Rules, Requirements and Game Play
Requirements
To play this version of Werewolf, you will need (no exceptions) a few simple things:
a livejournal account
a working email address to use in game play
internet access
enough free time to be able to check your email and this community on a regular basis (every second day at the least)
and to fulfill character requirements until you are out of the game
Game Play
Before a game begins, a post will be made to this community asking for anyone who wants to participate IN THAT GAME to comment with their email address. Doing so will register you for the game.
After submissions close (probably 72 hours later, but more if we don't have at least seven participants), you will receive an email from the moderator with your role. The role will be followed by a brief description of what it entails. In a basic game, your role will be one of three (for advanced games see Role Variations at the end of the section):
a Villager - you are a regular villager. When werewolves attack your village, you are outraged! Your goals are to stay alive, find out who among you is a werewolf, and to lynch those werewolves.
a Werewolf - you are not a villager at all, but a creature in disguise. Your goals are to avoid suspicion, keep your "furry little secret" under wraps, and to kill all of the villagers.
the Seer - you are a villager, but are endowed with secret powers that help you to find the werewolves. Each night you have a vision that shows you whether or not another player is a werewolf. Your goals are to avoid suspicion from the werewolves (you are their worst nightmare), find out who among you is a werewolf, and to sway public opinion so as to lynch (or not to lynch) those people you have information on.
The game then continues in day and night cycles, each part lasting about 72 hours, more or less.
The first night will go something like this:
1) The werewolves will be alerted -by email- to each other's "alter egos"
2) They will talk -by email- and together choose one villager to maul to death.
3) They will send the name of their chosen player back to the moderators.
4) The seer will be instructed to "ask if a person is a werewolf".
5) The seer will choose a player to ask about, and ask by email.
6) The seer will either be told, "Yes, that player is a werewolf" or "No, that player is not a werewolf."
It is then daytime. The name (and role) of the player the werewolves chose to maul to death will be announced. That player is expected to stop posting IMMEDIATELY. Any posts made dead players will be screened.
The villagers (and the disguised werewolves) will then be called together to choose someone to lynch as a werewolf. It is hoped that all players will take place in a discussion and try to achieve their character goals.
Near the end of the "day", another post will be made, asking all players to vote for the player they choose to lynch. The player with the highest number of votes will be lynched as a werewolf, and the moderator will reveal their role.
The game will then repeat night and day until one of two things happens:
all of the werewolves have been killed - and any villagers still alive are winners
the number of werewolves and villagers is equal, the werewolves overrun the villagers - and any werewolves still alive are winners
Role Variations
Along with the three basic roles, we sometimes choose to play with variations. Players will be told in the first game play post whether any variant roles will be sent out, and each role will be accompanied by a description of the player's job in the game. Possible variations are as follows:
the Witch - you are a villager, but you have a secret that helps to protect you from the werewolves. You know the powers of plants, and keep wolfsbane with you are all times. They may try, but the werewolves cannot kill you. You are immune to werewolf attack, but you aren't immune to angry villagers...
the Benevolent Witch - you are a villager, and like the witch, you have a secret that help to protect people from the werewolves. You know the powers of plants, and each night you choose a doorway to sprinkle wolfsbane across, to help protect someone from harm against the werewolves. You don't always pick the person who needs saving (and sometimes you are selfish and simply pick yourself) but at least you try to help those who most need helping.
Amor - you are a villager, but are endowed with secret powers. On the first night of play, you choose two players to unite in love. They can be any combination of role. These two lovers know who they are, and if one is killed, the other immediately dies of a broken heart. At the end of the game, if the lovers are the only two left alive (even if one is a werewolf and the other a villager) they both win. After this first choice, Amor functions are a normal villager, except only you know who the lovers are...
the Seer's Apprentice - you are a villager, but are endowed with secret powers that help you to find the werewolves. However, since you are still learning, your visions only come to you every second night.
the Magistrate - you are a villager, but due to your high status in the community, you have additional responsibilities. After all the villagers have cast their lynch vote, you have the opportunity to pass final judgement on the choice. If you don't want the lynching to continue, you can pardon the victim and ensure that no one is lynched that day. However, you can only pardon that person once, if the villagers persist in their desire to see that person hang, there is nothing you can do.
the Kingmaker - you are a villager, but due to your high status in the community, you have additional responsibilities. Each night, you choose one player to make King for the day. After the debate is completed, the King is revealed -- and has sole vote on which player is lynched. Once you are killed, voting reverts to the normal system of majority vote. It is a lot of power, but there's one catch -- you are the only player that cannot be made king.
If you have any ideas for other variations, feel free to comment here and we'll add them to the list!
Rules
1) Do not forward the email with your role to anyone.
2) While discussion by email is encouraged, the mods (werewolf.mg@gmail.com) MUST be CCed on every email so they can keep track of the game.
3) Once you have been killed, you are OUT of the game, and are forbidden to make anymore comments to posts about that game or to talk about the game with living players.
4) NO POSTING ONCE YOU DIE.
5) Any LIVING player can say anything they want - truth, misdirection, nonsense or bare-faced lie.
6) Any rule, time line, or requirement is subject to change if the moderators wish it.
7) If a player comments and agrees to take part in a game, and then is inactive for the majority, they may not be allowed to take part in the next game.
8) No netspeak in comments or emails! We're not asking that you spellcheck every entry, but it would be nice if other people could easily understand what you're trying to say.
If you have any questions concerning the game either post here or send an email to werewolf.mg@gmail.com and one of the mods will try to clear things up for you.