SPIDERS: A werewolf-type game.

[LMNO]

At the request of some people here, I have decided to host a game.  However, I wanted to make it in a more PD-oriented idiom, so here's the deal.

There will be three Spiders.  They will be known collectively as The Spider.  They will initially know only ONE other Spider.  Each round ("round" is to be defined later), one of the Spiders will choose a Citizen to subsume.  If subsumed, the Citizen is out of the game and will sit on the couch to watch Jersey Shore reruns.

There will be initially one Discordian.  No one else will know who this is.  Every round, one Discordian can evangelize a Citizen.  There will be a 50% chance that the Citizen will convert and become a Discordian.  The new Discordian will know who converted him.  If not converted, the Citizen will not know who the Discordian is.

If a Spider tries to subsume a Discordian, there will be a 50% chance they will not succeed. 

If a Discordian tries to evangelize a Spider, there will be a 50% chance they will be subsumed.

If a Discordian tries to convert another Discordian, they will create a CABAL.  The CABAL has a 100% chance of converting a Citizen, who will then be part of that CABAL.  It will be up to the CABAL if they want to make it public. The CABAL will be broken if it's members are subsumed or Put On A Bus.

If a Spider tries to subsume one of the other Spiders, they will create The Machine™.  Once created, The Machine™ has a 100% chance of crushing both Citizens and Discordians, but only a 50% chance if they are part of a CABAL.  Once created, The Machine™ will continue to exist, even if one of the Spiders is Put On A Bus (see below).

If a Discordian is not subsumed, they will be given two names.  One will be the Spider, and one will be a Citizen or another Discordian.  They will not know which is which.

Every round, the Citizens will discuss and choose a fellow Citizen to Put On A Bus, where they will be forced to surf TVTropes.com for the remainder of the game, and can not participate.  A simple majority will choose who to Put On A Bus.  If no simple majority is reached, then no one gets Put On A Bus that round.


A Round will be defined as the length of time it takes for EVERYONE playing the game to make a post.  The game will not continue until everyone has posted in that round.

Depending on how the game is going, there may or may not be clues in the various narratives as to the identities of the Discordian and the Spider.

The game is over when either all the Spiders have been Put On A Bus, or all Citizens have been Subsumed.

If all Citizens are Discordians at the end of the game, and all Spiders have been Put On A Bus, then the game ends with REVOLUTION.

To Recap:
-At the beginning of the game, no one will know who the Discordian is. 
-A Spider will only know one other Spider (out of three). 
-A converted Discordian will only know who converted them. 
-Each round, there will be a vote for who gets Put On A Bus. 
-A Discordian has a chance of not being subsumed by a Spider.
-A Discordian has a chance of converting a Citizen into a Discordian.
-A Discordian can create a CABAL by converting a Discordian.
-A Spider can create The Machine™ by subsuming another Spider.
-A round is not over until all eligible Citizens have made a post.


The idea here is to make it a more forum-friendly game, and to string it along for a while.  There are plenty of directions the game could go, depending on what choices players make.  There is a good chance that a CABAL or The Machine™ will never be created.  There is a possibility that more than one CABAL can be created and destroyed in a game.  And Discordians might not get subsumed.  Plus, everyone has to post each round.  No more of this "hiding and hoping no one notices" crap.

Now, we're going to need a lot of people in order to do this right.  I'm thinking at least 15 to 20 people. 

I am now opening this up to general comments, questions, and Citizen Signup.  All good suggestions will be incorporated into the game.

[Doktor Howl]

I'm in.

[Freeky]

Me me me!

[Rumckle]

Sounds cool. Count me in.

May I suggest though, rather than a round be counted as the time it takes for everyone to post, a round is the amount of time it takes for everyone to vote (or abstain from voting, in which case they must declare that they are abstaining), because I know that sometimes I post but do not vote, because I am waiting on seeing what others are doing.

ETA: Also, am I right in assuming that spiders will pick who so subsume at the same time the citizens are voting?

[Freeky]

I was going to suggest that a round take the time it takes for EVERYONE to post, but if it's a particularly lively conversation, have there be a tie limit, like a day or something.

[LMNO]

Rumck, an emoticon will count as a post, as will saying you don't feel like voting.

HOWEVER, the game is no fun if nobody posts.  So post, and have fun.

Also, the game will start with conversation, and a vote.  I hate it when someone gets kicked off before anything happens.  After someone gets Put On A Bus, the Spider will make its choice, and the Discordian will try to convert.  Then another vote.

Freeky, I wanted the rounds not to be bound by time.  If someone is having a rough day at work and can't get online, or if they're taking the weekend off, the game shouldn't penalize them for that.

As Narrator, I am probably going to be flexible with the timeline and the story.  Additionally, if there suddenly appears to be a serious flaw in the mechanics, I may change them mid-game (unless it's really funny, in which case I'll let it ride).


Oh, and both the Spider and the Discordian can choose not to choose. 

[bds]

I would like to join.

[Remington]

Sounds pretty awesome, and I'd love to sign up.

Some questions, though:


1. Does the Discordian receive confirmation whether or not his convert was successful?
2. If a Spider subsumes another Spider, are both players still in the game, or does only one adopt the role of the Machine?
3. When a Machine is created, is the third Spider automatically part of it? If not, can they become a part of it, or must they start their own Machine?
4. Do the Citizens receive notification when a Cabal or Machine is created?


It seems to me that the Cabal and the Machine will be the very first things created. If I were a Discordian, I would just keep trying to convert a single person, making them into a Discordian and then into a Cabal-member. It would be absurdly easy to create a Cabal, as I know who all the other Discordians are. Ditto for the Spiders.

[Remington]

An example: I am one of the Spiders. I know the identity of one of the Spiders, but not the other. On the very first night, I subsume the person I know is a Spider, thereby creating the Machine on the very first round.

[LMNO]

1. Does the Discordian receive confirmation whether or not his convert was successful?
-Yes, it will be part of the Narration.

2. If a Spider subsumes another Spider, are both players still in the game, or does only one adopt the role of the Machine?
-Both players will be in the game, but all three Spiders now know each other and have combined to form The Machine™.

3. When a Machine is created, is the third Spider automatically part of it? If not, can they become a part of it, or must they start their own Machine?
-Logic would imply that if Alice is a Spider and knows Bob is a Spider, and Alice subsumes Chris who is a Spider and the Machine™ is formed, then Alice will tell Bob that Chris is the third Spider, and they are now all part of The Machine™.

4. Do the Citizens receive notification when a Cabal or Machine is created?
-Yes, it will be in the narration.  The Citizens will not know who is in the CABAL, however.  It is up to the Discordians to reveal that, if they choose.

It seems to me that the Cabal and the Machine will be the very first things created. If I were a Discordian, I would just keep trying to convert a single person, making them into a Discordian and then into a Cabal-member. It would be absurdly easy to create a Cabal, as I know who all the other Discordians are. Ditto for the Spiders.

Allow me to clarify.  A CABAL is formed when you try to convert someone you did not originally convert yourself.

On each turn, only one Discordian can act, just as only one Spider can act.  It is not exponential.

So, Alice converts Bob (Turn One), and then Bob converts Chris (Turn Two).  If Chris converts Alice (Turn Three), a CABAL is formed between Alice and Chris (AC).  It is now Alice's turn, acting in the capacity of the CABAL.  Alice cannot make Bob part of the CABAL, because she originally converted him.  She converts Dawn, instead, who is now part of the CABAL. The turn then goes back to Bob (CABAL counts as a single entity), who can either convert Dawn and Join the CABAL, or try to convert Ernie.
A->B
B->C
C->A = AC
AC->D = ACD
B can either ->D (for ABCD), or ->E

Keep in mind that at any point, they may end up trying to convert a Spider, or a Spider may try to subsume any one of the Discordians.  

An example: I am one of the Spiders. I know the identity of one of the Spiders, but not the other. On the very first night, I subsume the person I know is a Spider, thereby creating the Machine on the very first round.

Yes, that could happen.  As this could only happen randomly, or as part of an extremely good guess, this is yet another reason that a larger number of people playing would be better.

[LMNO]

Wait.  You're right. if a=b=c, then A will know C is a Spider via a simple PM.

Ok, perhaps the Spiders shouldn't know each other at first.  They have to figure it out, too.

[Don Coyote]

Eh, might be interesting. I'll join.

[Remington]

It seems to me that the Cabal and the Machine will be the very first things created. If I were a Discordian, I would just keep trying to convert a single person, making them into a Discordian and then into a Cabal-member. It would be absurdly easy to create a Cabal, as I know who all the other Discordians are. Ditto for the Spiders.

Allow me to clarify.  A CABAL is formed when you try to convert someone you did not originally convert yourself.

On each turn, only one Discordian can act, just as only one Spider can act.  It is not exponential.

So, Alice converts Bob (Turn One), and then Bob converts Chris (Turn Two).  If Chris converts Alice (Turn Three), a CABAL is formed between Alice and Chris (AC).  

Same problem as the Spiders. Bob tells Chris that Alice is a Discordian, so therefore Chris is guaranteed a Cabal when it's his turn to convert someone.


Also:

Spider subsuming Discordian----> 50% chance
Machine subsuming Discordian -----> 100% chance
Machine subsuming Cabal-member ------> 50% chance
Spider subsuming Cabal-member -------> ????

[Elder Iptuous]

I've missed all the lycanthopic misadventures, but i'd like in on one of these games... 

[LMNO]

That's fine, though.  Being in a Cabal means that you have a 50% chance of survival if The Machine™ is formed, and you're spending your turn creating the cabal rather than spreading the word of Discordia.

Intro narration

Round 1:
-Someone gets Put On A Bus (could be one of three Spiders, a Citizen, or the Discordian). Or, not enough votes.
-Spider subsumes. If it's the Discordian, it may not work. Could be another Spider.
-Discordian tries conversion (if they're still around).
Narration ensues.

Round 2:
-Someone gets Put on a Bus (could be one of three Spiders, a Citizen, or the/a Discordian [depending if the conversion worked]). Or, not enough votes.
-Spider subsumes. If it's the/a Discordian, it may not work.  There may only be one Spider left at this point. Or, The Machine™ may be formed.
-Discordian(s) try conversion (if they're still around).
Narration ensues.

Round 3:
-Someone gets Put on a Bus (could be one of three Spiders, a Citizen, or the/a Discordian [depending if the conversion worked]). Or, not enough votes.
-Spider subsumes, or the game is over, or The Machine™ either crushes a citizen, or a Discordian.
-Discordian either tries a conversion, or forms a Cabal.  Note that there still may be only one Discordian at this point.
Narration ensues.

So you see, it will take a minimum of three rounds to even get to the point of attempting a Cabal.  And that's if everything goes well.  On top of that, by that point we've lost between 0 and 6 players.  Would it be better to keep converting new people, or waste a turn forming a Cabal that only is 50% effective against The Machine™?