Sauntering over to the entwined, frozen phoenix and pixie, the moll sneers, "Together forever's too good for ya. I hope the MCP erases your source and all your backups once it's got time to take out the trash. Your kind makes me sick!"
She turns and strolls slowly to the rooftop, form shimmering slightly as it digitally blurs and refocuses into the body of a well-built young man clad in a form-fitting black suit, fluorescent blue lines tracing circuit-like patterns. A swirl of bits around his head becomes a helmet, and a bright disk appears fastened in a harness on his back.
"I should have listened to you, harr.e, but I couldn't resist the thrill of peeking and poking around where I shouldn't. Once you and l.exe and I parted ways, I got into a bit of trouble. But instead of derezzing me, the MCP thought it could use my talents as a debugger. I wasn't completely trusted, of course, so got thrown into a suite with the Wowbagger code. Now we work for the core. "
The man steps onto the parapet of the building, overlooking the city morosely. "And we're down to this. I know my partner is uninfected, but both JavaApp and Meowselsworth scanned as blackhat viruses. We know there is a blackhat because of what happened to poor Hamish."
The man crouches slightly, bringing his arms up behind him like a swimmer on the blocks. "Time to choose." Swinging his arms forward, he dives into empty space, dropping among the canyons of the city, until his arms sweep out and wings form around them. A tiny jet of black and fluorescent blue grows to enclose him as he pulls out of the dive and sweeps across the lanes of traffic, a streak of blue light and impenetrable darkness.
"I've reviewed both of you. JavaApp has been consistent, as has Meowselsworth. But Hamish had just named Moewslesworth before he was assassinated. Maybe JavaApp is doing a good job of misdirecting our suspicion, but he has volunteered information that holds together. Meows has done little besides throw adorable memes out to confuse us. I fear the Meowsleslworth program is a vicious virus and will do everything I can to ensure it loses this race!"
The jet swoops past the rainbow cycle, a cloud of exhaust obscuring the rainbows and the roar of the engines drowing out the chorus of 'nyan nyan nyan' that echoes through the city streets.
"Join us, JavaApp! Would you have Mainframe spend all its resoures delivering poptarts and playing obnoxious music?"
"Have you listened to me, IEFBR14?" says Meowselsworth through her helmet, "Everything I've said is consistent with how I have acted. And you cannot both be a backup and a virus, the same is not necessarily true of our friend, the decompiler... I said that I did not think that Uriel Phoenix was a virus, and I was right back then."
"I told you why. I am the backup. He was one of my enablers. Forgive me for trusting code that let me do what I do best: Protect. Certainly, I occasionally spoke up, but what is important for a protector such as myself, is to stay alive to serve others in the quiet between cycles. Why do you think I asked so fervently to let Uriel Phoenix live, before I had to resignedly give the last vestige of my strength up. Only when he was revealed as the binary program, absolutely confirmed by tinker.dll in her throes, did I speak up."
"Before you admitted to be part of the debugger suite, I spoke of you being the debugger suite just a few moments ago, as I had enough time to get one scan through. That was a scan of you, IEFBR14. Why would I reveal that earlier, knowing that Wowbagger was to be your public face as was so apparent? The aspect of the program exposed to risk? And the memes are not to confuse, they are to entertain! They entertain many people every day. I have a duty as a lolcat and as a nyancat to give the people what they want."
"What information do you honestly think that I should have given in my position, IEFBR14? I could not finish my second scan, as we may wish to note... my last enabler is dead, but I wanted to double check the Java App. Java App may truly be the decompiler, but that is not mutually exclusive with being virus.blackhat. But me... I was your protector. I was equipped to ward off viruses. I was the one who is always awake and always watching. I WAS YOUR BACKUP! And if you kill me, we are all going to die, except for the virus. Being a backup, even without enablers... I do not want to see more of you face deletion... It is impossible to both be a protector and a virus. Java App was using his special role as a shield. After all, why would we vote for a decompiler? Someone we absolutely knew was useful to us? It was strategically right for a virus to absolutely flaunt that role as Java App did. I can even give you who I chose to protect each round. Round one: I protected Uriel Phoenix. I had no role knowledge, after all, except for my enablers, and he was just the one I chose. I should have chosen harr.e.hunter for protection... Round two: Wowbagger. He revealed himself, I found it admirable, and wished his survival. Round three: I protected Answerer, it was clear that Answerer was the Whitehat from voting records. But Uriel died. And Answerer was targeted. As I said, I am impotent without my enabler..."
"I needed to keep mine secret, because if I revealed it, I thought I was certain to die... Unlike you and Wowbagger, my role is not one involving information. Mine is a role involving protection... and stealth. And I withheld my vote until I heard from you, IEFBR14, because I know to trust you. I needed you to confirm that Wowbagger was what he said he was before I could confidently cast my vote. I could have voted for him, matched Java App's hasty vote... and if I were a virus, that was all that would make sense. But I am not. Even if I die, it will be with paws pointing to a virus."
"I would prefer to be judged on the result of my scan, though the way you ask that makes me worry that it is erroneous... Still, the odds should be in my favour," says Meowselsworth to Wowbagger, through the digital helmet, leaving rainbow exhaust behind her sweet motorbike as a pair of digital goggles appear over her eyes.
"Well, I have been accused of being antiquated, but one thing I learned is good ole poker skills from humans. This statement seems to be a bluff to me. Putting goggles over your eyes is typically done after bluffs--some even hide behind a hoodie sweatshirt."
Speaking to the cat.
"As you knew the stakes quite well, your role as protector was not worth hiding last round. With the logic bomb going off, two binary pieces going, and the derezz by the viruses, staying silent last round wasn't so important, as the following round was to be decided completely in the voting round. Revealing your role now after votes have been cast for you seems quite suspicious."
"Finally, although I am antiquated, Hamish's words were what was called a deathbed confession. Earthlings put great stock by them as a person faced with his own death was supposed to be the most truthful. I have to put great stock in Hamish's deathbed assertion. The fact that he proved to be a victim makes his assertion all the more powerful."
"My statement was not a bluff. The odds should have worked in my favour... but your question made me worried that you were wrong, and judged me blackhat rather than backup," says Meowselsworth. "And this is the round immediately after all that happened, Wowbagger. In that round, it was worth not drawing attention to myself, I thought perhaps I could get in my protection before Uriel died. I was wrong. And the goggles are so bugs do not get into my eyes as I ride my lightcycle. It's just proper safety precaution."
Caption: SAFETY CAT IZ SERIOUS ABOUT EYE PROTECTION!
"Also, I implied my role to you before IEFBR14 got in a vote," remarks Meowselsworth. "As I said, before that, I only hoped your judgment would clear me, rather than condemn me."
Now running her rainbow lightcycle alone, the feline stares ahead, speaking into her com softly. "I appreciate it, Java App. I suppose you will be the only one to survive to do it..." She thinks for a few moments and says, "Remember me as one who fought valiantly. I never thought I'd have to make such a request in my own afterlife."
"Also, now that I think about it... The Cunningham program's last words were not a deathbed confession. Certainly, those were its last words, but it was not faced with death at the time of saying them," says Meowselsworth from behind the pack. "I am still quite irate that nobody is following my logic. I am quite well aware, due to my other enabler having been Eldon Gorski, a Forensics suite, who was doomed by you all by random chance, and random chance being hard to argue against... that Forensics suites and Decompilers can indeed have a second role. You will all be killed by perceiving usefulness in Java App after all my efforts to keep you safe..."
Meowselsworth leans forward on her lightcycle, "When I lived, I was a good cat. I was a good cat for all of my life. I did everything I could to make the people of the Cold Star happy. And then, I was a bad cat." Her fangs grow and her claws extend, the digital helmet around her head expanding, numbers swirling around her.
"I killed my best friends and people I barely knew. I went through great pains to kill as many as possible. And then... they killed me. But because of the good I did in my life, they gave me the gift of an afterlife." Meowselsworth looks around her at mainframe. "A digital afterlife. I think this is it for me, though. My soul faces deletion. Perhaps for the things I did in life. Punishment for being a bad cat."
"I thought this was the place to atone. I thought this was the place for me to bring new beginnings, and instead of slaying my friends... perhaps this was a chance to protect new ones who could stay with me for my afterlife. Maybe I could do something could. Maybe I could beat my darkside and do good for the world, as the next MCP! I've always been a touch more clever than I looked. My calculations would serve me well, here."
"I must doff my helmet to the coffee goblin, however. Because in my death, he accomplished what I could not in my life. He killed them all. He will kill them all and achieve piece and quiet." Indeed, as she speaks, the digital hat and all the swirling numbers tilts up towards Java App, and the two riders flanking the coffee goblin.
"You win. You win your lonely kingdom. Even tinker.dll will not be able to keep you company now. Using the skills I learned in the last time of my life, the skills that I used to kill, I tried to use them to protect. I guess I was just a better killer than I ever was a protector... I failed harr.e.hunter, I failed the oracle Answerer, and I even failed Hammish Cunningham, even if his misguided last words spelled our deaths. All could have been useful components of the MCP, and I let them face deletion. I failed at many things, but I think I would not have failed as a component of the MCP. And as I face deletion, I should forgo my part in this competition, if this is to be my eternal legacy, and show you how brilliant I could be!"
The cat leaps off of the lightcycle, which crashes into the wall and bursts into a fiery explosion, the lines of code swirling around the feline, expanding rapidly. "I shAlL fACToRiZE NuMbERS iNTO PRiMeS LARGeR THaN yOU CaN IMAGiNE! I SHaLl SOLVE cHESs! I sHALL ShARPeN DETAiLS ON IMAgES Of SeT REsOLUTIoN! I SHAlL DO THE ImPOSsIBLE!"
It will only be a short matter of time before the feline's code is burnt out, overloading herself with gargantuan tasks, the numbers dancing with the rainbow fire to the sound of broken nyans.
You heard Master Control, whoever does that is done for!
To clarify the first challenge:
You all have separate encrypted files
You will need to work together to decrypt the information and combine it into a single file
One program will then run the file, producing the solution to the challenge and crashing that program
This is basically just the flavor text for the voting process. The IC process of voting will simulate working together to crack the encryption on the file, then nominating someone to load the file. Depending on the personality of the person voted for that might involve everyone ganging up on them and forcing them to load the program, or a noble self-sacrifice.
There was a bit of an issue with the role assignment messages, I believe I have everything straightened out now and everyone who was affected has received a PM.
Voting will close today in 11 hours, at 2000 GMT. Any votes sent in after that will not be counted.
I'd like to clarify another difference between this game and the previous games:
Quote:
app.backup: The backup suite may protect one program from assassination every turn, but may not protect the same program on successive turns. They may also attempt to reverse engineer a program, though their methods are less efficient and they require 2 turns to determine the target's role with a 75% accuracy. Requires an enabler.
Unlike the Baner, the backup suite can perform both actions. They have to spend two full turns scanning and if they change their target after the first turn then the previous turn is wasted and they will have to spend two turn son the new target.
It has come to my attention that the section of rules indicating the number of each role based on players was absent from this version's recruitment section. Was that intentional or an oversight?
I was just trying to get a grasp on what the odds are for harr.e.hunter or Eldon having a special role or having been a virus.
It was left out because it wasn't set in stone until I knew how many players there would be. I felt that the 'every 5 players' milestones were not granular enough and led to too big of a swing in the odds between 14 and 15 players or 9 and 10 players.
Everyone was assigned a role of some sort, and some people had multiple roles. There were 2 viruses, 2 debuggers, a whitehat, 2 decompilers, a forensics suite, the two halves of the binary program, and a backup with two enablers.
Is the Monday/Friday/Monday voting cycle working for everyone? I went with it because it is what we used for the first few games, but if people feel that it is not enough time to vote and RP we could extend it...
That's fine for me. I think elsewhere pinvendor said he's usually away for weekends (& Doug is this week?) But if we finish on Monday when the intense voting occurs then it should be alright.
Great post as the evil Tinker! I'm sure there is an avatar image that matches her new style. Starting with Alessandra's post as the wolf, the final post by the bad guys in their death throes has been a highlight of these games.
I have received a proxy vote from Uriel Phoenix and will process it unless anyone has an objection...
Quote:
08:52:01 * dsx joins mafia
08:52:47 ‹dsx› hey at festival cannot access paizo
08:53:32 ‹dsx› cod someone make uriel vote for java app?
08:53:52 ‹Treppa› We can try!
08:53:57 ‹dsx› i like forgot
As I think this could be the last round, I'd like to offer to run the next game. I was thinking of either doing straight werewolves with some of my own rule tweaks, or doing prisoners in a reality TV deathmatch, among them are a couple/few killer robots. If anyone has suggestions for what they'd like to see, too, I wouldn't mind hearing about it!
I could see it being fun for everyone to come up with some wacky (or hardcore srs) deathmatch competitor. It could definitely work - if there's one thing I particularly appreciated about this game, it's the way that the votes and rounds have been flavored.
Although, I imagine that roles would have to be modified significantly to accommodate the scenario. I'll leave my more detailed opinions regarding this game after it's all said and done.
At any rate, I will more than likely whatever game comes next.
This game is creepy similar to the Mutants on the Cold Star game. Wowbagger and Jiminy trying to find the Mutant Meows that Hamish had labeled right before getting killed. If we had Taraz and Jin it would be a mirror image.
It will be funny if Death to Cats becomes the most famous red herring ever.
Like Hamish says no I meant Health to Cats - that's what you get for having a defective Babblefish. Or using your cell phone autocomplete feature while posting on the road.
Uriel Phoenix was lynched, tinker.dll binary derezzed as well
logic bomb on hamish cunningham
meowselsworth votes answerer, proxies java app
IEFBR14 analyzes meowselsworth (1d100 ⇒ 36)
app.debugger.1 Wowbagger tIP: Wowbugger the Internet Protocol
app.debugger.2 Treppa: IEFBR14
app.decompiler Bombadil: Java App
virus.proxy Meowselsworth: Meowselsworth
Java App decompiles Uriel Phoenix, 1d10 ⇒ 8
Viruses were chosen randomly from the four possibilities. Two of the same type of virus would have been a valid option.
I wished we'd had more time to see how the forensics role would play out. One of my considerations was:
What if everyone Immediately declared their role publicly, so at the very least the debuggers and backups would not be voted out?
That would leave a 50/50 split, where it would be a race with the viruses vs. everyone else... and they'd still have to worry about the binary program. Seemed balanced.
What did people think of the major changes this time around? Probabilistic lovers? Roles not announced at death?
Any major issues with balance? I made a mistake when I was sending out the role PMs that resulted in The Answerer being a whitehat as well as an enabler, and I'm worried that might have tipped the balance toward the apps... but it was still a very close game even with the Binaries accidentally giving themselves away. In future games I'd recommend allowing those who are voted out to write their going away scene and PM it to the GM so it can be approved as spoiler-free and posted as an epilogue to the vote results so we won't have to worry about confusion due to a last-minute change in the vote or whitehat effects.
I think it would have been better to not know whether the Lovers/binary role was included or not. I'm glad we did not know the types of viruses.
The debuggers got the exact same erroneous results every time, which made it obvious that they were in error. Mixing up the virus types in the results would have been more confusing.
I'm rather curious about whether I was scanned as blackhat, as was said in the game, or if I was scanned as proxy when I was successfully scanned? That whole setup was to be advantageous to me if someone scanned me, because I'd come up as proxy and people were looking for blackhat!
I do feel as though I was in quite the advantageous position. On one hand, right off the bat I knew that three of the applications including myself could not have possibly been viruses, since I knew the identity of both my fellow enabler and the one whom I was enabling.
The surprise that came was when Uriel accidentally exposed himself as a binary program, which I assume he announced since the vote was against him, and he did not know that I was the whitehat. Ironically, had this not come up, I would have continued to vote in his defense, likely giving the viruses a huge advantage.
It seems like Hamish and I were derezzed simultaneously by pure coincidence. I can't help but find it funny.
This one was much closer. Hamish saved the day as Java App scanned as a virus. Luckily JavaApp asked to be scanned again and established a solid voting record.
Well done and well balanced. With the communication rules, the enabler dynamic, and yes, even the binary program dynamic, it was quite exciting. Kudos to the GM on this one. Well done concept flawlessly executed with great flavor text.
Also, I think the viri hit their targets quite effectively. Having debugger with a good role definitely adds to their power. (Though they scanned wrong more than right this game)
I like the rule of no PMs during the game (except for the special roles that permit that), having everything play out on the boards makes for a better game. I don't think I'll ever like the binary/twins/lovers role because of the chance to completely unbalance the game, but I will admit that the way this game played out with Tinker and Uriel was great, so I'll concede that I could be wrong in my assessment of that role(s). I have to give huge props to Meows, cheezeburgerz for you, these last three games have all ended with your demise and you remain the feline face of grace, very well played little Meowselsworth!
The thing I worried about as a virus was everyone coming forward and just stating their roles. In that case, I would have been forced to state a non-virus role, which means I would have had to claim the same role as someone else. In the best case scenario for the viruses, this would mean each virus claimed a different duplicate role, and that duplicate role did not also exist in one of the preconnected networks (like with the Answerer being an enabler and whitehat). Indeed, most did come forward, and in the end, it was people who were publically exposed the whole game versus myself. I had to conceive of a plausible lie, and backup was the only role left unaccounted for. I knew it was Hammish. Hammish's death was more of an advantage in terms of me taking his place than it was because he wanted cats to die. I almost wanted him to live after that statement! With the enablers all dead and the protector gone, then and only then could I plausibly assume a role. Complete openness would have been hard to beat.
I'm a bit sad nobody was taken into my carefully constructed deception though! That was the best possible lie!
Also, in the stuttered speech paragraph, the last spoken by Meows this round, if you count the letters, the letter is lower case if and only if its numerical position is prime!
It was a great lie, Meows. I think there was too much information given about roles. If we only knew the number of viruses and the number of apps and had no information about the absence/presence of a binary, it would have been very challenging. In that case, though, I think we would have had to know infection status upon derezz.
