GAMEPLAY
So this game is going to run a little differently. There will be penguins but the number will be unknown (from the villager players perspective)
There will be NPCs (Non Player Characters). And you can interact with them and you can vote to kill them if you desire.
An NPC may also have a penguin role. Or may not. If an NPC is a penguin it is controlled by me through a random number generator when its turn is due. You will not know if the death was caused by an actual player or an NPC. You can of course vote to kill an NPC but keep in mind that there will be definite penguins among the real players. If there is an NPC penguin, its choice of kill is random and may include other NPCs you encounter. Therefore more NPCs currently alive means a little less chance of a real innocent player getting killed.
If you suspect an NPC is a penguin anyone can step up and choose to murder them. However if a vigilante action is taken against an NPC (that is the kill was not democratically voted for) and the NPC was innocent – your death by the others will be swift. If you got lucky, congrats – you live and look great among your peers for your 15 minutes of fame. This kind of action can only be done
once. To do this, in the game play thread you ‘narrate’ your kill
(be creative! Don’t just say ‘I choose to kill ‘x’ because that won’t work. You must go through the motions as to why you suspect and how you killed the NPC in all its bloody glory). . When I see your post confirming the murder of one of the NPCs I will further narrate whether or not the dead body morphed into a penguin in which case you stay alive or whether it is confirmed an innocent was murdered in which case,
I get to narrate your death! The death of the murdered penguin won’t stop the ritual of the villagers voting to kill a suspect however,
even if that suspect is you if you are alive from a successful penguin kill. Also keep in mind an NPC having a penguin role is not guaranteed! It may depend on the choices I offer you all to take along the way and who you encounter/collect). Keep that in mind when you take this actionVoting to kill each other only begins
aftera penguin makes its first kill. Because from the villagers perspective there is no reason to suspect a murderer is among them until a murder actually happens. The first day, do your own thing and get to know each other. Then sleep tight
I’m a fan of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’. At various points in the game I can offer multiple paths to take that you can vote on to advance the story. (eg do you choose to rescue someone in distress or ignore them or do you choose to spend the night out in the open or wander off and look for shelter). Some choices may have consequences and some just to advance the story your way. We don’t have to wait for a day/night cycle to enact it. A simple majority as soon as it’s posted will trigger it. If no one posts and I want to continue then the choice that involves the least action will be chosen (in the examples above it would mean not rescue or not look for shelter).
NPCs may be killed by my narration at any time. Some may only exist for that purpose. Some may die as soon as you meet them. It's a werepenguin game. Expect a lot of death!
Generally villager roles have no powers. Except for your votes! (and the 1 time vigilante option against an NPC) So no need to worry about penguins being robbed of powers, people having the secret ability to put in extra votes, raising the dead, or psychic abilities to confirm or deny a role of someone else. However,
1 stalker whose normally voyeuristic tendencies would be looked down on may come in handy. Each night he/she can choose who to ‘watch’. If they watch a penguin commit a murder or watch someone be murdered by a penguin, they will get the identity of that penguin.
They will need to watch someone for 2 nights if they wish to have absolute confirmation of their status. Because if they watch a penguin who did not happen to do anything that night, it will appear as normal. Upon this stalkers death however, everything he has seen/written down will be revealed so it may be useful to determine who is safe and who is not from that. (it may also mean the penguins have new targets!)
The stalker is obviously a high value target. So pretending to someone else you are that stalker is only going to mark you for death should the wrong people find out. (get 2 readings on someone before you negotiate an alliance). Everything the stalker learns will be out upon their death anyway so it’s probably better to keep your identity secret. There’s nothing stopping a penguin from pretending to be someone they are not!
If the role of a penguin is being played by someone who is seemingly absent or doesn’t give me their vote in time then I will run a random number generator and that will decide who gets killed.
Penguins take turns with their kill. If a penguin is killed, the remaining penguin(s) step up. Every night, someone must die.
Villagers wont know how many penguins there are (from their perspective, how would they know?) You will of course finally know you have killed them all if a night passes and no one is killed. If there are 3 players left for example and 2 of them are penguins, the show still goes on until the last player meets his/her gruesome end
If there are NPCs remaining when the last actual player is killed it will still be game over
When the game begins if you do not have a PM from me, you are a ‘villager’ role. This will help to avoid people trying to break the game demanding screenshots of PMs of other players. If you are a penguin, you will get a group PM stating as such so you will know your team.
When communicating in the game play thread, spice it up and be your own narrators in the things you say and do. (Jura is good at that!) Please no petty insulting or taking personal grievances from elsewhere in the forum to the game play thread. You are all friends and in this predicament together!! Take it to an Angry Ranting board if you absolutely have to vent in public. That said, let’s try to take everything in good nature. Some people are going to say stupid things. Some people may choose to not say much at all. It has no bearing on guilt because the penguins are chosen at random.
The introduction story was written before the penguin roles were chosen! There is no hidden meaning or hints/clues as to the identity of who may be penguins from itIf you are killed you can only come post at night. It would be good (however unenforceable) that you also format your text to be in a different colour (you choose and stick to that one). This makes it easy for readers to sort out who is alive and who is dead. Also adds some flare
The players:
Space Cowgirl Lynched, crucified, scorched, salt scrubbed, dragged, chomped by leopard seal, hog tied on a spit, roasted, combusted then eaten by the leopard seal on day 5 - PENGUIN
wise Lynched and hanged on day 2- FLAT EARTHER
Bullwinkle Turned into molten blood on night 2 - FLAT EARTHER
Crouton SURVIVOR - PENGUIN
Bom Tishop Lynched, beaten, whipped, stoned, burnt, stung and then BBQ'ed on day 6 - FLAT EARTHER
boydster Decapitated, brains replaced with a jellyfish on night 4 - FLAT EARTHER / STALKER
NotSoSkeptical Gutted, splayed and skinned on day 6 - FLAT EATHER
Colonel Gaydafi Murdered by a penguin in the airplanes toilet on night 1 - FLAT EARTHER
Jura-Glenlivet II Lynched, hog tied, beaten, stoned, stripped, stung then buried alive on day 4 - PENGUIN
DuckDodgers Knee shattered, dismembered, stabbed stomach, thrown in the ocean, stung, suffocated by boydsters foreskin then decapitated on night 5 - FLAT EARTHER
Junker Dissolved into a puddle from penguins crop milk on night 3 - FLAT EARTHER
Mundi Strangled with NSS's intenstines, flayed and skinned on day 6 - FLAT EARTHER
jdaniel0319 Lynched, stabbed, hanged, decapitated and then torched on day 3 - FLAT EARTHER
PMs to the 1 stalker and the group of penguins will be incoming shortly

Day/Night cycles 24 hours each. Begins/ends at 10PM AEDT which is 6AM America EDT and 11AM, London time
The day has begun, all PMs sent. If you did not get a PM you are a regular 'villager'
Good luck
