# MAFIA: The Road to Canterbury - Game Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [June 21, 2012, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807 "2012-06-21T01:57:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 59
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1161 "2012-08-16T21:29:56Z")
To amuse absolutely no one (including myself), I shall now present to you the prologue of the nun’s priest, my character: " TT O ! good sir, no more of this," quoth the Knight. “What ye have told us, in sooth, is enough and to spare, for a little of heavy cheer sufficeth for most folk, I ween. As for me, I say it is a great distress to hear of the sudden fall, alas! of them who were wont to be in great wealth and ease. But the contrary is joy and great delight, as when a man, who hath been in poor estate, climbeth up and waxeth prosperous, and there in prosperity abideth. Such a thing, as it seemeth me, is gladsome; and of such a thing it were goodly to speak.” “Yea!” quoth our host, “by Saint Paul’s bell, ye say right sooth ; this monk, he clappeth his tongue with a din, and speaketh of how ‘fortune covered with a cloud’ something I wot never what; and also ye heard but now of a ‘Tragedy,’ and pardee, no help is it for to bewail nor lament that which is done ; and eke, as ye have said, it is a pain to hear the heaviness. Sir Monk, no more of this, for the love of God; your tale annoyeth all of us. Such talking is not worth a butterfly, for there is no mirth therein, nor disport. Wherefore, Sir Monk or whatsoever your name be, Dan Piers I pray you heartily tell us somewhat else, for verily, if it were not for the clinking of the bells that hang on your bridle all about by the King of heaven that died for us all ! I should have fallen down ere this for sleep into the slough, however miry it were. Then had your tale been all told in vain, for certainly as these clerks say : ‘Where a man hath no audience, it helpeth him naught to speak his mind.’ But I wot well I shall know a good tale when I hear one. Sir, say somewhat of hunting, I pray you.” “Nay,” quoth the monk, “I list not to sport; let another tell a tale now, sith I have told.” Then spake our host with his rude broad speech, and said unto the Nun’s Priest: “Come nearer, thou priest; come hither, thou Sir John; tell us such a thing as may glad our hearts. Though thou ride on a jade, be blithe! What though thy horse be both foul and lank, reck not a bean, if he will serve thee. Whatever be, look that thy heart be merry!” “Yes, sir,” quoth he. “Yes, host, by my spurs! In sooth, if I be not merry, may I be chid.” And right anon he hath broached his tale, and thus he said unto all of us, this sweet priest, this goodly man, Sir John. ---
**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:** [August 16, 2012, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1162 "2012-08-16T21:34:17Z")
Of all the days for Storyteller to wait until the very of his “somewhere between 1 and 5” rule… ---
**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:** [August 16, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1163 "2012-08-16T21:35:22Z")
End. End is the word I forgot up there. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1164 "2012-08-17T00:45:13Z")
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1165 "2012-08-17T14:47:08Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? ::Smack:: If you don’t be quiet, I’m turning this entire Caravan around and we’re going back to the inn! I’m sure Storyteller has a good reason. Perhaps he figured that we Canterbury anyone today. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1166 "2012-08-17T14:52:08Z")
That’s two strikes Ender. One for the update, one for the pun. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2012, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1167 "2012-08-17T16:08:11Z")
You wound me with your punwords, Ender! ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1168 "2012-08-17T16:18:01Z")
I’m jus shocked it took me this long in the game to come up with it. ---
**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:** [August 17, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1169 "2012-08-17T16:20:51Z")
(I actually really liked your pun.) ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1170 "2012-08-18T02:14:36Z")
Auuuuugh. Such issues I have had. I’ll spare you the long version, but the short is that I expected to have uninterrupted Internet access during the last week, and instead had none. If you think it was bad for the game, it was even worse for my _job_. So it goes. I will catch up tomorrow (Saturday) morning, and figure out what’s going on. I obviously apologize to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1171 "2012-08-18T02:20:15Z")
I’d like to add a vote: **Vote: storyteller**. Claiming net problems is a Scum tell! 😛 Guess I shouldn’t actually do that? Unvote Storyteller in case he uses an automated counter or something ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1172 "2012-08-18T02:56:48Z")
Perfectly acceptable, Story. You can’t always Chaucer internet connection. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1173 "2012-08-18T03:05:32Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > Perfectly acceptable, Story. You can’t always Chaucer internet connection. OK, that’s it…the “Canterbury anyone today” was bad enough, but this one is just unacceptable. That’s strike three, and you’re out. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1174 "2012-08-18T14:23:38Z")
**Journey’s End** And they led Astral Rejection toward the noose, his furious protests notwithstanding. Eventually his struggles quieted, and a sort of peace descended upon him. Once, many years ago, when his business was young, a man - a competitor of his, shrewd and blessed with advantages of birth - had been found drowned in a lake near his home. Though his death was of great benefit to Astral’s personal fortune, none had suspected the young merchant of any wrongdoing… but it was Astral’s gold in the pocket of the murderer who had held the unfortunate victim beneath the surface of the water. Astral had never stopped regretting this action, and had traveled to Canterbury to seek absolution; perhaps, he thought as the rope snapped taut, he had finally found it after all. **Astral Rejection,** who was the MERCHANT and Town, has been lynched. They turned sharply toward **Enderw24**. For the last twenty years, he had been quietly and unremarkably siphoning gold from the treasury of the parish at which he worked… but his confession never came. **MentalGuy** , a member of the Brotherhood of the Rose, avenged this theft with a spear plunged into **Ender’s** side. **Enderw24,** who was the NUN’S PRIEST and Town, has been killed. **Babale,** once the Town’s Cook, regarded MentalGuy bemusedly. “Bit of overkill, wasn’t it?,” he asked curiously. But MentalGuy just shrugged. “Can’t hurt to be sure. Now we just wait until morning, and they’ll come for us.” And so they waited for the sun to dip below the horizon. But the Night never came. Instead they heard a voice. It was a huge voice, entirely alien and yet somehow familiar. FEWER THAN FIVE NOW REMAIN, TRICKSTER. And then a second voice - and _this one_, though they had never heard it before, was surely familiar: it was the voice of their own failings, the voice that had whispered to them in the night before each murder, each theft, each carrying of false witness. **Yes!** , cried the voice. AND HAVE YOU CONTRIBUTED TO THE DEATH BY CONSENSUS OF BOTH A MEMBER OF THE SO-CALLED BROTHERHOOD AND OF AN HONEST PILGRIM? **I have, great Watcher** , answered the second voice, hungrily. AND HAS AN ATTEMPT TO KILL BEEN AVERTED? **I myself survived one of their vaunted knives** , came the reply. AND HAS A FULL DAY PASSED FROM SUNUP TO SUNDOWN WITH NONE DYING? **Do you not remember the first Day?** , queried the anxious petitioner. AND HAS THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE USED ALL OF ITS WEAPONS? **Knife, Hawk, Spear, and Venom.** AND HAS YOUR GREAT ENEMY, THE SERAPH OF HEAVEN, BEEN DISPATCHED? **It has,** was the reply. **The Brotherhood did my work well**. AND YOU, HAVE YOU ENDED THE LIFE OF ANOTHER? **Perhaps ask the Squire,** said the second voice, with a bit of finality. THEN I CONGRATULATE YOU, TRICKSTER. VICTORY IS YOURS. DO WITH THE REST AS YOU WILL. And Night fell. * * * Six months later, a new pilgrimage to Canterbury gathered at the tavern. News of the disappearance of the previous party had reached all of England, and had dissuaded would-be visitors to the shrine for some time. But time had softened the edges of the fear, and now they assembled eagerly, 24 strong, to take the journey. Among them stood a young poet, traveling to Canterbury in the hopes of finding some sort of inspiration for his quieted pen. He was determined to meet his fellow travelers, hear their stories, and perhaps transcribe them for all of history. And just as Harry Bailey urged the horses to begin the trip, he moved up alongside a hale and healthy looking young man, and offered his hand. “Well met, traveler. My name is Geoffrey Chaucer. I am a poet, if a poor one. May I know your name, sir?” “Hal,” the other replied, after a moment’s thought. “Let’s go with Hal.” * * * The game is over. **Hal Briston** , THE NAMELESS, a win-stealing third party, has won. Congratulations to Hal! Thanks to all players. I’ll make a post-mortem post in a little while, but figured I should get this up here as soon as possible. Well played to all, and condolences to the Brotherhood of the Rose, which missed it by _that_ much. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1175 "2012-08-18T14:29:45Z")
I’ve opened the Scum boards at > **[Home | Brotherhood of the Rose](https://canterburyscum.proboards.com/)** > > Visit our forum at: canterburyscum.proboards.com There was, regrettably, no Spoiler board. Things got way out of hand at home and I could barely find time to keep up with the game proper, let alone create a spoiler board; I apologize profusely to everyone who requested Spoilers but didn’t receive them… I kept telling myself every day that _today_ was the day I’d be setting up the Spoiler board, and then it just never happened. ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1176 "2012-08-18T14:38:53Z")
_ **ARRRRRGH!** _ I said it! “Hal Briston is a lying liar who lies” I said. And he _still_ fooled me. (Ok, I thought he was Brotherhood at first, not a winstealer. Still.) CVRSE THEE, HAL BRISTON! So… wanna play Conspiracy? Seven places or so left. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1177 "2012-08-18T15:41:12Z")
Yeah, I had a feeling Hal was lying but since there’s nothing to be done about him when we’re hunting scum as our primary focus, I just had to let it go. I was also almost certain the spear was in play because it’s an awesome weapon and why wouldn’t it be? But like I said above, the game is over if it’s in play so I just had to pretend otherwise. It at least explains the vote today. What does scum care how it votes? The game was over it was just a question of when. Anyway, I’m more happy that Hal won because, well, suck it scum. I was completely fooled, but oh well. I liked the game. I was the king of terrible and got duped again and again, but I liked it. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1178 "2012-08-18T16:02:57Z")
Nice win, Hal. If I’m gonna lose, I’m glad at least scum didn’t win. You had a really tough win condition and you pulled it off. Nice work! ---
**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:** [August 18, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1179 "2012-08-18T16:12:45Z")
Well, I’m a little peeved. Next time Hal can go hang and Kelly will stick around. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807/1180 "2012-08-18T16:12:52Z")
I warned you! But did you listen to me? Oh, no, you knew it all, didn’t you? Oh, it’s just a harmless little Third Party, isn’t it? Well, it’s always the same…do they listen to me?!? Good game Hal…you deserved your victory. Any time a PFK gets a win it’s a great accomplishment. So let’s all try to remember for next time: Rule #17: All Third Parties must die, die, DIE! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807.md?page=58) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-road-to-canterbury-game-thread/625807.md?page=60)