Acolytes game 2: day 6

[shortkut]

If this is the case we vote zell and jawneh can’t kill is we vote him tomorrow.

I think I already skipped so I’m changing to zell unless shortkut has a real reason not to

I think you voting Zell is the wrong move I’d have you vote jawneh with a loudmouth potion

 

[Jon]

I think you voting Zell is the wrong move I’d have you vote jawneh with a loudmouth potion

But… why? I don’t understand the reason. I activated my potion so that’s fine. But why not take out zell now that jawneh can’t kill us tonight?

I know zell can’t either but if you have something going on I’m not privy to just let me know and I’ll switch back to jawneh.

 

[Jon]

Also if zell has a random loud mouth potion too me being on jawneh will split vote and no lynch which is worst case scenario for us

 

[shortkut]

Also if zell has a random loud mouth potion too me being on jawneh will split vote and no lynch which is worst case scenario for us

If zell has to have a way to move the votes off of him onto me, then we need to prevent that or the town loses. He doesn’t seem to mind being targeted for the lynch, only by my arrows

Up to you. I’ve been dead for a while so I’ll follow your lead. Worst case scenario we play the next game sooner

 

[Jon]

Ok... I'll move back to Jawneh. I've skipped, so I think we just need to get this over with.

 

[shortkut]

@Ants! skip

I think I was last

 

[Ants!]

That's three skips I think?

 

[Ants!]

You can't kill me tomorrow so Jon is right, we'll be right back at the same place.

@Ants! buy me the healing salve so at least everyone will know I'm not bullshitting here.

Done

 

[Ants!]

Shop updated

 

[Ants!]

Jon and shortkut skipped. I thought I remembered Jawneh skipped but now I can't find it. Don't think Zell skipped yet (but correct me if I'm wrong).

 

[shortkut]

Jon and shortkut skipped. I thought I remembered Jawneh skipped but now I can't find it. Don't think Zell skipped yet (but correct me if I'm wrong).

This is what I see. @Zell 17 is the only one left

I already drank my pot and got a thumbs up from Ants. Can't go back no more.

Unless anyone has any last minute shenanigans, skip away.

If this is the case we vote zell and jawneh can’t kill is we vote him tomorrow.

I think I already skipped so I’m changing to zell unless shortkut has a real reason not to

 

[Zell 17]

I already drank my pot and got a thumbs up from Ants. Can't go back no more.

Unless anyone has any last minute shenanigans, skip away.

Alright. I resign then.

@Ants give my talisman and healing salve to shortkut.

I skip.

 

[Ants!]

Alright. I resign then.

@Ants give my talisman and healing salve to shortkut.

I skip.

Done. Talisman and healing salve have been moved to shortkuts inventory.

 

[Ants!]

Zell's Final Choice





The square is thick with tension as the final votes are cast. Voices rise, accusations swirl, and all eyes fall on one figure — Zell. Hood drawn, face unreadable, the assassin stands still as stone.





Then, without a word, he moves.





A flick of his wrist — a flash of silver.





The talisman arcs through the air, landing neatly in the hands of Shortkut, the archer who had hunted him from the shadows. A heartbeat later, a Healing Salve tumbles after it, rolling to the archer's feet.





Gasps ripple through the crowd. No one understands.





He had the lead. He could have fought. But instead… he gave his last lifelines away.





Shortkut stares, stunned, weapons lowered. Zell says nothing. He only closes his eyes and kneels.





The vote is counted. The sentence is passed.





Steel finds his neck — and the town's fear finds a name.





Zell — Assassin — has been eliminated.





Somewhere in the crowd, someone whispers, "Why?"





No one answers.

 

[Ants!]

Night actions/skips please.

 

[Ants!]

Acolyte Victory — The Broken Seal





Night falls heavy over the ruined village, the sky dim with ash and dread. Shadows press in from the trees, and somewhere in the dark, an archer makes his final breath.





Jawneh does not gloat.





He simply pulls his dagger free, wipes the blood on his sleeve, and lets the silence settle. At his side, a worn leather satchel jingles softly — the weight of six jagged stones shifting inside.





Six of nine.





Stone fragments, each carved with runes long since banned, each once part of the great seal that held the sleeping god in its prison beneath the world.





The villagers had tried. Gods know they tried — scrambling through cursed ruins, trading blood and breath for even the chance to reforge the lock.





But it wasn't enough.





Too many whispers. Too many knives in the dark. Too many Acolytes like Jawneh, hidden among them, steering the tide.





And now, it is done.





The last sliver of hope dies with the archer beneath the tree. Only two remain, and one wears the mark of the old god.





The seal will not be restored.


The Acolytes have won.


And something beneath the earth begins to stir.

 

[Ants!]

Opened back up for replies.

 

[Jawneh]

 

[Local Hero]

GG

 

[Jon]

I don’t know what happened… but ok

 

[Local Hero]

I don’t know what happened… but ok

 

[Jawneh]

I didn't drink the invisi pot.

I secretly drank a love pot and targeted you Jon, which would've negated your votes against me. I wasn't going to get hit by either a lynch or talisman thanks to that.

 

[Local Hero]

Basically

Items

 

[Jon]

I didn't drink the invisi pot.

I secretly drank a love pot and targeted you Jon, which would've negated your votes against me. I wasn't going to get hit by either a lynch or talisman thanks to that.

I figured you didn’t. You’re too smart a player to give up on the game like that. But I thought the love potion had to be used publicly? Items being used in secret make this game impossible to follow.

Oh well, GGs! We were pretty screwed because of item shenanigans but I had fun. It was weird staying alive to the end.

 

[shortkut]

I didn't drink the invisi pot.

I secretly drank a love pot and targeted you Jon, which would've negated your votes against me. I wasn't going to get hit by either a lynch or talisman thanks to that.

MVP move right there

 

[Jawneh]

Before anyone tries to attempt analyze my actions, I was playing fast, loose, and doing what could cause a lot of chaos and confusion. Last two days I tried to collect items to help me try to win. Seemed to have worked.

I figured you didn’t. You’re too smart a player to give up on the game like that. But I thought the love potion had to be used publicly? Items being used in secret make this game impossible to follow.

Oh well, GGs! We were pretty screwed because of item shenanigans but I had fun. It was weird staying alive to the end.

I made sure to ask Ants about the love potion. You could choose to drink them publically and get an amazing write-up for it. I was shy and sipped it in the shadows while whispering your name like a creepo.

 

[Jon]

Before anyone tries to attempt analyze my actions, I was playing fast, loose, and doing what could cause a lot of chaos and confusion. Last two days I tried to collect items to help me try to win. Seemed to have worked.


I made sure to ask Ants about the love potion. You could choose to drink them publically and get an amazing write-up for it. I was shy and sipped it in the shadows while whispering your name like a creepo.

I declared my love for the man trying to assassinate me and I wasn’t repaid the same kindness!?

Fuck it I’m declaring myself a winner too! You killed shortkut so the last action is you drinking a love potion for me and the two of us are the last alive. Apropos that we ride off into the sunset in love together!

 

[Jawneh]

I declared my love for the man trying to assassinate me and I wasn’t repaid the same kindness!?

Fuck it I’m declaring myself a winner too! You killed shortkut so the last action is you drinking a love potion for me and the two of us are the last alive. Apropos that we ride off into the sunset in love together!

I definitely fucked your brains out afterwards.

 

[shortkut]

I definitely fucked your brains out afterwards.

You skullfucked him?

 

[Ben]

But I thought the love potion had to be used publicly? Items being used in secret make this game impossible to follow.

I'll say I thought the same thing, that all items used during the day had to be done publicly. Being able to use shit in private when it's not for purposes of a quest certainly makes shit impossible to counter.

Oh well. We drug it out for far longer than we deserved, so gg Acolytes.

Note to self; Kill Tommy next time.

 

[Jawneh]

You skullfucked him?

 

[Ants!]

I declared my love for the man trying to assassinate me and I wasn’t repaid the same kindness!?

Fuck it I’m declaring myself a winner too! You killed shortkut so the last action is you drinking a love potion for me and the two of us are the last alive. Apropos that we ride off into the sunset in love together!

I'll say I thought the same thing, that all items used during the day had to be done publicly. Being able to use shit in private when it's not for purposes of a quest certainly makes shit impossible to counter.

Oh well. We drug it out for far longer than we deserved, so gg Acolytes.

Note to self; Kill Tommy next time.

It's been in the general rules that things in the shop had to be bought or sold publicly during the day, and trades between players had to be done publicly during the day, but using items could be done privately.

I'm glad to know the feelings behind it though if it seems game-breaking or unfair or otherwise detracts from the fun of the game. Perhaps I'll make that a public requirement for next game too.

What are everyone's thoughts on buying, trading, or using items, during the day and/or night, publicly or privately?

Ben's idea of making a distinction between questing items and town related items sounds like a good direction.

 

[Ben]

It's been in the general rules that things in the shop had to be bought or sold publicly during the day, and trades between players had to be done publicly during the day, but using items could be done privately.

I'm glad to know the feelings behind it though if it seems game-breaking or unfair or otherwise detracts from the fun of the game. Perhaps I'll make that a public requirement for next game too.

What are everyone's thoughts on buying, trading, or using items, during the day and/or night, publicly or privately?

Ben's idea of making a distinction between questing items and town related items sounds like a good direction.

I'd look at it from a "If you're in the town, everyone is there and can see you and what you do. If you're off questing, you're alone and no one can see what you're doing." angle. EDIT: And I guess at night everyone's in their homes, so you still don't see shit.

I guess that'd mean you've got the potential to use whatever items you want while on a quest, whether it's for purposes of the quest (like chugging Giant's Potions) or being sneaky and drinking a Love Potion, but it must be done while you're away from town on your quest and not at any other time.

 

[Jawneh]

What are everyone's thoughts on buying, trading, or using items, during the day and/or night, publicly or privately?

If using items during the day is made completely public, I feel buying and using items during the night needs to be adjusted slightly towards the evils. Like if I used any of my potions during the day publicly, everyone would've immediately seen I was an acolyte. Well, at least before it became increasingly more obvious that I was.

 

[shortkut]

I like Ben’s idea of using items publicly or privately on a quest. The risk of death or injury on a quest is the cost of doing it privately

 

[Ants!]

That does make sense. I like it.

 

[Jawneh]

I'm not sure what I feel about the +3 and -1 for locations for everyone. It's kind of like aura seer faking, which is neat, but maybe it's too restrictive? Like is there technically any reason for anyone to quest anywhere else than their +3? Trying to fake and blame people going to the same place may have had a slight impact this game, but it's also the safe thing to do.

If that seems like an issue, the best "fix" that I can think of is that you can encounter "nothing" if you roll the same thing. Probably tie a fight and npc encounter together for the same roll for when one is done, the other no longer exists. I'm not saying this just because of what Jon did, but more so to spread people to go quest elsewhere.

And I guess the other reason not to go anywhere else is that we have no info on what is where. We don't know if there's a dragon with a mirror shield perching at the Sky Tower on day 3. We don't know if a Lich is hoarding some poison miasma in the cursed ruins the next day. Could add events like this maybe? But the common static ones also. Why would I want to go to a forest to get... something when I can just safely be at my +3 and get anything?

 

[shortkut]

Why not add group raids where we can quest with someone and then potentially be backstabbed by them on the quest to die

 

[Ants!]

I'm not sure what I feel about the +3 and -1 for locations for everyone. It's kind of like aura seer faking, which is neat, but maybe it's too restrictive? Like is there technically any reason for anyone to quest anywhere else than their +3? Trying to fake and blame people going to the same place may have had a slight impact this game, but it's also the safe thing to do.

If that seems like an issue, the best "fix" that I can think of is that you can encounter "nothing" if you roll the same thing. Probably tie a fight and npc encounter together for the same roll for when one is done, the other no longer exists. I'm not saying this just because of what Jon did, but more so to spread people to go quest elsewhere.

And I guess the other reason not to go anywhere else is that we have no info on what is where. We don't know if there's a dragon with a mirror shield perching at the Sky Tower on day 3. We don't know if a Lich is hoarding some poison miasma in the cursed ruins the next day. Could add events like this maybe? But the common static ones also. Why would I want to go to a forest to get... something when I can just safely be at my +3 and get anything?

I had been considering making it to where once an enemy is killed or a stranger is encountered, it goes away or becomes unavailable for others. Possibly I could also make more information about the questing areas available also without giving away too much? Maybe I could lists the encounters and their loot and consequences but not say what zone they're in.

 

[shortkut]

I had been considering making it to where once an enemy is killed or a stranger is encountered, it goes away or becomes unavailable for others. Possibly I could also make more information about the questing areas available also without giving away too much? Maybe I could lists the encounters and their loot and consequences but not say what zone they're in.

Or mention which items can be found in which locations. Then we have to choose is it worth not having a bonus, or even having a -1 to try to get the item we want

 

[Ben]

Straight up giving away what loot is where isn't very world buildy. Either people need to quest somewhere once to get a glimpse of some loot and either tell everyone else that it's there, or add in some town encounter where you ask a battered traveler in the tavern what they've seen, and have them give potential info on quest rewards.

 

[Jawneh]

Could be more like news coming to the town every morning about something happening at a given location? That way there would be a reason to go to that place for something rather than go off randomly.

But yeah. Information is king. If by the time we hit edition 5 of game of ants we can have encounter tables. Even if we know all, most, or some of them, we still have to roll for the one we want. It's like what, 4-6 enemies and encounters per area? Then you got to roll to beat the thing or complete whatever the encounter needs? There's still a lot of chance involved.

I'm not trying to be pushy about it. I just like to be informed. Gives better chances to strategize more about questing. How to optimize getting poison miasma.

 

[Ants!]

Straight up giving away what loot is where isn't very world buildy. Either people need to quest somewhere once to get a glimpse of some loot and either tell everyone else that it's there, or add in some town encounter where you ask a battered traveler in the tavern what they've seen, and have them give potential info on quest rewards.

I like this idea. I would need to develop it a lot more, but it has potential. Probably you need to buy them a drink with some of your gold first or trade them an item or something first.

 

[Ben]

This is how we trick Ants into unwittingly running a D&D campaign. Just keep adding mechanics until he's a Dungeon Master.

 

[Ants!]

Could be more like news coming to the town every morning about something happening at a given location? That way there would be a reason to go to that place for something rather than go off randomly.

But yeah. Information is king. If by the time we hit edition 5 of game of ants we can have encounter tables. Even if we know all, most, or some of them, we still have to roll for the one we want. It's like what, 4-6 enemies and encounters per area? Then you got to roll to beat the thing or complete whatever the encounter needs? There's still a lot of chance involved.

I'm not trying to be pushy about it. I just like to be informed. Gives better chances to strategize more about questing. How to optimize getting poison miasma.

I plan to make the encounters different for each game so the quests are at least a little new and fresh each time we play. I did have this idea however that a questing area would have several paths with encounters and points of interest and you only get so far into the zone with each quest and would need to visit it at least twice to get to the end encounter, or something like that.

 

[Ants!]

Dungeon Master.

 

[Ben]

I plan to make the encounters different for each game so the quests are at least a little new and fresh each time we play. I did have this idea however that a questing area would have several paths with encounters and points of interest and you only get so far into the zone with each quest and would need to visit it at least twice to get to the end encounter, or something like that.

Yeah dude, you could even have a map divided into a 5ft grid with the monsters and players represented by tokens!

 

[Ants!]

Yeah dude, you could even have a map divided into a 5ft grid with the monsters and players represented by tokens!

I thought about that too. Like the dungeons can remain static after each player visit rather than reset each time. Like you might get there and somebody already killed one of the enemies or smashed down a door or something.

 

[Ants!]

Some very early "maps" ideas I made while exploring this concept. Probably won't use these exact ones but you get the idea.

 

[Ben]

I thought about that too. Like the dungeons can remain static after each player visit rather than reset each time. Like you might get there and somebody already killed one of the enemies or smashed down a door or something.

Oh definitely. Maybe each player role has their own unique set of attributes like strength, dexterity, constitution, wisdom, intelligence and charisma, and some aren't better at certain things than others. Maybe they can even go to a location together in a party.