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The Plot Thickens
This is a resistance-style GTW game. I'm pretty sure you've all played it before, so I won't go over the rules again. I'll just give you these charts for a five-player game:
Number of players: 5 Loyalists: 3 Nihilists: 2
Number of players on a team for each round: 2, 3, 2, 3, 3
I have chosen the player roles based on card drawing from a physical copy of the game (shuffled deck). I have chosen the order of the selection process via six sided dice.
In addition to the regular rules, we will be playing with an expansion to the game called The Plot Thickens. This involves "plot cards" which are drawn at the start of each round. The leader at the start of each round will draw one card from the top of the deck and distribute the card to another player (somebody other than himself). Since we're playing online, I will draw the card and announce to the topic what the card is. Then, the leader will distribute the card publicly in the topic to a player of his choice. If we had more players, more cards would be drawn each round. If we had 7+ players, additional cards would be in the deck. With five players, however, there are seven cards, including two duplicates, and only one will be drawn each round (five times in total). Some cards may be played at any time by the recipient, once. Some cards must be played immediately. Some cards are permanent until the end of the game.
The cards are: 2x Keeping a close eye on you - One time use - The player to whom the Leader passes this card may use this card to examine a player's mission card. Using this card does not require the player to announce its use before the mission cards are played, nor does it affect the Mission card played. Multiple mission cards may be checked in a single round, but no more than one player may check a single player's Mission card on a round.
1x No Confidence - One time use - The player to whom the Leader passes this card may use this card to reject an approved Mission team (successful Vote). Using this card counts as a failed vote.
1x Opinion Maker - Permanent effect - The player to whom the Leader passes this card must select and reveal their Vote card before any other players have selected their Vote cards. This card remains in effect until the end of the game. If two "Opinion Maker" cards are in play, those players must reveal their votes simultaneously.
2x Strong Leader - One time use - The player to whom the Leader passes this card may use this card to become the Leader. Use of this card must be declared before the Leader takes any actions (draw Plot cards or distributing Team cards). When a "Strong Leader" is played, another "Strong Leader" may not be played until a Vote has been taken.
1x Take Responsibility - Use immediately - The player to whom the Leader passes this card must take one Plot card from any other player.
It is 1962, and a nuclear crisis is brewing, putting the United States and Soviet Union on the brink of global thermonuclear war. U-2 flights have been grounded since early September, fearing an international incident if one is shot down over Cuba, however the new Corona program Key Hole satellites are able to ascertain that the Soviet Union are building bases in Cuba, confirmed by Navy reconnaissance flights. With mounting evidence of a nuclear build-up in Cuba, and sketchy reports coming through from Miami, U-2 flights are reauthorized. The pictures are clear, the Soviet Union is establishing a first strike capability just 90 miles from the United States.
POTUS has decided that a diplomatic solution to the problem is called for, as the only way to avert the end of the world as military strikes are out of the question. You five are his advisors in this. Some of you hold cabinet positions, others are members of his White House staff. With the threat of nuclear missiles in Cuba, the president himself cannot be seen as weak, negotiating for their removal directly. While he makes strong speeches calling for the unconditional withdrawal of soviet weapons from the western hemisphere, he has tasked you five with negotiating on his behalf through secret channels to Moscow to bring about a peaceful resolution.
Unfortunately, two among you have been working in secret, with members of the Soviet government. You are traitors, but not Soviet agents. You, and your counterparts in Moscow, are members of a secret organization of nihilists loyal to neither the communist nor capitalist side, seeking to bring about the end of the world through any means necessary since the early 1900s. The advent of nuclear weapons in the last couple decades appear to be the best means to that end. The Soviet nihilists have acted to bring about the current crisis, but even the Soviet hardliners at the top of their government are unwilling to use the weapons without provocation by the Americans. Provoking the Soviets, therefore, is the responsibility of the two of you.
The remaining three members of the president's staff are loyal, and don't want a nuclear war any more than the president. You will act to ensure peace. Naturally, those advisors to the president who fail at their diplomatic missions will not be trusted to conduct further ones.
The United States armed forces stand at Defense Condition 4. Every diplomatic failure made will move the Defense Condition closer to 1, at which point, global thermonuclear war is almost certain. Sadly, diplomatic successes during the crisis will merely keep the Defense Condition at the same level. But, if diplomacy can keep the two sides from going to war long enough, lasting peace will be possible. Three successful diplomatic efforts will give both the Soviets and Americans a pattern of cooperation to keep the hardliners in check, and thwart the nihilist plot.
The president trusts all five of you equally, and expects you'll be able to carry out his strategic goals without his micromanaging. As such, he will leave it up to the five of you to determine how best to organize yourselves and carry out each diplomatic effort. Of course, just because the president trusts all of you, does not mean all of you trust each other. Most of you are in political positions, with your own agendas and thoughts on how best to carry out the president's orders. You agree, tentatively, to take turns in a leadership position as "nuclear crisis czar". Each czar will attempt to build a team to carry out a particular diplomatic mission.
Here is the order of leadership: Techerakh retep998 Eugene Chin SoItBegins Mackilroy
Note: After the use of plot cards that change leadership, leadership will continue following the person on the list who ended up with leadership after the card play. This means some people may be skipped over.
Techerakh, you are first up to select two names to carry out a diplomatic mission to avert nuclear war. The first plot card chosen is the No Confidence card. Before choosing your names to go on the first mission, choose who will get the first plot card. The player receiving the No Confidence card may play it at any time during the entire game, to force a team selection vote to fail when it has succeeded. You may not give yourself the card. Choose wisely ;).
By the way, in my PMs to the loyalists, I said not to communicate privately with anyone for any reason. Of course, "anyone" doesn't include me. All team votes and mission result votes should still be PMed to me privately. Before anyone asks, the nihilists do know who each other are, but are forbidden from communicating privately as well.
All missions will fail with a single fail vote. All team proposals will fail with three votes against.
Hot diggity dog, that is a lot of rules to take in. This is gonna take some serious thought.
I feel the need to emphasize, that the use of the No Confidence card constitutes a team selection failure. If a nihilist gets the card, and plays it after the fifth vote of a round, it fails the team vote and it ends the game as a win for the nihilists. Don't let a bad guy get the card :p.
@mrxak, on 01 October 2012 - 07:14 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
2x Keeping a close eye on you - One time use - The player to whom the Leader passes this card may use this card to examine a player's mission card. Using this card does not require the player to announce its use before the mission cards are played, nor does it affect the Mission card played.
For those of us who have never played with the official cards, what is a mission card?
Multiple mission cards may be checked in a single round, but no more than one player may check a single player's Mission card on a round.
Is that to say, if both "Keeping…" cards are in play, they can both be played in the same round, provided that the second person to play a "Keeping…" card picks a different target? And thus, at most only two mission cards could be checked in a single round—and indeed in a single game.
Use of this card must be declared before the Leader takes any actions (draw Plot cards or distributing Team cards).
What are plot and team cards?
You may not give yourself the card.
Is that because of the nature of this particular card, or is that rule true of all of these drawn cards?
@mrxak, on 01 October 2012 - 07:44 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
Unfortunately, since I have nothing to go on with respect to my selection, I'm gonna also suggest that we don't let any votes get to 5.
A mission card is how people vote to pass or fail a mission. The "Keeping a close eye on you" card essentially lets the holder see if somebody decided to fail a mission or not, one time, on a mission of their choosing. Of course, since both good and bad guys might get this card, it really only helps the person holding it. Anything the person using the card says about what they saw of the target person's vote might be the truth, or not.
Both "Keeping..." cards can be played during the same mission, but they cannot both look at the same target team member's succeed/fail vote. There are only two of them in the deck of seven cards, and two of those cards in the deck will never be seen in this game. It's possible neither will be drawn, or both, or just one.
Plot cards are the cards we're talking about. The five types I posted. One is drawn and distributed each round, by the first leader of that round. In larger games, there are more of these cards in play, but there are only five of you. Team cards are team proposals. In other words, that "Strong Leader" card needs to be played before the current leader makes a proposal. I will give any "Strong Leader" holders the option to do so before each proposal, if either or both of those cards end up getting drawn.
All plot cards must be given to another player, not to the person who drew them from the deck (the first leader of the round).
Alright! So let's get goin' then. Anyone want to make a case for why I should trust them with the No Con card? I don't really want to distribute this thing retep-style…
Just to be perfectly clear, only five plot cards will be distributed in the entire game, and only that many if this goes five rounds. If it's over in three rounds, only three plot cards. Only the first leader to go in a round gets to distribute a plot card. This may affect which proposals you end up approving (and thus, who's next up to go), or you might not think it's that important. Also, if somebody holding the Strong Leader card steals the first leadership in a round, they also steal the opportunity to distribute the plot card for that round.
Um... well, any of us can SAY we can trust them. You can trust me, for instance. :heythere: But, I'm not sure if such a power would be safe in my hands, so give it to someone else!
@soitbegins, on 01 October 2012 - 11:08 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
I see what you did there. Anyone else want to try their hand at double secret reverse psychology?
@techerakh, on 01 October 2012 - 11:22 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
I am apathetic towards whether you give the card to me or not.
Just for the record, I am Russian, so if anything you guys should trust me to understand how to speak to my fellow Russians.
Let's move things along, Techerakh. It's only the first round.
You can give me the card and test the result. Or not. Just don't give retep the card.
Seriously.
Alright, let's get it started then. I was hoping to have a chance to post at midday today, but it didn't work out. Sorry for the wait, you big babies. Though I note that Eugene still hasn't posted at all – and he is accordingly not getting a card or a place on my team.
Due to Mack's post I have reasoned that retep is the least likely person to be a traitor, so I will hand the card to retep.
I was previously gonna give the card to SIB, so I will give him the condolence prize, which is:
Team proposal:
Myself and SIB
Sure, I'm down with that.
I shouldn't have to remind anyone, but the proposer does need to vote on their own proposal.
While I do appreciate the sentiment of Techerakh giving me the no confidence card, I shall reject this proposal for obvious reasons.
@retep998, on 02 October 2012 - 09:15 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
Retep, your voting heuristic is as shallow as a birdbath.
@soitbegins, on 02 October 2012 - 09:23 PM, said in GTW Game 43:
Why thank you SoItBegins!
That wasn't a compliment.