Admin Thread for Tol-in-Gaurhoth XVIII: The Cottage of Lost Play

[Lalaith]

Hapless wolf? You won.

I was referring to the DW game which Nogrod modded and Rikae, as EW, turned me evil at the last minute. I managed to blunder from a situation where I was most trusted player, to getting myself lynched, in the course of just two Days.

[Lalaith]

If anyone's interested. I don't have the PMs from Nights one and two, but have tried to paraphrase them from memory. Much of this is, for obvious reasons, just my own thoughts to myself.

Night one…we three PM. Sadly I didn’t keep any PMs but maybe someone else did…anyway we chat a bit and Fea warns us that (I think I have the phrasing right) “a skinny piece of lynchbait” like her good self should be left alone by the rest of us.
Day one – I am convinced Boro is the Seer. Why? He refers obliquely to the werePenguin game, where I was the Seer who dreamt of him as a wolf the first night. I thought he was hinting that the roles were now reversed, that he had dreamt of me. Got me very worried.
I am enjoying Fea’s inner monologue and Inzil’s reasonable helpfulness. Inzil goes for McCaber and Fea for Nessa ..when Fea starts picking up a couple of votes, I am not unduly worried for her…there are after all lots more people to vote and remembering her warning I chuck Shasta into the mix as a distraction thinking it might spread things even more. Then McCaber reveals (NEVER suspected you were the Seer so well done there) and I realise Fea is a goner anyway.

Night two…Inzil and I talk, mainly about who to kill the next day. We are sad to lose Fea but pleased that Inzil forced the Seer to reveal…We assume the Ranger will protect McCaber so we decide on Boro, mainly through my instigation – Inzil suggests Nogrod I think. Both feared players. Inzil is worried that killing Boro will implicate him, perhaps in retrospect he was right. I was really not expecting Inzil to be in danger that Day…as far as I could see he was playing really well. Our secondary kill motives were to find the Ranger and also kill the subject of McCaber’s dream.
Day Two
I was only around for half of it and focused on analysing Fea (a safe task since she had cleverly left no trails) and picking up on the Pitchwife/Eonwe interaction – which I truthfully didn’t understand at the time but now has an explanation – all is clear! I would have tried to save Inzil in the triple lynch chaos, had there been time. Inzil I know from post-game PMs was sad to die but pleased that he took the Ranger down with him. I was dismayed that my last brave pack-mate died, but very pleased that the Ranger was taken out…that pesky Ranger was my downfall last time I had to play lone wolf.
Night Three
Well this was a no-brainer...and luckily the Ranger was dead even if he had pulled a double-bluff and not protected McCaber the previous Night.
Day Three.
This I think was my favourite day, even though RL took me away again for half the Day – I enjoyed the virtual Friday night Mojito session with Nogrod, and the way that everyone was so willing to narrow suspects down to three. I never expected Nogrod to pull a triple lynch though, my jaw dropped when I saw the thread on my return…
Night Four
Nogrod clearly had to be kept alive after that, I thought he would be seen as suspicious by the other innocent. Nerwen was the most obvious kill to me out of the three remaining innocents – she would automatically have been trusted by the other innocent. Perhaps in retrospect I could have persuaded her to vote Nogrod but it seemed too risky.
Day Four
Well, you all saw what went on. It was horribly nerve-wracking. Rikae and Nogrod were arguing so intensely – with Rikae back up to her full power, it was Greek meets Greek, and I felt totally outclassed. I made myself late for work trying to frame a convincing case against Nogrod and frankly failing. I didn’t think I could win, even when Rikae said she was going to vote for Nogrod. Then about an hour before DL I had a family visitor and had to vote…although frankly I was ready to go for it anyway, just to put myself out of my misery.
Thanks again for a great game, Mnemosyne and Sally - a brilliant 'murder mystery' concept and it was good to get a rare chance to play...

[McCaber]

Lost on a coin flip. I cannot believe that.

Ah well. I found one by luck. Fea, thanks for being the player who scared me the most. I wanted to vote for Inzil on Day2, but I had to make sure that Nog wasn't lynched and when he was finally safe I was out of time to vote.

[Nogrod]

Btw. sorry about that triple lynch Autume, Nessa and Eönwë!

It was indeed a decision made in 30 seconds or something. I just saw Eönwë's last minute vote and suddenly came up with what looked like a brilliant scenario - getting all you who looked suspicious to me at one sweep thus letting the four of us I didn't suspect alive from the madhouse... Well, how wrong can one be?

So sorry.

[McCaber]

Also, this was my first try as a seer. I was flushed out extremely early, but I think I did a pretty decent job anyways.

[Nessa Telrunya]

It was a great game everyone! As a first-timer, I was a little nervous, but I think I"m hooked now.

[Mnemosyne]

If I put it here I'll feel better about revising the actual one tomorrow.


"I can't believe it was so obvious," said Rikae. "You've been behind everything, haven't you? Always trying to take charge of the situation. Eönwë didn't let that first triple-kill happen on purpose. You did."

"And gunning after poor Shasta like that!" said Lalaith. "I'd say your plans have gone wrong, only I don't think that's the case, is it, Nog? I'd say they're right on schedule."

The two women looked at each other.

"We don't have to just kill you, you know," said Lalaith. "If you could admit to it first..."

"What is there to admit?" said Nogrod. "I may be a fool, but I'm not evil! It's one of you!"

"Please," said Rikae. "If you let us know it'll make us feel a lot better about doing this."

"One of you," said Nog, "one of you is dooming yourself with this."

"On the contrary," said Rikae, "I think we're saving ourselves."

"Tell us," said Lalaith. She put one of his eyes out.

"What are you doing?" said Rikae. Lalaith shook her head, closing her eyes to let the tears out. There was blood on her hand. "He isn't putting up a fight. He won't. He thinks he'll be able to strike at our conscience that way, by not fighting. But if he's hurt, he'll get angry, transform--we can fight him, and he'll already be weakened that way." She looked down at Nogrod, who was clutching at his eye. She put the other one out.

"Why isn't he fighting back yet?" said Rikae.

"I don't know. Help me."

"How?"

"The hand."

Rikae picked up a nearby knife and cut it off. "He's still not doing anything! Why isn't he doing anything?" She cut off his other hand.

"Not... me..." Nogrod gasped.

"Liar!" said Lalaith. She cut off a foot.

"I'm telling you," said Nogrod.

"Liar!" She cut off the other foot.

"...What if he isn't?" said Rikae.

"He has to be. He's the last wolf!" Lalaith paused. "And if he isn't, then we've--I've--just done a foolish thing. We may as well put him out of his misery." She handed the knife hilt to Rikae. Their bloodstained hands met, and together they plunged the hilt into Nogrod's neck and severed his head. Panting, they backed away from the scene of terror.

"He hasn't transformed," said Lalaith.

"Maybe he didn't have time? Have you checked the door?"

They ran down and tried to open it; it was still locked.

"I can't believe it," said Rikae. "He was just a fool--an innocent fool. Which means the last werewolf..."

"...is one of us..."

Lalaith and Rikae stared at one another, each too nervous to take her eyes off the other's face.

[Mnemosyne]

"It's her," said Nogrod. "It has to be her."

Lalaith licked her lips and nodded. "Right. I don't think those helpful trees are going to come back, so..."

"Yeah."

"We'll do it together."

"Please," said Rikae, "it wasn't me! This is it--kill me and the wolves will win!"

"I don't think so," said Lalaith. "Hmm, do you think we could find the Sammath Naur from here?"

"That sounds like a good idea," said Nogrod. "At Mount Doom doom will fall." Binding Rikae's hands behind her, they began to walk through the house, hoping to find a suitable place of execution.

"I think I see it up ahead!" said Nogrod.

"No!" cried Rikae. Twisting out of Lalaith's grasp, she began to run toward the forest nearby.

"Stop her!" yelled Lalaith.

In a fluid motion Nogrod picked up a spear that was lying at the wayside and hurled it at her. Just as Rikae turned to look back, it struck her and pinned her to a tree. She looked down in shock at the blood that bloomed out from the wound. "Tell Macalaurë that Rikae is here," she said before she died.

"She didn't transform," said Lalaith.

"She must not have been the last wolf!" said Nogrod.

"So the last one must be one of us..."

Nogrod and Lalaith stared at one another, each too nervous to look away from the other's face.

[Mnemosyne]

"All right," said Nogrod. "Lal's the last wolf. Let's do this."

"Really," said Rikae, "I don't know how I feel about that. All this killing at close quarters..."

"Well, I doubt the trees are coming back. But we should be able to find some fairly humane way."

"Gondolin?" said Rikae. "She is a traitor..."

"No, she isn't," said Nogrod. "She was just cursed to be on the wrong side. Let's find Gondolin."

"What if I don't want to go to Gondolin?" said Lalaith. "What if I'm actually innocent and my death dooms you?"

"Are you?" said Rikae.

"Yes!"

"Well," said Nogrod heavily, "if your death dooms us, then so be it."

"All right," said Lalaith. "As long as you know what you're in for. Do I get a last drink?"

Nog smiled. "I'm sure I'll find you something..."

The ascent to Gondolin was difficult, but in the end they found a suitable place for execution. "Right," said Rikae. "Now, if we can manage to fling her so that her head strikes first--"

"I beg your pardon!" said Lalaith. "I am still alive at this point, I'll have you know. Cast me off any way you like."

"As you wish," said Nogrod, and they flung her over the side. Her body struck the cliff three times as it fell.

Rikae peered down after her. "Poor thing," she said. "Wait... she never transformed!"

"She must not have been the last wolf!" said Nogrod.

"So the last one must be one of us..."

Nogrod and Rikae stared at one another, each too nervous to look away from the other's face.



Afterwards I think I was planning on Lal climbing back up the cliff and there being another last-minute showdown before Measse zapped her with a bolt of divine lightning so that the rules of the game would be fulfilled. But it did not quite get there, did it?

[Nogrod]

Nice narrations!

But as echoing slightly some things Rikae and Boro have said already, I think there is a problem in early written narrations. And that is not a problem of quality of writing but how it relates to what happened in the game.

At least to me it is always fun to read narations that actually mirror things that happened during the Day and how people actually related to each other in the game - and when I mod a game myself I try to stick as closely I can to real suspicions and votes - and the ways they were made. So if someone is reluctant to kill someone that will be shown in the narration; or when certain people vote for the succesful lynch they are also the ones to do it in the narration etc.

To me, it's kind of mod's skill-requirement to catch the air of the Day and to turn it into a narrative - which of course shouldn't reveal anything.

But I know some others have differing views about the matter. Why not make a few comments on the issue here now as it has been brought forwards?

[Mnemosyne]

You are, of course, absolutely right. Maybe the better option would have been to let Sally do the last narration (as she actually did at first) but then we wouldn't have been able to put in all of the bookish references.

Other than that, I would have had to write the narration after 20 hours of travel spread out over two days, after reading up on an entire Day's events, which was something I was not prepared to do (plus the narration would have come in WAY late). It was easier at the time to come up with some things in advance.

But the more I read over your death, Nog, the more I dislike it, specifically because of how it doesn't reflect the day's events. I'll let everyone know when I've fixed it up.

And honestly I would not have had this problem if it weren't for sudden unexpected occurrences in my real life situation which necessitated the 20 hours of travel. *sigh*

[Nogrod]

Don't be too hard on yourself Mnemo... RL surely intervenes every once in a while and you did spectacularly.

I was using some comments made of this game only to refer to a more wider issue about ww-narrations in general. I mean I know there are actually two "schools" on this: those who want to follow the events in the game loyally (even to the extent that they use actual quotations from the game in the narrations) and those who have literary - or other - ideas and then fill in the players as they see fit - if they see them fit. (And I have probably done both as a mod even if I'd say I mainly belong to the first "school".)

That was actually the issue I wished to stir some discussion over but seemingly it's a turn-off subject.

[Mnemosyne]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Don't be too hard on yourself Mnemo... RL surely intervenes every once in a while and you did spectacularly.

Ah, but I'm a perfectionist fanfic writer so of course I'm going to focus on the literary merits of narrations, especially my own. *grin*

When you put it the way you did (the schools of thought) I'm not sure where I'd fall. As a writer I do like having more control over the situation but you can't control people or their actions.

I'd like to see more talk on the subject as well but currently it looks as if all eyes are on the new game--which is as it should be!

[Pitchwife]

Originally Posted by Hakon

Originally I thought McCaber was a wolf as well as Nogrod and I thought Eonwe was the real seer.

I made the same mistake. My worst nightmare was a McCabwolf as fake Seer with a Nogwolf supporting him.
McCaber, sorry for doubting you and leaving you in the lurch! You did a great job, giving us a wolf on Day1 with that courageous reveal. By the end of Day2, I had finally made up my mind to trust and protect you, but I never got the chance.
Eönwe, no need to worry! (Same to the people who got me lynched, by the way.) I was relieved to see you were innocent.
And Inzil - nice wolfing! Your efforts to frame Shasta were quite convincing for a while (as my own voting on Day1 testifies), but when I looked closer at the ongoing quarrel between the two of you, the truth began to dawn on me. And I owe a lot to Boro, who saw through you from very early on.
(Looking back, that little scene between Boro, Fea and you was priceless - an innocent telling a wolf to watch another wolf!)

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Pitchwife

And Inzil - nice wolfing! Your efforts to frame Shasta were quite convincing for a while (as my own voting on Day1 testifies), but when I looked closer at the ongoing quarrel between the two of you, the truth began to dawn on me. And I owe a lot to Boro, who saw through you from very early on.

And I in turn owe a lot to you, Pitchwife, for helping crystallise my doubts about Inzi. (Of course I wasn't too sure about you, either– being thought suspicious is an occupational hazard of gifteds.)

[Boromir88]

(Looking back, that little scene between Boro, Fea and you was priceless - an innocent telling a wolf to watch another wolf!)~Pitchwife

Haha, it was ironic and I didn't chat it up with her because I believed she was innocent. I was feeling more neutral towards her...I feel terrible for wolf-Fea, because usually by day 2, she's got a guaranteed mark and it's nearly impossible to escape. That is more of a testament to Fea's destructive abilities, and bringing chaos as a wolf to whatever she touches. Usually if I'm a wolf, and dreamed of early, the seer at least gives me a couple days to play around and have fun, as long as I'm not too much trouble. It's almost like...'Here's your toy Boro, go play in the corner, I'll let everyone know who you are in a couple days.' Except Lommy's game when I became a Fenris Penguin, if I recall nasty Lalaith outed me so early.

[Inziladun]

The vexing thing for me is this: Nerwen became suspicious of me because of Pitchwife, who in turn was watching me because of the interactions between Boro and me. Boro was basically hitting out at me not with any certainty that I was a wolf, but just to see how I'd react.
So I end up going down in the end because Boro did a little preliminary 'feeling things out' the first Day. Just goes to show how small things can lead to big ones.

[Inziladun]

By the way, Lalaith, I didn't save the PM's, but I believe 'skinny piece of lynch-bait' was Fea's precise phrasing.

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

By the way, Lalaith, I didn't save the PM's, but I believe 'skinny piece of lynch-bait' was Fea's precise phrasing.

It was. I don't know how I earned this fearsome reputation.

[satansaloser2005]

Originally Posted by Feanor of the Peredhil

It was. I don't know how I earned this fearsome reputation.

Can't think why myself, darling.

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by Inziladun

So I end up going down in the end because Boro did a little preliminary 'feeling things out' the first Day. Just goes to show how small things can lead to big ones.

And that's the beauty of this game - well one part of it.

I mean if there was a calculus or a "proven procedure" to catch the wolves every time, who would play this time and time again? (I'm not brave enough to count how many games I have played)

Just think of how many individual decisions this game is the result of! And I do not mean decisions like voting, but deciding to probe something, comenting on someone's probing, making a comment and then deleting it before posting as it looked not so good, choosing to check thing X in place of Y, player Z being online at the same time and you having certain conversation which brings to your mind a point... with 15-20 players the variables are just mind-boggling!

[Feanor of the Peredhil]

Originally Posted by satansaloser2005

Can't think why myself, darling.

Naughty, naughty, Miss Sally. If only reality was anywhere near what my reputation suggests...

[satansaloser2005]

Where's phantom when you need him?


Fine, no gorgeous assistant (no phantom either) to make jokes for me, so I'll just go with "so much to say, so little of it appropriate".


In other news, I was really ticked to check the Downs while I was at camp and see that Fea had been Fenris'd. Ya feckless pack of ingrates, how do you expect to have fun without Fea?

[autume98]

Originally Posted by Nogrod

Btw. sorry about that triple lynch Autume, Nessa and Eönwë!

It was indeed a decision made in 30 seconds or something. I just saw Eönwë's last minute vote and suddenly came up with what looked like a brilliant scenario - getting all you who looked suspicious to me at one sweep thus letting the four of us I didn't suspect alive from the madhouse... Well, how wrong can one be?

So sorry.

Are you kidding!? And miss out on that exciting ending! It was a good strategy. Besides, I had a GREAT time.

Originally Posted by Nessa Telrunya

It was a great game everyone! As a first-timer, I was a little nervous, but I think I"m hooked now.

I feel EXACTLY the same way Nessa!

[Mnemosyne]

The narrations are fixed. Nog's death has been overhauled (sorry, sally) and Rikae's slightly adapted. I even managed a nice coin flip.

I understand everyone but me has moved on from this game but I'd still like you all to take a look at the fixed deaths here and here.

[Inziladun]

Originally Posted by Mnemosyne

I understand everyone but me has moved on from this game but I'd still like you all to take a look at the fixed deaths

Moved on, yes. Forgotten, no. I'm still most impressed with the manner of my death. If a wolf has to go down, there's no better way to do it.