Vampire: the Masquerade, the Phalla for Columbus
Time is undefeated. Sure, we like to pretend that time has less meaning for us immortals than it does to the kine we hunt, but that’s just self-delusion. Time doesn’t care who you are, eventually you will be brought to your knees and made its bitch.
We may have more time than the kine, but we all eventually succumb. We all turn into monsters. Some hide it better than others beneath a pretty veneer; Behind the Masquerade. They dress up and play The Game, hoping to forestall that night where they eventually bray at the moon. Hell, the Sabbat doesn’t even try to hide their nature, which I can respect even as I deplore their activities.
And still others are trying to take whatever power they can each night, fucked by their status as young neonates in power pyramid meant to keep them in chains. I believe they are called Anarchs in modern terms, but our history is rife with younger generations rebelling against their elders. I bear them no ill will, even if they may hate me.
I should probably start with introductions. My name is Assuran, and I’m the Monitor of Columbus. Ah, I see that word has meaning to you, maybe you’ll make it through the chaos to come after all.
Is it true I’ve dropped out of kindred society? I suppose that depends on your definition of kindred society. After all, I’m here talking to you right now, am I not? I prefer to think of myself as being removed from the Jyhad. I watch. I report. I ensure no one brings down the wrath of the kine upon us by doing anything too stupid. I hope to reach Golcanda, but fear I will never reach that goal.
But, you, neonate, have just awoken from your sleep and I felt the need to inform you of what has transpired in your city as you slumbered away the last few years. And also to remind you that there are others scarier than the Sheriff should you attempt to pull off THAT stunt again. Understand?
The night you went to sleep, a new prince was crowned. A Nosferatu named Langly who cleverly exploited his way into power and guided the city to victory of the Sabbat incursion and latest round of Anarch rebellion. I must admit, I admire the way he played the game, although it caused many others great pain. Such is the way of the Kindred.
When Langly, nicknamed the Immortal Prince, swept to power, he brought along his clanmates, along with the Toreador and Tremere. Together, the three formed a triad of power that stretched across the city, buttressing the Camarilla and providing them a much needed victory in the Great Jyhad.
Indeed, the city prospered greatly under the Immortal Prince’s deft touch and iron hand. From Alamut came a band of warriors, Assamite Antitribu pledged their loyalty to the Camarilla and found a safe place, despite the vociferous objection of Clan Tremere. It was speculated Langly allowed in the Assamites specifically as a check to the Tremere's growing power, but I do not know for sure what swayed his thinking.
Time passed. The City changed.
Or, I should say, more specifically, the Immortal Prince changed. He began spending more and more time away from his court, hiding in his warrens. From what, I can only speculate. One day, he simply disappeared. Sure, I hear reports on the wind, secrets whispered into my brain by the network. The tapestry threads burn around Langly, however. Some voices claim he was devoured, others that he’s been tapped to become the next Nosferatu Justicar and is obliterating his past so his foes cannot use it against him.
Regardless, the city was thrown into chaos. The carefully maintained façade is broken. The Tremere claimed it was their right to name the next prince, but the Toreador and Nosferatu objected vehemently. The other clans chose sides. And in the background, the Anarchs have gained strength and dream again of an Ohio Free State.
Columbus was never far from the minds of the Sabbat and some whisper they have returned, recruiting members from the disillusioned and disaffected. Or simply clubbing some poor kine in the back of the head and forcibly inducting him.
And now, here we are on the brink of warfare again in this city, only the Camarilla doesn’t even recognize the danger signs as they gather again to name a new Prince.
Why am I telling you this? What’s in it for me? I wise question. I warn you because you are my great great grandchilde, and even though I disdain the Jyhad, I have hopes that one day you will transcend their petty games.
But, you will NOT REMEMBER ME, come next night fall. I implore you to listen to the network and let the threads weave for you a path in these troubled nights. A blood moon rises, stay safe and go to ground, my childe. You have woken in turbulent times.
What is a Phalla?
Phalla is Penny Arcade's version of the popular party game, Mafia. Bandwagon has a great synopsis of the game in the thread bookmarked at the top of Critical Failures. But, you already knew that. The theme of this game is Vampire: The Masquerade set in the City of Columbus in the August 2015. If you don't know anything about V:TM, I’m sorry for your loss. Knowledge of the setting will be helpful, but you won't be at a disadvantage in this game if you don’t know anything about the setting. I promise. I reserve the right to adjust Canon as I see fit.
This version of Phalla is both a faction game and a battle game. There is a traditional village full of the uninformed majority (the Camarilla) whose goal is to eliminate all threats to the village, however the village itself is divided. Be careful where you place your trust, you are all the living damned.
The General Rules
!Sign up in
boldlimegreen. Reserves may also sign up by posting
!Reserve. Clarifications may be asked in
!bolddarkorange and will be collected in the second post. I now work a regular 1st shift EST schedule, so my hours are not nearly as funky as in the past. The game is balanced around 50 players with the capacity to expand beyond that if needed. The game will begin with a Day 0 once sign ups either slow to a stop or we reach 70 players (HAH!), whichever comes first.
Standard phalla rules apply. This includes, but is not limited to, no copying/pasting, taking screenshots, taking pictures of and e-mailing or anything else of role PM’s. Anonymous communication with other players is forbidden. Anyone you communicate with must know exactly who you are. Speaking in code is also forbidden. One death post that contains no in-game information is allowed. Communication of any kind with dead players is forbidden. I must have access to any proboards created. You are encouraged, but not required, to add me to any PM conversations you have with other players, so I have a feel for how the game is playing out and the clarity of any explanations I give.
As a reminder, trust and truth are valuable commodities in phalla. If you wish to bring a new person into a conversation you are already participating in, you MUST begin a new conversation and cannot simply add them to the old one.
Once sign-ups are complete, the game will commence IN THIS THREAD.
Most important of all, remember this is a game and play nice with each other.
Unless your job is to stab them in the back.
Rules Specific to this game
When signing up, please fill out
this form. I will make every attempt to assign you to one of the three choices you make, but please note this may not be possible. I apologize up front if your choices are not available.
As noted in the linked form, players can choose from the following clans: Assamite, Brujah, Caitiff, Gangrel, Malkavian, Nosferatu, Toreador, Tremere, and Venture. These clans represent the vast majority of kindred left in Columbus, but you never know what you might find hiding under a rock if you know where to look…
Each player starts with 7 hit points (game reason, in the RPG each pc has 7 health levels). If you are reduced to 0 health, you are killed.
Each player starts with a 10 blood points (again, borrowing from the RPG). If you reach 0 blood points, you enter torpor, a dreamless state. You may not take any action, post, vote, or respond to any pms while in torpor. Another vampire may take an action on any future night to feed you 2 blood points, if they so choose, which will wake you the following night.
Players will have three points of discipline powers, broken up between their choices of three disciplines taken directly from the RPG. Each level of a discipline has a more powerful effect, however higher levels of disciplines cost blood points to power.
There is an extended day 0, which will be begin after role PMs are sent out to allow for customization and the Prince Vote. Therefore, beginning day 1, each player loses 1 blood point to force their corpses awake at the beginning of every day. This blood loss occurs before any other action.
Each player may spend 1 blood point to heal one health level of damage, to a maximum of four blood points per night. Aggravated damage costs 2 points of blood per wound level to heal.
Each night a player may take one of four actions every night:
1. Hunt for blood: gain three blood points
2. Attack another player, doing 1 point of hit point damage
3. Use one of your disciplines
4. Feed a vampire in torpor 2 points of blood from your blood pool.
All players must post once a day, including a vote post for a player to be lynched, designated in
!boldred. Retraction posts can be made in
!boldlimegreen , but are not required. The last
!boldred vote post for a given user will be the one that is counted.
You will also have the chance to vote for a new Prince on Night 0. You will vote for the Prince in
!bolddodgerblue. As a reminder, being the Prince is good.
Do. Not. Edit. Vote. Posts. Period. For. Any. Reason. Fullstop. Dot.
You will receive one (1) warning for inactivity before being removed and replaced. So long as replacements are available, players will be replaced, until the point of no return.
Voting for this phalla will close at 10:00pm EST (7 PM PST). Only posts with a timestamp before 10:00pm EST will be accepted. Orders must be PM’ed to me, listed on proboards, or preferably listed in the daily Google Form I’ll provide at the start of each night by vote close. Orders issued or changed after 10:00 PM EST will be ignored.
Publically known Disciplines:
Animalism:
1. Beckoning (passive): Calls forth animals to provide 2 free blood points per night.
2. Quell the Beast: Reduce the damage dealt by target player by 2 points. Cost: 1 blood point
3. Drawing out the Beast: Roleblock target player and cause said player to enter a frenzy, making him attack a second player of your choosing for 2 points of damage. Cost: 2 blood points.
Auspex:
1. Heightened Senses: Learn the action target player took last night.
2. Aura Perception: Learn the Clan of target player. Cost: 1 Blood point.
3. Telepathy: Learn the faction and clan of target player. Cost: 4 blood points.
Celerity:
1. Celerity 1: You may either dodge the first 2 points of damage every night or add 1 points of damage to your first attack every night (passive)
2. Celerity 2: You move like a blur, allowing 2 actions per night (passive). If you choose attack options both times, they must be on different targets.
3. Celerity 3: You may either dodge the first 3 points of damage against you every night or add 3 points of damage to your first attack. This ability supersedes Celerity 1. Cost 2 blood points. (passive)
Dementation:
1. Eyes of Chaos: Target a player and learn their clan. Cost: 1 blood point.
2. Voice of Madness: Busdrive target players. Cost: 1 blood point.
3. Total Insanity: Deal 4 points of damage and inflict a post restriction on target player. You may not choose the same player two nights in a row. Cost: 2 blood points.
Dominate:
(Passive: Every level of dominate provides 1 free blood point per night).
1. Command: Stop 2 points of damage from hitting you this night. (passive, Cost: 1 blood per night).
2. The Forgetful Mind: Roleblock target player. Cost: 2 points of blood.
3. Possession: 1 Way busdrive target player (all effects targeting you move to target player instead). Cost: 5 blood points. This power has a 2 night cooldown (for example, if used night 1, you may use the power again night 4).
Fortitude:
1. Fortitude 1: Prevent 2 points of damage per night and you can heal all aggravated wounds as if they are normal wounds. (passive).
2. Fortitude 2: This power supersedes the damage reduction of Fortitude 1. This power prevents 5 points of damage split between you and 1 other player. Each player must be protected for at least 2 points of damage. You choose which player is protected for 3 and which player is protected for 2. Cost: 1 blood. Additionally, you auto heal 1 health level per night. (passive)
3. Fortitude 3: This power supersedes the damage reduction of Fortitude 2. This power prevents 8 points of damage split between you and any other players of your choice. You must protect yourself with at least 2 points. Cost: 2 blood points. Additionally, you auto heal 2 wound levels per night. (passive)
Obfuscate:
1. Unseen Presence: You are immune to Dementation rank 1 and Auspex rank 1 and 2. (passive)
2. Mask of 1000 faces: Suppress Unseen Presence and allow yourself to be seen as a member of the clan of your choosing. This power will fool Auspex 1 and 2 and Dementation level 1, but not Auspex level 3. Cost: 1 blood point.
3. Vanish from the Mind’s Eye: You effectively vanish from the game for the night and may not be targeted by any effect. Cost: 3 points of blood. This power has a 2 night cooldown (for example, if used night 1, you may use the power again night 4).
Potence:
1. Potence 1: Your attack deals 1 extra point of damage (passive).
2. Potence 2: Your attack deals 3 extra points of damage (passive). This ability supersedes Potence 1.
3. Potence 3: Your attack deals 5 extra points of damage. You may elect to use lower levels of potence for attacks, should you choose each night. (Cost: 2 blood, passive). This ability supersedes Potence 2.
Presence:
(Passive: Each level of presence provides 1 point of blood free after spending 1 blood to rise each night).
1. Awe: Your vote counts double. (passive)
2. Dread Gaze: You affix your gaze upon target player. The player deals 2 less points of combat damage and takes 1 point of damage. This is a mental attack. Cost: 3 blood
3. Majesty: Roleblock target player. They willingly take up to four points of damage targeting you tonight. Cost: 4 points of blood.
Protean:
1. Shape of the Beast: You ignore the first 2 points of damage each night (passive).
2. Feral Claws: You attack target player and deal 3 points of Aggravated Damage. Cost: 1 point of blood.
3. Mist Form: You ignore all physical attacks made against you this night. Mental effects still take place. Cost: 2 points of blood.
Quietus:
1. Scorpion’s Touch: Your basic attacks ignore the first 2 points of damage reduction and deal an extra point of damage. (passive)
2. Baal’s Caress: Your basic attacks deal aggravated damage. (passive)
3. Taste of Death: You spit a stream of blood at target player dealing 4 points of aggravated damage; this damage ignores the first 4 points of damage reduction. Cost: 2 points of blood.
Thaumaturgy:
The Path of Blood
1. A Taste for Blood: Target a player and find out how many blood points he had at the start of the night.
2. Theft of Vitae: Steal two blood points from target player. Cost: 1 blood point.
3. Cauldron of Blood: Target player takes 2 points of Aggravated damage and loses 2 blood points. Cost: 3 blood points.
The Hands of Destruction
1. Acidic Touch: Your physical attacks deal aggravated damage (passive).
2. Atrophy: Deal 2 points of aggravated damage to target player. Cost: 1 blood.
3. Turn to Dust: Deal 4 points of aggravated damage to target player. Cost: 2 blood points.
Clan Disciplines:
Brujah: Celerity, Potence, Presence
Gangrel: Animalism, Fortitude, Protean
Malkavian: Auspex, Dementation, Obfuscate
Nosferatu: Animalism, Obfuscate, Potence
Toreador: Auspex, Celerity, Presence
Tremere: Auspex, Dominate, Thaumaturgy
Ventrue: Dominate, Fortitude, Presence
Assamite: Celerity, Obfuscate, Quietus
Caitiff: Your choice of 3 listed disciplines.
Order of Operations:
Vote> Blood loss > healing > roleblocks > defensive actions > hunting for blood > feeding those in torpor > seers > busdrivers > attacks
Posts
As a reminder, please fill out the form in the OP when signing up.
Sign Ups
7. Kime
11. Megafrost
20. ObiFett
46. I needed a gnome to post
52. Garick
55. Sepah
Results:
Day 1
Final Deaths:
Grunt’s Ghosts, Brujah- The Vote
Gizzzy, Ventrue Prince of Columbus- Anarchy in Columbus
3Clipse, Tremere- Sheriff’s Orders
TheRoadVirus, Ventrue- Body was left a mess
Flarne, Ventrue - Body was mangled by multiple hands
Day 2
Torpor
MikeyCTS
Final Deaths:
CJ Iwokura, Tremere Anarch- The Vote
Ketbra, Assamite Antitribu- Beaten to death
Preda, Nosferatu Antitribu-Wrong Place, Wrong time
MagicPrime, Brujah- Watched the sunrise
Jpants, Caitiff- Gang warfare
Day 3:
Final Deaths:
The Ender, Nosferatu- The Vote
AustinP0027, Malkavian- Beaten to death
Wash, Brujah-Orders of the Sheriff?
MikeyCTS, Toreador Antitribu-Woke up in the wrong company
WhiteZinfandel, Toreador Anarch- Blood Hunt
Day 4:
Kindred entering Torpor
Egos
Matev
Final Deaths:
SaberOverEasy, Malkavian Anarch- The Vote
Auralynx, Caitiff- Invisible Stalkers got ‘em
Kilnaga, Ravnos- The Prince’s final act
Shalmelo, Tremere Prince of Columbus, the Information Merchant- Anarchy in Columbus
LoserForHireX, Nosferatu Antitribu- The Sheriff’s final act
TehSpectre, Gangrel Sheriff of Columbus- Sabbat “justice”
Blahmcblah, Follower of Set- Rip and Tear
Day 5
Woken from Torpor
Egos
Matev
Final Deaths:
Kwoaru, Giovanni- Vote
Rainfall, Tremere- I want to be ANARCHY
Day 6
Kindred entering Torpor
MrTLicious
Final Deaths:
Buddha73, Nosferatu- Vote
Baidol, Toreador Antitribu- Found with some nasty gashes
CesareB, Malkavian Antitribu- Even the ANARCHS don’t like the Sabbat
Day 7:
Kindred entering Torpor
Lonelyahva
Spool32
Final Deaths:
Cantide, Nosferatu- Vote
Phyphor, Malkavian- Ohio Free State!
Kay, Caitiff Anarch- Shovel handles make wondrous stakes
Simulcrum, Ventrue- Rip and Tear
MrTLicious, Tremere- Rip and Tear
Matev, Toreador- Ushered out of the city
Day 8:
Kindred entering Torpor:
Kime
Sepah
Kindred still in Torpor:
Lonelyahava
Kindred exiting Torpor:
Spool32
Final Deaths:
Enlightenedbum, Brujah antitribu- Vote
DeamonIzual, Tremere- I want to be ANARCHY!
Martoss, Ventrue Anarch- The Blood Hunt
Day 9:
Kindred exiting Torpor:
Sepah
lonelyahava
Kindred still in Torpor:
Kime
Final Deaths:
Premium, Gangrel- Vote
Jdarksun, Tremere Prince of Columbus - Anarchy Unlimited
Sir Fabulous, Gangrel Anarch- The Blood Hunt
Spool32, Ventrue Bulwark of Columbus- Shovels upside the head
Night 10:
Kindred meeting their victory condition and immediately leaving the game:
Moridin889 and Kwoaru, Clan Giovanni- collected 10 souls for sinister purposes.
Kindred still in Torpor:
Kime
Final Deaths:
Cythraul, Assamite Antitribu (Camarilla Aligned)- The Vote
38thDoe, Assamite Antitribu (Sabbat Aligned)- Anarchs still don’t like Sabbat
Egos, Assamite Antitribu (Camarilla Aligned)- Impaled by shovels.
Night 11
Kindred leaving Torpor:
Kime
Final Deaths:
discrider, Brujah Anarch-The Vote
Lonelyahava, Tzimisce- Anarchy in Columbus
Virgil_Leads_You, Lasombra- Put to final rest rather violently
Delmain, Gangrel- The Sabbat’s Last Victim
Zombie Hero, Gangrel- The Blood Hunt
The Sabbat are eliminated.
Reserves
Clarifications
Which is a bad idea with my courseload, but whatever!
somebody really really needs to do a werewolf game. i will rule that game.
sign up
Democrats Abroad! || Vote From Abroad
signup
please. Would be my first phalla, but I'm sure you all wouldn't immediately throw me to the wolves, right?
...right??
Believe me, it was unfortunate timing, to say the least.
3DS Friend Code: 3110-5393-4113
Steam profile
no it means we have an interesting day 1 instead :bzz:
Island Name: Felinefine
Are you playing? I didn't see a sign up and don't want to assume you are playing since you've been a Phalla break.
you tapped into Ahava's inner goth girl. we're all doomed.
also @Martoss - you need proper identification
Unless that's just a clever ruse of mine.
Also Jpants for Day 0 vote. Obviously the Prince is forced to signup and play.
Pretty sure Im gunna end up hufflepuff
Edit: Like this
Edit edit: No caitiff there
Yes, this vill do nicely. Ah--hah--haaah.
Caitiff are basically the abandoned vampires who have no clan. They are generally looked down upon by the rest of society.
Ha! I meant that I'm not changing my choices now that @Bedlam posted that link to the wiki page, because it seems I didn't need that info to pick who I would've picked anyway.
Not that I was having trouble changing the survey.
deciding later, i need to get a certain amount of work done before i have the confidence this isn't gonna be disruptive
Switch Friend Code: SW-1406-1275-7906
3DS: 1289-8447-4695
Mafia conversation host collusion