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Please do not post in this thread UNLESS you are playing in this game.

For those playing, please do not post until the game begins at 0:00 EST Friday 13 November.


Heretic! Game One: Honoris Causa

This is a variant on the Mafia! party game.

BACKGROUND

It is a time of terrible carnage, even amid this endless age of war. The Thirteenth Black Crusade of the arch-traitor Ezekyle Abaddon hammers furiously against the Cadian Gate. To their utter astonishment, the Emperor’s armed forces throughout Segmentum Obscurus proved unable to stymie this monstrous threat alone. The Lord High Admiral has requested and received reinforcements from the High Lords of Terra even unto the illustrious Collegia Titanica of Mars itself. Several of the mighty God Machines, however, have recently fallen—ostensibly to the traitors’ seemingly inexhaustible predations. But it is almost as if there is some hidden force working against these majestic monsters of battle from within . . .

From battle to battle, surviving crews are cobbled together into Titans rebuilt hours before from the pieces of those who’s Machine Spirits have departed forever. You are one such crew, honored members of the much esteemed Legio Ignatum. Given no time to mourn for the God Machine you spent a lifetime serving aboard, you have been hurriedly gathered from across the front and assigned to the Warhound scout Honoris Causa. You have had some chance to familiarize yourself with this noble Titan and find her in peek operational condition. Unfortunately, you have had no time whatsoever to get to know your new comrades in arms.

Today is the eagerly awaited day of battle. Princeps Acuzio sits upon his imposing command throne completely at one with his Titan’s warlike Machine Spirit. Assembled around this redoubtable warrior, you can all feel the God Machine straining to join ferocious combat once again. Acuzio is about to give the command to move out when a slight screeching hisses from out of the background static of the internal vox channel. You see the princeps’s eyes role back into his head as he mouths a silent scream but before you can move to assist him the screeching mounts into the mind-numbing cackle of warp-corrupted code. As you begin to blackout, your mind fills with nightmarish visions.

When you awaken, the princeps is slumped in his command throne. Most of his forehead is missing, having apparently exploded, and his proud uniform is dripping with blood and brain matter. Suddenly, Honoris Causa powers down. Her cockpit lights dim to deep red and the thud of magnetic clamps indicate her doors have been sealed. All screens flash to the same message:

+++BY ORDER OF THE EMPEROR’S HOLY INQUISITION: HONORIS CAUSA TO STAND DOWN+++

You all immediately recognize this to be a reverently-crafted invocation against viral contamination, confirming that there are indeed traitors aboard the Honoris Causa. Eyeing each other, perhaps for the first time in some instances, you realize that it would surely take more than one heretic to cause such a vicious feedback contamination. There must be two traitors. And the Inquisition must be on the way.

Re-activating servo skulls float gently back into the air and turn a few loops in confusion before settling down. The princeps’s beautiful archeotech laspistol is securely holstered at his ornate belt. There are no other weapons within theHonoris Causa.

RULES

This is an extensively modified version of the party game Mafia! so please read these rules very carefully.

(1) You have all been assigned a role of one of two possible alignments. Some are pro-Imperium and others are anti-Imperium. It is the goal of the pro-Imperium characters to root out and execute the anti-Imperium characters. Similarly, the goal of the anti-Imperium characters is to kill all but one of the pro-Imperium ones. The anti-Imperium characters must achieve their goal within a certain time limit (see below) or they will lose.

(2) Every character has two wounds, i.e., must be hit by any weapon other than the laspistol twice in order to be killed.

(3) As in a normal game of Mafia!, there are two phases of each turn. The first phase is called day. During the day phase, every character may talk as much or as little as he/she desires and there is the possibility of killing one of the characters (see below). The day phase will last for three actual days (with weekends counting as one day) or until someone is shot with the laspistol.

The second phase is called night. During the night phase, no one may talk openly, i.e., post in the thread. Some roles are allowed to perform certain actions during the night phase. Once those actions are completed or the time limit for the night phase expires, the day phase of the next turn begins. The night phase will last as long as two actual days (with weekends counting as one day) or until all night actions have been PMed to me. Night actions that have not been PMed to me within the time limit for the night phase are forfeited.

*Please note that for the purposes of this particular game, the terms “day” and “night” are used only for convenience and do not signify that it is in fact either day or night.*

(4) Unlike a normal game of Mafia! there is no voting for a lynch per se. Instead there is one weapon, the late princeps’s laspistol. The first person to post the phrase “I take the princeps’s laspistol,” or words to that effect, will be the first to control it. The person who controls the laspistol may choose to shoot anyone including her/himself however the laspistol may not be fired in the same post in which it is either picked up or wrested away. The person shot is killed instantly and her/his alignment (not role) is revealed as the night phase begins.

If you are dead you may no longer post in the game thread. There is no “final gasp of agony/anger/condemnation/etc” post allowed.

Killing a character with the laspistol immediately ends the day phase and initiates the night phase.

The laspistol may be wrested away from whoever currently controls it with two votes. The person to cast the second vote to wrest away the laspistol away becomes its new controller. Another player may vote to defend the controller, thereby countering and cancelling out one of the wrest away votes. The laspistol may not be fired if there are any non-countered wrest away votes standing. See more on this below in Rule 7.

The laspistol remains controlled by the last character to use it unless that character is killed during the following night phase. If that character is killed during the night then the first character to type words to the effect of “I take the laspistol” during the following day phase becomes the new controller.

*Please be advised, this means that anti-Imperium characters have a possible advantage regarding picking up the laspistol during the day. How they employ this advantage is up to them.*

A character may also drop the laspistol.

Not being able to fire the laspistol on the same turn as taking it/wresting it away is a RAI situation. The idea is to give other player's a chance to interact with the weapon before it is shot. Double posting will not get you around this rule. But there is flexibility: if no one has posted for a long while (like an IRL day) since you picked up the laspistol, you're more than welcome to shoot someone. Please PM me if you have questions about this but just try to be reasonable.

(5) Servo skulls can be deployed during the day phase to investigate any character’s role (not merely alignment). Deploying a servo skull in this manner requires a majority vote (half rounded down plus one). The results will be reported via PM to the last character to vote for deployment during the following night phase unless that person is shot during that day phase or killed during that night phase. More than one Servo Skull may be deployed per day but there are only four Servo Skulls and they can only be used once each.

(6) Also unlike a standard game of Mafia!, the anti-Imperium characters are working against a time limit. If they do not succeed in killing all but one of the pro-Imperium characters by the end of the day phase on the eighth turn, the Inquisition arrives and orders an immediate purge of the entire crew. Given that any faithful member of the Mechanicum would rather perish than see heretics abscond with a Titan, this counts as a pro-Imperium tactical victory. If the anti-Imperium characters are able to kill the pro-Imperium ones within the time frame, they are able to join Abaddon’s ranks with the Honoris Causa and may rename it something appropriately blasphemous. (This is a sort of trophy and the renamed Honoris Causa will figure into the next game of Heretic! if this one is successful.)

(7) The only action that counts is the one written in bold. The following list represents the most basic form of all possible actions:

- take the laspistol
- drop the laspistol
- shoot (insert character’s name)
- wrest away
- defend controller
- deploy servo skull against (insert character’s name)

These exact words do not have to be used but it must be clear to me what you are trying to do (so I would recommend sticking closely to these examples) and it must be written in bold so that myself and others will be able to easily spot it.

Here is an example of play:

Player A: Before any traitors can act, I quickly pick up the laspistol.
Player A may not shoot in this post because he picked up the laspistol in this post.

Player B: You’re clearly a Heretic! Someone help me wrest the laspistol away from him!
Player A still controls the weapon but can no longer shoot it because there is one uncountered vote to wrest it away from him.

Player C: I will help you. ::he helps wrest it away from Player A::
Player C is the second vote to wrest the laspistol away and so becomes it’s new controller. Even so, he cannot shoot this post because he wrested away the laspistol this post.

Player B: But I think you’re a traitor, too. ::begins to wrest away the gun from Player C.:: Help me, Player D!
Player C can no longer shoot because there is an uncountered wrest away vote against him.

Player D: You are the real traitor, Player B, and I will not let you get that gun! ::I move to defend the controller::
Player C may now shoot the laspistol because he did not pick up or wrest away the laspistol this post AND Player D has countered Player B’s vote to wrest away the weapon.

Player C: Nice try, Player D, but you're obviously the real heretic. ::shoots Player D::

(8) I highly encourage roleplay elements because I think it makes the game more fun for everyone. But please realize that it has no effect on your role or any other rule in the game. You are all servants of Adeptus Mechanicus, roughly equal in rank at the moment, and have been augmented to a greater or lesser extent. You also all wear some sort of red. There is therefore no outward dissimilarity in appearance that could give away who the traitors are. Arguments based on purported physical appearance or any similar qualities (such as specific background details) have only as much weight as their proponents manage to lend them and no official authority. (See below for your generalized backgrounds.)

*Please try to speak “in character” as much as possible. If you must do otherwise, please indicate so by putting the text in parantheses and prefacing it with OOC: so that it is clear to everyone that you are not currently “in character.”*

ROLES

Titan Crewman: pro-Imperium, may not exchange PMs
You were raised on sacred Mars, the glorious capitol world of the Mechanicum Empire, and indoctrinated into the Machine Cult. Your faith in the Ominissiah is absolute. Your hate for heretics, especially from Mechanicum ranks, is without limit.

Tech-Priest: pro-Imperium, may not exchange PMs, are aware of each other’s identies
You are the initiated guardian of the Omnissiah’s mysteries and have memorized the thousands of litanies to placate and spur on the Machine Spirit. You consider Imperial technology direct, tangible evidence of divinity and can accurately recognize such depth of faith in another.

Secutor: pro-Imperium, may not exchange PMs, automatically wounds any anti-Imperium character that targets him during the night phase but still takes the wound
You have dedicated your existence to defending and furthering the Machine Cult and its sacred mission through force of arms. Woe to the heretic, mutant, or alien that opposes the Omnissiah in your grim presence.

Heretic Tech-Priest: anti-Imperium, may exchange PMs with one another at night only, may inflict one wound to any target each night (different Heretics can target the same character)
You grew up on Mars like the others and accepted their foolish teachings for a time. But whispers from the Warp have shown you that there is so much more that they are hiding . . . You will make them pay at the corrupted hands of their own precious techno-sorcery!

Possessed Heretic: anti-Imperium, may exchange PMs with other Heretics at night only, may inflict one wound to any target each night (may target the same character as another Heretic) OR may inflict two wounds on the same target by sacrificing the ability to inflict a wound during the following night.
You have indulged the warp-whispers and given in to your deepest depravity. A daemon haunts what is left of your flesh lending you its fiendish strength to strike out at the so-called faithful—now from the dark but soon with their own weapons.

There will be only two Tech-Priests. There may or may not be a Secutor. There will be at least two anti-Imperium characters one of which could be a Possessed Heretic. Everyone else will be a Titan Crewman.

MISCELLANEOUS

Any player may request a status update at any time during the day phase of a turn. I will post the status update as soon as I see the request. For convenience, please be sure that your request is spoken “out of character” and written in bold. For example, “(OOC: I wish Manchu would give us a goddamned status update sometime soon!)” The status update will include the following information: number of votes required for majority, number of remaining servo skulls, number of turns until Inquisitorial purge, who currently controls the laspistol, any wrest-away votes and who is casting them, any defend-the-controller votes and who is casting them, any deploy-servo-skull votes and who is casting them at which target, and who is wounded.

You are the playtesters of this rules set. I have shown all of you drafts at various points. Many thanks to everyone (basically all of you) who gave me feedback. Your criticisms, comments, and suggestions have allowed me to refine these rules as much as possible before their baptism by fire. I hope you will all have fun! And remember: it’s okay for the “in character” discussion to be harsh, accusatory, and bigoted—this is 40k, after all—but we’re all friends “out of character.” At least on the internet, right?

If this goes well, I would like to extend the storyline into a loose campaign. There will be victory points racking up over the course of individual games to decide whether the faithful armies of the Imperium or the traitorous forces of Chaos carry the day. Each game will have several possible outcomes already alluded to in the rules. The point values are listed below:

Tactical Victory: 1 point
Standard Victory: 2 points
Trophy Victory: 3 points

In Game One: Honoris Causa, the pro-Imperium characters may win either a Standard Victory by killing both Heretics or a Tactical Victory if the Heretics are not able to kill all but one of them by the time limit. The anti-Imperium characters may only achieve a Trophy Victory. The “trophy” in this case is the Honoris Causa herself and the anti-Imperium characters will have the privilege of renaming her as she will certainly show up again . . .

Good luck and May the Emperor watch over you . . . or the Chaos Gods smile upon you.

Current Player Status:

Thor665 (alive)
Orkeosaurus (alive)
Gornall (alive, wounded)
BrotherStynier (alive, wounded)
Valhallan42nd (alive, wounded)
Demogerg (alive)
Mekboy (alive)
Lord-Loss (alive)
Arctik-Firangi (alive)

I'm looking forward to this. Though I don't know how long I'll survive given my performance in Thor's game.

Let's rock!

For the Omnimessiah!

Mekboy wrote:For the Omnimessiah!

Indeed.

Valhallan42nd wrote:I'm looking forward to this. Though I don't know how long I'll survive given my performance in Thor's game.

I had you figured out last game too *shakes fist*

Hopefully I won't be wrong on my conclusions so many times this game...

Edit: Crap... we all fail at directions.

Demogerg wrote:

Valhallan42nd wrote:I'm looking forward to this. Though I don't know how long I'll survive given my performance in Thor's game.

I had you figured out last game too *shakes fist*

We would have gotten to Terra, if it wasnt for you damn Genestealers!

please do not post until the game begins at 0:00 EST Friday 13 November.

I just saw this.

Lets all shut up now.

Takes the laspistol

For the All-father we must protect this Holy Vessel from the hands of the traitors.

How do we know who the traitors amongst us are?

But who among us can be trusted, when the outlook of things is so dire?

Or, what Gornall said.

I don't know that I trust Adept Demogerg's itchy trigger finger. I vote we send a servo skull to investigate him (demogerg).

EDIT: put demo-gerg's name in for clarity.

As a precautionarly measure to prevent someone being shot, I'd like to wrest away the lasgun from Demogerg.

Please, by all means, send the Servo skull after me, but do not take away the laspistol.

Vote: deploy servo skull to prove Demogerg's loyalty

just in case people dont catch on to this, once the servo skull reveals to a player that I am in fact a Loyalist, that player should tell everyone that I am indeed an Imperial. If that player claims otherwise, by all means, kill me, then when you find out I am an Imperial, you will know who at least one of the traitors are.

Deploy Servo-skull to investigate Demogerg


Just to make sure.

No-one should wreck the laspistol away. Keep it how it is, so no-one gets shot but no-one is in full power of the gun.

Vis a vie the servo-skull:

It only reveals the traitor during the night cycle of our Glorious Titan. (OOC: 5) Servo skulls can be deployed during the day phase to investigate any character’s role (not merely alignment). Deploying a servo skull in this manner requires a majority vote (half rounded down plus one). The results will be reported via PM to the last character to vote for deployment during the following night phase unless that person is shot during that day phase or killed during that night phase. More than one Servo Skull may be deployed per day but there are only four Servo Skulls and they can only be used once each. )

Lord-Loss, that is exactly my plan. If demogerg and I remain locked in this standoff no-one can be shot. And luckily, my mechandrites are not weak flesh, and will never cramp up. So I can hold the laspistol as long as we need. If someone else attempts to wrest the gun away, I would suggest that someone else of clear mind attempt to defend demogerg's possession of the pistol.

I think we all have an interest in keeping the laspistol neutral until we decide on who might be a traitor.

EDIT: added Italics and underlines to OOC rules.

Valhallan42nd wrote:Vis a vie the servo-skull:

It only reveals the traitor during the night cycle of our Glorious Titan. (OOC: 5) Servo skulls can be deployed during the day phase to investigate any character’s role (not merely alignment). Deploying a servo skull in this manner requires a majority vote (half rounded down plus one). The results will be reported via PM to the last character to vote for deployment during the following night phase unless that person is shot during that day phase or killed during that night phase. More than one Servo Skull may be deployed per day but there are only four Servo Skulls and they can only be used once each. )

Lord-Loss, that is exactly my plan. If demogerg and I remain locked in this standoff no-one can be shot. And luckily, my mechandrites are not weak flesh, and will never cramp up. So I can hold the laspistol as long as we need. If someone else attempts to wrest the gun away, I would suggest that someone else of clear mind attempt to defend demogerg's possession of the pistol.

I think we all have an interest in keeping the laspistol neutral until we decide on who might be a traitor.

EDIT: added Italics and underlines to OOC rules.

the only wildcard is if the person who votes to deploy the skull last is killed during the night phase by the heretics. so whomever chooses to deploy the skull last is putting themselves in a very dangerous place. I will pray to the All-Father, Russ, and the Omnimessiah to protect them.

For all of you who dont know, I was a simple Fenrisian, born on the Isle of Iron, selected by the Sons of Russ to join the ranks of the glorius Space Wolves. It was decided that I should join the ranks of the Iron Priests, and my time spent on the Vengence of Mars was supposed to be part of my training. When that magnificent Titan was felled by the Heretics in this war I was transferred to this Honoris Causa much to my dismay, the knowledge of my placement on the Vengence of Mars being just a temporary training was lost, and at this time I cannot appeal to return to Mars untill this crisis is averted.

Why my Fernrisian friend did you feel the need to take the pistol straight away? The primitive nature of your world rekindling in you?

BrotherStynier wrote:Why my Fernrisian friend did you feel the need to take the pistol straight away? The primitive nature of your world rekindling in you?

Although my world may be primitive, the Isle of Iron is most definately not.

I felt the need to take the gun right away to prevent misuse.

I think this reasoning is actually very sound. As long as they are in a standoff, we can have a chance to look for traitors. If someone was to wrest it away and shoot someone, they would most certainally be the traitor.

Deploying Skulls will be helpful, but we have to remember they have two fatal flaws... both the target and the deployer must survive through the night... and the deployer must be a trustworthy source. I think we should discuss the best way to deploy them to mitigate that.

I suggest we send out two, as there is no way the traitors can kill two people per night cycle.

Or, we might wish to hold off on sending them out. I hate to say this, but not all of us will be surviving this event. Some of us will be joining the princeps.

Would we want to hold off on sending out the skulls until the field is a bit more... narrow, shall we say?

It might be cold to say so, but it is a logical proposal.

Maybe holding off on them would be a good idea.

If we shoot a loyalist, and a loyalist dies tonight we'll have 7 suspects. That'll make things easier.

Hopefully, we'll shoot a traitor, though odds are against us.

In our situation, it is understandable that any one of us may have picked up the weapon first, given the chance. This is not sufficient grounds to indicate suspect behaviour... I do concur that the pistol should be held neutral for the time being. The use of our investigative probes is a subject that we should carry out extensive calculation upon.

One possible way to proceed would be to conserve all of them until much later, and presuming we can keep the pistol neutral, we should be able to rule out at least 20% of the last five alive.

Failed probes due to death of the data recipient are also strong indicators of treachery, depending upon whom the probe was deployed against, but even this can be used against us.

I believe that Demogerg should drop the laspistol. Then it will be truly neutral.

The pistol is currently in stasis with it in the situation that it is currently in. It is both in and out of Demogerg's possession in a strange way. It's Schrödinger's Pistol, if you will.

If it is dropped, that it is a free for all. And then we'll be back in the same position that we're in now.

As to the servo skulls, I do beleive that we should hold off for at least one more day, and then deploy them en masse, so as to confound the traitor's ability to kill off those that receive the information.