the secret santa costume ball celebrates cheery dog!

[angela]

straw millionaire, part one: the secret santa costume ball

[angela]

'you should mod something sometime' ~hectic
'i just want to give ppl gifts' ~isis

[angela]

rules

1. be kind
2. do not cheat

[angela]

how to play

please sign up on your main account (or the account you feel other players most associate with you) by either posting /in in the thread or pming me. you will then receive a link to a private topic and further pregame instructions.

the game will alternate between two phases,

1.

preparation for the secret santa costume ball

(48 hours), during which each player will prepare a gift and a costume for the ball and, if they would like, suggest improvements to the game (if i like the suggestion and think it could/should immediately be implemented, i will do so, if i think everyone should vote on whether or not it should be implemented, we will do so during the next secret santa costume ball), and

2.

the secret santa costume ball

(144 hours), during which each player will vote for winners of the costume contest and exchange gifts (swapping gifts with other players is accomplished by one player bolding

swap with ~player

and the other player then bolding

swap with ~player

. i will track both pending swap requests and completed swaps. swap requests cannot be rescinded. so for example, if player a posts

swap with player b

, then posts

swap with player c

, and player c posts

swap with player a

, player a and player c will swap gifts and player b may still post

swap with player a

, at which point they would receive the gift that player a received from player c. you may swap as many times as you would like during the secret santa costume ball.)

at the end of the secret santa costume ball, the winner of the costume contest will be announced and that player will not have to open their gift. the gift each other player is currently holding will then be opened and whoever has opened an undesirable gift will be eliminated. then we will begin preparing for the next secret santa costume ball. simple, really.

[angela]

disclaimer

i assume anyone who would sign up for this knows what they may be getting themselves into, but just in case; this game may contain elements that require moderator subjectivity, this game may contain collaborative design elements between players (you) and moderator (me) or players (you) and other players (you), this game may have alt-related mechanics, if i feel as though you have broken either of the two (2) rules you will probably open coal at the end of the next secret santa costume ball,

[angela]

asked questions

does this game require great skill in graphic design or art or something?

no, this game does not require great skill in graphic design or art or something. it was designed as the sort of game i thought i would like to play in while thinking about marathon games and as i do not have great skill in graphic design or art or something, i do not think those skills are necessary for playing it. the game does allow for those who do possess those skills to utilize them at times, but not in a way that puts those that do not at a disadvantage.

[angela]

input playerlist

1. hectic
2. bugspray
3. nancy drew 39
4. cheery dog
5. ydrasse
6. nahdia
7. jake the wolfie
8. unwnd
9. isis
10. dannflor

[angela]

signup phase begins now and ends in: (expired on 2021-06-20 18:31:26)

[angela]

suggest improvements to the game (if i like the suggestion and think it could/should immediately be implemented, i will do so, if i think everyone should vote on whether or not it should be implemented, we will do so during the next secret santa costume ball)

we have received our first improvement to the game courtesy of nahdia. wishlists will now be made public at the beginning of the first secret santa costume ball. there will no longer be a prompt for gifts for the first secret santa. the gift each of you brings may be chosen either during pregame if you have already finished your two pregame tasks, or during the first preparation phase, as originally planned.

[angela]

After reading through your how-to-play, I was left more confused than before.

would be happy to help; or at least, to try to help. i know i often have trouble communicating things clearly. is there something specific you are confused by? or do you think my presenting it in more of a step one, step two, step three sort of way would be better for you?

[angela]

I have no clue what I would need to do to play the game.

okay, so first, you would have to either post /in in the thread or pm me your desire to play.

then you would be added to a private topic that will be used for two pregame tasks, as well as for preparation phases.

once the preparation phase starts, you would be expected to prepare a costume for the costume ball, and a gift for the secret santa. since the improvement to the game, you may now get a head start on the gift portion after you have finished the two pregame tasks. these improvements to the game are meant to mainly occur during the preparation phase, but improvements offered at anytime will be taken into account.

after the preparation phase ends, the secret santa costume ball begins! players will swap gifts with eachother as many times as they would like and vote for the winner of the costume contest!

at the end of the secret santa costume ball, the winner of the costume contest voting will be announced. this player does not have to open their gift. each non-winner then opens the gift they are currently holding. anyone who opens an undesirable gift will be eliminated.

then it will be the preparation phase again, during which a costume and a gift will need to be prepared for the second secret santa costume ball!

[angela]

What do you mean by "Prepare a costume and a gift"?

for the gift portion, you will choose anything you would like to bring to the secret santa costume ball, and then once the ball starts you can swap it with other players by bolding

swap with ~player

in the thread. there is a [reserved] section of the private topics that will be partially used for inventories.

there will be a prompt for the costume portion, which has not been made public as of yet as signups are still open. once the preparation phase starts, the prompt will be made public, everyone will make a costume to wear, which may partially explain this part of the disclaimer:

this game may have alt-related mechanics

(and also partially be explained by that part of the disclaimer)

[angela]

How do I literally make a costume in this game?

beyond the above, that is not currently public information

Who decides what is a good or bad gift?

you do or y'all do or i do or some combination of the three

[angela]

suggest improvements to the game (if i like the suggestion and think it could/should immediately be implemented, i will do so, if i think everyone should vote on whether or not it should be implemented, we will do so during the next secret santa costume ball)

bugspray has improved the game. during the first secret santa costume ball, when a player (a) compliments another player (b), if (a) has not given a compliment that previously triggered this clause and (b) has not received a compliment that previously triggered this clause, then the gift inside the giftbox that (b) is holding at the time of the compliment will receive a modifier based on the compliment received.

[angela]

signup phase ends in: (expired on 2021-06-20 18:31:26)

[angela]

are signups still open?

yes! sorry for wording the above (now edited) in a confusing manner; the preparation phase will begin when the signup phase ends, and that is the time that remains in the signup phase.

[angela]

suggest improvements to the game (if i like the suggestion and think it could/should immediately be implemented, i will do so, if i think everyone should vote on whether or not it should be implemented, we will do so during the next secret santa costume ball)

improvements brought to us by jake the wolfie:

the gift each other player is currently holding will then be opened and whoever has opened an undesirable gift will be eliminated.

each gift is undesirable to the player who brought it to the secret santa costume ball.

during the secret santa costume ball, if twenty-four hours pass after a player has proposed a swap with all other players and that player has not completed a swap, that player will be considered embargoed. an embargoed player gains the ability 'blockade runner: once during this secret santa costume ball, you may force a swap with any player by bolding

blockade run to (player)

'.

during the secret santa costume ball, any player may open the gift they are currently holding at any time by bolding

open gift

. if that player opens an undesirable gift, they are eliminated. if not, they will leave the secret santa costume ball with their gift and await the next preparation phase. either way, they may no longer post for the remainder of the secret santa costume ball and they cannot vote in or win the costume contest.

if a player is eliminated due to opening an undesirable gift, that player may appeal the desirability of the gift they opened (and thus their elimination) during the next preparation phase.

[angela]

isis has improved the game. all major events will now be accompanied by music to create an atmosphere.

[angela]

signups have ended and preparation for the first secret santa costume ball has begun!

the theme for costumes is:

2011 in film, television or video games

the third post (post #2) of each of your private topics has been updated to include all active missions and your progress towards completing them. all four missions should be completed by the end of the preparation phase.

preparation phase ends in (expired on 2021-06-22 19:15:48)

[angela]

welcome to the first secret santa costume ball!

[angela]

please only post as your costumed selves.

voting for the costume contest winner begins now. to do so please use vote tags (ex: VOTE: player). you each have one vote, and you may move it as many times as you would like. the player with the most votes at the end of the first secret santa costume ball will be declared the winner of the costume contest. if there is a tie, there will be no winner. the winner of the costume contest, if there is one, will not have to open their gift.

gift swaps can be proposed at any time by bolding

swap with [player]

. to complete the swap, that player would then bold

swap with [player(you)]

. proposed swaps cannot be rescinded. you may swap as many times as you would like during the secret santa costume ball.

if twenty-four hours pass after a player has proposed a swap with all other players and that player has not completed a swap, that player will be considered embargoed. an embargoed player gains the ability 'blockade runner: once during this secret santa costume ball, you may force a swap with any player by bolding

blockade run to [player]

'.

when a player (a) compliments another player (b), if (a) has not given a compliment that previously triggered this clause and (b) has not received a compliment that previously triggered this clause, then the gift inside the giftbox that (b) is holding at the time of the compliment will receive a modifier based on the compliment received.

any player may open the gift they are currently holding at any time by bolding

open gift

. if that player opens an undesirable gift, they are eliminated. if not, they will leave the secret santa costume ball with their gift and await the next preparation phase. either way, they may no longer post for the remainder of the secret santa costume ball and they cannot vote in or win the costume contest.

at the end of the secret santa costume ball, the gift each other player is currently holding will be opened and whoever has opened an undesirable gift will be eliminated. each gift is undesirable to the player who brought it to the secret santa costume ball. if a player is eliminated due to opening an undesirable gift, that player may appeal the desirability of the gift they opened (and thus their elimination) during the next preparation phase.

[angela]

input playerlist

1. hectic
2. bugspray
3. cheery dog
4. ydrasse
5. jake the wolfie
6. isis
7. dannflor

output playerlist (randomized)

1. emmaswan
2. solaire of astora
3. chell
4. dovahkiin
5. trespass
6. loftwing
7. kyouko shirafuji

[angela]

wishlists

hectic's wishlist

1. pocket-sized carnival
2. an artifact from space
3. a gigantic plushie

bugspray's wishlist

1. candy
2. non renewable resources
3. something that is an idea

cheery dog's wishlist

1. new computer
2. a better timezone
3. games

ydrasse's wishlist

1. a very nice coat
2. a playlist of songs that will make me feel something
3. luxury sweets/chocolate/etc care package

jake the wolfie's wishlist

1. fursuit/fursuit parts
2. golden roses
3. paper

isis's wishlist

1. headphones
2. parasol
3. jewelry

dannflor's wishlist

1. a snow globe
2. an herbal tea (nothing fruity)
3. a clockwork watch

[angela]

costume contest votecount

emmaswan:

solaire of astora:

chell:

dovahkiin:

trespass:

loftwing:

kyouko shirafuji:

not voting (7):

emmaswan, solaire of astora, chell, dovahkiin, trespass, loftwing, kyouko shirafuji

pending swaps

completed swaps

time remaining in the first secret santa costume ball: (expired on 2021-06-28 20:30:41)

[angela]

Nice costume.

the gift solaire of astora is currently holding has received a modifier based on this compliment

[angela]

Swap player: Chell

swap: loftwing

loftwing swaps gifts with chell!

@mod are we allowed to post the picture of what our presents look like? I was hoping that would become public info immediately

no, you may not. you can describe the gift you are currently holding if you would like, but you may not post the image.

[angela]

costume contest votecount

emmaswan:

solaire of astora (1):

chell (64)

chell (1):

loftwing (65)

dovahkiin:

trespass:

loftwing (1):

kyouko shirafuji (67)

kyouko shirafuji:

not voting (4):

emmaswan, solaire of astora, dovahkiin, trespass

pending swaps

chell proposes a swap with solaire of astora (55)

completed swaps

loftwing swaps with chell (47, 48)

time remaining in the first secret santa costume ball: (expired on 2021-06-28 20:30:41)

edit: updated through post 70

[angela]

costume contest votecount

emmaswan:

solaire of astora (1):

chell (64)

chell (1):

loftwing (65)

dovahkiin:

trespass:

loftwing (1):

kyouko shirafuji (67)

kyouko shirafuji:

not voting (4):

emmaswan, solaire of astora, dovahkiin, trespass

pending swaps

dovahkiin proposes a swap with trespass (74, 89)
dovahkiin proposes a swap with chell (91)
emmaswan proposes a swap with solaire of astora (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with chell (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with dovahkiin (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with trespass (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with loftwing (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with kyouko shirafuji (96)

completed swaps

loftwing swaps with chell (47, 48)
chell swaps with solaire of astora (55, 84)
kyouko shirafuji swaps with solaire of astora (77, 84)

time remaining in the first secret santa costume ball: (expired on 2021-06-28 20:30:41)

edit: updated through post 96

[angela]

swap: Solaire of Astora

swap: chell

chell swaps gifts with solaire of astora!

[angela]

Swap: Solaire of astora

swap: kyouko shirafuji

kyouko shirafuji swaps gifts with solaire of astora!

[angela]

portal swap: Dovahkiin

chell shoots a portal under dovahkiin, then one under herself. the trade offer chell proposed to trespass now applies to dovahkiin!

[angela]

the trade offer chell proposed to trespass now applies to dovahkiin!

this may have been worded in an unideal way. the trade offer chell proposed to trespass is now treated as though it was proposed by dovahkiin, due to dovahkiin and chell swapping locations via portal.

[angela]

swap with loftwing

swap: EmmaSwan

emmaswan swaps gifts with loftwing!

[angela]

costume contest votecount

emmaswan:

solaire of astora:

chell (1):

loftwing (65)

dovahkiin (1):

kyouko shirafuji (107)

trespass:

loftwing (1):

chell (103)

kyouko shirafuji (1):

solaire of astora (97)

not voting (3):

emmaswan, dovahkiin, trespass

pending swaps

dovahkiin proposes a swap with trespass (74, 89)
dovahkiin proposes a swap with chell (91)
emmaswan proposes a swap with solaire of astora (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with chell (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with dovahkiin (96)

completed swaps

loftwing swaps with chell (47, 48)
chell swaps with solaire of astora (55, 84)
kyouko shirafuji swaps with solaire of astora (77, 84)
emmaswan swaps with loftwing (96, 100)
emmaswan swaps with kyouko shirafuji (96, 106)
emmaswan swaps with trespass (96, 112)

time remaining in the first secret santa costume ball: (expired on 2021-06-28 20:30:41)

edit: updated through post 112

[angela]

swap with kyouko shirafuji

Swap gifts with Emma Swan

emmaswan swaps gifts with kyouko shirafuji!

[angela]

Lightning spear: dovahkiin

solaire of astora hurls a spear of lightning towards dovahkiin! as dovahkiin has no other form of defence, he uses the gift he is currently holding to block it.

[angela]

swap with trespass

swap: emma swan

emmaswan swaps gifts with trespass!

[angela]

swap with dovahkiin

swap: emmaswan

emmaswan swaps gifts with dovahkiin!

[angela]

costume contest votecount

emmaswan:

solaire of astora:

chell (1):

loftwing (65)

dovahkiin:

trespass (1):

emmaswan (127, 128)

loftwing (2):

chell (103), kyouko shirafuji (133)

kyouko shirafuji (1):

solaire of astora (97)

not voting (2):

dovahkiin, trespass

pending swaps

dovahkiin proposes a swap with trespass (74, 89)
dovahkiin proposes a swap with chell (91)
emmaswan proposes a swap with solaire of astora (96)
emmaswan proposes a swap with chell (96)
solaire of astora proposes a swap with dovahkiin (136)

completed swaps

loftwing swaps with chell (47, 48)
chell swaps with solaire of astora (55, 84)
kyouko shirafuji swaps with solaire of astora (77, 84)
emmaswan swaps with loftwing (96, 100)
emmaswan swaps with kyouko shirafuji (96, 106)
emmaswan swaps with trespass (96, 112)
emmaswan swaps with dovahkiin (96, 123)
dovahkiin swaps with solaire of astora (131)

time remaining in the first secret santa costume ball: (expired on 2021-06-28 20:30:41)

edit: updated through post 136

[angela]

Spiral Charge: Dovahkiin, Solaire of Astora

loftwing charges into dovahkiin and solaire of astora! dovahkiin and solaire of astora swap gifts! loftwing, dovahkiin, and solaire of astora are now disoriented!

[angela]

VOTE: Trespasslet's be honest.. best roleplay

examine

emma

[angela]

swap Dovahkiin

as you have already alt-slipped in a costume-confirming way i will count this as a proposed swap. when able i would prefer everyone posted as their costumed selves but i do understand how difficult it can be to post from the intended account.

[angela]

the first secret santa costume ball has come to a close!



gift opening will commence momentarily

[angela]

loftwing has won the costume contest and does not open the gift they are holding!



congratulations loftwing!

[angela]

dovahkiin opens the gift he is holding!



it's a cat (or potentially a cat goddess or sphinx?) and a plush yoshi!

• hectic's wishlist
  
  1. pocket-sized carnival
  2. an artifact from space
  3. a gigantic plushie

sadly dovahkiin finds the yoshi much too small to be desirable +(

[angela]

trespass opens the gift they are holding!



it's miniature green toy soldiers!

• ydrasse's wishlist
  
  1. a very nice coat
  2. a playlist of songs that will make me feel something, it can be on a usb or old ipod and i will accept that format
  3. luxury sweets/chocolate/etc care package

trespass does not find this gift desirable

[angela]

solaire of astora opens the gift they are holding!



it's this tamagotchi!

• bugspray's wishlist
  
  1. candy
  2. non renewable resources
  3. something that is an idea

a tamagotchi is something that is an idea! solaire of astora has opened a desirable gift!

[angela]

chell opens the gift she is holding!



it's a sprayed bug wearing a nice costume that is locked in stasis with a heart-shaped chocolate!

• dannflor's wishlist
  
  1. a snow globe
  2. an herbal tea (nothing fruity)
  3. a clockwork watch

while it is a beautiful gift modified by a nice compliment, chell finds it undesirable +(

[angela]

kyouko shirafuji opens the gift she is holding!



it's an analog radio!

• isis's wishlist
  
  1. headphones
  2. parasol
  3. jewelry

unfortunately, kyouko shirafuji finds this gift undesirable

[angela]

emmaswan opens the gift she is holding!



it's a fighter jet and an unlimited ticket to flights with american airlines!!

• cheery dog's wishlist
  
  1. new computer
  2. a better timezone
  3. games

the lightning spear may have left the fighter jet inoperable, but the unlimited ticket will still get cheery dog to a better timezone! emmaswan has opened a desirable gift!

[angela]

dannflor, hectic, isis and ydrasse have been eliminated.



they may appeal the desirability of the gifts they opened during the preparation phase.

[angela]

for those who remain (bugspray, cheery dog, jake the wolfie), preparation for the second secret santa costume ball begins now!

the theme for costumes is:

fictional herbivores

your inventories have been updated, and you may notice that each of you have saved the giftbox you received during the first secret santa costume ball. you may reuse this giftbox if you would like, or in the case of our costume contest winner, you may regift your unopened gift entirely.

your missions for this phase will be to create a costume for the second secret santa costume ball and an ability that matches that costume flavour-wise, and to choose a gift to bring to the ball.

you may suggest improvements to the game.

and, based on an improvement by bugspray, you may write a thankyou note in your private topic and i will deliver it to the player that brought the gift you left with to the ball.

the preparation phase ends in (expired on 2021-06-30 22:27:28)

[angela]

jake the wolfie has improved the game! you may each add an item to your wishlist secretly.

[angela]

since bugspray and jake the wolfie have not completed preparation, they will not be able to participate in the second secret santa costume ball. i think it would be unfair of me to extend the deadline because unwnd, nancy drew 39 and nahdia were unable to participate in the first secret santa costume ball for this reason.

[angela]

as the sole remaining player, cheif bogo has won the secret santa costume ball!

[angela]

(congratulations cheery dog!)

[angela]

thankyou to everyone who played and everyone who wanted to play.

i want to apologize to unwnd, nancy drew and nahdia once again for wasting the time and effort they put into the first secret santa costume ball before not being able to participate, and now apologize to bugspray and jake the wolfie for the time and effort they put into the second secret santa costume ball before being unable to participate; if i run something similar in the future i will find a better way to handle these situations.

[angela]

What is a "fictional herbivore"

an animal that feeds on plants from a work of fiction; so it could have been an animal that feeds on plants that was not based in reality, or a fictional character based on a real animal that feeds on plants

[angela]

there were moments that captured everything i was hoping for from the game; when i saw bugspray's giftbox submission and description of the gift, when after many swaps emmaswan somehow ended up with the fighter plane and plane tickets, when isis submitted kyouko shirafuji 's ability design (snack time: one time at any point during the first secret santa costume ball, you may bold

snack time: [player]

. that player must make and give you a parfait, and that player will be designated kyouko shirafuji's loyal servant and gain the following ability: whenever you give anything other than a secret santa gift to any player other than kyouko shirafuji, you must make another parfait and give it to kyouko shirafuji.), which could have potentially gone infinite by choosing a player, receiving a parfait, giving that parfait back to that player, communicating to them they should give the parfait to a third player, causing them to also give kyouko shirafuji another parfait, which felt like perfect design both flavour-wise and mechanic-wise, to name a few

[angela]

I'm still stuck with my wine bottles?

That's a disappointing ending, even though I'm still not sure what was actually going on.

i am sorry for disappointing you, and anyone else who was disappointed by any aspect of the game.

i wanted to start with a very basic premise, in this case, wear costume and swap gifts, and give everyone the ability to add to that as they wanted to. bugspray added the compliments for instance, so once per secret santa costume ball anyone could modify a gift someone was holding to better fit their needs by complimenting that player. unfortunately, this only triggered once during the first secret santa costume ball as the additional compliments given were either given by the same player (kyouko shirafuji) or directed to the same player (solaire of astora). i think chell complimented solaire of astora twice and then also swapped gifts with them, but kyouko had already modified a gift solaire of astora was holding by complimenting solaire of astora's costume.

[angela]

bugspray added the compliments for example, so once per secret santa costume ball anyone could modify a gift someone was holding to better fit their needs by complimenting that player. unfortunately, this only triggered once during the first secret santa costume ball as the additional compliments given were either given by the same player (kyouko shirafuji) or directed to the same player (solaire of astora). i think chell complimented solaire of astora twice and then also swapped gifts with them, but kyouko had already modified a gift solaire of astora was holding by complimenting solaire of astora's costume.

so for instance, had dovahkiin said 'your costume towers above all others!' to someone who was holding the cat and plush yoshi gift before swapping for the gift, then dovahkiin could have had a giant plushie!

I'm just mad at myself for missing the deadline. I had the best costume

your costume was indeed excellent