# \[Mafia game\] The Realm of Phere **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 1, 2012, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480 "2012-04-01T15:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 196
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3902 "2012-06-07T20:04:47Z")
Astral, what contrapasso would you characterize it as, then? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3903 "2012-06-07T20:06:19Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > … (Now watch Inner try to place a $1000 bet on Inner to be Scum. :smack: ) Oh, Inner never gambles with Inner’s money. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3904 "2012-06-07T20:06:25Z")
Personally I think _Waiting for Godot_ or _No Exit_ is the best metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3905 "2012-06-07T20:07:21Z")
Hah! ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3906 "2012-06-07T20:14:02Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > He’s just having fun with the lull between Day and Night, Choie. Plus, he’s been lynched, so he has no reason to answer that! I may have been Lynched, but everyone has lost except [del]choie[/del] whoever the Scum master is. Anyway, am I the only one who has been reminded of T.S. Eliot’s famous poem by this game, especially during these lulls between Day and Night? [SPOILER] The Hollow Men I We are the hollow men We are the stuffed men Leaning together Headpiece filled with straw. Alas! Our dried voices, when We whisper together Are quiet and meaningless As wind in dry grass Or rats’ feet over broken glass In our dry cellar Shape without form, shade without colour, Paralysed force, gesture without motion; Those who have crossed With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom Remember us – if at all – not as lost Violent souls, but only As the hollow men The stuffed men. II Eyes I dare not meet in dreams In death’s dream kingdom These do not appear: There, the eyes are Sunlight on a broken column There, is a tree swinging And voices are In the wind’s singing More distant and more solemn Than a fading star. Let me be no nearer In death’s dream kingdom Let me also wear Such deliberate disguises Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves In a field Behaving as the wind behaves No nearer – Not that final meeting In the twilight kingdom III This is the dead land This is cactus land Here the stone images Are raised, here they receive The supplication of a dead man’s hand Under the twinkle of a fading star. Is it like this In death’s other kingdom Waking alone At the hour when we are Trembling with tenderness Lips that would kiss Form prayers to broken stone. IV The eyes are not here There are no eyes here In this valley of dying stars In this hollow valley This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms In this last of meeting places We grope together And avoid speech Gathered on this beach of the tumid river Sightless, unless The eyes reappear As the perpetual star Multifoliate rose Of death’s twilight kingdom The hope only Of empty men. V Here we go round the prickly pear Prickly pear prickly pear Here we go round the prickly pear At five o’clock in the morning. Between the idea And the reality Between the motion And the act Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom Between the conception And the creation Between the emotion And the response Falls the Shadow Life is very long Between the desire And the spasm Between the potency And the existence Between the essence And the descent Falls the Shadow For Thine is the Kingdom For Thine is Life is For Thine is the This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.[/SPOILER] ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3907 "2012-06-07T20:19:24Z")
Welp, now I’m depressed. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3908 "2012-06-07T20:21:51Z")
Septimus: I’ve always loved that poem. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3909 "2012-06-07T20:23:16Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Welp, now I’m depressed. Sorry if that’s from my post. If it helps, I usually [watch Tom Mullica smoke cigarettes](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4DLpBG4gR8) when a need a laugh to cheer me up. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3910 "2012-06-07T20:30:07Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > I may have been Lynched, but everyone has lost except [del]choie[/del] whoever the Scum master is. This seems impossible unless the mechanics in this game are complete bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Visorslash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee59a6/32.png) [@Visorslash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visorslash)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3911 "2012-06-07T23:45:39Z")
He didn’t tell me, he told a bunch of people and then he went. Though I think regardless of whether he said anything here, there would’ve been complaints. Just wait, it will be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3912 "2012-06-08T00:02:50Z")
First chance I’ve had to log on. Standby while I check the status of the game. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3913 "2012-06-08T00:14:13Z")
Okay. All caught up now. Thanks for being patient; I thought we would have internet access where I was going and we didn’t. Now, I’m going to type up the ending, and then I would like a few minutes to type up my (preliminary) endgame comments. There will be more in-depth, when I’m at a computer closer to home and I have the hours to put into it. **Please stay your reaction posts until I’ve posted the writeup and the preliminary endgame comments.** ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3914 "2012-06-08T03:02:23Z")
\*It was the **year 10,432…** \*\*\*The battle was almost over, and the Traitor was still standing. Soon, the time would come.\*\*\* **[Metallica- One](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh13ZFKlCyo)** \* I can’t remember anything Can’t tell if this is true or dream Deep down inside I feel the scream This terrible silence stops it there Now that the war is through with me I’m waking up, I cannot see That there’s not much left of me Nothing is real but pain now Hold my breath as I wish for death Oh please god, wake me Back in the womb it’s much too real In pumps life that I must feel But can’t look forward to reveal Look to the time when I’ll live Fed through the tube that sticks in me Just like a wartime novelty Tied to machines that make me be Cut this life off from me Hold my breath as I wish for death Oh please god, wake me Now the world is gone I’m just one Oh god, help me Hold my breath as I wish for death Oh please god, help me Darkness imprisoning me All that I see Absolute horror I cannot live I cannot die Trapped in myself Body my holding cell Landmine has taken my sight Taken my speech Taken my hearing Taken my arms Taken my legs Taken my soul Left me with life in hell “What did you say?!?” **Septimus** : “Don’t act so surprised.” 🙂 _The crowd gathered around **Septimus** , who had admitted to the entire group that he had become consumed with power. So much so, that he became twisted and **evil**._ _His eyes began to glow with an amber hue, and there was a dark aura around him._ **Septimus** : “My friends… I am not the one you are seeking. But if you are seeking the truth, then let it be known. I feel the power of the **DARK SIDE** rushing through my veins… you cannot begin to understand its power. I cannot give it up, and wouldn’t wish to. Now, back down, before someone gets hurt.” :rolleyes: **Astral Rejection** : “You don’t frighten us, Septimus. Now, what are you?” _Septimus simply grinned his evil grin, confidently._ **Septimus** : “I’m a **Sorcerer** , of course. I am a master of black magic… Far more powerful than a being as limited as you could possibly imagine.” 🙂 \*\*Inner Stickler: \*\*“I don’t know, I can \*imagine \*a lot.” **Tanaer** : “Are you behind the Demon Lord attacks against us?” **Septimus** : “Do you think I’d really tell you if I were? I could be… perhaps you’d like to find out. All of you are against me?” :dubious: **Choie** : “Out with it, Septimus. I know you’re the one who has been killing us off every day and night. Just admit your crimes.” _Septimus grinned even wider._ **Septimus** : “I \*may \*have attacked a person or two. They had it coming, of course. All my actions were entirely justified. In war, those actions couldn’t possibly be considered a crime… now, are you going to release me? I’ve done nothing the rest of you haven’t done.” 😃 **Silver Jan** : “I’ve used my magic for knowledge and defense, _Septimus_. Don’t try to paint us all with the same evil brush.” **Septimus** : “Oh, I do \*beg \*your _pardon_, most _sincerely_, my dear.” 😉 **Gadarene** : “You do realize we’re going to have to execute you, right?” **Septimus** : “Oh… I’m afraid such a move would be a very \*\*grave \*\*error on your part. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…” :o **GuiriEnEspana** : “I’ve been to the grave Septimus. It’s your turn.” **Septimus** : “Are you threatening me, master Guiri?” **Lightfoot** : “If you don’t cease your ridiculous posturing, I’ll pop you one!” **Septimus** : “Well isn’t this cute. There’s still someone missing from the party. I wonder where our resident evil Demon Lord could possibly be?” \*One of the figures in the crowd stepped forward, wearing a cloak, and held up a black object, looking like a **dark obsidian** pendant, in the shape of a shattered **shard**. The object began to swallow up all of the light around it, creating a swirling vortex of power. From out of the vortex came a beam of energy, and it formed into the massive, familiar Demon Lord.\* **Demon Lord Phere:** _**[FONT=Palatino Linotype]“Bring the TRAITOR before me.”**_ **Septimus** : “Well, speak of the Devil. How have you been, Phere? And are you prepared to face the full power of the Dark Side?” **Demon Lord Phere:** \*\*\*“Is this the one you’ve chosen? Are you certain?” * * * **Inner Stickler:** “This one is an admitted Evil Sorcerer. Destroy the Traitor!” **Demon Lord Phere** : _ **“Prepare to face thy judgment.”** _ **Septimus** : "Take THAT, _my Lord!"_ \*\*\*Septimus \*_summoned a powerful magical spell of Fire, and hurled the magic orb at the Demon Lord. The magic orb disintegrated against the massive titan’s armor, but the Demon Lord was forced back._ **Septimus** : “All right, try this one!” \*\*\*Septimus \*_grabbed a rock from the ground, and whipped it at the Demon Lord, uttering a few words as he did. The small rock transformed into a massive boulder, and shattered the Demon Lord’s armor._ **Septimus** : “Now, freeze right where you are!” \*\*\*Septimus \*\*summoned the darkest magic within him, and the dark void began to consume all of the heat surrounding the Demon Lord, and the air itself turned solid. The blast of cold sent a shockwave over the battlefield. Lord Phere was trapped within a sphere of cold. \ ***Septimus** : “Feel the might of the heavens!” \*\*\*Septimus \*_summoned a twisting tornado, and sucked up into the sky the sphere of cold which trapped the Demon Lord, sending it a thousand meters into the air, before crashing it back down to the rocky ground, shattering the sphere._ **Septimus** : “Now feel the power of the void… and face your annihilation!” The Demon Lord struggled to his feet, just as a vortex of darkness surrounded him. The darkness began to swallow up the light, and the false image of the Demon Lord began to lose its strength. It flickered, and then it vanished, revealing the broken body of the King of Parma which had been trapped within. **Septimus** : [SIZE=5]“Behold! I have slain the creature, using the full power of darkness!” **Demon Lord Phere has been slain… by Septimus?** _The sound of slow clapping came from the crowd, from one figure in particular, whose face was obscured by the hood of a cloak._ \*\*???: \*\*“Congratulations. You’ve defeated a \*mirage \*with your astounding magical power. You should be very proud of yourself.” **Septimus** : “Who are you, who wields \*\*the \*\*\*\*item \*\*I seek?” \*\*???: \*\*“You mean this worthless old **shard**? You can have it.” _The cloaked figure tossed the obsidian pendant at the Sorcerer, who greedily grabbed it out of the air, and began to examine it._ **Septimus** : “This is the shard… but there is no magic contained within it. What…” \*\*???: \*\*“I no longer need such trinkets. But I must thank you for putting on quite the dramatic performance.” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy of Parma: \*\*“No… this cannot be… you… you… traitor!” \*\*???: \*\*“Hah. Traitor? How dare \*you \*call me such a thing. You’re not the true master of these lands. You’re just the absentee landlord of a piece of land that never belonged to you, and rightfully belongs to the native people here. You’re a small man, and you’re no one’s master anymore.” **King Askthepizzaguy of Parma:** “Why did you turn against us?” \*\*???: \*\*“Long have I sought a means of obtaining ultimate power, and eternal life. Utilizing the very same magic I’ve long used to serve your weak and decadent kingdom, I was able to journey across the dimensional void, and find new realities, new truths, new knowledge. And I found a being of great power, one more worthy of aspiration than a mere mortal in a tattered robe who thinks he’s Lord of everyone.” **King Askthepizzaguy of Parma:** “You were my most trusted adviser! You’ve had the respect and loyalty of almost everyone you’ve encountered… what more did you want?” \*\*???: \*\*“I’m not your puppet anymore, my Lord. In fact, it gave me great pleasure to turn \*you \*into a marionette, with my hand guiding your strings. I hope you enjoyed the loss of control, being unable to stop yourself from being the destroyer of your own people. What I wanted? I wanted freedom… I wanted to be my own master. And now, thanks to your feeble band of pathetic Adventurers, I’ve gained enough experience in using this forbidden power to achieve my ultimate goal. And now, you lack the force to stop me.” [/SIZE][/FONT] **Gadarene** : “We’ll just see about that. We outnumber you greatly. Time to die, you twisted witch.” Gadarene grabbed his bow, and prepared to fire the magical weapon directly at the cloaked figure. \*\*???: \*\*“Oh yes, ‘Gadarene’. I’m afraid your presence will no longer be required.” _The cloaked figure made a quick hand movement, and dispelled the magic which allowed the illusion of Gadarene to exist._ **The Gadarene Illusion was dispelled.** **Astral Rejection:** “What?! What just happened?!” \*\*???: \*\*“Allow me to shed some LIGHT on the matter.” _The cloaked figure removed her hood, revealing herself to be none other than…_ **Choie** : “Oh, wipe that surprised look off of your face, ‘Astral Rejection’. As a matter of fact, allow me to wipe your face off of your face.” _Choie snapped her fingers, and the magic which allowed the illusion of Astral Rejection vanished._ **The Astral Rejection Illusion was dispelled.** **Choie** : “Light is such a wonderful thing. It allows us to see the truth… and it also allows us to bend the truth. You see, I am not just a simple Priestess. I am actually a powerful Summoner and Illusionist. I use the power of Light to create illusions… far more effective than simply summoning dark magic to destroy you all, I prefer to trick you into destroying yourselves. And thank you so much, Guiri, for all your assistance. Let me send you back to the darkness where you belong!!!” _Choie snapped her fingers again._ **The GuiriEnEspana Illusion was dispelled.** **Septimus** : “What sort of magic is this?” **Choie** : \*[FONT=Palatino Linotype]\*\*"Far more powerful than a being as \*\*\*\*\*limited \*\*_ **as you could possibly imagine."** _ **Choie summoned a beam of light and vaporized Septimus instantly.** [/FONT][SIZE=6]Begin “The FINAL NIGHT”[/SIZE]\* \*(Night Seven) **Still able to fight:** **16. Lightfoot 17. Silver Jan** [COLOR=Red]\*\* 18. choie- Illusionist\*\* **20. Tanaer 24. Inner Stickler** [/COLOR] **Not in any condition to fight:** [Dead] 1. Inner Stickler- **Soldier [Good]** 2. glee- **Soldier [Good]** 3. ToeJam- **[COLOR=Indigo]Rogue [Neutral]**[/COLOR] 4. Weedy- **White Mage [Good]** 5. MHaye-[COLOR=Blue]\*\* Black Mage [Good] \*\*[/COLOR] 1. Mahaloth- [COLOR=Blue]**Mage [Good]**[/COLOR] 6. PetW- [COLOR=Indigo] **Wizard** [/COLOR]\*\* [Neutral]\*\* 7. BobArrgh- **[COLOR=Blue]Dragon Slayer [Good]** [/COLOR] 2. Believerer- **Cleric [Good]** 8. NAF1138- **Soldier [Good]** 9. Red Skeezix- [COLOR=Blue]**Light Mage [Good]**[/COLOR] 10. Mosier\*\*- [COLOR=Blue]Zombie Knight [Good][/COLOR]\*\* 11. gnarlycharlie- [COLOR=Indigo]**Assassin [Neutral]** [/COLOR]3. Suburban Plankton- [COLOR=Blue]**Ninja \*\*\*\*[Good]**[/COLOR] 12. Visorslash- **Knight [Evil]** 13. Normal Phase- [COLOR=Blue]**White Knight [Good]**[/COLOR] 14. Scathach- [COLOR=Red]**Templar Knight [Evil]** [/COLOR] 6. Fubbleskag- **Mage [Neutral]** 15. Glee- **White Knight [Good]** 16. storyteller0910- **Mage [Evil]** 17. septimus- [COLOR=Red]**Sorcerer [Evil]**[/COLOR] \*\* 8. Gadarene- [COLOR=Blue]Illusion [/COLOR]**[Good]\*\* \*\* 10. Astral Rejection- [COLOR=Blue]Illusion [/COLOR]**[Good]\*\*\*\* 18. GuiriEnEspana-[COLOR=Blue] Illusion[/COLOR]\*\* **[Good]** \*\* 30. Askthepizzaguy- [COLOR=Indigo]Illusion[/COLOR]\*\* **[NPC/Neutral]** ROUND OVER SUMMARY: **[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Blue] [/COLOR]**[/COLOR]**[COLOR=Black][COLOR=Blue] [COLOR=Purple][COLOR=Red]Septimus has been slain. The Gadarene Illusion has been dispelled. The Astral Rejection Illusion has been dispelled. The GuiriEnEspana Illusion has been dispelled. The Lord Phere Illusion has been dispelled. [/COLOR][/COLOR][/COLOR]**[/COLOR] ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3915 "2012-06-08T03:09:48Z")
_ **Part Two** _ **King Askthepizzaguy of Parma: “It’s not over…”** \*\* Summoner Choie\*\*: “Yes it is, my Lord. You should thank me, I know you’ve grown weary of the chains I’ve kept you in. Now you can be free to rule over a Kingdom of nothing. Here’s your crown, King Nothing!” **King Askthepizzaguy of Parma** : “I will fight you. With my last ounce of strength will I fight.” **Summoner Choie** : "That would be hilarious to watch. You see, this entire time I’ve been casting the Illusion of the Demon Lord, I’ve been absorbing the power contained within the Shard of Phere. Now, I have the power to achieve my destiny… I shall become immortal, and omnipotent! I have gained Phere’s ability to Wish… and now, I wish **to become that which you all fear…"** _ **Summoner Choie** used WISH, and transformed into a Demon herself, by whispering **her true name.** _ **Summoner Loathing** : “Now feast your eyes on a TRUE Demon.” \*\* King Askthepizzaguy\*\*: “ **Phere** … and **Loathing**?” **Summoner Loathing:** “Wordplay amuses me. Besides, what better than to name myself after the true feeling that I have for you all? I utterly despise all of you weak little goatlings. I’ve shed my human form and now, I have become an **IMMORTAL**! And I have the strength to defeat you all.” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy: \*\*“Phere had the strength of three warriors when it was time to battle one of the suspected traitors.” \*\*Summoner Loathing: \*\*“Yes, and now I have that very same strength… and I have all the destructive power that comes with it. With this Staff of Immortality, I cannot be defeated now!” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy: \*\*“I gave you that staff to protect you from harm! You were my chosen one! You were meant to bring the light of hope to these lands, not leave it in darkness!” **Summoner Loathing:** “Whoops, my bad! Now prepare your fragile little body for the eternal void…” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy: \*\*“It was never meant to be this way… I was certain I gave my noble warriors the tools to overcome any danger… I have failed you… I have failed you all.” **Summoner Loathing:** “Yes, as usual, you’ve come a day late and an army short. You’re a loser! You’re all losers! I’ve got no time for losers, for _ **I am** _ the champions, my friend!” **King Askthepizzaguy:** “I don’t think so. We were meant to have more time… not enough people came to the fight. I cannot allow you to go any farther. You’ve claimed your victory, now leave this dimension and never return!” **Summoner Loathing:** “Oh yeah? You and what army?” **King Askthepizzaguy:** “The army that was SUPPOSED to fight you… that would have been enough… if everyone showed up to fight. Now I shall use the power which defeated the Shadowlands, the power of light… the same power you have, to restore life to the fallen.” \*\* Summoner Loathing\*\*: “You won’t be able to do anything once you’re dead. Your reign is over, your highness. Now comes the March of the Black Queen!” \*The Demoness summoned a dark crown, nestled atop her horns, and black battle armor, fit for royalty. She fired a wave of darkness at the King of Parma, who deflected the blow with a **black, mirrored shield.** \*\*\*King Askthepizzaguy: \*\*“It’s treason, then. Come, fallen warriors… those of you who fought tirelessly… I will never forget!” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy restored one of the fallen White Knights to life. \*\* **Summoner Loathing:** “Oh goody. More pigs for the slaughter!” \*\*King Askthepizzaguy: \*\*“With this Black Shield, I can withstand your magical power. I can restore anyone I wish back to life. If you choose to battle me, I will fight you… and I won’t stop fighting until you are defeated!” **Summoner Loathing:** “Foolish mortal. You can NEVER defeat me… and I will exist long after your bones have turned to dust. I’m an Immortal. You will not stop me. No one can!” **King Askthepizzaguy:** “Then leave this place, and allow us to live in peace. You’ve achieved what you wanted. Leave my people alone!” \*\* Summoner Loathing:\*\* “I’ve WON! You’re in no position to dictate to me anymore. I am your Queen! Bow down to me and beg for forgiveness!” **King Askthepizzaguy:** “I won’t abandon my gallant warriors. True warriors don’t give up! We don’t surrender! We never shy away from a just battle. And if I have to stalemate you for eternity, I will! I can dispel the illusory void that traps us here, and call the entire army of Parma down here… you’ll have to fight us all to the last, and I’ll make your existence miserable for as long as I breathe.” **Summoner Loathing:** “You stupid fool… I suppose you’re too stupid to realize when you’ve been defeated. Anyway, I didn’t come all this way and become an immortal Demon just to be pestered by you and your pathetic band of misfits for another year, another month, or another five minutes. Take your wretched plain, but remember that if you or your little sheep ever try to leave this dimension, I will be there waiting. I will be quite busy conquering all the other dimensions, so I can afford to wait until you die before conquering this one.” **The Black Queen Loathing has transported to one of the Hell Dimensions, to begin her march of conquest.** **The Illusion of Hell, which had trapped the surviving Adventurers, was dispelled.** **King Askthepizzaguy of Parma began the task of restoring his most valiant soldiers to life.** Winner (1st Place): **Choie** , as Summoner/Illusionist **Loathing** , _a.k.a._ The Black Queen Further Scoring: As determined by the game Moderator, the balance of the game was disrupted by severe inactivity and drop-outs, and lack of participation. Therefore, rather than going with the original scoring system, I will score the game as if it were broken, and give points for participation, survival, and character advancement, as well as for accurate voting. I believe the game would have been balanced, if difficult, had the innocent team not lost so many valuable players and roles. As such, there will be **individual scores** for the remaining players. Which I will get to as soon as possible. To reflect the time and effort you all put into a game which became broken due to factors outside of your control. For now, you can consider the surviving players to be **Runners-up** , but there will be several others. Fret not… if you gave a damn about this game, and made any sort of real progress, you’re likely included. Third place will go to the players who participated, but were otherwise completely unsuccessful. Last place will go to players who dropped from the game voluntarily. \*\* Standby for the final scores, to come in the next couple days.\*\* **Survivors:** [COLOR=Blue] [/COLOR] [COLOR=Red]\*\* 18. choie- Summoner/Illusionist \*\*[/COLOR][COLOR=Blue] **16. Lightfoot 17. Silver Jan** \*\*20. Tanaer 24. Inner Stickler Askthepizzaguy- King of Parma \*\* [/COLOR] **Not in any condition to fight:** [Dead] 1. Inner Stickler- **Soldier [Good]** 2. glee- **Soldier [Good]** 3. ToeJam- **[COLOR=Indigo]Rogue [Neutral]**[/COLOR] 4. Weedy- **White Mage [Good]** 5. MHaye-[COLOR=Blue]\*\* Black Mage [Good] \*\*[/COLOR] 1. Mahaloth- [COLOR=Blue]**Mage [Good]**[/COLOR] 6. PetW- [COLOR=Indigo] **Wizard** [/COLOR]\*\* [Neutral]\*\* 7. BobArrgh- **[COLOR=Blue]Dragon Slayer [Good]** [/COLOR] 2. Believerer- **Cleric [Good]** 8. NAF1138- **Soldier [Good]** 9. Red Skeezix- [COLOR=Blue]**Light Mage [Good]**[/COLOR] 10. Mosier\*\*- [COLOR=Blue]Zombie Knight [Good][/COLOR]\*\* 11. gnarlycharlie- [COLOR=Indigo]**Assassin [Neutral]** [/COLOR]3. Suburban Plankton- [COLOR=Blue]**Ninja \*\*\*\*[Good]**[/COLOR] 12. Visorslash- **Knight [Evil]** 13. Normal Phase- [COLOR=Blue]**White Knight [Good]**[/COLOR] 14. Scathach- [COLOR=Red]**Templar Knight [Evil]** [/COLOR] 6. Fubbleskag- **Mage [Neutral]** 15. Glee- **White Knight [Good]** 16. storyteller0910- **Mage [Evil]** 17. septimus- [COLOR=Red]**Sorcerer [Evil]**[/COLOR] \*\* 8. Gadarene- [COLOR=Blue]Illusion [/COLOR]**[Good]\*\* \*\* 10. Astral Rejection- [COLOR=Blue]Illusion [/COLOR]**[Good]\*\*\*\* 18. GuiriEnEspana-[COLOR=Blue] Illusion[/COLOR]\*\* **[Good]** End of Game. Preliminary Endgame Commentary and Spoiler Information next post. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3916 "2012-06-08T03:20:23Z")
Well, okay. Well played, Choie! Congratulations on your win! Pizza, was there actually a scum team at any point in this game? ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3917 "2012-06-08T03:28:04Z")
thanks for making me sound like a sissy pizza looking forward to spoilers @ " teams " as well snickers about the responses to the hearts and flowers references. ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3918 "2012-06-08T03:40:38Z")
> [@LightFoot](#): > > thanks for making me sound like a sissy pizza > > looking forward to spoilers @ " teams " as well > > snickers about the responses to the hearts and flowers references. NETA no wonder choie was biting my nose about it ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3919 "2012-06-08T03:45:58Z")
**Preliminary Endgame Notes-** The game was Serial Killer versus Town. The Serial Killer was given extraordinary powers, as was the Town. If you examine my game setup closely, you will find that every townie in the game had the ability to become, through character advancement, a detective, vigilante, roleblocker, doctor, healer, thief, almost any kind of power role imaginable. The Serial Killer, on the other hand, was given Godfather-esque immunities to certain kinds of investigation, but was vulnerable to other kinds. Primarily, her weakness was twofold: She could be disarmed almost completely simply by stealing either of her two starting items, the\*\* Staff of Immortality\*\* (which protects her from death, leaving her with 1hp remaining, but offers no protection from the lynch, and will shatter if she takes damage at 1hp remaining, never to be restored.) and the SHARD OF PHERE. The **Shard of Phere** is a magical item which gives the bearer control of Lord Phere, which includes the Triple Vote, most of her ability to murder or attack, and the ability to use WISH, which is a powerful spell that enabled Choie to bring Mosier back as a zombie, protect her from a specific kind of attack or investigation or power of her choice during the night, or perform other feats, or otherwise use her imagination to cause mischief. (I ended up vetoing many of her wishes, wherever I determined they would be too powerful, or game-breaking.) Choie was also given a cover role, as is absolutely necessary in a game where the entire opposition can consist of powerful roles such as vigilantes, roleblockers, doctors, or investigators. Necessary to blend in, is the ability to provide a useful service to the innocent team. As I have done before (Star Wars: Fall of the Order) I gave Choie the cover role of Town Reviver. She was able to create the illusion of restoring players to life. The achilles’ heel of this cover, is that eventually, she will have to explain why she has not been obliterated by Lord Phere. A reviver role is obviously the top priority of any scum team to destroy, otherwise, you end up with a cadre of what are essentially masons, versus a serial killer, which is an automatic victory for the town. While Choie was able to order Phere to attack herself (At great risk to herself, by the way… had she been successfully attacked by others at the same time, she would have risked shattering her item, she only ever was allowed 200 hit points during the game, and would have to give up her Priestess cover role to ever gain any more) she was never the target of theft, and she was never really a serious contender for the lynch. The cover worked as intended, but what was not intended was that the game reached endgame before a significant number of players were able to reach the Advanced Classes, which contained most of the power roles that are useful in battling Choie. The reason why is because many players chose not to vote, which meant they didn’t advance in level. Many players chose not to send in actions, which meant they couldn’t change alignments. Many players dropped from the game, which meant there was less time for town to solve the puzzle. What was intended was a situation which ended up happening; eventually someone would have to suspect Choie, it’s only natural. In order to stop herself from dying, she’d need to claim to someone that she was the town Reviver. The longer she survived, and the more people became aware that she was the Reviver, the greater the danger of someone suspecting that once again, she’s just been given a nice cover role. And several players did find her scummy. And many players ended up finding out her claim. The missing piece was the “so why isn’t she dead yet, if so many people know her claim?” That missing piece didn’t really get explored due to the time constraints caused by lack of participation. The cover becomes weaker over time, but the game only lasted 7 rounds, which wasn’t enough time for many of the town’s intended power roles to be attained, and not enough time for real suspicion to sink in. I wouldn’t even count the final round because it would have required unanimous town support to get Choie lynched. The illusory copies of fallen players had no vote effect on Choie. They could, however, steal from her, vote themselves items, commit acts of vigilantism on her, or any number of other pro-town actions. Had choie been the lynch candidate, but only with the support of the illusory players voting for her, the illusions voting for her would have vanished; exposing her as not being a true reviver role. Her main weakness, theft, was not really explored. There were many Ninjas in this game and some became Rogues, but theft was not really used as an investigatory device by many. That was the easiest role to get to which would prove capable of thwarting choie’s cover role. Alignments: Neutral players would seek wealth, and wealth was easiest to acquire in the form of valuable items. As such, all players who changed alignment to neutral were given a goal of gaining as much wealth as possible. This would have accidentally revealed Choie in time, had people pursued this goal. That was the intended consequence of the Neutral alignment: It had a hidden pro-town purpose. Evil aligned players would immediately become aware of the Item which gave Choie all her power, and were instructed to survive or gain this item at any cost. That meant they had a motive to destroy even the most pro-town looking people in the game. Even if they were doing it for selfish reasons, the townies who became evil actually held the key to eliminating Choie: They were told to get the item, and were told they would know exactly what it is on sight. Stealing was one option, simply killing people indiscriminately was another. Through these two supposedly anti-good alignments, town was given the keys necessary to unlock the puzzle. They were told they were looking for a specific item, and it didn’t matter who they had to step on in order to get it. They were encouraged to steal. The balance of that was, town usually does not trust anyone called neutral or evil. So they would have a harder time gaining anyone’s support. In the opening color, it was said that there were Adventurers who were fighting for justice, some just interested in wealth or power, but that they had a common goal. That was how I explained that Good or Neutral or Evil are secondary to your common goal. There was also a pair of Lovers thrown in for flavor, whose primary objective was to survive. They were also given roles which enabled them to quickly become a thief and a doctor, which were extremely necessary pro-town roles. Just because someone’s objective is told to them as being “survive”, that does not mean they weren’t given roles or powers which they could lend to the town in exchange for cooperation on the survival aspect. I always found neutral roles interesting; sure, they’re selfish, but sometimes, they can be powerful allies. You just have to convince them that you don’t want them to die, and that you have a shared enemy. Obviously every Neutral in the game, either good or evil, was opposed to Choie, who was killing everyone indiscriminately. Whatever your personal goals, making sure Choie didn’t stop you from attaining them was the first priority. That was the premise behind the game. There were some clues embedded in the writeups, and I will explain those later. For now, please enjoy the Spoiled Thread, and the Thread where Choie plotted your downfall, and asked me a myriad of questions (entirely necessary ones, given the complexity of her role) and also gave me the orders I would have to carry out on her behalf. Other thoughts: I was far too busy to host this game as promptly and efficiently as I normally do, and so I’ve probably created a bad impression of myself as a host for this group. My apologies on that, and for the delay of game. I would also like to say that I definitely should have had a co-moderator to assist with tallies and moving the game along after lynch phases; I’ve never hosted a mafia game this complex and it was a learning experience. I was encouraged to design and host a “Mad Scientist” game, and this is my mad creation. It became a beast too powerful for me to fully control, but the design has potential. I am disappointed in how things turned out, in many ways, but I don’t really fault the design; it was a combination of player inactivity and my own busy schedule which sapped the life out of what could have been a much better game. As it stands, there are many players who have told me privately and publicly that they wanted me to continue, as hard as it was to continue hosting it at times, and I decided to keep going even though I wasn’t able to give my best quality of service. There are also many players who told me that they were still having fun, and for every player who continued to want to play, who continued to try to play, I continued hosting it for you, and you alone. Once the game became too imbalanced, I would normally have aborted it. Instead I will score the game as if it were broken and you’ll get scored based on your play, as fairly as I can. 🙂 Okay? **[http://www.quicktopic.com/47/H/k5ahmpt7irn74](http://www.quicktopic.com/47/H/k5ahmpt7irn74) The Sum of All Phere- Choie/Askthepizzaguy quicktopic for TheBigBad** \*\*[http://www.quicktopic.com/47/H/BfB4Ur6YmfNtA](http://www.quicktopic.com/47/H/BfB4Ur6YmfNtA) Beyond the Final Hell- Spoiled Quicktopic for spoiled people \*\*who would not be allowed back into the game once spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3920 "2012-06-08T03:52:54Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > Well, okay. Well played, Choie! Congratulations on your win! > > Pizza, was there actually a scum team at any point in this game? No team, but definitely scummy individuals. But your main villain was always Choie, since she never lost possession of the Shard. At any point, if an Evil-aligned player gained control of Choie’s SHARD OF PHERE, they would become Phere’s new master and the new Big Bad. As such, Evil characters were neutral until they gained possession of the Shard. Once they had it, they would become the new Serial Killer you needed to defeat. In essence, every single player in the game had the potential to end the game as Choie did, as the new Demon Lord. This was meant to give you multiple avenues of victory. Oh, you should see the roles I intended you guys to have… Read the spoiler quicktopic and you’ll see the powers that town would have been able to tap. In particular, Angel Knights, which would appear whenever a Paladin was murdered. The Paladin would come back as an Angel Knight, with several powerful investigatory powers, not to mention high hit points and battle ability. That’s along the Good route. Lichs, were extremely powerful sorcerer-types which could appear if a Warlock was slain. They could roleblock magic and cast the most powerful kinds of black magic. That’s along the Evil route. Neutrals could become Thieves or Assassins, or Templar Knights, any number of powerful roles capable of battling or outright defeating Choie. The quicktopics are well worth the read. You should be able to see what I had intended for this game, and where I determined that it had finally been broken, and decided what to do about it. That said, Choie didn’t do anything wrong and earned her win regardless, as did many of you earn some kind of recognition. That’s why the scoring will reflect that. ---
**Author:** ![Visorslash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ee59a6/32.png) [@Visorslash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Visorslash)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/3921 "2012-06-08T04:03:57Z")
> [@](#): > > Visor asked to be spoiled and I didn’t know you’d ever want him revived either. Apologies. You did say to me that it was very unlikely that I would ever be revived and it wouldn’t be likely that the reviver would want me back. I would’ve voted Choie anyway. 😛 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480.md?page=195) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480.md?page=197)