Note: The game begins TONIGHT, at 9PDT. PMs will go out beforehand.
Signups close at 8PDT.Prologue: Home
In Sector 75B4, located roughly in the space traditionally occupied by the constellation Virgo, there is an unremarkable system of three planets orbiting a blue-green star. Apart from being tangentially involved in the Second Intersystem War, human history has hardly noted this solar system's existence save to catalog it (RRZ 49) and its planets (RRZ 49-I, 49-II, and 49-III).
All three planets were poor candidates for terraforming--the first two were simply out of the proper temperature range, and RRZ 49-III had an actively poisonous atmosphere wrapped around what could only charitably be described as a planet-sized swamp. The vagaries of war and the projected colonization ranking of the planet put it safely out of the interest of human eyes.
It would be strange, then, for an explorer to view the planet from orbit today. Were they to scan the atmosphere of RRZ 49-III, they would find the volatile chemicals mostly absent (or at least bearable), and the swamps...well, the swamps would still be there--more biologically active and lush than even the most optimistic terraforming projections.
On this world, life has begun anew, in many ways...and ancient traditions have been restored.
--
The sun was making its way to sleep now; it shone a deep blue as it filtered through the thick, heady atmosphere of Home. The torches had been lit some minutes before, though, for the night came quickly, and the 'moons' (Young Sister and Sun-Hunter) were both hiding tonight.
A good night to tell the story of the People, thought Elder Ka'lesh'pa as he took up his cane.
Many will come, especially now that they have heard...
He sighed.
Ka'lesh'pa lifted the hanging that covered the door of his traditional hut and gazed at the plaza below him.
Many indeed, he thought; at least several hundred of the Leshi had found places around the Tale--the central space where the history and traditional stories of the People were shared. Usually, there would be many storytellers and dancers in the Tale, singing stories to the young and curious. Tonight, for the most important story of the Leshi, there was only one--and all would watch him raptly as Ka'lesh'pa spun the Tale.
Time to begin, he thought--only a little regretful that his dancing years had passed him by.
Ka'lesh'pa passed through the hangings and gave an ululating cry of victory. Like many things of the Leshi, this shout of joy was rare, and hearing it brought the raucous crowd to instant, respectful silence; their rounded, wrinkled heads came to bear as one on the young hunter standing at the center of the plaza.
Tall and lithe (for the Leshi, who stooped naturally), this youth wore little but the traditional hunting breeches of his people and a wickedly-barbed spear, clutched tightly in both hands. Ka'lesh'pa nodded, and the hunter brandished his spear before him while the elder sang in the traditional speech:
'Hear me, O People! Hear the Tale of our Home!'
'In ages long past, we lived on our Home;
We were born, and lived, and loved on our Home.
We hunted, and watched our young;
We sung Tales and ever-watched the Sun and stars.'
As Ka'lesh'pa sang, the torches flared more brightly, and thick smoke began to rise from the ground. The hunter made his way around the plaza, spinning and leaping through the air, and as the smoke curled into vaguely bestial shapes before him, his spear would lash out, felling the insubstantial enemies left and right. Behind him, the dying clouds reformed into the shapes of Leshi, gathering in number as the hunter protected his People.
'In ages long past, we sought to seek the Sun and stars;
We set our hunting-boats to the starry waters
and sailed the skies.
Thus in our folly did we seek to tame the heavens.'
The young hunter was in the center of the Plaza once more, kneeling in a low-lying cloud of fog. His spear was astride his hips now, and he used it as an oar, paddling slowly through the thinner smoke to either side of him. The torches dimmed again as he 'sailed' towards the stars, where Ka'lesh'pa stood.
'Thus were we tamed,' sang Ka'lesh'pa, and here the people let out a sigh of distress;
'Thus was the proud Hunter tamed,
Thus were the People tamed,
Thus did the People lose their Home.'
In the Tale, the hunter was suddenly confronted by an amorphous, noxious-looking cloud of green fog. He leapt from his boat, stabbing again and again at the fog-shape, but this time it would not recede. With a ephemeral roar, it leaped forward, swallowing the Leshi whole before moving to engulf the ghost-Leshi behind him. In a matter of moments, the entire Tale was a mass of fog, and silence ruled the Plaza.
Ka'lesh'pa took up his cane and brandished it, setting the smoke to spin away into the sky; on the plaza kneeled the hunter, his spear broken, his body bound. This had been the fate of the Leshi countless centuries ago--taken and enslaved by a race that sought their strength.
'We sailed the stars without joy,
'Dying and striving and giving our children
To our pitiless masters, until the day
That we were delivered...'
Ka'lesh'pa and the people watching the Tale looked up to the sky, where the smoke had coalesced into a tableau of a hundred clashing monsters. At the peak, a six-winged hunting bird struck deep furrows into the back of a slug-like monstrosity, shrieking hatefully as it threw the creature to earth. The mortally wounded apparation fell through the center of the field, crashing over the motionless hunter in a torrent of bilious green while the other fog-monsters scattered to nothingness overhead.
The Plaza fell silent, watching intently. Ka'lesh'pa stepped forward to the edge of the Tale, shaking his cane before him as if to ward away the fog. It complied slowly...reluctantly revealing the hunter, free of his bonds, spear in hand, striking wildly at the sky.
'
Delivered!' cried Ka'lesh'pa in his joy.
'
Delivered from our torment!Delivered by our saviors!
Free to sail the skies once more!'
'
Delivered!' cried the crowd. '
Delivered! Delivered!'
The hunter kneeled down again, making as if to row once more, but this time the boat of fog was the bird of prey, slashing its wings joyously through the Tale; seeing this, the hunter let out a warcry and hefted his spear, pointing up towards the stars. The crowd roared in response, pumping their fists in the air and raising their voices in a repeated chorus: '
Delivered! Delivered!'
'NOW...'
Ka'lesh'pa's voice held command over the crowd; they quieted themselves almost instantly.
'
Now our saviors must be delivered.
Now
we must free them from their torment;
We must sail the stars to save them--
For they who saved us
must not perish!'
Ka'lesh'pa gestured with wide arms, and the lights of the Plaza came up, and up, and up...beyond the torchlight, beyond the elder's hut, beyond even the Plaza itself; buildings and towers, roads and solar collectors, and beyond it all the gleaming outlines of floodlights on a ready-to-launch spacecraft.
'
We must save them!'
And the Leshi cried in one voice:
'
Save them!'
'
Save the humans!'
Posts
Variants of Mafia include one or more 'special roles' that benefit one side or the other, such as seers, vigilantes, guardians, serial killers, and stonecutters. The roles and the themes vary quite widely depending on the narrator (this game is science fiction-themed).
Rules:
Voting
Each day, the players will vote in the game thread for a person they wish to have ejected from the convoy as it flees the attentions of vengeful alien pursuers. To vote for a person, phrase your vote in red and bold, like so:
I !vote for tuxkamen for execution.
If you wish to retract your vote, you may do so by retracting your vote using bold and lime, like so:
I !retract my vote for tuxkamen, I find his top hat and mask rather dashing.
If you or the representative of your guild wishes to place a vote, you may do so by placing your vote in yellow and bold, like so:
The Freighters' Guild wishes to vote for tuxkamen for execution.
For your guild's votes only, you may retract by placing a new post up in the same color. Note: Any member of a guild can place a vote at any time for their guild. You may wish to elect a leader for your group in order to organize your voting bloc. The last vote counts.
Please do not go back and edit votes once you've cast them. Make a new post.
You may change your vote for a day as many times as you wish before the close of voting that day.
Results
Due to the environment in which the story takes place, it is not possible to precisely discriminate between humans who die. This mechanic will be elaborated on in the narrations, but as a hypothetical example, a night where a normal player, a seer, and an alien die would be explained as losing the communications of one alien and one special (in different terms).
Special Actions
Certain players and groups of players have special actions that they can perform each day, the aliens being the most obvious example. To perform a special action, PM tuxkamen (or the narrator of the day) with your intentions in bold. Hypothetical example:
I want to vigilante METSITLUC.
You may change your special action for a day as many times as you wish before the close of voting that day. However, if you do not PM the narrator with any action during that day, you will lose your chance.
Deadlines
Voting and special actions close each day, Monday through Friday, at 6:00PM PDT (9:00PM EDT) inclusive, unless there are special circumstances (see below). Time is determined by forum timestamp.
That means that if your forum post has a timestamp of 6:00PM PDT or earlier, it counts as valid for that day. If it is 6:01PM or later, it will be valid for the next day. I will not announce that voting has closed.
Meta-gaming and Death
- Do not share PMs in any format. You may say that you are an X, but you may not use a PM to prove it (if it is even possible that it would).
- Do not communicate anonymously with other players.
- If you are living, you may not communicate with the dead.
- If you are dead, you may not communicate with the living about the game.
- There is no 'dead thread'. If you wish to discuss the game in the D&D chat thread, you may do so under the proviso that you do not affect the game with your comments.
- If you are not playing and wish to comment on the game in the D&D chat thread, I welcome it. Out of politeness and a desire to not impact the game, though, I ask that you either follow the same guidelines as the players, or sign up to play yourself.
- If you are signing up for external boards in order to facilitate communication, the narrator wouldn't mind a look. I will not favor any side over another--it is mere curiosity.
Participation
This is a game where participation, or lack thereof, can have a serious impact on play. Because non-participation (and the explanations of such) can be considered a tactic, I will not force players to maintain a minimum post count, but be aware that this is tantamount to hiding in a room and not coming out to talk (except possibly for votes) in the live version of Mafia. It is unfair to your fellow players, and it denies them the chance to properly consider your words and behavior. Therefore:
If you sign up, I expect you to be able to participate for the ten days this game may last.
Meaningful participation is almost anything beyond pure junk posts and one 'I !vote X' post a day.
Other notes:
- Persistent inactivity and/or junk posting will result in a warning, then a kick.
- I am the person who decides whether you are sufficiently participating or not.
- You may excuse yourself temporarily with a PM. This will be noted publicly.
- If you are removed for non-participation, or must withdraw from the game, you will be replaced.
- If you think you will face such a situation, though, think carefully about signing up at all.
Narrator Duties:
I know, I know--lots of rules, the world is unfair. However, this is a game. The goal is to entertain you with mechanics and narration, and hopefully I will do so. To that end, I have repsonsibilities as well, and I will attempt to fulfill them as follows:
1) I promise to inform you of any circumstances which affect deadlines, rules, results, narrations, and players as far in advance as possible.
2) In the event that a narration is delayed, I will make every effort to provide the results to you as quickly as possible after the deadline so that the players may continue to play.
3) If I am not able to provide narration or handle special role requests for the players on a particular day, I will designate a backup narrator for that day who will receive the information necessary to continue the game.
4) I will make every effort to answer questions related to the game as long as doing so does not compromise its integrity.
Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
Pick a number from one to fifty.
1) Put down the number you wish to be.
2) Also, give me the name of the spaceship you are captain/leader of.
Say something like:
I !sign up for #xx.
My ship is the Top Hat.
The ship names will be referred to in narrations, and may have other uses.
If you don't give me a spaceship name, then I will use your name as the ship name.
List:
1. Zek (ants in the pants)
2. B:L (Le Chevalier)
3. Shenanigans (Ghoulius Caesar)
4. Bogey (The Maltese Flacon)
5. AcidSerra (Lady Serenity)
6. Bad Kitty (Cosmic Quandary)
7. Angelhedgie (Eternal)
8. life3 (Seaking)
9. Plutonium (Dead Paul)
10. Lignisse (Pequod)
11. robothero (Mechanical Mariner)
12. Squashua (The Wiggin' Drez)
13. cheez (Proto Merkabah)
14. Green (The Chopper)
15. DevoutlyApathetic (The Good Ship Lollipop)
16. Buzz Buzz (Sky Runner)
17. Balefuego (Marie Celeste)
18. Variable (Conchord)
19. drinkinstout (Riptide)
20. FunkyWaltDogg (Outlaw Star)
21. Smasher (Waxoff)
22. Grundlterror (The Narcissus)
23. utharda (Dread Bear)
24. Elkamil (The Hummer)
25. titmouse (HMS Pinafore)
26. Kin33 (Pax Torchship: Balthasar)
27. Shinto (The Artful Dodger)
28. frandelgearslip (Galactica)
29. Dynagrip (USS Sardonic)
30. Aldo (The Spaced Out Dutchman)
31. Senjutsu (Mystery Machine)
32. moonscatter (Wasa)
33. Threelemmings (Athena)
34. Lord Cecil Eaglelaser (Handsome Devil)
35. Recomatose (Jabroni)
36. Gnasty (The Buggy)
37. Last Son (Void Rifter)
38. GrimmyTOA (Thor Too)
39. real_pochacco (Dysnomia)
40. Raneados (Leverage)
41. TehSpectre (Charlatan)
42. MrBallBaggins (BallBaggins)
43. an_alt (Stugots)
44. Frosteey (¡Wenchbear!)
45. Saburbia (Magnus Penis)
46. James (McGreggor)
47. precisionk (Three-Eyed Cyclops)
48. Shamus (The Giovanni)
49. Hylianbunny (Azariel)
50. DËTHKÖK (?)
People who need to correct their signup:
()
Waitlist:
1. giltanis (Starship Bistromath)
2. Shankill Butcher (Absolution)
3.
Go.
PS: I haven't put the roles or the rest of the intro in yet, deliberately. It's more than tribal aliens.
Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
Tux, this looks fun.
I'm hoping I get a blaster or something. PEW PEW.
Pick a number and ship name, der spectremeister.
Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
I choose number 42, and my ship can just be my name.
I humbly request a lightsaber.
I'll take Lucky #13.
I captain the Proto Merkabah.
Edit: Orangified.
Edit: Thought i'd do a joke name first, but decided against it.
Edit 2: Oops, one too many 'l's.
Edit 3: Oranged for great justice.
Prepare to die.
I'll take number...ehhh....41
And my ship's name is the: Charlatan
You may pick a joke name if you want. Be 'ware, though--you will be randomly organized into groups of players that form 'guilds'. These guilds represent common human activities such as pleasure, crafts, war, so on, so forth. So be aware that the Princess of Enchantments could be a warship or a floating bordello.
Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
I am the captain of The Buggy.
Hopefully this Phalla ends better for me than the last one did. That was a trainwreck.
EDIT: Oranged it up.
my ship is the "dread bear"
Ship name "Wasa"
I feel bad now, because you were the one who alerted me to this thread's existence.
Hmm, how's this. If my ship ends up being a floating bordello, you are hereby granted free access to it at any point.
Edit @ Cheez - You have a deal.
My ship is the Marie Celeste
my ship name is the Mechanical Mariner
great ship name choice =D much cooler than wasa
will maybe pick a name later.
Gonna do it all at once, or as we choose our #s?
!sign me up for spot #8
My ship? Why, it's the fastest in all of these adjoined sectors! It is the Seaking!
You will get brownie points.
My ship is the Waxoff.
When does your Phalla start?
All at once; the game won't start before Tuesday evening.
Games: Ad Astra Per Phalla | Choose Your Own Phalla
At this point I am in the mid teens on the sign-up list, but its hard to say with the amount of rescheduling that has gone on lately, I will probably end up going sooner than that but its too early to tell.
But just as a tease there is no vote kill in my phalla.
However the elected official may execute one person of his or her choosing. (this is not all the role entails, merely one aspect)
Don't ask me how, but I managed to get ahold of the Sky Runner.
My ship? Why, The Dead Paul of course.
I will think of the name of my ship later, game looks awesome Tux.
My ship shall be known as ants in the pants.
And my ship shall be named Lady Serenity
(seriously nobody picked that one yet?)
Also, you are destined to vanish and your ship will just float around in deep space, unmanned.
Until I salvage it and make some mad $.
My vessel's name is: The Spaced Out Dutchman
It's double witty.
With the ship named Thor Too.