The Sith Game

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Overview
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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
The map from TSG VI.

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 Team

The 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

  • If there is a fourth Jedi, he or she may belong to any of the three classes.
  • A player cannot be protected by the same Jedi for two consecutive nights, but may be protected on successive nights by different Jedi.
  • One Jedi may protect another, but no more than two persons may share a house overnight. A player cannot be protected by two Jedi at the same time.
  • Non-Jedi being protected are generally unaware of the fact, even if they are Sith, although the Game Master may describe the Jedi interacting with the protected player.

The Sith Team

The 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

  • If there are three Sith, the team may consist of the Dark Lord and two Sith Apprentices, or one Apprentice and one Marauder. If there are four Sith, there should be a Dark Lord, two Apprentices, and one Marauder.
  • Two Sith may attack together in one night; however, if they do so, the Sith cannot attack on the following night.
  • On the first night, the Sith have only a 30% chance of finding the house of their intended victim. If they fail to do so, they will arrive at the house of a random villager. Their chances of finding the correct house increase by 10% each night, until they know where everybody lives by night eight. Until that point, the Sith will not know whose house they have arrived at until they attack the person inside.
  • The Sith are generally able to slip out of their houses without being seen, even while being protected by a Jedi. Exceptions may occur if the Jedi already suspects that the player in question is a Sith.
  • If the Sith arrive at the house of a Jedi who is protecting another villager, they will find the house empty, and return home. Exceptions sometimes occur when the Jedi has gone to protect his or her attacker. This may or may not result in combat, at the Game Master's discretion.
  • Attempts to prevent the Sith from carrying out attacks by keeping watch, locking doors, hiding, or placing suspects in captivity generally fail. However, ingenious methods may delay the Sith by a turn, result in a lucky escape, or generate an additional clue.

Resolving Combat

The Game Master's best friends.

During 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.

  • The Jedi Consular will recognize an attacker with a roll of 3-6. The Consular will defeat a Sith Apprentice with a roll of 5 or 6, a Sith Marauder with a roll of 4-6, and the Dark Lord only with a roll of 6. If the Consular rolls 6, the attacker will be killed.
  • The Jedi Sentinel will recognize an attacker with a roll of 4-6. The Sentinel will defeat a Sith Apprentice with a roll of 4-6, a Sith Marauder with a roll of 3-6, and the Dark Lord with a roll of 5 or 6. The Sentinel will kill the Sith Marauder with a roll of 5 or 6, and the other Sith only with a roll of 6.
  • The Jedi Guardian will recognize an attacker with a roll of 5 or 6. The Guardian will defeat a Sith Apprentice with a roll of 3-6, the Sith Marauder or the Dark Lord with a roll of 5 or 6. The Guardian will kill a Sith Apprentice with a roll of 5 or 6, or the other Sith only with a roll of 6.

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:

  • Forensic evidence, such as footprints, blood, or wounds indicating how a victim was killed, or by whom.
  • Notes, drawings, last words, or other evidence left by a dying victim attempting to identify his or her killer, or by the Sith to taunt the villagers.
  • Incriminating objects found in various locations.
  • Eyewitness accounts of suspicious activity.
  • Dreams or visions.
  • Information provided by NPC's or special plot devices.

Finding and generating clues

The 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-clues

In 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 actions

A 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
A typical clue: a message from the Dark Lord.
  • In the first Sith Game, the Jedi Classes were Consular, Guardian, and Shadow. The Jedi Sentinel was introduced in the second Sith Game, which was also the last game in which the Jedi Shadow class was used. The Jedi were not told the identity of their teammates until TSG III.
  • In TSG I and II, the Jedi Consular could only check alignment every third phase. This power was used during the night. Beginning in TSG III, Consulars could use their power every second phase, and this power was used during the day, so that the Jedi could share their discoveries with one another.
  • The Jedi Sentinel was introduced in TSG II, with the power to check the alignment of dead players. Dead Sith could not resist this power. Beginning in TSG III, Sentinels could check the alignment of living players every third day, or protect any player overnight.
  • In TSG III, the first game with multiple Jedi who could protect other players overnight, A Jedi Guardian or Sentinel could protect another Jedi who was protecting a third player. This was eliminated in TSG IV, where the rule was adopted that only two players could stay in any house overnight.
  • The Jedi Shadow, used only in TSG I and II, had the power to kill one other player during the course of the game, and no other powers. This power was used during the day.
  • In TSG I, all alignment checks against the Dark Lord failed. In TSG II, the Jedi Sentinel could accurately determine the alignment of any dead player, including the Dark Lord. Beginning in TSG III, all alignment checks had a 50% chance of success against the Dark Lord. All of the other Sith received a resistance roll against alignment checks until TSG V. This was felt to make detecting the Sith too difficult for the Jedi. Once the ability to fool the Jedi was restricted to the Dark Lord, he or she generally appeared to be Light Side on the first check, and Dark Side on subsequent attempts.
  • In TSG II, two players were assigned the roles of "Siblings". The Siblings shared all information between them, and either of them could kill any other player each day that the Game Master rolled a 3 or a 6. The Sibling team would win only if all of the other players were killed. In this game, one Sibling was a member of the Sith team, and the other was an ordinary villager, who knew the identities of all of the Sith. Early in the game, he demanded that the Jedi Guardian reveal himself, and killed one of the Sith who was masquerading as a Jedi. Under threat of execution, the Sibling revealed the names of the three remaining Sith. The role was eliminated in TSG III.
  • The Sith Marauder was introduced in TSG II. If a Jedi Guardian protected the Sith Marauder, the Jedi was automatically killed in place of the Sith attack. This rarely occurs now, so the Marauder's special combat skills may be used during a regular attack, or as an opportunity action at the discretion of the Game Master, should a Guardian actually protect the Marauder.
  • Recognition and combat rolls were introduced in TSG III. Until then, the Sith automatically killed any player attacked, except for players being protected by a Jedi. If a Sith attacked a player being protected, the Sith was killed. Until TSG IV, only one Sith could attack each night.
  • In early games, Jedi with the protection power could use it on themselves. This made sense before the introduction of combat rolls, since players being protected could not be killed by the Sith. Once encounters between the two teams generally resulted in combat, using the protection power this way became the same as remaining at home overnight.
  • Until TSG V, the Sith always found the house of the villager they wished to attack.
  • In some games, the Dark Lord has received a +1 bonus against being recognized in combat, but this rule has been not been enforced consistently.


Past Games
  • The Sith Game I – Fifteen players participated, including three Sith and three Jedi. The game ended in a Sith victory after five phases, when it became mathematically impossible to defeat them. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game II – Nineteen players participated, including four Sith and four Jedi, as well as a new role, the Siblings. The game ended with the survival of the villagers, after one of the Siblings was forced to reveal the identity of the Sith, and the last of the team, the Dark Lord, was discovered following an unsuccessful attack. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game III – Seventeen players participated, including four Sith and four Jedi, who for the first time were able to work as a team. The Jedi figured out the identities of most of the Sith quickly, but the Sith still had a chance to win late in the game, as several other players drew suspicion on themselves. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game IV – Sixteen players joined in the fourth Sith Game, which yielded the second Sith victory, as the villagers were repeatedly baffled by the clues, and the Jedi could not determine who the last Sith were, and were picked off one-by-one until they were defeated, and the Sith could defeat any lynch vote. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game V – Held over the Christmas holidays, the fifth Sith Game was jointly hosted by Z and Proetic, with fifteen players participating. The light side prevailed in seventeen phases, with just two villagers remaining, as the final Sith was killed attacking a Jedi, just as his identity was uncovered. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game VI – The first Sith Game hosted by Helena Revan involved twenty players, but ended in an overwhelming Light Side victory, as the Sith were beset by bad luck from the very beginning, and were all detected or defeated before they could cause significant harm to the village. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game VIIIGeek took the reins of the Sith Game for the first time, choosing as his setting a village by a lake. Twenty players participated. The Sith suffered a serious blow early in the game, losing two of their number in combat, and never recovered, with the Light Side prevailing in fifteen phases. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game IX: Terror on Tatooine – Helena returned to the helm with a record twenty-four players participating. The first game to feature NPC's prominently, the villagers dealt with Tusken Raiders, as well as false clues left by both the Jedi and Sith teams. The Light Side won in eighteen phases. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game X – The one and only game hosted by Griffin featured twenty players on an abandoned space station. Buoyed by good fortune, the Sith dealt a devastating blow to the Light Side, killing two Jedi on Night two, and gradually eliminating all opposition. The game ended in a Sith victory after fourteen phases. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game XI: In the Mountains of the Moons – Hosted by Helena, twenty players struggled for survival in a remote village. The fortunes of the teams swung back and forth during the game, due to inactivity on the part of the Jedi, then bad luck for the Sith, but the Sith team found a way to extend its reach, and baffled the villagers to win for the second consecutive game, achieving victory in eighteen phases. Original Forum Topic →
  • The Sith Game XII: The Arcane Cliffs – Geek took the players to a mysterious tower overlooking the sea, where they worked to uncover the identity of the Sith who murdered their host. With poisonous plants, deadly creatures, astrology, and magical tomes, the twenty guests arrived at a Light Side victory in seventeen phases! Original Forum Topic →


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