The Syndicate

The second in my ambitious series of Kubrick themed mafias, based on my second favorite Kubrick film. This will be a straightforward game with no secrets and everything out in the open, only with an added Hierarchy mechanic. This being a story of people swept along by the whim of circumstance, the individual players are fairly limited in their night powers, but I do not think that will lessen the fun substantially.

Roles:

Redmond Barry - An opportunistic Irish lad determined to advance his station in the world. He attempts to kill every night, but the kill only succeeds if it targets someone of the next higher class (Barry starts as a peasant, so first must kill a soldier, and then a noble.) When such a kill succeeds, Barry advances to the class of the person killed. In order to win, Barry must be alive and at the highest social station at the end of the game.

Lords and Ladies

Lady Lyndon - Wealthy Noblewoman on whom Barry has his eye. Has BTSC with Reverend Runt


Sir Charles Lyndon - Lady Lyndon's infirm husband. He is too weak to do much, but Barry cannot advance to the rank of Nobility while he lives


Lord Bullingdon - Barry's son-in-law who hates and resents the Irish commoner who would usurp his family's good name and squander their fortune. Each night, he searches for Barry. If he finds him, they have a duel which only one can survive.


The Chevalier de Balibari - A professional gambler. Each night he selects another player and wagers a number of lynch votes of his choosing. A game of chance commences and the loser takes that many lynch votes on the following day. The Chevalier cheats, so the odds are slightly in his favor.

The Lords and Ladies win when the Captains are dead.

The Captains

Captain Potzdorf - Officer in the Prussian army. He kills every night and if he is killed his power moves to someone else.


Captain John Quin - Barry's rival for the affections of Nora. Has BTSC with Nora.


Captain Grogan - An old friend of Barry's and also an officer in the British army. Cannot be killed by Barry


Captain Feeney - A famous highwayman. Each night he can rob one player of their vote and use it for his own purposes.

The Captains have BTSC with each other and win when they outnumber the remaining players.

Peasants, Servants and Children

Reverend Samuel Runt - Longtime tutor to the Lyndon children. Loyal to Lady Lyndon and has BTSC with her.


Belle, Barry's Mother - A doting mother willing to do anything for her boy. Has BTSC with Barry.


Nora Brady - Barry's first love, but rejects him in favor of the wealthy Captain Quin. Has BTSC with Captain Quin.


Bryan Lyndon - Barry's beloved son. If he dies, Barry turns to drink and drops a rank in the hierarchy.


Lischen - A German peasant maid. She can provide nourishment to weary travelers, which they can use to remove lynch votes from themselves.

The Peasants, Servants and Children win when all the Captains are dead.

Player List
1. Epignosis
2. a2thezebra
3. agleaminranks
4. Scotty
5. Long Con
6. Serge
7. birdwithteeth11
8. DFaraday
9. S~V~S
10. Ricochet
11. Sig
12.
13.
14.

S~V~S has decided not to allow me to create a poll in this forum, so just post if you want to sign up.

SVS forgot

You are now OK (I originally wrote "fixed" but figured you wouldn't like that )

As usual, your setup is absurd and I don't like it.

I'm in.

Argh, one of my favourite Kubricks.

Alas, tis a llama game...

and I'm retired.

Ricochet wrote:Argh, one of my favourite Kubricks.

Alas, tis a llama game...

and I'm retired.

The refrain is becoming a tad too repetitive.

I need to remind myself that in writing or else I'd slip right back into my addiction.

I feel like I absolutely need to sign up in hopes of getting Captain Quin as a role but I know for a fact when this game starts I'll be swamped with presentations and reports so I'd better not.

I'll sign up to be a replacement, though.

I am so in. Also my second favorite Kubrick film.

Count me in yo.

Hokay. I've never heard of this movie. Is this one of his more obscure pieces on his repertoire or do I just live under a rock?

Scotty wrote:Hokay. I've never heard of this movie. Is this one of his more obscure pieces on his repertoire or do I just live under a rock?

Kubrick made this four years after A Clockwork Orange and five years later he made The Shining. I don't think it really counts as obscure - I mean, I keep forgetting that the man made about as many movies in the 50s as he did when his gold streak started with Spartacus or Lolita - except that it sort of defies expectations of him being an endless revolutionary and provocateur which each new film he made, because this one is really just a period piece and a drama. I don't think he designed it as a tongue-in-cheek endeavour, like Kafka would suddenly write a Jane Austen-like novel or Thomas Pynchon would write a children's book, although I heard a story about this film being the expression of him being bored, lol, but not sure if it's canon or not.

Anyway, I think the style and detaildness propels this movie to one of Kubrick's finest. I didn't expect much from watching it, but then it almost had me hooked for the entire two hours and a half. It also has a particular bewitching scene that I regard as one of the greatest in cinema. If llama can guess which it is, I might just sign up, after all.

Ricochet wrote:

Scotty wrote:Hokay. I've never heard of this movie. Is this one of his more obscure pieces on his repertoire or do I just live under a rock?

Kubrick made this four years after A Clockwork Orange and five years later he made The Shining. I don't think it really counts as obscure - I mean, I keep forgetting that the man made about as many movies in the 50s as he did when his gold streak started with Spartacus or Lolita - except that it sort of defies expectations of him being an endless revolutionary and provocateur which each new film he made, because this one is really just a period piece and a drama. I don't think he designed it as a tongue-in-cheek endeavour, like Kafka would suddenly write a Jane Austen-like novel or Thomas Pynchon would write a children's book, although I heard a story about this film being the expression of him being bored, lol, but not sure if it's canon or not.

Anyway, I think the style and detaildness propels this movie to one of Kubrick's finest. I didn't expect much from watching it, but then it almost had me hooked for the entire two hours and a half. It also has a particular bewitching scene that I regard as one of the greatest in cinema. If llama can guess which it is, I might just sign up, after all.

Is it the duel? That duel is unbelievable.

No. It's more about the scene itself than the action of the scene and its composition and atmosphere.

Speaking of duels, though, this movie would make a good combo with Ridley Scott's The Duellists. Both are very nice period pieces in their own right.

Scotty wrote:Hokay. I've never heard of this movie. Is this one of his more obscure pieces on his repertoire or do I just live under a rock?

I never heard of it either. Jesus, though, two and a half hours? I'll play.

Ricochet wrote:No. It's more about the scene itself than the action of the scene and its composition and atmosphere.

Fixed my post a bit, because upon re-read something wasn't right.

Ricochet wrote:No. It's more about the scene itself than the action, and about the scene's composition and atmosphere.

I guess I'll give it a try again.

I'll be the MoD for this game. It looks super neat, and any Kubrick game is worth your time y'all. Let's get signed up!

I'm in. Because a straight-forward llama game sounds too good to be true.

birdwithteeth11 wrote:I'm in. Because a straight-forward llama game sounds too good to be true.

Oh good, the D1 lynch has arrived.

Half-way there, come on people!

Ricochet wrote:

birdwithteeth11 wrote:I'm in. Because a straight-forward llama game sounds too good to be true.

Oh good, the D1 lynch has arrived.

Well we have to have an honorary sacrificial lamb at some point!

a2thezebra wrote:Half-way there, come on people!

Unpopular theme is unpopular.

I only know anything at all about this movie because I like learning about storytelling craft, and was watching a filmmaking video which detailed how wonderfully executed the card scene is, and without any dialogue. I'll give the movie a look sometime.

Also I'm in.

DFaraday wrote:I only know anything at all about this movie because I like learning about storytelling craft, and was watching a filmmaking video which detailed how wonderfully executed the card scene is, and without any dialogue. I'll give the movie a look sometime.

Also I'm in.

thellama73 wrote:

a2thezebra wrote:Half-way there, come on people!

Unpopular theme is unpopular.

Dunno what that made E.S.T., then.

thellama73 wrote:

a2thezebra wrote:Half-way there, come on people!

Unpopular theme is unpopular.

Which is shameful, it's one of the greatest films ever made.

Is this 24 or 48 hour days? I forgot to ask. I was going to possibly sign up for this, but I have problems with 24 hour days.

S~V~S wrote:Is this 24 or 48 hour days? I forgot to ask. I was going to possibly sign up for this, but I have problems with 24 hour days.

I can do 48. Probably better for me anyway given my schedule lately.

Awesome, then I am in. I love Llama games!

S~V~S wrote:Awesome, then I am in. I love Llama games!

And I love S~V~S playing my games!

I would have signed up earlier, but I was not sure what my schedule looked like.

You'll hate me, then, for signing up, but that's point of it. In.

Sorry, had to take myself off the replacement list. Looks like a great game but RL and being signed up for 2 others makes it hard right now. I think more people should fill this one though as it looks like a lot of fun.

I've never seen this movie, but the set up looks neat.

Is Redmond Barry more of a third party role or is he a civ?

sig wrote:I've never seen this movie, but the set up looks neat.

Is Redmond Barry more of a third party role or is he a civ?

I guess you would call him an independent, due to his lone wolf win condition, although more favorable to the civs than to the mafia due to his kill mechanic. True to his character, he is nothing but a common opportunist.

THREE MORE!

Just to help get this game going since it's been in signups too long, because my semester is over next Thursday, and since (most importantly) it's a Llama game, I'll join. Don't expect too much from me though.

I do encourage a couple more sign-ups! This is a small game even by speed game standards, so it shouldn't be as big a commitment as other options might be.

Yay!!

ONLY 2 MORE!!!! I WANNA PLAY!!!

Wilgy doesn't want to be in 20 games at the same time... Gurgle gurgle...

Nk me day 1 mafia!

Nice, thanks for helping the game fill, Wilgy and Sorsha.

Warning: I'll be pretty busy until May 5th, so my activity will be spottier before then.

We're full right? When will the game be starting.

sig wrote:We're full right? When will the game be starting.

This!

I think the host is moving this weekend, so it might not start right away.

Epignosis wrote:I think the host is moving this weekend, so it might not start right away.

Ah, I think you're right now that you mention it; I recall Llama saying that somewhere. That works out better for me anyway.

I can always change my mind.

Ricochet wrote:I can always change my mind.