody else is a VT.
    Spoiler: role assignments code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=roles][/anchor]Role assignments:

  9. Third post:
    links
    . You don't have all your PTs made yet, so in a new browser tab, make some more PTs, one for the mafia, and one for the dead thread. If you have neighbours or masons, make them a PT too. Fill in the subject line correctly (game number, name, Mafia or Dead), but just put adsf in the body for now. You'll fix it before you add anyone who can see it.
    Bookmark
    them. Now in your mod PT make your links post.
    Spoiler: links code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=links][/anchor][area=Links]
    [list]
    [*][url=PUBLICTHREAD]Public thread[/url]
    [*][url=MODTHREAD]Mod PT[/url]
    [*][url=MAFIATHREAD]Mafia PT[/url]
    [*][url=MASONTHREAD]Mason PT[/url]
    [*][url=DEADTHREAD]Dead thread[/url]
     [/list]
    [/area]

  10. Fourth post:
    Game Events
    . This is for keeping track of night actions, and after the game you just copy this wholesale into the main thread.
    Spoiler: Game Events code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=events][/anchor]Game Events
    
    [area=day 1][list][*][color=white]___[/color] is eliminated with _ scum on ___ wagon.[/list][/area]
    
    [area=night 1][list][*][color=red]_____[/color] is killing [color=green]____[/color].
    [*][color=red]___[/color] is roleblocking [color=green]____[/color].
    [*][color=green]PlayerA[/color] is protecting [color=white]___[/color].
    [*][color=green]PlayerB[/color] is investigating [color=white]___[/color][/list][/area]

    Change the verbs to match your setup. Then copy paste 3 more times and edit the number in the area tag for which day/night it is.
  11. Fifth post:
    Next flip
    . I like to have my youtube video lined up well in advance so i'm not scrambling to find a good one when they eliminate someone just as I'm heading out the door. You don't have to fill it in now.
    Spoiler: Next flip code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=flip][/anchor]Next Flip:
    
    [code][color=grey][area=Day 1 Elimination -][/color][center][youtube]YOUTUBE[/youtube][/center]
    [line]100[/line]
    [b]____ has been eliminated day 1. __ was a [color=white]$alignment.role. [/color]
    
    It is now Night 1. Deadline for night actions is [countdown]2 days[/countdown][/b][/area]
    [/code]

  12. Sixth post:
    Flavour
    placeholder.
    Spoiler: flavour placeholder code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=flavour][/anchor]Flavour in case I get ahead

  13. Seventh post:
    Phrasebook
    , for prodding in a hurry
    Spoiler: phrasebook code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=phrases][/anchor]Stuff I need to say a lot: 
    
    Prod:
    [code]Hey, it's been a while since you posted! Go fix that: PUBLICTHREAD


    Night action reminders:

    Code: Select all

    Hey the night phase is half over and I don't know who you're going to ___ yet, if anybody. Let me know!
    [/code]

  14. One last post, in which you'll get your role PMs ready
    Spoiler: role PM post code

    Code: Select all

    [anchor=rolepms][/anchor]Role PMs
Role PMs


You should already have these made from when you got your setup reviewed but if not, check the wiki, most roles have a sample role PM available. But just in case, here is a sample mafia rolecop PM that you can modify for any other role by changing the colours or the abilities or removing the PT link.
Spoiler: sample PM

Code: Select all

[area=Mafia Rolecop]Welcome, PLAYERNAME!

You are a [b][color=red]Mafia Rolecop[/color][/b]. Your partners are [color=red]BADGUY, mafia goon, and BADGAL, mafia roleblocker.[/color]

You may target one player per night phase. At the end of the night phase, you will be informed of their role but not their alignment.  [color=green]Vanilla Townies[/color] and [color=red]Mafia Goons[/color] will both return "Vanilla". If you are roleblocked, you will receive no result.

You and your partner share a factional kill each night. You must choose which of you will commit the kill. You may commit the kill and perform a role cop in the same night phase. You also share a factional PT, located [url=MAFIATHREAD]here[/url], where you may talk at any time.

[b]You win when the Town has been eliminated, or nothing can stop this from occurring.[/b]

The game thread is [url=PUBLICTHREAD]here[/url].

Confirm by replying with your role name and alignment or by posting in your PT.[/area]
  1. It's really important to send your role PMs out one at a time, and in the order of signups. If you send all the VTs out together then everybody with the 07:32:51 timestamp is a VT, and it's really easy to accidentally click "add" instead of "add BCC" and then everybody can see all the other recipients. To make this as painless as possible,
    paste all role PMs into your mod PT
    in order of signups and then later when you send them out you can just go in order. Not now, though, you don't even have a mafia PT yet!
Mafia PT


At a minimum, the mafia PT needs to contain the
names
of the mafia, what their
roles
are (full role PMs, why not), and whether they have
daytalk
. I like to add a few more things.
  1. Find your
    mafia PT
    and edit the post so it doesn't say asdf anymore.
  2. Here is what I use for the newbies I mod. Feel free to remove or change the parts that don't suit you.
    Spoiler: mafia PT

    Code: Select all

    [center][thumb=600]MAFIAPICTURE[/thumb]
    
    MAFIATEXT via [url=MAFIALINK]MAFIATITLE[/url][/center]
    
    [line]100[/line]
    
    Welcome [color=red][b]MAFIAONEPLAYER, MAFIAONEROLE[/b][/color] and [color=red][b]MAFIATWOPLAYER, MAFIATWOROLE[/b][/color]!
    
    [list][*][b]Daytalk[/b]: You can talk here [b]at any time[/b]! 
    [*][b]Quoting[/b]: You can directly quote anything [i]from[/i] the public thread [i]into[/i] this PT. You may not directly quote [i]from[/i] this PT [i]into[/i] anywhere (except for posts written by you and clearly drafted with the intent to be later posted in the main thread by you).
    [*][b]Privacy[/b]: If you want this PT kept private after the game, please tell me sometime between now and 24 hours after the game ends.
    [*][b]Role PMs[/b]: Your role PMs and the role PMs of your enemies are pasted below.
    [*][b]Have fun![/b][/list]
    
    Sample role PMs:
    
    [spoiler=Mafia Role PMs AKA YOU GUYS <3]SAMPLEMAFIAPMS[/spoiler]
    
    [spoiler=Town Role PMs AKA THE ENEMY]SAMPLETOWNPMS[/spoiler]
    
    Playerlist: 
    
    [list]
    COLOUREDPLAYERLIST
     [/list]
    
    Current deadline (start of day 1):
    [countdown]DEADLINE[/countdown].
    
    People with access to this topic: YOURNAME, BACKUPMOD, LISTMOD, MAFIAONEPLAYER, MAFIATWOPLAYER
    

  3. In particular if your setup is not open then you should only post a vanilla townie role PM or their
    fake claims
    , and if they don't have daytalk then edit that line too.
  4. For the
    deadline
    , if you type "2 days" then it will automatically put it in the right format for you as soon as you preview it, but you want it to be 2 days from the time you send out your role PMs, which is still in the future, so put 2 days, then edit it to round up by a half hour or so, that should give you enough time.
  5. Preview
    it to make sure it looks good.
  6. add your backup mod and the listmod to the
    add moderator
    box. Add the mafia players to the add user box. Don't preview it again before submitting or you'll have to add everybody again.
Dead PT

  1. I make my dead PT at the start of the game because I often get spectator requests. I don't like having spectators in my mod PT because I like to dole out spoilers slowly.
  2. In the OP for the dead thread, lay out any expectations for how the dead players should behave, such as not posting in the thread before you say that the game is over, even if they know/think it is.
  3. Here's the code I use for my dead thread. It is pretty simple.
    Spoiler: dead thread code

    Code: Select all

    [center][thumb=600]DEADPICTURE[/thumb]
    
    DEADTEXT via [url=DEADLINK]DEADTITLE[/url][/center]
    [line]100[/line]
    
    Oh dear, you seem to be dead. No spoilers, please <3
    
    Except for a single contentless bah post, you may not post in the public game thread or your mafia PT until I have announced the game is over. Even if you know that the game is over because of information you learned in here, it is not over until I say it is. There will be a postgame discussion period after I've posted the endgame scenes.
    
    Access: YOURNAME, BACKUPMOD, LISTMOD, SPECTATORS

  4. Add your backup moderator and the listmod to the "add moderator" box. Don't preview before submitting.
Final Pregame Steps

  1. Send out your
    role PMs, one at a time,
    in the order of the playerlist. BCC your backup mod on all the PMs you send out!
  2. Post a message in the
    public thread
    that you've done this and when the deadline is. Here's what I use:
    Spoiler: all PMs sent code

    Code: Select all

    [b][color=grey]All role PMs have been sent out (in the order of the signup list so timestamps mean nothing)! We will start in [countdown]DEADLINE[/countdown] or when [8/9] people have confirmed, whichever happens sooner. 
    
    The above clock and any others used throughout this game will be accurate from the time you loaded the page.[/color][/b]

  3. In your mod PT, quote your role assignment's post and your links post, and reply to the
    PM the listmod
    sent you with these, so they know everything's set up. CC your backup mod on this.
  4. Add the deadline to your
    calendar
    so you remember to start the game in time.
  5. When people confirm, edit the first post in your mod PT to be
    bold
    , to help you keep track of confirmations.
  6. I like to put a link to the game in my signature. Later, when I need to post a replacement request, if i've forgotten to copy the game's URL to my clipboard, i can just preview my post and copy the link out of my own signature.
Last edited by Plotinus on Sat May 01, 2021 12:14 am, edited 19 times in total.
The failure mode of clever is asshole.

Modding checklists | Sequencer is in Game 5 | Space II is in Day 4
User avatar
Plotinus
Plotinus
Kitten Caboodle
User avatar
User avatar
Plotinus
Kitten Caboodle
Kitten Caboodle
Posts: 7611
Joined: March 13, 2015
Location: UTC+1
Contact:

Post Post #1 (ISO) » Tue Nov 19, 2019 9:29 am

Post by Plotinus »

Your First Day and Night


Votecounts


I get my first vote count ready before the game starts, and everytime I post a votecount, I get the next one ready. Here are some tips for making votecounting go smoothly.
  1. In the mod notes, I call attention to the
    unusual
    parts of my ruleset, in case anybody was skimming. After the first VC I replace my mod notes with a placeholder like " :] "
  2. I almost always use Thesp's automated vote counter. Be sure to click on the FAQ to find out how to use it. You'll need to put some code behind a spoiler in the first post of the public thread for it to read, and at the start of each dayphase it needs to know what the first post of the day is. If you use Windows or Mac, you can install MathBlade's vote counter, which has more features.
  3. Here is what the
    template
    my first votecount looks like
    Spoiler: Vote Count

    Code: Select all

    [color=grey][area=Official Vote Count 1.00][/color][center][thumb=600]https://i.imgur.com/lOiDQLN.jpg[/thumb]
    
    Wisteria[/center]
    [line]100[/line]
    
    [mech=Elimination]With 9 votes in play, it takes 5 to eliminate someone.
    
    [b]Everybody[/b] (0): Nobody
    
    [b]Not Voting[/b] (9): PLAYERNAMES
    
    [b]Deadline:[/b] [size=100][countdown]10 days[/countdown].[/size][/mech]
    
    [b]Mod notes:[/b] Everyone except for _____ is here, so we can get started early. ____ has another [countdown]DAYSTART DEADLINE[/countdown] to remember mafiascum exists before I start looking for a replacement.
    
    Please take a moment to familiarise yourselves with my ruleset because I have some rules you may not have encountered in other games before regarding animated gifs, tiny text, prodging and perhaps some other things.[/area]


    If you're not going to have any flavour in your votecounts at all then here is a simpler template:
    Spoiler: simpler VC

    Code: Select all

    [area=Official Vote Count 1.00]With 9 votes in play, it takes 5 to eliminate.
    
    [b]Everybody[/b] (0): Nobody
    
    [b]Not Voting[/b] (9): PLAYERNAMES
    
    [b]Deadline:[/b] [size=100][countdown]10 days[/countdown].[/size]
    
    [b]Mod notes:[/b] Everyone except for _____ is here, so we can get started early. ____ has another [countdown]DAYSTART DEADLINE[/countdown] to remember mafiascum exists before I start looking for a replacement.
    
    Please take a moment to familiarise yourselves with my ruleset because I have some rules you may not have encountered in other games before regarding animated gifs, tiny text, prodging and perhaps some other things.[/area]

  4. Once I'm happy with the way the votecount looks, I save it to my
    drafts
    by clicking "Preview" and then "Save Draft". You find your drafts in your User Control Panel, at the top and bottom left of each page. From there, click on manage drafts. You can also click on manage drafts directly from your bookmarks page.
  5. Whenever I post a votecount, I quote it, edit out the quote part, put a new picture in, and
    save it to my drafts.

  6. Whenever I see that there is a
    new page
    , I go into my drafts and load the draft. I copy the votes out of the automated vote counter and paste them in.
  7. You don't have to, but I like to
    increase the deadline size
    as the day progresses, about 5-10 steps bigger each day until on the final day the deadline is really big.
  8. Check your game
    every time you wake up in the morning, every time you come home from work, and right before bed. It takes 2 minutes to pull a draft out and paste from the votecounter, and your game will be better if everyone always knows what the votecount is. If you're counting votes by hand then it is a lot easier if you only have 1-2 pages to do.
  9. When I have some free time, or if I'm stuck listening to something that doesn't need my full attention, I collect pictures for future vote counts in my mod PT. This makes it go even faster.
  10. I don't always succeed, but I try to stay at least a few votecounts ahead of myself, because this lets me guarantee to my players that the current picture has nothing to do with the current votes, because I picked it out far too long ago to predict who would be the leading wagon.
  11. Listicles like "50 amazing trees" or "75 adorable panda bears" are a great source of vote count flavour.


Prods
  1. Every time you check the thread, click the
    Activity Overview
    link at the bottom right part of the page. It automatically sorts by date, so look at the bottom to see who hasn't posted in a while.
  2. If anyone hasn't posted in a while,
    click the checkbox
    next to their names and click "PM selected". This will add the names to BCC so you can prod everybody who needs at the same time without them seeing the other recipients.
  3. The
    subject
    of the prod should have your game number, name, and the word "Prod".
  4. The body should contain, at the bare minimum, a
    link to the game thread
    . If you copy the thread link from your signature, you don't have to worry about accidentally putting a link to page 32 when the player might not have read past page 27 yet, so they won't lose their place.
  5. Before the link, I like to put some words like "Hi! It's been a while since you've posted and we miss you. Come back!", but it's enough to just put the link.
  6. If this is the player's second prod,
    warn them
    that if you have to prod them again you will start looking for a replacement early.
  7. If this is their third prod, tell them that they have until you find a replacement to post, and start looking for a
    replacement
    now.
  8. Post in the public thread
    so that your players know that you are taking steps to make people be active again. I usually write

    Code: Select all

    "____[sup]1[/sup] has been prodded and has [countdown]1 day[/countdown] to post before I start looking for a replacement.
    .
  9. The

    Code: Select all

    [sup]1[/sup]
    part shows how many times this person has already been prodded.
  10. Also
    edit the first post
    of your public thread to have a

    Code: Select all

    [sup]1[/sup]
    after their name to show how many times they've been prodded.
  11. Some mods, including me, like to count Saturday and Sunday as a single day for prod purposes, to make things easier for those who can't play on
    weekends
    . If I'm prodding somebody "late" because of the weekend or if I'm giving the more than a day to respond to the prod, because of the weekend, I add the words "because the timer runs slower on weekends" to the public prod notice.
  12. Some mods, including me, like to let players request
    early prods
    of inactive players. When this happens, I note down what time they would have been due for a prod, and I post "___ has been prodded early on request. If they post before ORIGINALTIME, this won't count as a real prod. If they don't post before ADAYAFTERTHAT, I will start looking for a replacement."
  13. If you're doing either of these things, you should put it in your ruleset under Activity Requirements so that everybody knows what to expect.

Replacements


Sometimes players request replacement. Sometimes players flake even though you prodded them. Sometimes players get so toxic that you have to force replace them and report their posts.
  1. When I prod someone for the third time, I write "___3 has been prodded. This is their third prod, so I am looking for a replacement now, but if they post before I find somebody, they can stay."
  2. If I prod somebody but they don't respond within a day, I write "___ hasn't responded to their prod and is being replaced. If they post before I find somebody, they can stay."
  3. If a player requests replacement, they aren't allowed to replace back in and they must stop talking immediately. Write "___ has requested replacement, searching..." or something in the public thread.
  4. If you're not modding a newbie, go to the Replacement Requests thread in the Queue subforum. The first post there has some code you can copy to fill in with your request.
  5. If you're modding a
    newbie
    , go to the last page of the newbie queue, quote some other mod's post in which they were looking for the kind of slot you're replacing (newbies and SEs get a different spiel about who can replace in) and then edit the details to match your game.
  6. Don't say anything substantial
    about the slot in your replacement request. Don't say "this is a really great slot" or "This slot is being townread by everybody" or "They're replacing out because they're sick". Be very careful about TMI.
  7. If nobody replaces in for a day, start reaching out to other people. You can come into the
    site chat lobby
    and post "Does anybody want to replace into a normal?" You can PM your friends "Hey do you want to replace into my game?" if you know them well enough to expect they'd like to do this. Don't spam people you don't know. You still can't say anything about the slot other than its name.
  8. If you have to replace two slots at once, you have to replace them in the order they replace out. If someone wants to replace in "but only to a town slot", you can't give them "whichever slot is town" because that gives away some information about the other slot.
  9. Once you have your replacement,
    send them their role PM, add them to any PTs
    they need to be in.
  10. I like to
    wait until they confirm
    to announce them, but if you don't wait then you should say that they haven't confirmed yet, so people aren't expecting them to be online when they're not.
  11. Post
    "____ replaces _____! Please welcome them!"
  12. Edit the first post
    to show that they replaced in, and put a link to it in the Events section. If you have the playerlist posted in the mafia/mason/neighbour PT then edit the playerlist there too. If you're using the automated votecounter, the syntax is "Plotinus (replaces plot; PenguinPower; PP)" Specifying that people replace nicknames that people use for voting them makes the votecounter more accurate, but it usually does pretty well even without that.
  13. Consider extending the deadline
    if the dayphase is almost over, so they have time to catch up.
    Consider not extending it
    , to conserve momentum, unless they ask for an extension. It's up to you.
  14. Edit your replacement requests post
    so that people know the slot is filled. I usually strikethrough my post and write "Thanks, Playername!".
  15. Edit your next votecount in your drafts
    . In the mod notes section, put "NewPlayer replaced OldPlayer". leave it there for a few votecounts, then get rid of it. In extreme situations (four players replaced at once), leave it for the whole dayphase.
Twilight


They've eliminated somebody! Now what? I've modded over 40 games now and I use this checklist every single time an elimination happens.
  1. Lock
    thread
  2. Post
    final vote count
    . I like to put
    <-- ELIMINATED
    at the end of the elimination wagon.
  3. Post flip
    with role PM with private info [REDACTED] and updated countdown.
  4. If anybody is in the middle of being
    replaced
    , then write this after the countdown: "or 24 hours after I find a replacement for ____, whichever happens later." Do this even if they are a vanilla townie. If you don't do this for VTs then starting the day without them counts as revealing their role and alignment to everybody.
  5. See who needs to
    check in
    during the nightphase or risk being replaced and post about it. In my ruleset, anyone who hasn't posted in the last 24 hours must check in. This is to prevent situations like "Plotinus hasn't logged into the site in a 4 days but somebody died last night. There is only one scum left. Therefore Plotinus is town." Do this even if they're a VT.
  6. Update thread
    title, picture [sunshine -> moon], countdown, playerlist, events
  7. Post in
    mafia PT
    that it’s night time, update playlist and countdown. This makes it easier to read postgame to find out what discussion happened when.
  8. Post in
    neighbourhoods
    ,
    masonries
    , and
    notes PTs
    that it’s night time. This makes it easier to read postgame.
  9. send
    night start PM
    : Go to the activity overview and click the checkbox next to all living players names, then hit send PM. Tell them that it is now night. Tell them who needs to check in lest they risk replacement. Tell them when the next day will start.
  10. Add flipped player to
    dead thread
    . Remember not to hit preview after typing their name in the box.
  11. Send
    welcome to the dead thread PM.

  12. update signature
    -- i like to keep track of what day phase my games are in.
  13. Put a note in my
    calendar
    for 24 hours from now to check on night actions.

Midnight
  1. Reply to night actions with “
    Action received
    : you are VERBing PLAYER." If they don't hear from you, they will worry you didn't get it. You can't give them their results yet because: they might be roleblocked / you don't want them to know there is no roleblocker / the mafia haven't submitted the kill yet / the mafia might change their mind.
  2. Edit your Game Events
    post in your mod PT whenever an action is submitted. At the end of the line, put something like "Success: Player is town" or "Failure: Roleblocked".
  3. Send
    24 hour warning
    to players who haven’t submitted a night action. I have a template for this in my sample mod PT.
  4. Post
    24 hour warning
    in mafia PT with their current night actions.
  5. update next flip template
    : Quote the day 1 elimination post and change "day 1 elimination" to "night 1 kill", and put a different youtube video, but leave the name and role untouched, even if you know who is going to die already. You are going to save this to your drafts, but if you hit submit by mistake you'll be glad the info wasn't there yet.
  6. Put the daystart time in your
    calendar
    so you remember.
Dawn
  1. Process night actions

  2. send results to players who get
    results
    (unless they are dying)
  3. Post
    flip
    of dead player with role PM
  4. Remove dead player’s name from
    vote count
    and post daystart VC with updated countdown.
  5. Unlock thread

  6. Update first post:
    thread title and picture (moon -> sunshine) and countdown and player list and events and timer
  7. Send
    daystart PM
    "It is now Day 2, come play: LINK"
  8. Post in
    mafia PT
    that it’s daytime
  9. Update
    countdown
    and playlist in mafia PT
  10. post message in the
    neighbourhoods, masonries, and notes PTs

  11. Add flipped player to
    dead thread

  12. Send
    welcome to the dead thread
    PM
  13. update
    signature

  14. update
    next flip
    template
End Game

Somebody won! Now you've got to make a bunch of posts. Here's an example of the endgame posts that I make.
  1. Follow the first 3 Twilight steps:
    lock thread, elimination votecount, role reveal.

  2. When you post the role PM of the final player, write that a win condition has been achieved, and write
    who won
    .
  3. If you're modding a normal or a theme game, quote the post from your Mod PT that says who had what role, and their
    role PMs
    . Put that into the public thread. I skip this step for newbies and opens because the role PMs are all there on Page 1, so I think it's enough to just write "congratulations to ___, town cop, ___ town doctor, and BUNCHOFNAMES vanilla townies".
  4. Quote the
    links post
    and the
    game events
    post from your mod PT. Paste these into a new post in the public thread. Before you post it, follow all the links in the links post and edit the OP to make them public. Some people like to give the mafia a day to request changes, others like to release it right away. If you're not releasing it right away, put "

    Code: Select all

    Will be open in [countdown]1 day[/countdown], or sooner if the mafia agrees
    " at the end of it so people know it's not public yet.
  5. If the mafia PT isn't public yet, put a reminder to make it public in your
    calendar
    , and post in the mafia PT asking if they want anything edited. Give them a countdown for when it will be public if you don't hear from them.
  6. Optionally, write a post with your
    thoughts about the game
    . Write down stuff that you thought was interesting or that people played very well. If you think some moment was really funny or clever, point it out.
  7. Mafia games can get heated sometimes. Endgame discussion can be a place for trying to
    repair anything that was damaged
    during the game. Or it can be a place for fanning the flames and having everything continue to be terrible. When choosing what comments to make, try to say things that will make things better, not worse. Keep an eye on things postgame and if everything is terrible, threaten to lock the thread and do it if you need to.
  8. One last post: "This thread is now
    open for postgame discussion
    . You can post here even if you were dead and even if you didn't play."
  9. Unlock
    the thread.
  10. Edit the first post
    of your public thread with the final reveals and the links to the events and the post game discussion. Change the picture and the title to be "Over" or "Endgame"
  11. PM everybody
    who ever posted in your game thread, even if they replaced out. Subject line "Normal 1000 | Panda Bears | Game Over" Body "Panda Bears is over! Come find out who won: LINK". This might take more than one PM if you had a lot of replacements, there's a limit on how many PMs you can send at once.
  12. Post in the
    queue
    thread that your game is over.
  13. Edit your
    signature
    .
  14. Start
    planning your next game
    . You did it!
Last edited by Plotinus on Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:05 pm, edited 12 times in total.
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Post Post #2 (ISO) » Tue Nov 19, 2019 5:00 pm

Post by skitter30 »

plot this is an awesome and helpful guide, thank you :)
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Post Post #3 (ISO) » Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:16 am

Post by Micc »

This guide is well written hits on a lot of things new moderators might miss or be unaware of when setting up their first game. Looking forward to seeing the rest, and much thanks for taking the time to write this!
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Post Post #4 (ISO) » Wed Nov 20, 2019 9:18 am

Post by Yimmy »

three years ago i site flaked twice all because i didn't have a guide as informative as this. i am very glad that i will not have to site flake again.
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Post Post #5 (ISO) » Wed Nov 20, 2019 10:07 am

Post by Plotinus »

I've edited with all the steps for counting votes, prods, replacements, twilight, midnight, dawn, and endgame.

The twilight/midnight/dawn checklists are from a text file that i've been using for a few years. I refer to it every single time I have to do a phase change in a game. I've modded enough games by now that I could probably do it all without the checklist but it's good for my peace of mind because I don't have to think and I can be sure that I've done everything.
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Post Post #6 (ISO) » Wed Nov 20, 2019 2:32 pm

Post by Amrun »

This is a great resource for new mods.
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Post Post #7 (ISO) » Thu Nov 21, 2019 6:30 am

Post by AaronFrost »

This is a great guide. Will definitely use these tips for my upcoming mini normal.

Thanks Plot! :D
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Post Post #8 (ISO) » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:13 pm

Post by Gamma Emerald »

This is a great guide and I’ll probably take some tips from it
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Post Post #9 (ISO) » Mon Nov 25, 2019 6:27 pm

Post by OkaPoka »

ego
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Post Post #10 (ISO) » Mon Nov 25, 2019 8:11 pm

Post by Enter »

Ego
is cancelled. Apologies to all who signed up.[/color]
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Post Post #11 (ISO) » Thu Nov 28, 2019 3:17 am

Post by Alisae »

I feel like the one thing I do that not that many people do is I tell my players to put up V/LA flags if they're going to be on V/LA.
This makes it easier for me to identify who doesn't need prodding.

also, I didn't even know that the code existed
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Post Post #12 (ISO) » Sun Dec 01, 2019 11:11 pm

Post by Saladman27 »

Thanks! I never knew I needed this.
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Post Post #13 (ISO) » Mon Dec 02, 2019 12:17 am

Post by Gamma Emerald »

In post 11, Alisae wrote:I feel like the one thing I do that not that many people do is I tell my players to put up V/LA flags if they're going to be on V/LA.
This makes it easier for me to identify who doesn't need prodding.

also, I didn't even know that the sup code existed
I use that code when I write SoonTM
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Post Post #14 (ISO) » Thu Dec 05, 2019 8:41 am

Post by Alisae »

Btw Plot why do you use thesp’s votecounter over MathBlades?
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Post Post #15 (ISO) » Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:57 am

Post by Plotinus »

As far as I know, MathBlade's doesn't have a Linux version.

I'm planning to write my own when I have time.
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Post Post #16 (ISO) » Thu Dec 05, 2019 9:59 am

Post by Plotinus »

But I'll add a link to it for windows/mac users
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Post Post #17 (ISO) » Sun Dec 22, 2019 10:13 am

Post by Nancy Drew 39 »

In post 2, skitter30 wrote:plot this is an awesome and helpful guide, thank you :)
+1
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Post Post #18 (ISO) » Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:36 pm

Post by teacher »

Ego/awesome
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Post Post #19 (ISO) » Thu Feb 20, 2020 6:42 pm

Post by eth0s »

ego/necro/thanks a lot, this is amazing.
it's a zero in my name (for PM purposes etc)
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Post Post #20 (ISO) » Sun Feb 23, 2020 3:47 am

Post by Ankamius »

Egopost for future reference
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Post Post #21 (ISO) » Mon Apr 06, 2020 7:16 am

Post by GeorgeBailey »

This helped me immensely for my first game.

Thank you so much!
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Post Post #22 (ISO) » Wed Apr 08, 2020 12:00 pm

Post by bugspray »

In post 21, GeorgeBailey wrote:This helped me immensely for my first game.

Thank you so much!
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Post Post #23 (ISO) » Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:06 pm

Post by Plotinus »

I have updated this thread to use the new elimination language.
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Post Post #24 (ISO) » Mon Nov 23, 2020 5:51 pm

Post by Guillotina »

Now i know i will not be ready to host a game anytime soon here. This looks complex!
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