Werewolf 8: Cairo Nights - EPILOGUE

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After several millenia of dormancy, the dark, Egyptian god, Set, has awoken. Banished to his underground prison, his power had grown weak as the tides of Christianity and Islam swept through the world.

However, a small, yet devout cult of worshippers had recently begun making offerings to Set, in the hope that, one night, Set would rise from his tomb, and claim his rightful dominion over the Nile, and the world, once more.

To expedite Set's reclamation, the Cultists made nightly sacrifices of abducted souls, acts that didn't go unnoticed by the citizenry of Cairo. Yet the Cult's existence was only rumor; how could anyone prove that the abductions weren't exaggerated lies? Nevertheless, few could reasonably explain the sudden pattern of missing people.

Indeed, as the abductions continued, rumors swirled. Tales of sinister rituals, the unexpected reappearance of long-forgotten relics, and dark, unliving servants of Set's calculating wrath wove their way through the lips of passersby on the streets and in shady alleyways.

Fueled by the stories, a team of Archaeologists flew into Cairo, hoping to unearth the truth of the mysterious Cult, and to hopefully claim one or two of the relics for their own studies.

The native citizenry, too, grew restless. The abductions had continued for too long; too many innocents were taken from their loved ones. The people looked upon their government for answers, though they were unprepared for the response. Persuant to ancient, Egyptian traditions, the Egyptian government would hold daily, public trials under the scorching desert sun. Concerned citizens would be allowed to voice their suspicions, and with the divine wisdom of the other gods as their compass, the guilty parties would be executed in the square.

From down in his exile, Set looked on. He knew his time was drawing near, that the good folk of Cairo would never, ever be able to prevent his rightful ascension to the throne of the Nile. His devoted Cultists and his legion of undead warriors, the Mummies, would assure his swift return. Once enough innocent blood had been spilled, Set would be unstoppable.

And so it begins. A dark god lies in wait, aided by his unholy minions. A frightened government looks toward ancient law to serve righteous justice where other methods have failed. And a curious team of skilled Archaeologists has descended upon the city in order to get to the bottom of the mystery.

Cairo has long been a city shrouded in the depths of lies, conspiracy and fear, traits that are betrayed by the hopeful brightness of its sun. As the battle for supremacy is waged, who shall reign, a dark, despotic God or the combined willpower of a noble citizenry?

We'll find out soon enough.

Welcome to the latest installation of Werewolf, on Gamingforce. Like previous games, this iteration will feature new avenues of strategy and new roles to be taken into consideration.

The Black Market

The first big change is a variation on nuttyturnip’s “Two-timing Whore” mod. The Black Market is a mysterious “location” that players may investigate at their own choosing. There is potential for both reward and punishment in this.

At the beginning of each Night, I’ll announce how many players can gain entrance to the Black Market. This number can and will change between Nights.
If you wish to take your chances with the Black Market, you must send me a PM with the title “Black Market”. The first people to do so, up to the nightly limit, will be given a random result. The basic nature of these results will be determined exclusively by ChocoDecide. I will then choose the particular details relevant to the chosen result.
There are three basic outcomes of visiting the Black Market: something good, something bad and nothing at all. The odds of each are as follows:

• Something Good: 50%
  
• Something Bad: 30%
  
• Nothing at All: 20%

These numbers change slightly for the Masons. In order to give them a unique perk and to reflect their intellectual attention to detail, any Mason who visits the Black Market faces the following odds:

• Something Good: 60%
  
• Something Bad: 20%
  
• Nothing at All: 20%

The basic nature of possible rewards and punishments are as follows:

• Learn something about a group.
  
• Learn about an Artifact’s location; or find an Artifact if one is currently without an owner.
  
• Gain the Seer Ability for one Night. (If already a Seer, gain an additional check for that Night.)
  
• Use your Ability twice until the next Night. (If inapplicable, such as with a Hunter or Mason, the result will be re-rolled until another good result is chosen.)
  
• Learn more about another player (General info, such as if that player has a nightly ability, one role that the player is NOT, etc.)
  
• Lose an Artifact or lose an Ability until the next Night.
  
• Have your alignment (Good or Evil) revealed to someone of the opposite alignment.
  
• Lose your vote until the next Night.
  
• Nothing happens.

No information revealed through the Black Market will be enough to guarantee a player’s loss. Even if Evil learns that a Player is Good, that player could be a Hunter. I will do everything within my power and conscience to keep this modification fair to everyone.
If I notice imbalances, they’ll be fixed and the changes will be announced immediately.

Artifacts

The next big change to the game is something quite novel. Cairo Nights introduces Artifacts which represent items of impressive power. As befits a small trinket, the ownership of an Artifact can and probably will change hands throughout the course of the game.
Artifacts are undetectable by Seers. Spies and Devils. These roles check for spiritual matters, not material ones.
If a player owns an Artifact and is killed by any means, the Artifact’s presence is revealed. Players may not acquire Artifacts by killing someone else who owns one. When an Artifact’s owner is killed, the Artifact becomes “lost” and may only “found” by visiting the Black Market and receiving the appropriate result at random. This means that there’s always a chance that Artifacts may come into play numerous times, however unlikely it may seem.
No player may own more than one Artifact at a time. If a situation would cause a player to own more than one Artifact, then that player keeps the one he or she owned first and the second Artifact remains “lost”.
The only exception to the above rule is the role of the “Thief”. The Thief’s abilities and limitations will be described in further detail below.

Here are the Artifacts that will shape the way Cairo Nights is perceived:

Heart of Osiris: The grace and majesty of Osiris himself is reflected in this Artifact. All votes cast by the Heart’s owner count twice toward the final tally. This “extra” vote will not appear until the final tally and will remain anonymous. However, if the Silencer chooses to cancel out the Heart’s owner’s vote, then the “extra” vote will not count either.

Thoth’s Beads: The intellectual prowess and legendary cunning of the ibis protects the Beads’ owner with a shroud of mystery. Whenever a Seer, Devil or Spy checks the Beads’ owner’s role, that Seer/Devil/Spy will always receive a false reading. This could be potentially dangerous in the hands of a Hunter, so those who strike at Night must proceed with extreme caution.
Interestingly, and possibly as a reflection of Thoth’s sense of humor, if a Fool checks the Bead’s owner’s role, the Fool will always learn the truth. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

Horus’ Blade: The noble son of Osiris, Horus sought to protect his father’s legacy from the nefarious clutches of his brother, Set. It is said that this blade is the same one Horus wielded in battle.
Whoever owns Horus’ Blade gains all the abilities of the role of Hunter in addition to any other role that player possesses. Needless to say, this Artifact is quite useless in the hands of a natural Hunter, as it does not grant additional strikes when the Hunter is killed.

Amulet of Hathor: A rare and precious Artifact indeed, the Amulet bestows upon its owner the divine favor of the Goddess Hathor.
If the owner of the Amulet of Hathor would be killed by any means, instead he or she is not. That player’s role remains a secret, if possible, and the Amulet becomes “lost”.
If the Amulet’s power is invoked by a Lucky Stiff who has not been successfully attacked, then the Amulet’s ability takes priority; the Lucky Stiff’s power is not used and his or her role is not revealed to all.

Ankh of Anubis: Often mistaken as evil, Anubis served as the caretaker of the dead. The Ankh of Anubis grants its owner a limited audience with the dead.
Once per night, the Ankh’s owner will receive a message from the moderator, representing a “vision”. This message will contain a piece of information that could’ve been known by any of the players who have been killed.
For example, if a Hunter is killed by the Mafia and learns the identities of the whole group, the Hunter would know that, say, one of them is a girl. This information is then relayed through the Ankh to its owner.
This information will never reveal specific roles, but clever thinkers may be able to deduce a lot of useful information from the Ankh’s visions nonetheless.

New Roles

Lastly, there are a bunch of new roles to be found within Cairo Nights. The surprisingly large amount of players allowed for this expansion and should prove rather exciting for veterans and rookies alike.
The following is a list of the new roles:

Magistrate: Technically not a new role, per se, but this role hasn’t been used since Game One. The Magistrate is a diplomat who can use his political influence to veto the death of any player who would be lynched. However, he must fill out the paperwork well in advance, so there’s a certain amount of guesswork involved.
Once per Night, the Magistrate may choose any other player; that player is protected from lynching until the next Night. If the protected player would be lynched, instead he or she is not and there simply is no lynching. The Magistrate may not protect himself, as this would be an abuse of power.

The Merchant: A swarthy sort who plies his or her trade squarely in the Black Market. These connections allow the Merchant to learn small, yet potentially useful, tidbits of information.
Once per night, the Moderator will send the Merchant a PM with one item of information. This information will never be so revealing as a player’s role, but more general facts are fair game. This information represents things learned through the gossip mill, but all information given will be true. The Merchant may then use this information as she sees fit.
Due to this advantage, the Merchant may not visit the Black Market at night. He already works there!

The Silencer: A bureaucrat with a lot of spare time on his hands, the Silencer is capable of working behind the scenes to make sure that the votes of others aren’t heard.
Once a Day, the Silencer may choose a player to “silence”. Until the next Night, any and all votes cast by the silenced player will not count toward the final tally. This action is silent and will not be made known until the final tally is revealed.
The Silencer MUST use this ability before the final tally is determined. He may not attempt to retroactively change the results of the votes. All voting deadlines will be made clearly visible so as to avoid confusions over the issue.

The Lucky Stiff: A carefree villager who leads a charmed life. Nothing gets this guy down, even death.
The Lucky Stiff has no active powers. However, he is quite difficult to kill. In fact, in order to remove the Lucky Stiff from the game, he or she must be successfully attacked or lynched twice.
After the first successful attack or lynching, the Lucky Stiff’s role will be revealed to all and his power will be invoked. The Stiff will remain alive, but will have a larger bullseye on her head.

The Thief: Eschewing the traditional lines of Good and Evil, the Thief cares not for issues of war. Instead, he seeks to better his own life through greed and the misfortune of others.
The Thief is essentially a Neutral character. His objective isn’t to defeat either Evil or Good, but to obtain as many Artifacts as he can.
Once per Night, the Thief may choose a player to “rob”. If that player owns an Artifact, then the Thief becomes the new owner and gains all benefits of owning that Artifact.
Unlike other players, the Thief may own more than one Artifact at a time. Indeed, any Thief who owns several Artifacts is a potentially powerful player.
If the Thief is killed by any means, then all the Artifacts she owned become “lost” and may be later “found” in the Black Market.

Recurring Roles

Since there are a lot of new players, I’ll go over each recurring role’s basic function and any modifications as applies to this game.
Unless otherwise noted, players are not allowed to converse with other players unless it’s in the official Werewolf game thread. And it’s rarely a good idea to openly reveal what you know.

Mason: A group of enlightened scholars who use their collective knowledge for the side of Good. Their biggest asset is the trust they have in one another.
Each Mason knows the names of all other players who are Masons and may communicate with the entire group at will, via PM or any other means.
Additionally, in Cairo Nights, any Mason who visits the Black Market receives an additional 10% chance of finding something good. Likewise, her chance of finding something bad is reduced by 10%. (Please refer to the special Mason odds adjustment in the Black Market rules, above.)

Seer: A psychic who can pierce the veils of outer illusion and see the truth behind a person’s motivations.
Once per Night, the Seer may choose a player. The Moderator will then reveal the chosen player’s role to the Seer. How the Seer chooses to use this information is up to her. Generally, it’s a bad idea to publicly announce that one is a Seer.
Seers are unable to detect Artifacts.

Fool: A bumbling twit who has somehow convinced himself that he is a powerful psychic. The sad truth is that he is anything but psychic.
The Fool functions identically to the Seer, with the added exception that the Fool does not initially know he is the Fool. Once per Night, the Fool may choose a player. However, the Fool will always be given false information. It is up to the player to logically deduce his or her role of Fool, and then use that knowledge as best he can.

Shaman: A spiritual sort who has the will of the Gods at his disposal, the Shaman may grant temporary protection to others.
Once per Night, the Shaman may choose any other player. That player is “blessed” and cannot be killed by the Mafia, Wolves or Vigilantes until the next Day. This protection does not prevent any player from being killed by a Hunter. Shamans may not protect themselves, as this would be an abuse of power.

Hunter: A mercenary who lies in wait, hoping for the opportunity to ply karmic justice to the forces of Evil.
Whenever a Hunter is successfully attacked at Night, the Hunter may kill his or her attacker. If the attacker is an entire group, such as the Mafia, then before the Hunter’s final death, the Hunter is given a list of all remaining members of that group and may choose his target from amongst the names.
The Vigilante is not immune to the Hunter’s retaliation. Also, if the Hunter is lynched by Day, then he loses the opportunity to kill any player.

Vigilante: Taking the law into his own hands, the Vigilante metes out his own brand of justice, in the name of the innocent and pure.
Once per night, the Vigilante may choose a player. Unless another ability or Artifact would prevent it, the player is successfully attacked and killed. The Vigilante is not immune to the Hunter’s wrath, so he must be careful in who he chooses.

The Mafia: A mysterious cadre of liars, extortionists, thugs and cutpurses, the Mafia will do anything that is necessary to exert total dominance over their chosen territory.
The Mafia is an Evil group. Each Mafia Member knows the names of all other Mafia Members and may communicate with them freely. Each Mafia Member also knows the identity of the Spy and may converse with that player as well.
Once per Night, the Mafia may collectively choose a player. Unless another ability or Artifact would prevent it, that player is successfully attacked and killed.

The Spy: The Spy functions identically to a Seer. However, all information learned by a Spy is true.
The Spy knows the identities of all Mafia Members and may converse with each freely.

Werewolves: This group functions identically to the Mafia, except that instead of communicating with a Spy, the Werewolves are allied with a Devil.

Devil: An evil Seer who chooses to assist the Werewolves. He functions just as the Spy does with the Mafia.

Dark Shaman: An evil spiritualist who seeks to preserve the existence of darkness in order to facilitate their mutual agendas.
The Dark Shaman functions identically to the normal Shaman except that his goal is to help kill the Good players. Otherwise, everything is the same.

Mysterious Stranger: This isn’t a role, per se. It’s simply a superficial title given to any player whose true role isn’t reflected in the list of remaining roles.
For example, if the list states that there are four (4) Masons left alive, and one (1) Mysterious Stranger is alive, then it is possible that the Stranger is a Mason, bringing the true total up to five (5). However, the Stranger’s role could be almost anything.
The Stranger is granted immunity from all attacks for the first night. In exchange, any abilities they have may not be used until the next Day. If the player is part of a group, he or she may still converse with the other members, however.
Under no circumstance will any Mysterious Stranger be a Spy or Vigilante, as these would be too obvious and/or unfair.


In the context of Cairo Nights, many roles will be given different names to reflect the atmosphere and flavor of the game. Here is a handy-dandy conversion chart for quick reference.

• Mason = Archaeologist
  
• Seer = Oracle
  
• Shaman = High Priest
  
• Fool = Fool
  
• Hunter = Saracen
  
• Vigilante = Guardian
  
• Merchant = Merchant
  
• Lucky Stiff = Lucky Stiff
  
• Magistrate = Ambassador
  
• Silencer = Silencer
  
• Mafia Member = Cultist
  
• Spy = Informant
  
• Werewolf = Mummy
  
• Devil = Lich
  
• Dark Shaman = Dark Priest
  
• Thief = Thief

Other Rules

1) All players must vote. Even if you suspect that the Silencer may cancel out your vote, you must still make an attempt. If you miss two votes, you will be removed from the game via automatic kill. This is a tad harsh, I realize, but it's not fair to delay the game because one person forgot.

The only exceptions to this rule are players who've been informed that they may not vote during the next Day, or anyone who plans to be away from the computer for a short time and lets me know.


2) Be mindful of deadlines. Since there are a lot of players, I will have to strictly enforce deadlines. These will be clearly posted so that there is no mistake.
If I receive all actions before the deadline passes, I'll go ahead, expedite the story and proceed to the next Night or Day. If a deadline passes and you did not send me your action, if you get one, then it's assumed that you chose to do nothing for that time period. Sorry, but we can't wait for everyone and I'm not fixing things retroactively.


These are all the new rules and modifications I’ve made. I know it’s a lot to read, but it’s necessary info. Once you get into the swing, I’m sure it will all settle into your heads nicely. If not, I’ll gladly answer all questions and do my best to resolve any unforeseen conflicts.

You may also check the official GFFWiki entry on Werewolf for explanations of the more basic rules: http://gfw.condign.org/wiki/Werewolf_Game

And most importantly, have fun!


Players - 38/38
Identity Crisis
galador
LZ 645
Yeldarb
blue
wvlfpvp
RockgamerXIII
Brent
nuttyturnip
Capo
knkwzrd
Jochie
Lukage
neus
StarmanDX
Darkcomet72
Tritoch
Chaotic
Hydelloon
Ultima
The_Griffin
Shin
Miravana
YeOldeButchere
Ryuu
Plarom
Helloween
nazpyro
acro-nym
Dullenplain
Kilroy
el jacko
ZeroSlash
Dai
Qube
MTGNecro
Loofy
ScarletDeath

Roles

Archaeologists - 5
Merchants - 2
Oracles - 3
High Priests - 3
Guardians - 2
Saracens - 3
Lucky Stiffs - 2
Ambassadors - 2
Silencers - 3

Cultists - 3
Informant - 1
Mummies - 3
Lich - 1
Dark Priest - 1

Thief - 1

Mysterious Strangers - 3

• LZ 645
• Dullenplain
• Darkcomet72 (If you put him in water, he makes his own gravy.)

Oh man, all these additions seem pretty awesome! I can't wait for this game to get in the thick of things, as I expect there will be lots of drama! Good luck to everybody!

By the way Crash, are you gonna add a list of all the players and the number of roles to the first post? I'm curious as to how many of some of these roles there are, especially with so many people playing.

Wow that took a long time to read. I also would like to see the list of player roles return. This seems like this'll be very fun.

*head explodes*

If it took that much time to read, imagine how long it took to type and proofread that sucker.

Thanks for the info, Crash!

I love you SO MUCH Crash. Have my manbabies.

Oh damn. This game is going to be crazy.


Good luck everybody.

Fantastic! With all these additions, plus the sheer amount of people, this is going to be great!

So when does the game start?

Thanks for putting so much time and effort into putting this together Crash.

A couple of questions, without knowing what my role is yet:

If the thief is neutral, can he/she win the game? Is their objective just to stay alive?

I'm assuming that all the other new roles you listed are aligned with good, correct?

Wow. It looks like you've really outdone everybody this time. Can't wait.

Wait.

Does anyone start with an artifact?

Wow, that must've taken a while to type out all that.
Sounds like its gonna be a fun game

Yes, I'll be adding in a list of players and a list of how many of each role is publicly known. (Mysterious Strangers notwithstanding, of course.)

On the Thief, as I stated, he or she is truly neutral. The Thief wins by staying alive. The Thief may pick and choose agendas at will, and change them throughout the game, depending upon which way the wind blows. Unfortunately, this could make them a target from both sides, so the Thief needs to think smart.

And yes, each Artifact begins the game in someone's possession. If you own one at the game's start, you will have been told in your role confirmation PM. If it says nothing about Artifacts, then you don't own one!

All the roles have been sent out. I'll go to posting the list of players and roles.

Also: It is now officially NIGHT ONE!

I will expect actions from the following players: Oracles, High Priests, Ambassadors, Lich, Informant, Cultists, Mummies, Dark Shaman and Thief.

Also, the Black Market will be accepting SIX (6) visitors tonight. Merchants may not visit the Black Market.

The Deadline for all actions will be 9:00 PM, Eastern Daylight Time, Tuesday September 5th.. If I have all actions before that time, I'll proceed to the next round. This first deadline is a long one due to the high amount of newer players. It will be tightened as they get into the flow.

Holy crap, that was alot to read. Can't wait for this one to start.

Good luck everybody!

Man, this game might actually be BALANCED this time around. Here's hoping that it's a long and good one!

Wow, this should be a very interesting game with all of these new additions. I'll be curious to see how the artifacts will influence the outcome, since they'll be changing hands so often.

Shouldn't the Dark Shaman be listed under new roles?

This is my first time playing Werewolf. Just saying hi and good luck to everyone.
Also, many thanks to Crash for making the first post so detailed - there are a lot of new people this time around (myself included) and such a guide is immensly useful.

Originally Posted by Tritoch

Shouldn't the Dark Shaman be listed under new roles?

Not really, since it works identically to a normal Shaman. It's only that the Dark version has a different agenda. It's technically not a new role, just an alteration to an existing one.