It seems to me that promotion / demotion aims to ensure that your side bubbles to the top of the rank list, giving your side control of the brig. sensors, and sickbay (Jail, Little Tommy, and Day-time Detective, if I understand the standard role terms properly).
NM
Yay! More players:1. Scuba_Ben
2. ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies
3. Hal Briston
4. DiggitCamara
5. Chronos
6. Ichini Sanshigo
7. Normal Phase
8. Darth Sensitive
9. Inner Stickler
10. ColdPhoenixWe’ve enough to start, but I’ll wait until tomorrow to start, in case any one else still wants to join. Still room for 5 more players! Don’t be shy.
Scuba_Ben has it right. In this game, the “Town”'s power roles are given to the players in the top ranks. Promotion and demotion are non-lethal ways of changing which player has those powers.
I’m a little confused how a released officer wroks. If there’s a Doctor in the Brig, f’rinstance, and another one promoted to fill his shoes, and the first doc gets released, do they work side by sidein SickBay? Or does the second doc get demoted?
Players will be in a ranked order. I’ll randomize for the actual game, but let’s say the order is as listed above. Ben would be Captain, Cookies the XO, Hal the Security Chief, Diggit in Engineering, and Chronos the Doc. Each player’s alignment would be unknown, of course. Let’s say Ben doesn’t like how Diggit is playing, and puts out an arrest warrant. Hal concurs, and so Diggit is tossed in the Brig. He loses his position (but is still ranked 4). Chronos advances to Engineering, and then Ichini fills the Doc position.
So far, that should be clear? Let’s say Ben gets offed by the mutiny during the Night. The new Day would show:1. ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies – Captain
2. Hal Briston – XO
3. DiggitCamara – Brig
4. Chronos – Security
5. Ichini Sanshigo – Engineering
6. Normal Phase – Doctor
7. Darth Sensitive
8. Inner Stickler
9. ColdPhoenixEveryone advances a rank, but Diggit is still in the Brig. If the new Captain Cookies likes Diggit and cancels the warrant, and then the Security Chief Chronos agrees, he’s out of the Brig. He’d get the Security position and Chronos to Engineering and Ichini to Doc. Normal would be a regular crew again.
So, in summary, one player per officer position.
Couple more questions:
First, on tied votes: With people able to cast multiple votes, the highest-ranking officer might not be a tie-breaker. If, say, the Captain has voted for both of the leaders, I presume the tiebreaker proceeds like a poker hand? That is, if both hands have an ace kicker, then you look for a king, then a queen, and so on? What if the voters for the two leaders are identical? Suppose, for instance, we’re in an endgame scenario where we have 5 players left, 3 of whom are confirmed town? The three confirmed town all vote for both of the other two, and the other two do not vote for each other. How is the tie resolved?
Second, when do the Doctor and Engineer get the results of their investigations back? During the same Day, or at Nightfall?
Ah, you’re right about the vote tie-breaking. It’s possible for the players tied for the most votes to have identical lists. I don’t consider it likely, but just in case, if a tied vote cannot be resolved by rank, there will be no lynch. Similarly, if no player has at least a majority of votes, there will be no lynch.
The Doctor will get their result at the end of the Day, after the lynch. The Engineer gets their result at the end of the Night, after other Night actions are resolved.
Hey Pleo, I’d like to follow along this game spoiled. Can you hook me up when you get it set up (assuming you will have a spoiled thread, that is)? Thanks!
And if the current Doctor is lynched, or the current Engineer is killed by the mutineers, is the information given to the old, now-dead officer (and thus lost), or to the replacement?
Information goes to the player who used the power. That means that if the Doctor role switches players during the Day, it’s the player who gave the examination order that will get the info. A new Doctor can’t give an exam order if the old Doc already did that Day. Same for other positions. So use your powers early if you suspect you may shift positions.
Are you sure you wouldn’t rather play and be spoiled after being killed? 
No, I’m not, but I’m trying to resist the tempation 
With 9 people twisting your arm, we’re likely to dismember you. Seems the safest bet to just come willingly. Don’t you want a cookie instead? 
NETA: 10 counting Pleo :smack:
I’ll send out role PMs in about five hours. Up to five more players can join before then.
Just to confirm – ranks will start out randomized, right?
Yes, everything will be randomized.
I really would like to play - it’s an interesting set-up and a great group of players - but I just don’t think I have the time right now. I don’t like to sign up when I cannot give it my all.
Yet another monotonous duty cycle of scanning yet another field of asteroid debris and yet again finding nothing of interest to report. Hmm, what’s this? An asteroid seems inexplicitly high in water content…
That’s no asteroid, it’s Captain ShadowFacts! Unfortunately, the Captain and his space suit seem to have been rendered non-functional by an inanimate carbon rod protruding through his chest. Looks like those rumors of a mutiny have come true.
The ship’s computer reports the new crew complement:01. ColdPhoenix – Captain
02. Normal Phase – Executive Officer
03. Ichini Sanshigo – Chief of Security
04. Inner Stickler – Head of Engineering
05. Chronos – Ship’s Doctor
06. ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies – Crew-member
07. DiggitCamara – Crew-member
08. Hal Briston – Crew-member
09. Darth Sensitive – Crew-member
10. Scuba_Ben – Crew-memberRole PMs will be sent out immediately. Day One has started. Days normally last three weekdays, but Day One will last longer to give you time to digest the situation. Day One ends on Tuesday August 11 at noon PT (3pm ET).
As of now, send all rules questions to me via PM.
PM received (although I won’t see any serious game time until tomorrow).