Communication outside the thread (if your role specifically allows it) is allowed until the game begins.
You may not quote private communication of any kind. This includes moderator-supplied information (either real or fabricated) of any kind. Paraphrasing (for role claims, etc.) is acceptable.
There is to be NO personal communication outside of the forum postings unless your role PM specifically allows it.
Activity/Prods/Replacements
Prods of missing players will be issued after 5 real days of no activity.
A prodded player has 48 hours to respond to the prod, after which time a replacement search will begin. The prodded player may re-enter the game so long as no replacement has been found.
A player who has been prodded 3 times is subject to possible replacement without further notice.
If you anticipate being unavailable for more than 5 days, please PM us or include a V/LA notice as post-script to a letter.
We reserve the right to force replace players who need extensively long V/LA at our own discretion.
Deadlines
Deadlines for this game will be one month per day phase. Night Phases will last 48 hours.
Extensions are given only in extreme circumstances. Given the style of this game, these circumstances would need to be
very
extreme.
If you have a role with a Night action your choices are due to me by the posted deadline. If I do not receive your choice via PM by the posted deadline you will forfeit your actions.
Player Actions/Voting/Player Death
A simple majority of all living players must agree on one person (via voting) for a Lynch to occur (simple majority = ½ # of living players +1, rounded down). If no one has a simple majority of votes at deadline a No Lynch will occur.
Votes must be bolded or use the [.vote] tags to be counted (e.g.
Vote: Player
or VOTE: Player).
Unvotes are not necessary before changing votes.
You may
Vote: No Lynch
- a simple majority of these vote types are required to send the game to Night phase without a Lynch.
Votes made using nicknames or abbreviations will be counted at our discretion (as best we can). Fake vote gambits should be executed at your own peril. If we think its a vote, then it is a vote.
Miscellaneous
We do not have a Mod color, but will post in any style we see fit. Don't impersonate us. No invisible/small/encrypted text is allowed.
Any situation not explicitly covered above is subject to our discretion and will be handled as we see fit on a case-by-case basis.
======================
Game-Specific Rules
This game runs on an unusual time-table, please refer to the Deadlines heading above.
Any faction, neighborhood, masonry, or other group eligible for a Private Topic will NOT have day talk. Private Topics will be open during Night Phases ONLY.
Players will communicate by sending letters to the moderator by PM. All letters will be posted by the moderator as close to 0:00 GMT as can be reasonably managed.
All letters must conform to the personalized style and character laid out in your role PM.
Any letters which do not will be marked "RETURN TO SENDER" and rejected back to the player. This will not count against the day's letter cap.
A soft cap of 10 letters per gameday will be enforced. At the moderators' sole discretion, this cap may be increased or removed as the game requires.
All characters and styles are customized to the player, not the role. These are intended as flavor only, and were developed separately from role assignments. Any replacements will have new characters and styles handcrafted for them.
Please confirm by writing a letter to us in your character's style and voice, affirming your role and alignment. The confirmation stage will continue until all players have done so.
All mail is subject to a minimum of 24 hours' delivery delay.
Players may NOT post in this thread, except to cast their vote. Violations of this rule will be deleted and warned. Further violations may be replaced at our discretion.
Players may only vote once per 24-hour period, as measured by the delivery of mail. Effectively, you may vote anew after mail arrives, but alterations before the next mail cycle will not be honored.
Each Night cycle, each player may compose ONE letter to be delivered PRIVATELY to the player of their choice. This letter must otherwise conform to all stylistic requirements.
There is no minimum nor maximum length of letter, but please be kind to your fellow players. Keep your letters' length reasonable. Likewise, it is inadvisable to waste everyone's time (and your limited supply of letters) by mailing a brief, vague missive.
We implore and encourage you to take the time to enjoy your assigned styles! Each is a bespoke character crafted with you in mind, and we look forward to seeing what you can do!
Finally, let it be known that this setup is singleball, 7:2, with roles which conform to the Normal ruleset aside from the letter-writing mechanics.
Post
Post #2 (isolation #2) » Thu Nov 07, 2019 8:11 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Dear players,
Private messages have been issued to each of your accounts, containing the details of your roles in this game. Please read these, and the game's rules, carefully. These have been custom-written, and will need to be read in full to understand the details of this setup.
Day one will begin with no fewer than 9 confirmations.
If you have any queries regarding your role or the game's rules, please ensure they are addressed to us promptly.
Warm regards,
Mr. Bram Stoker, Esq.
Mr. Jules Verne, Esq.
Post-script: at present, we have received
9
of
9
confirmations.
Last edited by Correspondence on Mon Nov 11, 2019 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"Joke" votes will not be counted, but will count against your limit of one per day. Given that the day has cycled, this amounts to time served. Please refrain from joke votes, as they run counter to the spirit of the ruleset.
Only one vote per 24-hour cycle is permitted, and this includes unvotes. After consideration, this means that the initial votes stand, subsequent unvotes notwithstanding. Again, as the day has cycled, you are free to move your vote where you wish or unvote...once.
To clarify some things, your first "free" letter will be posted in the first mail call it is eligible, but subsequent letters will be subject to the delivery delay. We hope that this process will lead to more deliberate, meaningful content in the long run.
Post
Post #20 (isolation #13) » Wed Nov 13, 2019 2:32 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Reminder: All letters except your first are subject to a delivery delay of at least 24 hours, so if you were expecting a letter to be delivered today, please check timestamps. If you believe an error has been made, please feel free to contact us directly.
Our apologies for the slight delay. Mail call is tied to 0:00 GMT, but life occasionally intervenes. For adjudicating when a letter is to be delivered, 0:00 will be used regardless of any tardiness on our part.
Post
Post #23 (isolation #16) » Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:02 pm
Postby Correspondence »
The very observant among you will notice that jjh927's postage stamp reserve has not been reduced. An error was made in calculating when said letter was to be posted, and it would properly have been eligible for posting yesterday. The error stems from entirely from incorrect time zone translation on the mods' part. To compensate for the added delay, jjh927's has not been "charged". The source of the error has been compensated for, and we do not anticipate it again.
Post
Post #24 (isolation #17) » Thu Nov 14, 2019 3:10 pm
Postby Correspondence »
We believe the error can be traced to how MafiaScum.net records Daylight Savings Time. We have adjusted our account preferences to reflect time accurately.
Post
Post #32 (isolation #22) » Sat Nov 16, 2019 1:18 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Various prods will be going out shortly. While we have elected to treat votes as eligible activity for meeting prod threshold, please engage with the game via letter. Ten letters per game day may sound like a small number for a game with month-long deadlines, but remember that this is a Micro, and we are roughly 20% of the way to deadline already.
Additionally, we have decided that due to a lack of familiarity with content, Team Looker is to be issued a new style and character. If anyone else has concerns about their ability to play to their specified character, please address it with us as soon as possible.
Post
Post #42 (isolation #28) » Tue Nov 19, 2019 1:27 pm
Postby Correspondence »
To the very good men at the Paragon Daily,
I present to you my newest advice, again this is not related to my situation at all.
- Dear Saladman, my fellow shipmates want to throw an animal overboard! They’re saying he’s doing nothing and is the killer! What do I do? If I don’t vote, they’ll turn on me too! Oh Saladman, I need your great advice. - Dog Lover
- Dear Dog Lover, you should definitely and absolutely vote to throw the animal overboard. This activity is suspicious for dogs, they are very intuitive and always have something to say.
To my Rescuer (I hope this title ages well),
I have grown paranoid again, growing more-so as the food runs short. My trust and hope still lies in an islander by the name of jjh. It has been made evident that he has only the best wishes in store for everyone on the island. While observing the… inhabitants from our vantage point—we observed one islander not playing with the rest. Later, we explored the area in which we’d seen him playing. Feathers found the name “VORKUTA” scrawled in the sand.
We all seem to be engaging in a game of cat and mouse, but this islander refuses to play near the wagons of others. Is this another threat to rival Blatant Scum? Why does this islander refuse to play with the others?
I would be interested in his response. Perhaps we can find another ally in this godforsaken place. Perhaps we’ll find another rabid beast to run away from.
If it helps you find me, this letter is timestamped 7:45 Phoenix Island Time.
Post
Post #45 (isolation #29) » Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:04 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Looker (preschool) Academy File #1:
Nancy,
As you requested I have begun character evaluations for some of our young applicants. As you are aware, we only have room for 6, eliminations must be made.
I highly recommend JJH to be approved for a spot to the academy. The guy plays well with others and shows potential. Im probably exaggerating but I guy has a very bright future ahead of him. Definately has Looker’s Seal of Approval (TM)
On the other hand, saladman looks like someone to cross off the list. On further review Im seeing some possibly disturbing tendencies, including seeing decapitated barbie dolls and thats the minor issue. Now to be fair, he did maintain he got frustrated when the other children wouldn’t allow him to play house with them but when Tiffany came to me bawling because her teddybear, Fluffy had his left eye poked out, I realized something had to be done and soon. The situation has now gotten so bad, that Principal Scully has outright refused to even allow us to even have a pet rabbit like all of the other classes. I think that’s definitely a possible red flag that we absolutely ought not to ignore. I’m especially concerned that allowing him around the other gifted children could prove disastrous.
More is coming soon, I expect to hear some thoughts from you soon.
~ Sally.
Letter #2
I address you all.
The arguing in the farmhouse is getting louder.
But they all go quiet once they realize the great earl of Correspondence mafia is about to speak. Our glorious and eternal leader Extrapolated Wolf.
He stands up slowly from his seat with shaky legs. All his motions are old and tardy. Everyone can see his obvious weakness and start whispering. They know he is the one and the same hero described to us from the legends, the one who banished the wicked and ancient scum tribe from their seat of power and paved the way for the golden age of townies. But time has been cruel on him. He now has a long white and busty beard, his bones are feeble and the days where he held a sword has long since passed.
He starts speaking. He starts going on about how rabbits have been multiplying without end, apparently some sort of penguins have been spotted north in the country. Everyone starts groaning, wondering when his endless recitals and boring irrelevant observations will end.
What he’s saying simply isn’t of importance right now. There are obvious scum on the loose yet our great leader will not see it. Even i start to lose faith in the chiefdom of Extrapolated Wolf upon hearing his extrapolated guesswork and annoyingly low wheezing. Not a word was spared from his mouth about our current predicament. About the scum that are hiding among us.
I must say, things are looking bad for us here. And if our leader doesn’t start making sense then it is entirely likely that one of the power hungry underlings sitting on the table will rebel against his rule and create utter chaos for our society.
I sense a disturbance in the air, a climate of evil descending upon our peaceful realm. The mafia’s machinations are at work.
Let this not be a word of advice, but a word of warning. To you all.
Post
Post #49 (isolation #31) » Thu Nov 21, 2019 1:14 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Rescuers (for Fox pointed out that it's likely there are more than one of you, and we wish not to offend anyone by leaving them unnoticed in our letters),
Our pursuers make it ever difficult to keep writing. We have received a few letters from other beings, but each of them seems to be addressed to someone else, and we do not know you, so we do not know how to address you directly ourselves. This situation is remarkably difficult, demoralizing, and ever more than what Feathers signed up for. On top of that, we just spilled the last of our ink, so now we must frantically dab at it off the ground.
There is almost nothing anywhere for any of us to know who has turned the natives against us, and hope is almost lost. If any of you can even assist us in how to deal with these issues we present you, we would both find it ever so helpful.
One thing I—Feathers—can respond to: one particularly dull member of this mailing group seems to think that our interest in Blatant Scum in the first several pages of the game has any sort of correlation to our relationship with the natives and their hostility. To this particular applicant - on what island would any marooned person have any indication of other sailors of interest on the island? When would the hostiles ever have any specific sentient in mind instead of simply wanting them all gone? The fact that there is any interest in our response to this whatsoever embarrasses Feathers that he would be stuck on the same island as such people.
Post
Post #51 (isolation #33) » Fri Nov 22, 2019 1:22 pm
Postby Correspondence »
To my esteemed colleagues;
I understand that finding the traitors in our midst is a new area of study, and is lacking in prior publications to peruse for possibilities. However, do not be disheartened! Through peer review we shall ensure that our work is quality, and thus find the answers we seek.
A quick literature study determines that townreading jjh927 is not a revolutionary idea and, while further evidence and support is always welcomed, I do not feel anything more should be published featuring this concept as its primary focus. I find Extrapolated Wolf's latest findings to be interesting but I have some concerns about their methodology. Dingle Dangle Scarecrow's approach to Extrapolated Wolf is fascinating and differs somewhat from my latest findings, and I would be interested in seeing what they come up with in the future as more data is made available.
As of late, I find my brief interest in chasing down Team Looker to have been a step in the wrong direction, and turn my attention to Michael Scott as the most suspicious player to have entertained the thought of scum!Wolf, due to the silence there otherwise. I have moved away from my early work on Extrapolated Wolf for now, but that should not indicate that I do not believe there is room for further study.
Regards,
Your ghostly guide,
PenguinPower
As of 04:41 GMT 21 Nov
To: Jan Levinson-Gould
Subject: Performance Memo
Salads
:
I told you I hate Salad, but now he's just encouraging everyone else to throw aboard a dog (who does look pretty wild) - who does that?? I know this is a doggy dog world, but... you should fire him. I think he might just be Toby in disguise.
Team Looker
:
I remember Nancy from my old job!! I thought she was going to out-speak Kelly over here, but she's surprisingly silent... Should I let her go instead?
Jim's Magic Pills
:
Jim gave me some pills saying they'd increase my smarts, and I feel it's working... my performance is at top notch! Can't wait to be employee of the month soon!
Toby
:
He's the worst! Really bad performance. Can you just fire him and end this, Jan?
Post
Post #54 (isolation #35) » Sat Nov 23, 2019 3:12 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Dear Dingle,
You know, I'm getting the feeling that wolf just got bored waiting for more information. They've identified a potential mutual friend in JJ - I think we'll just have to make sure our entertainment is on point to keep them engaged. We'll have to ask him what his issue with vortku is, as we still need to work on seating.
There's still a lack of response from certain quarters, and I believe we need to start chasing. I also find it really concerning that we did receive a reply from salad, but that it contained no indication of his thoughts or even an RSVP.
Post
Post #62 (isolation #41) » Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:54 pm
Postby Correspondence »
To our Rescuers,
It's just Fox this time. Feathers is sleeping. We found a alcove at the top of a cliff we can use to rest in! and hide.
We've been growing more acquainted with the island dwellers since our arrival. I've taken quite a liking to jjh, but you know that already. Dingle and Looker have also been friends who I feel rather safe with. Looker asked the other day what issue I had with that Vorkuta character. It seems I hadn't made myself clear enough, but while we discussed who might have poisoned the natives against us, I found the unwillingness to place his vote on someone anyone else was already voting for rather interesting behavior. I still would like to hear a response from him. I am—perhaps—a little more hopeful than Feathers that this issue on the island can be solved.
Meanwhile, Michael expresses no trust in anyone—or if I misunderstood, voicing a liking on jjh that other's have already stated adnauseam—instead choosing only to voice suspicions. While I understand being paranoid, it seems to me that an important part of survival on this island is finding people you trust. Why hasn't he been attempting the same?
That is all for today. I will return with Feathers in my next note. I hope some of my questions are answered by then.
Post
Post #64 (isolation #43) » Wed Nov 27, 2019 9:07 am
Postby Correspondence »
Billy Pilgrim replaces Blatant Scum effective immediately.
Saladman27 has requested replacement. If you know anyone who might be interested in replacing him, please forward their name to us.
Post
Post #68 (isolation #47) » Fri Nov 29, 2019 1:20 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Letter #3
I address all of ye undecided souls who have yet to join a wagon.
In this particular hour of unrest the trickster always seem to lie just beyond the horizon. Almost within sight. But on further examination, not quite.
It is a burden for anyone caught in this situation to be forced to make decisions like this. But the wagon on fellow Michael Scott is supported by men of firm character that i have no doubt will bring us one step closer to solving our predicament.
I ask of you, fellow Billy Pilgrim, and fellow Saladman27 to join in communion and together we shall open up the innards of Michael Scott and investigate whether the wickedness of mafia possesses him.
Post
Post #70 (isolation #49) » Mon Dec 02, 2019 2:24 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Dear loyal viewers,
I began this open letter intending to apologize for absenteeism these past two days. For what it's worth, that apology is still in effect, as we have not been vigorously communicating, and the lack of update on the game's status is ultimately the moderator(s) responsibility. Additionally, Billy Pilgrim's role PM was somehow lost in the mail, though that has now been rectified.
However, we have also received no new mail from the time we last posted. It was my intention to post any and all letters received immediately at no stamp charge, but none are in evidence. Indeed, the majority of participants have not sent letters in more than a week.
Please let this letter serve as a reminder that while participation in this venture is highly atypical, it is not optional. Anyone who does not submit a letter (not merely a bare vote) in the next 72 hours will be considered to have flaked.
Efforts to replace Saladman27 have been stymied, but will be redoubled. If you have concerns about the game, up to and including questioning whether this format is viable, feel free to speak your mind to us via PM.
Post
Post #72 (isolation #51) » Wed Dec 04, 2019 3:42 pm
Postby Correspondence »
Manager's training notes - Initial session
Coming in midway through training season is difficult. Not sure what Blatant Scum did to get sacked by the board but apparently the expectations are high here at Real Expedition. Honestly strikes me a bit strange, because there isnt much to speak of as far as talent goes, and now the board is telling me that by the end of the month I've got to trim one of these people off the roster. I think I walked into a setup, because I don't know how I avoid relegation with these circumstances, but I must press on.
I know I won't be cutting JJH. That guy is captain potential, shades of Stevie G. Real leadership quality. While some folks have been walking around the field staring at the grass, JJH has been exhorting them to keep their head in the game. I mean hes got this weird thing where he claims he isnt JJH, hes actually channelling some dead guy, but I dont care whose head gets on the end of the crosses as long as he keeps directing them on net.
Also won't be cutting Dingle Dangle Snowman or team looker. (Honestly who is naming people these days? What happened to the days of solid names? Your Steven Gerrards, Michael Owens, Jamie Carragher, Fernando Torres, Virgil Van Dijk? Instead we got these guys running around calling themselves the Dingle Dangle Snowman. I dont know if they can whip crosses into the box, but they certainly seem to be trying. They're asking others to put in more effort, and they do seem dedicated to the team. They're not talking about what they had for dinner.
Speaking of talking about what they had for dinner, this Extrapolated Wolf seems preoccupied with food. It's like they mistook us for a club with a big budget. Early on, they were just babbling about things I couldn't understand, and I was thinking about cutting them. Seeing more effort over the more recent sessions so they should stay.
Norwegian strikes me as the type of player that is gonna tell at other guys to get busy while not putting in the effort on his own. I mean sure, hes voting, but hes just telling stories in the old language. Aside from him liking the people that want to dump Michael Scott, I dont know why he wants to dump Michael Scott.
Honestly I forgot Vorkuta was even at training today. I think I heard him muttering something in the corner about masks, but I dont think hes even trying to make this team. It's weird though, I've had him on a team of mine before, and he was more dangerous to that team when he was trying to be a leader. He was a leader just to sabotage us. So weirdly, I dont know whether hes working against us here or just bored.
For my first cut, I'm really leaning toward either Michael Scott or Saladman. Not sure a middle aged paper company manager belongs on a proper football team anyway. But I've seen nothing from him all session. All he could say was that JJH was a hell of a player, but even Jose Mourinho couldn't say anything bad about JJH. So really he doesnt seem to be giving me anything here. He seems to be complaining about Saladman because he had concerns about Wolf. But at the time Salad had concerns about Wolf, Wolf seemed to be more interested in looking for lunch than getting stuck into challenges. So I think that's a weird reason to have such concerns. Honestly I think Michael is just mad that Salad was suspicious of him.
As for Salad, I only feel slightly better about bringing him along to another month of training. He doesnt seem concerned with how he explains his play to the rest of the team. I'm honestly worried that such lack of communication is a real liability to the team. How will people understand where he plans on passing without communication. Runs will be mistimed, we will lose possession. True disaster.
It was an illuminating first day. I had alot to catchup on. Hopefully I won't need to waste as much ink as I go.
Post
Post #75 (isolation #54) » Wed Dec 11, 2019 11:41 am
Postby Correspondence »
Dear beleaguered players,
It may surprise some of you not at all to hear that we have decided to terminate this experiment. We have reviewed the astrological charts, consulted with the ListMod, made the appropriate sacrifices, and divined the proper course. With six replacements out of nine apparently needed, we do not see a reasonable way forward. This model of game is hereby assessed a moderate failure; in particular the system of delayed delivery seems to have inhibited good flow of ideas, and the assignment of roles without player input has been deemed problematic, as it discouraged player ownership. We will be going back to the drawing board to examine the data, and will re-queue with a modified design for future enjoyment. We thank you for your participation in this experiment, and we will open the thread for normal discussion.