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Using items

PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:59 pm
by Nebuchadnezer
I had a thought today. Typically, in mafia you are assigned a role, and are stuck with that role all game long. That's great if you're doctor or cop or mafia...or at least some kind of special night action. But if you're Vanilla Townie, you're a bit less motivated and left feeling quite in the dark.

Is there any precedence to having everyone be a VT, and using specialty items to enhance a character's abilities? Some of these items may be awesome, like a "double-barreled shot gun" Or some of them may be quite irrelevant "pea-shooter." Now, you would still have mafia vs. town, but players would all have an equal shot at getting items at the beginning. You could also have roles that would steal items or give items away. This might spice up the game a bit, as players would never know what they were getting, or using, or losing from one day to the next.

Does that mess with the setup too much and allow for too much inbalance in the game? I think you could still weight the game evenly in terms of fixed roles for each side. Just adding the items to keep everyone alert.

Thoughts? Am I totally whacked on this idea?

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:30 pm
by shieldgenerator7
Every once in a while a game like this comes along.Zelda Mafia used this kind of game mechanics.

Usually ths complicates setup but this makes it more fun :D

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Fri Mar 30, 2012 10:33 pm
by chapcrap
I would play a game like that.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:54 am
by freezie
This is a great exemple of games like that:

http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=610&t=134695

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:49 am
by pancakemix
Here's the Zelda Mafia thread for reference:

viewtopic.php?f=610&t=148353

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:59 am
by zimmah
shieldgenerator7 wrote:Every once in a while a game like this comes along.Zelda Mafia used this kind of game mechanics.

Usually ths complicates setup but this makes it more fun :D



exactly what i was going to say.

items make the game more fun i'd say, but it's a bit harder to create a game like that

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 12:59 pm
by dazza2008
I did a game at christmas in my clan forum where Santa was Town Item Gifter. All the rest of the town started as VT's and all the mafia were goons. The item gifter gave out so many gifts(roles) during each day. He did not know what was in each 1. They gave whoeer got them a certain role whether town or mafia. It worked pretty well. There was nobody swithing items but that would have been pretty cool. I might try a game like that sometime. I am not sure if I could fit a theme to it though.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:39 pm
by safariguy5
Rolegift Mafia had a variation where you had to gift your night action to someone each night and they could choose to use or not use it. It was quite interesting because mafia had night actions as well and you weren't sure what your role was until you saw a pattern after a few nights.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 4:36 pm
by TA1LGUNN3R
safariguy5 wrote:Rolegift Mafia had a variation where you had to gift your night action to someone each night and they could choose to use or not use it. It was quite interesting because mafia had night actions as well and you weren't sure what your role was until you saw a pattern after a few nights.


I immensely enjoyed that game. If / ever decided to do a second one, I would be thrilled. 'Twas a fun game. I replaced somebody, and the first night I got sent like 4-5 gifts. Sweet!

-Tails

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 7:29 pm
by everywhere116
TA1LGUNN3R wrote:
safariguy5 wrote:Rolegift Mafia had a variation where you had to gift your night action to someone each night and they could choose to use or not use it. It was quite interesting because mafia had night actions as well and you weren't sure what your role was until you saw a pattern after a few nights.


I immensely enjoyed that game. If / ever decided to do a second one, I would be thrilled. 'Twas a fun game. I replaced somebody, and the first night I got sent like 4-5 gifts. Sweet!

-Tails
Slash is already missing his twofer game. Someone else would have to do it. It wouldn't be hard, since everything about the setup was revealed after the end.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2012 10:14 pm
by /
I'm glad so many of you liked rolegift, I'll see about modding another sometime. :D
Like I said at the end though, I fully support whoever wants to mess around with it, copy it or whatever.

I'm currently at my limit for modding/playing though, so Nebuchadnezer, (and whoever else wants to mod some highly fashionable item games ;) ) it sounds like an awesome idea, I'd be glad to look over any setup you come up with if you want, or even (sort of) co-mod if you need one to get around the two completed games thing.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 1:29 am
by Nebuchadnezer
I have completed two games...three if getting day killed counts as finishing. If I mod, I want to either try something different like items, or something totally messed up so that nobody can ' meta' the game...however, there are far too many games open in the general forum right now....Simpsons, battle of bulge, matrix, harry potter...I'm not sure I could fill a game, since I'm too new.

I do think I have a great idea that would be a hit right now...don't have everything drawn up yet, though...when I get to that point, I'll run it by this forum. Thanks everyone for the feed back and links.

Neb

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:28 am
by dazza2008
Nebuchadnezer wrote:I have completed two games...three if getting day killed counts as finishing. If I mod, I want to either try something different like items, or something totally messed up so that nobody can ' meta' the game...however, there are far too many games open in the general forum right now....Simpsons, battle of bulge, matrix, harry potter...I'm not sure I could fill a game, since I'm too new.

I do think I have a great idea that would be a hit right now...don't have everything drawn up yet, though...when I get to that point, I'll run it by this forum. Thanks everyone for the feed back and links.

Neb


I think the game would fill since it is something different. I think lots of guys would join just for that. Look how quick power draft mafia filled up.

Maybe if you made it a smaller game too since the games in signups are quite big games.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 2:18 pm
by everywhere116
Original Rolegift was 12, I believe. That would probably work. Maybe a few more.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:03 pm
by Nebuchadnezer
Okay, I'll throw out my idea...give me your thoughts.

I was thinking of running a Hunger Games mafia.

Pros:
1. Popular story right now
2. I would use items.
3. Besides main characters, a lot of "other" players to mold how I want...or not.

Cons:
1. I would need 24 players to start (2 from each district)
2. Some of the key characters would necessarily have to be left out.

So...give me some feed back. Like I said earlier, I don't have the complete game set up yet, and I keep changing my mind on how to do things.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:21 pm
by everywhere116
You're not going to get 24 players, let alone for a The Hunger Games game.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:42 pm
by dazza2008
I think 24 would be a struggle too. Nearly all the games right now are big games. I would try something smaller.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 5:55 pm
by soundman
What they said. Also I think the game would be more fun if you didn't just use the tributes. I would find it much more interesting if you could get anyone in the book/movie. That could make for some great fakeclaims too since there are many unique characters. :)

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:16 pm
by Nebuchadnezer
Oh, the important roles are in...

Okay. I'll leave this go.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:28 pm
by pmchugh
You wouldn't need 24 players, just kill off 12 of the contestants in the opening scene. It is after all what they did in the movie :D

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 7:58 pm
by safariguy5
Yeah ionno about 24 people. There would be few fakeclaims and I think a massclaim could turn out badly for mafia.

Maybe if you ran a game based on all 3 books, it definitely would make the game more interesting and set up some interesting alignment decisions (not to spoil anything).

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2012 8:20 pm
by Nebuchadnezer
Well, just a peak...

This would be a very difficult game for town to win.

I wouldn't have all 24 tributes. I would have Haymitch, and Cinna, and President Snow and a few others...possibly.
I would also give the Careers some fake claims, further eliminating the number of tributes.
And the beginning would be the best part, as yes, a good deal of players would be eliminated on turn 0...but they would have that choice/chance as to what they did. I was actually more excited for the opening scene than anything.

Maybe I can refine the total setup and see how many players I actually need...

But I could still do an item gifting game. Different theme. I'll see what I can do, unless one of the vets want to take over the item gifting idea and run with it...

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 12:47 pm
by safariguy5
If you want a good theme for item gifting, maybe Battle Royale would be a better dystopic children deathmatch novel. The idea that items are randomly given might play better theme wise.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:20 pm
by Nebuchadnezer
I'm sure. I think I got a little distracted by the item "gifting" part. I wouldn't necessarily "gift" items, rather use them to enhance players, and make the items transferrable/stealable. Certain characters could steal/gift items, players killing other players could loot items, and, of course, some kind of "sponsorship" gift would be randomly (or following some logic unknown to the players...) assigned.

Re: Using items

PostPosted: Mon Apr 02, 2012 5:28 pm
by safariguy5
Nebuchadnezer wrote:I'm sure. I think I got a little distracted by the item "gifting" part. I wouldn't necessarily "gift" items, rather use them to enhance players, and make the items transferrable/stealable. Certain characters could steal/gift items, players killing other players could loot items, and, of course, some kind of "sponsorship" gift would be randomly (or following some logic unknown to the players...) assigned.

Yeah, that follows from the Hunger Games theme where getting items is not truly random but more based on strength/ability of the tributes.

In Battle Royale, everyone gets one backpack containing one random item. Could be interesting if you assign the roles independently from the abilities.