Northern Isles Game Rules
Basics
At the start of the game, everyone is assigned a secret role. Except for a few rare exceptions, no one knows the roles of the other players at the start. Everyone has an individual victory condition. Some facilitate collaboration with certain other players, whereas some are in direct conflict. The game lasts for at most five days. To win, you must be alive and have your victory condition satisfied at the time the game ends.
Role Assignment
Roles change from round to round. Please read the relevant role list for the current round. There are 16 roles. The first 10 are always in the game. The next 6 are chosen randomly under some specification. The details are:
Roles 1-10: Anama Priest, Bound Servant, Darkside Blademaster, Darkside Mage, Dionicio, Domont, Gladwell, Machrone, Micklebur, Shanker.
Role 11: Adventurer or Empire Spy (50% each)
Role 12: Alchemist (25%), Craftmaster Strine (25%), or Oliver (50%)
Roles 13-16: Randomly chosen to be any role not currently used.
Note that slots 13-16 may include possible roles from slots 11 and 12 that were not selected. For example, it is possible for both the Adventurer and Empire Spy to be in the same game.
Game Flow
I will send all players a PM revealing their role, victory condition, abilities and any other pertinent information. At any time, a player may submit by PM to the moderator if they want to use their ability or do an action. You may only submit one action at a time. I place these requests in a queue and process them when I can. They are processed in the order they were received, however, if your last action validated less than 24 hours ago, your action is skipped until sufficient time passes. Also, any actions that kill anyone are not validated for the first 24 hours.
Note that conditional submission of actions is only allowed for specific cases. These are actions that await the reception of an item or a player joining a faction where doing that action would be impossible otherwise prior to that event occurring. An example of a conditional action NOT allowed would be one where the action depends on whether the target is alive or not.
Some important terminology:
Submitted: The time stamp you give me your action. Do NOT edit your action to change it, but instead cross out the old action (strikethrough tag) and make a new post for the new action.
Validated: The time when your action becomes valid for processing, which is generally 24 hours after your last action was valid.
Processed: The time when I execute your action. After this, there is no rescinding actions.
Combat
In place of using your ability, you may instead decide to attack a character. When your action gets processed, the attempt will be made. When attacking, if the person is an enemy, you will get the first strike absent any other qualifiers. Otherwise, the person you attack will strike first.
A role is an enemy if:
1) That person is a target in your victory condition or if you are a target in theirs.
2) The target specifically requires an artifact in their victory condition that is specifically part of yours.
3) The target is in the same faction as another enemy or you are in a faction and another faction member has that enemy. In other words, all faction members share the same enemies.
Note that enemy lists can only expand. If you join a faction, everyone in that faction gains enemies that may be unique to you. If you die, those enemies remain.
The reason this rule is here is to help prevent random slaughter.
There are two primary considerations in deciding if a strike kills someone: skill level, and attack type versus immunities.
If the first strike fails due to skills or immunities, the other person will get a counter strike. In the rare case where both happen to be immune to each others attacks, neither one will be able to kill the other, the encounter will end, and the person being attacked will know who attacked them.
Every role has either a physical, magical, or poison attack type. A few roles are immune to either physical, magical, or poison attacks. If the attack type matches the immunity, that person may not be harmed by the other.
In the absence of immunities, there is the consideration of the skill level of the attackers. There are three skill levels: standard, stealth, and power. They have the following abilities:
Standard -- Can kill other standard or stealth roles, but not power. You can be killed by any other skill level. The target's death is immediately reported in the game thread.
Stealth -- Can kill any standard, stealth, or power roles. You can be killed by any other skill level. The target's death for an offensive kill is reported in the game thread only after 24 hours from the time of death has elapsed (or the end of the game). Defensive kills are reported immediately as normal.
Power -- Can kill any standard, stealth, or power roles. You are immune to being killed by standard skilled roles. The target's death is immediately reported in the game thread.
When a person is killed, the victor receives any items or artifacts. Roles, however, are not revealed upon death unless otherwise stated.
Artifacts, Items, and Coins
There are five artifacts and many items. Artifacts can be used indefinitely whereas items have one use. A few roles are trying to acquire the artifacts as part of their victory conditions.
A full list of artifacts is given in a separate post. All items and artifacts have a value in coins that are detailed there.
Coins are treated separately than items. Every person has an inventory that holds artifacts and items. Alongside the inventory is a number of coins. When someone is killed, the person that did the kill receives any items, but not coins.
Any kills done by traps count toward the person who laid the traps. If a person kills someone, they get any artifacts or items that person had.
Twice per day, you may trade items with other players or the moderator shop (see the relevant section) by PM to the moderator. These require both people submit the details of the trade to the moderator within 24 hours of each other. If they do not match, the trade is not done. Coins may be given away in exchange for nothing and the recipient does not need to accept.
You may only participate in two trades per day with the exception of merchants trading items or artifacts to/from their shop. This merchant trade only occurs if at least one item enters or leaves the merchant's shop. The merchants are Alchemist, Craftmaster Strine, and Oliver.
Giving away items or coins counts as a trade. Receiving only coins in exchange for nothing does not count as a trade. Giving away the coins, however, does.
To trade type:
Player A: TRADE {ITEMS 1} WITH {PLAYER B} FOR {ITEMS 2}
Player B: TRADE {ITEMS 2} WITH {PLAYER A} FOR {ITEMS 1}
or
Player A: OFFER {ITEMS} TO {PLAYER B}
Player B: ACCEPT {ITEMS} FROM {PLAYER A}
Note that you may trade any number of items for any other number of items. Read the section on merchants for more information.
Recruitment and Joining
There are two characters who can recruit others: the Anama Priest and Gladwell. Recruitment can only be done by mutual agreement (both must PM me within 24 hours of each other). Joining or recruiting does not count as an ability use and offers some advantages. Note that Darkside Loyalists may not join any other faction.
Only one person may join each faction per day except on day 5 where any number may join.
To join someone, you must type:
JOIN {NAME OF PERSON} as {ROLE}
This is the name (e.g. Stareye) and the role of the person you want to join (e.g. Anama Priest).
The following conditions apply:
Anama -- You can only join if you are a non-magic user, not a Darkside Loyalist, and are not or under a geas (i.e. from Gladwell). If you join, the following happens:
* You know who all other Anama members are.
* Your immunity becomes magic.
* You gain the ability to solicit a donation of a random amount of coins: 5-20.
* You gain access to the special Anama shop.
* You receive an extra victory condition: Anama Priest wins OR kill a mage or the Anama Hunter OR all mages dead.
* You become enemies with any magic users or servants of Gladwell.
Note: Your Anama membership continues even if the Anama Priest dies. If you are in the Anama and attack another Anama member, any benefits you gained will instantly be removed and everyone in your faction will be made aware of what you did. You are not able to actually leave the Anama, however.
Gladwell -- You can only join if you are not in the Anama or are not a Darkside Loyalist. You are under a geas with Gladwell. The following occurs:
* Gladwell learns your role.
* Your skill is power so long as Gladwell is alive.
* You will gain the victory condition: Directly satisfy at least one of Gladwell's victory conditions (kill a target or give him a required artifact) or break Gladwell's geas. If you were one of Gladwell's targets and join, you must satisfy another victory condition.
* If you have a victory condition that conflicts with one of Gladwell's, his supersedes yours.
* Gladwell can compel you to do any action in place of something else you would like to do. In an attack, you normally get the first strike.
* You become enemies with anyone who is enemies of Gladwell.
Notes: To break the geas, you must acquire and use the Holy Symbol after Gladwell is dead.
Moderator Shop
The moderator runs a shop open to all players. Any player may trade with the moderator for items in the shop. The cost of the items is marked up 50% from the base value. Items may be sold to the moderator shop for coins at 50% their base value. The moderator shop only accepts a trade of coins for items, or items for coins, and not items for items or a combination thereof.
Trading with the moderator counts as one of the daily trades. Trades are done on a first come, first serve basis. There are five slots for items that are refilled as items are purchased. Artifacts cannot be sold to the moderator shop.
Anama Shop
Any Anama members have access to a shop that is run by the moderator. It has a different set of items but otherwise functions much the same. The price of any item is the base value +5 coins. Items or artifacts cannot, however, be sold to the Anama shop. Normally, only Anama members will know the current contents of the Anama shop.
Merchants
Merchants may participate in an unlimited number of trades so long as an item enters or leaves the merchant's shop. Otherwise, this counts as a normal trade. The merchants are Alchemist, Craftmaster Strine, and Oliver.
Any items or artifacts you trade with a merchant will end up in his or her shop. A merchant can only trade an artifact or item if he or she receives at least 50% in value of the items in return. When a merchant is killed, all items disappear and any artifacts will end up in the moderator shop. Merchants may move any items in their inventory into their shop, but not vice versa. Items in the shop may not be used except when attacked or required for survival (e.g. use Antidote if poisoned).
Any potions the Alchemist makes will end up in her shop. Any items Craftmaster Strine makes will end up in his shop. Either one may trade with a promise to make an item (50% value rule applies). This allows for a person giving coins, items, or artifacts in exchange for the service. This is done by specifying (in the PM to the moderator) that the merchant wishes to use his or her action to produce the item to be traded.
Oliver begins with a shop that contains four random items and an artifact.
Private Communication
Private communication is an important and vital part of the game. People are encouraged to make use of the public thread as well as private communications. You may use any means at your disposal.
Dead players may not communicate with anyone else about the game. If discovered by the game administrator, that player may be permanently banned from all future play.
I do ask that you be able to give me an honest summary if I ask for it. This helps me understand the game flow better and helps address weaknesses in the game.
Statuses
The following statuses are acquired by way of abilities and items:
Antimagic: Any magic attack, anything that inflicts any status effect except poison, or ability use by a magic user will fail. This applies for both the person with the status and anyone that person targets.
Berserk: Gained from skribbane use. You have a skill of power and get the first strike.
Blessed: You effectively have power skill.
Confused: Any action you do will fail.
Cursed: If you attack someone, your attacks will be unable to harm your opponent.
Poisoned: You will die in 24 hours unless this effect is cured by either using an Antidote or the Anama Priest.
Protected: If you are attacked, the attack will fail. Note you are not protected from item or ability use.
Resistant: Your immunity is magic.
Shielded: Your immunity is physical.
Vulnerable: You will have an immunity of none. Note that shielded and resistant override this status.
Withdrawal: After Skribbane use wares off, you gain this status permanently (except Skribbane Addict). Any action has a 50% failure rate.
All statuses (except Withdrawal) last 24 hours from when the action is processed. The statuses Berserk, Blessed, Resistant, and Shielded only apply for one offensive attack. This allows only one offensive action with any of these statuses. Without this rule, it is theoretically possible to get more than one.
Miscellaneous
For clarity, character or player describes the name of the person playing whereas a role is what personna they are playing. For instance suppose I (Stareye) am playing the Cranky Moderator and you wanted to target me. If the action is for a character type: TARGET STAREYE. If instead it is for my role, type: TARGET CRANKY MODERATOR.
Targeting a dead person for actions that require someone to be alive are simply removed from the queue. Such actions are not processed and a new action must be submitted.
In the case of roles that need to kill specific targets, killing a target only counts once. If you kill your target and he or she is resurrected, killing him or her again does not count towards your victory condition. Note that victory conditions that say a role must be dead, must die again if resurrected.
If a player is killed in a stealth attack, the player will be informed that it was stealth and asked to try and not make their death obvious while still not influencing the game. The latter takes precedence. When in doubt, just say absolutely nothing about the game after you are dead.
In the case when a role that needs a particular artifact joins Gladwell, it is acceptable for Gladwell rather than the role to hold the artifact at the end of the game.
Certain abilities give a guaranteed first strike. The order of precedence are: always, normally, unspecified, and never. When both people have a first strike condition that matches, normal battle order applies (consult the section on enemies).
Please post any questions about the rules below.
