The sea twisted and roiled in unruly discontent, spraying saltwater across the deck. The helmsman stood his post with white knuckles and a steely glint in his eyes. Standing next to him, a scarecrow figure in wind-whipped clothing clutched the railing with one hand for support, flashes of lightning caught in the reflection of his steel-rimmed glasses. Against the blackened horizon, a darker, mountainous shape rose out of the sea.
"That's it," murmured the scarecrow, putting a hand on the helmsman's shoulder, voice nearly drowned by the wind.
The greater part of a man's head emerged from the hatch belowdecks, a lantern held in one hand. He nodded to the helmsman's companion, who stuffed wax into each ear before the man returned below - sealing the hold tight. The helmsman looked at him questioningly - but received nothing but a pointed stare.
When the keening wail rose out of the night, the sailors were at first confused. Superstitious folk, they muttered prayers and curses, and spat into the shadows.
Suspicion filled the helmsman's face, and his hand crept towards a belaying pin. Too slowly. The musket shot caught him in the heart, and his body tumbled over the railing and was swallowed up by the ocean.
Uncaring, the shrieks grew louder, like the screams of damned souls - closer and closer, until deafening. But the peril was not in the cacophony, but the ragged strain of madness laced within it. Blood seeped from the sailor's ears, and horror was etched across every expression. One by one they dropped to the deck, eyes glazing, or jumped in mad panick into the sea to drown the noise. Until only one man remained.
He plucked the wax from each ear, dabbing at a thin trickle of blood from one ear with a stainless handkerchief. Taking the dead helmsman's place, he guided the ship until it struck the approaching island's reef, with a sickening crunch.
Whistling tunelessly, he knocked on the hatch twice with one fist. The hatch was unlocked and he dropped halfway down the steps before turning his face towards the island.
"Soon they'll be yours," he whispered, and descended the steps into darkness.
The Announcement
Hello, writers forum/colosseum-goers/mafiosos! As council member from the MTGS Mafia subforum, I'd like to extend what I hope will be the first of many invitations to collaborate between our subforums.
Mafia is a forum roleplaying game in which a small group of players, the mafia, attempts to prey on a larger majority, which defends itself by seeking to use its own wits and cunning to uncover their identities before they're killed themselves.
Mafia games are often carefully crafted and design by their hosts, with painstaking attention to detail, storytelling, and flavor, to enhance the experience for the players.
In the interests of finding new and interesting tales to tell, the mafia forum has decided to launch its first-ever Mafia Flavor Contest, open to all challengers. Here's how it will work.
1. Write a killer opening flavor post for a mafia game.
2. Within one month's time (deadline 6-20-11), submit that post to this thread.
3. By popular acclaim, the community will vote to declare the first, second, and third place winners, the flavor settings that they would most love to see turned into an entirely new mafia game. The voting period will last one week.
4. Upon selecting the winners, game moderators will utilize the flavor of the winning writers to draft a new game setting and design.
5. Those writers who wish to continue with the process can elect to assist the game moderator in writing subsequent flavor for the game upon launch, or can take a guaranteed slot to play in that game.
Looking forward to seeing your submissions, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. The contest begins now.
The sea twisted and roiled in unruly discontent, spraying saltwater across the deck. The helmsman stood his post with white knuckles and a steely glint in his eyes. Standing next to him, a scarecrow figure in wind-whipped clothing clutched the railing with one hand for support, flashes of lightning caught in the reflection of his steel-rimmed glasses. Against the blackened horizon, a darker, mountainous shape rose out of the sea.
"That's it," murmured the scarecrow, putting a hand on the helmsman's shoulder, voice nearly drowned by the wind.
The greater part of a man's head emerged from the hatch belowdecks, a lantern held in one hand. He nodded to the helmsman's companion, who stuffed wax into each ear before the man returned below - sealing the hold tight. The helmsman looked at him questioningly - but received nothing but a pointed stare.
When the keening wail rose out of the night, the sailors were at first confused. Superstitious folk, they muttered prayers and curses, and spat into the shadows.
Suspicion filled the helmsman's face, and his hand crept towards a belaying pin. Too slowly. The musket shot caught him in the heart, and his body tumbled over the railing and was swallowed up by the ocean.
Uncaring, the shrieks grew louder, like the screams of damned souls - closer and closer, until deafening. But the peril was not in the cacophony, but the ragged strain of madness laced within it. Blood seeped from the sailor's ears, and horror was etched across every expression. One by one they dropped to the deck, eyes glazing, or jumped in mad panick into the sea to drown the noise. Until only one man remained.
He plucked the wax from each ear, dabbing at a thin trickle of blood from one ear with a stainless handkerchief. Taking the dead helmsman's place, he guided the ship until it struck the approaching island's reef, with a sickening crunch.
Whistling tunelessly, he knocked on the hatch twice with one fist. The hatch was unlocked and he dropped halfway down the steps before turning his face towards the island.
"Soon they'll be yours," he whispered, and descended the steps into darkness.
The Announcement
Hello, writers forum/colosseum-goers/mafiosos! As council member from the MTGS Mafia subforum, I'd like to extend what I hope will be the first of many invitations to collaborate between our subforums.
Mafia is a forum roleplaying game in which a small group of players, the mafia, attempts to prey on a larger majority, which defends itself by seeking to use its own wits and cunning to uncover their identities before they're killed themselves.
Mafia games are often carefully crafted and design by their hosts, with painstaking attention to detail, storytelling, and flavor, to enhance the experience for the players.
In the interests of finding new and interesting tales to tell, the mafia forum has decided to launch its first-ever Mafia Flavor Contest, open to all challengers. Here's how it will work.
1. Write a killer opening flavor post for a mafia game.
2. Within one month's time (deadline 6-20-11), submit that post to this thread.
3. By popular acclaim, the community will vote to declare the first, second, and third place winners, the flavor settings that they would most love to see turned into an entirely new mafia game. The voting period will last one week.
4. Upon selecting the winners, game moderators will utilize the flavor of the winning writers to draft a new game setting and design.
5. Those writers who wish to continue with the process can elect to assist the game moderator in writing subsequent flavor for the game upon launch, or can take a guaranteed slot to play in that game.
Looking forward to seeing your submissions, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. The contest begins now.
Past Examples of High-Flavor Games:
The Asphodel Meadows
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=220369
Inheritance Mafia
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=152949
The Greenwood Affair
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=93461
Sin City Mafia
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=24886
World of Warcraft: Secret of Grim Batol
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=313101
Tales of the Fantastic Mafia
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=155704
Lord of the Rings
http://forums.mtgsalvation.com/showthread.php?t=206591