"When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don't see heaven, or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and human tragedy."

-- Joseph Heller, Catch-22​

The room was what you would expect in a television station newsroom - there was a live camera with a man reporting events live on the scene, a presentation mid-slide on the screen, plastic water bottles and papers strewn about everywhere, Herman Miller Aerons in various places around the room; and laptops all around.

The newsreporter of the local station bit her lip, and began to report the breaking news that had only occurred hours before. Five, four, three, two, one. "Some breaking news coming into the newsroom tonight, the TBS Bank has been robbed a couple of hours ago on 7:21 AM, a few hours before the bank was set to open. The police are currently investigating the situation now."

In a couple of hours, they'll discover the body lying in the middle of the floor, a letter opener in his chest.

And so begins this story.

-----​

Welcome to Brass & Tax Mafia, a 16-player closed setup mafia game designed by Prophylaxis and reviewed by Natirasha (from the Tarhalindur school of modding).

Standard Rules
(inspired by Xylthixlm, stolen from Ged!)

[1] I will enforce the rules strictly, because I'm evil like that.

[2] Your vote must be in bold and not be in spoiler tags or in the middle of a huge wall of text. You don't need to unvote before voting.

[3] If my vote count doesn't seem to reflect your vote, just revote.

[4] Lynching requires a simple majority. You may vote no lynch, which also requires a simple majority. You can post during twilight.

[5] Once your death scene has been posted, you're dead. Dead people don't make forum posts. If you make a post after you are dead, I will hunt you down. For the record, I actually have a text file on my computer of all the people who've broken this rule in the past. I may or may not have plans for it. (hint: it includes me)

[6] Post at least once every 24 hours, preferably much more. If you don't, I'll hunt you down. And prod you. After that you’ll be given at most another 12 hours or so before you are either replaced or modkilled. If you're going to be without computer access for more than 48 hours, let me know ahead of time either in the thread or by QuickTopic. Remember, people: if we work together we can have a replacement free game, but that can only happen with your help.

[7] No funny stuff like invisible text, tiny text, cryptography, or acronym claims. In addition, don't use personal codes/references no one will understand other that the recipient.

[8] Don't edit posts.

[9] Don't quote PMs or QuickTopics. In addition, PM formatting conversation is strictly prohibited.

[10] You may not talk outside of the thread to anyone about anything that goes on in this game, except in observer chat. Period. Whether you're dead, or they're dead, whether they're in the game or not. The only exception is if your role specifically allows it.

[11] Have fun and be nice to the other players and me, even if we don't deserve it.

I reserve the right to modkill any player who breaks any rule [6] or higher. This applies especially to [11], but also note it’s application to [6]. I do not like making people replace into my games. I do not like spending time looking for replacements. I do not like slowing down the game while we go through this whole song and dance of looking for a replacement. Modkills circumvent all these things.

Brass & Tax Game Mechanics

This game revolves around the Gold mechanic.

Each player will receive a certain amount of gold in his or her role PM. Gold is used to pay for ability costs. In addition, all players have the following abilities. They can be used in addition with other abilities that may or may not exist.

Payback (0): Each Night, you may send 1 Gold to another person. This ability can only be activated during the Night.

and

Last Will (0) (Rapid Action): When you die, you may distribute your gold to any other remaining players. (For example, if you had 3 gold, you could say “I give 1 gold to Player X and 2 gold to player Y if I die.”) Setting a Last Will is a Rapid Action (it resolves immediately upon receipt). You may use this ability at will, and using this ability never counts towards limits on the number of activated abilities you can use in a given time period. Last Wills are anonymous.

As an example, let's look at the following role:

If I had that role, I could pay 1 Gold during the Night to activate the "Guilty Child" ability. If I didn't want to do that, I could use Payback to send my one gold to Vira. If I got killed during the Night, I could use Last Will to send my gold to Aekiel.

Feel free to send me a message via PM or QuickTopic if you have questions about how the gold mechanic works or how your role works. I will try my best to answer them.

Day Length
Each Day will last up to 72 hours. Nights will last up to 24 hours and may be shortened if everyone turns in their night actions early.

Votecounts will be provided early and often, or on request. Players will receive a prod if they have not posted in 24 hours. If they do not reply to that prod within 24 hours they will be replaced.

Info Board
Due to DLP not allowing you to edit posts in the OP, I have resorted to using a QuickTopic to keep track of changes. These changes include the Livelist, game status, vote count waypoints, and Day end time. Refer to it early and often.

Here is the QuickTopic being used to keep track of changes.

Night Action Results
Here are the three types of result PMs you might receive:

1. Your action succeeded. (Any additional information)
2. Your action failed.
3. You were roleblocked.

Claim Time
When it comes time to claim, you may state your rolename, role, ability names, and win condition. You must paraphrase your ability descriptions and flavor. Determining what you should claim is up to you.

Reveal on Death
Rolename, alignment, role.

"Prophylaxis, Clinton Cook, Town Jester, lynched Day 0."

Order of Night Actions
1. Immunities
2. Controlling another player's actions
3. First strike non-killing actions
4. Gaining actions
5. Losing actions
6. Redirecting / replacement effects
7. Roleblocking
8. Protecting
9. Rescuing / Reviving
10. Sending items or messages
11. First strike killing actions
12. Killing actions
13. Sending gold
14. Gathering information
15. Anything else

The Town win condition is: Eliminate all threats.
The Mafia win condition is: Control the lynch, or make it so that such control is inevitable.

-----​

Words of Advice

[1] As always, read the rules carefully, especially the special ones. (Did you know that there's a QuickTopic you must click on and abilities you might not know you had? Read it.)

[2] This game follows the Tarhalindur school of modding with regards to modgaming, namely: gaming the mod is risky. If you're right, it *might* help. If you're wrong... be prepared to pay the price.

[3] Behavioral analysis is always your friend. That being said, you cannot afford to ignore tactics this game. You must always be thinking about how to win from your current position - assuming a win will fall into your lap if you play normally will not be enough this game.

[4] Good luck and have fun. You'll need it.

-----​

To prevent you guys from being bogged down by me, I'm going to send out the role PMs without flavor, since not all of is written yet. Expect flavor to be added to every role PM when the game starts.

DO NOT POST YET.

I have sent everyone their role PM/personal QuickTopic. Day 1 will begin once everyone has confirmed (and I finish writing flavor).

---------- Post automerged 03-23-2014 at 09:49 PM ---------- Previous post was 03-22-2014 at 09:50 PM ----------

It seems as if they've discovered the body.

(All town vanilla roles have 3 Gold)

-----​

A police officer is inspecting the area, while a TV reporter is desperate for an interview from the chief.

"Good to see you. Shall we begin?"

Everyone has confirmed.

With 16 alive, it's 9 to lynch!

Refer to the Info Board for updates.

 

Vote: Nemrut

Just to let you guys know, I probably won't be as active in this game as I usually am. This is because I'm a strong town PR and want to keep my head down.

 

Vote: Rubicon

Ooh, someone I want dead from the first post of the game. That has to be a new record.

 

Vote: Rubicon

I really don't feel I have to justify this.

Need more data from everyone though.

Rubi, even if true, why the hell would you say that? (This is an actual question) We don't even know what the roles are, period.
Fonti, keep saying things, after last time, I don't want to jump the gun in reading you.

 

Hmm.

Hey Sloth, explain to me the scum mentality behind Rubicon's actions.

 

Well that escalated quickly.

Vote: Rubicon

Rubi, how did that look like a good idea?
(Sorry that I'm parroting, but there isn't much else to say to that)

Everybody, get posting!

 

Vote Count 1.0
(9 to lynch)

Rubicon (3): fontisian, Sloth, Irdiumstern
Nemrut (1): Rubicon

Abstain (13): Titus, Titus, Zeitgeist, Zennith, blab, Citrus, Luckylee, ika, Custer, Riley Poole, Maiden, Nemrut, Possum

This votecount is correct.

 

Irdiumstern: Why exactly did you parrot Sloth's question?

---------- Post automerged at 01:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:22 AM ----------

Lovely quote choice, Proph.

---------- Post automerged at 01:24 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:23 AM ----------

Proph: Titus is counted twice in the vote count. Was that on purpose?

 

I agreed with you two that Rubicon's actions were odd, and while not definitely scummy in my mind, required investigation. Two people asking should get a quicker response.

Fonti: Why did you put down a lynch vote without asking a question? Did you think Rubicon was acting scummy or just derping?

 

I already sort of did:

If that's not enough, I can give a more detailed answers, the reasons I can think of for a potential Town to say that, the reasons for a potential scum, etc.
However, I'll hold off on it until you go over yours.
You voted for him first, and haven't said why. Granted, it's fairly obvious why anyone would, but then you questioned me on it, so, tell me why you did it.

Seconding this, Proph.
If not, that 'This votecount is correct' bit will go down in DLP's hilariously ironic history.

 

Reaction baiting and neither, respectively.

 

Irdium, what's your mafia experience?

 

Okay, although I don't think Rubicon was thinking when he made his post (wtf, man?), I really don't like how quickly this bandwagon formed. Sloth and Irdiumstern took a pressure vote from fontisian and transformed it into a legitimate vote wagon, which makes me suspicious of Sloth and Irdiumstern. Not sure if you two are new or are jumping the gun as scum. :/

Yeah, no. You always have to justify votes or at least offer some sort of explanation.

fontisian, why do you think Rubicon picked Nemrut, out of all people?

 

Whoa didn't realize this started already.

Early hammer ends the day right? OP said "up to 72 hours"

Yeah no that's not ok. Vote: Irdiumstern

 

/tenchar

 

Wow flurry of posts while I type mine up much

---------- Post automerged at 12:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:38 AM ----------

@Titus

Please let us know if there's a good reason to NOT reveal anything about your role explicitly via a forum post. Because obviously it involves multiple votes at some level.

 

Sloth: A couple of games with friends IRL, one play by post game years ago that kinda died halfway through, and reading the games on this site for the last few months.

Citrus: How am I more suspicious in this than Fonti or Sloth?

Also, it takes 9 votes to hammer. Even if we assume 4 scum, and that none of them have voted on Rubicon so far, we still have a 2 vote buffer at the moment. Granted, luckylee is playing but right now it seems unlikely that scum are going to hammer.

 

Unvote
Vote Sloth

I was hoping to get something out of Rubicon before doing this. Ah well.

No, that is not enough. You just jumped on something that is only superficially scummy. Are telling you don't have any reasons?

Rubicon could have made that post for one of the following reasons: 1. To make a joke in RVS, 2. To gauge reactions, and push for an early end to RVS. 3. As a genuine derp. 4. To diffuse suspicion on him. Rubicon is experienced enough that I consider two the most likely. Now, it's possible that Rubicon is deliberately acting in a town manner as scum to convince people that he's town, but you'll agree that this is a terrible way to go about it.

Try again Sloth.

-----

Citrus: Why are you voting for Irdiumstern over Sloth?

 

I agree that Irdiumstern may have jumped the gun, but can please all calm down and ask questions before throwing votes down like that? Sloth, fontisian, and Irdiumstern, this especially applies to you and your bandwagoning.

Irdiumstern, I like post #9 where you try to explain your mentality for pressuring. Still, before I can ease off my suspicion of you, I need some more information. My question to you is what do you think of Sloth. He voted along the same lines with you, with less reasoning and more zeal. What are your thoughts about him?

 

...
Are you serious? How the fuck would I know, and why would I care?