French Revolution Mafia - sign-up thread [March 8 start date]

"Would you realize what Revolution is, call it Progress; and would you realize what Progress is, call it Tomorrow."
~ Hugo

"The French Revolution gave birth to no artists. The only poet of the times was the guillotine."
~ Camus

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Paris, 1793

It is the fifth year of the French Revolution, and its fate is balanced on a guillotine’s edge.

The country is besieged on all sides by enemies, currently fighting against Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Britain in a fierce war that threatens the new republic’s survival. In response, the governing body of France, the National Convention, has declared a levée en masse, or mandatory conscription of the country’s young men. While the sheer numbers of troops suddenly available to France may even the odds, they still have a long way before turning the tide.

While these external threats are certainly potent, it is the nation’s internal problems that truly threaten to tear France apart. Across the country, particularly in the western region known as the Vendée, counter-Revolutionary violence has sprung up in response to the increasingly radical direction the government has gone in recently. Divided at all levels of society - community, family, church, and more - every individual has had to make a choice: Where exactly do you stand politically? With the stakes of selecting the “wrong” answer to this question growing ever more severe, everyone is on edge.

Louis XVI is dead, sentenced by the Convention and executed by means of that great equalizer, the guillotine. Lafayette and Mirabeau, those great noble heroes of the people, are either in exile or dead. In Paris, the common people, known as the sans-culottes, have taken to patrolling the streets in paramilitary groups in order to enforce their ideals of the way things should be. The optimistic verses of the Revolutionary anthem Ça Ira (“It Will Be Fine”), so popular in 1790 and carrying the hope of every Frenchman that the dreams of 1789 would be realized, have largely been replaced by more bloodthirsty stanzas calling for the death of the aristocrats and priests. The ambitious Constitution of 1793, designed to further the aims of the Revolution and to continue the march towards equality, was suspended before ever going into effect due to the national emergency.

The Revolution’s innocence has departed, and the Reign of Terror has arrived.

In the National Convention, four separate factions vie for power:
- The Mountain (or Montagnards), a fast-rising political group who want to continue the radical turn the Revolution has taken. They are ruthlessly competent, have some of the brightest political thinkers of the era, but have also racked up quite a high body count in pursuit of their goals.
- The Girondins, the formerly-majority party who have lost some of their influence but are still strong. The Girondins are seen as moderate (for those who view that as a good thing) and experienced, but are also increasingly perceived as lazy, corrupt, and largely to blame for France getting into so many wars.
- The Populists, who have seen what the common people of France can do when truly inspired and want to further tap into that power for the sake of the nation. The Populists more than anyone else enjoy the support of the sans-culottes of Paris and elsewhere, but are also disunited in political views (ranging from somewhat moderate to ultra-radical) and are seen as ineffective at actually governing.
- The Militarists, hypercompetent specialists in usually one or two fields who want to put their expertise to better use. The Militarists, if united, can almost certainly do what is needed to keep France afloat, but they are also seen as little more than ambitious technocrats who are largely distrusted by the people (and themselves).

All four of the factions have roughly equal representation in the National Convention, each with their own specific strengths and weaknesses. At the end of the day, only one faction can emerge triumphant and direct the course of the Revolution to their will.

However, what they don’t know is that a fifth faction has secretly infiltrated the Convention: The Royalists. Driven underground but not entirely exterminated despite the Convention’s best efforts, this faction’s greatest desire is to kill everyone else, take back control of the government, and restore a Bourbon to the throne and end the Revolution altogether, a completely unacceptable result for anyone other than themselves.

Will the four main factions put aside their differences long enough to stop the Royalist threat, knowing that only one of them may emerge triumphant at the end? Will the Royalists complete their goal and turn the clock back on the country forever? Will the draconian policies of the Terror be enough to truly safeguard the gains of the Revolution? The world is waiting to find out.

French Revolution Mafia

https://i.imgur.com/BRTh2i1.jpg?1

Overview:
Welcome to French Revolution Mafia! You will play an elected member of the National Convention - the governing body of France during the Reign of Terror - and are part of one of four political factions, as described in the above flavor as well as the rules below. Your job is simple: outnumber the other three factions by the end of the game, and eliminate the Royalists, who have infiltrated the Convention and serve as the mafia faction this game. Maintaining a perfect balance between these two aims will be the key to obtaining victory.

Game setup and rules:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

French Revolution Mafia is a game designed for 24 players. Each player will be randomly assigned a role belonging to one of four factions. Once this is decided, a second rand will determine the mafia, who are an unspecified number. This means that, while unlikely, it is theoretically possible for all of the mafia to be a part of one faction.

Each faction will be assigned factional abilities, which will be further described in the “Factional Abilities” section of your role PM. In addition, a small amount of players will have individual personal abilities.

Voting is to be done in the traditional .Org style, like so:

Vote: GeneralHankerchief

Unvote: GeneralHankerchief
Vote: Sasaki Kojiro

Simply bolding a name is not enough and will not be counted. Abstain and No Lynch are both allowed. You do not need to unvote (or specify who you are unvoting), but it is appreciated. I will be tallying by hand, so any vote counts made by novice's tool or other software, while welcome, are unofficial.

Phase lengths will generally run 48/24, with some exceptions (I will be out of town for the first weekend in March, so that one will probably be extended). The start/end times of phases may drift over time as the game progresses - please allow for my work schedule and dedication to providing good flavor.

You may not directly quote role PMs or any other communication from me. No screenshots are to be used.

You may not talk to players outside the game thread or host-provided Quicktopics.

Posts are not to be edited, however, I will give you a one-minute grace window to correct spelling/grammatical errors. No actual content is to be added or deleted. As moderator, I have the power of viewing the original version of an edited post, so I will be checking this!

Tie votes will be decided by random selection.

Inactive players will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

I will lock the public thread at night, however, your individual faction Quicktopics (including the mafia one) will be open 24/7.

Roles and factions will be revealed upon death; individual abilities will not.

There is to be no posting after death, for the first time ever in one of my games (I will allow for one generic comment immediately postdeath). A spectator chat for the dead will be provided.

Lastly, all of the Gameroom rules apply: Be reasonable, friendly, and, of course, have fun! :bow:

Historical disclaimer:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This mafia game is intended to explore two of the most debated historiographical questions of the French Revolution: Were the excesses and killings of the Reign of Terror justified in keeping France secure, and was the Terror necessary in preserving the gains made in 1789 or were they a perversion of the Revolution’s original ideas?

While I have made an effort to remain historically faithful, this game takes place during a very complex period of history and some concessions will have to be made for the sake of simplicity. A partial but by no means complete list of these are as follows:

- The historical Reign of Terror took place during a period of little more than a year, from Spring 1793 to July 1794. I’m condensing its events into a period of around a week.
- I’m setting the game during an indeterminate time in 1793. Events during the period, both early and late, will be cherry-picked and inserted in the game possibly out of chronological order for flavor purposes.
- Not every character I’ve made into a role was an actual delegate of the National Convention.
- During the Terror, many of the characters present in this game were out of Paris on various missions and otherwise for portions of the year. Obviously we will assume that they were all present in the city for the duration of the game.
- The Montagnards were pretty much the dominant political faction for the entire period. Here, I’ve made it more even. This includes some fudging of characters’ political affiliations.

Selected bibliography:

McPhee, Peter. Liberty or Death: The French Revolution. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2015.

Mercier, Louis-Sébastien. Le Tableau de Paris. Edited by Jeremy D. Popkin. State College: Penn State University Press, 1999.

Palmer, R. R. Twelve Who Ruled: The Committee of Public Safety during the Terror. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1941.

Roux, Jacques. “Manifesto of the Enragés.” Translated by Mitchell Abidor. Address presented at the National Convention, Paris, France, 1793. https://www.marxists.org/history/fra.../enrages01.htm

Scurr, Ruth. Fatal Purity: Robespierre and the French Revolution. London: Chatto & Windus, 2006.

Tackett, Timothy. The Coming of the Terror in the French Revolution. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2015.

Thompson, J. M. Leaders of the French Revolution. Hoboken: Blackwell Publishing, 1988.

More on factions:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

As detailed above, there are four separate factions in this game:
- The Montagnards
- The Girondins
- The Populists
- The Militarists
With the Royalists serving as the mafia.

Each faction has their own unique set of powers. Anybody in the faction can perform any ability at night, however, some abilities are secretly linked to a player known only by me. Upon that player's death, the faction will lose access to that ability. For example, if I (unknowingly) was linked to my faction's 2x vig shot ability, anybody could perform those vig shots, but if I died before those shots were taken, my faction could no longer make use of that ability.

Each faction will have access to a Quicktopic where members can discuss strategy with each other (open both day and night), but there is a chance of your faction being infiltrated by the Royalists, so beware! The Royalists will not be allowed to share these links with each other, nor will they be allowed to excessively quote from them. They will only be permitted to paraphrase bigger-picture stuff.

Only one faction will ultimately win the game, with a single specific exception that will be described in your role PM.

Partway through the game, new abilities or additional uses of present ones may be given to each faction at my discretion. I will not unfairly favor or penalize any one faction when and if this event transpires.

Signing up:
We're aiming for a February 28th start. I'm going to be pretty hard and fast about sticking to 24 players for this one. First come, first served, all subs are welcome! I'm not 100% confident this game is balanced, but I am pretty sure it will be fun. And hey, you might learn something!

Signed up (24/24):
Montmorency
Csargo
Lewwyn
Renata
Dp101
BSmith
Zack
Arakhor
seireikhaan
Choxorn
atheotes
Kagemusha
Snerk
Fenn
Askthepizzaguy
Sooh
autolycus
Al Sipsclar
El Barto
Jabbz
NotACop
Logic
Manasi
Monstrdude

Subs:

Sample PM:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Your role is:

Louis XVI

https://i.imgur.com/PrMd594.jpg

"I must always consult public opinion; it is never wrong."

Biography:
Wikipedia link
Louis XVI was never meant to be King - he had a popular older brother, but he died of tuberculosis in 1761. One wonders what would have happened to France had this brother stayed healthy, but instead, they got Louis and all that came with him: an unpopular marriage to an Austrian princess, anxiety over his seeming inability to produce an heir, and a terrible financial situation that only managed to get worse through both actions he could control (expensive intervention in the American Revolutionary War, failure to reform an unfair and unstable financial system) and those he could not (years of bad harvests). After several failed attempts at solving this issue, Louis eventually ended up calling up the Estates-General to address the crisis - and promptly lost control of the situation as the Estates, later the National Assembly, voted themselves more and more power. In the name of solidarity and patriotism (and maybe a little bit of pragmatism) Louis played along for a while, but as the Revolution continued he grew fed up and tried to flee to Austria. He was caught and returned to Paris, and pretty much all goodwill he had with the public evaporated. In the aftermath of this flight, Louis first lost his crown and then his life, being guillotined for high treason on January 21st, 1793.

Faction:
Royalists
The Royalists were in control of France for over a thousand years until recently, and they would very much like that control back, thank you. Believing in the divine right of kings, ancient owed privileges, and seigneurialism, the Royalists view all other political factions - from the more moderate Militarists and Girondins, to the radical Montagnards and Populists - as interlopers that need to be put back in their place.

Quicktopic link:
[QUICKTOPIC LINK]

Factional abilities (note: not representative of the actual in-game factional abilities):
L’état, c’est moi: Nightly kill.
Seigneurial rights: 4x jailkeeper.
Le Boucanier: The grandson of a noble who spent some time aboard pirate ships in the New World has recently returned to Europe, and he’s damn good with a rapier. Additional nightkill. 1x.
Let them eat cake: Delicious cake is baked especially for your enjoyment. 3x.

Goal:
Parity with all other factions combined.

Individual abilities:
Flight to Varennes: 1x bulletproof, but all votes against you for the remainder of the game count double after activation of this ability.

Quote:

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There is to be no posting after death, for the first time ever in one of my games

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Inprecedented.

In.

You Spin me right round baby, right round.

In!

dans

Et préparez vous pour le roleplay magnifique.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Renata

In!

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If vous thought je semblered scummy dernière fois, vous had best brace vous-self.

Ininininininininininininininin

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winston Hughes

If vous thought je semblered scummy dernière fois, vous had best brace vous-self.

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I have no concerns. I'm going to roll scum for sure. Down with the filthy peasants like yourself.

Innage

Guillotine

Is Arno Dorian a character in this? ~:)

I've just finished playing through AC: Unity, so I'll definitely be in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arakhor

Is Arno Dorian a character in this? ~:)

I've just finished playing through AC: Unity, so I'll definitely be in.

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Haven't played it (I exited the series after the... adventure... that was ACIII), but I heard it was of pretty questionable quality and I'm arrogant enough to say that I'll do better than them. :laugh4:

Now that most of the bugs have been sorted out, it's a reasonable game. I wasn't a fan of AC III either, but AC IV (set in the age of piracy) was pretty damn good. ~:)

Je suis le baguette, hon hon hon.


:charge:


Hey waitaminute....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GH

- I’m setting the game during an indeterminate time in 1793. Events during the period, both early and late, will be cherry-picked and inserted in the game possibly out of chronological order for flavor purposes.

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Literally unplayable. :rtwno:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Haven't played it (I exited the series after the... adventure... that was ACIII), but I heard it was of pretty questionable quality and I'm arrogant enough to say that I'll do better than them. :laugh4:

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Same here, and I just generally don't play console games as I much as I did 5 years ago.

Divine Right.

Je envisage de poster en français, même si je ne sais rien d'autre que bonjour!
prendre plaisir! :laugh4:

I will play. In.

No mutiny mechanics in this one, Kage. :wink:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

No mutiny mechanics in this one, Kage. :wink:

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:quiet: Dont awaken the mob..Specially in this setting..:creep:

Wish I could play, but with my comps coming up I just don't have the time to be even remotely engaged in a game.

Tagging the people who indicated interest in the other thread (from last month) and haven't either already signed up or told me they can't make it:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

@Visor ("probably") @Monstrdude @Al Sipsclar @autolycus @Askthepizzaguy @Fenn @Sooh (unclear, something about ice cream) @Snerk (can't guarantee balance so this *should* fill your requirements :P)

If this is your first time in the thread, I'm intending to start on the 28th. :yes:

AFAIK they don't play Mafia, but here on the Org are a couple of old French socialists, Brenus and Tristuskhan. I'd love for them to play just because, and have placed a game advert in the French thread where they should come across it.

If, as I fear, this does not start on the 5th day of the month of March, a Sunday, or later, then I will have to be a substitute available as from that day. Au revoir, Générale Foulard.

Sacre Bleu!

Activity level might be somewhat sporadic, similar to my previous game. If that's ok then I'm dans.

Can't be very active around March 3, but otherwise I'll be in it to win it.

Vive la resistance

Anachronistic French reference ftw

Alright. Put me in, but I refuse to speak French!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sooh

Alright. Put me in, but I refuse to speak French!

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Quoi?

Off with their heads, and let them eat cake! (In)

Real life has intervened and I will now be unavailable for almost the entire first week of the game.

Sorry, GH, but I'm going to have to drop out. ~:mecry:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winston Hughes

Real life has intervened and I will now be unavailable for almost the entire first week of the game.

Sorry, GH, but I'm going to have to drop out. ~:mecry:

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Sorry to hear that Winston, hopefully it's nothing serious RL-wise.

Between a couple of people not being available for the first week of the game, me going out of town the first weekend in March, and my travel plans for April potentially falling through, I'm leaning towards pushing back the game start until March 6. Any preferences on the issue one way or the other?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Sorry to hear that Winston, hopefully it's nothing serious RL-wise.

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Thanks. It's nothing bad at all. Just a couple of late bookings in a week that was already going to be busy.

I'm not fussed either way, GH.

I strongly prefer the 28th. I know you have April issues but even a few days past the 6th would be better than right then for me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Renata

I strongly prefer the 28th. I know you have April issues but even a few days past the 6th would be better than right then for me.

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April issues might be turning into May issues for me, so it's possible I could push it back to the 8th or 9th, even.

No preference for me. I'm good either way.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Winston Hughes

It's nothing bad at all. Just a couple of late bookings in a week that was already going to be busy.

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Please, remember to uninstall all the optional Social Life™ modules.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Sorry to hear that Winston, hopefully it's nothing serious RL-wise.

Between a couple of people not being available for the first week of the game, me going out of town the first weekend in March, and my travel plans for April potentially falling through, I'm leaning towards pushing back the game start until March 6. Any preferences on the issue one way or the other?

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I'm fine either way, and more than happy to wait a week to start if that's more convenient for you, Winston, and Takh.

If you let me play as Bernadotte I'll do a full Swedish impression. I'm not trying to bait anybody into anything, mind you.

No preference. Will play anyway.

No preference. Might advertise this back home at RB if this game needs help getting the people needed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

If you let me play as Bernadotte I'll do a full Swedish impression. I'm not trying to bait anybody into anything, mind you.

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I now prefer we play the dates El Barto is unavailable.

Also Denmark-Norway's navy is still intact at this point in history so any westerly ambitions from the Swedes will be met with a full broadside.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

If you let me play as Bernadotte I'll do a full Swedish impression. I'm not trying to bait anybody into anything, mind you.

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No future kings in this game, you closet Royalist!

I have some commitments in mid-April, so I would rather not push the start off too far into March.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snerk

I now prefer we play the dates El Barto is unavailable.

Also Denmark-Norway's navy is still intact at this point in history so any westerly ambitions from the Swedes will be met with a full broadside.

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*joins forces*

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Arakhor

No future kings in this game, you closet Royalist!

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‘Closet’?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sooh

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snerk

I now prefer we play the dates El Barto is unavailable.

Also Denmark-Norway's navy is still intact at this point in history so any westerly ambitions from the Swedes will be met with a full broadside.

---

*joins forces*

---

Excellent. You people set to sea while our hakapeliitat cross the Dovrefjäll.

Well, this game does posit the Royalists as the scum, so I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt. ~:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

‘Closet’?

Excellent. You people set to sea while our hakapeliitat cross the Dovrefjäll.

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Dovre is mine, forever. I will not forsake where my grandfather was born!

"Enige og tro til Dovre faller!"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sooh

"Enige og tro til Dovre faller!"

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Sooh just unlocked Norwegianism level 5. You may now drill for crude oil at your leisure.

The game is officially pushed back to a March 8 start. I believe this date is the best compromise between my own obligations as well as everybody's stated preferences. Please let me know if you have to drop out (or in Winston's case, if you're back in).

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

@Montmorency
@Csargo
@Lewwyn
@Renata
@Winston Hughes
@Dp101
@BSmith
@Zack
@Arakhor
@seireikhaan
@Choxorn
@atheotes
@Kagemusha
@Snerk
@Fenn
@Askthepizzaguy
@Sooh
@autolycus
@El Barto

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Snerk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sooh

Dovre is mine, forever. I will not forsake where my grandfather was born!

"Enige og tro til Dovre faller!"

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Sooh just unlocked Norwegianism level 5. You may now drill for crude oil at your leisure.

---

If you want to share it with Denmark, sure, go ahead.

Hacka på!

I'm ok with the date.

*sex* my life. I have to announce that the first full day cycle I'd be an extremely reticent poster, due to some RL events being idiotically postponed by forces beyond my control. I'm still very much willing to be Swedish Bernadotte, of course. Heh, I could put it down to Gallo-Scandian chivalry to let the ladies speak first, etc.

I'm good.

Fine with the date.:bow:

Yeh

I hereby declare that the contumacious Dano-Snorwegians' absence from the field of battle gives the Fenno-Swedish alliance the victory.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lewwyn

I'm good.

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Cocky. I like your confidence.

Celui-là seul a des droits dans notre patrie, qui a coopéré à l'affranchir.

ok I will play

insert stock "I'll be busy" cover for if I rand wolf but also because I just feel like trying to limit myself and likely failing

oh hey cool classic "post in before you read the sign up syndrome" has struck again and I now realize this is multifaction

you're all goin down everybody else

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Monstrdude

oh hey cool classic "post in before you read the sign up syndrome" has struck again and I now realize this is multifaction

you're all goin down everybody else

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Planning to claim SK are you?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dp101

Planning to claim SK are you?

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perhaps

Or maybe I'll do another cop claim except this time I'll actually really be the doctor (I've actually done this before)

A fake claimer? :rtwno:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

A fake claimer? :rtwno:

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say what you will but not only did I fake peek a wolf I successfully doc protected the night kill the following night

I get results

out tho

I'm putting mafia in my past

apologies GH, good luck everyone

~:wave:

What the hell. I probably shouldn't but sign me up. Obligatory note however, I'm going to see a pain management/physical medicine specialist on the morning of the 8th, so I might end up playing heavily drugged depending on what route we take.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

~:wave:

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Lol k

in :verycool:

In, provided fluency in French is not a prerequisite.

Two more players, and then the Terror begins. :evil:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jabbz

What the hell. I probably shouldn't but sign me up. Obligatory note however, I'm going to see a pain management/physical medicine specialist on the morning of the 8th, so I might end up playing heavily drugged depending on what route we take.

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Sobriety is not required. Hey, sedation might actually be good when dealing with some of the posters.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Monstrdude

Lol k

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We can still welcome you back.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Logic

In, provided fluency in French is not a prerequisite.

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Given that about 70% of the vocabulary of what is known as ‘English’ comes from Latin and French, both languages are easier to understand than you'd expect.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GeneralHankerchief

Two more players, and then the Terror begins. :evil:

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Ouiiiiiiiii!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by El Barto

Given that about 70% of the vocabulary of what is known as ‘English’ comes from Latin and French, both languages are easier to understand than you'd expect.

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Excepting the fact the French is the language where consonants are optional, and English is not a Romance language. :tongue:

While it's true that English is from the Germanic family of languages, El Barto is right. Technically. The problem is that those numbers include words from both that are used primarily or exclusively in medical and scientific terms. If you take that out it eases those numbers a bit, but the language is still dominated by those two sources.

Happy birthday GH! Have a good one!:2thumbsup:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Logic

Excepting the fact the French is the language where consonants are optional, and English is not a Romance language. :tongue:

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In red are all the words of Romance origin for you. ;)

(that's my gift to GH who, when sober, tends to appreciate the classics)

That's misleading, since modern cognates will often differ in meaning.