@Rhand
Wherever you are, nice legacy. Hopefully life is going alright. Would like to play with you again!
I think I made it fairly obvious that I was angling towards Dels for most of the end of D2? I was trying to keep it civil with him so I could get shadow lynched or at least make it really hard to lynch me, but then going V/LA kinda screwed that up. I had vaulted Vaimes up quite a bit by that point and the reason I never really looked at/talked about sheep much is I had Dels a tick above him in my real reads. The way Dels interacted with me the entire Day just made me more and more suspicious. I had some stuff I was going to post either if my lynch looked inevitable or in twilight, but obviously didn't make it back in time for that to play out. The Dr. cc was the nail in the coffin for me.
I think I did alright given the pressure I entered the game under, but obviously could have done better.
@Dels
Despite you trying to drive my lynch all Day and me being increasingly suspicious of you, it was nice to have some that actually read my posts and went back and forth in a non-toxic manner. Was fun to play with you and I think you did a really damn good job.
@Vaimes
Good job figuring it out. You asked me to project in your first post to me and I think I did that at least decently enough even though it didn't really change anything in the game.
@Eco
Thanks for the game and having me replace in!
The hero who ended the Great Patriotic War, you led the Red Army into Berlin and personally received the German surrender. This, as you enjoy telling people, makes you kind of a big deal.
While you prefer fighting with guns and bravery rather than words and daggers in backs, you are keenly aware that any power wishing to occupy the power vacuum after Stalin’s death would be very reliant on your support and the support of the Russian military. However, the current conspiracy has not approached, making you very nervous indeed. Prove yourself loyal to the party, and you will surely reap the rewards.
Leonid Brezhnev - Central Committee Member
Town Doctor
Former Commissar in the Red Army, and then Party First Secretary of the Moldivian SSR, at the time of Stalin’s death, you held only a relatively minor post within the central committee.
You can clearly see the maelstrom enveloping the party as they plot and scheme to enhance their position in the wake of this tragedy. Your game, however, is a longer one. Let them play their games and stab each other in the back. When the dust settles you’ll be poised for your own machinations to begin - so long as you still have you life.
Abilities:
You may use your connections and presence as only a minor player to manipulate and guide the schemes of others to your benefit. Each Night, you may choose a person. This player will be protected from all deaths that Night.
Anastas Mikoyan - Minister for Trade
Town Vanilla
An old-school Bolshevik, you have made a career out of resilience: gaining prominence under Lenin, and continuing to rise under Stalin to your current post. However, you have begun to fall out of favour with Stalin, which is a very risky situation indeed.
His death comes, therefore, as something of a relief (of course, only very privately) - but only briefly. You once again need to rely on your skills at picking the winning side and - importantly - not getting killed in the process. This current conspiracy is not that side, and if you can demonstrate your value to the party in rooting it out, you stand to gain even more than you have before.
Vyacheslav Molotov - Minister for Foreign Affairs
Town Tracker
An Old Bolshevik and key Soviet diplomat, noted for your work negotiating with both the Germans (in 1939) and the Allies (in 1945) in your post as Foreign Minister. During this time, the people of Finland lovingly named the cluster bombs dropped on them as “Molotov’s Bread Baskets”, and generously invented a cocktail to go along with them.
However, your relationship with Stalin was becoming fractured, and with his public disparaging in a speech to the Party Congress you feared your days were numbered. His death is therefore a timely tragedy, but despite yourself you remain loyal to Stalin and Stalin’s ideals - the conspiracy to undermine his great work must be repelled!
Abilities:
As a diplomat and Foreign Minister, you have a number of useful connections. Each Night, you may dispatch agents to follow a chosen player. You will be told who this player visits (if anyone), but not what they do.
Vasily Stalin - Son of Stalin
Vanilla Town
People would describe you as a short-fused, reckless drunk. You prefer to think of yourself as a pilot, ice-hockey enthusiast, and all-around fun guy. The kind of fun-loving guy who can very easily have people killed who call him nasty things.
Your father’s death comes as a shock, which makes the vodka medicinal. Despite being utterly uninterested in politics, you have become an important piece in the game of succession. You are mostly concerned with getting through it unscathed and getting back to coaching the USSR air force hockey team, but you must work together with those odious minions to remove the conspiracy threatening your father’s achievements - and you by extension.
Nikita Khrushchev - 1st Secretary of the Moscow Committee
Town 1-shot Vigilante
Former governor of Ukraine, Commissar in the Red Army, survivor the gruelling siege of Stalingrad, you have risen to the position of first secretary of the Moscow Committee, effectively acting as the mayor of Moscow and one of the most powerful political figures in the Soviet Union.
Stalin’s death leaves you perfectly poised to seize power for yourself: but the unfolding conspiracy stands in your way. You must work together with the other loyal party members to root out those who threaten Stalin’s legacy - and your own.
Abilities:
Your position and charisma allows you to leverage the rest of the committee and force favourable outcomes. Once during the game at Night, you may select a player and find them guilty of anti-party, anti-soviet activities and have them summarily executed.
Lavrentiy Beria - Head of NKVD Security Forces
Vanilla Town
Marshall of the Soviet Union and long-serving chief of the NKVD (effectively the secret police), you have overseen an unimaginable amount of atrocity and death - all for the good of the Party of course. Compared to Himmler, you were even given responsibility of overseeing the Soviet atomic bomb project.
Your position of unique power and influence and the legion of men under your command has left you strong stead following the (obviously tragic) death of the beloved Party Chairman. However, another conspiracy appears to have started first, and you lack the support to oppose it alone. By rooting it out alongside loyal party members, perhaps you can also work out who will be loyal to your cause when your turn comes.
Maria Yudina - Pianist
Town Vanilla
A talented pianist with a deep loathing of Stalin, you were galled at being required to repeat a live performance so it could be recorded for the man who had your family and friends killed.
You never expected to be involved in a political firestorm, but unfortunately the note you wrote to Stalin to accompany your recording was found on his corpse. Although this was grimly satisfying, it has embroiled you in the fight for power as a pawn and leverage against politicians you knew. You are to play at Stalin’s funeral, but your greatest performance will be to escape this conspiracy with your life intact.
Nikolai Bulganin - Minister for Defense
Town Vanilla
A loyal Stalinist, you rose through dead men’s shoes after the Great Purge, taking numerous posts and ending up as Minister for Defense during the Great Patriotic War, despite never commanding on the front lines.
While you may not have any designs on power yourself, the death of Stalin has thrown the world into upheaval. Conspirators hound you and the other party loyalists, and if they seize power you know that the price for opposing them will be more than just demotion.
Role PMs: Mafia
Georgy Malenkov - Deputy Party Leader
Mafia Goon
Originally in charge of overseeing the records of the party, your connections with the Vladimir Lenin have catapulted you almost to the very top of the pyramid. Stalin himself groomed you as his direct heir, and with his death you are finally ready to achieve your life’s work.
However, even as you prepare to eulogize the former leader alongside the party, you know that succession will not come easily: there are enemies on all sides, and there are already whispers of conspiracy. Which is why you need to strike the first blow.
With your staunch allies X and Y, you must work together to seize total control of the party and the Soviet Union, taking your rightful place as Stalin’s successor.
Lazar Kaganovich - Minister for Labour
Mafia One-Shot Backup Roleblocker
An old-school Bolshevik, you were at the forefront of the revolution and ascension of the Communist Party and upon Stalin’s installation as General Secretary, you were justly rewarded with crucial interior positions. You, in turn, repaid Stalin by falsifying votes to ensure he was re-elected in 1934. You earned the title Hero of Socialist Labour for your actions in the Great Patriotic War, and moved through ministerial posts to end up in your current position - a key member of the Politburo.
However, the death of Stalin threatens to undermine all of your accomplishments: already anti-Stalinist elements smell the blood of his close allies in the water. You must protect Stalin’s legacy and - more importantly - yourself.
You have therefore teamed up with X and Y to seize control of the Party and the Soviet Union.
Abilities:
While you have a strong dislike of getting your hands dirty, you are no stranger to doing what must be done. Once per game during the Night, if the Mafia Roleblocker is dead, you may use your iconic hammer to knock a player unconscious, preventing them from taking any action that Night.
Svetlana Stalina - Daughter of Stalin
Mafia Roleblocker
Your father is, was a difficult man. Raised by a Nanny you rarely your parents, and when you were six he drove your beloved mother to commit suicide. He relentlessly disapproved of your life and choices: who you loved (and married), what you learned, how you acted. Despite all this, he was still your father and you loved him in a way, and it pains you to see how his “loyal” friends scheme and bicker in the wake of his passing.
You may not be a politician, but your heritage involves you in the situation nonetheless: your endorsement is valuable in the struggle, as well as your safety. It would be easy to follow the promises of protection and support, but you are your father’s daughter, and some of his fire burns within you too. You will not stand idly see his legacy tarnished by bickering old men.
You have sided with your co-conspirators X and Y to seize control of the Party and the Soviet Union.
Abilities:
Each Night, you may approach a player and - turning on the waterworks - trick them into keeping you safe all Night. Not only will this render them deeply uncomfortable, it will also prevent them from taking any action that Night.
Night Actions
While it’s very easy to remain a minor player and play the long game in such a cut-throat, short-sighted power struggle, it is very difficult to do so deliberately without people noticing and getting worried. Fortunately you have scratched the right backs and greased the right palms to keep yourself in the shadows.
You have decided that Lissa’s continued existence is beneficial to your plans, so you dispatch some goons to quietly keep watch and keep them safe.
You have successfully protected Lissa
After retiring to your room, you immediately pick up the phone and begin contacting your network of allies and informants within Moscow. Your web spreads out around Shadow, with his every move covered and carefully recorded. The ashtray gradually fills with cigarette butts as you wait for news. An nervous young man brings an encrypted telegram to your door. You shoo him away and read it - Shadowlancer is on the move. You have confidence in your agents, but that doesn’t stop the stress. You pace your room waiting for more news, when there is a knock on the door - another messenger.
As you open the door, a frown passes across your face - you do not recognise this one.
“Comrade Molotov, Shadowlancer visited another committee member Dels_8’s apartment, and was seen hurrying out moments ago.”
Interesting news. You stand there considering the ramifications of such a meeting.
You do not notice the messenger produce a gun.
“My apologies comrade. This is for the good of the party”
The good of the party? What nonsense is...oh.
There is a hole in your chest. Your ears are ringing but you don’t remember hearing the bang.
You have successfully Tracked Shadowlancer, who visited Dels_8. You have also been killed
Already one loyal party member executed falsely for betrayal. You snort - as if Beria had really been the first. Truly though, these are desperate times, and the long-cultivated paranoia of enemies of the state at every turn has finally come true. Throughout the theatrics yesterday, you noticed a certain detachment from Wheat_Grinder. Could that spineless idiot really be behind this? The man barely even knows how to tie his own shoelaces!
But what if. Maybe it was all an act? Could he have waited this long? He has old allies after all, and perhaps their loyalty to each other comes ahead of even the party. It is decided, he is now a liability and must be removed. You begin to compose a letter.
“It is with profound sorrow that I must divulge that Wheat_Grinder has turned his coat and become a traitor to the party. His long-held anti-soviet beliefs are coming to a head, and he threatens to destroy the Party and the very country itself. His lies and manipulation are responsible for the unjust and unfortunate head of the NKVD, our beloved comrade Lavrentiy Beria.”
Blah blah blah, make up some more accusations, fabricate some testimony, put the official stamp on it, hand it off to a guard. Easy peasy, you’ve done this all before.
You are not sure that is a good thing.
You have successfully killed Wheat_Grinder
You awaken startled to the sound of your door being destroyed. A bright light is shoved into your face and you blearily try and make out the people behind it.
“Comrade Mikoyan?”
You don’t even have time to say “Are you ******* kidding me?!” before the black bag is placed over your head and you are physically dragged out of the room.
The night is cold, and the binding on your hands hurts with a dull throbbing. You are aware of an authoritative voice reading what sounds like a list of charges, but the black bag muffles the sounds. Still half asleep, you desperately hope this is a very unpleasant dream - after all, you have been loyal to the party specifically in order to avoid this sort of thing.
The voice has stopped, and expectancy hangs in the air. You’re not really sure what’s going on, so you ask. It comes out wavering. The black back is ripped from your head and the brisk air catches in your throat. A stony-faced soldier is inches from your face.
“I asked you for your last words comrade”
“What the F-”
The shot rings out through the clear night.
You know where LastWhisper lives. It is not a difficult thing to find out, especially since he’s lived in the same modest apartment for decades, even after climbing the political ranks. You find it easy to hate him - he stands in the way of true progress, of your power. But what’s worse is he does it out of genuine loyalty to the Party and Stalin’s ideals. He doesn’t seem to understand that one must change with the times. And the times have undergone a seismic shift.
You knock on the door, and he - trustingly - answers it. Out of courtesy for his long service, you apologise before shooting him.
You have successfully killed LastWhisper
The plan has been hatched. A careful misdirection, a bluff to anyone who suspects those within the conspiracy. Wheels within wheels, fooling the eyes that are always watching. You wait until cover of darkness before you sneak out to Dels_8’s apartment. You move with exaggerated sneakiness, leaping from bush to bush and scampering between cover. You enter his apartment block through a side entrance before stealing into his room.
“Oh no” he says, theatrically. “A helpless woman requires my assistance! As a gentleman I am honour bound to look after her”.
You drink vodka together and smoke. Some plotting happens. It is a pleasant evening all told.
As you steal away into the night, you make sure to look around furtively. A masterful performance.
You have successfully blocked Dels_8
Nothing happened!
With so few people of power left alive, you’re struggling to not become too obvious before you’re ready. Still, there are advantages - not so many stooges to have to manipulate means not so many to eliminate when the time comes.
One such stooge you’d like to keep around is Killjoy. Valuable in the short term, and a useful pawn in the long. You make the measures necessary to ensure he isn’t removed.
You have successfully protected Killjoy
One of the worst problems of Stalin’s reign - apart from the mass murder of course - was the corruption and cronyism. Worst of all, the nepotism towards his ridiculous, idiot son. His protected status allowed him to drink, fight, and generally be a nuisance with a clumsy obliviousness. I mean did he really think that no-one would notice that he accidentally killed the entire national ice hockey team? I mean come on.
But now, his status has changed to very much endangered, and you’ve got a lot of insults to pay him back for.
You have successfully killed Lissa
Attractive but modest dress? Check.
Tears at the ready? Check.
Sad fluffy toy? Check
Heart-breaking sobs? Well practised.
You knock on Vaimes’ door and set your lip trembling. The fool will have no choice but stay up all night with you, rendering him completely unable to do anything else to stop the conspiracy. You hope that he at least has some nice vodka to pass the time.
You have successfully blocked Vaimes
You might not have as many shadows to hide behind, but with the conspiracy crumbling maybe that’s not a bad thing any more. Soon enough you’ll be able to push over whatever skeleton remains and seize the reins of power yourself.
Vaimes is the latest beneficiary of your wheels within wheels. Deals are stuck and goons dispatched. Vaimes will be safe.
For now.
You have successfully protected Vaimes
Your conspiracy is crumbling around your ears. These fools have somehow blundered their way into disrupting your plans, apparently unaware that they are dooming themselves to more mismanagement and toadying.
Fools, you could have done so much! But now your dreams lie as broken as the bodies of your comrades. Still, you’re not done yet. You can still lash out and punish those who would deny you.
Muttering to yourself, you leave a small explosive device outside Vaimes’ door. Beating a hasty retreat, you strain your ears for Vaimes’ doom.
Wherever you are, nice legacy. Hopefully life is going alright. Would like to play with you again!
I think I made it fairly obvious that I was angling towards Dels for most of the end of D2? I was trying to keep it civil with him so I could get shadow lynched or at least make it really hard to lynch me, but then going V/LA kinda screwed that up. I had vaulted Vaimes up quite a bit by that point and the reason I never really looked at/talked about sheep much is I had Dels a tick above him in my real reads. The way Dels interacted with me the entire Day just made me more and more suspicious. I had some stuff I was going to post either if my lynch looked inevitable or in twilight, but obviously didn't make it back in time for that to play out. The Dr. cc was the nail in the coffin for me.
I think I did alright given the pressure I entered the game under, but obviously could have done better.
@Dels
Despite you trying to drive my lynch all Day and me being increasingly suspicious of you, it was nice to have some that actually read my posts and went back and forth in a non-toxic manner. Was fun to play with you and I think you did a really damn good job.
@Vaimes
Good job figuring it out. You asked me to project in your first post to me and I think I did that at least decently enough even though it didn't really change anything in the game.
@Eco
Thanks for the game and having me replace in!
Stop it.
Role PMs: Town
Georgy Zhukov - Head of the Red Army
Vanilla Town
The hero who ended the Great Patriotic War, you led the Red Army into Berlin and personally received the German surrender. This, as you enjoy telling people, makes you kind of a big deal.
While you prefer fighting with guns and bravery rather than words and daggers in backs, you are keenly aware that any power wishing to occupy the power vacuum after Stalin’s death would be very reliant on your support and the support of the Russian military. However, the current conspiracy has not approached, making you very nervous indeed. Prove yourself loyal to the party, and you will surely reap the rewards.
Leonid Brezhnev - Central Committee Member
Town Doctor
Former Commissar in the Red Army, and then Party First Secretary of the Moldivian SSR, at the time of Stalin’s death, you held only a relatively minor post within the central committee.
You can clearly see the maelstrom enveloping the party as they plot and scheme to enhance their position in the wake of this tragedy. Your game, however, is a longer one. Let them play their games and stab each other in the back. When the dust settles you’ll be poised for your own machinations to begin - so long as you still have you life.
Abilities:
You may use your connections and presence as only a minor player to manipulate and guide the schemes of others to your benefit. Each Night, you may choose a person. This player will be protected from all deaths that Night.
Anastas Mikoyan - Minister for Trade
Town Vanilla
An old-school Bolshevik, you have made a career out of resilience: gaining prominence under Lenin, and continuing to rise under Stalin to your current post. However, you have begun to fall out of favour with Stalin, which is a very risky situation indeed.
His death comes, therefore, as something of a relief (of course, only very privately) - but only briefly. You once again need to rely on your skills at picking the winning side and - importantly - not getting killed in the process. This current conspiracy is not that side, and if you can demonstrate your value to the party in rooting it out, you stand to gain even more than you have before.
Vyacheslav Molotov - Minister for Foreign Affairs
Town Tracker
An Old Bolshevik and key Soviet diplomat, noted for your work negotiating with both the Germans (in 1939) and the Allies (in 1945) in your post as Foreign Minister. During this time, the people of Finland lovingly named the cluster bombs dropped on them as “Molotov’s Bread Baskets”, and generously invented a cocktail to go along with them.
However, your relationship with Stalin was becoming fractured, and with his public disparaging in a speech to the Party Congress you feared your days were numbered. His death is therefore a timely tragedy, but despite yourself you remain loyal to Stalin and Stalin’s ideals - the conspiracy to undermine his great work must be repelled!
Abilities:
As a diplomat and Foreign Minister, you have a number of useful connections. Each Night, you may dispatch agents to follow a chosen player. You will be told who this player visits (if anyone), but not what they do.
Vasily Stalin - Son of Stalin
Vanilla Town
People would describe you as a short-fused, reckless drunk. You prefer to think of yourself as a pilot, ice-hockey enthusiast, and all-around fun guy. The kind of fun-loving guy who can very easily have people killed who call him nasty things.
Your father’s death comes as a shock, which makes the vodka medicinal. Despite being utterly uninterested in politics, you have become an important piece in the game of succession. You are mostly concerned with getting through it unscathed and getting back to coaching the USSR air force hockey team, but you must work together with those odious minions to remove the conspiracy threatening your father’s achievements - and you by extension.
Nikita Khrushchev - 1st Secretary of the Moscow Committee
Town 1-shot Vigilante
Former governor of Ukraine, Commissar in the Red Army, survivor the gruelling siege of Stalingrad, you have risen to the position of first secretary of the Moscow Committee, effectively acting as the mayor of Moscow and one of the most powerful political figures in the Soviet Union.
Stalin’s death leaves you perfectly poised to seize power for yourself: but the unfolding conspiracy stands in your way. You must work together with the other loyal party members to root out those who threaten Stalin’s legacy - and your own.
Abilities:
Your position and charisma allows you to leverage the rest of the committee and force favourable outcomes. Once during the game at Night, you may select a player and find them guilty of anti-party, anti-soviet activities and have them summarily executed.
Lavrentiy Beria - Head of NKVD Security Forces
Vanilla Town
Marshall of the Soviet Union and long-serving chief of the NKVD (effectively the secret police), you have overseen an unimaginable amount of atrocity and death - all for the good of the Party of course. Compared to Himmler, you were even given responsibility of overseeing the Soviet atomic bomb project.
Your position of unique power and influence and the legion of men under your command has left you strong stead following the (obviously tragic) death of the beloved Party Chairman. However, another conspiracy appears to have started first, and you lack the support to oppose it alone. By rooting it out alongside loyal party members, perhaps you can also work out who will be loyal to your cause when your turn comes.
Maria Yudina - Pianist
Town Vanilla
A talented pianist with a deep loathing of Stalin, you were galled at being required to repeat a live performance so it could be recorded for the man who had your family and friends killed.
You never expected to be involved in a political firestorm, but unfortunately the note you wrote to Stalin to accompany your recording was found on his corpse. Although this was grimly satisfying, it has embroiled you in the fight for power as a pawn and leverage against politicians you knew. You are to play at Stalin’s funeral, but your greatest performance will be to escape this conspiracy with your life intact.
Nikolai Bulganin - Minister for Defense
Town Vanilla
A loyal Stalinist, you rose through dead men’s shoes after the Great Purge, taking numerous posts and ending up as Minister for Defense during the Great Patriotic War, despite never commanding on the front lines.
While you may not have any designs on power yourself, the death of Stalin has thrown the world into upheaval. Conspirators hound you and the other party loyalists, and if they seize power you know that the price for opposing them will be more than just demotion.
Role PMs: Mafia
Georgy Malenkov - Deputy Party Leader
Mafia Goon
Originally in charge of overseeing the records of the party, your connections with the Vladimir Lenin have catapulted you almost to the very top of the pyramid. Stalin himself groomed you as his direct heir, and with his death you are finally ready to achieve your life’s work.
However, even as you prepare to eulogize the former leader alongside the party, you know that succession will not come easily: there are enemies on all sides, and there are already whispers of conspiracy. Which is why you need to strike the first blow.
With your staunch allies X and Y, you must work together to seize total control of the party and the Soviet Union, taking your rightful place as Stalin’s successor.
Lazar Kaganovich - Minister for Labour
Mafia One-Shot Backup Roleblocker
An old-school Bolshevik, you were at the forefront of the revolution and ascension of the Communist Party and upon Stalin’s installation as General Secretary, you were justly rewarded with crucial interior positions. You, in turn, repaid Stalin by falsifying votes to ensure he was re-elected in 1934. You earned the title Hero of Socialist Labour for your actions in the Great Patriotic War, and moved through ministerial posts to end up in your current position - a key member of the Politburo.
However, the death of Stalin threatens to undermine all of your accomplishments: already anti-Stalinist elements smell the blood of his close allies in the water. You must protect Stalin’s legacy and - more importantly - yourself.
You have therefore teamed up with X and Y to seize control of the Party and the Soviet Union.
Abilities:
While you have a strong dislike of getting your hands dirty, you are no stranger to doing what must be done. Once per game during the Night, if the Mafia Roleblocker is dead, you may use your iconic hammer to knock a player unconscious, preventing them from taking any action that Night.
Svetlana Stalina - Daughter of Stalin
Mafia Roleblocker
Your father is, was a difficult man. Raised by a Nanny you rarely your parents, and when you were six he drove your beloved mother to commit suicide. He relentlessly disapproved of your life and choices: who you loved (and married), what you learned, how you acted. Despite all this, he was still your father and you loved him in a way, and it pains you to see how his “loyal” friends scheme and bicker in the wake of his passing.
You may not be a politician, but your heritage involves you in the situation nonetheless: your endorsement is valuable in the struggle, as well as your safety. It would be easy to follow the promises of protection and support, but you are your father’s daughter, and some of his fire burns within you too. You will not stand idly see his legacy tarnished by bickering old men.
You have sided with your co-conspirators X and Y to seize control of the Party and the Soviet Union.
Abilities:
Each Night, you may approach a player and - turning on the waterworks - trick them into keeping you safe all Night. Not only will this render them deeply uncomfortable, it will also prevent them from taking any action that Night.
Night Actions
While it’s very easy to remain a minor player and play the long game in such a cut-throat, short-sighted power struggle, it is very difficult to do so deliberately without people noticing and getting worried. Fortunately you have scratched the right backs and greased the right palms to keep yourself in the shadows.
You have decided that Lissa’s continued existence is beneficial to your plans, so you dispatch some goons to quietly keep watch and keep them safe.
You have successfully protected Lissa
After retiring to your room, you immediately pick up the phone and begin contacting your network of allies and informants within Moscow. Your web spreads out around Shadow, with his every move covered and carefully recorded. The ashtray gradually fills with cigarette butts as you wait for news. An nervous young man brings an encrypted telegram to your door. You shoo him away and read it - Shadowlancer is on the move. You have confidence in your agents, but that doesn’t stop the stress. You pace your room waiting for more news, when there is a knock on the door - another messenger.
As you open the door, a frown passes across your face - you do not recognise this one.
“Comrade Molotov, Shadowlancer visited another committee member Dels_8’s apartment, and was seen hurrying out moments ago.”
Interesting news. You stand there considering the ramifications of such a meeting.
You do not notice the messenger produce a gun.
“My apologies comrade. This is for the good of the party”
The good of the party? What nonsense is...oh.
There is a hole in your chest. Your ears are ringing but you don’t remember hearing the bang.
You have successfully Tracked Shadowlancer, who visited Dels_8. You have also been killed
Already one loyal party member executed falsely for betrayal. You snort - as if Beria had really been the first. Truly though, these are desperate times, and the long-cultivated paranoia of enemies of the state at every turn has finally come true. Throughout the theatrics yesterday, you noticed a certain detachment from Wheat_Grinder. Could that spineless idiot really be behind this? The man barely even knows how to tie his own shoelaces!
But what if. Maybe it was all an act? Could he have waited this long? He has old allies after all, and perhaps their loyalty to each other comes ahead of even the party. It is decided, he is now a liability and must be removed. You begin to compose a letter.
“It is with profound sorrow that I must divulge that Wheat_Grinder has turned his coat and become a traitor to the party. His long-held anti-soviet beliefs are coming to a head, and he threatens to destroy the Party and the very country itself. His lies and manipulation are responsible for the unjust and unfortunate head of the NKVD, our beloved comrade Lavrentiy Beria.”
Blah blah blah, make up some more accusations, fabricate some testimony, put the official stamp on it, hand it off to a guard. Easy peasy, you’ve done this all before.
You are not sure that is a good thing.
You have successfully killed Wheat_Grinder
You awaken startled to the sound of your door being destroyed. A bright light is shoved into your face and you blearily try and make out the people behind it.
“Comrade Mikoyan?”
You don’t even have time to say “Are you ******* kidding me?!” before the black bag is placed over your head and you are physically dragged out of the room.
The night is cold, and the binding on your hands hurts with a dull throbbing. You are aware of an authoritative voice reading what sounds like a list of charges, but the black bag muffles the sounds. Still half asleep, you desperately hope this is a very unpleasant dream - after all, you have been loyal to the party specifically in order to avoid this sort of thing.
The voice has stopped, and expectancy hangs in the air. You’re not really sure what’s going on, so you ask. It comes out wavering. The black back is ripped from your head and the brisk air catches in your throat. A stony-faced soldier is inches from your face.
“I asked you for your last words comrade”
“What the F-”
The shot rings out through the clear night.
You know where LastWhisper lives. It is not a difficult thing to find out, especially since he’s lived in the same modest apartment for decades, even after climbing the political ranks. You find it easy to hate him - he stands in the way of true progress, of your power. But what’s worse is he does it out of genuine loyalty to the Party and Stalin’s ideals. He doesn’t seem to understand that one must change with the times. And the times have undergone a seismic shift.
You knock on the door, and he - trustingly - answers it. Out of courtesy for his long service, you apologise before shooting him.
You have successfully killed LastWhisper
The plan has been hatched. A careful misdirection, a bluff to anyone who suspects those within the conspiracy. Wheels within wheels, fooling the eyes that are always watching. You wait until cover of darkness before you sneak out to Dels_8’s apartment. You move with exaggerated sneakiness, leaping from bush to bush and scampering between cover. You enter his apartment block through a side entrance before stealing into his room.
“Oh no” he says, theatrically. “A helpless woman requires my assistance! As a gentleman I am honour bound to look after her”.
You drink vodka together and smoke. Some plotting happens. It is a pleasant evening all told.
As you steal away into the night, you make sure to look around furtively. A masterful performance.
You have successfully blocked Dels_8
With so few people of power left alive, you’re struggling to not become too obvious before you’re ready. Still, there are advantages - not so many stooges to have to manipulate means not so many to eliminate when the time comes.
One such stooge you’d like to keep around is Killjoy. Valuable in the short term, and a useful pawn in the long. You make the measures necessary to ensure he isn’t removed.
You have successfully protected Killjoy
One of the worst problems of Stalin’s reign - apart from the mass murder of course - was the corruption and cronyism. Worst of all, the nepotism towards his ridiculous, idiot son. His protected status allowed him to drink, fight, and generally be a nuisance with a clumsy obliviousness. I mean did he really think that no-one would notice that he accidentally killed the entire national ice hockey team? I mean come on.
But now, his status has changed to very much endangered, and you’ve got a lot of insults to pay him back for.
You have successfully killed Lissa
Attractive but modest dress? Check.
Tears at the ready? Check.
Sad fluffy toy? Check
Heart-breaking sobs? Well practised.
You knock on Vaimes’ door and set your lip trembling. The fool will have no choice but stay up all night with you, rendering him completely unable to do anything else to stop the conspiracy. You hope that he at least has some nice vodka to pass the time.
You have successfully blocked Vaimes
You might not have as many shadows to hide behind, but with the conspiracy crumbling maybe that’s not a bad thing any more. Soon enough you’ll be able to push over whatever skeleton remains and seize the reins of power yourself.
Vaimes is the latest beneficiary of your wheels within wheels. Deals are stuck and goons dispatched. Vaimes will be safe.
For now.
You have successfully protected Vaimes
Your conspiracy is crumbling around your ears. These fools have somehow blundered their way into disrupting your plans, apparently unaware that they are dooming themselves to more mismanagement and toadying.
Fools, you could have done so much! But now your dreams lie as broken as the bodies of your comrades. Still, you’re not done yet. You can still lash out and punish those who would deny you.
Muttering to yourself, you leave a small explosive device outside Vaimes’ door. Beating a hasty retreat, you strain your ears for Vaimes’ doom.
But it never comes.
You attempted to kill Vaimes, but it failed.