Post by Maf on Jan 9, 2011 16:08:51 GMT -5
So I thought it be fun if we started playing a little Mafia here. I got the game from another forum, and though it would be cool to bring it over here. For those of you that don't know what Mafia is here's a brief description (All credit to original poster)
Here's a a little more detail on the game (Spoilered for size)
I need 8 players for the first game. Who's in?
Mafia is a game of glorious, glorious deceit. In its most basic form, it features a group of ‘town-aligned’ players attempting to determine the mafia amongst them. The town players have no information as to the identities of the other players, but the mafia know who their colleagues are. A vital precept of mafia is that all conversation must take place within the game thread, excepting the mafia.
The game progresses in two phases. During the ‘Day’ phase, town players have the aim of working out who the mafia are and can each vote for a lynch (or for a No Lynch that will move the game to the next phase.) When one player receives a majority of votes they are removed from the game and the moderator reveals what their character name is. However, the mafia players may be covertly working to manipulate this lynch.
During the ‘Night’ phase, the mafia will select one player that they wish to kill. They will be removed from the game and their role revealed. Usually, there will be other night abilities that can be used during this period – see the section below.
The game progresses this way until one side achieves its victory condition. The town players have to remove every remaining mafioso and other anti-town player. The mafia have to arrive at a day period with at least equal numbers to the remaining town players. There may be other, independent characters with specific win conditions.
The game progresses in two phases. During the ‘Day’ phase, town players have the aim of working out who the mafia are and can each vote for a lynch (or for a No Lynch that will move the game to the next phase.) When one player receives a majority of votes they are removed from the game and the moderator reveals what their character name is. However, the mafia players may be covertly working to manipulate this lynch.
During the ‘Night’ phase, the mafia will select one player that they wish to kill. They will be removed from the game and their role revealed. Usually, there will be other night abilities that can be used during this period – see the section below.
The game progresses this way until one side achieves its victory condition. The town players have to remove every remaining mafioso and other anti-town player. The mafia have to arrive at a day period with at least equal numbers to the remaining town players. There may be other, independent characters with specific win conditions.
Here's a a little more detail on the game (Spoilered for size)
Basics:Ability: Your power or ability. If you’re an investigator or a protector, this is an ability.
Alignment: Your grouping, which usually determines your win condition.
Role: Your ‘role,’ in themed games, is usually your character name, rather than your ability. It’s ‘Bender’ rather than ‘Bender, Bad-Ass Vigilante, Town-Aligned.’ In un-themed games, you don’t typically have an actual character name, so your role refers to your ability. Be aware: this isn’t a cast-iron definition. Sometimes your character, ability and alignment are collectively referred to as your role.
Scum: This is a generic term for any anti-town player. Mafia players and individuals are both referred to as ‘scum.’
Town: This is the term for the friendly majority in the game, the ‘good guys.’
Others:
Bandwagon: This is when the players of a game rapidly pile votes onto another player with little discussion or justification. If someone says ‘hey, Player X is pretty bad, let’s vote for him’ and then multiple people reply with ‘Yeah, I agree with that – Vote: X,’ then that’s a bandwagon. Not every rapid lynch is a bandwagon – for example, if an investigator reveals a scum result, then other players will often quickly vote to lynch that player. This isn’t a true bandwagon.
Endgame: The last day or two of a game when, depending on circumstances, at least one side can achieve victory at any point.
Fake-claim: A false role-claim, usually attempted by a scum player.
Gimmick-post: A post in the style of the character your role is based on.
Hammer-vote: The final vote cast against a player that seals a lynch.
Meta-gaming: This is any attempt to use facts from outside the game to draw conclusions inside the game. For example, if a moderator is know to favour or dislike a particular role, it may seem likely that that role will be included/omitted. If you know that a certain player has been inactive on the board and a crucial ability goes unused, you might conclude that this is the player that has that ability.
Modkill: When a player is removed from the game by the mod due to breaking the rules.
Power Role: Any player/character with an ability (anybody other than a Vanilla townie.)
Role-claim: When a player claims to have a particular character or ability e.g. ‘I am the investigator' or 'I'm Diamond Dallas Page.'
Safe-claim: In themed games, the moderator may attempt to protect the scum from a town-induced ‘mass role-claim.’ They may provide the Don with a believable character name that is not present in the game and is thus safe for a scum player to claim.
Tell: A (subjective) sign that a certain player might be scum. For example, a scum player might attempt to use WIFOM logic (see below) to defend himself. Another common tell is revealing information that only the scum could know in an attempt to ‘help’ the town – ‘I’m pretty sure the mafia will be 5 people, guys.’ The term can also be used for other roles, e.g. Investigator Tells.
Traditional Mafia: A term coined by TEOL as the name for his series of back-to-basics games. It can be used to describe generally un-themed games with few power roles and lots of vanilla townies.
Vote-hopping: When a player is seen to be frequently voting for different players in the same day period. It’s a common scum tell.
WIFOM: See separate section below.
***********************************
ROLES:
Warning: The names attributed to these roles aren’t all commonly used on EWB, even though the roles themselves are. I’ve included the EWB-familiar names where possible, but some roles (e.g. the ‘Senator’ – a player with a double vote) don’t have a recognisable name.
Usually Town-Aligned Roles:
Bus Driver - This player has the ability to re-direct whatever powers that target a specific player onto another, and vice versa. For example, if one player is targeted for investigation and another with a night-kill, the abilities will instead be used on the other player. Since it’s often difficult to predict what powers will target a player, this role can often be counter-productive to the town.
Cop/Investigator – This player has the ability to discover the role of another player. There are quite a few variations. Sometimes, they will only receive the character name, rather than the alignment (or vice versa.) Sometimes the mod will give a clue, rather than explicitly stating anything. Sometimes, the information is not entirely accurate:
* The Insane Cop will receive results that are the opposite of the truth. Scum players will be described as Town-aligned and Town-aligned players as scum.
* The Paranoid Cop will always believe anyone investigated to be scum.
* The Naïve Cop will believe anyone investigated to be Town-aligned.
* The Tracker will learn who their subject targets (but not with what action.)
* The Watcher will learn who their subject is targeted by (but, again, not with what action.)
* The Reporter will learn whether their target is ‘out’ at night (has used a night ability.)
Doctor/Protector – This player has the ability to protect another player from night-kills. Sometimes, they may also protect that player from other abilities. There are variations:
* The Quack will not actually protect the targeted player, their role PM is lying.
* The Insane Doctor has a fixed chance of killing the intended target instead of protecting them.
* The Paranoid Doctor/Jailkeeper roleblocks the target as well as protecting them.
* The Weak Doctor will die if he protects a scum player.
* The Bodyguard will die themselves if the player they protect is attacked.
Governor/Attorney – This player is able to prevent another player being lynched. Sometimes, this is a one-time ability and requires the Governor to post something in the thread (e.g. Save: Player X) and sometimes it requires the Governor to target a single player each night and protect them from lynching the following day.
Lie Detector – This player can quote one post each evening and send it to the moderator. They will then be informed whether it is ‘True’ or a ‘Lie.’ Sometimes this can lead to ambiguity if there are multiple statements in the post – this is treated differently by each mod.
Masons – These are players that are mentioned in each other’s role PMs and are allowed to converse outside the thread. Sometimes, there might be a Mafia Mason – a mafia player included in a group and ostensibly ‘cleared.’ Siblings and Lovers (see below) are sometimes Masons too.
Mayors - Mayors are occasionally an elected position and occasionally appointed by the moderator pre-game as part of their role. They typically receive some kind of bonus, like a double vote (particularly if elected) and some kind of protection. Usually the intention is to provide a ‘confirmed townie’ to manage discussion, but moderators have been known to include a ‘corrupt mayor’ – either part of the mafia or, more commonly, an individual.
Miller – This player is Town-aligned, but will be shown as scum when investigated. Sometimes this will involve a new rolename that suits the scum alignment, sometimes it will not. Alternatively, the Miller will appear as Individually-Aligned. Sometimes the player will not be informed of this disability.
* One variation means that the Miller will appear as Scum, even after death. This is controversial amongst some players as it casts doubt over one of the few pieces of information the Town can traditionally rely upon.
Paranoid Gun Owner – This player will kill anyone who targets them with a night ability, regardless of alignment. Sometimes this is a one-shot ability and is referred to as an Army Veteran. Obviously, this can be a very damaging role to the town as potentially useful characters like protectors and doctors can be killed.
Priest – This player cannot cast the final vote in a lynch (a much larger disability at the end of the game than at the beginning where individual votes are more significant.) Alternatively, there is the Actor, who can only cast the final vote on someone.
Psychiatrist – This player has the objective of seeking out the Serial Killer, so is only included in games that feature one. Each night, they target another player. If that player is the SK, they will be ‘cured’ and converted to the Town (usually as a Vanilla Townie.)
Senator – This player has a double vote. This usually becomes obvious once a few day periods have elapsed.
Siblings/Lovers – These are linked characters, typically with the proviso that if one dies, the other will too. Most commonly, one character is town-aligned and one is scum. Sometimes, the death of one character will cause some other kind of change to the survivor – e.g. a change in ability or alignment. There are variations in the information the Siblings have:
* Sometimes the Siblings aren’t aware that they have a partner at all.
* Sometimes the Siblings are informed that they have partner, but not what alignment they are (particularly with Town/Mafia Siblings.)
* Sometimes the Siblings are informed of which player is their partner (Masons.)
Vanilla Townie – This player has no abilities.
Vigilante – This player has a killing ability, but is town-aligned. Sometimes this can be done every night, sometimes it’s a one-off power. The killing ability can sometimes be used during the day ('day-vig') – this is usually a one-time only ability and requires posting a prompt in the thread (e.g. Day-Kill: Player X.)
Individual-Aligned or ‘Either Alignment Equally’ Roles:
Bomb – This player will also kill the player that kills him. In the case of a night-kill, the person targeting them will die too. In the case of a lynch, the last player to cast a vote against them will also die. Alternatively, a random player who voted for the Bomb will die.
Bulletproof – This player is immune to night-kills. Sometimes, this may be specified – e.g. immune to mafia kills, but not to SK or vigilante kills. This ability may also be given a fixed number of uses.
Jester – This player has the sole winning condition of being lynched. Usually, this requires some kind of post restriction so that it isn’t too easy to achieve. When the Jester dies, they are usually proclaimed winner or co-winner and the game progresses as normal to resolve the other winners.
Politician – This player can determine who another player votes for. Each night, they PM the moderator and they will relay to the target who they must vote for. Usually, the target is forbidden from revealing that their vote has been dictated to them.
Serial Killer – This player is individually aligned and has a night-kill. Their objective is to be the sole survivor, so it is notoriously difficult to win as a SK.
Survivor – This player is individually aligned and is able to win with either alignment. Sometimes, there might be limits to this (e.g. can win with the SK/Indy but not Town or Mafia, or can win with Mafia/Cult but not Town.) They may or may not have other abilities to aid this.
Unlynchable – This player cannot be lynched. Frequently, this is an ability given to the Mafia Godfather with provisions – a limited number of uses, or active so long as at least one Goon is alive.
Usually Mafia-Aligned Roles:
Conman - This player has the ability to disguise the role of another played in case they are investigated. There are, as always, variations on this role:
* Sometimes the Conman can specify an entire role name, description and alignment.
* Sometimes they will only force that player to appear as scum if investigated without altering their role.
* Sometimes the target and the Conman will exchange roles, so the Conman is also given investigation protection.
* Sometimes the con will cause the target's alignment to be falsely revealed if they are lynched whilst conned (similar to a Death Miller.)
Godfather – This player is the leader of the Mafia Group and in charge of dictating the night-kill. They are frequently given some form of protection.
* They may appear as Town-aligned upon investigation
* They may be immune to night kills (indefinitely or in a fixed number of cases.)
* They may be immune to death in any form until a specified one (or all) of their goons are dead.
* They may be given a safe-claim.
Goon - This player is a henchman of the Mafia Don. Sometimes they may possess individual powers, particularly a Roleblocker or Conman - see below. In some games, the Don is required to specify one of the Goons to perform the night kill. This player will be unable to use any other abilities and is subject to any Tracker/Role-blocker abilities that might be directed at him. Some games also specify an order of seniority that dictates which players will take over as the Don in the event that he dies.
Roleblocker – This player prevents their target from using any night-abilities they may have. This role can quite often be town-aligned in larger games where the mafia may have more individual powers above and beyond the standard night kill.
Cults:
Cults are a group separate from the Town and Mafia that are infrequently included. They involve one or two original members attempting to recruit other players into their group, changing their alignment to their own. Through this mechanism they attempt to outnumber the town and mafia and achieve a victory. Sometimes, they will have the specific requirement to eliminate the mafia before they’ve won the game.
The recruitment method varies. Sometimes, there is a specific member who is responsible for attempting to recruit other members. If this player dies, the cult is no longer able to recruit players. Alternatively, the cult leader specifies one of the members to perform the attempted recruitment each evening. Sometimes, there are certain players who cannot be recruited – scum players being the most common, individuals and protectors being less common. Usually, attempting to recruit a scum player results in the death of the cultist attempting it.
The policy on whether players retain their abilities after conversion varies as well – usually these are removed and all recruited cultists are ‘vanilla.’ Allowing turned cultists to retain their powers can lead to a massive balancing issue – something already a problem with cults as their influence can be wildly variable and cannot be predicted by the mod when setting up the game.
Communication between the cult changes from game to game too. Sometimes, particularly when a cult leader and separate recruiter are present, the recruiter’s identity is unknown to the rest of the group – the leader PMs the mod and receives feedback, but he doesn’t know which player is necessary to permit him to recruit. The equivalent when a recruiter is not present is that the cult leader cannot communicate with the cultists outside the thread. This may be enforced with a stated '50% chance of conversion' condition - the cult leader can't risk breaking the rules in case he outs himself to a townie. These are methods of controlling the potential influence of the cult. If the recruiter/leader is known, they can often be protected by the numbers of the cult. Allowing the cultists to inadvertently contribute to the lynch of one of their own is a balancing measure.
Alignment: Your grouping, which usually determines your win condition.
Role: Your ‘role,’ in themed games, is usually your character name, rather than your ability. It’s ‘Bender’ rather than ‘Bender, Bad-Ass Vigilante, Town-Aligned.’ In un-themed games, you don’t typically have an actual character name, so your role refers to your ability. Be aware: this isn’t a cast-iron definition. Sometimes your character, ability and alignment are collectively referred to as your role.
Scum: This is a generic term for any anti-town player. Mafia players and individuals are both referred to as ‘scum.’
Town: This is the term for the friendly majority in the game, the ‘good guys.’
Others:
Bandwagon: This is when the players of a game rapidly pile votes onto another player with little discussion or justification. If someone says ‘hey, Player X is pretty bad, let’s vote for him’ and then multiple people reply with ‘Yeah, I agree with that – Vote: X,’ then that’s a bandwagon. Not every rapid lynch is a bandwagon – for example, if an investigator reveals a scum result, then other players will often quickly vote to lynch that player. This isn’t a true bandwagon.
Endgame: The last day or two of a game when, depending on circumstances, at least one side can achieve victory at any point.
Fake-claim: A false role-claim, usually attempted by a scum player.
Gimmick-post: A post in the style of the character your role is based on.
Hammer-vote: The final vote cast against a player that seals a lynch.
Meta-gaming: This is any attempt to use facts from outside the game to draw conclusions inside the game. For example, if a moderator is know to favour or dislike a particular role, it may seem likely that that role will be included/omitted. If you know that a certain player has been inactive on the board and a crucial ability goes unused, you might conclude that this is the player that has that ability.
Modkill: When a player is removed from the game by the mod due to breaking the rules.
Power Role: Any player/character with an ability (anybody other than a Vanilla townie.)
Role-claim: When a player claims to have a particular character or ability e.g. ‘I am the investigator' or 'I'm Diamond Dallas Page.'
Safe-claim: In themed games, the moderator may attempt to protect the scum from a town-induced ‘mass role-claim.’ They may provide the Don with a believable character name that is not present in the game and is thus safe for a scum player to claim.
Tell: A (subjective) sign that a certain player might be scum. For example, a scum player might attempt to use WIFOM logic (see below) to defend himself. Another common tell is revealing information that only the scum could know in an attempt to ‘help’ the town – ‘I’m pretty sure the mafia will be 5 people, guys.’ The term can also be used for other roles, e.g. Investigator Tells.
Traditional Mafia: A term coined by TEOL as the name for his series of back-to-basics games. It can be used to describe generally un-themed games with few power roles and lots of vanilla townies.
Vote-hopping: When a player is seen to be frequently voting for different players in the same day period. It’s a common scum tell.
WIFOM: See separate section below.
***********************************
ROLES:
Warning: The names attributed to these roles aren’t all commonly used on EWB, even though the roles themselves are. I’ve included the EWB-familiar names where possible, but some roles (e.g. the ‘Senator’ – a player with a double vote) don’t have a recognisable name.
Usually Town-Aligned Roles:
Bus Driver - This player has the ability to re-direct whatever powers that target a specific player onto another, and vice versa. For example, if one player is targeted for investigation and another with a night-kill, the abilities will instead be used on the other player. Since it’s often difficult to predict what powers will target a player, this role can often be counter-productive to the town.
Cop/Investigator – This player has the ability to discover the role of another player. There are quite a few variations. Sometimes, they will only receive the character name, rather than the alignment (or vice versa.) Sometimes the mod will give a clue, rather than explicitly stating anything. Sometimes, the information is not entirely accurate:
* The Insane Cop will receive results that are the opposite of the truth. Scum players will be described as Town-aligned and Town-aligned players as scum.
* The Paranoid Cop will always believe anyone investigated to be scum.
* The Naïve Cop will believe anyone investigated to be Town-aligned.
* The Tracker will learn who their subject targets (but not with what action.)
* The Watcher will learn who their subject is targeted by (but, again, not with what action.)
* The Reporter will learn whether their target is ‘out’ at night (has used a night ability.)
Doctor/Protector – This player has the ability to protect another player from night-kills. Sometimes, they may also protect that player from other abilities. There are variations:
* The Quack will not actually protect the targeted player, their role PM is lying.
* The Insane Doctor has a fixed chance of killing the intended target instead of protecting them.
* The Paranoid Doctor/Jailkeeper roleblocks the target as well as protecting them.
* The Weak Doctor will die if he protects a scum player.
* The Bodyguard will die themselves if the player they protect is attacked.
Governor/Attorney – This player is able to prevent another player being lynched. Sometimes, this is a one-time ability and requires the Governor to post something in the thread (e.g. Save: Player X) and sometimes it requires the Governor to target a single player each night and protect them from lynching the following day.
Lie Detector – This player can quote one post each evening and send it to the moderator. They will then be informed whether it is ‘True’ or a ‘Lie.’ Sometimes this can lead to ambiguity if there are multiple statements in the post – this is treated differently by each mod.
Masons – These are players that are mentioned in each other’s role PMs and are allowed to converse outside the thread. Sometimes, there might be a Mafia Mason – a mafia player included in a group and ostensibly ‘cleared.’ Siblings and Lovers (see below) are sometimes Masons too.
Mayors - Mayors are occasionally an elected position and occasionally appointed by the moderator pre-game as part of their role. They typically receive some kind of bonus, like a double vote (particularly if elected) and some kind of protection. Usually the intention is to provide a ‘confirmed townie’ to manage discussion, but moderators have been known to include a ‘corrupt mayor’ – either part of the mafia or, more commonly, an individual.
Miller – This player is Town-aligned, but will be shown as scum when investigated. Sometimes this will involve a new rolename that suits the scum alignment, sometimes it will not. Alternatively, the Miller will appear as Individually-Aligned. Sometimes the player will not be informed of this disability.
* One variation means that the Miller will appear as Scum, even after death. This is controversial amongst some players as it casts doubt over one of the few pieces of information the Town can traditionally rely upon.
Paranoid Gun Owner – This player will kill anyone who targets them with a night ability, regardless of alignment. Sometimes this is a one-shot ability and is referred to as an Army Veteran. Obviously, this can be a very damaging role to the town as potentially useful characters like protectors and doctors can be killed.
Priest – This player cannot cast the final vote in a lynch (a much larger disability at the end of the game than at the beginning where individual votes are more significant.) Alternatively, there is the Actor, who can only cast the final vote on someone.
Psychiatrist – This player has the objective of seeking out the Serial Killer, so is only included in games that feature one. Each night, they target another player. If that player is the SK, they will be ‘cured’ and converted to the Town (usually as a Vanilla Townie.)
Senator – This player has a double vote. This usually becomes obvious once a few day periods have elapsed.
Siblings/Lovers – These are linked characters, typically with the proviso that if one dies, the other will too. Most commonly, one character is town-aligned and one is scum. Sometimes, the death of one character will cause some other kind of change to the survivor – e.g. a change in ability or alignment. There are variations in the information the Siblings have:
* Sometimes the Siblings aren’t aware that they have a partner at all.
* Sometimes the Siblings are informed that they have partner, but not what alignment they are (particularly with Town/Mafia Siblings.)
* Sometimes the Siblings are informed of which player is their partner (Masons.)
Vanilla Townie – This player has no abilities.
Vigilante – This player has a killing ability, but is town-aligned. Sometimes this can be done every night, sometimes it’s a one-off power. The killing ability can sometimes be used during the day ('day-vig') – this is usually a one-time only ability and requires posting a prompt in the thread (e.g. Day-Kill: Player X.)
Individual-Aligned or ‘Either Alignment Equally’ Roles:
Bomb – This player will also kill the player that kills him. In the case of a night-kill, the person targeting them will die too. In the case of a lynch, the last player to cast a vote against them will also die. Alternatively, a random player who voted for the Bomb will die.
Bulletproof – This player is immune to night-kills. Sometimes, this may be specified – e.g. immune to mafia kills, but not to SK or vigilante kills. This ability may also be given a fixed number of uses.
Jester – This player has the sole winning condition of being lynched. Usually, this requires some kind of post restriction so that it isn’t too easy to achieve. When the Jester dies, they are usually proclaimed winner or co-winner and the game progresses as normal to resolve the other winners.
Politician – This player can determine who another player votes for. Each night, they PM the moderator and they will relay to the target who they must vote for. Usually, the target is forbidden from revealing that their vote has been dictated to them.
Serial Killer – This player is individually aligned and has a night-kill. Their objective is to be the sole survivor, so it is notoriously difficult to win as a SK.
Survivor – This player is individually aligned and is able to win with either alignment. Sometimes, there might be limits to this (e.g. can win with the SK/Indy but not Town or Mafia, or can win with Mafia/Cult but not Town.) They may or may not have other abilities to aid this.
Unlynchable – This player cannot be lynched. Frequently, this is an ability given to the Mafia Godfather with provisions – a limited number of uses, or active so long as at least one Goon is alive.
Usually Mafia-Aligned Roles:
Conman - This player has the ability to disguise the role of another played in case they are investigated. There are, as always, variations on this role:
* Sometimes the Conman can specify an entire role name, description and alignment.
* Sometimes they will only force that player to appear as scum if investigated without altering their role.
* Sometimes the target and the Conman will exchange roles, so the Conman is also given investigation protection.
* Sometimes the con will cause the target's alignment to be falsely revealed if they are lynched whilst conned (similar to a Death Miller.)
Godfather – This player is the leader of the Mafia Group and in charge of dictating the night-kill. They are frequently given some form of protection.
* They may appear as Town-aligned upon investigation
* They may be immune to night kills (indefinitely or in a fixed number of cases.)
* They may be immune to death in any form until a specified one (or all) of their goons are dead.
* They may be given a safe-claim.
Goon - This player is a henchman of the Mafia Don. Sometimes they may possess individual powers, particularly a Roleblocker or Conman - see below. In some games, the Don is required to specify one of the Goons to perform the night kill. This player will be unable to use any other abilities and is subject to any Tracker/Role-blocker abilities that might be directed at him. Some games also specify an order of seniority that dictates which players will take over as the Don in the event that he dies.
Roleblocker – This player prevents their target from using any night-abilities they may have. This role can quite often be town-aligned in larger games where the mafia may have more individual powers above and beyond the standard night kill.
Cults:
Cults are a group separate from the Town and Mafia that are infrequently included. They involve one or two original members attempting to recruit other players into their group, changing their alignment to their own. Through this mechanism they attempt to outnumber the town and mafia and achieve a victory. Sometimes, they will have the specific requirement to eliminate the mafia before they’ve won the game.
The recruitment method varies. Sometimes, there is a specific member who is responsible for attempting to recruit other members. If this player dies, the cult is no longer able to recruit players. Alternatively, the cult leader specifies one of the members to perform the attempted recruitment each evening. Sometimes, there are certain players who cannot be recruited – scum players being the most common, individuals and protectors being less common. Usually, attempting to recruit a scum player results in the death of the cultist attempting it.
The policy on whether players retain their abilities after conversion varies as well – usually these are removed and all recruited cultists are ‘vanilla.’ Allowing turned cultists to retain their powers can lead to a massive balancing issue – something already a problem with cults as their influence can be wildly variable and cannot be predicted by the mod when setting up the game.
Communication between the cult changes from game to game too. Sometimes, particularly when a cult leader and separate recruiter are present, the recruiter’s identity is unknown to the rest of the group – the leader PMs the mod and receives feedback, but he doesn’t know which player is necessary to permit him to recruit. The equivalent when a recruiter is not present is that the cult leader cannot communicate with the cultists outside the thread. This may be enforced with a stated '50% chance of conversion' condition - the cult leader can't risk breaking the rules in case he outs himself to a townie. These are methods of controlling the potential influence of the cult. If the recruiter/leader is known, they can often be protected by the numbers of the cult. Allowing the cultists to inadvertently contribute to the lynch of one of their own is a balancing measure.
I need 8 players for the first game. Who's in?