Bartleby was a man of few words. He would have preferred to do nothing at all. To sit with a good book and scriven only for leisure. Was it wrong to resist the thrall of capitalism? Was it wrong to say no? And what would happen if you did refuse to work? Would they send you away and forget about you? Well, not this Bartleby. Because he was, above all other things, a very controlling mother, so to speak. In his heart, he only wanted to keep others safe. But could he? And how much work would that require? Fighting against his two contradictory priorities, he tried his best.
Dear reader, you may at this point ask yourself why we’re referring to our friend Bartleby in the past tense. It is with a heavy heart that your gloomy narrator reveals the fate of your scrivening mother.
When they came for him he was resting by the fire. Tired from another night of keeping one of you safe and sound in your home. When he heard the door open he knew what it meant, and he turned to face the intruders. A familiar voice whispered in his ear, “What? Planning to put up a fight?”
With a faint smile, Bartleby knew what his answer was before the question was even asked:
“I would prefer not to.”
Bartleby the Scrivener (Ralph) has died. He was the CONTROLLING MOTHER (Town Jailkeeper).
In another home, at nearly the same time, more innocent blood was being shed. Melody D’Arkness had just left the apothecary with the ingredients required to brew a sleeping draught to help her get some rest after spending the day coughing. She never trusted someone to brew her medicines for her. She was far too familiar with just how easy it was to slip a drop or two of poison into a bottle of cough syrup to leave herself open to that old trick. And with another “Hyde” running loose she wasn’t going to take any chances. But, alas, fate is difficult to escape.
As Melody turned the corner outside of the apothecary she found herself face-to-face with a strange creature. Being an upstanding citizen, she bowed and accosted the other with a very pretty manner of politeness. The stranger had in their hand a heavy cane, with which they were trifling; but they answered never a word in response to Melody’s polite greeting, and seemed to listen with an ill-contained impatience. And then all of a sudden they broke out in a great flame of anger, stamping with their foot, brandishing the cane, and carrying on in a terrifying manner. Melody took a step back, with the air of one very much surprised and a trifle hurt; and at that the stranger broke out of all bounds and clubbed her to the earth.
Melody D’Arkness (Wasp) has died. She was an UPSTANDING CITIZEN (Town).
The following day the rumors were swirling once again. Terror spread across London.
Murder, murder – doin’ folks in
Murder, murder – is the worst sin!
Murder, murder – has me screamin’
Bloody murder in the night!
Town Roles:
4 Upstanding Citizens (Vanilla Town)
1 Mr. Utterson (Town Cop)
1 Dr. Lanyon’s Apprentice (Town “Doctor”)
2 Clandestine Lovers (Town Shared QT)
Scum Roles:
1 Members of the Board of Governors (Vanilla Wolves)
1 Secretary of the Board of Governors (Stealth Wolf)
1 “Mr. Hyde” (Copycat SK)
? Converted Hyde(s) (Converted SKs)
The rules in Victorian England are perfectly simple and not at all complicated. During the Day, you will socialize, prove your innocence, and vote. You will have until Twilight to vote to kill one of the citizens that you suspect is responsible for this very strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The citizen who receives a majority vote (or who has the most votes by Twilight) will be publicly shamed and executed for their crimes. If a majority is reached before official Twilight, the Day will automatically end (even if your gloomy narrator is not here to call Twilight). In the case of a tie, the accused will have one more chance to plead for their lives. All citizens are expected to follow these rules, be polite, and to remain silent after Twilight and death. Please read the fine print.
During the Night, the Controlling Mother, Mr. Utterson, Dr. Lanyon, and Mr. Hyde (and possibly Converted Hyde(s)) will choose targets in their personal QTs. The Board of Governors will choose their target in their shared QT.
A message about Mr. Hyde and Converted Hydes: SK(s) cannot target the same person two nights in a row. SK(s) create a new SK when they try to kill a Roled Town player. SKs do not win together, share a QT, or know the identity—or even the existence—of other SK(s). If day killed, Converted SK(s) are described as Vanilla Town. The Doctor can cure Converted SKs and make a player immune to conversion for the night. If a Converted SK is cured by the Doctor, they become Vanilla Town. If the Doctor dies, all hope is not lost. The Stealth Wolf will appear innocent. There are other secrets that you will discover. You might ask yourself, “are you even who you think you are?” Questions can be asked, answers may not be given. Clues have been given.
Jailing happens first, then curing, then investigating, and then the killing/converting. If a player is jailed they cannot use their power and/or be killed, investigated, or converted. The jailer can jail themselves. They cannot jail the same person two nights in a row.
Upstanding Citizens (Town) win when the Board of Governors (Wolves) and all Mr. and Converted Hydes (Serial Killers) are dead. The Board of Governors win when they outnumber the Upstanding Citizens and all Mr. and Converted Hydes are eliminated. Mr. Hyde wins when they outlive everyone else, including any Converted Hydes. A Converted Hyde wins whey they outlive everyone else, including other Hydes.
Simple and not at all complicated, right?
You are an UPSTANDING CITIZEN. But you wear a façade, as we all do. Yes, it’s quite true, you know all about wearing a mask. How else is a Victorian to live? You can’t share your true thoughts with the world! They might *gasp* judge you unworthy! And once that happens, you’re out. Sad, perhaps, but necessary.
At the end of the day
They don’t mean what they say
They don’t say what they mean
They don’t ever come clean
It’s all a façade!
To protect yourself from having all of your awful secrets revealed upon your death, you need to get rid of the Board of Governors and that dreadful Mr. Hyde! Before it’s too late, look behind the façade and uncover the truth.
If you find yourself in danger, please know that your only power is your vote. Although you might find some help along the way….if you are a good socialite and read the fine print.
Please note that you will need to make a handful of game-related comments per Day (three to six at least). Your narrator is very sensitive to Victorian customs and therefore has a very low tolerance for citizens who don’t socialize, so you will be labeled an outcast and no longer be welcome in polite company if you don’t participate. In other words, you will be replaced. Remember to read the fine print.
Roleplaying is encouraged but not required. Daily events will take place, with warning, and prizes will be awarded that may or may not aid you in your investigations.
A final word of caution: This game is a risk. An experiment. The narrator is not responsible for any disasters that may occur in this game due to “imbalances” in the universe. The narrator reserves the right to make any changes that will result in a more enjoyable game at any time. By signing up for this game you are acknowledging that you have read and understood this word of caution and forfeit your right to pursue legal action against the narrator. The narrator hopes that you enjoy this game, and that you embrace it for what it is. Remember to be a proper Victorian citizen.
NO EDITING OR DELETING for any reason, including typos.
Directly quoting or screenshotting QT is not allowed.
Remember to have fun! This is a game of murder, but it is still just a game.
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Video (Wyman Crabshack)Member of the Board of Governors
Ralph (Bartleby the Scrivener)Controlling Mother- May (Jim Hawkins)
Louie (Woo Seong)Mr. Hyde- Jude (Madame Helena Blavatsky)
- dw (WRESTLING JESUS!!)
- raven (Miss Amelia Fairfield)
- Nate (Dr Jackalope)
- hoho (Hinky)
Goat (sic (Hershel Layton)Upstanding Citizen- Mars Five (Famous Explorer)
- Tiff (Mina Harker)
Wasp (Melody D’Arkness)Upstanding Citizenspooky (Samantha Parkington)Upstanding Citizen- emmelemm (Vanessa Ives)
- Hayes (Lady Euphonia “Muffin” Pembling-Pembling Estridge Duddington Eustace Clarence Tollington Banger-Smythe, Duchess of Cogs-on-Goggles, Ussex, British West The Moon)
- Side Character (Vincent Bellingham)
sagittariuskim (Carmilla)Upstanding CitizenApril (President Chester A. Arthur)Upstanding CitizenGramps (Banana Man)Upstanding Citizen- Cop (Bobby on the Edge-ish)
Backups:
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- snugs
- Lindsay
- MSD
- Owen
You have until Friday, 8:00 PM Central to decide who to execute.
