What is your favorite Mafia Game Mechanic and Why?

#1

Curious since I've heard of some ridiculous ones.

#2

FYI moved this to The Lounge since it's strictly mafia-related.

As to my answer for the question, going to have to think on this. Many good potential answers, I think.

#3

Players who show up, participate without flooding the thread, vote, etc.

#4

I'm a fan of self-voting.

#5

Here let me give an example:

I played a game called "Credithunt" with the basis being stock brokers.

Each role received one credit a night. Each dead player could choose to group vote on giving a player one bonus credit

All night abilities costed credits

There were a variety of roles to keep things interesting

And since it was an open setup, in which there was no role reveal. The entire game was stressfully fun

Personally it's one of my favorites as well, being that I replaced in and proceeded to kill two Mafia members with the assassin role, which had to kill a Mafia member or die if a town member is chosen to be killed

I guess by mechanics I mean special conditions to add to the game, you dig?

#6

I would have to say the inclusion of maps is the game mechanic that I've liked the most. It sticks out to me because I've never been so angry at dying early in a game (World Reborn 2) simply because I wanted to experience that mechanic more. The way Long Con designed it was so that mafia only had a certain range that they could kill, and if you were in the same "space" as another player you could potentially gain BTSC with them. I'm sure there were all kinds of others crazy elements to it that I missed out on because of my death, and I'd love love love to see something like that again. If I ever gain the confidence to host a game that well thought out and ambitious, I'll do it myself.

#7

Epignosis wrote:Players who show up, participate without flooding the thread, vote, etc.

Damnit, I was so close. I hit two and a half out of three.

#8

I think my 'favourite mechanic' moves on... I love coming up with ideas I haven't seen play out before.

I really love the mechanic of cop + ways to make civilians appear as mafia and mafia appear as civilians.

I can't wait to see how my lawmaker mechanic plays out in BSG.

And recently I had a bomb which was going to blow up on day 3 on whoever held it, and I spent the first three days wifoming people away from targetting me so that mafia couldn't get the bomb and use it against the town, that was a lot of fun.

But, ask me tomorrow and there will probably be another three that come to mind.

#9

I created a role for Roger Rabbit that Long Con says belongs in the category of standard Mafia roles, and used it in his A World Reborn game. That was the greatest compliment he ever gave me, and one that made me feel great as a host of many games. The mechanic takes time and thought to develop, but it becomes a perfect amalgamation of an info role, civilian-friendly role, chaos role, liability role, whatever you want it to be.

Long Con dubbed it "The Bartender."

In Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Mafia, Dolores was a bartender, and she could serve a drink to any player at Night. The result of the drink was unique to the role she served. If she served Roger Rabbit, he could only post in pictures of whistles (thus Dolores would know who Roger was). If she served Benny the Cab, he would crash and die (thus killing a fellow civilian). If she served a Weasel (mafia), that player began the day with 2 votes. And so on and so forth. Fun stuff.

#10

I played a game some time ago where every civilian was a Fruit Vendor.

Fruit Vendor is a very rare role that sends someone a fruit every night. Essentially useless except for confirming itself.

But then you have a game where every played is a fruit vendor, and they can choose what fruit they will send. Cue very weird but fun way of investigating players.

The game was turbo mafia though, where thewre was barely any time to make a list of players vs fruits. It could be harder to balance in forum mafia.

#11

I remember hearing a story a CPI where Palamedes (one of the mods) had a Mafia game on MSPA that would kill any player that didn't post every 12 hours I think? It was called AFK Mafia and to quote him "it was terrible."

Not mechanic based on this but, I think original stories with original characters provide the best setup flavors. Especially if the host is a good writer and can really get a good solid couple paragraphs per event/cycle.

#12

Oh heh, and I just finished playing a setup called "Crooks Hollow" in which every player has a one shot desperado kill

The trick was the game had to be solved in 5 days or everyone lost

There were gun mods which modified your gunshot. It could be stolen by certain roles

All kinds of craziness, but when it came down to it. The town got over confident and ended up killing each other with their desperado kills. (It was one hell of a fun game though).

#13

I like chaos, and I like chaos roles. I don't want people to solve the game. It isn't a mystery, it's an experience. So I like any kind of cursing role, I like roles that blindly wreak havoc. In one game MP had he had a role that flopped the targets of the first half of the player list with the targets of the bottom half (or maybe it was the role list).

Utter chaos ensued, and it was awesome. No one had any idea what was going on, and that (in small, targeted doses) is the best way to suspend disbelief. Too much of that people lose interest, but just enough of it is magical.

#14

Secret roles are a fun addition to games to, but incredibly hard to implement effectively enough to keep them secret.

Long Con's strategy in World Reborn where he listed two roles in the Role List that were actually one role is a clever and ideal way though.

#15

I loved Zodac in Masters of the Universe Mafia, the first game I ever hosted.

Zodac was a last man standing who could force ties in a lynch. He would target two people at Night, and the next Day, they would receive the mean of the votes they had taken. Zodac also would choose who would be lynched in the event of a tie, and that lynch would happen at Night (to give Zodac time to choose the victim).

timmer forced a lot of ties by predicting who would get lynched the next Day, and would frequently switch the lynch to an unsuspecting person.

Needless to say, I pissed off a lot of my players.

timmer would go on to endgame, him versus a sole civilian, and would end up losing because that civilian had won what should have been an insignificant prize Day 0 (a permanent +1 vote).

That game lasted 22 phases.

#16

Answering the question to the thread, though, my favorite role ever is the John Nash role. No contest.

#17

@epi

22 phases. Golly that's like. 4 months or so?

#18

sprityo wrote:@epi

22 phases. Golly that's like. 4 months or so?

Started Feb 17, 2013.

Ended Apr 20, 2013.

#19

Dragon D. Luffy wrote:Answering the question to the thread, though, my favorite role ever is the John Nash role. No contest.

That role was pretty cool. It's a shame that not all of the challenges were made public events. It would have been fun to watch some of the others play out.

As for me, I think my favorite game mechanic changes from time to time. Way back in the day, secret roles and decoding them was really cool. Secret text popped up for at least one role a game for a while. I liked it so much that I took it to the extreme and based a whole game around it.

Originality and creativity are always appreciated, though game themes don't have to be original. Games based on pop culture items (movies, TV shows, etc.) can be just as fun so long as the host approaches the subject matter in creative or original ways.

I myself have always admired the people who create new and fascinating roles/powers. My strength is more in storytelling than role creation, so I always feel like I have to make up for fairly standard role powers through long lynch and night posts. I'm intimidated by the sheer creative prowess some of you possess. I think it's good though to have a few mega-awesome overachievers around because it nudges the rest of us schleps forward by making us try harder.

#20

My Pokemon Trainer role.

Indie. Captured civvies at night in his pokeball and on subsequent nights could either capture another civilian or use any captured civs power in whichever way he wanted. I can't remember what happened when he targeted Mafia. Think he just died or something.

That shit was tight and was never used because the guy who rolled it in the game I designed it for got mod-killed for inactivity.

#21

As a host, I always try to come up with lots of new mechanics, so its hard to choose just one. I would probably say ability types that work off of a players position on the player list. I have had it so an ability split the role list making those on the top half unable to target those on the bottom and vice versa, kills that could also hit the player above/below the selected target and even an entire mafia faction bonus that revolved around the player list being divided into zones and the members of that mafia choosing which zone they inhabit. Players who weren't in the same zone as that mafia player had the effects of their abilities halved against them and several of the roles in that mafia had area control abilities, like switching up action priority in the night time for players in her zone.

Creating independent roles in general is my greatest passion in mafia though.

#22

Just taking a quick check over at the past seven or so Jobs. It seems this community favors 25+ player sized games, on average. Typically open setups with no less than three parties or factions. I dont believe i saw any strictly, closed setup, just two faction games.

i'm still getting used to it, but it also excites me for (if and) when i get to bring you all my closed setup! I can assure everyone it will be great! (also it's a bit smaller, but i dont think that'll be a problem)

#23

Look at the Heists and the speed games. They all have very different set ups.

#24

i meant more specifically the Jobs though

#25

I know, but you may find more familiar mechanics in the smaller games. Speed games are up to 19, and heists are 13 or less,and always have only 2 factions. It sounds more like what you are describing.

#26

http://forum.chocolatepi.net/showthread.php?tid=683 is something im referring to, similar to it at least:

#27

sprityo wrote:Just taking a quick check over at the past seven or so Jobs. It seems this community favors 25+ player sized games, on average. Typically open setups with no less than three parties or factions. I dont believe i saw any strictly, closed setup, just two faction games.

i'm still getting used to it, but it also excites me for (if and) when i get to bring you all my closed setup! I can assure everyone it will be great! (also it's a bit smaller, but i dont think that'll be a problem)

The next Heist game up is a completely closed setup, hosted by yours truly.

But you are somewhat correct. Large, open, intricately-themed games are our bread and butter, and the reason a lot of folks continue to play here.

#28

I like individual win conditions, which I use a lot. I also like the Obsession mechanic I came up with for an Ahab role I created, where once he votes for a player, he has to keep voting for them until they die.

#29

My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it. I also really like inventors, or any mechanic that allows for a Wild Card time of thing where any player can gain a slight advantage at any time. There can potentially be a lot of strategy involved in this and it's fun to see how players use their limited abilities.

#30

Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.

I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P

#31

Metalmarsh89 wrote:
Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.
I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P

That's a great idea. I think in my next game, I'll assign all the host responsibilities to the players so I can just sit back and watch.

#32

It was nice to have Sorsha do our night polls for us in GOC

#33

thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.
I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P
That's a great idea. I think in my next game, I'll assign all the host responsibilities to the players so I can just sit back and watch.

This sounds like a wild project. May I cohost this game with you? We could delegate everything!

#34

You could call it "Game of Sloth"

#35

I was very upset to have to do work in my game.

#36

#37

I've also come to love restrictions on info dumping thanks to the Syndicate. It makes power roles so much more personal and strategic.

#38

S~V~S wrote:

#39

That was so hilarious; having sloths run the DMV made so much sense.

#40

Metalmarsh89 wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.
I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P
That's a great idea. I think in my next game, I'll assign all the host responsibilities to the players so I can just sit back and watch.
This sounds like a wild project. May I cohost this game with you? We could delegate everything!

This started as a joke, but now I kind of want to do it. "Choose Your Own Mafia"!

#41

thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.
I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P
That's a great idea. I think in my next game, I'll assign all the host responsibilities to the players so I can just sit back and watch.
This sounds like a wild project. May I cohost this game with you? We could delegate everything!
This started as a joke, but now I kind of want to do it. "Choose Your Own Mafia"!

Players choose their own roles.
Players who are killed write their own death posts.

#42

Metalmarsh89 wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
thellama73 wrote:
Metalmarsh89 wrote:
Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it.
I thought this mechanic was for lazy hosts. :P
That's a great idea. I think in my next game, I'll assign all the host responsibilities to the players so I can just sit back and watch.
This sounds like a wild project. May I cohost this game with you? We could delegate everything!
This started as a joke, but now I kind of want to do it. "Choose Your Own Mafia"!
Players choose their own roles.
Players who are killed write their own death posts.

I hosted a game on RYM where everyone chose their character and I made them a role. There was some... interesting things. Someone was a photograph of a guy, another person was the game Minecraft, another person was another player etc. Was very fucking strange.

#43

I think someone was a block of cheese.

#44

I like The Hunger. The Hunger makes you go after a player they have to die within three phases. You can't talk about the Hunger, you can't hint at being Hungered, if someone guesses you were Hungered you die. If you can't get that player killed you die. The first time it was implemented it wasn't even a role it was a prize awarded to Typhoony? in a Recruitment it was an addition to his role. I think anyways. It's been a long frigging time.

I also very much enjoyed the positions in Recruitment 4. Also recruitment in itself. Who doesn't like to get recruited.

An old friend did a choose your own role mafia way back on The Piano. LC made a ridiculous role where he couldn't die or something.

#45

Black Rock wrote:I like The Hunger. The Hunger makes you go after a player they have to die within three phases. You can't talk about the Hunger, you can't hint at being Hungered, if someone guesses you were Hungered you die. If you can't get that player killed you die. The first time it was implemented it wasn't even a role it was a prize awarded to Typhoony? in a Recruitment it was an addition to his role. I think anyways. It's been a long frigging time.

I also very much enjoyed the positions in Recruitment 4. Also recruitment in itself. Who doesn't like to get recruited.

An old friend did a choose your own role mafia way back on The Piano. LC made a ridiculous role where he couldn't die or something.

If I were bad, I would just guess systematically people were hungered to get them killed.

I've never been bad in an LC/BR game though.

#46

Epignosis wrote:
Black Rock wrote:I like The Hunger. The Hunger makes you go after a player they have to die within three phases. You can't talk about the Hunger, you can't hint at being Hungered, if someone guesses you were Hungered you die. If you can't get that player killed you die. The first time it was implemented it wasn't even a role it was a prize awarded to Typhoony? in a Recruitment it was an addition to his role. I think anyways. It's been a long frigging time.

I also very much enjoyed the positions in Recruitment 4. Also recruitment in itself. Who doesn't like to get recruited.

An old friend did a choose your own role mafia way back on The Piano. LC made a ridiculous role where he couldn't die or something.
If I were bad, I would just guess systematically people were hungered to get them killed.

I've never been bad in an LC/BR game though.

That is so true. I wonder why that is?

If you just kept guessing like that I would not count it. :P

#47

Black Rock wrote:
Epignosis wrote:
Black Rock wrote:I like The Hunger. The Hunger makes you go after a player they have to die within three phases. You can't talk about the Hunger, you can't hint at being Hungered, if someone guesses you were Hungered you die. If you can't get that player killed you die. The first time it was implemented it wasn't even a role it was a prize awarded to Typhoony? in a Recruitment it was an addition to his role. I think anyways. It's been a long frigging time.

I also very much enjoyed the positions in Recruitment 4. Also recruitment in itself. Who doesn't like to get recruited.

An old friend did a choose your own role mafia way back on The Piano. LC made a ridiculous role where he couldn't die or something.
If I were bad, I would just guess systematically people were hungered to get them killed.

I've never been bad in an LC/BR game though.
That is so true. I wonder why that is?

If you just kept guessing like that I would not count it. :P

I'm always recruited early to the civilians. DH himself said "So I don't have to bother lynching you."

I'll take it, I guess.

#48

Sloonei wrote:My favorite mechanic that I want to try out is the "player writes Night posts for the host" mechanic that was used in Bullets over Broadway. I tried using it in the RYM game I just modded (Community), but the player who had the role never used it. I also really like inventors, or any mechanic that allows for a Wild Card time of thing where any player can gain a slight advantage at any time. There can potentially be a lot of strategy involved in this and it's fun to see how players use their limited abilities.

I have a form of this in my up and coming setup which uh *cough* someone should *cough* totally give me their slot so we can play *cough*

#49

Silverwolf wrote:
Ricochet wrote:I could see hydras work in a sock game, if the dual role is presented or made clear in the setup, but in any variation of a closed setup, the others just wouldn't what/who they're dealing with.
Hydras work in any setup. They are extremely common in theme games where I come from-role madness, complex games. They were announced ahead of time that there is a hydra and who is in it. It was a requirement to sign your posts and not post in your regular account. Other that that, there is no difference between a hydra or a regular account. Hydras are just two people and one role. It really didn't effect games at all. I am going to allow them when I host a game. I would like this site to experiment with them because they are a ton of fun and people in hydras generally love doing it.

Such announcements, in case of closed setups, would affect the secrecy of the closed setup itself.

Silverwolf wrote: Also, they are a great way to get to know other mafia players and to learn a lot about other's playstyles which is very beneficial for any person in any game they play. I see no reason not to at least try them here at some point.

There's BTSC for this, even civilian one at times.

I'm not writing this, however, by any means in refusal of testing out hydras in the future.

#50

I agree they can't be used in games where they can't be announced. I like the BTSC idea but there is something to be said about actually playing with someone in a game and seeing how their mind works.

Since this is new in this thread, I'll bring over the other posts.

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

Full Games	Civilian: Mafia: Independent:
Speed Games	Civilian: Fiddler on the Roof Mafia:
Heists	Civilian: MVP: RED vs BLUE
Burglaries	Independent: The Theme Is Literally a Burglary
Special Games	Civilian: Independent:

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