What makes a Werewolf game Werewolf?

[Lathum]

KWhits game thread was running the risk of being hijacked so I figured I would start this one.

I know it's no secret I prefer simple games, even though I feel I have gotten better with complex games. I'll probably never play in a hoops Marvel game but so be it, others enjoy them so I choose to sit out.

It just seems to me at times we go through cycles where everyone tries to come up with a cooler, newer mechanic then the last guy who ran a game and we can fall victim to outsmarting ourselves at times.

Now this thread is by no means meant to bash GM's. I think anyone who has ever ran a game can attest to the time it takes and regardless of outcome should be commended.


Now me personally I am fine with a complex game, I just don't want a game that is designed to take 4 weeks and by the nature of it keeps people from playing for a long period of time. Abe ran 2 games almost back to back that shut people out and I think it was kind of shitty. I know people who played had fun and there was no malicous intent on Abe's part.

I think that if you chooses to pass on a game or die early there should be a reasonable expectation that you will only have to wait 10-14 days max to play again.

[PurdueBrad]

Lathum, I am typically on the flip side of you with the complex vs. simple idea but we do have one big thing in common: I like games that move. I don't really want to have to try and pay attention and argue for 12+ days. It sucks if you die early and it is demanding if you don't or you're a wolf. I think my favorites have probably run for about 8-10 days (that means they go over a weekend, so it is really like 6-8 days of "WW time").

The long games is one of the reasons I sat down and developed my Transformer game that will be out there eventually. It is a game that is made to be aggressive. My guess is that it will average around 3.5 deaths a day the way I have it set up.

On the flip side, BK's game was very cool and intricate yet I almost feel cheated because it only went 4 days and 3 nights of WW time. Of course, that's because I sucked as a villager but still.

So simple or complex, I see both sides, but keeping a game moving seems to be the most important, at least to me.

[claphamsa]

multiple people should die every day! barring a mechanic (block, conversion) if you do not expect 2 people to die (averaged out over a couple days)... you are doing something wrong

[claphamsa]

I also like the complex games, but not not toooo complex! (marvel was just too much for me)

[saldana]

as far as the number of people to die in a day, to me it has been a matter of how long do i want the game to last...i agree that 6-8 days of WW play is ideal, so for instance, in harry potter, i added extra death mechanics to speed up the game because there were so many players.

i agree that the long, complex games are fun, and i do enjoy them, but i also agree that they seem to cause burn out among the people that are in them for the long haul and may be the cause of some of the signup lulls that we get. look at the signup lists for games following some of the giant game such as the 2 spawns or the marvel game....it is hard to get people to be absorbed for that long without a break and then ask them to do it all over again the next week.

[Barkeep49]

Originally Posted by claphamsa

multiple people should die every day! barring a mechanic (block, conversion) if you do not expect 2 people to die (averaged out over a couple days)... you are doing something wrong

I don't think this is entirely true. I think games should be expected to run no longer than # of players/2 so an 18 person game won't go MORE than 9 game days, and could easily be less. I think you can get away with fewer player deaths if there is an alternative win condition which can be achieved under that same time frame.

[EagleFan]

One simple rule: Having Lathum in the game makes it werewolf.

[Peregrine]

The games are certainly a lot more complex now than when I was GMing actively, and some of that is good and some is bad - I have to agree though, that a game that drags on too long isn't much good for anyone. I generally think games should accelerate forward as the number of people shrinks, this will usually happen organically as less people = less conversation, and late in the game people are usually acting more out of revenge or obvious targets.

I know for me personally it's very easy to overthink a game, I can't tell you how much time I spent trying to figure out unique mechanics, and then trying to make sure they don't break the game - for me the core design of werewolf is so strong, it's hard to improve on it beyond a point. It needs to be fun, after all, and I know I've had my games where I was really excited about a mechanic but the game itself went over like a lead balloon.