Game Rules
First and foremost, always be mindful of site rules and our continuing mission to maintain a positive playing environment for our users.
Remember that the premier rules in any Syndicate Mafia game come straight from the site rules. Review those rules below, and direct any concerns you may have to the host or moderator(s) on duty.
[Link] Rules and Guidelines on The Syndicate
Also always be mindful of the culture of respect that must be maintained in all Syndicate spaces at all times, to include this game thread and any external communication spaces relating to the game. Players must be respectful to one another, to the game host, to the members of the staff overseeing the game, to the game itself by way of its rules and spirit, to the Syndicate community in general, and ideally also to themselves. Respect is never optional. See our full manifesto on our culture of respect below.
[Link] A Syndicate Mafia Culture of Respect
Voting and Claiming Rules
Claiming
Public claims of role identity and role information are legal. The game has been designed deliberately to avoid this resulting in an easily solved or broken mechanical system.
Voting
1. The game will operate purely on the basis of voting plurality. There is no majority hammer vote. The player who has received the most votes when the poll deadline arrives will be eliminated.
2. Votes may be changed at will and without limitation.
3. It is required to place votes in both the poll (by clicking a radio button and submitting) and the game thread (in a clear manner such as using the [ vote ][ /vote ] tags (no spaces)). The poll does not track voting order, so you must call votes in the thread to ensure it is possible for players to track votes if they wish to do so.
4. Voting for yourself is not permitted and will not count. This applies to all players regardless of alignment.
5. Voting is not obligatory. There is no requirement to place any vote during any phase. Participation is required, however, as described later in this post.
6. A "no elimination / sleep" option will be included in each day phase poll. To be enacted, this must win the plurality vote with no ties.
Participation Standard
I don't like to establish any hard-line standard for participation, by post count or whatever. Still, it is important that everyone make a reasonable effort to participate in the game. At least a few posts per day phase would be a bare minimum. If I feel that any player is not participating enough to keep play entirely fair, then I will seek replacements. I will resort to modkills if I must. The later we get into the game, the less inclined I will be to rely on any replacement. If something comes up and you will be unable to post for some manageable period, please let me know and we can work with that. If your computer explodes or your power fails, please try to at least shoot me a one-line alert on Discord. #jaggedjimmyjay
Substitutions / Replacements
I'd rather not! If it is absolutely necessary to find a substitute, I can try to achieve this (though only limited subs are available if any). However, I will not do this in the game any later than Night 3. If I am left with no alternative, I will consider modkills. I will also consider leaving a slot inactive.
Mafia Team Details
1. The mafia team will be permitted to communicate behind the scenes in a Discord server.
2. They will be allowed to begin communicating immediately upon receiving their role cards, before the game thread opens.
3. Mafia communication will be active during all phases, day and night.
4. Mafia are obligated to submit a night kill. Declining a night kill is not permitted. If a night kill is not provided to the host, a kill will be randomized among all living players (including the mafia team themselves).
5. Mafia are not permitted to submit night actions on behalf of their teammates unless explicit, visible consent is provided to the host.
Game Cycles
Day phases will last 48 hours. Night phases will last 24 hours. All phases will end at 9:00 PM EST. If the host encounters unexpected scheduling conflicts and needs to change these cycles, the host will do so and alert all players accordingly.
Other Stuff
1. Behind the scenes communication is only permitted in host-designated locations and with host approval.
2. Neither editing nor deleting of posts in the game thread is permitted.
3. Please do not post in the game thread when you have died until the game is over.
4. Non-players may make
infrequent jokes or off-topic comments in the game thread, but they must use the [ np ][ /np ] tags (no spaces). Do not abuse this privilege.
5. If living players wish to make off-topic comments, they may use the [ ot ][ /ot ] tags to use the designated "off-topic green" text. This is not required.
6. If you have any questions about the game, please ask the host privately. If deemed necessary, the host may provide a public answer.
7. Indicate that you have read the rules by saying "thanks for the fish, JJJ" in the game thread. This is not required, but it's nice to know people care.
Angleshooting
Don't.
We all know what the spirit of Mafia is about. So don't. If you ever think something might be cutting it close, just ask me before doing it/saying it. Thanks gang.
Examples of things that suck:
- Relying on volatile emotionality as a strategy to progress the game for yourself (or posting the same material non-strategically). Contact the moderator on duty (
@Justplayingitcool).
- Referencing out-of-game personal information to progress yourself in the game (regardless of alignment) -- you can mention things about life, just don't expect it to necessarily be worth added grace in the game.
- Trying to use specific wording in your role card to glean information in the thread
- Making reads or judgments about the game based upon who you see in the "Who is online" section under the thread
- Openly calling for or talking about the mafia team conceding
- Discussing anything outside the game thread that should have no bearing on it (e.g., technical quirks you observe on Discord) other than ordinary metagaming
- Plenty of other things; there are too many to list. Contact me if you're tempted but unsure or if you believe someone else has engaged in an angleshooting or appeal to emotion violation.