Post by Frank on Dec 1, 2009 18:19:50 GMT -5
So at this point, we have 12 semi-developed Town roles, plus Bullseye and two semi-developed Scum roles. We also have Cable, who is going to be a fairly potent investigator.
At the moment, my plan is to add one more Scum role (to a total of 4), two more Town roles (to a total of 14), and no more third-parties (for an initial total of one), with a final player count of 19. My reasoning follows: please pick it apart as you see fit.
If we start by discounting all powers other than the Scum Night kill, this setup starts at 15 Non-Scum (NS) vs. 4 Scum (S). This would mean that it would take six (really five and a half) mislynches for the Scum to win given their wincon (equal or greater number of S vs. NS).
However, Bullseye actually plays as very slightly pro-Scum no matter what he does, as long as he does something. If he kills Scum, he becomes Scum, so the Scum essentially reduce NS numbers by one while taking no hit to their own numbers (reducing the allowable number of mislynches per the above from six to five. If Bullseye kills Town, he again reduces the number of NS without reducing the number of Scum, so again, allowable mislynches down from six to five.
So unless Bullseye plays very poorly and dies before he kills at all, Scum will have to force five mislynches at the outset of the game.
Now, here are the mechanisms by which this number could be reduced:
- A successful recruitment (1 mislynch)
- Punisher successfully whacks a protective role (0.5 mislynches)
- Lady Deathstrike catches Goblin or Bullseye killing someone (0.5 mislynches)
- Goblin kills up to 2 Town with his pumpkin bombs (1 mislynch)
- Venom targets Scum with his ability, and dies as a result (0.5 mislynches)
- Venom binds to Town, and Scum kill one, resulting in the death of the other (0.5 mislynches)
- Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Maria Hill all die at some point, and the Scum pull off a successful speed-lynch in the endgame (1 mislynch)
- The Scum recruit is Lady Deathstrike or the Goblin, who earn a bonus kill (0.5 mislynches)
The two of these that involve Venom are mutually exclusive, so that means that if all of these things happen - meaning the Scum play a basically perfect game power-wise and the Town makes every conceivable mistake, technically the Scum could win without forcing a mislynch (other than the mislynch they'd force with their speed-lynch).
Here are the mechanisms by which the number of mislynches allowed could be increased:
- Penance successfully protects someone (0.5 mislynch per successful protection)
- Lady D kills Scum (0.5 mislynch)
- Goblin kills up to 2 Scum (1 mislynch)
- Goblin successfully prevents 2 deaths (1 mislynch)
- Venom's symbiote successfully protects one of a bound pair (0.5 mislynch)
- Spider-Man's Spider Sense averts a kill (0.5 mislynch)
So Town could raise the number of mislynches as high as nine, I guess, with optimal play from their pro-Town characters. You know what? I'm taking away Spider-Man's Spider Sense ability, I think.
All in all, this seems reasonably balanced from a sheer numbers standpoint, especially given that the Scum's superior ability to plan and coordinate attacks make the likelihood of many of their events greater than the likelihood of any of the Town events.
So. If you both concur that this setup is correct from a numbers standpoint, then the next task will be to create three more roles - one Scum, two Town. If you don't, then we'll have to figure out a new plan.
This is good times. I am currently technically homeless - I sold my home and the house I planned to buy is encountering problems - so designing this game is one of the few things keeping me sane right now. Thanks to both of you for helping out.
At the moment, my plan is to add one more Scum role (to a total of 4), two more Town roles (to a total of 14), and no more third-parties (for an initial total of one), with a final player count of 19. My reasoning follows: please pick it apart as you see fit.
If we start by discounting all powers other than the Scum Night kill, this setup starts at 15 Non-Scum (NS) vs. 4 Scum (S). This would mean that it would take six (really five and a half) mislynches for the Scum to win given their wincon (equal or greater number of S vs. NS).
However, Bullseye actually plays as very slightly pro-Scum no matter what he does, as long as he does something. If he kills Scum, he becomes Scum, so the Scum essentially reduce NS numbers by one while taking no hit to their own numbers (reducing the allowable number of mislynches per the above from six to five. If Bullseye kills Town, he again reduces the number of NS without reducing the number of Scum, so again, allowable mislynches down from six to five.
So unless Bullseye plays very poorly and dies before he kills at all, Scum will have to force five mislynches at the outset of the game.
Now, here are the mechanisms by which this number could be reduced:
- A successful recruitment (1 mislynch)
- Punisher successfully whacks a protective role (0.5 mislynches)
- Lady Deathstrike catches Goblin or Bullseye killing someone (0.5 mislynches)
- Goblin kills up to 2 Town with his pumpkin bombs (1 mislynch)
- Venom targets Scum with his ability, and dies as a result (0.5 mislynches)
- Venom binds to Town, and Scum kill one, resulting in the death of the other (0.5 mislynches)
- Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Maria Hill all die at some point, and the Scum pull off a successful speed-lynch in the endgame (1 mislynch)
- The Scum recruit is Lady Deathstrike or the Goblin, who earn a bonus kill (0.5 mislynches)
The two of these that involve Venom are mutually exclusive, so that means that if all of these things happen - meaning the Scum play a basically perfect game power-wise and the Town makes every conceivable mistake, technically the Scum could win without forcing a mislynch (other than the mislynch they'd force with their speed-lynch).
Here are the mechanisms by which the number of mislynches allowed could be increased:
- Penance successfully protects someone (0.5 mislynch per successful protection)
- Lady D kills Scum (0.5 mislynch)
- Goblin kills up to 2 Scum (1 mislynch)
- Goblin successfully prevents 2 deaths (1 mislynch)
- Venom's symbiote successfully protects one of a bound pair (0.5 mislynch)
- Spider-Man's Spider Sense averts a kill (0.5 mislynch)
So Town could raise the number of mislynches as high as nine, I guess, with optimal play from their pro-Town characters. You know what? I'm taking away Spider-Man's Spider Sense ability, I think.
All in all, this seems reasonably balanced from a sheer numbers standpoint, especially given that the Scum's superior ability to plan and coordinate attacks make the likelihood of many of their events greater than the likelihood of any of the Town events.
So. If you both concur that this setup is correct from a numbers standpoint, then the next task will be to create three more roles - one Scum, two Town. If you don't, then we'll have to figure out a new plan.
This is good times. I am currently technically homeless - I sold my home and the house I planned to buy is encountering problems - so designing this game is one of the few things keeping me sane right now. Thanks to both of you for helping out.