TWG CXV: Just a Numbers Game

[BlackDragonSlayer]

TWG CXV: Just a Numbers Game

To some, it's just another day at the office. To others... every day is a life and death struggle to try and slog through another grueling day at work. But today... something's different. Today, nine people wake up in an empty office, tied to chairs in a circle facing away from all the others. There's one rule to the game: pick a number, any number.

Wolves:
1. Head Honcho: Every night, the Head Honcho picks a number between 0 and 100 by PM'ing the host with their selection. Every night, all the other players PM the host a number between 0 and 100. Whoever's number is closest to the number the Head Honcho picks dies. In case of a tie, all tied players die. People who do not pick a number (including the Head Honcho) have their number randomized.

Humans:
2. Number Cruncher
3. Number Cruncher
4. Number Cruncher
5. Number Cruncher
6. Number Cruncher
7. Number Cruncher
8. Number Cruncher

Third Party:
9. The Phantom Number Swapper: Counts as a Human. Every night, in addition to picking their own number, they select one player. The Phantom Number Swapper picks a NEW number for that person, and if they are human, that is their selected number for wolfing purposes. Wins if someone is wolfed as a result of their shenanigans—either if the person who's number they swapped is wolfed, or if someone else is wolfed because of the number swap—or if they are the last Human alive. Can win with either team.

Host Clarifications:

• The Phantom Number Swapper's powers can only affect humans.
• The swapped number that the Phantom Number Swapper picks can potentially be the same number they picked for themself.
• The Phantom Number Swapper can choose not to use their power each night.
• The Phantom Number Swapper can win as a result of their own death if they died as the result of swapping the would-be wolfing target's number.
• The Phantom Number Swapper is informed when they achieve victory. It is not announced publicly.
• An example of The Phantom Number Swapper's victory: Player A picks 20 as their number. Player B picks 21 as their number. The Swapper swaps Player B's number to 50. The Head Honcho picked 21 as the wolfing number. Player A dies instead of Player B.
• An example of when The Phantom Number Swapper does NOT achieve victory: Player A and Player B both pick 50 as their number. The Swapper swaps Player A's number to 60. The Head Honcho picked 50 as the wolfing number. Because Player B would have died either way, this does not count as death-by-shenanigans.
• The number(s) of any killed players will be announced, but the number the Head Honcho picked will not be.
• The Head Honcho wins whenever there is one or fewer humans remaining.
• The game does not have cardflips.

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Players:
1. A# Minor
2. TheZeldaPianist275
3. Olimar12345
4. E. Gadd Industries
5. ThatHiddenCharacter
6. SpecsFlyer17
7. XiaoMigros
8. magnet
9. Toby

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It is now Night 1. Night 1 ends in two days, on Saturday, August 19 at 7:00 PM Pacific Time (10:00 PM Eastern Time).

[BlackDragonSlayer]

Roles PMs:

Head Honcho

You are the Head Honcho. The dull monotony of office work has driven you to the edge. Now, you are the one in control here. Every night, you must pick a number between 0 and 100 (inclusive). Whoever picks the number closest to your picked number shall perish.

[close]

Number Cruncher

You are a Number Cruncher. Every night, you must pick a number between 0 and 100 (inclusive) and hope that it is not the number picked for the wolfing... every day, you must try and hunt down the madman responsible for this madness.

[close]

The Phantom Number Swapper

You are The Phantom Number Swapper. An agent of chaos in this twisted game, the only hope you have is to try and achieve the secret objective laid out for you. Every night, in addition to picking your own number between 0 and 100 (inclusive), you may also pick one person and choose a new number for them.

[close]

Night 1
Day 1
Night 2
Day 2
Night 3
Day 3
Night 4
Day 4
Finale

Night 1 Story

You slowly begin to open your eyes. Your head hurts and your vision is blurry. What... what happened last night? As you try to recollect recent events, nothing comes to mind. Last you were aware, you were sleeping in bed peacefully. Now suddenly, you are trapped in a dark room, bound to a heavy, unmovable chair. Your legs and neck are both bound tight, preventing you from moving at all, and both of your arms are tied to the arms of the chair. By one of your hands, there seems to be... a screen of some sort?

You try moving your head, but you can just barely do so. Out of the very corner of your vision, you think you see somebody else to your right, and another person to your left, in the same predicament as you. If you had to guess, you'd say there's likely to be more people, all tied to chairs facing away from each other in a circle.

"Hey!" you shout, trying to get somebody else's attention, "What the hell is going on here?!"

"I don't know! I just woke up!!!" another voice chimes in from directly behind you.

"I'm scared..." a weak voice adds. Someone off to your right, it seems...

Suddenly, a booming voice fills the room from the sound system all around.

"SO, I SUPPOSE YOU'RE WONDERING WHY YOU'RE ALL GATHERED HERE TODAY..."

[close]

Day 1 Story

By now, everyone had introduced themselves as best they could given the circumstances. From what you could tell, it seemed as if all of you had worked at the same company, which was rather strange, as you had never met any of them before today—to be fair, it was a rather large company.

The room was tense, but as far as you could tell, everyone was in agreement that all you could do under these circumstances was follow the instructions of this strange person calling themselves the Head Honcho. After all, you didn't have much of a choice. It was clear that either way, someone in the room would be meeting an unfortunate fate. So you input your number of choice, and waited...

The control panel by your side suddenly started lighting up and beeping; from the noise that filled the room, you could tell all the other panels were doing the same. Then, just as quickly, the lights and noise stopped, and were replaced by a horrid beeping from a panel to your left.

"LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE A LUCKY WINNER!!!" the voice boomed over the speakers.

Then, there was the sound of a set of doors opening, and a scream as someone plummeted to their doom.

...was that THC? It sure sounded like his voice.

"WITH A SPECTACULAR NUMBER OF 74, OUR GOOD FRIEND THATHIDDENCHARACTER HAS BEEN THE FIRST UNFORTUNATE VICTIM."

There was a pause. Someone let out a quiet "Oh God."

"AND NOW, WE MOVE ON TO THE SECOND PHASE OF OUR LITTLE GAME..."

[close]

Night 2 Story

From what the mysterious Head Honcho said, it was clear that they were sitting among the group, playing the game right alongside them. And the maniacal mastermind gave them one option to get out of this predicament: vote out one of their fellow players. If it was the Head Honcho, the so-called "game" would end then and there, and everyone could go free. If not... well, that person would meet the same fate as the last person had.

There was also supposedly a "wildcard player" hidden among them whose goal was to stir up as much chaos as possible. If that person succeeded in whatever objective the Head Honcho had set out for them, they would also get to go free, regardless of whatever happens in the game.

For some bizarre reason, several people had already tried to claim that they were this hidden wildcard player. Not sure what that's all about.

Whatever the reason may be, the time to vote out a player was drawing to a close. Now was the time for everyone to finalize their vote...

A sharp buzzer rang out. The voice of the mastermind came over the speakers once more.

"YOUR FIRST VICTIM IS E. GADD INDUSTRIES! LET IT NEVER BE FORGOTTEN THAT YOU DID THIS TO HIM."

"NO! NO! Please, no!!!" Gadd tried to protest, but to no avail.

"LET'S ALL SAY: GOODBYE E. GADD."

The trapdoor opened, and Gadd's screams filled the room momentarily.

"GOODBYE E. GADD."

[close]

Day 2 Story

Another round passed, and everyone had already submitted their numbers. This time, it was relatively quiet—you think that everyone else was too scared and shocked by the recent death to muster up much to say; you know you were. The idea that there was some sort of chance to get out of here... it made you hopeful yet nervous at the same time. What if the Head Honcho didn't honor the deal? What if you all died anyway?

These thoughts were torn out of your head by the horrid beeping: it was already time for "the big reveal."

The voice of the mastermind came over the speakers.

"I AM PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THAT, HAVING PICKED THE NUMBER 35, OUR NEXT LUCKY VICTIM IS—"

"NO! I'm too young to die!!!" That was A#'s voice, wasn't it?

"EXCUSE ME, I'M THE HOST HERE. YOU DO NOT INTERRUPT THE HOST."

"Oh yeah?" A# retorted, "and what are YOU gonna do about it?"

"THIS."

Suddenly, the doors under A#'s chair opened, and one last scream was heard.

"THANKS DIM—" her scream trailed off.

...you couldn't quite catch that last bit.

[close]

Night 3 Story

Tensions were at an all-time high. Several people had lost their cool and had devolved to yelling and shouting, desperately hoping that they could avoid the fate of being voted out by the others. As more and more people had suffered a grisly fate at the hands of this twisted ploy, the remaining participants had gotten even more bloodthirsty. It wasn't clear if they were even trying to find the Head Honcho at this point, or were just stalling to give themselves a bit of extra time.

Before you even realized it, time had run out—the voting period allotted was over. Your hands tightened into fists, both out of anger and from dread.

"Well, here we go," said someone to your left.

The voice of the Head Honcho once again filled the room. Was it louder now, or was it just that there were fewer people left to make noise of their own...?

"I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE YOUR SPECIAL PICK OF THE DAY: OLIMAR12345!!!"

There was a distinct pause between the first sentence and the announcement of the name. Dramatic tension, you supposed.

In stark contrast to the previous times, there was not even a sound as the doors underneath Olimar's chair opened, sending him plummeting down into the unknown abyss below. Perhaps he had already resigned himself to his fate.

[close]

Day 3 Story

It was once again time for people to select their numbers. A few voices piped up in the room as the time passed, but unlike before, the conversation flew more toward random conversations than the situation at hand. Things... were much quieter than they had been before. It was only natural, of course, given the... absence of many of those who had been here before, but it unsettled you all the same.

Your opportunities for freedom were quickly running out. This whole time, you had been subtly testing your restraints, seeing if there was a way you could break them or slip out just enough to give you a better opportunity to escape, but it didn't seem that way. Most of this stuff looked fairly new and well put together. Regardless, you were almost certain that if the Head Honcho caught you trying to escape, it would be an immediate death before you got very far. An untimely escape, after all, was not part of the game rules.

Laughing boomed out over the speakers.

"I HATE TO INTERRUPT ALL THE FUN WE'RE HAVING, BUT IT'S THAT SPECIAL PART OF THE GAME WHEN IT'S TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE LUCKY NUMBER!"

Someone groaned. Not out of dread, mind you, but more out of annoyance.

"THAT'S RIGHT, WITH A NUMBER OF 54, TONIGHT'S LUCKY WINNER IS..."

A set of doors opened, accompanied by a brief yelp.

"HEY WAIT THAT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. THAT WAS TOO EARLY."

There was an awkward pause.

"WELL, UH, ANYWAY... THAT LOVELY SCREAM YOU JUST HEARD WAS FROM MAGNET. NOW YOU KNOW, IT'S TIME TO GET VOTING!"

[close]

Night 4 Story

It was time to pick another person to vote out; but just after you had input your vote, the lights flickered briefly. They went out again, this time for several seconds before they came back on again.

"UM, WHAT JUST HAPPENED," the Head Honcho's voice seemed to reflect genuine confusion.

There was a long pause.

"EXCUSE ME, WE SEEM TO BE EXPERIENCING TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES. BECAUSE OF THAT, WE WILL BE MOVING STRAIGHT INTO THE NEXT NUMBER-PICKING SEGMENT."

There was another pause.

"PLEASE ENJOY WHATEVER EXTRA TIME YOU HAVE LEFT TO THE FULLEST. THANK YOU."

[close]

Day 4 Story

Your time was running out. That much you knew for certain.

You were still trying to find a way out of here without playing by the Head Honcho's rules. The strange power outage earlier gave you hope that you could find a way to replicate it—just to give you enough time to break free without the mysterious mastermind having access to any of the electrical systems. You had managed to get one of your leg restraints loose; you figure with a good, strong kick, it would definitely pop out.

Unfortunately, you wouldn't have such luck tonight.

"WELCOME BACK, MY BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. FOUR PEOPLE LEFT IN THE CIRCLE; WE'RE ALMOST TO THE END OF OUR LITTLE GAME HERE. I'M WELL AWARE THAT SOME OF YOU HAVE TRIED TO ESCAPE, BUT I'M AFRAID..."

There was a long pause.

"...THAT WON'T BE HAPPENING."

The lights didn't flash this time. There were no buzzers or dramatic sounds.

"I'VE DECIDED TO CUT THE PIZZAZ THIS TIME. IT SEEMS AS IF IT HAS BEEN... CAUSING ISSUES. SO TO CUT TO THE CHASE, TONIGHT, OUR LUCKY NUMBER IS 18."

The doors beneath Specs' chair opened, sending him plummeting to his most certain doom.

[close]

Finale Story

Three people left. If you had any chance of escaping on your own, this was it. You kept kicking at the leg restraint bit by bit, and as you kept kicking, it kept loosening. You could feel it just about to break free! Just a few more kicks, and...

"IT IS TIME FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF OUR FINAL VOTE."

...you had time for one, maybe two more kicks.

"I'M NOT GONNA DRAG THIS ON FOR ANY LONGER THAN IT HAS TO GO. IT SEEMS ONE OF OUR DEAR FRIENDS HAS THE NOTION THAT HE CAN SIMPLY BREAK OUT OF HERE WITHOUT PLAYING THE GAME."

There was a click of restraints being opened. Someone stood up. They walked over to a panel on the side of the room. The doors underneath Xiao's chairs opened, sending Xiao plummeting to an unfortunate demise.

"And now, as for you..." as the Head Honcho spoke in his true voice, you could see the figure walking into frame. It was TZP.

"Shocked?" TZP mocked. "Yeah, it's me. I'm the one behind all this. You didn't think that 'loser' TZP could set up something like this, did you?"

You were shocked. As far as you were aware, TZP had died. You knew that many of your other coworkers at the company, even many people you never even met before today, weren't the most fond of TZP, but you never realized it was this bad.

"Yeah, Toby, I suppose you deserve an explanation before I get rid of you like I have with every one of these bullies. This wasn't just a one-time thing. It's been going on for years, to the point where I feared every day I had to show up to work. Sometimes I would call in sick just to avoid the relentless harassment. Some people even showed up to harass me outside work—at the bowling alley, at my favorite restaurant... even at my house, once. I couldn't take it any more. I guess you could say I snapped."

You were still confused. You had been aware of the issue, to some small degree, but as far as you could remember, you had never done anything to instigate against TZP.

"W-what did I do to hurt you? I don't ever remember doing anything..." you were frantic, still searching for a way to break out.

"You see, that's the thing..." TZP shook his head. "You don't remember, because it was such a small, insignificant thing to you!" He was seething now. "You see, it was you, YOU who started the damn rumors in the first place!!! If it weren't for you, NONE OF US would need to be here now!"

He pounded his foot against the ground.

"THIS WAS ALL A SETUP! THIS WHOLE DAMN GAME! You never even had a chance, because it was rigged from the start. I knew exactly what numbers you picked, so I could choose who to kill off at any given time. I knew exactly how you would vote, who you would decide to sacrifice to save your own skins, because I spent time STUDYING all of you!"

TZP held his hand over the button that would open the doors beneath your chair.

"Because you mean NOTHING to me."

The doors opened beneath your chair, and you were plunged into darkness...

[close]

[A# Minor]

I AM NUMBER ONE!

[A# Minor]

"I'm scared..." a weak voice adds. Someone off to your right, it seems...

^ I'm pretty sure this person is me


OK I'm done making pointless posts

[ThatHiddenCharacter]

No such thing as a pointless post. Also, hello! It's been soooo long since I got to actually play in a game of TWG instead of hosting. And last time I died night 1 as the most interesting role #yellowwizzrobe.

[A# Minor]

And last time I died night 1 as the most interesting role #yellowwizzrobe.

I knew it!

[TheZeldaPianist275]

Cheers to evening phase changes!

[BlackDragonSlayer]

A reminder that if you have any PM convos, to include me as one of the recipients!!! Or if you forget, just sent me a PM with quotes of everything that was sent.

[SpecsFlyer17]

Let the games begin. Looking forward to this!

[A# Minor]

Why am I nervous because I think this game died

[E. Gadd Industries]

#yellowwizzrobe.

Never forget 

Also yessssss BDS story!!!! Super excited!!

Also also hello yes it is I, I am here. Obligatory activity post. 48 hours for N1 is interesting, but seeing as how I'm already a bit confused by the game, I think that helps.
Note: I'm not confused in a way that the host could really explain something to make it go away :') I'm just sorta grasping at straws trying to understand... tbh anything.

[Toby]

Hi all

If we wanted to be really smart and maximise avoidance of anyone picking the same number, we could come up with a large plan where each night each player has their own different set of numbers to choose from.

For example, tonight each player could have one number from 1-10, one number from 11-20, one from 21-30... so on so fourth. That way the numbers are still spread out maximally from 1-100, and still keep it just as hard for the wolf to target a specific player. As more players die we can increase the selection of numbers people get to choose from as more become available.

In a way this might give the wolf a better chance of wolfing the player they want, but honestly barely. And aside from number swapping shenanigans from the third party, it should remove the chance of a double/triple/ quadruple night kill!!

The wolf is honestly very weak in this game, with us having like 4 lynches + the wolf having little control over who they kill, we need to extinct any chance of multiple night kills

If third party wants to claim now I don't see any reason why we'd lynch them. It saves a wolf counter claiming it later

[Toby]

I'm so excited to play

[Toby]

Also I'm from Scotland and my time zone is EST+5 so I will not be staying up until 3am for phase ends lol

[ThatHiddenCharacter]

In a way this might give the wolf a better chance of wolfing the player they want, but honestly barely. And aside from number swapping shenanigans from the third party, it should remove the chance of a double/triple/ quadruple night kill!!

I would beg to differ. With everyone choosing a number from 1-100, the odds of any two people choosing the same number are incredibly slim, not to mention 3 or 4 people doing it. I think that sectioning off the numbers like that is not a good trade-off for the humans. It makes something impossible that is already statistically improbable, and makes it easier for the wolf to target someone specifically. And the idea that it barely allows the wolf to target someone is very incorrect. The wolf would just have to choose the middle number of any person's chosen range and they would be guaranteed to wolf that person.