MAFIA WINS!!!
The split was teams with toxic fanbases being mafia. Roles were determined by what they were known for and team history- past and recent.
CLINCHED - MAFIA
Speedrace - You are the New England Patriots. A franchise known for its many Super Bowl titles, you have also become known to do anything to gain them. Thus, you are a Strongman. When committing the NK, you will negate any protective (but not avoidance) roles the night kill target may have. You win with the Mafia.
Badger - You are the Pittsburgh Steelers. A franchise known for its infamous Steel Curtain defense, you stop any offensive penetration into your plan. Thus, you are a 3x Roleblocker. Once per night, thrice per game, you may target a player and prevent them from using any power role they have for the night. You win with the Mafia.
Wylted - You are the Dallas Cowboys. A franchise known for its opposition to NFL rulings and proceedings, you unfortunately take measures that make you no different than the NFL you oppose. Thus, you are a Goon. You have no special abilities. You win with the Mafia.
Fake Claims Pool: Green Bay Packers, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Philadelphia Eagles (complete trap claim).
ELIMINATED - TOWN
Danielle - You are the Indianapolis Colts. A franchise known for one of the most secretive and infamous movements of a team in league history, you haven’t found much of a difference in impact on the league since. Thus, you are a 2x Commuter. Once per night, twice per game, you may leave town and avoid any targets from power roles. You win with the Town.
Earth - You are the Buffalo Bills. A franchise known for its “Bills Mafia” fanbase, you had the privilege of watching said fans crowdfund a ton of money for a hospital in recent times. Thus, you are a Doctor. Once per night, you may target a player aside from yourself and protect them from any lethal action against them for the night. You win with the Town.
SirAnon - You are the Arizona Cardinals. A franchise known for building around experienced players in the past, you have become the retirement home of the NFL. Thus, you are a 2x Babysitter. Once per night, twice per game, you may target a player and protect them from any lethal action taken against them for the night; however, if you die the player you are protecting dies with you. You win with the Town.
MisterChris - You are the San Francisco 49ers. A franchise known for coming back from player injuries, you have an impressive five Super Bowl titles as well. Thus, you are the Lynchproof. You cannot be lynched in the day; however, this will go away in MYLO/LYLO situations. You win with the town.
Greyparrot - You are the Atlanta Falcons. A franchise known for repeated choking, with the worst of it coming in a Super Bowl. Thus, you are a Hated. You will take one vote less to lynch than normal; however, this will go away in MYLO and LYLO situations.
Oromagi - You are the Houston Texans. A franchise known for being the newest, you have yet to accomplish anything notable aside from the Bill O’Brien disaster. Thus, you are a Vanilla. You have no special abilities. You win with the Town.
Pie - You are the Chicago Bears. A franchise known for being one of the oldest teams in the NFL, you only have one Super Bowl title and oftentimes will lose to your biggest rival up North. Thus, you are a Vanilla. You have no special abilities. You win with the Town.
That2 - You are the Jacksonville Jaguars. A franchise known for being one of the worst ever, you torture your fans to the point where you had them openly protesting in clown outfits at your stadium during a game. Thus, you are a Vanilla. You have no special abilities. You win with the Town.
Whiteflame - You are the Seattle Seahawks. A franchise known for being incredibly mediocre, you had a failed dynasty because you could never give Russell Wilson a proper O-Line. Thus, you are a Vanilla. You have no special abilities. You win with the Town.
GAME ACTIONS
DP1:
Oromagi was lynched
NP1:
Danielle - Waive
SirAnon - Waive
Earth - Doctor Pie
Badger - Roleblock SirAnon
Speedrace - NK Pie
DP2:
Earth was lynched
NP2:
Danielle - Commute
SirAnon - Waive
Badger - Roleblock Whiteflame
Speedrace - NK Danielle
DP3:
Greyparrot was lynched
NP3:
Danielle - Waive
SirAnon - Waive
Badger - Roleblock Danielle
Speedrace - NK Danielle
DP4:
Whiteflame was lynched
GAME REVIEW
Given my previous games, I think this was a step in the right direction. However, there are definitely an issue I would've made different in hindsight.
So I tried stating the setup creation by starting with a power role dynamic and making it the core of the game. Then, I filled the remining roles, theme split, and characters, in that order. The dynamic I chose was "Town roles that could stop an NK and their counters". I started with a Doctor and Strongman, then gave town a Babysitter to stop an NK if they got rid of the Strongman and the Doctor had already died. Thinking the Strongman was still to strong, I added a Commuter that would avoid the Strongman entirely by leaving town. To give Mafia a chance to NK the Commuter, I gave them a Roleblocker that would stop them from leaving town; however, they had to be a bit more coordinated for this. At this point I filled in the rest. I went back to add in the Lynchproof after noticing Town would likely have a hard time figuring out the theme. I then balanced this with a Hated to make it easier for Mafia to cast suspicion on someone. I finished by adjusting characters to fit the new roles. To conclude, I do think the setup was balanced. At least on paper.
In reality, the game setup was way too repetitive. This made the game harder to read for both teams, and instead of being a game of making plays, it became a game of not making mistakes since the roles were confusing. While both teams had the opportunity to make mistakes, it lent its hand to whichever team got off to a hot start, unless a big turnaround would occur, but that didn't happen. So I leaned a pretty good game design lesson here: When picking a power role dynamic to start a game with, do NOT choose protective roles. Those roles exist mainly to protect informational roles, and therefore are NOT meant to be the centerpiece of a setup.
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If you have any thoughts, please post them; I am open to feedback (to improve my future games) and curious to see your thought processes.
GG.