Tol-in-Gaurhoth CIX - The TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA!

[Kuruharan]

Note: The games are done, I add to this post the links to the game threads for the convenience of any aftercomers who wish to read them.

Living Thread

Dead Thread

Come one, come all to the Ten Year Anniversary Celebration of Tol-in-Gaurhoth on the Barrow Downs! On May 11, 2005 His Excellency The Barrow Wight opened a thread that changed the Downs forever and has brought great fun, joy, laughter, tears, misery, embarrassment, good guesswork, poor guesswork, blind luck, Youtube links, and blood (don't forget the blood) to us all for a full decade now!!

Bring your friends, bring your enemies, tell your friends to bring their friends, kidnap random people off the street and tie them up at a computer and make them play! All are welcome at the TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!

I know what you are thinking, "But Kuru, now that you've got us all whipped up into a frenzy of excitement, we want details!!! What are the specifics of this once in a lifetime game that could never be repeated (unless somebody copies this format later)?! We demand specifics, dwarf!"

Fret not, Ladies and Gentlemen, for specifics are set out below.

What I can say is that the format will be similar to The Halls of Mandos game, which I thought was a brilliant idea and have wanted to see something like it be played on the Downs again.

NIGHT 1 will begin 10 PM US Eastern on May 31 and DAY 1 will begin 10 PM US Eastern on June 1.

Also, many thanks to Rikae and Macalaure for their advice when I approached them to steal...I mean borrow their idea for this game.

RULES

General Rules:

There will be no multi-lynches on the Living Thread or multi-vote granting from the Dead Thread. Vote ties in the Living Thread will result in no lynch and vote ties in the Dead Thread will result in no bonus vote being granted that DAY.

Voting should be done as follows: ++Kuruharan. Failure to vote three DAYS in a row will result in murder and sending the player to the Dead Thread. Participation in the Dead Thread is optional as you are already dead and I won't kill you again.

There are no retractable votes.

Living Thread:

Usual Werewolf, except roles are not revealed on death.

Dead Thread:

After there are THREE residents of the Dead Thread, every DAY the dead get to vote on giving one of the living an extra vote. The dead are subject to the same deadline (heh heh) as the living. The living will not know who among them will get an extra vote until it is revealed in the closing narration of the DAY.

Since in the Afterlife (or in the anteroom of the Afterlife) it is hard to hide one's true nature from one's fellow residents, every NIGHT after there are three residents the dead get to vote for one among themselves to determine their true nature. Their specific role will not be revealed but rather the voted player will be described as either PREDATOR or PREY.

The living may not look in the Dead Thread. The dead may continue to read the Living Thread but may no longer post there or interact with the Living in any way except through the mechanism of the Dead Thread bonus vote. The dead can read the whole Dead Thread, not just what happens after one dies. For those roles that resurrect, it is permitted for them to read the entire thread before their death and continue to read and participate in the Dead Thread until the time that I post the narration announcing their return to the Living Thread. After that post, the resurrected player may no longer read any further in the Dead Thread until such time as they return to it. For those who resurrect, they may only paraphrase but NOT directly quote or cite posts in the Dead Thread. However, the Dead may quote and cite posts from the Living Thread.

Please note: It is NOT ALLOWED for a Living Player to click on the post count link of the Dead Thread to check and see how many times Dead Thread players have posted. Obviously you will be able to see how many posts there are in total and who the last poster is, but that is all that is allowed. Do not check who has posted how many times, do not cite who has posted how many times, do not base arguments on it. You are the Living and they are the Dead and you don't know what they are up to.

I think that is pretty much it for the Rules.

Roles:

First things first - there is an undescribed role. The role has a particular power and a few particular vulnerabilities that follow from said power. That's all I'm going to say about it. Everyone (and I mean everyone) will have to keep their wits about them during the game.

The Party (also known as the Village in normal parlance...)

Ordos - ordinary players, with no special powers. Will stay in the Dead Thread after death.

Lovers - Usual lovers in the sense that they can PM each other during the game. Unusual in the fact that if one of them dies, and if the other lover remains alive in the Living Thread, the dead lover will spend one DAY cycle among the dead and then returns to the Living Thread for one DAY. When that DAY is done, the resurrected lover returns to the grave permanently. Note: Unlike the previous game, the living lover is not killed at the death of the resurrected lover but continues to play as usual until death. However, the second lover does not come back after death. The lovers may not PM with each other across the divide of death. If one dies they may only PM during the DAY when the dead lover resurrects. After that, they may only PM each other again after both are in the Dead Thread. The lovers are both on the side of the Party and win and lose with it. They are not a separate category or "side" in this game.

Ranger - Like the lovers, if killed the Ranger will spend one DAY cycle in the Dead Thread and then return to the Living Thread the next DAY. The Ranger has one protection initially. If the Ranger dies and is resurrected, the Ranger then has two protections. The Ranger can self-protect but cannot protect a person twice in a row. The Ranger cannot protect someone from being lynched, nor can the Ranger protect someone from a Hunter kill.

Seer - The Seer has two dreams while in the Living Thread and one dream while in the Dead Thread. While in the Living Thread, the Seer may only dream of players in the Living Thread. While in the Dead Thread, the Seer may only dream of players in the Dead Thread. If they are killed they remain in the Dead Thread.

Hunter - The Hunter may send me one name every DAY and NIGHT of somebody they would like to kill if they themselves are killed during that specific time period. Once they have sent me a pick they cannot change it until the next time period. They may pick the same player every single time or pick a different person every time as they wish. If they are killed they remain in the Dead Thread. EDIT: Since we've just gotten started and the Hunter role seemed so lackluster, I've made a slight change.

The Baddies (also known as the Baddies in normal parlance...) This is where things get fun!

There are two wolf packs of three each: the Grip Pack and the Fang Pack. Because of Evil's inability to get along with itself, the two packs are against each other as well as against the Party. Winning for the Baddies is defined as the number of surviving villagers being equal to the number of surviving members of the most populated pack. After consulting with the Lord High Scorekeeper, it was decided that if there are equal wolves remaining in a Baddie victory the game will be recorded as a tie, so the wolves need to worry about each other as much as the Village.

However, this little spat is impenetrable to the Party and their only goal is to get all six wolves. Additionally, should the Seer dream of a wolf, the Seer will not be able to tell which pack the wolf belongs to. The members of one pack will not know the members of the other pack.

While in the Living Thread members of the same pack can PM each other during the NIGHT. While in the Dead Thread members of the same pack can PM each other at any time. There is no communication across the bounds of death except through the mechanism of the Dead Thread bonus vote, which a wolf will probably want to try to manipulate as best as possible.

You have probably noticed a distinct trend on my part to slow up the non-NIGHT killing somewhat. This is intentional what with two NIGHT kills per cycle plus regular lynchings the Dead Thread is going to populate quickly. Everyone is going to need to be on their toes a bit for this one.

Participants:
Formendacil
Rikae
satansaloser2005
Macalaure
Gwathagor
McCaber
Loslote
Boromir88
Aganzir
Nogrod
Nerwen
Rune Son of Bjarne
Firefoot
Thinlómien
Lalaith
Eomer of the Rohirrim
mormegil
Nilpaurion Felagund
Shastanis Althreduin
Legate of Amon Lanc
the phantom
Mithalwen
A Little Green
Kath

[Formendacil]

Dear me, I really shouldn't... but I did spend the better part of January pining over Downer Years Past and with a tentative 10 pm EDT deadline, I don't know I can pass over the opportunity.

No doubt we'll all regret it once I turn into a lurker who posts once a day, but I cannot let that good sense stop me.

[Kuruharan]

I'm glad you are here, because I'm not going to lie, I was going to beg you to play if you didn't sign up voluntarily.

[Formendacil]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I'm glad you are here, because I'm not going to lie, I was going to beg you to play if you didn't sign up voluntarily.

I haven't played in decades of games--I wonder if I still know how.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

I haven't played in decades of games--I wonder if I still know how.

Don't worry, the best part about this format is you get to keep playing even if you are dead!

[Rikae]

Sign me up!

[Firefoot]

Originally Posted by Formendacil

Dear me, I really shouldn't... but I did spend the better part of January pining over Downer Years Past and with a tentative 10 pm EDT deadline, I don't know I can pass over the opportunity.

No doubt we'll all regret it once I turn into a lurker who posts once a day, but I cannot let that good sense stop me.

Second this. I've been talked into it. May 25th is the earliest I can start.

Let's play a game: who's gone the longest stretch without playing a Werewolf game? Winner gets special consideration for being rusty and rights to say things like, "Back when I was still playing...". XXIII was my last in 2006.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Firefoot

Second this. I've been talked into it. May 25th is the earliest I can start.

I'm glad I was so charming. Especially since you were one of my wolf buddies from the very first game. If only we could get in touch with Ang...

I've still got a few sales pitches out and a couple of people from the other thread who said they were in who haven't officially signed up here, so at this point I feel (fairly) confident in revealing my idea to compensate for the lack of cobblers.

If we can get 18-20 people, I am going to have competing wolf packs.

[Eönwë]

I don't really think I have a choice. I'm in!

[Kitanna]

I hope it's not too late to sign up.

[Kath]

Hi Kuru! I have just been yelled at by aganzir to get my backside on here and sign up. Can I?

[Kuruharan]

I'll add you.

[Mithalwen]

I did like the visitor/ medium thing but I was catching up on the existing format..being thick here but isn't the lover revenant thing a bit of a role giveaway?

[Eönwë]

I'm sorry, but it looks like I'm going to have to drop out of this game. I won't really have time or internet access from the 6th.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Mithalwen

I did like the visitor/ medium thing but I was catching up on the existing format..being thick here but isn't the lover revenant thing a bit of a role giveaway?

Yes, but it is intended to be, otherwise the ordos wouldn't know that they could trust the returned lover.

Originally Posted by Eönwë

I'm sorry, but it looks like I'm going to have to drop out of this game. I won't really have time or internet access from the 6th.

Awww...that's too bad.

Still, hopefully you will get to enjoy reading it.

[Mithalwen]

Oh I see... so one potential certainty....

[Kitanna]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to drop out. I won't have the time to dedicate to this that I thought I would. I'm sorry for the last minute change.

[Inziladun]

I hate to do this at the 11th hour as well, but a family situation has come up, and I'm going to have to bow out.
Sorry.

[Kuruharan]

These things happen.

All the roles have been sent out. I will post the threads tonight.

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

Between me signing up and the start of the game a general election has been called. Since I am a member of a political party, this means quite a bit of extra work.

If I disappear a bit some days, that will be the explanation. Obviously I will do my best to contribute regularly to the game.

[Kuruharan]

Originally Posted by Rune Son of Bjarne

Between me signing up and the start of the game a general election has been called. Since I am a member of a political party, this means quite a bit of extra work.

If I disappear a bit some days, that will be the explanation. Obviously I will do my best to contribute regularly to the game.

Understood.

That's part of the reason why there is a three day grace period on voting (which I think is pretty generous if I do say so myself). With this many people playing, lots of stuff is bound to happen.