The Campground [Concluded]

One evening as the sun went down
And the jungle fires were burning,
Down the track came a hobo hiking,
And he said, "Boys, I'm not turning
I'm headed for a land that's far away
Besides the crystal fountains
So come with me, we'll go and see
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
~ Harry McClintock

A campground, Clinton, Iowa, United States.

The myth of the American vagabond, the traveler roaming across the country, in search of exactly what nobody is certain, is a very prevalent one in society. Countless tales have been written over the years; stories, legends, apocrypha. The archetype has become almost overused in society, to the point where today's writers and chroniclers always look elsewhere for their tales for fear of not being taken seriously.

What few people realize is that the American vagabond is not a myth. It still exists - it always has and always will - on the fringes of society, maybe not as numerous or as prevalent as it once was, but still there. These lonely figures crisscross the country, come across each other and pass like ships in the night, always moving to the great land of Elsewhere. These people have their secret places, and every so often when in the need of rest or company, will congregate there briefly before inevitably setting off again.

The campground in Clinton, Iowa, is one of these places. Clinton, a sleepy river town with a for-profit college and a fast-food shack run by Flava Flav himself, has its quirks and peculiarities much like any other American town. The great road U.S. Route 30, the former old Lincoln Highway, runs through the town and crosses the Mississippi here. It is this road that most of our travelers have come through on, and it is off this road they will veer to take rest for the night.

These travelers, these lonely Americans, congregate here through the night. They say their hellos, some trade items, some trade stories, but for the most part they ignore each other and look for a comfortable place to sleep for the night. But then, two things happen during the night. First, a freak storm hits, leaving the only dirt road in and out of the campground a muddy lake. The Mississippi has overflowed and flooded, and there will be no leaving for a while. Everybody groans and worries about rationing their food and other basic necessities. The second thing, however, is far worse. Someone turns on a radio.

"Two dangerous felons have escaped from the Clinton Hospital for the Criminally Insane," the newscaster says, with just the perfect inflection designed to scare the wits out of anybody listening and still be taken seriously as a broadcaster. "Their whereabouts are currently unknown, but police have advised to stay out of isolated areas such as alleys, fields, and campgrounds. Please be sure to lock your doors at all times and do not let your children venture out alone."

The campers all look at each other. They know Clinton well. It has to be here. This is the downside of life as the American Vagabond, the understated danger of living on the road. And now they are going to have to deal with the consequences. Each tries to get some sleep during the night, but it is a futile pursuit. They know that, in the morning, something is going to be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Rules, etc.:

This is a vanilla mafia game, designed for 17 people. There will be two mafiosi who know each other's identities and are not allowed to kill each other at night. They get one kill per night, no matter their numbers (unless it is zero). There will be no other power roles.

This game, along with Andres's previous large game, will provide you good training for the first of the games that will be part of the Gameroom Anniversary Celebration, which will happen in a month and be hosted by yours truly. I'm sure you can all guess what kind of format it's going to be and even the title (:grin:), but that's going to have to wait. For now, enjoy your light and fun Small Game! Please post to sign up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Signed up: (17/17)
Yaseikhaan
Visorslash
Reenk Roink
Zack
Saregona
B_Ray
robbiecon
Csargo
Diamondeye
Andres
johnhughthom
Renata
Scienter
God Emperor
Askthepizzaguy
TheLastDays
Chaotix

(Romanic)

:charge:

Sure, I'll bite. Count me in.

Clinton, Iowa???? :laugh4:

:bow:

I in

Hello.

Hello shall join.

Put me down as reserve- I'm free to play, but if the list fills up and someone else would rather take my spot, they have it.

I'm diving in!

I'm going to assume there's marshmallows and say IN.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Reenk Roink

Clinton, Iowa???? :laugh4:

:bow:

---

Yeah! Why, you ever been there? :laugh4:

In/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Yeah! Why, you ever been there? :laugh4:

---

Pretty sure we filled gas there once... Obviously this gives me excellent knowledge of the setting and thus the campers should defer to my leadership. :snobby:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Reenk Roink

Pretty sure we filled gas there once... Obviously this gives me excellent knowledge of the setting and thus the campers should defer to my leadership. :snobby:

---

We will!
In, by the way.

I love the setup. And the Big Rock Candy Mountain theme!
You can have your stew, and your whiskey too,
you can paddle all around it in a big canoo...

In.

Aye.

In.

I'll play!

There's still a few spots open if you guys want 'em. :yes:

(yes, this is a covert bump)

ok :) Me in

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by God Emperor

ok :) Me in

---

:smug:
"Less coercion, more manipulation", I always say...!

Oh, this game already started, but I didn't get a pm! I must be an innocent townie, then!

Vote : Diamondeye

It's always him.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andres

Oh, this game already started, but I didn't get a pm! I must be an innocent townie, then!

Vote : Diamondeye

It's always him.

---

You're first :stare:

I'll join to fill out the ranks.

Okay, we'll leave signups open for one more day or so and then I'll start things. :yes:

I'll also join to fill the ranks, but I don't have as much time to play mafia. If someone wants my spot, before the game starts, he can have it (and put me on the reserves).

Count me in!

Thanks
TLD

Alright, I'm closing signups. Chaotix will take the final spot, Romanic will be a reserve and will step in if needed. Thanks for your interest, I'll get PMs out shortly and then we'll begin things. :yes:

Csargo is scum. Let's see some votes on him.
Vote: Csargo

Clinton, Iowa
Day 1

Nobody got any sleep after the radio broadcast. Most of these campers were hardened veterans, able to get a few hours of shut-eye in any environment, but the combination of the soggy conditions due to the storm and the fear that there were two dangerous killers hidden amongst them was enough to ensure that for once the veterans would have to spend a night sleepless.

Finally, at dawn, one of the campers, realizing everyone's mutual situation, called everyone together. "All right, folks," he said, "We know what we're up against. We're cut off from escape and help, and there's 15 of us and two of them. Problem is, we don't know who 'they' are. The way I see it, there's only one way out of this. Process of elimination. This is America, right? We all believe in the democratic process, right? We've all been on the road for a while, we all know how to read people, otherwise we'd probably already be in a ditch somewhere. I think with our collective minds we'll be able to figure out who these two killers are and get rid of them ourselves. Any objections?"

"Yeah," piped up another camper. "Isn't there a better way to do this? I don't want to die just because we get a guess wrong!"

"And what do you have to live for?" chimed in a third. "Something happened to you back home that made you be one of us, one of the road warriors. When's it going to end for you? For any of us? Do any of us truly have a home to go back to anyway? Home is where we make it, and right now home is right here. And our home is under attack, so we may as well defend it." This was met with more than a few grunts of agreement.

"Any other objections?" asked the first camper, who was replied to with silence. "No? Well, then, let's start this thing. See you all on another road."

It is now Day 1. Day 1 will last for roughly 30 hours, as I'll be out for a lot of tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still alive (17):
Yaseikhaan
Visorslash
Reenk Roink
Zack
Who am i?
B_Ray
robbiecon
Csargo
Diamondeye
Andres
johnhughthom
Renata
Scienter
God Emperor
Askthepizzaguy
TheLastDays
Chaotix

fine.. I will try again :laugh4:

Vote: Csargo

vote: Who am i?

Because your post is eerily similar to Saregona's style. And he's shady.

Vote: Scienter

I wouldn't want your turn as mafia to be too easy, now.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by God Emperor

fine.. I will try again :laugh4:

Vote: Csargo

---

https://img689.imageshack.us/img689/...6972093599.jpg

Vote: Askthepizzaguy

....:rolleyes:

(posted from mobile device, sorry)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I am a total scumbag.

Vote: Zack for obvious reasons :stare:

Unvote, Vote: Diamondeye

:stare:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack

Unvote, Vote: Diamondeye

:stare:

---

You left out the "for obvious reasons", mate.

Can we like NOT send out townie PMs to not get people's hopes up just to poop on them? :furious2:

Anyway I read some study that showed that most insane serial killers were men and that it was rare for them to be women so Renata should be innocent for now.

Vote: Zack

By the way GH, one of the best parts about a Mafia game's story is building the scenario of the voting to find Mafia, never gets old. :2thumbsup: :laugh4:

Unvote, Vote: Reenk Roink

:stare:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Reenk Roink

Anyway I read some study that showed that most insane serial killers were men and that it was rare for them to be women so Renata should be innocent for now.

---

I like your logic, Reenk. I'm innocent, too!

Vote: who am i because I don't know who s/he is.

Who am i? is Saregona.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack

Vote: Askthepizzaguy

....:rolleyes:

(posted from mobile device, sorry)

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

I am a total scumbag.

---

Vote:Zack

Amateur. You forgot your "If I was mafia I would..." line.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack

Who am i? is Saregona.

---

Hello.

Hello.

Vote: Reenk Roink

Vote: God Emperor for being a little eager...

unvote, vote: Who am I

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Askthepizzaguy

unvote, vote: Who am I

---

WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?

Vote:Andres take that!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Csargo

WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?

---

To find out who Who am I who am is.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Askthepizzaguy

To find out who Who am I who am is.

---

Hello.

Why do you want to find out who am i?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Who am i?

Hello.

Why do you want to find out who am i?

---

Why don't you want me to know?

Vote: The Last Days

Well, these are yours. :P

Good question...

unvote, vote: Who am i?

Vote: Yaseikhaan,

I choo-choo-choose you!

Hey, did all of you guys get two different role PMs?

Vote: Sasaki

Hello.

Vote : God Emperor

Leave Csargo alone ~:mad

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by johnhughthom

Vote:Zack

Amateur. You forgot your "If I was mafia I would..." line.

---

Unvote, Vote: JHT

:stare:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chaotix

Hey, did all of you guys get two different role PMs?

Vote: Sasaki

---

Hey yes, now that you mention it.. ... . . . Do'h !

So, where be them marshmallows?

Unvote, Vote: God Emperor

Voting closed, give me a bit. :yes:

Clinton, Iowa
Day 1

Tending to the campfire was a very messy affair. Everybody had to go out in fours to gather wood due to the lack of trust, in order to prevent the dangerous killers from overpowering anyone without serious opposition. This took away from the other tasks that needed to be completed in order for the campers to maintain a sustained existence. Additionally, due to the soggy conditions, building the fire was a very arduous process, and the final result was a little flame that not even a Neanderthal would be proud of.

These general conditions made for a very snippy group of campers, which, compounded with the fact that they had to vote one of their own off to be sentenced to death, meant that everyone got mad at each other for the smallest of reasons. This was evidenced in the voting by the fact that a full nine out of 17 total campers received at least one vote. Everyone was worried what would happen if the votes were split 17 different ways, and how on earth they would ever resolve *that* predicament, but by the end of the day one name separated itself from the pack.

Who am i? was probably the most mysterious of all campers. Nobody knew anything about where he came from, his backstory, or even his name. His accent was impossible to place. His manner of speaking was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Nobody even knew what he looked like due to the concealing clothes he wore. A couple of people weren't even sure that he was a male. Nobody knew what kind of music Who am i? liked, or what he was running from. Nobody had ever seen him on the road before, and he had not deigned to tell anyone of how exactly he had come to this cursed campground in Clinton, Iowa, in the first place.

This complete and utter lack of knowledge about who Who am i? was what ultimately unnerved the rest of the campers. These road warriors of America were all a fraternity of sorts, even if they never quite interacted with each other, and they all had a code. Chances were slim that you would ever see each other again when you came across each other, so there was always a natural instinct to share stories and to empathize with your brother of the road. The fact that Who am i? generally had no inclination whatsoever to partake in this, even under these circumstances, was ultimately his undoing. You had to keep with the code, after all, even under these circumstances.

Eventually he received 4 votes, which was enough to put him over the edge. Everyone stood around the makeshift fire, unsure what to do next. All was silent - even Who am i? did not make a break for it or lodge a protest.

"Anyone got a knife?" one of the campers said.

"Yeah, but it might be a murder weapon later. I don't want anybody to see my knife and then claim that I killed somebody just because it means they don't get lynched." There was a general murmuring of agreement to this.

"Okay, fine," said one of the stronger campers. "Let's do this the quick way, then, shall we?" And without further ado, he bent down, picked up the largest log in the fire, and swung it, still flaming, at Who am i?'s head. Who am i? crumpled to the ground, possibly already dead, but a few more whacks took care of it just in case.

"Hope we don't ever have to see anything like that again," one of the campers said, and then they all went back to their individual sleeping spots to try for sleep that they all knew would not come.

Day 1 tally:
Who am i?: 4 (B_Ray, Scienter, ATPG, TheLastDays) :skull:
Zack: 3 (Diamondeye, Reenk, JHT)
God Emperor: 2 (Andres, Chaotix)
Csargo: 1 (God Emperor)
Andres: 1 (Csargo)
Reenk Roink: 1 (Who am i?)
Yaseikhaan: 1 (robbiecon)
TheLastDays: 1 (Visorslash)
johnhughthom: 1 (Zack)

Not voting: 2 (khaan, Renata)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still alive: 16
Yaseikhaan
Visorslash
Reenk Roink
Zack
B_Ray
robbiecon
Csargo
Diamondeye
Andres
johnhughthom
Renata
Scienter
God Emperor
Askthepizzaguy
TheLastDays
Chaotix

Executed:
Who am i?

It is now Night 1. Night will last until 21:00 GMT-4 (US Eastern time) tomorrow. Mafia, gimme your choice.

GeneralHanky, I gotta say, I love the theme of this game. It's very realistic, with a great atmosphere; I can almost feel like I'm there, and I like it! I even found the details of Who am i?'s death in the write-up a little unsettling, which I think is a sign of immersion. Just wanted to say thanks!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Mafia, gimme your choice.

---

Do you prefer in the QuickTopic or by PM?

You can just post it in this thread; that'll be fine by me.

Very well.

Kill B_Ray. Throw him on the grill, medium-rare, then slap him on a sesame seed bun (but not before the special sauce is put on him). Slap with a fish, stab three times with an icicle, take a bite, vomit, throw him in the garbage can, incinerate said garbage can, ask everyone else present if they want burgers, swear viciously if they decline, kill everyone who denied a burger, flip all the others off, go inside and turn the TV on to the History Channel and watch a documentary about Nazis.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack

turn the TV on to the History Channel and watch a documentary about Nazis.

---

Must be pre-recorded, the only thing "History" shows now is The Nostradamus Effect and Ice Road Truckers. :wall:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Must be pre-recorded, the only thing "History" shows now is The Nostradamus Effect and Ice Road Truckers. :wall:

---

They've also got Pawn Stars and American Pickers and that gun challenge show. Not sure what happened there though. :sad:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Reenk Roink

Can we like NOT send out townie PMs to not get people's hopes up just to poop on them? :furious2:

Anyway I read some study that showed that most insane serial killers were men and that it was rare for them to be women so Renata should be innocent for now.

Vote: Zack

By the way GH, one of the best parts about a Mafia game's story is building the scenario of the voting to find Mafia, never gets old. :2thumbsup: :laugh4:

---

Belated vote: Reenk for failing to go after me properly.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Csargo

They've also got Pawn Stars and American Pickers and that gun challenge show. Not sure what happened there though. :sad:

---

Pawn Stars is awesome!

I gotta say, I'm quite fond of Pawn Stars and American Pickers.
vote: Scienter, for sharing my sentiments.

Guys it's night. Also I don't think Zack is guilty.

vote: Diamondeye

He's a vampire! I have it on the highest authority.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Diamondeye

Guys it's night. Also I don't think Zack is guilty.

---

:stare: I think what we are really looking for , is a person who is mafia more than 40% of the time

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by God Emperor

:stare: I think what we are really looking for , is a person who is mafia more than 40% of the time

---

You heard the man - fetch Classical Hero!

:curtain:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Diamondeye

Guys it's night. Also I don't think Zack is guilty.

---

Excellent, my powers of stealth are functioning properly.

:curtain:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack

Very well.

Kill B_Ray. Throw him on the grill, medium-rare, then slap him on a sesame seed bun (but not before the special sauce is put on him). Slap with a fish, stab three times with an icicle, take a bite, vomit, throw him in the garbage can, incinerate said garbage can, ask everyone else present if they want burgers, swear viciously if they decline, kill everyone who denied a burger, flip all the others off, go inside and turn the TV on to the History Channel and watch a documentary about Nazis.

---

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Zack's custom user title

Ballsy and Ruthless

---

:thinking2:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Andres

:thinking2:

---

Don't be getting any ideas, townie. :stare:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Renata

vote: Diamondeye

He's a vampire! I have it on the highest authority.

---

Also this is obviously the reply of a deranged madman who belongs in an asylum; we all know vampires don't exist, right guys?
... Is that garlic in your breath? Eew.

Clinton, Iowa
Night 1

All of the sleeping spots were spread out quite far from each other during the night. This was more than understandable, given the situation, but it also denied the campers of one advantage that could have seriously helped themselves out: companionship. Closer campsites meant there was a greater chance for somebody to hear what was going on. For somebody to see that somebody was out of their tent. For somebody to stop a potential killer.

Renata, for one, did not mind the isolation. She, as did most of the other campers, most likely, actually preferred it this way. Life was difficult. People were annoying. Her own thoughts and music provided for far greater company than any of the other campers. Plus, two of them might be murderers? That was one wager that Renata was not going to take. No, she would sit off, on her own, with one of her prized possessions - her trusty portable music player - to keep her company. In the last movie she had seen, The Book of Eli, the title character had lugged around his mp3 player for thirty years, the machine having survived a nuclear holocaust and God knew what else. Renata hoped her device would at least be able to half that feat.

She fired it up, popped her headphones in, and then began to space out. Getting a good battery charge was always difficult, and would be doubly so out here with no hope of anything remotely resembling indoor life for a while, but she hoped the old girl would last. Renata would try to forget everything and hope the music would softly lull her to sleep. It was working... David Gray's "Babylon" was coming on, reminding her of the road life in general which she had come to embrace... she was drifting... drifting..... ......drifting......

Suddenly, a interruption. The song ended prematurely. Somebody had yanked the headphones right out of her ears. "Hey! -" Renata would have shouted, were it not for the fact that that person was now using them to strangle her alive. Renata was gasping and choking for air, groping at nothing, for her assailant was stronger and able to keep her off-balance without letting her breathe.

Renata gasped and choked away her last breaths, with "Babylon" still tinnily coming out of the headphones which were now officially a murder weapon.

As the sun rose, the campers decided by mutual agreement to take a head count. As it turned out, their worst fears were confirmed - they were down one. Renata was not around. A quick look around confirmed that she had died. Everybody started groaning and complaining, which was a convenient way to mask their true emotion: fear. There would be another vote.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Still alive: 15
Yaseikhaan
Visorslash
Reenk Roink
Zack
B_Ray
robbiecon
Csargo
Diamondeye
Andres
johnhughthom
Scienter
God Emperor
Askthepizzaguy
TheLastDays
Chaotix

Killed:
Renata

Executed:
Who am i?

It is now Day 2. This phase will last until 21:30 GMT -4 (US Eastern time).

Vote: B_Ray

Why you no die?? :stare:

Vote:Zack

This is for your own good.