by Matthew Notch » Mon Feb 23, 2015 6:55 am
If no one has any objections, I'm going to start a new game tomorrow afternoon. I shall summarize it here:
In the small town of Reykjavik, Wyoming, a mysterious virus has come to the city. The CDC has determined that Patient Zero arrived on an inbound flight late Wednesday night, but has been unable to narrow the possible carriers down enough to treat the victim. Now it's too late; the disease is intractable, and unfortunately it's spreading rather violently.
You see, the disease takes the victim while sleeping, turning him or her into something most closely resembling a zombie. The victim shambles along catatonically, but when he or she encounters an innocent, the disease turns Patient Zero into a deadly quick and brutally strong predator. When he or she encounters a mark, the innocent may simply be attacked, or Patient Zero could infect the innocent with a venomous bite, or if things get particularly violent, may even kill the victim and devour his or her flesh. Those infected by Patient Zero are also adversely affected, although their venom is far less effective. After a couple nights of unwittingly preying, the victims die a slow, painful death--although Patient Zero, for reasons unknown, never succumbs to the illness.
One long time resident of Reykjavik has secretly been working for the CDC as an undercover specialist for many years, and a lifetime of boring assignments has suddenly turned into a fight for survival. The CDC has determined that the only way to combat the disease is to quarantine potentially infected people and observe whether the illness has spread. The specialist can only reasonably monitor one patient at a time, though, so s/he is determined to clandestinely recruit assistants who can also monitor a patient, though they are not as good as keeping their identities secret. Indeed, the specialist cannot even reveal his or her identity to the assistants, in case they may become infected. If he or she were to be infected, the population may be doomed without an expert to keep order.
However, there is also an amateur physician among the schlubby everyday folks of Reykjavik. S/he scours the Internet regularly, and has become something of an expert on the Zombie virus. S/he may even be able to restore a person who was killed by the diseased to life again, completely cured. All hope isn't lost yet; can Patient Zero be found and contained before the disease spreads out of control?
It's not really a Mafia game, but many of the same mechanics are there. People don't typically start out with special abilities, but if they are recruited/infected by Patient Zero, latent abilities may manifest to provide either cause with assistance. There is no lynching and except for Patient Zero, those infected can't control whom they will attack nor the outcome of said attack. However, attacks happen at night and recruiting happens in the day. The more recruits there are, the more quarantines the CDC can effect, and the better chance of containing the disease so it can be treated by the specialist, or by someone else who may secretly have that ability. If enough people die, however, the game is lost. And it goes without saying that if the Specialist or the Physician are infected, the game is going to take a very dark turn.
I'm going to be honest: I think I have the mechanics mostly nailed down, but it's something I might kind of tweak as I go. I'm asking anyone who wants to play to be patient with me! Whatever the case, I'll do my darnedest to keep things fair and on the level. Does this sound like fun to anyone?
It's Dangerous to Go Alone
"I desperately want Jiggery Pokery now."-- Pikajew
"I do feel that if she happens to favour attractive, successful, intelligent men I will be at a disadvantage."--Anglerphobe
"I have a beautiful sphincter and Mexico is gonna pay for it."--Kate