Due to unforeseen amounts of snowfall, the Orient Express that you were on had to stop near the Yugoslavian-Italian border. You were offered complimentary meals in the dining car, and had to put up with the delay while the tracks were dug free – some of you with rather more grace and patience than others.
Then, disaster struck: that night, someone murdered Mr. Ratchett, the loud, boorish, yet fabulously wealthy American businessman. Who could possibly have done this? And why at this time, when there is no way to escape? Surely it will only be a matter of time before the Carabinieri get to the train?
Or, perhaps, you will have the mystery solved even before then?
Introduction
This is a game of forum mafia for up to 15 players. They will take the place of one of the characters from Agatha Christie’s novel, and will each be told a secret about their character, as well as a personal goal. Fulfilling your character’s personal goal before you die earns you a better write-up! Publically revealing your secret or personal goal goes against the spirit of the game so I trust players not to do so.
Teams are Criminals (aka “wolves” or “mafia”) versus Regular Passengers (aka “town”). One of you gets to secretly be The Detective (think Poirot, but to allow for all characters to potentially be The Detective this could be flavoured as Poirot’s niece, for example). The Detective wins (and is removed from the game) if they successfully match each character with its secret background.
Gameplay will be divided in two phases: day phases that last 48 hours (can be shortened to 24 hours later in the game if all living players agree) and night phases that last 24 hours. During the day, players can vote for who they think are criminals, and at the end of the day the person with most votes is removed from play (though they will be invited to join the deadchat in discord). Only your most recent vote will count. During the night, players have the following options:
- Stay in their compartment, which has the benefit that nobody can search it (this is the default action if you don’t choose another)
- Try to search someone else’s cabin and learn a hint about their secret
- Observe someone else’s compartment, which lets you find out whether that player stayed in or not, or the identity of one other person who tried to enter (you will only ever learn one of these, even if several things happen in that location)
- Plant evidence (criminals only)
- Kill another player (criminals only, one per night)
You cannot choose to do the same non-criminal action two nights in a row.
The game ends when one of the following is true:
- All of the criminals have been voted off or killed (Town victory)
- Half or more of the living players are criminals (Criminal victory)
Example
Mister Samuel Edward Ratchett (Town) You are an american businessman travelling with your secretary/translator and your english valet. You are a rich man – very rich indeed!
Secret: Lately you have been receiving threatening letters. You have engaged a detective agency to look into the matter and ensure your safety, but clearly they aren’t up to the task.
Personal Goal: Find the one who has been sending you these letters and bring them to justice. If you search the correct wolf player’s compartment, or end any day voting them, you will find conclusive evidence that they are the one who has been threatening you. If you do this before you are killed/eliminated, it will be reflected in your flavour (you will not be told beforehand).
The Cast
These are the characters from the novel. When you sign up, choose which one you want to play. Roleplaying your chosen character is encouraged but not required!
Prefers to be an understudy: Blip
Monsieur Bouc You are one of the directors of the Belgian Compagnie des Wagons-Lits that operates the Orient Express line. Right before embarking you met with an old friend, Detective Hercule Poirot, who was going the same way, but alas this train was fully booked!
Played by: MacCrocodile
Count Rudolph Andrenyi You are attached to the Hungarian embassy in Paris, where you are returning after a belated honeymoon. You own a country estate in Hungary and are absolutely devoted to your beautiful wife.
Played by: Cork
Countess Helena Maria Andrenyi – née Goldenberg. You were married little over a year ago and are enjoying life in the highest social circles at your husband’s side. Both of you have diplomatic immunity, so this investigation is little more than a diversion.
Played by: Mrs QueeQueg
Princess Natalia Dragomiroff You are returning to Paris with your German lady’s maid, Fräulein Schmidt, after a visit to Constantinople. Your late husband realised all his money before the Revolution and invested it abroad.
Played by: Mama QueeQorq
Hildegarde Schmidt You have been in loyal service to Her Excellency for fifteen years, and hope to serve her for many more. She wholly depends on your massages to make her rheumatism somewhat bearable, and you often read her to sleep.
Played by: Jake
Hector Willard MacQueen You were employed by Mr. Ratchett little over a year ago in Persia when he impulsively fired his former secretary in the hotel where you were staying. You are fluent in English, French, Italian, Arabic, and Persian. The job paid well and involved a lot of travel.
Played by: Narrowstrife
Edward Henry Masterman You were Mr. Ratchett’s valet and take great pride in your profession. All your previous employers can be counted on to vouch for your character. Unfortunately you are suffering from a toothache.
Played by: Indy
Colonel John Arbuthnot You are on leave from India and have spent three days in Baghdad to visit a friend. The current delay is most inconvenient for you, seeing as you need to make your connection to London.
Played by: Beinggreen
Doctor Stavros Constantine You were last to join the train when it merged with the one from Athens. You have examined the body and were able to assist some of the more nervous ladies with sedatives and sleeping draughts.
Played by: Bob Mustard
Cyrus Bethman Hardman You are a travelling salesman for typewriting ribbons from New York, here on business. The only reason you can afford a first class compartment is because the firm pays your travelling expenses.
Played by: Emooo
Antonio Foscarelli You are an enthusiastic sales agent for Ford motor cars. Born Italian, you are now a naturalised American subject – it is better for business. You pride yourself on having travelled all over the United States – New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Detroit! You are currently on your way to Milan for an important meeting.
Played by: Josephus
Greta Ohlsson You are a Swedish nurse who has been working as a matron in a missionary school near Stamboul these past years, but you are now on your way to visit a sister in Lausanne. You are much looking forward to seeing your nieces and nephews again.
Played by: Scientician13
Mary Hermione Debenham You are travelling from Baghdad, where you are currently employed as a governess to two children, to London. You would love to find a suitable position closer to home. Or, indeed, a husband.
Played by: PersistingDeviation
Mrs. Caroline Martha Hubbard You are widowed and returning to the US from your first visit to your adult daughter and her family. She and her husband are on the staff of a big American college in Smyrna and you must have shown the picture of your grandchild to everyone on the train with eyes to see.
Played by: MSD
Pierre Michel You live in Calais and have worked as a Wagon Lit conductor for the CIWL for many years. It is your duty to ensure all luggage is brought to the right compartment, to make the guests’ beds and to answer when they ring their bell – usually because they want you to fetch something.
Played by: Side Character
Mechanical Details
- The criminal night actions (kill and plant evidence) can be multitasked with other, innocent actions, and may have restrictions/options only the criminals will know.
- Players may have special rules for their night actions related to their secrets. Last time I ran this setup, for example, one player could search other players’ cabins every night instead of having to alternate actions.
- Players who fail to submit a night action will default to either staying in their cabin or searching that of a random living player, depending on what they did the night before.
- If two players try to search the same compartment, they will not do so but learn eachother’s identity instead.
- If three or more players try to search the same compartment, they will instead learn the identity of one of the others.
- When observing, a player only ever learns one piece of information, even when there are several to be had.
- When searching someone’s compartment, you will learn a hint at their secret, not the exact text.
- These hints are unique, so searching someone’s compartment on consecutive days will yield different information.
- Criminals can plant evidence in eachother’s compartments.
- Feel free to ask about scenarios, this is not an exhaustive list.
Rules
- Roleplaying your character is encouraged, but not required! It is totally okay to roleplay “The Count from Sesame Street”, “Hermione Debenham/Granger got lost in the wrong movie and tries to solve the murders with magic”, or “Princess Dragomiroff, the Singing Banana”.
- Players should not talk (post in the game thread) during the night phases.
- Players who claim their secret or anything related to it can no longer fulfill the associated personal goal.
- Do not quote directly from your private channel(s) on discord. If you’re discussing your night action or its result, paraphrasing is fine.
- Do not communicate with the other players in other ways than intended. This includes PMs, chats outside of the game, ciphers or any other forms of communication that may disrupt the balance of the game.
- Do not edit posts other than to correct pronouns.
- This is not a bastard game. Flips are truthful, and I will not lie (though mistakes are possible).
- Do not belittle other players or their play.
To sign up, choose a character from the cast that you would like to play and include it in your comment ❤️
Ideally I would have liked to start on Monday but with this thread going up late we’ll make that “the day after we get at least twelve players”.
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