Premise:
Some time ago I began an experimental game which involved every player having the same goal, which was simply to survive to the end of the game. They were all told they were "the traitor" and that it would be very difficult to nightkill anyone while so many people were still alive, near-impossible. There were subtle hints in the role PM and in the title of the game and in the writeups, it got progressively more explicit what the real goal was. Ultimately, that was the golden rule... treat others as you would have them treat you. The game very nearly was won when people decided the correct course of action was to refrain from lynching or murdering anyone. However, some got an itchy trigger finger and started attempting murder. After several traitors had been killed, people became aware they were not the only traitor. Still it persisted until they had all killed one another. An interesting experiment, a fun game, and everyone got to play the game as they saw fit... one player eventually decided, albeit too late, not to go on murdering, and was promptly lynched. It was a memorable game, but I had been thinking about the opposite set-up... instead of all the players being scumbags, what if everyone in the game were a townie? And then, what would the challenge be? Who would be the antagonist?
And so was born... The Snatcher. 7 townies isolated on a space ship, with a hidden enemy. The ship was stranded on an unknown, dark planet floating through space. The crew exited the craft to get fuel, and returned by the end of the day. And now there were 8 life forms aboard the vessel.
Host notes-
In order to ensure fairness to the best of my ability, the Snatcher would be unable to murder anyone. the Snatcher would also have no choice as to which player's body it would inhabit for the day, and it would inhabit a new body every day. Each inhabited player would become aware that their actions were being compromised, and then released from the Snatcher's control... which would help them figure out what was going on. Of course, the game would be over very quickly if every inhabited player could simply blurt out "I've been snatched!" after the fact. You'd simply use deduction to figure out who had been inhabited that day. Since I would have to inhabit everyone, there would be no chance for a town loss by the final round, because the lynch choice would be obvious. So to make it fair on their end, they would have to refrain from discussing their own snatching. To compensate for that, the lynches would not be lethal to the townies, only to a snatched player.
I would have to inhabit the mind of every living player for an entire day, and then leave a little souvenir behind, and move onto the next one. Should I become trapped in the body of a player being lynched, it would be game over. In theory, with a lynch (rather than a duel) every day, the game could have lasted for 7 rounds. By the final round, 6 townies would have been aware of the situation and probably could have seen the obvious signs of a snatching, such as delayed responses or thread inactivity while the player was active elsewhere (I can't be at the computer all day long to give responses to queries). If I had inhabited a player that was suspicious, that was tough luck. If my player was inactive that day, my hands were tied. Further, if I am ordering people to vote for a lynch, who do I choose for that lynch? In order to create the illusion that I was potentially one of the other players, I had to be careful who I picked. Especially because I had to become that player in a later round, and I would have attracted suspicion onto that player, while in another person's mind. But I also had to think of surviving in the current round... every player had to be fair game if I was to survive each round. By the end I had much difficulty selecting a vote for a lynch... As AVSM and Death is Yonder, I might have made it seem like Shinseikhaan or atheotes was the Snatcher. As Death is Yonder, I already voted for atheotes. Now how was I going to convince anyone that I wasn't Shinseikhaan, the player I was inhabiting that round? I couldn't vote for AVSM as Khaan, because AVSM probably would have just counter-voted, and DIY already could have thought me scum. I didn't think I could get atheotes to side with me. It seemed like the only one I would be successful in starting a bandwagon on was myself. And Khaan's style was very brief... I wouldn't be able to be too wordy while controlling him, it would have been an obvious giveaway. I simply had to vote correctly and hope. This was not a walk in the park by any means. Even on round one I ran into trouble.
The order of snatching was randomized courtesy of Random.org.
1. Johnhughthom
2. AVSM
3. Death is Yonder
4. Chaotix
5. Shinseikhaan
6. White_Eyes:D
7. atheotes
I knew this was going to be difficult for me, especially with White_Eyes near the end of the game, and Khaan in later rounds. I knew Khaan would get voted in later rounds (if he survived that long) because he attracts votes like nothing else. White_Eyes' style of play could also mean trouble for me if he survived that long and hadn't been tossed in the cold fuel yet, because I believe he would also attract votes.
ROUND ONE-
I sent a message to Johnhughthom informing him that he had fallen under the control of The Snatcher, and that all his actions would come directly from PM, and there would be no others. I had him vote for atheotes just to get things rolling; I didn't believe atheotes would OMGUS vote John... and I was WRONG. Then, Chaotix also voted for him. I was getting nervous... this was a cool set-up and I had an exciting plot written and everything was going to get exposed right away. I nudged people to vote. Then Shinseikhaan voted for John as well, and by now I was thinking "oh bloody (expletive)". I was sure I was dead. 3 votes on the first round? Try reversing that!
I panicked and sent John a message to switch votes to Chaotix to get 2 votes on him, but Khaan had already had two votes... it was the better move. But I was too late, he had switched to Chaotix.
Now what?
AVSM reminded John that he was still doomed, and I had a convenient excuse to alter his vote again. Now I was tied with Khaan at 3 votes.... but after all those obvious moves, I was looking scummier than a still pond at a sewage treatment plant.
Chaotix broke the tie in John's favor, and I nearly jumped for joy. Then White_Eyes voted for Chaotix, and then Atheotes changed his vote to Chaotix... and John was in the clear. I wiped the huge amounts of nervous sweat off of my face and waited for my heart to stop spazzing. Shinseikhaan correctly protests... "hey! Why is John getting away with this?" And no one listens to him. Poor guy. Chaotix also agrees that john is scum but can't move his vote for self-preservation reasons. After Chaotix tried pleading with people to shift votes to John, the 24 hours were up. John has survived the round.
Khaan and Chaotix square off, Khaan picks paper and Chaotix picks rock. Khaan wins. Sad that either of them had to go, they were both really on the ball. Lots of enthusiasm for the ninja duels.
ROUND TWO-
AVSM makes a joke about inviting a horrific night session. How prophetic he is. I release John from my manipulative grip and I invade AVSM's brain. Now he's MINE! No murders during the night, the ship is damaged, and someone screams in pain. <----Clues.
Now I take advantage of how scummy John looked last round and I ask AVSM to vote for him. White_Eyes invites a bandwagon on himself. John votes for AVSM.... and I'm thinking... be calm... be calm... it's just one. Soon John and White_Eyes were tied for a duel... at this rate, murdering wouldn't have been necessary at all.
White_Eyes selects scissors and John selects rock, after a somewhat quiet round. John defeats him and White_eyes gets the death he apparently wanted.
Night- systems were sabotaged and people were complaining of headaches. But no murders. <----Clues.
ROUND THREE-
I released A Very Super Market after A Very Super Day and inhabited the mind of Death is Yonder. Khaan was still after John, and John was still after AVSM. I didn't want to look like a dirty bandwagoner, so I picked atheotes. He was hardly getting any suspicion on him all game, so I was hoping to eliminate him soon. Otherwise I might have gotten stuck inside of him just at the same time people were getting tired of the usual candidates. Atheotes votes for Khaan. The round is so woefully inactive I have to prod AVSM to even vote... he breaks the tie and John goes for a swim. he could just as easily have voted for Death is Yonder, creating an uncomfortable 5-way tie that I would be ethically obligated not to break on my own, because I knew too much.
Night phase- more screams, a figure lurching through the corridors, and lots more sabotage. There was clearly an alien presence posing as a human. But that's all the clues you were getting... now I was about to face another round of excruciating decisions.
ROUND FOUR-
I had already been AVSM, and Khaan had been gathering suspicion all game long. If I had voted for AVSM, I was pretty sure he would OMGUS vote me to death. I had just been Death is Yonder, and I'm sure he would have voted for Khaan if I had him vote for Death is Yonder. If I were to vote for atheotes, as I did last round as Death is Yonder, DIY might have been tipped off that Khaan was under my influence. What do I do? What do I do? I was panicking. I told Khaan he was under my control, but I didn't have an order to give him.
I wanted to wait and see what would happen that round, but Khaan was also absent IRL. He might have had a maximum of one visit to the thread in 24 hours. I needed to give him a final vote right now; there might be no second chances. Oh, to be stuck inside Khaan... If I had been atheotes I would have been fine. Just vote for Khaan and you'd be all done. But no, I had to be the suspicious one.
This round, John was scheduled to be released if the town voted for that option, not that it would have mattered. This was the deciding round... unless AVSM or DIY got lynched, this was it. I was not looking forward to being atheotes in the final round after AVSM or DIY got lynched. He had been quiet all game and my mafia sense was tingling... he wouldn't live through the final round, not with me inside him. Or maybe I'm just paranoid.
Miraculously, AVSM votes for atheotes. WHAT??? Why? Nevermind, don't care, I'm with ya, buddy. As I predicted, atheotes counter-voted me. Khaan was just scummier than AVSM, who never even got close to being lynched. Then death is yonder sided with atheotes, also as I predicted... obviously the snatcher was not atheotes because last round I had him vote for him! See the clues? I was now hoist with my own petard. If AVSM changed his vote to Khaan, my pizza would have been fully cooked.
atheotes wisely demonstrated he was not a-skeer'd of being tossed in the cold soup, and that made Khaan look even worse. But no one budged. I was sweating bullets.
The round ends in a tie and I'm still worried that Khaan would pick the wrong thing and I'd die... but I was happy because either way it turned out, there would be one heck of a climactic and nail-biting ending. I can't tell you how exciting this game was to host.
Khaan chose scissors... and I was thinking... "oh no.... everyone picks rock. I'm doomed!"
But atheotes chose paper, and the fate of the 7 on board the Canis Majoris was sealed. Now to do my players justice by giving them a memorable epic write-up and some nice uncertainty as the night wore on... what would happen to them? The eggs I laid in their brains would hatch, their heads would explode, and my offspring would feast off of their entrails. Otherwise it would have not been nearly as frightening a game. There had to be a lot at stake, of course.
I have inserted myself into certain games before, but always very cautious to make sure it made sense and was justifiable and fair. The amount of handicaps I gave myself and the number of times I nearly died, and the number of chances that the townies potentially had to get it right, told me that the game was fair. But I also realize not everyone might share my assessment, and if that is the case, I do apologize. It was an experimental game, which might not have been balanced (I felt it was) as experiments usually go. I hoped that the story, the suspense, the setting, and the violence you come to expect from my games would at least keep things fun. I was nearly dead right away, and I almost died in the final round again, and everything was decided by a very fair game of rock-paper-scissors, the outcome of which was determined by the players themselves.
Re: The Snatcher
- Proud Horseman of the Presence
Originally Posted by atheotes
what's up with the blood in AVSM's quarters? i am not sure what to make from the write-up...
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