# \[Mafia game\] 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:** 34
**Author:** ![BobArrgh](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobarrgh/32/2881_2.png) [@BobArrgh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobArrgh)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/661 "2012-04-11T00:17:07Z")
Suffice it to say that it will be a cold day in Lord Phere’s realm before I guard someone else. ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/662 "2012-04-11T01:05:58Z")
I would really like to know from all the people guarding someone why they did that. It seems much more likely that Scum were guarding other Scum on D1, that Townies decided to take damage on behalf of someone else who they have no kind of read on. I didn’t attack or defend anyone today, because I don’t know who is worth attacking or defending. Inner protecting Visorslash I can understand. Bob protected glee and won’t say why. Guiri protected Inner Stickler and was surprised to see it outed. What made him a good target for protection in your eyes, Guiri? ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/663 "2012-04-11T02:33:17Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > I would really like to know from all the people guarding someone why they did that. It seems much more likely that Scum were guarding other Scum on D1, that Townies decided to take damage on behalf of someone else who they have no kind of read on. I didn’t attack or defend anyone today, because I don’t know who is worth attacking or defending. > > Inner protecting Visorslash I can understand. > > Bob protected glee and won’t say why. > > Guiri protected Inner Stickler and was surprised to see it outed. What made him a good target for protection in your eyes, Guiri? I had the same thought process… why protect someone D1 when you have NO IDEAR where their alliance is? Of course we can PM and such perhaps someone was tres convincing? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/664 "2012-04-11T02:37:47Z")
> [@Weedy](#): > > I would really like to know from all the people guarding someone why they did that. It seems much more likely that Scum were guarding other Scum on D1, that Townies decided to take damage on behalf of someone else who they have no kind of read on. I didn’t attack or defend anyone today, because I don’t know who is worth attacking or defending. > > Inner protecting Visorslash I can understand. > > Bob protected glee and won’t say why. > > Guiri protected Inner Stickler and was surprised to see it outed. What made him a good target for protection in your eyes, Guiri? This is a great post. If anything, I’d expect people to guard themselves. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/665 "2012-04-11T02:42:14Z")
Tsk, where’s your sense of adventure? If I were the sort to get something tattooed, I’d have Ms. Frizzle’s motto emblazoned on my back. Take chances, make mistakes, get messy! We’ve already learned some really interesting things today. Now I have Secret Garden songs stuck in my head. I hope you’re all happy, because I’m going to be tormented all night. ♪Miss your step, trip and fall. Miss the path, meet the wall. Miss the way, miss a turn, getting lost is how you learn.♫ ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/666 "2012-04-11T02:47:05Z")
I’m with **Weedy** and **LightFoot**. I’m fascinated by the dynamics here, especially the **Inner** / **Visorslash** / **Guiri** triad of protection. I mean I can basically buy **Inner Stickler** ’s explanations, because **Visorslash** was (briefly) in the spotlight. But **Guiri** protecting **Inner** is beyond me, and ditto **Bob** protecting **glee**. What do they know about each other?! Pure chance or some kind of coalition? As long as I’m ruminating in public (how gauche!), I’m noticing some atypical behavior, from what little experience I’ve had with certain players. **Silver Jan** has been atypically silent, and ditto **Guiri** , at least today. **Red Skeezix** has a grand total of one post in this thread, and that was just questioning his 60hp loss. (Admittedly it’s actually a great question. Who attacked him, and why? Plus, most of the other hp losses were in multiples of 25 or pseudo-half of that (13). Why sixty for **Red Skeezix**?) I’m kinda surprised that for **fubbleskag** to examine a magic precious, the bearers of said precious have to give it over to him. That seems quite dangerous. What proof is there that he’ll give it back – or that he’ll tell the truth about its origin? ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/667 "2012-04-11T02:53:44Z")
Again with my thinking… many of us are not accustomed to being outed when protecting another. (I know I would have Never thought so) Lesson learned by those that protected and those that did not. Using your new shiny thing ( or admitting you have one) may cause you grief. I’m guessing the protections will dwindle I’m also guessing there’s Scum in them there hills. Standard question: " why did you protect so and so?" answer ( that won’t be posted here) " I didn’t know anyone would find out!" ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/668 "2012-04-11T02:54:37Z")
I bet a shiny nickel the attack on skeezix was a “stop lurking” shot across the bow. ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/669 "2012-04-11T02:59:04Z")
@ \*\* choie - etal \*\* I have had no contact at all with \*\* Silver Jan \*\* ( ie no updates and we are friends) and I know hubby is having some medical issues . Granted not an excuse, but it could explain her absence ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/670 "2012-04-11T03:00:31Z")
Dwindling protections will be attributable to multiple factors, though. it may be that today was a fluke and in future days, those with the ability to protect will guess badly and no one will attack their target, or they’ve chosen to attack instead of protect as that appears to have a modicum of invisibility in it, or they’ve chosen a new class that doesn’t give them the option of protecting. The other aspect here is our actions in game have an effect on our alignments. A neutral or evil aligned player who wants to level up to a class that’s restricted to good alignments may choose to protect over attack in an attempt to shift their standing and not out of any particular love of any player and vice versa. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/671 "2012-04-11T03:02:22Z")
By the way, I’m assuming anyone who has less than 4 posts in the Night portion of this thread is busy chatting it up on the scum board. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/672 "2012-04-11T03:07:32Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I bet a shiny nickel the attack on skeezix was a “stop lurking” shot across the bow. Heh. If true, awesome. But then again, where were the shots for **Mahaloth** , **storyteller** , **lilflower** , and other similar barely-there players? > [@LightFoot](#): > > @ \*\* choie - etal \*\* > I have had no contact at all with \*\* Silver Jan \*\* ( ie no updates and we are friends) and I know hubby is having some medical issues . > > Granted not an excuse, but it could explain her absence Certainly does. I know she was dealing with the same thing during the last game too. I hope we see more of her, not because of the game, but because seeing more of her probably means things might be better for her and her family. Here’s hoping. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The other aspect here is our actions in game have an effect on our alignments. A neutral or evil aligned player who wants to level up to a class that’s restricted to good alignments may choose to protect over attack in an attempt to shift their standing and not out of any particular love of any player and vice versa. Now that’s a great theory and one I’d not reckoned on. Hmm. ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/673 "2012-04-11T03:07:34Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > By the way, I’m assuming anyone who has less than 4 posts in the Night portion of this thread is busy chatting it up on the scum board. that may be a bit of a leap, there are some players that ignore Night . But I’m sure there is some Scum in the pool ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/674 "2012-04-11T03:09:12Z")
NETA \* insert bad pool boy joke here \* ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/675 "2012-04-11T03:13:17Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > Dwindling protections will be attributable to multiple factors, though. it may be that today was a fluke and in future days, those with the ability to protect will guess badly and no one will attack their target, or they’ve chosen to attack instead of protect as that appears to have a modicum of invisibility in it, or they’ve chosen a new class that doesn’t give them the option of protecting. > > The other aspect here is our actions in game have an effect on our alignments. A neutral or evil aligned player who wants to level up to a class that’s restricted to good alignments may choose to protect over attack in an attempt to shift their standing and not out of any particular love of any player and vice versa. I don’t disagree, but the D1 actions ( when no one\* knew it would be made public) should give us information in later Days \*I ass/u/me ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/676 "2012-04-11T03:20:45Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Heh. If true, awesome. But then again, where were the shots for **Mahaloth** , **storyteller** , **lilflower** , and other similar barely-there players? I would assume a weighing the odds of which player’s going to yield the best results when prodded coupled with only one attack. It would have been great if several players had all decided to prod nonparticipants but wishing isn’t getting. > [@LightFoot](#): > > that may be a bit of a leap, there are some players that ignore Night . But I’m sure there is some Scum in the pool It was a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/677 "2012-04-11T03:25:15Z")
> [@choie](#): > > I’m with **Weedy** and **LightFoot**. I’m fascinated by the dynamics here, especially the **Inner** / **Visorslash** / **Guiri** triad of protection. I mean I can basically buy **Inner Stickler** ’s explanations, because **Visorslash** was (briefly) in the spotlight. But **Guiri** protecting **Inner** is beyond me, and ditto **Bob** protecting **glee**. What do they know about each other?! Pure chance or some kind of coalition? > > As long as I’m ruminating in public (how gauche!), I’m noticing some atypical behavior, from what little experience I’ve had with certain players. **Silver Jan** has been atypically silent, and ditto **Guiri** , at least today. **Red Skeezix** has a grand total of one post in this thread, and that was just questioning his 60hp loss. (Admittedly it’s actually a great question. Who attacked him, and why? Plus, most of the other hp losses were in multiples of 25 or pseudo-half of that (13). Why sixty for **Red Skeezix**?) > > I’m kinda surprised that for **fubbleskag** to examine a magic precious, the bearers of said precious have to give it over to him. That seems quite dangerous. What proof is there that he’ll give it back – or that he’ll tell the truth about its origin? I now have a very strong town lean on choie. This post shows a thought process and an incisiveness about the game so far that I think is extremely tough for a scum to fake. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/678 "2012-04-11T03:27:13Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I would assume a weighing the odds of which player’s going to yield the best results when prodded coupled with only one attack. It would have been great if several players had all decided to prod nonparticipants but wishing isn’t getting.. Oh god, I’m dumb. I thought you meant that **pizzaguy** had attacked **Red Skeezix** to get him into the action. But you were talking about player, I gather. That said, this makes the difference in hit points even odder. I would imagine Phere could level attacks on anyone and garner any level of hp he/she/it wanted. But as I said, everyone else has had 13 (presumably 12.5 rounded up) /25/50/75/100 hp taken away. Why 60hp? ---
**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:** [April 11, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/679 "2012-04-11T03:29:56Z")
Either Red has a special role with particular damage modifiers or his attacker has a unique implement or particular damage modifiers. Or an unknown third option but until Red comes back or the attacker reveals themself, we can only guess. ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2012, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480/680 "2012-04-11T03:31:40Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I would assume a weighing the odds of which player’s going to yield the best results when prodded coupled with only one attack. It would have been great if several players had all decided to prod nonparticipants but wishing isn’t getting. > > It was a joke. I took it half as a joke but I meant what I said as well [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480.md?page=33) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-game-the-realm-of-phere/617480.md?page=35)