[Forum Game] Werewolf V: The Thing

[Fury]

Werewolf V: The THING



Deep below the Arctic ice, Scientists have found an alien spacecraft that has been there for perhaps 100,000 years. Not far from where the craft landed, they find the remains of the occupant. It's cut out of the ice and taken back to their camp but as the ice melts, the creature reanimates and is not only able to kill them but can also infect them, with team members devolving into more Alien Creatures.


The Rules


Werewolf is a game of paranoia, deception and betrayal. Hidden amongst the innocent, unprotected Scientists are Alien Creatures looking to kill them. The Scientists outnumber the Alien Creatures, but they don't know who to trust. Meanwhile, the Alien Creatures know their fellow alien creatures and can work together to even the odds. The Alien Creatures want to kill or infect enough Scientists so that they can reach parity and overthrow the scientists openly; the Scientists want to destroy the Alien Creature menace by uncovering their secret identities.

If that wasn't a dire enough situation for the Scientists, even amongst the Scientists there are secret UFO Religionists looking to help the Alien Creatures. Fortunately the Scientists have the aid of the Hematologists, Psychologists and Researchers who can find the true identity of an Alien Creature, infected Human (and maybe cure them), UFO Religionists and of the Commandos, who have been secretly sent by the government to infiltrate and learn and who might be able to protect them. These characters must hide their identity just as much as the Alien Creatures must, as they are the greatest threat to the forces of evil and will surely be killed if revealed.

It may seem like a simple Scientist is powerless in this clash of good and evil, but they are not. Every day the Scientists get to choose one person to lynch, as punishment for the nightly murder. The Scientists must vote to choose the person they think most likely to be responsible. With their vote, the Scientists can reveal much about the motives of others. But they must be cunning, or more than a little lucky, if they are to survive.


Standard Big Rules


All roles will be handed out after the last person signs up, with all players receiving a PM containing their role and (known/unknown) traits. The game will then proceed to a night deadline.

The game is divided into two periods - night and day. For practical reasons these two periods are run concurrently, from one update till the next. Each update is 24 hours apart.

Each day, all players vote to lynch one of the players - the person they think is most likely to be an Alien Creature or other baddie. Each night, the Alien Creatures decide who to kill. In each 24 hour period, the Scientists will lynch, and the Alien Creatures will hunt. The Scientists can try to lynch multiple people by creating a glorious, Lemeard-approved tie, and the Alien Creatures can also decide not to hunt anyone at all at night. Beware of Crovaxian slips as well!

The Alien Creatures as well as UFO Religionists win if they manage to reach parity with the rest of the Scientists. The Scientists, Commandos, Hematologists, Psychologists and Researchers win if they manage to destroy all the Alien Creatures. For players with more than one role, their MAJOR role counts towards the win, their minor role does not.


Standard Werewolf Rules

• §1A. - You sign up to the game by requesting so in a post in this thread.
  §1B - No new players will be admitted after the game has started, except to substitute for another player.
  §1C - You may at any time be substituted out by requesting so in the thread.
  §1D - Failure to vote on two occasions will lead to immediate substitution.
• §2A – Players will vote daily. See Rule 1D.
  §2B – Invalid votes (Voting for Game Moderator/Ghosts) will not be accepted and be considered to be in violation of Rule 2A.
  §2C – In the event of a tie all tied players will be executed.
  §2D - The player(s) with the majority of votes at deadline are considered dead. They will not reveal any inside information after the deadline. The presumed dead player(s) should post in a non-default colour until their true role is confirmed.
• §3A - Orders and votes submitted after deadline are ignored.
  §3B - Orders (tests, hunts, et cetera) are sent to the Game Moderator via PM.
  §3C - Players are responsible for any Private Messages missed due to inbox being full.
• §4A - Spectators and ghosts may comment, but never suggest a course of action, reveal any new information, including vote counts, or discuss any details of their former character, in the case of ghosts. Preferably spectators will comment only in a manner tangential to the actual game.
  §4B - When doing ghost/spectator commentary, please use a non-default colour.
  §4C - Please don't use the same color of text as the GM is using.
• §5. - Alliances and Feuds which aren't based on your characters or roles in the game between players are forbidden. Alliances and Feuds which continue from one game to another undermine the whole idea of the game.
• §6A – The Game Moderator has the last word on all matters.
  §6B – If the Game Moderator makes a mistake (e.g. with the vote count, hunt/test orders), if critical information has been revealed, the mistake will be kept.
• §7A – Forging PMs is allowed. Screenshots of PMs is not.
  §7B – Posting or quoting of PMs from the GM is not allowed - real or forged.
  §7C – Players may use PMs to coordinate their actions.  Players are reminded to use the public thread where possible.
• §8A – Voting must be done in the following way. Write "VOTE" and the person you are voting for in bold text.
  §8B - If you wish to un-vote someone, write "UNVOTE" and their name in bold text.
  §8C - In case of re-voting without un-voting the original vote will be the counted vote.
  §8D - Do not edit votes after posting them. If you make a mistake, unvote and revote in a new post.
  §8E - Votes should be oversized or clear of other text to ensure they are not missed by the GM.
  §8F - We won't be super specific about how you must vote, but be a dear and hit at least two of these: bold, larger font, white/light colored text.
• §9 - The GM can and will remove players if the GM believes that player is adversely affecting the game, for example through failure to fulfill voting obligations or deliberate violation of the rules. This will be done through the use of killing the player's role, or using substitutes, if they are available. All such decisions are made solely at the discretion of the GM.
• §10 - Failure to vote on 2 occasions without prior notice will result in automatic substitution. If no substitution have been found 6 hours before deadline, the player will be auto-lynched at next deadline.
• §11 - The game will start with one NPC dying on the very first night and the first player character The Thing hunts will automatically be infected regardless of trait. This means on the very first night, there is only ONE The Thing and one NPC will die and one player will be infected and secretly turn into a second The Thing.

Deadline


The deadline of this game is 18:00 GMT+2 ( <- BM Sunset Time)
Votes and orders made on 17:59 will count, while those made on 18:00 WILL NOT.


The Roles


Except for Scientists and Alien Creatures, all other Roles MAY, not will, be in the game

• Scientists: The simplest role - without corroborative evidence, a Scientist knows nothing for sure, but can use the power of his vote to help lynch others.
• Hematologists: May test the blood of one player per night, and can discover whether that person is a Human or an Alien Creature. Any other role will appear as a normal Human. As a hard science, Hematology is perceived as being more scientific, rigorous, and accurate but much also depends on the skill of the Hematologist concerned. The blood of a Susceptible could be interpreted as a Human or Alien Creature.They cannot find UFO Religionists.
• Commandos: May choose to protect ONE person against an Alien Creature attack every night, but cannot choose to protect the same person two nights in a row, and can never protect themselves (oath of duty). If there is more than one Commando, they must agree on who to protect. They are attached to each other from the start.
• Psychologists: Studies the mental functions and behaviors of a person once per night with the immediate goal of recognizing the humanity in a person as separate from an alien persona. As a soft science, Psychology relies on unquantifiable non-empirical data and much still depends on the skill of the Psychologist concerned. UFO Religionists could be interpreted as either human or alien. They cannot find Susceptibles.
• Researchers: Using an antidote once per night, can turn an infected human back into human again and who can no longer be infected. Alien Creatures will know when an infected human has been cured. Using an antidote on a Susceptible or normal Human has no effect. The first Thing cannot be cured.
• Susceptible (trait): If attacked, the Susceptible will not die but instead turn into Alien Creatures and will work to help them win.
• UFO Religionists: Work with the Alien Creatures, and win if the Alien Creatures win.
• The Thing: Highly advanced Alien Creatures from another dimension with the ability to evoke primordial terror in the species known as Homo Sapiens. Will work to kill or infect a single human once per night to reach parity, kill off the rest of the Scientists, take off in their spaceship and win. Special ability: Can make 2 attacks per night if it is the only Alien Creature left which is why there will be 2 attacks on the very first night.

FAQ

Do I have to roleplay? No. It's fun and helpful to, but it's not required. Some players don't really roleplay at all, and instead simply post votes and accusations, and that's okay too.

What do I post?/I don't understand! You can post anything you like, really but preferably in an IC POINT OF VIEW.  Typically Scientists will post accusations. "I think he did it, just because!" or "I think she did it, because last turn she voted against the guy who turned out to be an Alien Creature!" Accusations work better when you can back them up with some reason. Trash talking is allowed and encouraged.

I'm The Thing.  What do I do? You pretend to be a Scientist, but you also conspire with your other Alien Creatures to determine which innocent Scientist to kill.  The Alien Creatures must all agree on a target, but can use whatever means they like for selection. Meanwhile, be sure to steer suspicion away from yourself, so you don't get lynched!

I'm a Hematologist/Psychologist!  Great. You can try to figure out who is an Alien Creature. Communicate wisely though. If you post "Hey I'm the Hematologist/Psychologist!", you might find Alien Creatures visiting you that very night.

I'm a Researcher. What do I do? You try to find the infected Humans and cure them.

I'm a UFO Religionist. What do I do? You pretend to be a Scientist, but you also try to find the Alien Creatures in order to help them that you might win when they might take you away with them on their spaceship.

I'm still confused/I don't know who to vote for. Either watch other players in action and see how they're doing it, or jump right in yourself.  This game is both deadly serious, and quite comical, where people will accuse others for the slightest and most vague of clues, or just in retaliation for voting against them!  The first round of voting is difficult, as the only way to try to tell who's an Alien Creature and who's not is to listen to what people are saying. In later rounds you can try to identify patterns, or look for groups that vote together, or people who changed their votes to keep an Alien Creature from being lynched.

Are Scientists' votes private or do they go in the main thread? Very definitely public!

Do Alien Creatures vote with the Scientists? Absolutely. Alien Creatures want to do everything they can to keep the naive Scientists from suspecting that they're Alien Creatures.  If the Scientists think you're an Alien Creature, they'll vote to lynch you! So an Alien Creature's job is not only to kill/infect Scientists, but also to convince the Scientists that they're actual innocent Scientists as well!

Aw man, I'm just a Scientist. We can't all be Alien Creatures. Have fun being a Scientist. Root out the evildoers! Try not to be confused for an Alien Creature and be lynched by your fellow Scientists!

How does a substitute work? If a player cannot continue to play, another player may jump into that role. Subs may be players who were previously killed in the current game (though there are caveats, a Bad Guy is often not a good sub because he Knows Things) or a late signup. In either case, when someone subs in, they assume the identity of that slot. Thus if someone who was playing and was the Hematologist/Psychologist, if he gets subbed, the player who comes in is the Hematologist/Psychologist, and pretends that he's been there the whole time.

How long does a game last? Depends on setup and what happens in the game. Could be as short as 2-3 days, or as long as 10 days!


CHARACTERS


Slapsticks (dead)
Lefanis
D'Espana (dead)
Zakilevo
Indirik
Lanyon (dead)
Ketchum
Velax (dead)
Barek (jerm)(dead)


Substitutions

Penchant


DAY 1 EVENTS
Ketchum - Scientist / Psychologist analyzes Indirik - Commando (Susceptible).
Velax - Psychologist analyzes Indirik - Commando (Susceptible).
Zakilevo - Scientist / Hematologist analyzes Slapsticks - The Thing's blood.
D'Espana - Hematologist analyzes Indirik - Commando (Susceptible)'s blood.


NIGHT 1 EVENTS
Indirik - Commando (Susceptible) & Barek (jerm) - UFO Religionist / Commando protect Slapsticks - The Thing.
Billy (NPC) the helicopter pilot is killed.
Slapsticks - The Thing infects Barek (jerm) - UFO Religionist / Commando.


DAY 2 EVENTS
Ketchum - Scientist / Psychologist analyzes D'Espana - Hematologist.
Zakilevo - Scientist / Hematologist analyzes D'Espana - Hematologist's blood.
D'Espana - Hematologist analyzes Velax - Psychologist's blood.
Lefanis - Researcher attempts to cure Velax - Psychologist.
Velax - Psychologist analyzes Slapsticks - The Thing.


NIGHT 2 EVENTS
D'Espana - Hematologist is lynched.
Indirik - Commando (Susceptible) & Barek (jerm) - UFO Religionist / Commando protect Ketchum - Scientist / Psychologist
Slapsticks - The Thing attempts to attack Velax - Psychologist
Slapsticks - The Thing is lynched.


DAY 3 EVENTS
Velax - Psychologist analyzes Lefanis - Researcher
Lefanis - Researcher attempts to cure Indirik - Commando (Susceptible)

NIGHT 3 EVENTS
Surprise!
Lanyon - Researcher is lynched.
Velax - Psychologist is sucked dry and killed.
Barek (jerm) - UFO Religionist / Commando infects Indirik - Commando (Susceptible)
Lefanis - Researcher cures Indirik - Commando (Infected)


DAY 4 EVENTS
Lefanis - Researcher attempts to cure Ketchum - Scientist / Psychologist

NIGHT 4 EVENTS
Barek (jerm) - UFO Religionist / Commando (Infected) is roasted alive.

[Norrel]

in

[Lefanis]

Don't need to ask.

[D'Espana]

I'm not seeing my name in this. Why, if I may ask? 

[Fury]

Believe it or not I didn't spend the whole of Werewolf IV thinking this up  - only when it was asked who was going to host the next one and this theme just hit me out of the blue.

Depending on the number of players I'll try to balance out the roles and traits so that we can get a good story out of this. Still, in keeping to the movie in general:

§11 - The game will start with one NPC dying on the very first night and the first player character The Thing hunts will automatically be infected regardless of trait. This means on the very first night, there is only ONE The Thing and one NPC will die and one player will be infected and turn into a second The Thing.

Also, some changes:

Hematologists: May test the blood of one player per night, and will discover whether that person is a Human or an Alien Creature. Any other role will appear as a normal Human... much also depends on the skill of the Hematologist concerned. The blood of a Susceptible could be interpreted as a Human or Alien Creature.

Meaning, there is no 100% GM statement Human / Alien Creature. Upon submission of a test an ANALYSIS will be presented and it will be up to the Hematologist concerned to make head or tail out of it. Same with Psychologists.

Commandos: They are attached to each other from the start.

They work as a pack from the start. Things may or may not change during the course of the game.

I may make some other changes before game starts if I get other ideas 

[Zakilevo]

sign me up!

[Indirik]

I suppose I'll give this one a try. The way things are going, they only last two or three days anyway. :p

[Fury]

Additions:

Researchers: Using an antidote, can turn an infected human back into human again and who can no longer be infected. Using an antidote on a Susceptible or normal Human has no effect.

This could help the game last longer.

The Thing: Special ability: Can make 2 attacks per night if it is the only Alien Creature left which is why there will be 2 attacks on the very first night.

The Thing and Alien Creature can be and is used interchangeably.

[Lanyon]

in!

[Ketchum]

Count me in. Let kill The Thing!

[Velax]

I'm in, but I have a question. If a Susceptible is attacked, you won't be able to tell us who was attacked, right? It would be a bit obvious if someone was "killed" but kept voting.

[Fury]

Yes, this would be like the Cursed. Once a Susceptible has been attacked and infected he will turn into another Alien Creature and can only be cured by a Researcher but not before being attacked - that is no prior immunization. It's an antidote not a vaccine

[Barek (jerm)]

In as Wilfred Brimley.  I hope my diabeetus doesn't get me.

[Fury]

Clarification

Commandos: May choose to protect ONE person against an Alien Creature attack every night, but cannot choose to protect the same person two nights in a row, and can never protect themselves (oath of duty). If there is more than one Commando, they must agree on who to protect. They are attached to each other from the start.

Also, I may RP the actions (orders) taken by players but in a way that doesn't reveal their roles.

[Ketchum]

Commandos: May choose to protect ONE person against an Alien Creature attack every night, but cannot choose to protect the same person two nights in a row, and can never protect themselves (oath of duty). If there is more than one Commando, they must agree on who to protect. They are attached to each other from the start.

If the 2 Commando not agree on who to protect, then nobody is protected, right? Just to clarify.

5.Researchers: Using an antidote, can turn an infected human back into human again and who can no longer be infected. Using an antidote on a Susceptible or normal Human has no effect.

About Researchers part. Do the normal human healed, know who is their savior?