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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Circus: Mafia 2010: Preservation
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Hi all.
It's been a while since we played Mafia, so how about we get a game going?
The scene is the small town of Shipbury buried somewhere in the Cotswolds in south-west England. The town's focal point is the market street which bustles with the weekly Farmers' Market every Friday morning, but which is more commonly the first destination for tourists who come to see the stone houses, drink in the pubs and walk in the surrounding countryside. However, the town is not what it was. The local economy has struggled to keep up with the times, and there is growing resentment about the number of second-home owners and tourists who pass through. So much so, that a group of local people have set up the Brotherhood for the Conservation of Shipbury (or BCS) to fight for the preservation of the town and its way of life.
At first, this secretive little group was no more than a talking shop, but over time they started to gain more influence, to protest at the market, and to intimidate owners of businesses which did not count as 'local' enough. Still, most townsfolk thought that they were harmless enough until a body was discovered in circumstances so suspicious that it could only have been their work. Julia Overton had been the town's representative on the County Council, and was very vocal in her support for the application for planning permission by Tesco to build a supermarket on the outskirts of the town. Local rumour was that the application wouldn't be successful without her backing and the issue was the talk of the pubs and tea rooms.
Now that she was dead, it was certain that no supermarket would be built for the foreseeable future. One half of the town rejoiced, the other was deeply suspicious. Who are the people who could be callous enough to take matters into their own hands in such a chilling way? Is there anything that they will not do to reach their own ends? And just who do they think they are to commit a crime like this? It is time for the silent majority to fight back...
So, if you would like to join this sheltered little community, please post a description of your character to this thread. I shall leave a few days for people to come up with their personalities so Monday 22nd is the earliest that play will begin. Some of our more recent games have got a bit bogged down because people have not kept up with the game so please be realistic about how likely you are to see the game through before you sign up. I would suggest that in order to be fully involved, one should expect to read this thread at least daily*.
Since we haven't played for a while, I think we should keep the rules relatively simple. We'll not have the full gamut of roles and I'll aim to keep the flow of night and day moving relatively swiftly.
The roles will be as follows:
Mafia (otherwise known as the Brotherhood for the Conservation of Shipbury): Their goal is to kill off the townspeople and so preserve the quintessential Englishness of the town that they love. Each night phase they will be able to nominate one player to assassinate.
Townspeople: The plebs at the mercy of the onslaught of the BCS. They have no special roles, but are free to discuss and vote as they see fit.
Policeman: The village Bobby will be able to enquire about the role of one participant per night phase. Otherwise, they function as a townsperson.
Doctor: The local GP can protect one person from assassination in each night phase. Otherwise, they function as a townsperson.
Roles will be assigned at random once I know how many have signed up. I shall also not tell you how many players have been assigned to each role (although obviously there must be at least one member of the BCS).
If there are any other questions (about the scenario, the rules, or anything else) then please feel free to ask. I shall post a complete description of what happens in each phase and how the voting will work in the next couple of days.
* As previously, I'll try not to let important things happen over the weekend, as I know that many shipmates post primarily from work.
[ 29. July 2010, 18:40: Message edited by: Chorister ]
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ![[Yipee]](graemlins/spin.gif)
<cough cough composes herself and tries to look cool>
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"I do hope you’ve enjoyed your stay, did you get to visit the manor house like you wanted to?"
Vivian Rudge smiled warmly at her guests as she prepared the bill. Business was going well at her Country House Hotel and Sunday lunchtimes were always busy with visitors checking out after a weekend stay. She offered comfortable suites, traditional English cooking and easy access to the nearby countryside. And really turning it into a hotel had been the only reasonable thing to do with a house that size. She certainly hadn’t been interested in living there alone and the costs of the upkeep were a continual headache. But now she’d turned it into a flourishing business and was more than a little proud of her achievement. She’d even been able to get the gardens planted out again and looking respectable.
She typed the numbers into the credit card machine, handed over the ticket and told her guests she hoped she’d see them again soon. "Have a safe trip back now."
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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El Greco
Shipmate
# 9313
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Posted
Dr. Andrew Brown is a young surgeon (a surgeon people, not a GP!) who works for a private hospital in Oxford. He doesn't get to spend all day in Shipbury, but he loves his hometown and he won't move to Oxford, even if this means getting up earlier in the morning to be there on time.
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Ξέρω εγώ κάτι που μπορούσε, Καίσαρ, να σας σώσει.
Posts: 11285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Gwai
Shipmate
# 11076
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Posted
Old Miss Rachel looked out her window and sighed. The youth these days were going to the dogs. No culture at all and no respect. She wondered how many of them had gone to a museum in the last week. Probably not one of them. (Particularly since there were no museums anywhere near by.)
Some days one just couldn't hold it in anymore. She watched young Joe from next door cut across under one of her trees. Outraged, s he creaked over to the window and opened it. "NO DONKEYS ON THE LAWN" she yelled. Joe looked at her with complete bafflement for a moment before continuing on his paper route, but Miss Rachel didn't care if he understood. She'd told him!
Speaking of which, that tree was getting a bit overgrown. Miss Rachel added another item to her long list of things to tell her various helpers. Also, the tea seemed a bit bitter today. Must scold the girl about it tomorrow when she came by. She'd probably stopped to put on lipstick while the leaves were steeping. That would be just like her. In fact, it would be just as well to add "NO putting on lipstick on the job" to her list of rules. Surely one used to be able to find people able to make a decent cup of tea.
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A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea.
If they think they ha’ slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
Posts: 11914 | From: Chicago | Registered: Feb 2006
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
Dalbhac Nuabha is an Irish painter. He lives in a house with a large window looking out at the most incredible view. He is surrounded by empty canvases and full pots and tubes of paint and brushes that still have the plastic protective covering on them. He calls himself a talented artist, but townsfolk tend to think he's another kind of artist.
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh Northfield wiped down the bar after another long day at the Angel and Greyhound. It wasn't easy, the life he'd chosen and, what with the changing times, it wasn't getting any easier. First people started demanding fruit machines, then televisions, and now they couldn't even enjoy a smoke with their pints--well, things just weren't what they used to be. Hugh had his standards, though; the more that things changed, the more he stayed the same. The Angel was about the only place left in Shipsbury where one could have a drink in peace, curled up next to the old stone hearth in the corner on a blustery winter's night, with none of the awful racket one might find at The Carp down the street, with their boxed wines on tap and incessant "authentic" pub music piped in from some studio in London, no doubt. As he swept the illicit fag ends from the fireplace (no matter what the law said, some men must do right), he sighed, then descended into the cellar; the horse-drawn cart with the fresh firkins wouldn't be arriving for three more days, but supplies were already running low.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Wet Kipper
Circus Runaway
# 1654
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Posted
He'd been away, and busy recently, (family commitments, this and that) but local retiree Andrew Thomas thought he'd better go for a quick walk into the town from his bungalow on the outskirts, just to let the locals know he was still alive, and still part of their community
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- insert randomly chosen, potentially Deep and Meaningful™ song lyrics here -
Posts: 9841 | From: further up the Hill | Registered: Nov 2001
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
Jim Cartwright looked at the wheel he was making, his father had been a cartwright, his grandfather has made carts for a living and the James Cartwryht referenced in the doomsday book was almost certainly an ancestor in spirit (if not in practice).
He looked resentfully at the garage that represented all that was wrong with society and was personally to blame for his fathers poverty, as he put his model back in it's box and got ready for his shift at the Co-Op as a cleaner.
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo Langton trudged wearily back up the farm lane after another long afternoon footslogging around the township on behalf of the Farmers Co-op. She was tired, dispirited, and desperately in need of a hot cup of tea.
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
Melindra Tallston, that darling of the American paparazzi simply because, as the authoress of dozens of New York Times' bestsellers, the heiress of the legendary Knot-Free Shoelace fortune, and occasional student of lightning crochet methods, she didn't create scandal or conduct herself in any sort of embarrassing way or even seek the limelight, had finally found her spot. No, not that spot, the one just to the left... there. She was directing the movers in the placement of her furniture in the home that she had purchased. Well, not purchased, exactly, but had recently leased for an extended period of time. 150 years, to be exact. She really liked the Cotswolds as a larger geographical setting, and particularly the atmosphere of Shipbury. Especially all of the fuss over a murdered woman who was creating controversy over something that turned out to be a grocery store. It was all such a unique experience! Now, if only she could learn how to make a proper cup of tea, and develop a taste for it, she might have a hope of being accepted by the townfolk. If only she could keep those parasites with cameras away...
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
Leo Gnatsson is a mystery, or maybe an enigma. He appeared in the village a few years ago pitching his tent in Shipholme Wood as has been there ever since, although now home is a small log cabin he built himself. He seems to make a living making things out of rubbish he finds around the place, and doing the occasional odd-job.
He occasionally wanders into the village to buy suplies or for a drink in the pub, with his dog Knut trailing along behind him.
Many villlagers are wary of him because of his ragged clothes and interesting aroma, but he is generally tolerated. Every English village needs a mysterious eccentric after all.
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
Lillian Austin was born in Shipbury, but her father moved most of her family to a Florida orange grove when she was but ten years old. Her older brother, George, stayed on the family estate in town. As Lillian grew up, she fell in love with a local cattle baron who married her and gave her a wonderful life. Unfortunately, they had no children, and when her dear husband and her loving brother both died within a year of each other, she decided to spend the rest of her days in her childhood home. She was 86 years old and a multimillionaire. But, Lordy, it was cold in Shipbury. South Florida had thinned her blood something fierce, and Lillian always had multiple layers of clothing on, and several blankets scattered throughout the house.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
Kate Dominic came to Shipbury from New York as a tourist five years ago and decided to abandon her tour group and stay. Kate feels that the quiet atmosphere of this English village is the perfect place to sit and finally finish the fantasy novel she has been writing for the last six years. So far, she has been unsuccessful in her efforts to get anything published, but she feels in her heart of hearts that success is just around the proverbial corner.
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan Ffloyd lives in a bedsit above the antiques shop on Coathanger Alley. He dresses like someone who sells the Socialist Worker and talks like someone who looks down at the Royal Family for being vulgar commoners. His claim that his dad was a coal miner is a little unconvincing. It's not clear where he gets the money he spends down at the local pub. It's unlikely he earns all of it in his 'job'. He calls his job performance art raising consciousness of the nature of the capitalist oppressor. Everyone else calls it being a living statue.
[ 20. February 2010, 15:43: Message edited by: Dafyd ]
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Miss Matilda Smudgeson gazed up with pride at the new sign freshly painted over the door. "Shipbury Tea Rooms". A bit predictable, perhaps (what me? never!), but how better to stress the fact that this was no mass-produced St*rb*cks or trendy bar? This was Miss Smudgeson's pride and joy. She had spotted the old fashioned, rather run down old tearooms when she had visited her niece in Shipbury last year and had instantly sunk her entire savings into taking over the establishment. A couple of months of hard work wielding a paintbrush, varnishing tables, buying new lace tablecloths, and now it was the first day of her new life. What better way to spend her rather premature retirement?
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Eliab
Shipmate
# 9153
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Posted
I'm really too busy - I have a big trial coming up IRL, but I can't resist.
I'm in. I'll decide on a persona when I have my role.
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"Perhaps there is poetic beauty in the abstract ideas of justice or fairness, but I doubt if many lawyers are moved by it"
Richard Dawkins
Posts: 4619 | From: Hampton, Middlesex, UK | Registered: Mar 2005
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Okay, fifteen villagers certainly means that we have a game! I shall assign roles tonight, so the closing time for entries will be 2200 central (0400 GMT).
Please make sure that your PM inbox has sufficient space! Thanks ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
We shall then have a 24 period for character development and communication amongst those that need to. The first night will fall on Tuesday evening (central time).
Before we go any further, does anyone have any questions or anything which needs clarifying?
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
A couple of rules enquiries from me:
Will be the mob be allowed to communicate as much as they like, or only overnight? Also, if there are more than one watchman/policeman, will they be allowed to communicate with each other?
Cheers
(and for having lured out Eliab. Wouldn't be the same without you. I shall now forgive you for bumping me off last time ![[Biased]](wink.gif) )
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
The BCS can communicate with each other as much as they want -- there's no way that anyone can stop them!
If there is more than one policeman they will not be told the identities of the other policemen, so they will not be able to communicate with each other. Same goes for doctors.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Okay, the deadline has passed and we have fifteen players: A nice number!
I have sent the PMs containing the roles to everyone. Feel free to chat amongst yourselves, develop your characters and otherwise idle away a day in sunny Shipbury. Tomorrow evening (central time), the first night phase will begin.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo Langton flipped through her order book. It was not exactly encouraging, but neither was it bad. A firm believer in supporting the local economy with local produce, she not only worked in the Farmers Co-op office during the day; she supplied Shipbury's hotels and cafes with delicious farmhouse style cakes and puddings.
Every night she made somewhere between 2 and 3 dozen hearty dessert tortes, fruitified cakes and ramekin sized individual servings of all that was the best in Cotswald Cooking. She was extremely pleased that the new Shipbury Tearooms had placed an order, and was determined to keep up quality production to the tourist hotels like Country House which were loyal customers. It was just a shame that other Shipbury businesses seemed only too keen to jettison quality local produce in favour of mass produced shlock.
She would fight as long as she was able to uphold all that was good in the land to which she had been born. She had not been christened Boadicea Langton for nothing!
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
Jim did his best to put all fears behind him, as he quickly checked his morning paper, no deaths, maybe the campaigner was a one off, and then nervously hurried off to work. Where he'd have to use the bosses password if he wanted to keep up to date with the news, before he got back (6ish GMT).
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Sylvander
Shipmate
# 12857
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Posted
The ghost of Mr. Lysander, the former Jewish photographer, floated over the little town which he had only just discovered. Too late, alas!
He smiled vaguely to himself (as far as ghosts can smile) at the little games those village people in the South of England played and which he had so much enjoyed in his day.
He wished them good luck, merriment and pleasant murders.
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A martyr is someone living with a saint.
2509
Posts: 1589 | From: Berlin | Registered: Jul 2007
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
The Country House Hotel is open for business. Unfortunately it's been raining this weekend and when the guests came back from hillwalking they've trailed mud all over the carpets. They're going to be a nightmare to hoover.
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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El Greco
Shipmate
# 9313
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Posted
I hate rain. Sure, I love my hometown, but it has one big flaw. It rains a lot. And as if that wasn't enough, I've been feeling chilly all day. As if ghosts were haunting the town.
Ghosts. Like Julia. I knew her well. She loved Shipbury, and she wanted economic growth and development for our little town. And now she's dead.
It must have been the Brotherhood. Those creepy thugs! I was approached by them a few months ago, and they didn't like it when I said no to their invitation to become one of them. Mystery surrounds them. Even their invitation was sent anonymously to me. It was really creepy. Who are they? How powerful are they? Have they no limits?
And this horrible rain. Why doesn't it stop? When will it stop?
Posts: 11285 | Registered: Apr 2005
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fletcher christian
Mutinous Seadog
# 13919
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Posted
On an early morning walk, Dalbhac had heard whisperings of some 'news' in the area, but he didn't hear exactly what it was. He sat, gazing at the view from the window, half wondering what the news might have been. He had an odd mix of feelings swirling around in his gut; annoyance over the knowledge that soon the town would be flooded with tourists and dread that the new Tesco was going to kill every local business in the area. The people of Shipbury were loyal so long as it didn't cost them money.
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'God is love insaturable, love impossible to describe'
Staretz Silouan
Posts: 5235 | From: a prefecture | Registered: Jul 2008
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
To celebrate getting unpacked, settled in, furniture rearranged, and all of the pictures hung, Melindra Tallston was going to settle onto her sofa... um... settle with a nice cuppa in hopes of beginning to get her mind into the proper English town mindset. Unfortunately, she hadn't had a chance yet to learn how to make tea. So she headed out into Shipbury. In her wandering, she passed what might have been a statue, except that it moved. Distracted, she stumbled slightly, and, upon righting herself came across "Shipbury Tea Rooms." "That looks promising," she mused, and entered with caution.
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
Leo sat whittling by the fire, listeneing to the rain pounding on the roof of his cabin.
He was concerned, one murder in the village already, and he knew form experience that small villages with nice tea-rooms and cafes were hotbeds of murder, intrigue and mob-violence, even if the "mob" supposedly had the village's best interests at heart.
He checked the locks on the door. It may only be a cabin, but it had some impressive locksmithery. All secure.
Knut howled as the rain continued to fall.
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
There weren't a lot of tourists due to the continuing light drizzle but Dan Ffloyd watched them anyway. They didn't put any money in his cap. Tight bourgeois pigs. Some woman in posh clothes had given a start when he scratched his nose as she walked past, but that was about it.
He decided to sod this for a game of soldiers and went off to the pub to have a pint.
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh smiled at the truly awful weather as he opened the Angel for the day. There was nothing like a truly miserable day, complete with rain, muck, fog, and mud, to drive people into a nice country pub with a warm fire, a friendly barkeep and a nice selection of malts. Business had been good thanks to the weather, and, happily for him, the coal shipment had actually arrived on time for once.
Of course, there were a few niggling problems here in paradise. The fresh casks still hadn't arrived (Hugh hated to tell customers their usual was off), that oddly paranoid man who hung around and stank up the pub while only ordering the cheap stuff still hadn't gotten the hint, and there were vicious rumors floating around town . . .
Naturally, as owner of a local pub of Character, Hugh was a bit more privy to some of these rumors than most, but, after several years of working with drunks, he knew how much trust to put in things you hear after "one last drink . . . really, one more and I'm done." By his reckoning, the Martians, the Templars and Satan himself had all moved in to his quiet little village and each were responsible for the latest events.
No matter. The Prince of Lies would probably buy the good Scotch–and wouldn't insist on bringing his @#$% dog into the pub with him!
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Eliab
Shipmate
# 9153
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Posted
Campaigning journalist Alison Eliab emerged from a bladder-bursting four hour emergency planning session, at which the committee decided that:
1) murder is nasty; and
2) the meeting is adjourned.
How the hell she was expected to cover a murder story and still manage next week's job as a Court reporter, she had no idea. On her way to the Ladies' room, she jotted a few hasty notes on the town's prominent citizens, and swore offensively under her breath.
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"Perhaps there is poetic beauty in the abstract ideas of justice or fairness, but I doubt if many lawyers are moved by it"
Richard Dawkins
Posts: 4619 | From: Hampton, Middlesex, UK | Registered: Mar 2005
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
Jim returned from work and checked the news websites, the biggest news seemed to be that some lady in Mayfair had crossed a road, so all was well...then he reflected that the BBC would report that above a nuclear bomb outside the M25 and ran to the pub.
After a few gin and he felt better and started chatting with the Akela and Brown Owl about the shocking state of todays youth...he and Brown Owl left convinced that the murderer was possibly the BCS, but more likely a false flag operation by the Scouts, they seemed to think they owned the bloody Scout Hut, and moaned like hell when any of the other uniformed organisations needed it.
[ 23. February 2010, 16:53: Message edited by: Jay-Emm ]
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
Miz Lillian sat at the window seat. (The exact place she remembered sitting when she was a child.) The light shower was very like the winter showers she had known in Florida, and about as cold. "I wonder if it ever rains here?" The maid had said it was raining, but she obviously wouldn't recognize the gully-washers of a summer monsoon. Never mind. A little walk would be nice.
Miz Lillian got her favorite umbrella, the one that's black on top, and underneath shows a bright blue sky and fluffy white clouds. It always was a secret rebellion to use the thing! She had heard several things since the beginning of the week; one: that there had been an unusual death in town. Two: that there was actually a woman who could supply her with fresh veggies and home baked goodies!
Perhaps a stop in the pub will provide her with some information, and maybe a pint of hard cider...for rosy cheeks, you know.
[forgot a word]
[ 23. February 2010, 16:59: Message edited by: jedijudy ]
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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Pax Romana
Shipmate
# 4653
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Posted
Kate Dominic sat at a nice little table by a window in Shipbury Tea Rooms, enjoying a nice little pot of Earl Grey tea, with just one teaspoon of sugar and some fresh milk. She was typing away on her laptop, which sat on the table in front of her. Next to the laptop a yellow legal pad and a black ball point pen littered the little table. If J.K. Rowling could write her novels in a cafe, mused Kate, she could write hers in a tea room. Perhaps it would give her inspiration.
Kate took a short break from her writing to consider the awful event that had just taken place. Julia had not been a friend or even an acquaintance, but murder is murder, no matter who it happens to, and evildoers must be caught and punished ...
Ooh! The evil duke! Yes! A great idea for furthering the plot of her novel suddenly sprang into Kate's mind and she began to type again.
Pax Romana
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I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours. I tried to find out what sort of allergy I had but finally came to the conclusion that it must be an allergy to consciousness.
James Thurber
Posts: 4598 | From: New York City | Registered: Jun 2003
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Wet Kipper
Circus Runaway
# 1654
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Posted
Mr Thomas paused and looked at the people in the tearoom. He considered going in, but thought better of it.
"I've been away too long" he thought, "people will think I'm just trying to be a somebody again"
So he continued on his walk, happy for the fresh air which was rosying his cheeks.
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- insert randomly chosen, potentially Deep and Meaningful™ song lyrics here -
Posts: 9841 | From: further up the Hill | Registered: Nov 2001
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan saw Jim Cartwright talking to the two representatives of the Reactionary Fascist Regime a.k.a. the Cub Scouts. He sighed at the cleaner's lack of class consciousness.
He wondered whether there was any point in trying to explain to the landlord about common ownership of the means of production again. The last time he'd tried to explain why money was an outdated concept Hugh hadn't been receptive.
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Night falls.
The citizens of Shipbury should head to their homes and tuck themselves in for a quiet night. Please don't post again to this thread until the next phase begins.
If you have night actions, please PM them to me now. Once I have received all the actions and done anything else that I need to do, the accusation phase will begin.
I shall post again tomorrow to describe the detail of how the accusation, discussion and voting phases will work.
So, sleep tight...
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
So, as promised, here are the details of how the next few phases will work.
For dramatic effect, it would be nice if the night phase was ended by either an assassinated character posting their death scene, or by myself announcing that no assassinations have occurred. So, until one of those things happens, please refrain from posting (unless you have a question about how the following phases will work: See below!)
Once one of those things does happen, townspeople are free to accuse anyone that they think might be a member of the BCS. However, I shall place some restrictions on the accusation process:- Each townsperson may only accuse one other player per round.
- Accusations may not be retracted.
- The first four accusations will be carried over to the voting phase. If subsequent accusations are made, they won't be counted for the vote.
We shall run the accusation and discussion/defence phases simultaneously. Therefore, players may defend themselves (and counter-accuse) as soon as they like. There is no limit to how verbose townspeople may be during this phase, so if you are making an accusation it would be wise to make it obvious (for example, by writing it in bold type). Also, for the sake of the general ambiance and flow of the role play, it would be nice if we use character names, not Ship names.
Once four accusations have been made, or a sensible amount of time has passed (whichever comes first) I shall post to give notice of the final 24 hours of discussion/defence.
When this time is over, I shall post again to open the voting. Voting is compulsory, each townsperson may vote once, and votes may not be changed. Just to be explicit, you are voting for the one person that you would like to see lynched, or for no lynching. During this phase, there should be no discussion.
Once all the votes have been cast, any of the accused that have amassed 50% or more of the vote will swing. Note that this does leave open the possibility of two lynchings occurring in one day. If none of the accused have reached 50%, there will be no lynching.
I'm still waiting on a few night actions, so you have some time to digest these procedures. If anyone has any questions then please feel free to ask on this thread.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Morning breaks.
And yet, there is no movement at the house of local surgeon, Dr Brown. This is unusual, since he is normally an early riser as he has to travel to the hospital in Bristol.
The paper boy (delivering an Independent) finds a piece of paper wedged under the front door. It reads: quote:
We are the Brotherhood for the Conservation of Shipbury. We claim responsibility for the death of Julia Overton, and now we have kidnapped Dr Brown. If you wish to see him again, you must suspend any thoughts of hunting for the Brotherhood for another day. In other words, you must choose between your vigilante 'justice' and the company of your neighbour.
So, you townsfolk have a decision to make. If you decide to proceed with a round of accusations, voting, and possible lynching, then Dr Brown will surely die. If you choose to suspend this until after the next night phase, he will be released.
I suggest that you take a while to discuss which course you wish to take. Then, the town will vote.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Banner Lady
Ship's Ensign
# 10505
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Posted
Bo carefully laminated the newspaper clipping, and then taped it on to the front window of the Co-op. The headline trumpeted “COTSWOLD CHEESE VOTED BEST PUB CHEESE IN ENGLAND” and it gave her immense satisfaction. She knew this marketing triumph was due in no small part to her daughter Veronica. When Vo had married Joey Cuddy, of Cuddy Cottage Dairy, it was a match made in heaven. Joey was a dairy farmer through and through, but Veronica had inherited her mother’s campaigning spirit. Soon the Cottage Dairy, with the Co-ops help, was sending its complimentary tasting packs all over the country, and the family was just beginning to see a return for their hard work.
Bo was busy packing up the latest order of pub cheese and fresh milk for The Angel, when the phone rang. “Blast”, she exclaimed to the cleaner. “The delivery man has just rung in sick again. I’ll have to take this over myself. Keep an eye on the shop, until Vo gets here will you, Jim?”
She slipped out the back door with her parcels, and hurried to the pub. Even though it was not yet opening hour, a few locals were gathered around the front door and talking loudly.
“Bluddy ‘ell,” said one of them. “Wotz t’worldt cumin to, ey? Farncy kidnappin Doc Brown, then. An' roight under owr nosies."
"Its t'commies, thart's wot." said another. "You know - the CCCP, tharts wot I heard, anyways."
Bo looked at them in alarm. A kidnapping? In Shipbury? She rapped loudly on the trade entrance to the pub, and wondered if Hugh knew any more about it all.
[ 25. February 2010, 01:31: Message edited by: Banner Lady ]
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Women in the church are not a problem to be solved, but a mystery to be enjoyed.
Posts: 7080 | From: Canberra Australia | Registered: Oct 2005
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
Hugh cracked open the back entrance. "Oh good. Glad to see something's going right around here. Come inside, away from that mob."
He took the cheeses down to the cellar, then quickly returned back up the companionway. "Something to drink, Mrs. Langton?"
"Gin and tonic, if you don't mind. I could use something to steady my nerves."
"Can't say I blame you," said Hugh as he reached for a highball. "Strange things are afoot, that's for sure."
Bo took the drink from Hugh as he reached for the Caol Isla. "You heard the latest news, I suppose?"
"Almost before it happened. I'm not sure what to make of it, to be honest, but it can't be good. On the one hand, I don't trust the Brotherhood one bit. I want to see our dashing young surgeon returned safe and sound back to his barstool just as much as any of the rest of us. If that means we don't go after these ne'er do well thugs, then so be it. But I just don't know. Do you really think he'll make it back alive, no matter what we do?"
Bo sipped at her gin for a moment. "Who could do such a thing, Hugh? Here in Shipbury, of all places! What is the world coming to these days?"
"I honestly don't know. Wish to God I did. Probably that odd Commie statue fellow, always trying to get me to give him free beer or something. Then again, even the Brotherhood has to have standards–-couldn't see nobody hiring him for dirty deeds."
Hugh took a drink and chuckled. "Can tell you who it innit, though! No way it could be that odd Leo fellow who lives out in the woods. Let me tell you, that stench of his . . . well, he'd make the worst criminal ever; you could leave the bloodhounds behind if you ever wanted to track him."
Bo laughed at Hugh's silliness. "Keep an ear to the ground for us, would you?"
"You're asking me to trust the drunks in this place? I've spent my life ignoring what they had to say, and it hasn't killed me yet! I'll let you know what the Templars are up to, if you really want to know, though. Oh, and on the way out, could you let the rabble know that the pub does not open early just because someone got kidnapped?"
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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Smudgie
Ship's Barnacle
# 2716
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Posted
Matilda woke with the sun streaming in through her lace-curtained window and sighed with the simple happiness of one who has found her niche in life. Her little venture seemed to be taking off. She had found a reliable supplier of local produce, with some seriously delicious cakes (in fact Matilda could almost feel her weight increasing at the mere thought of the goodies waiting on the counter below), and the local people were starting to see her steaming cups of tea, coffee and indulgent hot chocolate as a welcome alternative to the seemingly grudging service at the local pub.
She bustled downstairs and within minutes the sign on the door was turned to "open" and the kettles were boiling.
But what was this? A crowd of muttering people in the street? And her first customers coming in from the cold talking of kidnap and demands and ... she shuddered at the word... lynchings? Surely nobody in this lovely part of the world could be party to such things.
She began to look more carefully at the people around her. This suspicion business was a horrible thing - suddenly finding oneself looking for the hidden depths in people you'd previously seen only as potential friends (or, at least, a source of reliable income!)
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Miss you, Erin.
Posts: 14382 | From: Under the duvet | Registered: Apr 2002
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Dafyd
Shipmate
# 5549
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Posted
Dan Ffloyd viewed the kidnap of Dr Brown with some schadenfreud. That would teach him not to work for the NHS. But killing even private doctors was a bit much.
To be honest, Dan was a bit puzzled by the offer. It seemed to him that the civilian party should jump at it. If the BCS wanted to give the detective and doctor an extra night to work, that was fine by him.
For that matter, it appeared that Dr. Brown was innocent, although Dan didn't entirely put it past his privately practicing ways to kidnap himself.
(Dan wondered why the pub landlord was calling him old?)
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we remain, thanks to original sin, much in love with talking about, rather than with, one another. Rowan Williams
Posts: 10567 | From: Edinburgh | Registered: Feb 2004
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la vie en rouge
Parisienne
# 10688
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Posted
Breakfast was over and the dishwasher was stacked. Vivian went back into the dining room to finish tidying and picked up the local paper, which a guest had left lying on their breakfast table. There was never anything much of note in it (the biggest feature of the year had been on the local primary school's nativity play) but it added a bit of local colour and the guests seemed to like to flick through it.
Good grief! Well today there was something to report on after all… The Brotherhood for the Conservation of Shipbury had not only claimed responsibility for the recent murder, but they'd also kidnapped Andrew Brown (people, a surgeon is addressed as 'Mister', not 'Doctor' ) and were threatening to kill him if there was an attempt to bring them to justice. This was serious. And dangerous.
Vivian couldn't see any clear signs of who the criminals might be. Shipbury had always been so peaceful until the recent trouble had started. Admittedly her hometown seemed to have more than its fair share of loveable eccentrics, but that's a far cry from being in a criminal gang.
Without any more certain information it seemed to her that it would be foolish to risk Andrew Brown's life on an outside shot. Furthermore, Mr Brown was clearly not one of the gang (unless there were some rather complicated contortions that she'd not understood), so he ought to be allowed to go on living peacefully in Shipbury. So she was generally opposed to apprehending anyone without clear evidence of their involvement.
This didn't mean of course, that it might not be worth making some accusations to see what information they might bring to light. She pondered this as she started on the cleaning.
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Rent my holiday home in the South of France
Posts: 3696 | Registered: Nov 2005
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jedijudy
Organist of the Jedi Temple
# 333
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Posted
Miz Lillian was stunned when Hazel, the maid, told her about young Mister Brown's kidnapping. Well, at least Brown wasn't dead...yet. Who knows what these BCS people will do next?
Lillian had been feeling so much at home, this town being small and quiet, so much like the life she had enjoyed while married to her dear Will. Now, the sense of comfort left her, and reminded her of the dangers of this world. "I must remember that some people deal with this every day. I will make a special effort to keep them in my prayers."
Lillian wrapped a quilt around her cold shoulders. The chill could come from the cold weather or the cold facts of life. Bless Hazel for carrying a pot of good black tea in. And honey! She is a dear.
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Jasmine, little cat with a big heart.
Posts: 18017 | From: 'Twixt the 'Glades and the Gulf | Registered: Aug 2001
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leonato
Shipmate
# 5124
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Posted
Leo heard the news from John Fletcher the local poacher as he was passing by his cabin. A doctor kidnapped, but why? Leo didn't have much confidence in doctors, being blessed with an iron constitution and a knowledge of the properties of all the local herbs, but this was dark news.
He heads into the village to see if he can learn more, and maybe have a slice of organic ginger cake at the tea rooms.
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leonato... Much Ado
Posts: 892 | From: Stage left | Registered: Oct 2003
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Joyeux
Ship's Lady of Laughter
# 3851
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Posted
Having risen early to take advantage of a new day, Melindra Tallston puttered about at home for awhile before venturing out of doors. Since she had yet to subsribe to any home-delivery newspapers, she decided to wander toward the business section of town. Seeing the crowd milling about the pub, she headed in that direction, wondering what was going on. "Surely the pub isn't open at this time of the morning?!" she thought, aghast.
As she neared the edge of the group, a woman stepped out, and seemed to be attempting to encourage people to leave, as the pub wasn't going to open early, simply because of a kidnapping.
"Kidnapping! Why, whoever has been kidnapped?" Melindra exclaimed, drawing the pitying glances of those closest to her. Since nobody volunteered any details, she realized that her not-from-this-town-in-England upbringing, behaviour, and accent were showing. So she did what any girl would do: head for the Tea Rooms, in search of hot chocolate and some of those delicious cakes.
......
Having patiently allowed the conversation to buzz nearby, Melindra chanced a statement to the lovely and kind proprietress, "I don't think that I've heard the latest news..."
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Float?...Do science too
Posts: 4318 | From: over th... no, there! | Registered: Dec 2002
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Jay-Emm
Shipmate
# 11411
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Posted
'Huh', trust Bo to go on a jolly and not even pretend to work, though Jim as he stopped his cleaning, took up position by the till while failing to answer the phone (too busy cleaning) or indeed serve customers beyond a vague grunt.
It was only when he glanced at the headline on the Cotswold Journel that he left the magazines, and flicked through the papers.
A vague memory of crime dramas where the first 'victim' was the killer and wondered whether Mr Brown could be assumed innocent on release or not.
But in any case it seemed that the options were to take action and kill up to 2 innocent people, 1 if lucky, 0 if a double bluff and an accurate lynch mob.
Or keep quiet and possibly the conservationists are untrustworthy, but at least he'd have a slim chance. It seemed better in the long run...
Posts: 1643 | Registered: May 2006
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Gwai
Shipmate
# 11076
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Posted
Old Miss Rachel's housekeeper grimaced to herself. Somehow as soon as she entered a room to clean it, Miss Rachel seemed to always happen to enter that room and then would sit down and begin ranting "to myself, of course dearie. Don't you mind me none."
The news was really quite horrid enough without having to hear Miss Rachel's venting. "I told you this would happen! I knew that today's youth weren't being brought up right. In my day..." (Here the long suffering housekeeper snuck out of the room, wondering which room Miss Rachel would be least likely to follow her to. Perhaps the kitchen would be best. After all, it had no chairs.
However, the living room nearby did. "It was Dr. Brown's fault anyway. If he didn't run away to work elsewhere, he wouldn't have been as vulnerable, don't you know. See that's why I stay home and keep to myself." (And not because you're a old biddy who can't walk, the housekeeper mused?) Perhaps the bathroom would be safe...
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A master of men was the Goodly Fere,
A mate of the wind and sea.
If they think they ha’ slain our Goodly Fere
They are fools eternally.
Posts: 11914 | From: Chicago | Registered: Feb 2006
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Wet Kipper
Circus Runaway
# 1654
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Posted
Andrew Thomas awoke. Fit and alive.
"Well, that's a start" he thought to himself "You never know what's going to happen overnight in this place nowadays.
He looked at his phone - someone had sent him a text.
"Surgin kdnpd by Bruthas" he read "akUs=deff"
Whilst he was happy to be kept abreast of happenings, he did wonder where standards of grammar and spelling were going nowadays.
And was this simply news, or was someone in town looking for his guidance and wisdom again, like the old days?
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- insert randomly chosen, potentially Deep and Meaningful™ song lyrics here -
Posts: 9841 | From: further up the Hill | Registered: Nov 2001
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