Rules
Any changes to the basic rules are highlighted so they are easy to spot!
0. Signing Up
You must have a forum account to take part in the game. Members who want to play must post on the sign-up thread. By posting in the sign-up thread you are agreeing to all of the rules as detailed below.
1. Game set-up
This section describes the basic set up of a typical game round.
The game will be run by two Hosts. If neither of these Hosts is an Administrator or Moderator, then one should be assigned as the resident game moderator to oversee the round and implement any rules as detailed in 7. Sam has said she will moderate for us so do be careful!
The game has two teams – the rats (baddies) and the cats (goodies). Upon signing up to the game, you will be allocated a team. Only one team can win the game. The ratio of baddies:goodies is 1 to 3 (eg. 6 rats to 18 cats). To balance the game, the rats have a leader ("Alpha") who can carry out an extra kill per night ("Alpha kill") and the cats have a number of special characters who have additional powers to protect/save players from being killed.
2. How to win
The aim for the game is to be the last team standing, be it rats or cats.
• Cats will win if all the rats are eliminated.
• Rats will win if they outnumber the cats.
3. Player Roles
On the opening night of the round, all players will receive a forum message from The Host. This message will tell you what team you are on (goodies or baddies). It will also tell you if you have been assigned a special role and an explanation of what this role means. Roles are chosen at random, if you need your role further explained please contact the Host with any questions.
The rats will also be told the names of every player in their team, so they are all known to each other from the first night. The cats do not know each other initially.
You can tell others which team you are on. You cannot volunteer the name of a special role you may have to other players - this is a form of cheating, please see 7. Removal through breaking the Rules. You can hint at your role, and if asked explicitly by another player then you can answer them. (Players should not just run through every role until they guess right either).
Dead players cannot reveal roles of players who are still alive. Dead players continue to be considered part of the game and covered by the rules.
4. Voting
• All players have a ‘lynch’ vote i.e. they vote for a player to be removed from the round, or choose ‘no lynch’. Your vote should be submitted by private message. Your vote must be submitted by 9.30pm.
• You may only change your vote once before the voting deadline (and make clear you are doing so in the title/subject of the PM).
• Voting via Skype or text message is not permitted under any circumstance, as this is a forum game.
• Your vote must be submitted by yourself; other players cannot vote on your behalf.
• Players with a ‘special role’ should also submit their choices to The Host before 9.30pm.
5. Kill Post
After all votes have been submitted before 9.30PM, a Kill Post will be posted on the forum by The Host. The kill post will include a full set of lynch votes (including any votes effected by a special character), the alpha kill, and any players removed through inactivity. These details should include hinting if a player has been protected or swapped.
The player with the most lynch votes leaves the game.
• If ‘no lynch’ has the most votes, no kill will take place.
• If there is a tie in votes, no kill will take place.
For the alpha kill it is possible to stop the kill.
• If the player in question is protected by a special character, no kill will take place.
• If the player in question is swapped by a special character, another player will die in their place.
The order in which actions will take place for determining who lives and dies are:
• Vote changing special (if one is present in the game)
• Lynch vote
• Other special character actions i.e. protection
• Alpha kill
Please note: the order of events in the kill post do not need to follow this order as concessions will sometimes be made so there is a good plot. Should you be concerned about the order, please message the host.
If the Alpha dies, then as long as members of the rats remain, the other team members will execute the kill on their instructions. The seer will receive the results of their special vote after the Kill Post in a private message. If the seer dies, the result will not be provided.
Whichever way a player leaves the game, their exact role (and team) will be detailed in the Kill Post.
6. Removal through inactivity
Every player is allowed five nights of inactivity throughout the game round, or a maximum of three nights in a row before they are removed from the game - whichever criteria is met first. A night of inactivity is defined by not voting.
To count as active, a player must submit their lynch vote and/or their special vote. If a special character only submits their special vote, but not a lynch vote – they will be shown as inactive and count towards a day of inactivity. If you are using this method for tactics, then use it wisely!
Players cannot remove themselves from a round by resigning. You may choose to stop voting, and in doing so the above inactivity rules will apply.
7. Removal through breaking the forum/WvV rules
The game is intended to be family friendly and inclusive - regardless of whether it is partly played in private and/or on skype. As a result we have implemented rules which keep the game this way; upon signing up you agree to abide by these rules.
• If a player is banned from the forum, they will be considered inactive for each night they cannot meet the criteria to vote (Submitting their vote by PM and posting on the forum).
• If a player, dead, tries to influence* a player(s) who is alive, they will receive the following reprimand followed by a punishment (1st offence) written warning (2nd offence) muted in Skype chat for the rest of the round.
• If a player, either dead or alive, reveals the role of another player they will receive the following punishment (1st offence) removal from the round and banned from the subsequent round
• If a player posts offensive/x-rated language, links or images (including that which would be banned under the forum rules such as §2.2D,E,F), they will receive the following reprimand followed by a punishment (1st offence) written warning (2nd offence) muted in Skype chat for 24 hrs (3rd offence) muted for the rest of the round.
*For the avoidance of doubt, dead players should not post about the game underway or tactics. This includes, no suggesting that one side/player is stupid or smart, no discussing how many wolves/villagers might be left, no discussing potential tactics etc. Each of these, and many more comments, can influence/affect the views of others still directly involved in the game. If in doubt, don’t post.
The above reprimands or punishments will be communicated to you via the Skype chat and forum PM by the resident Administrator/Moderator overlooking the round. Should a player repeatedly break the rules, they may not be eligible to apply to host future rounds.
8. Conduct once removed from the game
If you have left the game through elimination, inactivity, or a ban, please do not influence the remaining players’ votes or decisions. This includes asking leading/pertinent questions. Nor should you ‘spam’ the thread or Skype room making it difficult for those who are still alive to keep up.
9. Posting transcriptions
No private transcripts can be posted without the other person’s consent (including The Host) as described in the Forum Rules (in general, the forum rules continue to apply). This includes the message received stating your role, which should not be shown or copied to anyone. The only exception to this rule is a game-related extract from the ‘main’ Skype room - in all other respects (including language, private information) the forum rules must be complied with.
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ROLES
THE GOOD
Garfield (blacksmith)
Garfield may love pizza but he is surprisingly good at looking out for his friends. Each night
he chooses one person to protect from the alpha kill. And kindly lets the host know who that person is!
Crookshank (medic)
Crookshank is highly intelligent with an overwhelming desire to help. He stalks amongst the cats trying to decide who needs him most. Each night he can protect one person from the alpha kill so if the alpha tries to kill the one Crookshank has chosen to help he rushes to their aid and revives them.
Top Cat (taxi)
Top cat is ridiculously cool and loves nothing more than choosing two people to swap over each night.
The swapped players will be swapped around for the alpha kill, but votes will not be swapped.
Bagpuss (seer)
Bagpuss may look cute but is actually a powerful spy who can find out the identity of any person he wants on even numbered nights. But he has to be careful as the wolves have a seer blocker.
Tom (rat catcher - new role)
Every player in the game will be given a random number by the hosts before the game starts but none will know their number. Each night Tom will submit one number (to match the number of players in the game) to the hosts. If that number matches a cat nothing will happen but if it matches a rat the rats will be given a choice. Either the alpha kill will still go through and that wolf dies or the alpha kill won't go through and that wolf will be saved instead. Once a rat is found Tom will revert to being a normal cat. He can only find one rat.
THE BAD
Mouse King (alpha)
The leader of the rats is not a rat at all but a regal mouse. And the rats follow him with devotion. Each night he has the ability to murder one cat. Together, with his army of rats he hopes to kill off all of the cats. If the alpha is lynched then the other rats will make sure his kill still goes ahead that night unless a cat special can stop it.
Ratigan (taxi - new role)
The cats have a taxi but so do the rats for this round. After all, the cats have a rat catcher. Each night Ratigan will submit two names to the hosts in exactly the same way as Top cat can, but because he is particularly twisted he can only counteract Top Cat or Tom.
Templeton (seer blocker)
Templeton is the Mouse King's most loyal follower. He can use his power to stop the seers ability.
Every even numbered night the seer blocker must send a name in to the host of the person who he wants to
"seer block." If the seer tries to seer that person then they receive no result.
Important Notes:
Seer Blocker - If the alpha is killed and a new alpha is randomly selected, the seer blocker won't be selected to be the alpha unless he is the last rat standing. The seerblocker can't seer block themselves.
Seer - On any nights when the seer can seer but where there is no player selected to be lynched, there will be no seer result given.
The rats work for the Mouse King, they will do whatever it takes to get the cats killed. If the alpha dies then a rat is randomly selected to become the new leader.