Timsup2nothin
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Maybe, if I get some interesting ideas.
Swing for the fences man! Say yes, and your idea maker will be forced into overdrive and spit out something good...test it.
Mafia & NotW Hosting Queue - 2020
- Thread starter topsecret
- Start date
Swing for the fences man! Say yes, and your idea maker will be forced into overdrive and spit out something good...test it.
Zack
99% hot gas
Some basic tips for designing a game -
Roughly 25% of the players should be wolves, and generally use odd numbers. The smallest standard 9-player setup (i.e. a "9er") is 7 villagers, 2 wolves. Then to scale up, add 3 villagers for every 1 wolf.
9er: 2v7
13er: 3v10
17er: 4v13
etc.
For a 9er, village usually has a strong PR (power role, e.g. cop, vigilante, doctor, etc.). As you scale up, usually you need to add a bit more power to town - a cop in a 17er is not nearly as powerful as a cop in a 9er, which is extremely powerful to the point where the game will basically revolve around the cop. Wolf roles other than extra kills (which are super powerful and you should be very careful with) are generally reactionary to town roles: a wolf team with a roleblocker, watcher, and strongman is no different than a vanilla wolf team if the town has no PRs. Give the town roles, then give the mafia roles that can react and enable some amount of counterplay.
If you want to include neutrals of some kind, that affects the above numbers and balancing equation. Also, make sure the neutrals are something that is fun for the players in the game and not just something that's fun to design, it's not the same thing. Ask yourself what purpose they are serving, what goals they are trying to achieve, how this will affect the wolves and villagers, etc.
Open setups (i.e. the setup is known to everyone) are more townsided than the equivalent closed setup (only the host knows the setup).
Think about how the mafia are going to be able to win the game. Some vanilla town are probably going to make themselves unlynchable, most PRs are going to be unlynchable. If the mislynch pool is small, it's going to be very difficult for the wolves to win even if they have powerful abilities. There are ways to work around this in a role madness type game by giving the mafia tools to blend in.
Newer hosts almost always tend towards adding too much stuff in. The hardest part of balancing is cutting cool stuff to make a better game. Star Wars is a simple hero's journey with cool special effects and everyone loves it, better to do a simple thing well than a complex thing poorly. Simple vs. complex is really just personal preference, but the latter is a lot easier to screw up than the former, so be careful is all I'm saying.
I think it's usually better to prioritize gameplay over flavor. For example, if you allow character claiming and all the good guys are town, that's a broken game.
Night chat is townsided. Also, speaking for myself, I really value the night phase as a needed break from the game, and allowing discussion during it can be mentally exhausting as either alignment.
These are just random thoughts that came to mind, if I think of other stuff later I'll post it.
Roughly 25% of the players should be wolves, and generally use odd numbers. The smallest standard 9-player setup (i.e. a "9er") is 7 villagers, 2 wolves. Then to scale up, add 3 villagers for every 1 wolf.
9er: 2v7
13er: 3v10
17er: 4v13
etc.
For a 9er, village usually has a strong PR (power role, e.g. cop, vigilante, doctor, etc.). As you scale up, usually you need to add a bit more power to town - a cop in a 17er is not nearly as powerful as a cop in a 9er, which is extremely powerful to the point where the game will basically revolve around the cop. Wolf roles other than extra kills (which are super powerful and you should be very careful with) are generally reactionary to town roles: a wolf team with a roleblocker, watcher, and strongman is no different than a vanilla wolf team if the town has no PRs. Give the town roles, then give the mafia roles that can react and enable some amount of counterplay.
If you want to include neutrals of some kind, that affects the above numbers and balancing equation. Also, make sure the neutrals are something that is fun for the players in the game and not just something that's fun to design, it's not the same thing. Ask yourself what purpose they are serving, what goals they are trying to achieve, how this will affect the wolves and villagers, etc.
Open setups (i.e. the setup is known to everyone) are more townsided than the equivalent closed setup (only the host knows the setup).
Think about how the mafia are going to be able to win the game. Some vanilla town are probably going to make themselves unlynchable, most PRs are going to be unlynchable. If the mislynch pool is small, it's going to be very difficult for the wolves to win even if they have powerful abilities. There are ways to work around this in a role madness type game by giving the mafia tools to blend in.
Newer hosts almost always tend towards adding too much stuff in. The hardest part of balancing is cutting cool stuff to make a better game. Star Wars is a simple hero's journey with cool special effects and everyone loves it, better to do a simple thing well than a complex thing poorly. Simple vs. complex is really just personal preference, but the latter is a lot easier to screw up than the former, so be careful is all I'm saying.
I think it's usually better to prioritize gameplay over flavor. For example, if you allow character claiming and all the good guys are town, that's a broken game.
Night chat is townsided. Also, speaking for myself, I really value the night phase as a needed break from the game, and allowing discussion during it can be mentally exhausting as either alignment.
These are just random thoughts that came to mind, if I think of other stuff later I'll post it.
Zack
99% hot gas
also a mod should pin this and unsticky the old queue when they get the chance
Timsup2nothin
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Snerk
Smeghead
The stickies in general could use some tidying up.
Synobun
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The theme I had in mind has been done before here. 
Which wouldn't be too damning, except @Takhisis and @Arakhor went balls to the wall IN on it and there is just no way I could even remotely make something comparable, even if it weren't my first time hosting. Roles upon roles upon roles, mechanics upon mechanics upon mechanics. Bruh.
Well, I'll have myself a think on it.
Which wouldn't be too damning, except @Takhisis and @Arakhor went balls to the wall IN on it and there is just no way I could even remotely make something comparable, even if it weren't my first time hosting. Roles upon roles upon roles, mechanics upon mechanics upon mechanics. Bruh. Well, I'll have myself a think on it.
Snerk
Smeghead
What theme was that?
Synobun
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Snerk
Smeghead
That was eons ago. Definitely time for a revamp.KOTOR.
At some point I'm doing Rhyme Mafia 4. I doubt I'll get a lot of interest, but those were hilarious.
Zack
99% hot gas
Although it may be familiar for some
Build a thread and people will come
Build a thread and people will come
Timsup2nothin
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If all of my posts just had to rhyme, it would slow me down at least some of the time.
Any moderator can do it, but I'm also the Mafia moderator, so hey.
The theme I had in mind has been done before here.
That was many years ago, when you could get 20-30 people in a game easily. Sadly, not so much these days.
Timsup2nothin
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Give me some time.
RRRaskolnikov
Goldfish
I have designed a Simpson game yeeeaaars ago that I would enjoy hosting at some point... but I would need help from a native speaker to write proper updates 
I have also some ideas about an historical game taking place in the hundread years war, specifically the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war.
I have also some ideas about an historical game taking place in the hundread years war, specifically the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war.
Timsup2nothin
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I have designed a Simpson game yeeeaaars ago that I would enjoy hosting at some point... but I would need help from a native speaker to write proper updates
I have also some ideas about an historical game taking place in the hundread years war, specifically the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war.
@Arakhor wouldn't agree that it's native, but I speak English like a Californian so I'm probably adequate to provide the right flavor.
Flavour, you far-flung barbarian! 
I think the idea of a HYW-themed game is a great idea. I doubt that I would have thought of a historical game.
More to the point, add me to the Queue with a (currently untitled) game. I'll try not to make it as complicated as my previous efforts!
I think the idea of a HYW-themed game is a great idea. I doubt that I would have thought of a historical game.
More to the point, add me to the Queue with a (currently untitled) game. I'll try not to make it as complicated as my previous efforts!
Synobun
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I have designed a Simpson game yeeeaaars ago that I would enjoy hosting at some point... but I would need help from a native speaker to write proper updates
I have also some ideas about an historical game taking place in the hundread years war, specifically the Armagnac-Burgundian civil war.
Depending on when it happens, I'd be willing to step aside/not play and help proof the updates.
Timsup2nothin
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Syns is a professional editor @RRRaskolnikov, and from a commonwealth country that misspells like natives to keep Arakhor happy.
Montmorency
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I myself have long subscribed to a variant of Tim's reflection on RNG, in terms of balancing. People talk about this or that PR in the setup being swingy, but all roles are inherently swingy based on the rand.
And even with roles considered to be more swingy than others, such as town vig, the rand exponentially increases the swing. You can have a player straight slaughtering townies, or you can have players like Pizza or Zack who will methodically execute scum every night.
Welcome the swing.
And even with roles considered to be more swingy than others, such as town vig, the rand exponentially increases the swing. You can have a player straight slaughtering townies, or you can have players like Pizza or Zack who will methodically execute scum every night.
Welcome the swing.
