X Files - Very Early Pre-Planning
Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2011 3:07 pm
Here is my idea for an X Files game.
This is a very ROUGH DRAFT and, of course, intended to fall wherever it may in the upcoming series of games. I know it still needs tweaks, but I wanted to put it out in rough form to get advice. I have had to play slightly with the series' lore to make it fit into a WW type game. However, if anyone has suggestions for a better series character to fill a certain role, I can easily change them out.
I welcome any and all suggestions, criticisms, additions, subtractions, etc., especially in regards to competitive balance.
GOOD
Fox Mulder:
Fox Mulder - Mulder scans each night to find the force of evil. He will only be told good/evil. If he scans a susceptible agent before the Cigarette Smoking Man does, he will be told good. If after, he will be told evil. In addition, his nightly scan will block the scan of the Cigarette Smoking Man or a susceptible agent, if he scans one of them at night. They will be told of the block (thus delaying their connections for a single night), so they will know they've found each other, but they will have to scan again the next night to activate. Mulder will not be told of the block.
Dana Scully:
Dana Scully - As Scully is pulled deeper into the conspiracy surrounding Mulder, she is torn between her science and Mulder's faith. She has a one-time power that can either kill or heal. She may choose once during the game to revive a player or she may choose instead to shoot a player (her shot will kill anyone, even a player under protection). Once she chooses a power, the other power will be forfeit. She will *not* be revealed when she heals or kills. In addition, Scully will have the ability to perform autopsies each night in secret. She may scan one dead player each night to learn their true identity.
Melvin Frohike:
Melvin Frohike - Frohike is a member of the conspiracy chasing Lone Gunmen (on left in picture). He will have the ability to protect one player each night (think of it as a tip for that player to get far away from the coming danger). He may self protect. He may not protect the same player on consecutive nights. His protection only works against Aliens and will not prevent a kill by Shadows.
Walter Skinner:
Walter Skinner - Skinner has seen behind the curtain of the conspiracy woven by the Shadows. He has the ability to protect one player each night. He may self protect. He may not protect the same player on consecutive nights. His protection will work only against Shadows and will not prevent a kill by Aliens.
Marita Covarrubias:
Marita Covarrubias - Marita has fringe information into the heart of the Shadow conspiracy. Her long days in the Syndicate have led her to be wary of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Once a game, she will have the power to shoot someone. Her shot will only have the power to kill a Shadow. Her shot will not kill an Alien or a Good player. She must take the shot in secret. If she announces (or even gives too blatant of a hint) her identity in the game thread, she will die, as the Shadows will immediately mark her for death.
X:
X - X has been chasing the Shadow conspirators for a long time. In his pursuit, he has stumbled across secret Alien data and now believes that he can spot an Alien in certain circumstances. Once a game, he will have the power to shoot someone. His shot will kill an Alien. His shot will not kill a Shadow or a Good player.He must take the shot in secret. If he announces (or even gives too blatant of a hint) his identity in the game thread, he will die, as the Shadows will immediately mark him for death.
FBI Agents:
FBI Agents - FBI Agents have no special powers. They work with Mulder and Scully to try to track down and eliminate the Aliens and the Shadows.
ALIENS
Bounty Hunter:
Bounty Hunter - The Alien Bounty Hunter is relentless in his pursuit of humans who threaten his mission. Each night, along with his partners, he will submit a target to kill. There will be no kill if he tries to kill the player protected by Frohike. He will also have the one-time ability to infect a player with a vial of Black Oil. If he infects a player, they will immediately join the Alien team. However, his infection will not work against Frohike, anyone being protected by Frohike, the Cigarette Smoking Man, or any active Shadows. If he tries to infect any of those players, his infection will fail. Any infected special will join the Alien team with their abilities intact (if they haven't used them yet).
Gregor:
Gregor - Gregor is one of a series of doctors who are Human-Alien hybrid clones. Gregor will be able to choose a dead player to scan at night. Gregor will be told their role.
Alien Colonist:
Alien Colonist - The Alien Colonist hides in various cloned forms, sometimes even in the guise of Mulder's abducted, and now grown, sister Samantha. The Alien Colonist carries a jar of very special bees with it at all times. If lynched, it will be able to unleash the bees on the player of its choice. The bees will not be able kill the player protected by Frohike or the Cigarette Smoking Man.
SHADOWS
Cigarette Smoking Man:
Cigarette Smoking Man - The Cigarette Smoking Man has been manipulating events from the shadows for a long time now. However, as Mulder gains more knowledge of the Aliens and also the Cigarette Smoking Man's own agenda, there is a need for new recruits. He will look for susceptible agents to help him eliminate Mulder's threat and also any renegade Aliens. Each night, he will submit a scan. If he finds a susceptible agent, he will enlist him into the Shadows. Once he has one susceptible agent in place, he may direct that agent to kill a player at night. He will not succeed in killing an Alien or anyone under the protection of Skinner. He may choose not to kill and submit a scan to try to find his second susceptible agent, but he may not do both on the same night.
Alex Krycek:
Alex Krycek: Alex is an agent susceptible to the influence of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Each night, Alex may submit a scan. If he finds the Cigarette Smoking Man (of if the Cigarette Smoking Man's scan finds him), he will join the Shadow team.
Crew Cut Man:
Crew Cut Man: The Crew Cut Man is also an agent susceptible to the influence of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Each night, Alex may submit a scan. If he finds the Cigarette Smoking Man (of if the Cigarette Smoking Man's scan finds him), he will join the Shadow team.
General Rules/Notes:
Turn Order:
1. Skinner and Frohike protect.
2. Mulder scans.
3. Scully scans.
4. Cigarette Smoking Man, Krycek, and Crew Cut Man scan.
5. Shadows kill (if applicable)
6. Aliens kill
- Marita and X shots will take place as soon as they PM them to me (game day or night) and I can get them written up. There will only be a write-up if the shot hits the appropriate target (keeping the mystery of whether they've been used or not).
- For Marita and X, I will be very strict in my interpretation of them "revealing" that they took the shot in the thread. If I can figure out that they are hinting at being the shooter, then the Aliens or Shadows would be able to figure it out, too.
- Once the Shadows are activated, there can be two kills in a given night (three or four if Marita and X shoot successfully by night, as well). However, if the Aliens and the Shadows target the same player, there will be only one kill.
- Krycek and the Crew Cut Man are considered Good players until they are activated as Shadows. The Cigarette Smoking Man is never considered a part of the Good team.
- If the Cigarette Smoking Man is killed before activating one of the susceptible agents, the Shadow faction will cease to exist. Krycek and Crew Cut Man then remain Good FBI agents. If one of them has been activated, then the Shadows live on, of course.
Victory Conditiions:
- The Good team wins when all Aliens and Shadows have been lynched.
- The Aliens win when their number equals or exceeds remaining Good players and Shadows.
- The Shadows win when their number equals or exceeds remaining Good players and Aliens.
- In the unlikely event that it gets down to one Alien and one Shadow, the Shadows will win.
I'm sure there will be plenty more notes to come, but I think that's it for now.
Questions:
- I am choosing not to reveal when shots are takens or a rez is given. With so many roles, I wanted to let the shooters have a place to hide, if they didn't want to be revealed. I'd welcome any feedback on the wisdom of the shot not revealing the shooter.
- Is Scully too powered with nightly scans of the dead and the shot/rez? Should I split out those to two separate players? I thought these powers fit with her character in the show.
- I have it now that the Aliens and teh Shadows cannot kill each other by night, but I don't know if that's a good idea. It sounds good (to me) in theory, but I wonder if it's not very practical. Fixed that so that Aliens and Shadows can kill each other by night (as long as they don't encounter the appropriate protector).
This is a very ROUGH DRAFT and, of course, intended to fall wherever it may in the upcoming series of games. I know it still needs tweaks, but I wanted to put it out in rough form to get advice. I have had to play slightly with the series' lore to make it fit into a WW type game. However, if anyone has suggestions for a better series character to fill a certain role, I can easily change them out.
I welcome any and all suggestions, criticisms, additions, subtractions, etc., especially in regards to competitive balance.
GOOD
Fox Mulder:
Fox Mulder - Mulder scans each night to find the force of evil. He will only be told good/evil. If he scans a susceptible agent before the Cigarette Smoking Man does, he will be told good. If after, he will be told evil. In addition, his nightly scan will block the scan of the Cigarette Smoking Man or a susceptible agent, if he scans one of them at night. They will be told of the block (thus delaying their connections for a single night), so they will know they've found each other, but they will have to scan again the next night to activate. Mulder will not be told of the block.
Dana Scully:
Dana Scully - As Scully is pulled deeper into the conspiracy surrounding Mulder, she is torn between her science and Mulder's faith. She has a one-time power that can either kill or heal. She may choose once during the game to revive a player or she may choose instead to shoot a player (her shot will kill anyone, even a player under protection). Once she chooses a power, the other power will be forfeit. She will *not* be revealed when she heals or kills. In addition, Scully will have the ability to perform autopsies each night in secret. She may scan one dead player each night to learn their true identity.
Melvin Frohike:
Melvin Frohike - Frohike is a member of the conspiracy chasing Lone Gunmen (on left in picture). He will have the ability to protect one player each night (think of it as a tip for that player to get far away from the coming danger). He may self protect. He may not protect the same player on consecutive nights. His protection only works against Aliens and will not prevent a kill by Shadows.
Walter Skinner:
Walter Skinner - Skinner has seen behind the curtain of the conspiracy woven by the Shadows. He has the ability to protect one player each night. He may self protect. He may not protect the same player on consecutive nights. His protection will work only against Shadows and will not prevent a kill by Aliens.
Marita Covarrubias:
Marita Covarrubias - Marita has fringe information into the heart of the Shadow conspiracy. Her long days in the Syndicate have led her to be wary of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Once a game, she will have the power to shoot someone. Her shot will only have the power to kill a Shadow. Her shot will not kill an Alien or a Good player. She must take the shot in secret. If she announces (or even gives too blatant of a hint) her identity in the game thread, she will die, as the Shadows will immediately mark her for death.
X:
X - X has been chasing the Shadow conspirators for a long time. In his pursuit, he has stumbled across secret Alien data and now believes that he can spot an Alien in certain circumstances. Once a game, he will have the power to shoot someone. His shot will kill an Alien. His shot will not kill a Shadow or a Good player.He must take the shot in secret. If he announces (or even gives too blatant of a hint) his identity in the game thread, he will die, as the Shadows will immediately mark him for death.
FBI Agents:
FBI Agents - FBI Agents have no special powers. They work with Mulder and Scully to try to track down and eliminate the Aliens and the Shadows.
ALIENS
Bounty Hunter:
Bounty Hunter - The Alien Bounty Hunter is relentless in his pursuit of humans who threaten his mission. Each night, along with his partners, he will submit a target to kill. There will be no kill if he tries to kill the player protected by Frohike. He will also have the one-time ability to infect a player with a vial of Black Oil. If he infects a player, they will immediately join the Alien team. However, his infection will not work against Frohike, anyone being protected by Frohike, the Cigarette Smoking Man, or any active Shadows. If he tries to infect any of those players, his infection will fail. Any infected special will join the Alien team with their abilities intact (if they haven't used them yet).
Gregor:
Gregor - Gregor is one of a series of doctors who are Human-Alien hybrid clones. Gregor will be able to choose a dead player to scan at night. Gregor will be told their role.
Alien Colonist:
Alien Colonist - The Alien Colonist hides in various cloned forms, sometimes even in the guise of Mulder's abducted, and now grown, sister Samantha. The Alien Colonist carries a jar of very special bees with it at all times. If lynched, it will be able to unleash the bees on the player of its choice. The bees will not be able kill the player protected by Frohike or the Cigarette Smoking Man.
SHADOWS
Cigarette Smoking Man:
Cigarette Smoking Man - The Cigarette Smoking Man has been manipulating events from the shadows for a long time now. However, as Mulder gains more knowledge of the Aliens and also the Cigarette Smoking Man's own agenda, there is a need for new recruits. He will look for susceptible agents to help him eliminate Mulder's threat and also any renegade Aliens. Each night, he will submit a scan. If he finds a susceptible agent, he will enlist him into the Shadows. Once he has one susceptible agent in place, he may direct that agent to kill a player at night. He will not succeed in killing an Alien or anyone under the protection of Skinner. He may choose not to kill and submit a scan to try to find his second susceptible agent, but he may not do both on the same night.
Alex Krycek:
Alex Krycek: Alex is an agent susceptible to the influence of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Each night, Alex may submit a scan. If he finds the Cigarette Smoking Man (of if the Cigarette Smoking Man's scan finds him), he will join the Shadow team.
Crew Cut Man:
Crew Cut Man: The Crew Cut Man is also an agent susceptible to the influence of the Cigarette Smoking Man. Each night, Alex may submit a scan. If he finds the Cigarette Smoking Man (of if the Cigarette Smoking Man's scan finds him), he will join the Shadow team.
General Rules/Notes:
Turn Order:
1. Skinner and Frohike protect.
2. Mulder scans.
3. Scully scans.
4. Cigarette Smoking Man, Krycek, and Crew Cut Man scan.
5. Shadows kill (if applicable)
6. Aliens kill
- Marita and X shots will take place as soon as they PM them to me (game day or night) and I can get them written up. There will only be a write-up if the shot hits the appropriate target (keeping the mystery of whether they've been used or not).
- For Marita and X, I will be very strict in my interpretation of them "revealing" that they took the shot in the thread. If I can figure out that they are hinting at being the shooter, then the Aliens or Shadows would be able to figure it out, too.
- Once the Shadows are activated, there can be two kills in a given night (three or four if Marita and X shoot successfully by night, as well). However, if the Aliens and the Shadows target the same player, there will be only one kill.
- Krycek and the Crew Cut Man are considered Good players until they are activated as Shadows. The Cigarette Smoking Man is never considered a part of the Good team.
- If the Cigarette Smoking Man is killed before activating one of the susceptible agents, the Shadow faction will cease to exist. Krycek and Crew Cut Man then remain Good FBI agents. If one of them has been activated, then the Shadows live on, of course.
Victory Conditiions:
- The Good team wins when all Aliens and Shadows have been lynched.
- The Aliens win when their number equals or exceeds remaining Good players and Shadows.
- The Shadows win when their number equals or exceeds remaining Good players and Aliens.
- In the unlikely event that it gets down to one Alien and one Shadow, the Shadows will win.
I'm sure there will be plenty more notes to come, but I think that's it for now.
Questions:
- I am choosing not to reveal when shots are takens or a rez is given. With so many roles, I wanted to let the shooters have a place to hide, if they didn't want to be revealed. I'd welcome any feedback on the wisdom of the shot not revealing the shooter.
- Is Scully too powered with nightly scans of the dead and the shot/rez? Should I split out those to two separate players? I thought these powers fit with her character in the show.
- I have it now that the Aliens and teh Shadows cannot kill each other by night, but I don't know if that's a good idea. It sounds good (to me) in theory, but I wonder if it's not very practical. Fixed that so that Aliens and Shadows can kill each other by night (as long as they don't encounter the appropriate protector).
