Games

Werewolves 125: A Sequence of Regrettable Occurrences

Greetings [ORPHAN],

We at the Bureau of Orphan Operations (BOO) are sorry to hear of the recent loss of your parent(s), guardian(s) or fairy godmother(s). As detailed in attached booklet AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO BULK ORPHAN PROCESSING, 13TH EDITION, orphananity is at record-high levels right now. In order to best serve the greatest number of orphans, you will be assigned an Unloved Child Number (ULN) and bulk-processed for maximum efficiency.

We know that the loss of one’s parent(s), guardian(s) or fairy godmother(s) can be upsetting, which is why we have also enclosed STARTUP GUIDE FOR BEING ALL ALONE IN THE WORLD, 4TH EDITION, a coupon, and a single stick of Weatherbee’s Weepmint gum. Please use them to grieve quietly on the bus ride to the nearest bulk-processing facility.

Once you are assigned an ULN and matched in a group of 20-24 orphans, the lot of you will be sent to live with the nearest relative you all have in common. Because all humans are, at most, 50th cousins, this person may be closer than you think. As it is often a challenge to take in 20-24 orphans at once, please be nice to this person, even when they have better things to do than deal with you.

On behalf of everyone at BOO, I’d like to thank you for orphaning with us today. Created to rectify previous shortcomings in orphan management, BOO has spent over 15 years disposing of the un-parented in efficient and loving form.

Sincerely,

Arthur Poe, Jr.

Superintendent of Orphans, Region 5

Welcome to Werewolves 125: A Sequence of Regrettable Occurrences. Allow us to introduce ourselves. We are from the Bureau of Orphan Operations, and we are very sorry for all the bad things that are certain to befall you. “Befall” is a word that, in this sense, means “kill in the night.”

The Bureau of Orphan Operations was founded a decade and a half ago to prevent the sort of administrative missteps that plagued the famous Baudelaire case. We believe BOO is failing in this mission, but nevertheless, we do what we can with the powers we have:

owenthrop

Owenthrop J. Studepackard (Owen1120), the Arch-Director of Recursive Arbitration. He’s in his early 40s and has a mustache that impairs his ability to enjoy coffee, but the only thing he loves more than coffee is the mustache, and his life is hell. His desk is completely bare except for a large calendar pad and a clock, which is in a large bottle. He has to wind the clock with tweezers.

robin

Robin “Spooky” Amiko (Spookyfriend), a deceased philanthropist who died of a heart attack seconds before signing a large check that would have allowed BOO to help thousands of orphans. Robin’s ghost haunts the office, looking for a pen. The Amiko fortune was made creating brain-teasers for newspaper syndication, which is one of those jobs that pays really well if you can get it.

wulvis2

Wulvis Wabner (Captain Video), Head Accountant of Orphans Receivable. Wulvis has personally stuffed over 10,000 sticks of Weatherbee’s Weepmint gum into 10,000 envelopes for the newly orphaned and the only pain he ever felt was from repetitive strain. On his desk is a computer that’s been on the stars screensaver for 25 years and a snow globe of a garbage truck. During his free time he plays racquetball against a wall.

We are from the Department of Recombinatory Paperwork. We don’t oversee orphans directly, but we’re with you in spirit.

ROLES:

Nominally this is a game for 20 people, but it can be expanded to meet demand. Base roles are:

  • 18 Orphans
    • 1 Inventor (Special role – see below)
    • 1 Bibliophile (Investigator)
    • 15 Generic Orphans (Vanilla Town)
    • 1 Premium Orphan (Functionally identical to Vanilla Town, but somehow intrinsically better than the rest of you)
  • 1 Adult Carmelita Spats, Orphan Hater (Serial Killer)
  • 5 Rogue VFD Agents (Wolves)
    • 1 Rogue VFD Roleblocker
    • 4 Generic Rogue VFD Agents

If we reach 24 people, three will become Generic Orphans and one will become a Generic VFD Agent. We reached 24, so I’ve updated the count to reflect the new numbers.

The Inventor crafts single-shot powers each night in their QT. They can only make one a night, and will have the following list to choose from:

  • 1 vigilante kill
  • 2 doctor protections (prevents incoming damage)
  • 1 jailer protection (prevents incoming damage AND night actions, if any)
  • 2 roleblocks
  • 1 investigation (will reveal both alignment and role)

Each night, the Inventor will announce their intended power (i.e., vigilante) and, using only materials that could plausibly be found in the day’s setting (i.e., a carnival midway) they will attempt to invent something that could do the job (i.e., “I will spin this cotton candy into a rope and strangle [other player] with it.”)

The arbiter of success in this matter will be Owenthrop J. Studepackard, Arch-Director of Recursive Arbitration. The Inventor will get up to three chances per night to make the desired item type. If Mr. Studepackard finds all three attempts too unlikely to succeed (or using ingredients unlikely to be available in your current location), the Inventor fails for the night, and they lose their chance to craft that particular power. (Note: For powers that can be crafted twice, this only eliminates one, not both).

Inventions must be used the night they are crafted. They cannot be given away or held back. The Inventor can use the items they craft on themselves, if they wish.

The Bibliophile works as an investigator, using the things they learn in books to assess other people’s intentions. Each night, the Bibliophile can target one person for study. If the investigation isn’t blocked, the Bibliophile will learn the target’s alignment.

On first investigation, targets will either come up GOOD (Orphans) or BAD (VFD agents and Carmelita Spats). If the Bibliophile wishes to investigate that person again, they will also learn the target’s role (or lack thereof).

The Premium Orphan has no special powers, but is slightly more pleasant to look at and talk to than the rest of you are.

RULES AND MECHANICS:

  • Win conditions:
    • The wolves win when they are equal to the number of town-aligned players left (if the SK is dead), or outnumber the non-wolf players (even if the SK is still alive).
    • Town wins when all the wolves and the serial killer are defeated.
    • The serial killer wins when it comes down to just them and one other person.
    • A three-way standoff between the last town, last wolf and SK will result in a special ending.
  • Night actions:
    • Rough order of operations: Roleblocks, then misc. actions, then kills.
    • Investigations: Orphans come back GOOD, VFD agents and Carmelita Spats come back BAD.
    • The medic cannot medic themselves or the same person two nights running.
  • Voting:
    • You have the option to vote “No Kill” (or words to that effect). If that option prevails, no one dies at the end of the day.
    • A majority vote for one player (or No Kill) will end the day early.
    • A tied vote at twilight will result in no one dying, unless Owen and Spooky decide they want to do the RNG thing instead. Try it and find out!
  • If you maintain a game-related outside resource (like a spreadsheet or an in-character Tumblr), stop updating it after you’re dead.
  • No editing posts.
  • No quoting or screencapping from your QTs.
  • If you have any other questions about rules, please ask in QT, and we will answer publicly here.

Cryptography, Codes and Puzzles: Each day, Robin WILL place a secret message somewhere in the header. If you feel up to the challenge, decipher it and post in the answer in your QT. Winners will be chosen randomly from those who answer correctly. Those who share QTs are allowed to work on the puzzles together, but must submit the solutions in their private QTs in order to qualify.

Only post the answer in your QT; do not make the solution public. If you post the answer publicly, you will be disqualified from that day’s puzzle and for two subsequent days. It is acceptable to reveal the answer on any subsequent day, however. Not after twilight on the day of the puzzle, the next day. Posting the answer after twilight will result in the ban described above.

There will usually – but not always – be one winner for each puzzle. Prizes include night actions such as, but not limited to, the power of life and death. None of the prizes will contain an eavesdropping power, however, and none will impair a player’s ability to communicate.

And remember: Have fun!

PLAYER LIST (Min 20, Max 24)

  1. E-Dog
  2. Tobias Morpheus
  3. Mr. I’m My Own Grandpa
  4. Side Character
  5. Mayelbridwen
  6. Sister Jude the Obscure
  7. Hohopossum
  8. ThoughtsThoughtsThoughts
  9. Colonel Mustard
  10. Malthusc
  11. Nate the Lesser
  12. Louie Blue
  13. Cop on the Edge-ish
  14. DW
  15. Lord Stoneheart
  16. The Hayes Code
  17. Lamb Dance
  18. Jake
  19. InnDEEEEED
  20. Lindsay
  21. Josephus
  22. Donalbain
  23. April LKD
  24. Sic

Backups:

  1. Emmelemm
  2. Raven and Rose

Day 1 will start when The Teens say it’s good for them.