# Lord of the Rings Mafia **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 10, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867 "2010-08-10T19:56:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/61 "2010-08-11T15:06:59Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > How does this work, exactly? Are the participants meant to role-play Gandalf, Saruman, Frodo, Aragorn, etc.? If so, everybody knows who is evil & good from the start, so can Gandalf then be evil? If the character names are all fictional, then how does it connect to LOTR? What OAOW said. The role names may or may not indicate alignment and may or may not indicate powers. (Like, hypothetically Gandalf could be a vanilla townie and Merry the doctor/investigator/roleblocker uber-role – it all depends how the game’s developer wants to handle it.) There’s no role-play – roles and powers are typically kept secret until there’s a good reason to change that. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/62 "2010-08-11T15:08:11Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > > [@Normal\_Phase](#): > > > > The Luggage would make a fine serial killer. > > I always saw it as more of a Bodyguard type! Hmm, I could go for vengeful bodyguard – like a single-shot attacker dies sort of thing. Definitely not the sacrificial variety of bodyguard. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/63 "2010-08-11T15:08:23Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > How does this work, exactly? Are the participants meant to role-play Gandalf, Saruman, Frodo, Aragorn, etc.? If so, everybody knows who is evil & good from the start, so can Gandalf then be evil? If the character names are all fictional, then how does it connect to LOTR? Are you signing up? ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/64 "2010-08-11T15:09:38Z")
> [@Normal\_Phase](#): > > > [@Hoopy\_Frood](#): > > > > I had some ideas for one a while back. I never did anything with them. Might have to do it at some point. > > The Luggage would make a fine serial killer. I played in a Discworld game once. Not my best game. The Luggage was the SK. The player tried to claim Day 1, alleging that if he found Rincewind, he’d convert to a Town-aligned bodyguard. We established that there was no Rincewind, so we hung it up from the rafters of the Mended Drum. The Luggage, of course, just hung there for a while, the got bored, bit through the rope and wandered off across the river. ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/65 "2010-08-11T15:20:26Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > How does this work, exactly? Are the participants meant to role-play Gandalf, Saruman, Frodo, Aragorn, etc.? If so, everybody knows who is evil & good from the start, so can Gandalf then be evil? If the character names are all fictional, then how does it connect to LOTR? The basics of Mafia are that a small grooup is out to take over and the others are trying to stop them. This involves lots of virtual violence on both sides. Lynch mobs and stealthy assassinations abound. The small group have the advantage of coordination, the large group don’t know much (at the start). Where the game involves a well-known story such as this, the mod will typically resort to several stratagems. Mahaloth could could employ an alternate-universe method where some players have roles you’d associate with one side but are in fact on the other. Or, he could give the people who draw the badguy roles another name to claim. We’ve used both strategies in games from time to time. (For example, see the Evil Dead we played here last year, run by Storyteller0910. The bad guys were demons, but we had cover roles. In a Firefly-based game elsewhere, things got so mixed that the first mate was an Alliance killer, while I was a Town-aligned Reaver (the cannibal madmen.) The games are fun, but can last a month or two, and you’d need to contribute each game Day (a Day lasts anything from three to seven real-life days.) We don’t mind holidays, but advance warning of such is considered polite. Dip a toe in, the water’s cool. Also, we have a convention. If a word referring to a day or night is capitalised (eg Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow Night) it’s referring to a period of game time rather than real time. Makes it easy to know which is being referred to. ---
**Author:** ![Natlaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e57/32.png) [@Natlaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Natlaw)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/66 "2010-08-11T15:27:14Z")
I think there are 3 or 4 spots so count me in :). ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/67 "2010-08-11T15:27:38Z")
> [@MHaye](#): > > > [@Normal\_Phase](#): > > > > The Luggage would make a fine serial killer. > > I played in a Discworld game once. Not my best game. > > The Luggage was the SK. The player tried to claim Day 1, alleging that if he found Rincewind, he’d convert to a Town-aligned bodyguard. > > We established that there was no Rincewind, so we hung it up from the rafters of the Mended Drum. The Luggage, of course, just hung there for a while, the got bored, bit through the rope and wandered off across the river. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/68 "2010-08-11T15:34:08Z")
what **mhaye** said. but it is really hard to describe until you actually participate. some folks get hooked (moi, for example) and some find it is not their cup of tea. the only other thing i would add is that sometimes things can get a little “heated”. if you have a thin skin this might not be the best endeavor to engage in. people will lie, call each other names and backstab if needed. but i can honestly say, that other than **ed** , they seem to be a fairly respectable lot. plus, you can trust whatever i say. i don’t think i ever engaged in any of the previously mentioned activities. i just kind of play it straight up. so, i’d jump in, if i were you. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/69 "2010-08-11T15:40:00Z")
> [@MHaye](#): > > Also, we have a convention. \ i forgot all about that. where is it this year? and will weapons be provided or do we bring our own? ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/70 "2010-08-11T16:05:46Z")
> [@MHaye](#): > > Arrrgh! ow can you. of all people, miss _this_ game? Get in here at once! Tell me about it! If y’all promise to kill me by Day Two, then I can play 😉 > [@storyteller0910](#): > > What sort of show stuff do you do? [Total hijack] I am the producing artistic director of a small fringe theatre company, so I choose, produce and direct the shows. It’s kind of a one-man operation, and it takes a LOT of time, on top of my day job.[/total hijack] ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/71 "2010-08-11T16:12:34Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > We will have a Night Zero. No strategy and so forth. I’ll announce its schedule once we get to that point. **If no powers can be used, there’s no reason players should not be able to discussion strategy. For Night Zero only, I strongly recommend you allow strategy talk. Otherwise, you’ll start off the game dull–Town can do nothing and know nothing will happen.** ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/72 "2010-08-11T16:12:37Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > [Total hijack] I am the producing artistic director of a small fringe theatre company, so I choose, produce and direct the shows. It’s kind of a one-man operation, and it takes a LOT of time, on top of my day job.[/total hijack] …continuing the hijack: Is it professional, or non-? (I am also the artistic director of a small theatre company. Are you me? Because I read _The Dark Half_, and it was horrible.) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/73 "2010-08-11T16:17:49Z")
> [@](#): > > If it’s like other themed mafia, the characters names/powers will be Lotr based. However, usually > > a) either the scum will have fake claims supplied > > b) or alignments may not be what you would expect from the books > > Though Mahaloth may be doing something else… Well, in any event, the person who gets the Sauron role certainly isn’t going to say that’s who he is. There are several other possibilities, though: Sometimes it’s only the power roles (generally a minority of the players) even have a name at all. In this game, for instance, one might have one guy who’s “Gandalf”, one guy who’s “Elrond”, and a bunch of folks who are just “A hobbit”. In such a case, a villain might claim to be one of these "Vanilla Town"s, and not have to claim a name at all. Sometimes everyone has a name, and the Scum (general term for the villains and their team) _don’t_ get cover roles handed to them, and just have to decide on their own what to claim. This can sometimes lead to them accidentally claiming a name that a real Townie actually has, which eventually leads to the Scum getting killed. How viable this is depends on the size of the cast of characters of the original story: Discworld, for instance, has enough characters that in a Discworld-themed game, a Scum could probably come up with a character who’s plausible but who probably isn’t really in the game without too much difficulty. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/74 "2010-08-11T16:17:58Z")
Thanks guys, I’ll just spectate. What usually happens in games like this (Diplomacy especially) is that I’ll spend 2-3 hours each night going over various scenarios and strategies in my head, which doesn’t help my chronic insomnia (which for the last month or so I’ve had pretty good control over). ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/75 "2010-08-11T16:25:48Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Thanks guys, I’ll just spectate. What usually happens in games like this (Diplomacy especially) is that I’ll spend 2-3 hours each night going over various scenarios and strategies in my head, which doesn’t help my chronic insomnia (which for the last month or so I’ve had pretty good control over). well then, just read one of **meeko** ’s posts and that insomnia will resolve. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/76 "2010-08-11T16:28:43Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > **If no powers can be used, there’s no reason players should not be able to discussion strategy. For Night Zero only, I strongly recommend you allow strategy talk. Otherwise, you’ll start off the game dull–Town can do nothing and know nothing will happen.** Yeah, I guess that’s fine. I guess people can speculate and strategize during Night Zero. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/77 "2010-08-11T16:30:08Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Thanks guys, I’ll just spectate. What usually happens in games like this (Diplomacy especially) is that I’ll spend 2-3 hours each night going over various scenarios and strategies in my head, which doesn’t help my chronic insomnia (which for the last month or so I’ve had pretty good control over). We’ll have a non-spoiled discussion thread once this game is up and running. If you want to be spoiled and know the full dead, let me know. We’ll have a spoiled discussion going as well somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/78 "2010-08-11T16:31:09Z")
Signup List 1. SpecialEd 2. Red Skeezix 3. Drain Bead 4. Meeko 5. Astral Rejection - need to hear from(pre-signed up) 6. OneandOnly 7. Telcontar - need to hear from(pre-signed up) 8. Chronos 9. Guiri 10. LittlePlasticNinja 11. Chipacabra 12. Pleonast 13. Normal Phase 14. Oredigger 15. NanooktheNorthShore 16. MHaye 17 HoopyFrood 17. Cucuy 18. Suburban Plankton 19. Peeker 20. Natlaw 21. 22. 23. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/79 "2010-08-11T16:37:18Z")
Work looks like it’ll be slowish the next couple of weeks. I’m in. Rusty, but in. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lord-of-the-rings-mafia/549867/80 "2010-08-11T16:39:24Z")
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