In London, the rain is not falling with any particular strength or severity. The wind is not blowing, and if the clouds feel like thundering, they are keeping it to themselves. Instead, the wet weather brings with it a grayness that feels quietly impenetrable and unknowable. While technically untrue, it feels as if the rain has continued unabated for weeks. Months. You know for a fact that the sky has been clear for at least a few isolated days in the recent past, but you’re damned if you can remember what a proper rosy fingered dawn looks like. The world has lost any semblance of color.
Water seeps through your trench coat and pervades your entire existence. You look down at the soggy paper in your hands that you had received only hours before. Card stock that once denoted an expensive choice in stationary was now nearly falling apart, although you hardly needed the exquisite calligraphy address now that you were here. You never saw who had dropped the letter into your mail slot, they had merely been a shadow across your office door, and had vanished. Save the address, the only message written across the stark white paper read:
“In need of services rendered”
A vague missive, there was no argument there. Still, you did not build a reputation as one of London’s finest private detectives to be given straightforward work. If the actual job itself began as a mystery, so much the better. And now you were here, standing before the massive gates that led to
Bramblepelt Manor, wondering what dark deeds required your expert analysis. The Baron himself was rarely seen in any sort of public capacity, and his past was shrouded in the sort of tradition that the shriveling 19th century nobility guarded implacably. There were tales of exotic trips to the darkest parts of Africa, of rituals partaken and ruins disturbed, but those were stories that sold newspapers, and nothing more.
Still, as you ring the bell and wait for someone to let you inside, you decide that your investigations here may require the full extent of your deductive capabilities. Lost in thought, you are startled by an uncharacteristic crack of thunder as a bolt of lightning strikes across the sky. As the rumbling shock wave dissipates across the distance, the metal hinges of the gate begin to groan and creak. It seems to take an hour for your way to the manor to be clear, and a deep, baleful voice intones
“Hello, Detective. Welcome to Bramblepelt. My master awaits you in his study. Please take the ball of
twine by the stairs and keep it close at hand at all times. You have been warned.”
You raise an eyebrow at the servant.
“Uh...what?”
Phalla?
Phalla is Penny Arcade's version of the party game Mafia. This is a mini phalla, constructed for 25 players. If you are new to the game, you may want to read a more detailed description and ruleset
here. In general, the basic rules are as such:
- You may not screenshot any conversation in an attempt to confirm anything.
- You may not add anyone to an already established pm chain.
- You may make one "ghost post" when you die, which may not contain any game information, and then you may not speak on game events any longer.
- If you create any proboards, you must invite the host.
- You must include the host in any pms you have with other players.
- You may not edit vote posts.
- You must vote for a player each day. Going two days without making at least two posts and a vote post will result in your removal from the game.
-
DO NOT TALK TO DEAD PEOPLE. DEAD PEOPLE MAY NOT SPEAK WITH ALIVE PEOPLE
Voting
Each day, vote for someone you believe to be a member of the mafia in Red. Vote close will be at 2:00 PM EST. All actions must be in by 1:59. Actions with a time stamp of 2:00 or later will be considered invalid. YES THIS IS A STRANGE VOTE CLOSE. SORRY. Assuming the game fills out today, roles will go out tomorrow morning.
Game Specific Rules
This is an experimental phalla, for me to test out some mechanics for a main that I will hopefully be hosting some time in the future. This game will be heavily influenced by Choose Your Own Adventure books and point and click adventure games.
The village will make up the protagonist of the story in aggregate. The mafia will represent the villain in aggregate. While there are vanilla roles in this game, multiple opportunities will arise for players to become invested in the mechanics beyond voting for potential mafia members. There will be multiple votes each day that will affect the narration each night, and the
way in which you vote will change the way in which you interface with the game. More of that will be made clear as the game progresses. There will also be mid-day Choose Your Own Adventure mini games that players will be able to take part in. I will attempt to make these games happen both during the day as well as during the night, in order to make things fair for people who are not around all the time. These events may result in boons or penalties for the players, although
no one will be randomly killed by these events.
Sample Village Role
You are a crucial factor in [PROTAGONIST’S] deductive capabilities. I hope that you’re ready to really get your thinking cap on, because he’ll need you at your most smartest if he’s going to catch the dastardly criminal who has made their home in Bramblepelt Manor!
Obviously the cap here is completely metaphorical, as you are a brain cell and aren't particularly known for your sense of fashion. You think you'd look pretty sharp in a fedora, though.
Personally, I don't know if you could sell it convincingly.
Win Condition: Eliminate all threats to the Manor
If you would like to try your hand at private detective work, please post in
limegreen in order to sign up.
We also seem to be in need of a name for our dour servant. Please vote for his name in
dodgerbluePlayer List
1.
SaberoverEasy - Corrupted Member of the Consensus
2.
MikeyCTS - The Detective's Fortitude
3.
TRV - Member of the Consensus
4.
jdarksun - The Data Collector
5. enlightenedbum
6.
obifett - Member of the Consensus
7.
kime - Portion of the Baron's Son's Consciousness
8.
INANTP - The Detective's Will
9. Retaba
10.
Baidol - Member of the Consensus
11.
MRT - Member of the consensus
12.
OminousLozenge Member of the Consensus
13. Gandalf the crazed
14. Capfalcon/Invictus
15.
Mill - Member of the Consensus
16.
Slym - Portion of the Baron's Son's Consciousness
17. Anialos
18.
Iron weasel - Portion of the Baron's Son's Consciousness
19.
Shalmelo - Member of the Consensus
20.
Matev - The Detective's Perniciousness
21.
B:L - Member of the Consensus
22.
Bedlam - Member of the Consensus
23.
Romanqwerty - Member of the Consensus
24. Cayrus
25. Blaze_Zero/Zombie Hero
Reserves:
3. Bradicus
Narration Day 1Narration Day 2Narration Day 3
Posts
In other news...
Geth really likes signup lists. Maybe just lists in general?
1 Pepperoni
2 Prosciutto
3 Garlic
4 Onions
5 Anchovies
Phone post no time ahhh
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
A_Jerk
Zoosmell Pooplord
John Malkovich
or
Langly because who doesn't want to get inside his head?
Also, can I be #9??? - Thank you Kindly.
that is for later
Welp, this should be interesting. I don't think I've ever played a game where the vote close was before noon.
It's not in normal people time.
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
Also, Phalsona made me decide that all silent protagonists are now Chicken Boo.
It has made so many games better.
Twitch Stream
Detective Time!
Take a guess at what I'll replay or alternatively, give me a suggestion based on this image.
I'll get back with a protagonist name. :P
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
Langly's first main was like that too. I think he lines it up so that he do all his narration stuff during work.
ITT we learn that INANTP is really a caveman.
Its so rare that you make any grammatical mistakes. I think that's what made that one stand out so much
Geth
Also, holy shit Geth.
The Division, Warframe (XB1)
GT: Tanith 6227
or chicken boo.
I kind of like those two too.
Geth
I might if someone can point me to easy to use, free software that allows me to do what jdark did in phalla Arcade with the bush.
Also because Geth has been both creepy and comical. I vote we name the protagonist Geth
Oh, and while I'm on board with either Geth or Chicken Boo, in my heart the role of the dour English servant will always be played by Tim Curry as Wadsworth
OR WILL IT
yes.