Werewolf game size and frequency discussion thread

Digital Solitude

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

I think I’ll soon be ready to pop my mod berry. But I do use the internet 99% of the time via my phone

I modded the last game off my phone, COP is a pain but if you take 15 mins to familiarise how to use it off a phone you'll be okay.

The lynch vote is a balls, get a co mod or use a draw over like NinjaSMS or Facebook messenger (I don't know how this works on iOS though) so you can see the votes and type them out at the same time.

Monthly nightlies might be a good way to blood new mods too to be fair, I'll stick up a post in the mod queue.

Digital Solitude

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

Could you not do a lottery type thing for capped number games? Everyone who wants in express their interest, pull names out of hat and the rest on the subs bench?

Is it really fairer than first come first served? With a spot or two for newbies.

For me though, I think it's unfair to say our games at capped at 20 or whatever, if I want to run a game with 30+ do I need special permission or can I just do it?

Baggly

Digital Solitude wrote:

For me though, I think it's unfair to say our games at capped at 20 or whatever, if I want to run a game with 30+ do I need special permission or can I just do it?

This isn't what I was suggesting btw. It's more a team of mods says when they book their game in 'we wanna do a smaller game, does anyone else wanna run another smaller one the same month' or a team of mods says 'we wanna run two smaller games that month'

Necro

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Is it really fairer than first come first served? With a spot or two for newbies.

For me though, I think it's unfair to say our games at capped at 20 or whatever, if I want to run a game with 30+ do I need special permission or can I just do it?

Yeah look the numbers should be entirely a mods decision imo, there's nothing to say you have to cap a game or have to have 30+ players and that should still be totally the game mods decision.

First come first served is the fairest way with capped sign ups as well sadly.

Baggly

MOD: This discussion is definitely worth having imo, but it shouldn't take over this sign up thread. Gonna create a new thread and move the posts.

Baggly

Snipity snip

Mollyb60

Check out Modly Pter, flexing his mod muscles.

Make set numbers games as a lottery system not first come first served.

The_Valeyard

Mollyb60 wrote: »

Check out Modly Pter, flexing his mod muscles.

Lets beat him with sticks!!

Hey stop moving stuff vlad!

Baggly

Strawberry Milkshake wrote:

Hey stop moving stuff vlad!

All done

Banjo

The current system 1 week on, 1 week off, 1 week hype, 1 week signup super hype. Seems ok.

Game size should dictate the pace. Having a game run over into week 2 means that a large amount of the player base are not playing, and will be waiting longer for their next fix. It also impacts other games on the site since you people are loony for this game at the exclusion of all else *ahem Deadlands*. 1 and done, whether it's 8 people or 80.

If tightly balanced games have to have fixed numbers of players, priority in the next game should be given to those who were cut, then subs, assuming that people didn't volunteer for the chop / subs bench purely for their own convenience.

There's no reason you can't have a game running every week, other than player burn-out and mod burn-out. And those are two terrible things you should be looking to avoid at all costs.
But you could, for example, run "mod academy" games in 2nd week after a "main" game where new players get to run cut-down games for experience using the back rooms and handling players, or where you test out new mechanics ideas, etc etc. Meanwhile the worst of the addicts get their fix.

The_Valeyard

I just do not have free time to mod a game until the Summer, then should be able to take over one.

I do think however, that maybe a notice or warning about limited spaces should be told in advance or do a lottery system if a game is in heavy demand.

Necro

Banjo wrote:

There's no reason you can't have a game running every week, other than player burn-out and mod burn-out. And those are two terrible things you should be looking to avoid at all costs. But you could, for example, run "mod academy" games in 2nd week after a "main" game where new players get to run cut-down games for experience using the back rooms and handling players, or where you test out new mechanics ideas, etc etc. Meanwhile the worst of the addicts get their fix.

What are you implying Banjo :pac: Two games in one week was not enough for me :P

Mod academy is an excellent idea, jokes about Necro's addictive personality aside.

Necro

The_Valeyard wrote:

I do think however, that maybe a notice or warning about limited spaces should be told in advance or do a lottery system if a game is in heavy demand.

That's a very fair point actually.

Kolido

Backroom admin would be a nightmare if you were running weekly games, unless there was an alternative to cop.

Mollyb60

The_Valeyard wrote: »

I do think however, that maybe a notice or warning about limited spaces should be told in advance or do a lottery system if a game is in heavy demand.

Where would you suggest we put this notice or warning? We could make a sticky I guess but I thought that was the point of the 'There's a new game of WW starting soon' thread? Apart from PM'ing everyone ever involved in a previous game I think it would be quite difficult to do this.

Digital Solitude

Kolido wrote: »

Backroom admin would be a nightmare if you were running weekly games, unless there was an alternative to cop.

Discord would work, I've a server on the way hopefully so if that comes to fruition I'll add a BB forum same as COP if needed.

Necro I get your point better now, that does sound fair but should be sorted in advance.

Baggly

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Necro I get your point better now, that does sound fair but should be sorted in advance.

Necro?

Digital Solitude

Pter wrote: »

Necro?

Necrominus? He posts here a good bit

I get your point too Pete

Baggly

Digital Solitude wrote: »

Necrominus? He posts here a good bit

As usual, he hasnt made a point in a while though

Sorry Digi, i see the post you are responding to now. My mistake!

I would be up for modding a game or giving a hand with it in the future.

Considering though that I had to ask one of my fellow wolves "..and what exactly does the Priest do?" during the BTTF game, maybe it's not my time to mod/help just yet.

After another couple of games, I should be fit to help if needed.

Baggly

Deleted User wrote:

After another couple of games, I should be fit to help if needed.

Slot yourself in now for a game in a few months. Any of the games with 2 mods would probably welcome a hand. Send them a pm and you will get yourself a game to mod!

Necro

Yeah I was just coming here to say if you're free in August Stu, you can join myself and QB. We don't bite... too hard :P

Digital Solitude

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I would be up for modding a game or giving a hand with it in the future.

Considering though that I had to ask one of my fellow wolves "..and what exactly does the Priest do?" during the BTTF game, maybe it's not my time to mod/help just yet.

After another couple of games, I should be fit to help if needed.

This is actually a great point for something we used to do, putting the role's common name with the themed name. It's like 1 word per role that would help newbies figure out who we're talking about. Probably something we should pick up again

Baggly

Digital Solitude wrote:

This is actually a great point for something we used to do, putting the role's common name with the themed name. It's like 1 word per role that would help newbies figure out who we're talking about. Probably something we should pick up again

I'll be linking the roles in our game to their description in our roles thread as well.

tritium

Really good points in this thread. My random collection of 2cs to add!

Numbers is a tricky thing. While large games have an excitement it creates a huge mod overhead. I sometimes think large complex games have a real risk of becoming unmanageable, especially where modkills become needed. In terms of getting new mods on board ( at least initially) smaller simpler games are a positive. Large games have a place too so I’d agree the mod for a game needs to call it based on what they want from the game

I didn’t get just how much time modding takes until I modded one, and I had two experienced mods doing a lot of the lifting. I’ll absolutely mod again btw but I’d probably do a small game with subs if fr ted looks like the approach is useful ( I think it is and I say that as I sit on the subs bench with fingers crossed . ) the modkills situations onvthe Christmas game was a learning experience for me

Occasional additional simple games might be a good balance. They can easily be signposted and we’ve tried similar before- MrsF ran one on the fly after community that worked really well.

Also, and I hope mods don’t mind me mentioning this. It’s not a bad thing for folks looking for a quick fix to also look at what might be running on MU or IPB. Yes it’s different but different styles I’ve found are useful for player development.. I’m not looking to push people elsewhere as we have I think a great community here, just maybe give them additional options (granted I am a little bit addicted)

Baggly

tritium wrote:

Also, and I hope mods don’t mind me mentioning this. It’s not a bad thing for folks looking for a quick fix to also look at what might be running on MU or IPB. Yes it’s different but different styles I’ve found are useful for player development.. I’m not looking to push people elsewhere as we have I think a great community here, just maybe give them additional options (granted I am a little bit addicted)

Banned.

Pter

Pter wrote: »

Slot yourself in now for a game in a few months. Any of the games with 2 mods would probably welcome a hand. Send them a pm and you will get yourself a game to mod!

Necrominus wrote: »

Yeah I was just coming here to say if you're free in August Stu, you can join myself and QB. We don't bite... too hard :P

Bit late with the reply here, but I'd definitely be interested in helping the more experienced players to mod a game to help me get started. Thanks Necro, depending on what the date is, will you put me down provisionally for that in August?

Wohoo, assistant mod!


Necro:

Necro

Now that the game is over, just wondering what people thought of the limited numbers game.

To be honest, I wasn't gone on it.

The game itself was fine - so it's not a slight on the game, but it feels sh1t having to limit game involvement from my perspective as a mod.

I think in the future if it's clearly outlined by mods prior to announcement in the Sign Up thread then it might be fine - but I'd personally prefer not to limit player numbers anyways.

The difficulty, as laid out by Pter and Molly tbf though, was the game mechanics were designed for a set number of people, and also the week it was run.

So... how do you balance it?


From my perspective, I always design a game based off a larger number of players. Now, this led to two issues:
1. Necro spamming the PM system asking past players to return for appearances
2. Fretting and worrying about making it all work perfectly if I didn't get the requisite number of sign ups.

Having learned from my mistakes, I think that I would still plan in that fashion - but scale back as necessary if the sign ups don't match my plans. It means a little bit more work in the planning stages, but - I live, sleep and breathe a game I'm modding in the run up to it so that's not too much extra hassle.

Just the late night thoughts of a Necro on late shift. Would like some feedback though when normal people wake up :P