Setup for New Players Discussion

[Voss]

Setups for new Players:

Results from Play Testing:
As part of the mockup creation for 'The Narrator' mobile, we play tested the mockup to random people. The results were mostly positive, but one of the biggest critiques was that the setup screen was too busy/confusing. This was especially difficult for people that when presented with 'Mafia' are used to the basic doc/sheriff/mafioso/cit setup. The setup screen we presented users contained a BUNCH more roles, options for roles, options for teams, creation of new teams, etc. As a result, we're going to hide a lot of the customizability behind a toggle switch AND... (depending on responses I get here) have 'pre-made' setups.


We figure at the most basic level, a common use case for people trying out the app at the start of their experience will be some variant of the really basic 'Sheriff/Doctor/Mafioso/Citizen' setup. No cusomization, no roles list balancing. Just input the number of players, and the roles list will be pre-populated. However, the tricky part is slowly introducing new aspects of the 'sc2mafia style' a.k.a.:

-neutral roles
-second mafia
-other mafia roles
-cult
-hidden setups
-varying options for roles
-other things that i'm forgetting

An initial idea I've been toying with is to have a few general categories. The first one could be basic. The setups that would go in it would be that vanilla setup, followed by variations where some of the easy to understand roles are added: aka godfather, serial killer, jester, whatever. Another category could be basic hidden setups where there's a random 'town investigative, protective, and mafia utility'.

Looking for thoughts on this. Is it a good idea? Bad?

[Voss]

So I met with my group today, and we talked about this rough overlay:

Beginning Setups (these go in order from easier to harder)

a) Cit/maf/sheriff/doc

Feedback is completely disabled except for sheriff

b) Sending for Mafia Kills + Lookout/escort/detective
c) Agent + town roles from A and B (pseudo random)
d) Chance for one Mafioso + Blackmailer + true random roles

Maybe max of 1 agent/blackmailer?
Notification for ‘no ones killing’ if ‘no kill is submitted’


e) Serial killer and jester



Intermediate Setups
-intermediates will have a few 'town protective/investigative/randoms' and some hardset roles. The hardset roles are the ones that we're trying to introduce, but not all of them will be in the game. The lobby will random a few from the category, but it'll be known when the game starts.
- 'F through I' dont have a progression like A through E did. Randoms will only take place as something from A-E setup + (f or g or h or i)

f) Items + feedback + invulnerability + survivor + vigilante, bulletproof

Godfather status

g) 2nd mafia team, evil gunsmith/armor + fake guns/armor+framer, executioner
h) Mayor, assassin, arsonist, day guns, poisoner, snitch
i) Cult + mason + jailor + architect + bodyguard + amnesiac + ‘enforcer’
j) All of the above






Fuckery Setups

k) Last will/janitor/coroner/grave digger + disguiser
l) Witch/mm/driver/electromaniac/veteran/coward/sleep walker
m) Tailor/drug dealer/spy/ghost/ventriloquist
n) everything


there's a general structure of roles playing off of each other in each scenario.

Each of these introductory setups need to be tailored for 7 to 16 people setups.

[Voss]

Kind of a word vomit, but if anyone wants to talk about it, or asks for clarification, i'm happy to talk about it!

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
Sheriff
Doctor
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Mafioso
Mafioso

Setup changes for more players:
8: +Citizen
9: +Citizen
10: +Mafioso
11: +Citizen
12: +Citizen
13: +Mafioso
14: +Citizen
15: -Citizen +Mafioso, Sheriff
16. +Citizen


First hand at balancing the 'Classic' setup. Would love help balancing the rest of the setups. But I needed a test one, and was confident I'd get this one close.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
Lookout
Escort
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Mafioso
Mafioso

*escort doesn't leave feedback

Setup changes for more players:
8: +Citizen
9: +Citizen
10: +Mafioso
11: +Detective
12: +Citizen
13: +Mafioso
14: +Citizen
15: -Citizen +Mafioso, Detective
16. +Citizen


Second hand at balancing a setup that introduces the concept of visiting. Accepting commentary.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Mafioso
Agent

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Escort, Lookout, or Detective, but players will know which was spawned at game start.

*escort doesn't leave feedback

Setup changes for more players:
8: +Citizen
9: +Citizen
10: +Mafioso
11: +TPR
12: +Citizen
13: +Mafioso
14: +Citizen
15: -Citizen +Agent, TPR
16. +Citizen


Setup C posted. Added agent, and 'Random Roles' but players know what the spawn of the 'Random Role' was.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Mafioso
MPR

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Escort, Lookout, or Detective
MPR include Blackmailer and Agent

*escort doesn't leave feedback

Setup changes for more players:
8: +Citizen
9: +Citizen
10: +MPR
11: +TPR
12: +Citizen
13: +Mafioso
14: +Citizen
15: -Citizen +MPR, TPR
16. +Citizen


Setup D posted. Added blackmailer, and 'true hidden roles'.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Jester
MPR
MPR

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Escort, Lookout, or Detective
MPR include Blackmailer and Agent

*escort doesn't leave feedback
*sk is immune
*jester doesn't kill anyone

Setup changes for more players:
9: +Citizen
10: -Jester +Serial Killer, Citizen
11: +Jester
12: -MPR +Mafioso, Mafioso
13: -Mafioso +TPR, MPR
14: +Citizen
15: +Jester
16: -Mafioso +Citizen, MPR


Setup E posted. At this point, most of the new 'SC2Mafia elements' are introduced. 3rd party, true random roles, mafia sending out. This was also the trickiest to balance. SK having invulnerability protects him/her from a stray mafia attack, but that means he/she can only be lynched, thus saving mafia another lynch. *shrug* Took me a while.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
MPR
MPR

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Stripper, Gunsmith, Armorsmith, Lookout, or Detective
MPR include Blackmailer, Agent, Stripper, Gunsmith, Armorsmith, Framer
Neutral include Jester, Evil Armorsmith, and evil Gunsmith, executioner

*escort doesn't leave feedback
*guns are night guns
*guns and armor can be fake (from evil ones, when that functionality is built in)
*jester doesn't kill anyone

Setup changes for more players:
8. -MPR +Neutral, Mafioso
9: -Neutral +YPR, Mafioso Factions must wait at least 1 night to kill.
10: +Citizen
11. -Mafioso, Mafioso +YPR, TPR, MPR
12. -YPR, +Mafioso, Mafioso
13. +Citizen
14. +Citizen, faction cooldown removed
15. -Mafioso, Citizen, +Mafioso, MPR, TPR
16. Neutral


Setup G posted. Goal is to teach framer + 2 mafia teams where a role isn't specific to an alignment.

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Assassin
Mafioso

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Gunsmith, Mayor, Snitch, Lookout, or Detective
MPR include Blackmailer, and Agent
Neutral Killing include Serial Killer, Arsonist, and Poisoner

*escort doesn't leave feedback
*guns are day guns
*arsonists can burn during day

Setup changes for more players:
9. +Citizen
10. +NK
11. +Citizen
12. -Citizen, TPR, MPR
13. -Mafioso, +TPR, MPR
14. +Citizen
15. +Mafioso
16. -Mafioso, +TPR, MPR



Setup H posted. Goal is to teach players about all the day interactions possible

[Voss]

Initial Roles:
TPR
TPR
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Citizen
Cult Leader

TPR include Doctor, Sheriff, Mason, Clubber, Architect, Jailor, Lookout, Enforcer, Bodyguard or Detective
Benigns include Jester and Amnesiac

*escort doesn't leave feedback
*guns are day guns
*arsonists can burn during day
*clubber limited to 1 use
*mason promotion to mason leader is off

Setup changes for more players:
8. +Benign Random
9. +TPR, + Cultist, -Benign Random, enforcer allowed to random
10. +SK, Bodygaurd allowed to random, Cult Leader cooldown 1 night
11. +Citizen
12. +Benign Random
13. +Citizen, no restrictions on sk and cult leader
14. +Citizen
15. +Benign Random - Citizen +TPR
16. +Citizen



Setup I posted. Introducing cult, changing teams, and night chats, as well as mafia-less games.

[Scvmurderer]

Why don't I see posts from here in the new forum post alerts? O_o

[Voss]

This one does actually go to the new forum posts! The only one that doesn't is 'narrator updates'.