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[Kilojoule Proton]

Single-Blinded Submarine Lords (playtest)

Inspired by FallacyofUrist's S I L E N T

Single-Blinded Submarine Lords is a fairly typical godgame but with a stealth gimmick, such that being exposed is no different from being killed. In theory, this should still prevent politics/metagaming. This game is not expected to run for longer than 1-2 weeks.

Rules

• Sign up via PM or DM!
• No IC communication, no identifiable OOC communication about the game (except in the role of an unidentifiable observer)
• Please avoid using proper nouns and proper adjectives for creations when possible.
• Beware of NPC Lords

Victory
Victory is achieved when a single Lord holds the majority of Names in the world.

Defeat
Lords without any subservient Names are defeated.

Names can be damaged by the following actions:

• Failed REVEALs (affects self)
• STRIKE (potentially both belligerents)
• INCORPORATE (affects self)
• RETIRE (affects random other)

Names can be killed by the following actions:

• Running out of Health
• Connection to Lord REVEALed
• Connection to Name from the same Lord REVEALed
• RETIRE, effectively

Actions

All actions must be sent by PM/DM and include a time in the present or future (e.g. "now", "in 5 minutes", "an hour before the tick", "5 hours after the tick", "in 3 hours", "4 days from now"). Reactions to enemy action on oneself or one's creations are not counted to this limit.

Except in TRIPLE TIME MODE, each Lord gets 1 action per tick. Each point of Health sacrificed grants an extra single-use action in a tick.

Requesting that an action be done stealthily will initially reduce the chance of discovery significantly. Consecutive stealthy actions, especially if done with the same Name, will suffer diminishing returns.

• DREAM (default for idle Names) to lay low and temporarily lower the chance of detection on the next tick.
• COMMAND sapient creations to do something.
• LISTEN for a 33% chance of identifying the Lord behind a Name about to act on one's creations or oneself. On failure, this is indistinguishable from there not being any hostile presence.
• PING for a chance of spotting past actions in the tick, most recent first, with a 17% chance of being noticed (at which point the PING stops traveling backward).
• REVEAL the Lord behind a Name (killing said Name on success and damaging oneself if false) or a pair of Names belonging to the same Lord (killing the first Name named on success and damaging onself on failure).
• CREATE something in the world up to the equivalent of a city, a weak artifact, a mediocre adventurer, mundane flora/fauna
• SMITE something in the world up to the equivalent of a city, a weak artifact, a mediocre adventurer, mundane flora/fauna
• IMPROVE something in the world. An improvement cannot be stacked on the same item simultaneously or consecutively
• DEGRADE something in the world. An improvement cannot be stacked on the same item simultaneously or consecutively
• STRIKE another Name and enter combat
• BRACE for a defensive bonus in combat during the tick. This bonus improves modestly if targeted against the actual future assailant. Somewhat like secrecy, the bonus from this decays if performed consecutively.
• INCORPORATE, sacrificing a point of Health to create a continent, an ocean, a star, a moon, or other such large inert things
• RETIRE, inflicting 1 damage to a random Name and removing oneself from the world permanently.

Attributes

Each Lord has 3 Names with which to do their bidding. Each Name has 3 Health to lose on such things as frivolous Revelations, extra actions in a tick, and combat. Lost Health is never regained.

Attributes are reported on each update by PM, not in the public update.

Secrecy

In general, Names are not directly damaged by performing actions publicly: Only being linked to a Lord/sibling Name results in death. Because repeated secret actions are more easily exposed, it may be wise to save it for future crises.

Logistics

Schedule

Actions will be committed at 00:00 UTC (currently 17:00 PDT) and replenish at the same time on odd-numbered days regardless of whether the game updates or not. Actions scheduled on previous days can be amended until the tick (00:00 UTC) regardless of whether the game updates or not with no exceptions. Actions cannot be scheduled with conditions but can be timed.

Character sheet

Code: [Select]

Lord name:
Name 1:
Sphere 1:
Appearance 1:
One-sentence description 1:
Name 2:
Sphere 2:
Appearance 2:
One-sentence description 2:
Name 3:
Sphere 3:
Appearance 3:
One-sentence description 3:

Sample Character Sheet

Code: [Select]

Lord name: The Tree
Name 1: Frog
Sphere 1: Amphibians
Appearance 1: A beautiful frog (oh the redundancy!).
One-sentence description 1: The king of amphibians, Frog wants to eliminate all who feed on his subjects.
Name 2: Tower
Sphere 2: Buildings
Appearance 2: A stone tower.
One-sentence description 2: The Tower seeks a world covered in buildings tall and short and old and new.
Name 3: Fireball
Sphere 3: Summer
Appearance 3: A giant fireball with a long, fiery tail.
One-sentence description 3: Wants to burn down everything.

Thing Sheet

Code: [Select]

Who:
Where:
What:
Why (optional):


Spoiler: Sample Thing Sheets (click to show/hide)

Code: [Select]

Who: Goblin Wizard
Where: Goblin city
What:
+ Magic
+ Lore
- Frail
Why (optional): Beat up Dwarf Barbarian


Code: [Select]

Who: Dimensional Orb
Where: My hand
What:
+ Teleportation
Why (optional): Help me run away


Code: [Select]

Who: Mos Eisley
Where: The big desert
What:
+ Wretched hive
- Scum
- Villainy
Why (optional):


Code: [Select]

Who: Pine trees
Where: In the mountains
What:
+ Tall
+ Smell good
- Sharp
- Pyromaniac
Why (optional):


[Kilojoule Proton]

Ping.

[Naturegirl1999]

I’m not sure actions are supposed to be here. I think they need to be PMed on game start

[TricMagic]

Given they are the GM, that's likely a place saved for later. Also, PTW.

[Kilojoule Proton]

((The Ping. was just a thematic bump))

[Naturegirl1999]

(Ah, has anyone else expressed interest?)

[TricMagic]

(This is a Silent Game. It should take off being a god game.)

[Kilojoule Proton]

(Ah, has anyone else expressed interest?)

((Possibly. ))

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 0: Arrival

Deep in the void, a blank sun rises on the shores of a blank continent on a blank world just as it has every day of the world's long, blank life. But today, something is different. For the first time in the planet's unremarkable existence, the air is heavy, laden with significance. Clouds gather, rain falls, and thunder booms as the unknowable Lords from behind the Veil look upon an empty slate brimming with raw potential, whether in focused fascination or horrific hunger. Although everything remains as it was before, something or maybe many somethings flit about drinking deep of the incredible untapped energies of the world.

? ? ?

? ? ?

Turn 0 is now open! Each Name gets an action this turn and next turn, and this turn lasts until the next 00:00 UTC in just under 24 hours. Please make sure actions are sent by PM.

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 1: Dawn and Dusk

Once upon a time, a Name incorporated, shaping or shaped the world at great personal expense in a confusing but perfectly parseable garden path sentence. This Name's efforts brought forth twisting tunnels and vermicious veins lined with crystals, glowing with fungi, often coursing with water, the life of the land, and magma, the blood of the earth. Still deeper lay great seas of water and magma in cavities so large as to contain their own weather. It wasn't long until beautiful flowers bloomed everywhere, from the new, serpentine passageways depths of the world to the barren surface, and a strange flying object was spotted placing down deer to eat and appreciate the flowers while life yet remained for these graceful creatures. The Sun looked upon the lands and blessed it, growing myriad glowing crystals with its light.

But the Earth, indeed, the Earth itself refused to die although death was as yet unknown to it. It trembled and a powerful ward repulsive to the Lords from behind the Veil bound itself into the stony sphere. And soon, the very Sun which all would suspect would outlive the Earth, was drained of its pleasant warm rays by a procession of lanterns, who marched off into parts unknown carrying off the very light of the Sun. The skies wept and wailed at this sight, and an immense tempest enveloped the Earth in spite of the ward. A strange conical being, apparently having seen none of this, came to spread merriment throughout the world but was rebuffed by the potent ward on the Earth.

Despite or because of the challenges of the unrelenting storm, a wide variety of creatures and plants spread throughout the world. Forged in thunder, wind, and rain, it surprised none of the Lords that some creatures turned to feeding upon others.

? ? ?

Once upon a Time
(Unidentified flying object?)
(Thieving lanterns?)
(Conical being?)

((Results for secret actions and ping failures will arrive in a few minutes.))

((Since I posted way after the tick, the deadline for the next update will be pushed 24h, i.e. around 40 hours from now unless everyone votes to shorten.))

[Naturegirl1999]

This was a good read. When pings are received by all who called them and results of actions are shared secretly to those who performed them, the Lords and Names however many there may be, will then act with knowledge or maybe glee

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 2: Early Mourning

Storms continued to howl and shriek across the world, beating against the ward that protected it so. But the Earth Refused to Die [and] formed a great moon to calm the raging of the skies, and thus the clouds withdrew to tend to themselves once a month that they might fall upon the hapless denizens of the Earth with renewed vigor. And fall they did, accompanied by or producing joyous music, driving many creatures underground with the hail of their frozen tears. Particularly loud thunderclap not entirely unlike the pounding of a hammer issued in the maddening cacophony, and the ward on the Earth, concentrated though it was at the site of impact, was badly damaged.

The creatures of the world grew clever and began to think about thought and themselves. They took to rescuing their mute brethren from the wrath of the skies and spread throughout the shallower dry tunnels.

Another army of lanterns, now giving off an incredible heat and terrible light, drank deep of much of what remained of the Sun's rays and fled to the silent void. With the sky already reeling from the earlier loss, the Earth, too, wept but gently, and glowing fungi grew wherever its tears flowed. The storms in the sky, on the other hand, grew ever more sour and flung icicles and worse down at those who would dare gaze upon it in its madness. Where some of the clever creatures looked up to forecast the day of the storm's next respite, a swarm of malevolent tornadoes fell upon them, and they were never seen again.

With the ward damaged, the seas have begun to overtake dry land on the surface.

? ? ?

Once upon a Time
(Unidentified flying object?)
(Thieving lanterns?)
(Conical being?)

((The tick is being moved to 07:00 UTC (02:00 EDT) to avoid scheduling issues))

((TRIPLE ACTION MODE is now over.))

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 3: Beauty Sleep

With the initial boon of raw divine power mostly depleted on various mischief (and repairing the effects of said mischief), the Lords fell back to watching and lurking in silence. While the boisterous sea and sky continued to encroach on dry ground, a strange, whistling voice was heard rebuking the sea for taking the lands claimed by the rulers of the heavens. To their credit, the oceans withdrew to their original domains.

Creatures on the surface have begun disappearing at night to the great chagrin of the clever folk who rescued their brethren. A band of heroes seeking help from friendly Names has embarked on a quest to bring light back to the Sun and stop the disappearances.

? ? ?

Once upon a Time
(Unidentified flying object?)
(Thieving lanterns?)
(Conical being?)
(Whistling scolder?)

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 4: A Quest for Light

The heroes, who now called themselves the Champions of the Sun, took a detour to locate something empowered with the ability to guide them to their goal. Despite following a number of false leads, they are confident in their ability to locate the artifact. They have also developed an aptitude for defeating the intelligent tornadoes who whisked away others before them. Without the fear that an angry tornado could cause them to disappear at any time, the Champions have brokered a truce between the sky and earth for the remainder of their quest. Having recently learned of the existence of the Names from the tornadoes, they call on the Names to help them, claiming that the Sun is the source of all life and power.

Without constant fears of storm damage/siege, beastfolk settlements have grown greatly in size and complexity. Illuminated by fungi and crystals and bustling with busy workers, organized civilization is starting to take root in the labyrinthine caverns created (by) Once upon a Time. Many chiefs have taken to sporting symbols of office crafted from a strange shiny substance said to be made by burning stone.

Up in the skies, the living tornadoes continue to plot the demise of the surface folk now living underground. Among the less outlandish suggestions brought up is simply sucking all the air out of the tunnels. Regardless, rain continues to fall unabated on the oceans, which don't seem to care as much as the earth.

The Veil is almost still. Perhaps the shapes seen in it are the distorted reflections of Lords.

Once upon a Time
(Unidentified flying object?)
(Thieving lanterns?)
(Conical being?)
(Whistling scolder?)

[Kilojoule Proton]

Turn 5: A Quest for a Star

A conical being, likely the same Name from before, was spotted spreading tales of the quest the valiant Champions of the Sun undertook amongst the beastfolk. In response to this, one chief, perfectly satisfied with the status quo, took to styling himself as the King of Night and began conspiring to bring the Champions' mission to an untimely end. This will understandably slow the Champions' quest to some extent.

The Champions of the Sun delved into the forgotten passages of the earth and were met with the giant crab demon Anaxares! The fight lasted for many days and nights, and many nearby tunnels collapsed to Anaxares' incredible blows. The foul crab demon narrowly managed to mortally wound one of the five Champions thanks to its hypnotic gaze before being felled by the combined effort of the rest of the Champions. With what turned out to be the guardian of a a wayfinding artifact vanquished, the Champions somberly collected their prize and commemmorated their fallen comrade before leaving both the monster and its victim to their deep, dark tomb and following the unerring directions given by the wayfinder.

Among beastfolk civilizations, the use of the strange shiny substance has begun spreading amongst those who would find it useful, from warriors with their weapons to shepherds with their shears. Its use appears most concentrated in one town straddling a great magma artery and a great river. Chiefs of settlements near and far have begun sending clever folk to this town to learn the secrets behind the shinification of stone.

Up in the skies, the tornadoes continue their deranged plotting against the more grounded peoples. They are quickly getting bored of not being allowed to roam throughout the lands, tearing up anything that looks destructible. Many contemplate falling upon the earth and having a good rampage, directly violating their oaths to the Champions.

The deer and flowers have made an excellent return to the surface world, where they again make up a significant fraction of all life.

The Veil is almost still. Perhaps the shapes seen in it are the distorted reflections of Lords.

Once upon a Time
(Unidentified flying object?)
(Thieving lanterns?)
(Conical being)
(Whistling scolder?)