Whether Mafia is something you've heard of but never explored, or if you're a veteran of face-to-face or online play, or even a totally green newb who has no idea what this game is all about, you are welcomed to our community Discord. Come and ask those newbie questions, delve into complex theory discussions, or even just talk about the weather with our growing and helpful community of MTGS Mafia regulars!
-
- Ecophagy
- Registered User
-
Member for 10 years, 1 month, and 9 days
Last active Sun, Oct, 21 2018 16:04:46
- 3 Followers
- 5,643 Total Posts
- 126 Thanks
There are lots of lessons to be learnt, but I'm just not interested in discussing them with someone who thinks that repeatedly dismissing my and my moderating team's efforts as a "joke" or calling me a "coward" counts as "constructive criticism". If you don't agree with my moderating style you are more than welcome to not play in my games, and if you want you can run your own team event or something if you'd like to know how easy it is.
Ganderin Dan - DoTA 2 Mafia
TheRealStinkyJoeTerry - Knights of the Old Republic Mafia
Atogaholic - The World Ends With You Mafia
Congratulations to them, and thanks and commiserations to everyone else - it was a tough field this time, and sadly all the games couldn't win. Those who didn't win can either polish their game up for next time, or try and massage them into Normals or Minis because those queues are pretty dry at the moment.
I frankly do not agree, although you are welcome to your opinion. I would prefer if you didn't present them with so much vitriol.
Gemma's modkill was 100% justified, even if it was unfortunate given their mostly positive level of activity and engagement. The severity of the out-of-game information used, the affect it would have had on reads on Gemma, and the explicit mentioning of ongoing games on other sites even after the thread had been warned about it was simply not acceptable. If Gemma had privately messaged me with the information she found rather than posted it in the thread, she would not have been modkilled, and would have been thanked for her vigilance and discretion.
RE: Player numbers. I think we ultimately made eight replacements, which at 22% of 36 players is a pretty reasonable rate (2.6 players in a 12-man game, 3.5 in a 16-player game). Certainly more could have been made, but even then it wasn't an outrageous amount of replacements required, and most of them were handled pretty well with teams finding their own. Nonetheless, future team events should probably have a deeper replacement pool (e.g. every team has to provide a nominated sub), perhaps at the cost of smaller games. I also think future events will require some vetting of player reliability: in our excitement to hit 12-player games, we let in a lot of unknowns and higher-risk flakers which backfired. MafiaScum's team event was only open to players who had history and good standing on MS, and I now very much understand why.
Also the Team Discord chats are about to be publicised, so go check those out!
Game 1 (Ecophagy) - The Death of Stalin Mafia - Town Win
Game 2 (Ganderin Dan) - Giant Robot Battle Royale II Mafia - Mafia Win
Game 3 (Silvercrys) - Monster Manual Mafia - Town Win
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.
For those that need reminders:
Game 1 (Ecophagy) - The Death of Stalin Mafia - Town Win
Game 2 (Ganderin Dan) - Giant Robot Battle Royale II Mafia - Mafia Win
Game 3 (Silvercrys) - Monster Manual Mafia - Town Win
This gives us final standings of:
So congratulations to Team Not Particularly (Lissa, Randwolfsubout, and Arapocalypse) for their victory! Thank you everyone else for playing, especially all those new faces from MU and further afield, we really appreciated you all joining in and helping us make this a bigger event than expected, and we hope we can see a few of you around in some other games.
Massive thanks go to Silvercrys, Ganderin Dan, and Bur who were all absolutely crucial in getting this event off the ground and moderating their socks off. Additional thanks to all our replacements (Dels, Hunger, Anaklusmos, 7Hawk77, Shattiel, Wheat_Grinder, The Worst, I think that's everyone), who helped keep things going, often jumping head first into some really tough positions.
Let's try to keep general post-game discussion in this thread, we're really keen to hear feedback to try and improve for the next event. There's some stuff we know already (Nancy should have been replaced sooner, Mafia NKs should have been mandatory, more familiarity with players and expected activity levels beforehand could have curated a better player list), but the more discussion the better. For example, we think the games were pretty balanced (equivalent to MTGS Basics), but the addition of teams pushed them towards being townsided, even though a lot of teams didn't really utilize their private channels - what could be done to combat this in small, low complexity games?
Also I will be publicizing all discord channels soon, so this is your last chance to opt out if you don't want everyone to see them.
Thanks everyone for playing, and I hope you had fun!
Stop it.
shadowlancerx - 3 (Vaimes, Killjoy, shadowlancerx)
Not Voting - 1 (sheepsaysmeep)
"It's over Shadowlancer. Your conspiracy is done. For the sake of our country, and of us left, come quietly and we'll give you a fair trial. You've done enough damage."
Shadowlancer places their feet upon the table. Lying back in their chair, they drain a very large glass and begin to laugh. The others stand awkwardly and wait for them to finish.
"You just don't get it", he says. "We were going to save the nation. You destroyed us and ruined Stalin's true works, and now you snuff out the last
chance so you can wallow in your own filth in the shattered ruins of a once-great order."
Shadowlancer removes a revolver from under their clothes. Everyone in the room freezes at the sight, mentally willing everyone else to rush to disarm Shadowlancer - no-one prepared to be first into the line of fire.
"To think that such cowards might call themselves worthy successors to Stalin".
The air thick with disdain, Shadowlancer - Svetlana Stalina - Daughter of Stalin - Mafia Roleblocker raises the gun to her temple and ends the conspiracy.
Vaimes - Nikolai Bulganin - Minister for Defense - Town Vanilla, Sheepsaysmeep - Leonid Brezhnev - Central Committee Member Town Doctor, and KillJoy - Nikita Khrushchev - 1st Secretary of the Moscow Committee Town 1-shot Vigilante all breath a huge sigh of relief.
"Well then"
"Such a mess!"
"I suppose, uh, this brings up the question of uh, who should take over as interim Party Secretary".
"There are still-warm brains congealing on the conference table and you want to TALK ABOUT WHO WILL BE PARTY SECRETARY!"
"Well someone's going to have to clean it up, and the secretary would obviously be too busy to do it"
Realization audibly dawns. They sit at the table, carefully avoiding the blood.
"Well, at least we're almost definitely quorate".
The Town has won the game! Please do NOT engage in post-game discussion until ALL three team games are complete.
No flavour because real life stuff happened instead.
No-one died. With 4 alive it takes 3 to lynch.
Deadline is set for 14 days from now at 2200BST on Tuesday 25th September
Dels_8 - 3 (sheepsaysmeep, shadowlancerx, Vaimes)
sheepsaysmeep - 1 (Dels_8)
Not Voting - 1 (Killjoy)
There aren't really enough people any more for there to be a throng of voices. Every comment carries enough to be clearly heard, each accusation standing alone rather than as part of a mob. The voice of Dels_8 has shown no signs of wavering: he simply has less noise to talk over. He waxes at length on all potentials, party philosophy, how wonderful Stalin was, the nature of Good and Evil itself, and just how useless everyone is at rooting out conspirators.
But the lack of voices also makes it easier for others to cut in. The questions poke cracks in arguments, point out contradictions. Introduce doubt.
Eventually, the tide turns. Dels' drive is suspicious, and he seems a lot more interested in telling bawdy storied about the good old days than in actually rooting out any conspirators. A snap decision breaks the tension; and Dels' neck.
Dels_8 has been lynched. He was Lazar Kaganovich - Minister for Labour - Mafia 1-Shot Backup Roleblocker
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.
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.
It is now Night 4 which will last the short time of 24 hours (2200BST on 11th September) for the sake of game expediency. This will be extended if players have trouble getting actions in that quickly.
I know this is a bit tongue in cheek, but I think you'd get a lot further in Mafia (and life in general) if you had more humility and ability to put your hands up and say "Whoops, I got it totally wrong this time, sorry for being overconfident. Looks like I can learn some lessons here", instead of trying to be the focus and take as much credit as you can.
I don't really like the idea of a Mafia game where the correct play is usually for the scum to not shoot (since that's one half of the point of there being mafia at all), but it seemed like a better Dethy-type game where there are puzzle elements, but also space to actually play the behavioral game.