The Sith Game
Overview |
The Sith Game is a strategy-based role-playing game on the (JAWA) Forums, created by former Council Member Z in the summer of 2009. As of 2018, twenty-four games have been hosted, by Z, Proetic, Helena Revan, Geek, Griffin, Lezlo, and the Doctor. The Sith Game is usually played by fifteen to twenty-five players, plus a Game Master. The game is set in a small, newly-constructed village, the location and description of which varies from one game to the next. All of the players live in the village. Some of the villagers are secretly Sith, bent on destroying the village by murdering all of its inhabitants. Opposed to the Sith are an equal number of Jedi, whose identity is also secret. The Jedi attempt to unmask the Sith and save the village from destruction. All of the villagers are able to discover and debate the meaning of various clues scattered throughout the game, and may vote to lynch one of the villagers, whom they believe to be a Sith. The game ends when all of the Sith have been killed, or when all of the villagers except for members of the Jedi and Sith teams are dead. |
Game Play |
Before the game begins, the Game Master assigns each player a role as Sith, Jedi, or villager. The Game Master then sends private messages to all of the players, asking them to confirm their roles and participation in the game. When all of the players are confirmed, the Game Master posts an introduction to the village, and the game begins. Game play occurs in turns, called phases, summarized in daily posts by the Game Master. Each phase post consists of a night section, followed by a day section, and any notes that the Game Master wishes to mention about the progress of the game. Phases are posted at a regular time, so that players know the deadline for posting in the topic, and submitting their actions to the Game Master. In the night section, the Game Master posts a description of the Sith actions and their results. In the day section, the players discover what has occurred overnight, and are encouraged to begin debating the meaning of the events and any clues that are discovered. The results of any actions submitted after a phase is posted, including lynch votes, are summarized at the beginning of the next phase post, but take place before the new phase begins. Most game play occurs in the form of posts in the game topic. However, members of the Jedi and Sith team submit their actions to the Game Master via private messages, and all players may use this method to submit actions that they do not wish to reveal to the rest of the village. Except for members of the Jedi and Sith teams, players may not discuss the game amongst themselves except by posting in the game topic. Some clues are posted in the phase topics, and revealed to everybody, while others consist of discoveries made by individual players, sent by the Game Master in private messages. Players may choose to reveal what they know to the other players by posting in the game topic, but they are not required to be truthful, and may claim to have any role. For this reason, players may not reveal whether their knowledge comes from the Game Master. If a majority of the surviving villagers vote to lynch another player during any phase, that player will be hanged before the beginning of the next phase. In determining a majority, the Game Master may disregard players who have become inactive during the course of the game. The Game Master may also vary the manner of death for the sake of variety. Once a player has died in the course of the game, that player may not post in the game topic until the game has ended, or otherwise influence game play. The Game Master may introduce random events, clues, and sub-plots for variety. These may or may not affect the players' use of their powers. |
Roles |
Members of the Jedi and Sith teams have various powers and abilities which they can use to carry out their missions. The Jedi TeamThe Jedi Consular has the power to check the alignment of living players every other day, and dead players every day. However, the Consular may use only one power in each phase. The Consular is the weakest Jedi in combat, but is the most likely to recognize an attacker. The Jedi Sentinel has the power to check the alignment of living players every third day, and dead players every day. The Sentinel may also protect any other player overnight. However, the Sentinel cannot protect the same player on two successive nights, and may use only one power in each phase. The Jedi Guardian has the power to protect any other player overnight. However, the Guardian cannot protect the same player on two successive nights. The Guardian is the strongest Jedi in combat, but is the least likely to recognize an attacker. Miscellaneous Rules Relating to the Jedi
The Sith TeamThe Dark Lord of the Sith is the leader of the Sith team, and may assign both the person to be attacked and the attacker. In combat, the Dark Lord is the strongest Sith, and receives a bonus against all classes of Jedi. The Dark Lord has a 50% chance of resisting an alignment check and appearing to be light-side.* The Sith Apprentice has no special powers or abilities, and is average in combat against all classes of Jedi. The Sith Marauder is specially trained to fight the Jedi Guardian, and receives a substantial bonus against the Jedi Guardian, but is less effective against the other Jedi. If being protected by a Jedi overnight, the Marauder may choose to attack the Jedi, instead of attempting a murder. *The Dark Lord's resistance to alignment checks is usually applied so that the first attempt to determine his alignment fails, but the second attempt will succeed. This prevents the Dark Lord from succumbing to a lucky guess early in the game, while not making the Jedi waste too much time rechecking the entire village multiple times due to unlucky rolls. The Dark Lord only resists alignment checks while alive. Miscellaneous Rules Relating to the Sith
Resolving CombatDuring the first seven nights, the Sith must pass a resistance roll to determine whether they find the house of the person they intend to attack. If they fail this roll, they arrive at the house of a random villager. Rolls which result in the Sith arriving at the house of another Sith, a player who has already died, or the person they originally intended to attack will be disregarded. Rolls which result in the Sith arriving at the empty house of a Jedi who is protecting another player are counted as a failed attack. If the Sith arrive at the house of an unprotected villager, they will kill the villager. They or the dying villager may leave a clue as to the attackers' identity. Most clues are invented and described by the Game Master, although other players may submit clues for the Game Master to introduce, at his or her discretion. If the Sith arrive at the house of a villager being protected by a Jedi, they cannot kill the villager unless they first defeat and kill the Jedi. When the Sith encounter a Jedi, the Jedi receives two D6 rolls; the first determines whether the Jedi recognizes the attacker, and the second determines the outcome of the combat. A Jedi who is defeated by a Sith will invariably be killed, allowing the Sith to attack any person being protected by the Jedi. A Sith who is defeated may escape alive, but is not told the identity of the Jedi.
Combat rolls may be affected by random events in the course of the game, or mistakes by either side. |
Clues |
The Sith Game is a murder mystery, in which all of the players are able to find, analyze, or discuss clues to unmask the Sith. Clues may take any form, including but not limited to:
Finding and generating cluesThe main purpose of clues is to help the players identify the murderers. Consequently, most clues, even those left by the Sith, ultimately point to the actual villains, although they are usually tricky and may be difficult to interpret. Some clues are not understood until the person identified has already been caught or killed, if then. The Sith will often make clues that could be interpreted multiple ways, some of which point to the innocent. The most incriminating clues will often be difficult to understand, and many clues involve riddles or puzzles, which may take more than one step to unravel. Typically, one clue will be placed each time the Sith successfully kill a villager, with additional clues being given from time to time. Some clues are announced by the Game Master in phase posts, such as descriptions of attacks, combat, or suspicious activity, or things that are easily discovered with the body of a victim. Other clues may be revealed only to players who are examining the victim's body or house, or some other place where evidence might be hidden. Generic actions, such as "looking around for clues", rarely yield results. Players should be able to identify what they're looking for, and where. Although they ostensibly come from the Sith, most clues are actually generated by the Game Master. The Sith may submit clues of their own for the Game Master to use, but whether to use them is always in the Game Master's discretion. The Sith may also devise traps: stratagems to lure unwary players into situations where they may be ambushed and killed as a bonus move, without affecting the regular Sith attack. False clues and non-cluesIn addition to genuine clues, players will sometimes encounter false clues, usually left by the Sith to throw them off the scent. These are typically devised only when one or more of the Sith are in serious trouble. False clues may be used to frame innocent players. This is part of the job description for the Sith team, who are generally given the opportunity to do so, although genuine clues may be generated in the attempt. While the Jedi will sometimes plant clues in order to draw out the Sith, lying and framing other players does not come naturally to them, and may result in a penalty of the Game Master's choosing. Non-clues are generated when players insist on looking for innocuous or improbable things, or searching places that have already been thoroughly examined, or where there are no clues to be found. Non-clues are typically descriptions of ordinary things or environments that may be interesting, but have no real bearing on the murders. Players frequently mistake non-clues for important evidence. Common sense and good judgment must be used to avoid being distracted by non-clues. Side quests and player actionsA number of games have featured side quests or sub-plots that give the players opportunities to gain valuable information, defend themselves against the Sith, alter the balance of power between the teams, or which must be resolved in order for one or another of the teams to win the game. These may be as varied as the imagination allows, and have involved devices such as magic potions, mad scientists, hidden treasure vaults, advanced ancient technology, dangerous creatures, or the spirits of the dead. Some games use non-player characters, or NPC's, to provide background, hints, or other assistance to the players. All players are entitled to attempt actions that would be possible in real life, but they cannot know the results of these actions in advance. For every proposed action, the Game Master will determine whether it occurs, or is prevented by some other factor, such as impossibility, or interruption by other players or events. Players are limited to what is humanly possible; they are not entitled to rely on the benefits of non-human physiology, such as the ability to go long periods without sleeping, see in the dark, rapidly heal their wounds, or replace broken parts. However, members of the Jedi and Sith teams are able to use the Force to assist them, within reason, and other actions may be possible using various technology or artifacts that the Game Master provides. In order to assist them in their investigations, players may generally infer the availability of tools and equipment likely to be found in their environment. However, they cannot invent objects or knowledge that would be handy to have at any particular moment. Players may claim to have discovered a Sith holocron, seen a rancor, or identified someone's fingerprints. However, unless the Game Master actually left a holocron, a rancor, or the equipment needed to examine and identify fingerprints (and the knowledge required to do so) for the players to find, they cannot expect anyone else to see them. |
Former Rules |
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Past Games |
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More Information |