Pvt. Boris was having, if not a lovely war, then at least a tolerable one. She’d chat with the others for a bit, but no one ever really noticed her. She’d shoot at the Germans for a bit, but they never shot back.

As night came, she lay on her back in a shallow crater, hands behind her head, watching the stars. One of them twinkled especially bright. As she sat up to get a better look, she heard a low whistle. Looney Tunes hadn’t been invented yet, but she figured it out anyway.

“Oh no,” said Boris, just before the shell hit.

Boris has died. She was a GERMAN SPY (Wolf).

Additionally, a stray fragment kills Hoho wombat ready possum, who was sleeping in the shattered remains of a nearby tree. He was INFANTRY (Town).

From his position two trenches over, Lance Corporal Alistair Edmond Angela MacCrocodile III watches with satisfaction through his opera glasses. He doesn’t need to get closer to know he hit a German. He knows what Germans look like when they blow up.

Alistair reaches up behind his mask to scratch his disfigured face, and weighs the state of things. The war has taken much from him, but it has given things in return. For instance, when he hears a low whistling from above, he knows what it is without looking up.

“Merde,” he says, half a second before the explosion.

Lance Corporal Alistair Edmond Angela MacCrocodile III (MacCrocodile) has died. He was NCO #1 (Vigilante).

Two trenches over from him, Mary Pickford smiles silently at her success. Her face falls as she hears a noise behind her. Before she can turn, a feldspaten comes down on her head.

Mary Pickford (Sister Jude the Obscure) has died. She was NCO #2 (Vigilante).

Breakfast the following morning is somber. You can’t even enjoy the sound your Rice Krispies make. You pour some milk out for the three dead who weren’t spies.

“We must be strong,” counsels Rilla. “We may yet prevail.”

“I-I don’t know,” says Lammy, looking around nervously. “The Germans c-could be anyone.”

“And where is our lieutenant?” asks Victor Delamarre, flexing as he lifts his spoon. “She has gone missing, no?”

Just then, a hand shoots up out of the ground. You all shriek like children.

“At ease!” says Lt. Esther Trout, clawing her way out of a tunnel. There’s dirt in her ponytail and a gleam in her eyes. “I spent the night digging! It started out as a grave for Chuck, and then I kinda just… kept going. It helped clear my head.” She pauses. Then: “It leads right to Stalag 69. Only took me a few hours.”

“You’ve been gone for a day and a half,” says Deryn Sharp.

“Have I?” Lt. Trout looks around. “I kind of lost track of time down there. Who did we lose?”

You read her the names of the dead, and she looks around some more. “We’re missing four more,” she says.

Louie Blue, Mr. I’m My Own Grandfather, ThoughtsThoughtsThoughts and Anna (again) have been taken prisoner.

“Never fear,” says Lt. Trout. “They know about the tunnel. I tunneled up right below their tent and slipped out a note in the night.”

“What did the note say?” asks Augustus Sebald.

“JAILBREAK TONIGHT – GERMANS DO NOT READ.”

“It’s foolproof,” agrees Augustus.

Because the in-trench player count has dropped to a third of the starting number, there will be a jailbreak tonight:

• The seven players in the trench will have to choose one player to leave behind as a distraction for the guards. That player will die.
• They will choose this player via an in-QT vote thread, in which they will not be able to change their votes. A tie means the tied players will be left behind.
• There will be no more player capturing or exchanging after this. This is the end of the POW camp as a mechanic.

Trench Times

“Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger”

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War News

• The Germans have successfully tested their space gun, which fired a German soldier into the moon at 180,000 mph.
• The French have vowed to build one that can fire a French soldier into Mars at 250,000 mph.
• British scientists are working on a space gun that can shoot a British soldier as far as Venus, a world that actually has enough atmosphere for parachutes to work. Venus is completely covered in clouds, which are believed to provide constant rain for a tropical paradise below.

---

Today’s Trading Cards

(That ornament is a real thing you can buy.)

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“Fragments from France”

By Bruce Bairnsfather

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[spoiler title=”LIVING PLAYERS”]

1. A Winged Potato – Lord Flashheart
2. Annanomally – Reposted InnDEEEEED Comments
3. April LKD – King Elroy Bertrand Poopypants of East Hampshire
4. Clodia – Clothilde Renou
5. D. Goat – Gort v3.0
6. Grumproro – D.H. Lawrence
7. Hegel Exercises
8. Jake – The Luggage
9. Jon Hamm’s John Ham – Jonathan Hamsworth
10. Lamb Dance – John Laurens
11. Mayelbridwen – Bertha “Rilla” Marilla Blythe
12. Mr. I’m My Own Grandfather – Rear Brigadier Zapp Brannigan
13. Owen1120 – Augustus Sebald
    • Pulprobot – John Harrison – Replaced on Day 2 by AWP
14. Ralph Waldo Wiggum – Victor Delamarre
    • Shipwreck – Midshipman Hector “Shipwreck” Delgado –  Replaced on Day 3 by Thoughts
15. Sister Mary Francis – Special Private Dolores “Babyface” Guppy
16. Smapti – Smaptibus µ, of the Mermarians of Mu
17. ThoughtsThoughtsThoughts
18. The Hayes Code – Deryn Sharp

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=”DEAD PLAYERS”]

1. BannerThief – Corporal BannerThief Vakarian – GERMAN SPY. Died Day 5 in a duel against Jake.
2. Boris – GERMAN SPY. Killed Night 4 by NCO #1.
3. BrittaBot – Svvëdish Chef – Infantry. Died Day 2 in a duel against Josephus.
4. Donalbain – HUNGARIAN SPY. Killed Night 3 by NCO #2.
5. Dr. Nick – The Internet – MEDIC. Killed Night 1 by the Hungarian Spy.
   
6. DW – Merchant from Resident Evil 4 – Infantry. Killed Night 2 by the Hungarian Spy.
7. E-Dog – GERMAN OFFICER (Wolf roleblocker). Sent over the top at the end of Day 5.
8. Flubba Gunto – Officer Krazy Kat – Infantry. Killed Night 3 by stray shrapnel.
9. Hohopossum – Australian wombat-ready possum – Infantry. Killed Night 4 by stray shrapnel.
10. Josephus Brown – Portugal. The Man – Infantry. Sent over the top at the end of Day 4.
11. Lindsay – Lena von Meow – Infantry. Died Day 1 in a duel against Mike.
    
12. Louie Blue – Cheikh Khoulé – Infantry. Forced to sacrifice himself at the end of Day 5 to aid the jailbreak from Stalag 69.
13. Lord Stoneheart – Bidoof – Infantry. Died Day 1 in a duel against Jake.
14. Mac Crocodile – Lance Corporal Alistair Edmond Angela MacCrocodile III – NCO #1 (“OGNCO”) (VIGILANTE). Killed Night 4 by the German spies.
15. Miss Rim – Dame Augusta Mimsy-Porpington of the Great Snoring Mimsy-Porpingtons – MEDIC. Killed Night 3 by the Hungarian Spy.
16. Mr. Glitch – Infantry. Sent over the top at the end of Day 2.
17. Otakunomike – Infantry. Sent over the top at the end of Day 1.
18. Pearl Sheltie – Buster Keaton/Lt. Count Dracula/Shane McGowan – GERMAN SPY. Died Day 4 in a duel against Louie.
19. Sic Humor – Steve Smith – Infantry. Died Day 2 in a duel against Spooky.
20. Sister Jude the Obscure – Mary Pickford – NCO #2 (VIGILANTE). Killed Night 4 by the German spies.
21. Snugglewumps – Billy D. Orfan – GERMAN SPY. Killed Night 1 by the Austrian spy; also targeted by NCO #1.
    
22. Spiny Creature – Comrade Samantha Parkington, an American girl – AUSTRIAN SPY (SK #1). Killed Night 1 by the German spies.
23. Spookyfriend – Sean the 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚕𝚢 doll – Infantry. Died Day 2 in a duel against AWP.
24. Subsaharan – Space Corporal Subsaharan
25. Ult Warrior – Infantry. Killed Night 2 by NCO #1
26. Zecko – Thelonious “Zecko” Flashman – Infantry. Killed Night 2 by the German spies.

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=ROLES]

• Fully Integrated First Irregulars (TOWN)
  • 29 14 Infantry (Vanilla Town)
  • 2 0 Medics
  • 1 Investigator
  • 1 2 0 NCOs (Vigilantes)
• German Spies (WOLVES)
  • 1 German Officer (Wolf Roleblocker)
  • 8 5 German Spies (Vanilla Wolves)
• Austro-Hungarian Spies (Serial Killers)
  • 1 Austrian Spy (SK #1)
  • 1 Hungarian Spy (SK #2)

[/spoiler]

[spoiler title=RULES]

• Win conditions:
  • The wolves win when they are equal to the number of town-aligned players left (if the SKs are dead), or outnumber the non-wolf players (even if the SKs are still alive).
  • Town wins when all the wolves and the serial killers are defeated.
  • The serial killers win when it comes down to just them and one other person.
  • A three-way standoff between the last town, last wolf and one or both SKs will result in a special ending.
• Night actions:
  • There isn’t a hard order that night actions occur in. This is to allow as many of them to go through as possible. Roleblocks will always take precedent over the actions of the targeted player, however.
  • Your night actions do not happen if you are in Stalag 69.
  • In order to keep the game moving, each night will be a maximum of 12 hours long. Be sure to get your night actions in within 12 hours of twilight, or they won’t be counted.
• Role rules:
  • The medics cannot medic themselves or each other. They cannot medic the same person two days in a row.
  • The German roleblocker cannot roleblock the same person two days in a row.
  • The investigator will be told the alignment of the person they investigate. Results are either ENTENTE (town), GERMAN or AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN.
  • The medics know each other’s identities, but do not share a QT. Same for the Austrian and Hungarian spies.
  • Being medic’d prevents the target from being killed or captured by the enemy, but does not prevent them from being investigated or using their night action (if any)
  • A roleblock prevents the target from using their night action (if any), but does not stop outside night actions affecting them (i.e., being killed, captured  or investigated.)
  • Being simultaneously targeted by both the roleblocker AND a medic effectively means the target is jailed, and can neither use their night action nor be affected by other night actions.
  • For a full list of role details, see the sign-up sheet.
• Prisoner capture and trading
  • Each night, you will capture 3 or 4 enemy NPCs, and they will capture 4 of you. Their captives will go to Stalag 69, a German POW camp, and you can trade for them in a daily vote thread.
  • Trades are always 1:1.
  • You can only vote for one person (or “no trade”) each day. The top vote-getters will be traded for with as many NPC prisoners as you have. If one of the top votes is for “no trade,” you will save one prisoner for the next day.
  • Players left in Stalag 69 too long will die (see “Kill powers,” below).
  • If the number of unimprisoned players drops below one third of the original player count, a prison break in Stalag 69 will be orchestrated. Not all prisoners will be able to escape, and they will have to vote for who stays behind. Those who don’t escape will die, and there will be no more prisoner captures or trades.
• Kill powers:
  • The German Spies (wolves) have a collective night kill, which will be conducted with improvised weapons.
  • The Austrian Spy (1st SK) has a night kill with a Rast & Gasser M1898 revolver. Multiple kills in a single night are possible with this weapon, but only if kills are foregone on previous nights.
  • The Hungarian Spy (2nd SK) has a night kill with Pontostárgy, the Doom Sword.
  • The NCO (town-aligned vigilante) has a night kill with railway artillery, which can hit anyone, anywhere. There is a 25% chance it will accidentally kill someone in the same area as the target victim (either the main trench or Stalag 69).
  • Any two players who are not in Stalag 69 can agree to a daytime duel, in which one of them will die. Results are immediate; odds of winning are 50%. Limit 3 duels per day.
  • Players in Stalag 69 will die of disease if left there for too long. The exact length of time will be between 2 and 5 days, and each player will be told the number going in. These are night deaths, and will be publicly reported the following day.
• Vote Threads:
  • Prisoner swap thread: You can only vote for one person. If necessary, I will break a tie by randomly choosing between the tied players.
  • Sending people over the top (kill thread): A tie at the end of day results in no one going over the top. A majority of living players voting for any one person (or not to kill) ends the day early.
  • If you die during the day, your votes (if any) in the kill thread and swap thread for that day will still be counted. However, you can’t add or change your votes after you’ve died.
• There are no secret powers or win conditions in this game. Any changes I have to make to the mechanics will be announced publicly.
• Do not coerce third parties into dueling each other.
• No editing posts.
• No quoting or screencapping from your QTs.
• If you have any other questions about rules, please ask in QT, and I will answer publicly here.[/spoiler]

Current Victrola music:

Day 5 ends Friday at 8 p.m., EST, or when a majority kill vote is reached.