The Syndicate

nutella wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:48 pm er rather having read lc's flip i guess is the relevant part

Yeah, someday you all will get the hint that reading my end-of-phase posts is important.

MORE HOST NOTES:

-[mention]DrWilgy[/mention] and [mention]Epignosis[/mention] played in all four of the games in this series. Neither of them were part of a winning faction. DrWilgy was a vanilla civvie in all four games.

-The role names all have some level of meaning. The baddies surnames were all surnames of former KGB agents.

-Three of the civvie role surnames were the surnames of Russian doctors who actually died by "falling" out of windows after speaking up about COVID-19 and Russia's dishonesty with the facts.

-The remaining civvie surnames were all taken from a list of Russian political prisoners I found online while building the game.

Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:38 pm
G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:30 pm
Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:20 pm also like, what would have happened if i stayed silent and self protected? it would have been the same thing. everyone knew i was supposed to die and when i didn’t it would raise questions about me that i couldn’t answer and cause everyone to think i had some bad role that made me immune. regardless of if i hinted or not self protecting was basically self incriminating with a town doc already flipped but i had no choice. claiming or not claiming wouldn’t have made any difference and i honestly don’t get why it wasn’t allowed
I just didn't understand why you didn't self-protect on Night 3 and healed yourself then. You could have guessed at which Long Con voter to try to save Night 4 that way. It felt like an unforced error to me.

I was also surprised that you had no reaction whatsoever to finding out that there was another doctor role in the game. I was anticipating a questioning PM from you, but I got nothing of the sort.
i didn’t think i could self-heal a day before the poison took effect. thought it had to be the night i was going to die

also idk, why would i ask you? i knew what my role was. tutuu flipping just told me there was another

Perhaps I thought the infection was more clear-cut than it was interpreted by the players. Infection was immediate and curable the whole duration. No one asked the question, so I didn't think I needed to overexplain it.

Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:36 pm
G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:26 pm HOST NOTES:

-I think after 3p's and baddies winning the first three games of this series I intentionally set out to tilt the game a little to the civvies.

-I broke the pattern of having a 3p in the game, but still had my chaos role in the secret asymptomatic carrier. That was a role in my Chicka Chicka 1, 2,3 game that didn't get as much time to shine as I wanted. It's also slightly based off the Venomous Imp role from a Long Con/Black Rock game from days long ago. Amusing that he wound up with the role.

-Including the asymptomatic carrier led me to incorporate a second doctor role. I thought it provided some balance, as the civvies had to contend with the mafia and a virus threat that was statistically more likely to hit a civvie than a baddie.

-There were a total of 50 votes cast in the day polls during this game. Only 7 of them were cast for baddies.

-I really didn't know what to do with Hally when she all but outed herself as a power role and second doctor. There is subtlety and then there is what Hally did. Maybe I could have been more clear. When it was too late, I didn't feel as though I could rightfully modkill her. That would have eliminated the last power role, and the only role of significance left that could stand in the baddies way from steamrolling the game. In fact, had I modkilled her, it would have defaulted straight to a baddie victory. Had the civvies somehow come back to win, I'd have given the mafia a share of the victory, because they would have won without any mass hinting from Hally.

-I come from a culture long ago that embraced claiming at first and then turned against it when it started wrecking artfully constructed games. I am a dinosaur and a relic and I need to find a way forward with allowing claiming somehow.

-The civvies had two doctors and even received a gift in the accidental death of a baddie, and they still managed to lose the game.

-I actually pored over Google Maps for weeks plotting the literal escape route of Sidney Blumenthal and Chelsea Clinton from the end of Escape From Trump Tower through the end of this game.
The fake penthouse was in a warehouse in Perm, Russia. Sidney and Chelsea escaped on a westbound train to Kirov. From there, rail lines and highways exist between all the towns mentioned in this game. All cities and locations therein are real places, even the pizzeria across from the Golden Gate in Kiev.
i apologize for hinting so much and putting you in a difficult position. im really going to need to be more disciplined about no claim rules in the future. personally though, i think claiming should just be allowed in all games because it removes this issue entirely. and then setups can just be designed with that in mind so that it isn’t game breaking to allow them. or they can just be closed like this game. especially now with this site getting a lot of new off site people who come from places where claiming is the norm i feel like this could continue to be an issue, idk

In the end, it's just a thing that happened. I need to evolve more on the issue.

I think that Heist games can fall out of balance faster when the power roles are exposed and eliminated. In larger, role madness games, I think claiming can be allowed. I'll just have to not get so attached to some of my zany roles.

nutella wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 10:50 pm omg you let trump win

cursed

Actually, I settled on this being the way the narrative element ended the series no matter whether the civvies won or lost. The narrative was always going to split the players from the non-player characters of Sidney and Chelsea. I thought of constructing a long elaborate epilogue, but it was much more satisfying to just kill them off no matter what and end the story on a dark note.

Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:13 pm i also honestly don’t get the point of no claim rules in a closed setup where there’s absolutely no gamebreaking potential whatsoever

like, everyone knew i was softing doc. i still got eliminated. it did absolutely nothing. anyone can soft anything as any alignment in a closed setup and it should be on town to figure out if it’s legit. it doesn’t make sense to me to ban claiming or hinting outright

but like, it’s not my game so

Claiming the last power role when the other doctor isn't there to protect you would hand the baddies the keys to victory. They didn't kill you only because they hoped you might die from the virus. I didn't want the doctors outing themselves especially in this game because losing one of them right out of the gate would set the civvies back. It turned out that way anyway by natural course (night kill), but it could have been worse and the civvies could have been screwed from the very beginning.

Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 11:20 pm also like, what would have happened if i stayed silent and self protected? it would have been the same thing. everyone knew i was supposed to die and when i didn’t it would raise questions about me that i couldn’t answer and cause everyone to think i had some bad role that made me immune. regardless of if i hinted or not self protecting was basically self incriminating with a town doc already flipped but i had no choice. claiming or not claiming wouldn’t have made any difference and i honestly don’t get why it wasn’t allowed

I just didn't understand why you didn't self-protect on Night 3 and healed yourself then. You could have guessed at which Long Con voter to try to save Night 4 that way. It felt like an unforced error to me.

I was also surprised that you had no reaction whatsoever to finding out that there was another doctor role in the game. I was anticipating a questioning PM from you, but I got nothing of the sort.

HOST NOTES:

-I think after 3p's and baddies winning the first three games of this series I intentionally set out to tilt the game a little to the civvies.

-I broke the pattern of having a 3p in the game, but still had my chaos role in the secret asymptomatic carrier. That was a role in my Chicka Chicka 1, 2,3 game that didn't get as much time to shine as I wanted. It's also slightly based off the Venomous Imp role from a Long Con/Black Rock game from days long ago. Amusing that he wound up with the role.

-Including the asymptomatic carrier led me to incorporate a second doctor role. I thought it provided some balance, as the civvies had to contend with the mafia and a virus threat that was statistically more likely to hit a civvie than a baddie.

-There were a total of 50 votes cast in the day polls during this game. Only 7 of them were cast for baddies.

-I really didn't know what to do with Hally when she all but outed herself as a power role and second doctor. There is subtlety and then there is what Hally did. Maybe I could have been more clear. When it was too late, I didn't feel as though I could rightfully modkill her. That would have eliminated the last power role, and the only role of significance left that could stand in the baddies way from steamrolling the game. In fact, had I modkilled her, it would have defaulted straight to a baddie victory. Had the civvies somehow come back to win, I'd have given the mafia a share of the victory, because they would have won without any mass hinting from Hally.

-I come from a culture long ago that embraced claiming at first and then turned against it when it started wrecking artfully constructed games. I am a dinosaur and a relic and I need to find a way forward with allowing claiming somehow.

-The civvies had two doctors and even received a gift in the accidental death of a baddie, and they still managed to lose the game.

-I actually pored over Google Maps for weeks plotting the literal escape route of Sidney Blumenthal and Chelsea Clinton from the end of Escape From Trump Tower through the end of this game.
The fake penthouse was in a warehouse in Perm, Russia. Sidney and Chelsea escaped on a westbound train to Kirov. From there, rail lines and highways exist between all the towns mentioned in this game. All cities and locations therein are real places, even the pizzeria across from the Golden Gate in Kiev.

Doctor Protections:

tutuu:
N1 = Hally

Hally:
N1 = Nanook
N2 = Poison
N3 = Ash
N4 = Hally

Both civvie doctors received the following role card:

You are a civvie doctor. Each night, you may select one player in the game to protect, making them immune from harm that night. You may protect yourself, but you may only do so every three nights (i.e. N1 & N4, N2 & N5, etc.). You will not be told if your protection power had any impact.

Spectator Chat: https://discord.gg/K68Gq8W

Mafia Chat: https://discord.gg/px2HtFb

LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH'INTRATE
Tuesday, June 2nd, 2020
8:15 a.m. EEST

Both Sidney Blumenthal and Chelsea Clinton slept well that night. The phony Trump Tower had had top-notch accommodations, but there's nothing like living in the lap of luxury as a free person. Together they enjoyed a gourmet breakfast on the patio, a morning swim, and plenty of conversation about the future.

Before his summit was to begin at noon, George Soros wanted to discuss the preliminary plans for their return to America. They needed to start laying the foundations now, as a post-Memorial Day second wave seemed likely to shutter many airports anew. Undoubtedly, Americans and their fetish for individualism would cause similar virus rebounds after Independence Day and Labor Day as well. The trio had to thread a very fine needle in order to prepare not only for travel, but also movement within the US once Sidney and Chelsea were back in their home country.

"George," Sidney said, "I know it's going to be a delicate balance, but I have full faith in you to pull this off. We'll achieve an even bigger triumph than Operation Cobalt."

"Yes," Soros said nervously. "It would indeed be something, wouldn't it? Sadly, I have bad news from the Kiev safe house."

"What now?" Chelsea asked.

"Both Karina and Pyotr are dead. The other two fellows escaped."

"Escaped?" Sidney exclaimed. "How?"

"I ordered Olek and Wasyl to allow it," George said dryly.

"You what?" Chelsea asked. "How could you do that?"

"For one thing, my dear, it will help calm the Russian government down. You have no idea how much backchannel chatter is going on right now."

"But their stories," Sidney said, "weren't they worth sharing with the world?"

"Perhaps," Soros mused, "but perhaps not. It is quite well known that the Russian government is covering up their handling of the pandemic. Their record of human rights abuses is extensive. What, really, will a handful of new accounts do in the grand view of it all?"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing," Chelsea said. "Letting those people be killed makes you no better than Putin and his lackeys."

"Spare me the melodrama, dear lady."

"But it's evil!"

"A necessary evil, yes," Soros said. "Sometimes an evil act must be committed in order to bring about a greater good."

Sidney sat up in his chair. For the first time in over a day, he was nervous. And he was right to be.

"Did you mean for these people to die so that their stories wouldn't get out to the world, or because they might tell people about us?"

"Now you have arrived at the truth," Soros smiled. "We cannot trust anyone with the truth of your escape from Russia."

"Until the time is right, you mean," Chelsea said.

"No," Soros said. His grim expression sent chills up their spines. "As potent and politically damaging as your story is for the Republican Party of the United States, it seems to me that four years of President Donald Trump Jr. would be even more damaging for American conservatism at large. I may not live to see it, but an administration such ineptness and a cultural swelling of ignorance embracing it may finally push liberalism and progressivism to the forefront of global politics."

"What are you saying?" Chelsea asked.

"He thinks Don Jr. is the kill shot," Sidney said.

"The what?" she inquired.

"The kill shot," Sidney repeated. "The long-awaited opportunity to turn the GOP into a permanent minority party. We thought demographics would bring it about naturally. Then we thought the election of President Obama was a sign that it had been achieved. Trump proved us wrong. George thinks that Don Jr. winning the presidency will turn the tide once and for all."

"But what about us?" Chelsea exclaimed. "What about our story? That will shine a light on everything the Trumps have done!"

"It may well be a light, my dead," Soros said. "But sometimes you must push people further into darkness in order for them to realize just how much they prefer the light."

Sidney heard a familiar sounding click as the doors locked in place and gas filled the room.

Irony or coincidence? he thought as he and Chelsea drifted off to an eternal sleep.

------------------------------

Arete is dead.

They were Karina Buchenkov, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

Epignosis is dead.

They were Karina Buchenkov, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

Ash Lael and Poison have outwitted and outlasted the civvies and won the game for the mafia team.

They were Fyodor Kuznetsov and Nikolai Andropov, vanilla mafia members.

Sidney Blumenthal and Chelsea Clinton are dead.
Their story will never see the light of day.
Donald Trump Jr. goes on to win the election and ruin America.

THE END

THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Monday, June 1st, 2020
8:25 p.m. EEST

The trip to Budapest was pleasant, relaxing, and refreshing. Both Sidney and Chelsea napped along the way. Chelsea had to remind Sidney at times to calm down as he reviewed polling data and delegate counts. Donald Trump Jr. was firmly in the lead now, with the MAGA-loyal Deep South primaries poised to position him far enough ahead for the dimwit to claim the nomination outright by splitting a few of the remaining swing states with Mitt Romney. It was an affirmation of the grotesque and a repudiation of decency all at once.

Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders had managed to make another race out of it, with Tom Vilsack struggling to contain the Coronavirus outbreak. Some claimed he encouraged states to lockdown too soon, while others bemoaned his hesitancy to amplify restrictions. In a staring contest with destiny, it appeared to many as if the president had blinked. Vilsack was ahead of Bernie by just a few dozen delegates. Even if he did secure just enough votes to claim the nomination, Sanders' momentum suggested the convention would be contested all the same.

All this drama, mud-slinging, and ridiculousness lit a fire inside Sidney's soul. He and Chelsea would be the ultimate October surprise, except he planned on surfacing in September if at all possible. Let them anoint Donny Jr. and take ownership of his haunting vision for the country. Whether the DNC forges ahead with Vilsack or Sanders, the American people would not tolerate the Trump family atrocities and they would take it out on the Republican Party in November. Yes, even if Sidney spent the rest of his life in federal prison, that would be worth it.

A black Rolls Royce waited for the duo at the train station. It drove them to a posh estate in an upscale part of the city. They were escorted to the kitchen, where they were confronted by a lavish dessert and the finest dessert wine in Europe. As they ate their final morsels, a man in an expensive suit approached them.

"Big Blue will see you now," he said.

Chelsea marveled at the architecture as they walked to the other end of the estate. She had a feeling that she knew who Big Blue was after all the pomp and circumstance, but she still rattled a few names through her head as they approached a large set of double doors.

"Right this way," the suited man said as he opened the massive doors. Inside was a modest-sized lounge with leather upholstered furniture. At the far end of the room was a large flat-screen TV. The screen said "Connect when ready" on it. Sidney opened the laptop next to the TV and selected the connect option. An man's face appeared on the screen, his eyes heavy and sagged with age.

"Sidney," he said. "And Chelsea my dear! It is good to see you both alive and well."

"Good evening, Big Blue," Sidney smirked.

"George Soros?" Chelsea said. "You're Big Blue?" She had all but sorted it out for herself, but she knew when to humor a person in a great position of power.

"But of course, dear girl," Soros said. "Who else but I could fund an operation like the one our friend Mr. Blumenthal spearheaded to sabotage that repugnant oaf, Donald Trump?"

"Thank you for saving our lives," Sidney said.

"Yes, thank you!" Chelsea cheered.

"Forgive me for not being present with you tonight," Soros said. "Had you been able to make it to Voronezh like we planned, you would have arrived a day sooner. I have a summit to attend in Davos for the next three days. As the host of the summit, I felt it was necessary for me to be present while many others use the remote technology to take part."

"I'm glad you're being somewhat cautious," Sidney said. "This pandemic sounds dreadful."

"Indeed, indeed. But now then, we had to be so brief in our communications when we planned your journey. Please, tell me everything!"

They proceeded to share the tale of their imprisonment, the horrors of witnessing and having a hand in the deaths of so many friends, loved ones, and colleagues, and their daring escape into the unknown. The memories brought out emotions that Sidney and Chelsea had repressed for weeks, months in some cases.

"Mr. Soros, "Chelsea asked, "what has happened with the Russian citizens that we escaped with? What's the latest from your safe house in Kiev?"

"It seems that they executed another innocent person."

A video recording of the event appeared on the screen. They cringed as they watched it play out.

------------------------------

Hally is dead.

They were Valentina Shulepov, an escaped political prisoner and civvie doctor.

Locking the thread. Be back in five minutes.

Hally wrote: ↑Tue Oct 20, 2020 9:41 pm wait we have a whole hour left apparently

+1 Putin Point for reading comprehension.

(Sorry- I have a life and I brought home work from the office that needs done before I'm too bleary-eyed)

[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]Poison[/mention]

I have heard willingness to cut the phase short from all parties.

Day 5 will end at 10:30 p.m. EST tonight.

That gives you just over three and a half hours left.

Get cracking.

I’m sensing some frustration with the 48-hour day for so few players. Send me a PM if you want the phase to end after just 24 hours, but don’t talk about it here in the thread. If everyone is unanimous in the opinion that the phase should end early, I will work to accommodate that.

[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]Poison[/mention]

Arete wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:46 pm
G-Man wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:44 pm NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME succumbed to the virus.
He was Bogdana Alyokhina, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.
[VOTE: Hally] aubergine

there's no hammers right? (want to double-check before placing an Actual Real Vote)

No hammers, except for maybe MC.

LVIV AND LET DIE

Monday, June 1st, 2020
6:15 a.m. EEST

Ten minutes into their morning commute from Lviv to Budapest, an attendant approached Sidney and Chelsea and asked if they would like a complimentary warm chocolate chip cookie as a sampler from the dining car.

"Does anyone ever say no?" Chelsea asked, accepting the offer. She had almost forgotten the joy that fresh baked goods could bring to a weary soul.

To Chelsea's surprise, Sidney accepted a cookie as well.

"Now that's something," Chelsea quipped. "I expected you to say no, assuming it was poisoned or something."

"Big Blue is in control now," Sidney said as he scrolled through the news on the smartphone Olek and Wasyl had given him. He'd been starved for information and good food for two months. He was willing to be a glutton for both at the moment.

While he looked at the latest polling data, a text message popped up on the screen.

"Damn," he whispered. He showed the phone to Chelsea.

"That's too bad about Bogdona", she said. "She was looking pretty sick even before we got to the Golden Gate."

"It's sad that she won't get to tell her tale. Secret police pushing doctors out of windows is an old KGB tactic. She and Stanislav could have confirmed that it's more than just a mysterious coincidence."

"Indeed," Chelsea said, finishing her cookie. "But it's wonderful news that Valentina seems to have pulled through."

Another text message popped up.

"So much for top-notch surveillance equipment," Sidney sneered, showing Chelsea the phone again.

"Those Russian bastards do cover their tracks well," she sighed. "I don't know why Big Blue's people don't just interrogate them all to sort out who the bad ones are?"

"Knowing Big Blue," Sidney chuckled, "he's giving the opposition a sporting chance."

------------------------------

NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME succumbed to the virus.

He was Bogdana Alyokhina, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

DrWilgy is dead.

He was Evgeni Vitaliyevna, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

It is now Day 5.

You have 48 hours to eliminate someone.

Arete wrote: ↑Mon Oct 19, 2020 8:09 pm
G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:54 pm
This closed setup game is for 15 players. As a Heist, there are only three power roles in the game. I will be using the following standard G-Man Game matrix:
1
2
3

A
LOL
OMG
WTF

B
FFS
Free Space
JFC

C
GTFO
YCBS
STFU

Nanook it's a matrix game, the third PR has to be scum aligned

thinking we're most likely in set-up 1

(this is a joke but not, like, that much of a joke)

Straight up- that matrix is just me poking fun at the game matrix crowd while also acknowledging that my games typically involve some wacky stuff.

[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]Poison[/mention]

Good grief. Formatting and settings always trip me up. Everything should be set properly now. Please slap me across the head with a fish if it is not.

[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]Poison[/mention]

Game on.

CRACKDOWN IN KIEV

Sunday, May 3st, 2020
5:18 p.m. EEST

After 350 miles, 12 hours, and six total stolen cars later, the travelers reached Kiev. Their journey had been fraught with bad directions and difficulty finding suitable vehicles to steal on a Sunday without attracting too much attention. Sidney had a sneaking suspicion that they were being followed at various points along the journey, prompting him to take their caravan in the wrong direction at times. Every vehicle he thought was following them disappeared from sight, but he wasn't convinced. In his mind, the cat-and-mouse game was finally afoot.

As the sun descended in the west, they approached the Golden Gate in the heart of Kiev. Big Blue was supposed to have people on-site ready to take them to a safe house for the night. They drove past slowly, and Sidney saw what he was looking for. Two black Mercedes passenger vans sat at the eastern end. There would be a contact at the Theremin Fountain who would escort them to the vans.

This should prove difficult, Sidney thought, now that two more of them are sick as dogs.

They drove around a few city blocks once more and returned to their target destination. Sidney parked his car across the street from the fountain, while Chelsea parked around the corner alongside the Golden Gate itself. She would watch to make sure Sidney met their contact and that the coast was clear.

Sidney emerged from his vehicle and walked out of view behind the fountain canopy. The ensuing two minutes felt like an eternity to Chelsea, who had left her vehicle idling in the offhand chance she needed to bolt.

When Sidney appeared with a very sharp-dressed man talking on a cell phone, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He walked back to his car and motioned to the others to join him. They made their way to the Gate and beyond. Chelsea turned off the car, got out, and opened the passenger side doors. She helped the two sick travelers to their feet. Her other two passengers put arms around their waists and helped support them as they approached the steps.

Then it all went south.

With Sidney's group at the top of the steps and Chelsea's group approaching them, she heard the doors to a pizzeria across from where she parked slam open. She didn't even have to look to know what just that sound meant.

"Down!" she shouted, just as gun shots rang out.

Big Blue's men dropped their cover from various points around the Gate and returned fire. There was enough cover for Chelsea's group to make a break for it. Selfishly she kept one of the travelers between her and the shooting as they raced up the steps and around the far side of the Gate. She could see Sidney's group already loading into one of the vans. A man opened the passenger doors to the other and ushered them inside.

For once, both Sidney and Chelsea's minds could relax, as escape was no longer their chief responsibility. The drivers successfully evaded any pursuers, as well as the swarm of police who descended on the chaos. A choking sound, however, pulled her mind out of any ease it was trying to settle into.

Konstantin had been an effective shield alright. Blood flowed from his arm and chest. His face was pale and turning a telltale shade of gray.

------------

Once they reached the safe house, Chelsea and Sidney debriefed.

"We lost Konstantin," Chelsea said, shaking her head. "He was hit a few times when the shooting broke out."

"There's nothing else you could have done about it," Sidney said.

"So now what?"

"Well," Sidney said, "these knuckleheads are all staying put, but Olek here tells me that we've got documents in the making. We'll be on a train to Lviv in two hours."

"We're leaving them behind?" Chelsea asked.

"Absolutely. We know that at least one of them is working with the Russians. I told Olek and Wasyl to make sure there's plenty of hidden cameras to document any shenanigans from here on out. They assure me that the safe house is wired to the extreme."

"What about the sick ones?"

"It's out of our hands now Chelsea. We're moving on without them. Once Big Blue's people sort out any rats, he'll be sure to elevate their stories in international media."

"Fine then," Chelsea said. "I'm going to take a shower. You should freshen up too."

------------------------------

112 is dead.

She was Konstantin Nepomnyashchaya, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

It is now Night 4.

Day 5 will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST tomorrow.

Please send your power/kill requests to me in a timely manner.

Two people have grown ill and may not survive the night.

Hey folks, we're going to do that thing again where I lock the thread after the poll closes.

If you have admin rights that can bypass that, kindly don't post once the poll deadline passes.

[mention]112[/mention]
[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]Poison Chan[/mention]

Epignosis wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:24 pm
Hally wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:21 pm
Epignosis wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:19 pm It's the main reason that, despite my own thoughts, I am not voting 112.
why would you trust my read over your own?
A) I'm not reading (much),

2) I think you know 112 better than I do, and

d) I think mafia is comfortable with a 112 lynch. Therefore I am not. I want shit shaken up.

(Whoever gets the holiday film reference gets a prize)

+25 Putin Points for Epi making me smile with this quote. I shared with my wife “A... 2...” and she instinctively knew that D came next. Well done sir.

Just an FYI- all missing day and night polls have been added to the OP.

Sorry for all the delays. I've got a head cold that's kicking my butt right now.

KIEV OR BUST

Sunday, May 31st, 2020
5:02 a.m. EEST

They crossed the border as the sun was rising. Weary but focused, the snuck into the small farming community of Veterynarne. There weren't many vehicles to choose from, but they also didn't need many in order to make the journey to Kiev.

"Alright, there's eleven of us," Chelsea said, so we need to find three decent sized cars to spread us around."

"Why not a truck?" Sidney asked.

"I think truck will be more conspicuous. Plus it will probably require more fill-ups along the way."

"Good thinking," Sidney said. "But I think we'll have to steal at least one other set of cars along the way unless we find a kind soul to fill up the tanks for us."

"Over here," Chelsea pointed. "There are a few cars by this building." She looked back at the rest of the travelers, but something was wrong.

"Sidney," she said. "Where's Polina?"

"Well damn," he said. "I haven't done a head count since you snuffed out Oleg. Is she lagging behind in the fields?"

The strained their eyes to the horizon for any sign of Polina making her way toward them. The rising sun was unforgiving in its assault.

"We don't have time," Chelsea said. "We need to go."

"Right," Sidney agreed. "At least now we can all squeeze into two cars."

In their hearts, they hoped that Polina was just tired, trailing behind them, and would somehow find a way to freedom on her own. In their minds, she was dead somewhere back along their route.

Their minds were right.

The hotwired two cars and set off on yet another leg of their journey. They had escaped from Russia, but they weren't out of trouble yet.

------------------------------

tedxtr is dead.

He was Polina Kolchenko, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

It is now Day 4.

You have 48 hours to eliminate someone.

Poison Chan wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:47 pm
G-Man wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:46 pm
Arete wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:42 pm are Hally + a random person on-wagon infected? or just a random person on-wagon?
Per the role description, Hally is infected, plus one a randomly-chosen person who voted for Long Con. The randomizer could very well select Hally, who voted for Long Con.
But it might not.

Only one way to find out!
Would you be announcing the name oy when they are already dead by the virus?

You won't find out who it is until they die.

Arete wrote: ↑Thu Oct 15, 2020 10:42 pm are Hally + a random person on-wagon infected? or just a random person on-wagon?

Per the role description, Hally is infected, plus one a randomly-chosen person who voted for Long Con. The randomizer could very well select Hally, who voted for Long Con.
But it might not.

Only one way to find out!

BELGOROD AND BIOHAZARDS

Saturday, May 30th, 2020
7:34 p.m. MSK

After ditching the train just outside of Liski, the group doubled back. Being on foot didn't seem wise, but Sidney had an idea. After lingering around town, Sidney took a page out of Ilya's playbook and stole a smartphone from an unwitting shopper in the marketplace. He dialed a number that he still had committed to memory after all these years. To his surprise and glee, someone picked up.

"Big Blue, this is Azul 1," he said. "I repeat- this is Azul 1. I am on an unsecure line. Clear to proceed?"

"Big Blue, here. Does this mean you have failed to reach the destination?"

"Correct," Sidney said. "Primary destination and recovery is aborted. We will ring the bell tower at noon. Can recovery be accomplished then?"

"Negative," the voice said after a long pause. "You are in hostile territory. Victory was a long shot but manageable. They are aware of Victory?"

"Almost certainly."

"Then I am afraid you must find your own way to Kilo Echo and we can try again."

"Kilo Echo?" Sidney fumed. "Making it that far on our own was never presented as a possibility, Big Blue."

"Unfortunately, the game has changed, and not for the better. Kilo Echo is the best I can do. I hold no sway with the Ukrainians these days, my friend. Certainly not in the east. Good luck. Big Blue out."

Sidney was stunned, but did not quite feel betrayed. He had made it this far. Why not a few days more?

-----------------

Hours later, the travelers parked their stolen box truck southwest of Belgorod. Sidney and Chelsea surveyed a map of the region that was in the truck. Up to now, everything had been planned out with precision. For the first time, they were improvising the next leg of their journey.

"Veteryarne looks like our best bet," Chelsea said. "Traffic will increase the closer we get, but it splits the difference between border stations."

"Do you think it's big enough to find resources to keep us moving?"

"It's small, but it's also in the middle of agricultural land. As long as the Russians didn't wipe it out when they started mixing things up in Ukraine a few years ago, it should be fine. All we need is a little food and a few vehicles."

"Let's go for it then."

Sidney and Chelsea addressed the group and told them that they were hiking to their next destination, and that this meant hiking through the night. Understandably, there were a few grumbles from their ten remaining travel companions. Fortunately, the way was gentle, as the travelers crossed little more than expansive farmland until sunset.

Between Ilya's betrayal, the box truck ride, and the hike, there was much discussion and suspicion flying about. Everyone was on edge with the knowledge that at least one of them was working against them. But who?

They mulled it over in their minds. There was too much time to overanalyze it, really, and both Sidney and Chelsea grew tired of the bickering.

"We're not doing this any longer," Sidney barked. One of you dies now. Who's it going to be?"

At first they didn't think he was serious. When it became apparent that he was, the group scrambled to settle on a sacrificial lamb. Would they pick the spy? Only time would tell. They sorted it out and one name was brought mentioned the most.

"Everyone else keep moving," Chelsea said. "Oleg- on your knees."

The remaining Russian complied stoically, but as Chelsea circled around behind him, he started to crack. All he had ahead of him was gone now. He'd never see family or friends again. To escape from Putin's grip only to be executed in a field? No- he wasn't ready.

Oleg sobbed and panted. This woman who promised him his freedom was now toying with him. Any moment now, he would feel the pain of being stabbed or beaten with who knows what. Only, minutes passed and nothing happened.

His sobs of fear turned into sobs of relief. He had been left here alone, but not executed. They just moved on without him. Perhaps that meant there was still a chance to find his freedom.

But then suddenly the kill came. Just as he let his guard down, Chelsea wrapped a plastic bag around his head and suffocated him. They didn't waste time learning the truth about Oleg, but the truth would rear its ugly head in time.

------------------------------

Long Con is dead.

He was Oleg Valerievich, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

At least, that's what he was told in his role card.

Long Con was really...

Spoiler: show

It is now Night 3.

Day 3 will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST tomorrow.

Please send your power/kill requests to me in a timely manner.

[mention]112[/mention]
[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]Poison Chan[/mention]
[mention]tedxtr[/mention]
[mention]Long Con[/mention]

I am stuck at the supermarket right now. Please everyone stop posting when the poll closes. I will attempt to lock the thread then if I can.

Flavor has been added to the Night 2 post.

Mmm, flavor.

viewtopic.php?f=100&t=1953&p=675681#p675681

DETOUR

Saturday, May 30th, 2020
6:18 a.m. MSK

"Who was she?" Sidney asked. "you've spent more time getting to know them than I have."

"Irinushka was an aspiring journalist and blogger," Chelsea said. "She became a minor celebrity in the anti-Putin youth movement thanks to her blogging."

"Yeah, well, it looks like Putin's reach caught up to her," Sidney said, showing Chelsea the dead woman's neck.

The train was rolling again, leaving Liski behind them. The other travelers were distraught this morning. Another two of them dead? How many more would die following these Americans?

"Look at Ilya's skin!" one man said. "He has boils all over him. This is not the COVID sickness!"

"They're called lesions, technically," Chelsea corrected. "And you're right. It's not the Coronavirus. This is something more... sinister."

"Curious," Sidney said while examining the corpse.

"What is it?" Chelsea asked.

"Look at this," he said, pointing to a spot behind Ilya's ear.

"That's a mole, Sidney."

"No it's not. Look closer. It's a tattoo."

"Well I'll be damned," Chelsea said. "Why would anyone have a tattoo that looks like a mole?"

"It's identifying mark," Sidney said.

"Pardon?" Chelsea asked.

"In the 1970s both the CIA and the KGB started putting a small, subtle tattoo on their agents. For some reason, the CIA put their mark inside their agents' ass crack. The KGB, however, chose behind the ear. Our friend Ilya here is just about old enough to have been a young agent when the Soviet Union collapsed. I bet he continued on in the Russian Federation's service."

"Shouldn't he have retired by now?" Chelsea asked.

"He doesn't look quite 60 yet. That's the minimum retirement age in Russia these days," Sidney said as he rummaged through Ilya's gear. "Now where did he get this, I wonder?" he asked, pulling out a smartphone.

"I think he stole it from someone in Penza," one of the travelers said.

"Look at this everybody," Sidney shouted, holding the phone up high. "Ilya betrayed you. He's a Russian agent. He stole this phone and turned on its tracking app. I wouldn't be surprised if he notified his higher ups so they could track him through this phone."

"So they know where we are?" someone asked.

"Yes," Chelsea said. "But not for long."

"What about Irinushka?" another asked. "Was she an agent too?"

"No," Sidney said. "She was strangled in her sleep, just like Stanislav, only not by Ilya."

"You mean..."

"That's right," Sidney barked. "Ilya wasn't acting alone. At least one more of you is working against us. I should just kill you all right now, but I promised Yuri to get as many of you out of Russia as I could. Just know that I'll be watching you."

Fear gripped the travelers. Another traitor among them? Who could it be?

"Now leave the bodies, leave the phone, and everyone get off this damn train. It'll reach Voronezh in about three hours. That's not much of a head start, but it's all we've got going for us right now."

-----------------------------

Vulgard is dead.

He was Irinushka Pichugin, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

TonyStarkPrime succumbed to the virus.

He was Ilya Skoblin, an Russian intelligence agent in disguise as an escaped political prisoner.

It is now Day 3.

You have 48 hours to eliminate someone.

A TURN FOR THE WORSE

Friday, May 29th, 2020
7:39 p.m. MSK

Penza was about as disastrous as Sidney could tolerate. Two pairs got lost and had to ask locals for directions. Nothing to see here, folks- just a few lost people wandering around an unremarkable Russian city in the middle of a pandemic.

To make matters worse, Sidney's walking buddy for the day continued his downward spiral as the day progressed. Something was wrong, but Sidney couldn't quite put his finger on it. The man had a fever, but no other symptoms that seemed to match the Coronavirus. Still, helping the poor fellow make it the last leg of the journey from the Penza Zoo to the freight hub felt conspicuous. At best, passersby may have thought Sidney was helping a drunkard amble about town. At worst, they suspected it was the virus. The former was tolerable, but Sidney was sure the latter would have generated a few phone calls to the authorities.

Resting at dinner helped raise the poor fellow's spirits, but it sure didn't help him move any faster. Sidney and another traveler all but had to drag the man along as he clung to their shoulders. Up ahead, he could hear Chelsea trying to arbitrate yet another argument between their fellow travelers. It was getting intense.

"He kept taking wrong turns like he didn't want to make the train," a woman said.

"I thought we were being followed," the man retorted.

"I don't believe you," she replied.

"Look," Chelsea said, "we're three days into this. If you can't keep yourselves from turning on each other, we'll throw your asses off the train in the middle of the night."

"Maybe we're better off without you after all," another woman said.

"You don't know where we're going," Chelsea barked. "Do you even know where you are? Do you even know which direction to go to find a safe way out of here? Do you have any reason to expect anyone will let you take refuge in their country when they catch you border-hopping?"

Sheepish silence.

"That's what I thought," she admonished. "Now keep moving, shut up, and get on the damn train."

Once the train began rolling on to who knows where, Sidney and Chelsea debriefed.

"I don't think he's going to make it through the night," Sidney confided.

"Should we have left him behind?" Chelsea asked.

"No, the people are too spooked by the pandemic. Finding a dead body would spur an investigation and that would draw the kind of people we're trying to avoid. Better to ride out the night with him and maybe put him on another train tomorrow."

"Make them think we're heading in a different direction," Chelsea said. "I like it."

"As for the troublemakers," Sidney said, looking at the others, "do we need to thin the herd again?"

"I think it might be prudent. Besides, I think we're almost far enough out of town that a body shouldn't be discovered right away."

After some discussion and a lot of mind-changing, the group decided kick Ruslan out of the pack. Sidney had him strip down.

"Why?" he asked. "So you can check me for bugs like Yuri?"

"No," Chelsea said just before snapping his neck and tossing him from the train. ""It'll be harder to identify you when your whole body is exposed to the air for maximum decomposing."

------------------------------

Michelle is dead.

She was Ruslan Udaltov, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

It is now Night 2.

Day 3 will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST tomorrow, but I have a meeting in the evening, so it may be slightly delayed.

Please send your power/kill requests to me in a timely manner.

Someone has grown ill and may not survive the night.

I have seen some chatter about self-voting, so I am taking this opportunity to remind everyone of the rules:

G-Man wrote: ↑Tue Oct 06, 2020 10:54 pm RULES AND WHATNOT

This closed setup game is for 15 players. As a Heist, there are only three power roles in the game. I will be using the following standard G-Man Game matrix:
1
2
3

A
LOL
OMG
WTF

B
FFS
Free Space
JFC

C
GTFO
YCBS
STFU

Gameplay
1. Days are 48 hours long. I will do everything in my power to keep poll deadlines consistent.
2. Nights are 24 hours long. Getting night PMs in to the host in a timely fashion helps to keep things moving.
3. Only those players who have BTSC may communicate with each other outside of the game thread but ONLY in designated BTSC threads or chat rooms. For everyone else, no game-related discussion is permitted outside the game thread.
4. Votes in the poll are the only votes that count. It's helpful but not mandatory that you declare your vote in the thread in a way that stands out to the host.
5. All votes are changeable all the way up to the deadline.
6. A tied day poll will result in no death. Votes matter. There will be no coin flips to determine poll results.
7. Standard alignment wincons are in effect unless otherwise stated.
8. Dead is dead; you don't get to come back from that. Dead players will have their BTSC rights removed.
9. Roles will be revealed upon death.
10. Additional gameplay elements will be added/revealed on an as-needed basis.
11. I will probably end phases between 9:00 and 9:30 p.m. EST for this game. Any earlier is a challenge for me with getting the kids to bed.

Rules
1) Respect your fellow players, your host, and your Facilitator.
1a) Don't be an asshat.
1b) Don't get butthurt.
2) If you feel like another player is out of line or making/taking things personal/ly, contact the Facilitator, sabie12.
3) No BTSC regarding the game outside of the game thread(s). Players are told in their rolecard if they have BTSC. If you don't have it, don't engage in it. Violating this rule will result in a modkill.
4) No editing or deleting posts.
5) Self-voting is prohibited.
6) Double-targeting is prohibited.
7) Info-dumping and/or power-role-claiming is forbidden. Don't break games, build cases.
7a. Thou shalt not fake-claim a power role either.
8) Off-topic posts should be in OT Green.
9) Dead players are to post in Dead Red.
10) Non-Players should post in Non-Player Blue.
11) This is the host's color. Do not post in this color.
12) Participation is polite to everyone involved. If I feel you may not be paying attention to the game, I will reach out to you. Replacements and modkills may be employed if necessary. If you sign up, please play. If you can't play, request replacement.
13) Additional rules will be added/revealed on an as-needed basis.

[mention]112[/mention]
[mention]Arete[/mention]
[mention]Ash Lael[/mention]
[mention]DrWilgy[/mention]
[mention]Epignosis[/mention]
[mention]Hally[/mention]
[mention]Long Con[/mention]
[mention]Michelle[/mention]
[mention]NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME[/mention]
[mention]Poison Chan[/mention]
[mention]tedxtr[/mention]
[mention]TonyStarkPrime[/mention]
[mention]Vulgard[/mention]

PIT STOP IN PENZA

Friday, May 29th, 2020
5:23 a.m. MSK

I little-know industry secret is that a properly-operating sewer treatment plant does not, in fact, smell bad. Penza's sewer plant was clearly not operating properly as the travelers rolled past the plant on their way into town.

Sidney and Chelsea reassigned the pairings over a light breakfast and gradually sent pairs on their way. The instructions were simple- meet at the rendezvous point (the Penza Zoo) at 16:30 and keep a low profile. It was a much easier task to walk to the city zoo. It was just over 5 kilometers from where their train came to a rest. The first quarter mile was the most treacherous, with little to keep the travelers from looking out of place until they reached the sidewalks and traffic lights of the urban center.

After last night's drama, Sidney had hoped to avoid sending forth any groups of three. There were 16 of them after Pasha's plunge, but now they were an odd number again. Chelsea paced back and forth while Sidney examined Stanislav's body. No blood, and no visible signs of trauma until Sidney pulled down his neck gaiter.

"It's subtle," Sidney said, "but look at this bruising here."

"He was strangled?" Chelsea asked.

"Looks that way," Sidney sighed. "The train is noisy enough, and he bunked down here around these crates from most of the rest of us. Poor judgement and it cost him."

"So sad," Chelsea said. "I heard him telling the others about his story. He was a doctor in Krasnoyrask and saw a few colleagues get pushed out of windows when they tried to speak up about the Coronavirus. He was trying to get to the West to expose Russia's manipulation of their health statistics."

"And now he's a statistic. How fitting."

"Don't be so callous, Sidney," Chelsea teased. "Let's get moving."

"Yes, let's."

While Chelsea headed out with her walking partner, Sidney had to coax his partner for the day to get up to speed.

"Why so sluggish, comrade?" he asked.

"I do not feel well this morning," he replied. "I feel hot and sore all over."

"Feverish?" Sidney asked. "Well there's no better way to beat a fever than moving your ass before I shoot you in a Russian hell hole. Now go."

-----------------------------

tutuu is dead.

She was Stanislav Lebedeva, an escaped political prisoner and civvie doctor.

It is now Day 2.

You have 48 hours to eliminate someone.

The OP has been updated and now includes the Day 1 poll pic. Sorry for the delay. Thank you for your patience.

Effective immediately, [mention]Epignosis[/mention] is replacing [mention]dunya[/mention].

My home internet connection is a steaming pile of garbage right now. Formatting stuff on my phone is insufferable and uses data (I’m a cheap, crotchety mofo). Sorry for the delays. I will get the poll pic up when Comcast gets its crap together.

Michelle wrote: ↑Sat Oct 10, 2020 7:44 am @G-Man please give us the final VC sir

All good things come to those who wait. I’ll get the poll pic posted after I break the fast.

This game already has the highest post count of any in the series.

And Day 1 just ended.

You folks are crazy, but also amusing.

I'll post the poll pic and tidy up the OP tomorrow.

Spokoynoy nochi.

NIZHNY NOVGOROD

Thursday, May 28th, 2020
8:42 p.m. RSK

Evading police for over 24 hours straight in the sixth-largest city in the Russian Federation is no picnic. The nationwide mask requirement due to COVID-19 allowed the travelers to walk a little more boldly, but the fact that there were seventeen of them necessitated they split up and find their own (preferably inconspicuous) paths to their checkpoints.

Considering there was only one way into Nizhny from Kirov by rail, Sidney regretted making everyone hop off the train. After hiking five miles in waning light, the travelers had to cross the Volga River undetected. Needless to say, there were some angry faces, and what he assumed were Russian curse words being directed at him when they settled in for the night.

In the morning, they split up into their pairs (and one trio) and made their way across the sprawling city. Their next train was leaving from a freight hub seven miles as the crow flies from the warehouse they stayed the night in. But they weren't crows. In all, each traveler clocked at least eight and a half miles apiece of walking and police-dodging that day.

They took nourishment in the early evening in Dubki Park, not far from their next train ride. Two by two, with different partners, they gradually moved into position. As the local retail establishments closed down due to curfew, the group slipped past a hospital and into the back lot of a truck parts supplier.

"We're boarding the train on the third through-rail over," Chelsea said to the group. Once more, they slowly crept their way toward the next leg of their journey.

No more than 15 minutes after they boarded the freight car, the train groaned, lurched, and rolled on its way. Sidney and Chelsea debriefed the entire group and everyone shared their frustrations from the day.

Some of the travelers didn't get along well with each other. Some thought they knew better than others. Some legitimately did, but some who thought they knew it all made fools of themselves with the occasional wrong turn. After a day of urban hiking and a constant feed of adrenaline, they were tired, cranky, and ready to take it out on each other.

Fingers were pointed, insults were exchanged, and accusations were made.

"Look out there!" someone shouted.

Military helicopters buzzed overhead toward a line-up of westbound trains. Search lights lit up a 50-yard radius around the rail cars as troops searched car by car.

"I knew it," Sidney hissed under his breath.

"We're heading straight for them!" someone wailed. "We'll all be caught!"

"Quiet," Chelsea said.

"I didn't risk my life escaping from Siberia just to be caught like a sheep for slaughter," another said, moving toward the boxcar door. "This is our last chance. We must run for it!"

Chelsea had him in a choke hold faster than anyone could process.

"I said quiet!" She looked at Sidney. He nodded and held up his hand, as if to say 'hold.'

Too stunned to move, the rest of the group watched in horror as the train crept closer to the checkpoint. But just as things seemed darkest, the train turned south. Peering ahead as best they could, the travelers saw no signs of helicopters, troops, or searchlights on the path before them.

"I thought you said we were heading to Moscow?" one man asked.

"That is what I told you," Sidney said. "But every detail I told you about our escape plan was a lie."

Gasps flooded the boxcar. Some were relieved by this revelation but some others were upset by it.

"Where are we going then?" a woman asked.

"That information is on a need-to-know basis and none of you need to know."

"What do you mean?" another asked.

"It means," Chelsea said, "that none of you can be trusted with the details of our escape. Viktor tried to sell us out, which means any one of you could be a traitor too. The less you know, the better I'll sleep at night."

"This is outrageous," one man shouted. "I won't follow you another day without knowing where you are leading us!"

Sidney slid the boxcar door open as Chelsea put him in a submission hold.

"You don't want to follow the rules?" Chelsea whispered in his ear. "Then you're out of the game. I don't think anyone is going to miss you here anyway."

Chelsea lunged forward a few steps, planted a foot into the small of his back, and pushed him out the door. He fell into the darkening night, out past the edge of the tracks and into a black abyss.

The train was crossing the Oka River at the time of Pasha's ejection. If the fall didn't kill him, then the cold water would surely do the trick.

------------------------------

TripleHaven is dead.

She was Pasha Alexandrovich, an escaped political prisoner and vanilla civvie.

It is now Night 1.

Day 2 will begin at approximately 9:30 p.m. EST tomorrow.

Please send your power/kill requests to me in a timely manner.

Hally wrote: ↑Fri Oct 09, 2020 8:47 pm are nights open this game @G-Man?

If ‘open’ means everyone can post during the night phase, then yes.

Long Con wrote: ↑Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:40 pm
tutuu wrote: ↑Thu Oct 08, 2020 5:28 pm we need to ban 3ps from the syndicate

I will not support that motion.

+10 Putin Points to Long Con for speaking righteous truth in the presence of unbelievers.

STRANGERS ON A TRAIN

Wednesday, May 27th, 2020
6:00 p.m. MSK

The sun was setting out the right-hand side of the train. It had been a partly sunny day- not too hot, but warm enough outside to necessitate sliding the door open a few inches to help ventilate train car.

With nothing else to do but wait out the slow journey across a sprawling landscape, the travelers got to know each other a bit. Some were doctors, some were scientists, and some had even been average day workers before running afoul of the Russian government. Some were single, some were married, and some were widowed and widowered because of Putin’s crackdown on their disobedience.

Chelsea was at least able to feign interest in the lives and trauma of her companions. Sidney, however, just sat on a box and stared out the slats on the side of the rail car.

“You okay?” Chelsea asked as she sat down beside him.

“It’s funny,” he said. “Here I am, cooped up in tin can in the middle of nowhere, trying to reach freedom, and yet this is the freest I will probably ever be again in my life.”

“Maybe they’ll let you off easy after being abducted and held captive by the Trumps,” Chelsea offered.

“Don’t forget that my role in one of the biggest political scandals the world has ever known is still unresolved. I tried to kill myself before they could arrest me. The federal government has no choice but to make an example out of me.”

“And no thoughts of suicide now?”

“No,” Sidney demurred, “I’m too bitter and hellbent on revenge to care right now. But reality sinks in a little more each day.”

“It’s good to have a purpose,” Chelsea said and patted him on the shoulder and walked over to the rest of the group.

“There are 17 of us,” one man said. “I hear that 17 is unlucky number in Italy.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re all Russian,” Chelsea joked. Everybody laughed. “And now that you’re all in good spirits,” she continued, “it’s time for us to disembark.”

Confused looks crossed everyone’s faces.

“I thought we were taking this train all the way into Nizhny?” someone asked.

“We were going to,” Sidney said, standing up. “But that was before Viktor double-crossed us.”

“What do you mean?” another asked.

“Viktor wasn’t late for the train,” Chelsea said. “Viktor is dead. Yuri caught him making contact with the police last night. They know we’re heading in this direction. In all likelihood, Russian troops will storm this train when it reaches Nizhny. We made Viktor confess before snapping his neck.”

“You killed Viktor?”

“Yes,” Sidney said as he slid the train door open a few feet. “And I will kill any one of you who slows us down or otherwise stands in my way of getting home. Now, one at a time, everybody jump, tuck, and roll. We’re a few miles from Nizhny. We don’t want to miss our next train.”

---------------------------------------------------

DAY 1 BEGINS NOW.

You have 48 hours to vote someone out of the game.

Following up on my points from earlier in the day...

-Please review the following modification to the rules:

Rules

7) Info-dumping and/or power-role-claiming is forbidden. Don't break games, build cases.
7a. Thou shalt not fake-claim a power role either.

All anyone can say is that they are town/civvie/villager/whateveryournativetermforgoodguyis.

-Two people have yet to open their role card PM. Despite this, I think we will start Day 1 somewhere around 9:30 p.m. EST tonight.

Hally wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 5:15 pm yay i got a putin point

(what is that)

+1 Putin Point for asking a good question!

Putin Points are completely meaningless joke points that I may or may not hand out as the game progresses. I did something similar in Blue vs Red with Hillary Points, except there's not actually a prize this time around.

tutuu wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 4:09 pm iso good

here iso

112
Arete
Ash Lael
DrWilgy
dunya
Long Con
Michelle
NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME
Poison Chan
tedxtr
TonyStarkPrime
TripleHaven
tutuu
Vulgard

G-Man

+4 Putin Points for tutuu for being helpful. (It could have been +5, but you forgot one.)

Also, +1 Putin Point for Hally for being the first to post.

NANOOKTHEGREATANDFEARSOME wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:18 am
G-Man wrote: ↑Wed Oct 07, 2020 6:13 am (1) Fake claiming is allowed. I mean, technically a baddie saying “I’m town” in defense of accusations is a fake claim. I just don’t want my power roles to claim their real roles because that leads to the game breaking down too easily. I like making it hard on you players and watching you guys squirm.

This has a degenerate exploit FYI, recommend just making it blanket “no claims” if you don’t want people claiming their role

Tell me more about this ‘degenerate exploit.’ Sounds kinda kinky tbh.

No role-claiming has been a norm for me for about 10 years, so I guess I don’t see the harm in my setup.

Baddies have to be able to say they are town or else it makes for a short game.

A few things:

1) Fake claiming is allowed. I mean, technically a baddie saying “I’m town” in defense of accusations is a fake claim. I just don’t want my power roles to claim their real roles because that leads to the game breaking down too easily. I like making it hard on you players and watching you guys squirm.

2) I’m fine with turning off the linki feature if that’s what the group prefers. I will check with nutella on how to do that.

3) You guys post a lot. So much, in fact, that I probably won’t be reading every post this game. I’ll skim where I can, but I promise nothing. If you have a direct question or request of me, use the Mention tag or send me a PM.

4) I will add the ISO links to the OP when I get home from work tonight.

5) There are still five people who have not viewed their role PMs yet. This is why we Day 0.

Let me take this moment to say that there is a spectator chat available for anyone who does not wish to be on my list of potential replacements (see OP). If you want access to the spectator chat, send me a PM.

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