Merlot Mafia: Last Queen of the Amazons

Winston Hughes

Wrathful Warlock
Retired Moderator
Joined
Oct 2, 2006
Messages
4,753
Location
A state of unquenchable rage
Your Majesty, Lords and Ladies... If I might be permitted to take a little of your time, I have a story to tell. A story of murder, deception and woe, the likes of which our peaceful kingdom has never heard. A story entitled...

The Last Queen of the Amazons



Though it might stretch credulity to believe it, not all societies are blessed with such wise and ordered government as we of the Merlot. Out there, across the raging seas, there are rumoured to be tribes of savages who have fallen into the unwise and irreligious practice known as 'democracy'. Not only does this bizarre, disordered approach lack the sure hand of an enlightened monarch, but it also openly encourages the kind of vicious factionalism which our constitution so sensibly proscribes.

One such group, it is said, are a race of warrior women known as the Amazons, whose fractious and argumentative behaviour stands in stark contrast with the calm, respectful manner of even the lowest amongst us. These painted harpies curse and shout at the slightest provocation, with scanty, ill-fitting clothes barely protecting their modesty as words turn to actions, and a frenzy of face-scratching and hair-pulling breaks out. Such is the average meeting in the court of the Amazons.

However, it was not always thus. Once, long ago, the Amazons did recognise the virtue of sound government, and entrusted their rule to a single Queen, chosen from their ranks for her wisdom and martial prowess, and given power over her subjects in a manner similar to our own glorious monarch. For many centuries, the crown passed from one Queen to another in orderly fashion, and all was well in the Amazon realm.

In the final reckoning, though, it takes a people of unusual judgement and wisdom to keep to the sure-but-narrow path of proper government, and they eventually proved themselves unequal to the task. With a single stroke of a blade across her throat, overweening ambition put paid to the last Queen of the Amazons, and the court fell into disarray, as each woman sought power and glory for herself...

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Hello, and welcome to The Last Queen of the Amazons, a mafia game based on historical events in a strange and distant land populated by a race of warlike females. In the wake of their Queen's murder at the hands of an unknown assassin, the Amazons begin a dangerous experiment with so-called 'democracy', wherein each woman is able to vote on what she believes to be the correct course of action. The first task for this newly (and foolishly) constituted assembly is the capture and execution of the Queen's killer, who still lurks amongst the gathered warriors.
 
A Basic Mafia Game
Spoiler :
Mafia consists of two sides: the Mafia, and the Town. The Mafia's goal is to kill the innocents, while the Town's goal is to kill the Mafia.

At the beginning of the game, the Game Master (ie. me) will send the Mafia their role(s) by personal message. Everyone who does not receive a role PM is a Townie.

The game has two phases:

During Day, the Town must choose someone to Lynch; they are trying to eliminate the Mafia, but the Mafia can lead them astray by casting suspicion elsewhere. Generally, players will vote for someone they think is Mafia (the Mafia will vote so that they seem to be doing this as well, and might even vote for each other to confuse the Town). Whoever has the most votes at the end of the day is lynched, and thus loses the ability to vote for subsequent lynches. Their role is revealed by the GM, and Night begins.

During Night, the Town can not communicate, but the Mafia can discuss and choose someone to Murder. After the GM has received the name of the victim, he reveals the dead player (who loses his ability to vote), and it is once again Day.

The game alternates between Night and Day until either the Mafia are eliminated, or the Mafia have killed everyone else.
Additional Rules:
Spoiler :
*Day phases will be roughly 48 hours long. Nights will last roughly 24 hours.

*If, for some reason, I am unable to post an update at scheduled time, the phase will continue until I make an appearance.

*Please do not discuss the game outside of the thread. Everything except the mafia's orders should take place in public.

*To cast a vote against a player, please use this format - vote: Winston Hughes.

*If you wish to cancel your vote, please use this format - unvote: Winston Hughes.

*If you have died, you may continue to post, but I ask that you don't cast any votes, even in jest (to avoid me accidentally counting them).

*You may continue posting at night, but you may not cast any votes until morning.

*Don't take it personally if someone accuses you or if you get lynched or murdered. It's all in the game.

*Let's keep it friendly and fun. Remember, we're all on the same team here.

*Feel free to roleplay if you wish. At the end of the game, I'll award style points for any parodies of our Amazon rivals.

*Remember to follow forum rules. And that includes not spamming up the thread unnecessarily.

*If you have any questions or comments about the game, or about mafia games in general, then feel free to PM me. I'd rather keep such things out of the thread as far as possible.
 
Sign-ups are now closed. The game is in progress.

The 10 Princesses
1) mgsmuhammed
2) Caledorn
3) Hercules90
4) slaze
5) Umarth
6) ash88
7) Tegvtec
8) Tic0
9) landlubber
10) Tboy
 
I'm in! :)
 
I'm in! :)
 
I think this might be a good way to know fellow noblemen, so let me join as well!
 
Last minute sign up number one. :p
Looking forward to seeing you GM, Winston.
 
If I might still sign up, I'm in.
 
Okay, I'm nearly ready now. Sorry for the delay - had a busy time with RL stuff, and then I had a last-minute idea for a change to the game, and then some beer forced me to drink it. :blush:

To compensate, here's another little scene-setter:

---------------------------------------------​

Queen Winstonia stood before the crowd. Tall, athletic, and perfectly poised, she looked the very model of an Amazon warrior. Bearing a bloodied ceremonial staff in her right hand, and a freshly severed head in her left, she gave a fearsome appearance. Her words rang out loud across the heads of the assembled women, each of them bowed in hushed reverence...

"Sisters! Together, we have fought many battles. The insidious Male, with all his arrogance and contempt for our kind, could not have been defeated without grave sacrifice on our part. Many we have lost, and many here still bear the scars of our fight for freedom. But, now, the war is over. We are victorious!"

The crowd erupted in acclamation. Winstonia paused for a moment, waiting for the cheers to die down...

"Long ago, in the days of our foremothers, the Male thought himself our master. Then, one glorious day, our sex threw off the chains of the oppressor and fled. Years passed as the foremothers walked the wilderness, searching for a place of sanctuary, until one day they happened upon this most holy of sites. Here, the sisterhood first came together and raised up a Queen - a symbol of our strength and our unity."

"Since then, we have carved ourselves a place in the world. Other tribes, still in thrall to the Male, have tried to resist our ascent. But, time and again, we have proven our strength on the field of war, winning freedom for the sisterhood wherever our standard came to rest. And now, with the last of the chauvinists purged from this land, we finally find ourselves with a new goal. Where once we fought for freedom, we now must now build for greatness, proving the worth of our civilisation by making this a land fit for heroines!"
 
Day 1 - Long Live the Queen

Some time later, after the crowd had dispersed, the Queen gathered the Royal Council to discuss her plans for the future. Having dismissed her servants, as well as her harem of male slaves, Winstonia was left alone with ten princesses, each of them the leader of a powerful Amazon clan. Inviting the women to spend a few minutes exploring her magnificent new palace, the Queen excused herself, and disappeared into her private chambers to change her outfit...

An hour or so later, the concerned princesses had gathered once more in the throne room. Eying one another nervously, they discussed who - if anyone - should venture into the Queen's rooms to see what had caused her unexpected delay. How would the Queen react if someone walked in on her? Would it be better if they all went together? Eventually, one of the princesses called a halt to the discussion by getting up and marching unceremoniously into the private chambers. When the woman stepped back out of the room a moment later, she had a look of horror on her face...

"Treachery! The Queen is murdered!"

For a moment, the group went quiet, stunned by this revelation. And then, desiring to see it with their own eyes, the princesses hastened into the Queen's boudoir. Despite being hardened warriors, well used to the sight of blood, the princesses were not prepared for what awaited them within. Sat upright on her bed, Winstonia's throat had been cut, leaving her head to sag backwards, and giving her gaping neck the appearance of a huge, bloody mouth. Lying on the floor a few feet away was found the murder weapon, a vicious-looking knife of unknown origin.

A few minutes later, having scarcely recovered their composure from this shock, the group reassembled in the throne room. With no-one else present in the palace to have committed the crime, it was clear that the killer must lie amongst the ten of them. And as the Amazon constitutional process demanded that one of the princesses would now become Queen - the choice being made by a drawing of lots - the awful truth was clear for all to see: if the group did not act decisively now to catch the murderer, she might well end up on the throne!

Lacking any precedent for such a situation, the women spent the next few hours discussing how best to approach the task. In the end, after rejecting a whole number of other solutions, they finally reached agreement. The collective wisdom of the princesses was to be used to uncover and condemn the killer. Each day, the group would hold a vote - something previously unheard of in Amazon culture - with the result determining which of the princesses should be held accountable. Only once the group agreed that the killer had definitely been caught would lots be drawn to determine the identity of the new Queen.

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Further to the explanation of a basic mafia game in the second post of this thread, I have some game-specific rules/points to add. Please read them carefully:
Spoiler :
*Day phases will be roughly 48 hours long. Nights will last roughly 24 hours.

*If, for some reason, I am unable to post an update at scheduled time, the phase will continue until I make an appearance.

*Please do not discuss the game outside of the thread. Everything except the mafia's orders should take place in public.

*To cast a vote against a player, please use this format - vote: Winston Hughes.

*If you wish to cancel your vote, please use this format - unvote: Winston Hughes.

*If you have died, you may continue to post, but I ask that you don't cast any votes, even in jest (to avoid me accidentally counting them).

*You may continue posting at night, but you may not cast any votes until morning.

*Let's keep it friendly and fun. Don't take it personally if someone accuses you or if you get murdered. And don't suggest that other players are stupid, unless you're doing it in an obviously 'in-character' way. Remember, we're all on the same team here.

*Feel free to roleplay if you wish. At the end of the game, I'll award style points for any parodies of our Amazon rivals.

*Remember to follow forum rules. And that includes not spamming up the thread unnecessarily.

*If you have any questions or comments about the game, or about mafia games in general, then feel free to PM me. I'd rather keep such things out of the thread as far as possible.
Alrighty, then, let's get this started. We'll begin with a Day phase, so you guys can start voting right away.

The 10 Princesses
1) mgsmuhammed
2) Caledorn
3) Hercules90
4) slaze
5) Umarth
6) ash88
7) Tegvtec
8) Tic0
9) landlubber
10) Tboy

It is now Daytime. Night is scheduled to fall in roughly 48 hours.

Please cast your votes.
 
Oooh, I've always wanted to be a princess!

I mean, err, a manly princess... of course... let's just carry on shall we?
 
Come on, now, ladies, let's find the one who wronged our Queen!
Anyone have any ideas?
 
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