The Twenty-First Dynasty of Kevan

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January 19, 2018 — March 8, 2018

Ascension Address

Day ten of the lockdown, and the military still escort cautious hazmat patrols through the empty streets of the city, searching and scanning for traces of contamination from the security breach at the nearby research facility.
An open-backed truck pulls up at a tower block near the city centre, and a team in military fatigues jump out over the sides. They drag a plastic-wrapped supply crate down from the truck and across the street, and with some barked calls to the block’s residents to stay back, they unhook the hazard tape from the building’s doors for just long enough to shove the crate into the lobby.
The doors resealed, the truck guns its engine and roars off to another part of the city.
Rename “Director” to “Government” and “Failed Specimen” to “Resident”.

https://blognomic.com/archive/quarantine2

Players

The following players were active at the start of the Dynasty: Axemabaro, card, Cuddlebeam, Diabecko, Kevan, PineTreeQ, pokes

The following players were active at the end of the Dynasty: Axemabaro, card, Cuddlebeam, Diabecko, Kevan, pokes

Final Ruleset

Ruleset 155

Posts of Interest

Proposals

  • Crate Expectations: Base mechanics for the game: Crates were delivered containing a number of items equal to the number of players; players would then pick one item each in order of their Alertness stat.
  • Hats & Armo(u)r defined some items as wearable by the taker.
  • Staying Alive defined Health, and created food and water items to replenish it.
  • ease of use: Introduced a supply The Bird which later prevented an earlier Cuddlebeam victory and ended up making the rudimentary combat mostly useless.
  • This Season’s Must-Have Gadgets added pills, tinned food, a can opener and binoculars
  • Getting Aggressive added a crowbar as a weapon, and said that a Resident with zero Health had died and their possessions could be looted as if they were a crate
  • Release The Craction!: Defined a type of action that can only be taken when taking an item from a crate and was almost every type of action for the Dynasty.
  • One man’s trash is another man’s turtle shell: The Proto-Fiberboard proposal. Created an advantage in having low Alertness.
  • Playing With The Box made fibreboard an item at the bottom of every crate, for the last player to take
  • More RNG added a lockbox with a randomly-rolled surprise inside, if anyone could find the key
  • Surge Pricing added Money (previously added as a worthless fuel source before being renamed) and allowed a victory for any Resident having 5 Money at the end of a Crate.
  • Easier Money: Created the Black Market mechanic. A low-Alertness player would constantly make more and more Fiberboard (Diabecko at the time), so this proposal was designed by Cuddlebeam to "weaponize" such a phenomenon by making it an amazing source for Money and forge an alliance with them (via bribe).
    • Balancing: Successful attempt to de-weaponize Fiberboard. (To due Cuddlebeam's alliance with Diabecko failing.)
    • Rebalancing: Successful proposal by Diabecko to make Fiberboard a Money source again.
  • Send Fewer Backpacks defined item rarities, so that the crates would always contain some basics
  • Express Delivery added a radio which could be used to request particular supplies in the next crate
  • A Better Stalemate Escape: With Diabecko and Pokes about to hit the victory condition simultaneously, Cuddlebeam attempted to preempt any 50/50 coin-flip between them by proposing a 60/20/20 coin-flip between one of them, Cuddlebeam and card (the other active player). It failed, but general discussion covered 44 comments.

Crates

Core ruleset changes

  • 'Til May Be Out removed the appendix's single definition of "may" (and "may not"), since the word has two distinct and common meanings in English

Ascension

Pokes, Diabecko, card and Cuddlebeam were the active players at the end of the dynasty.

Pokes and Diabecko were in the lead of the race to get 5 Money to win, with Diabecko ahead by a good margin due to the Fiberboard + Black Market combo. Cuddlebeam decided to then try to make pokes closer in range of having 5 Money (and then tried to weaponize the possibly imminent stalemate due to that), and thus committed suicide so that pokes would loot Money off their corpse (because they couldn't normally do transfers due to pokes having a Suspicious stance towards them and doing a seemingly idiotic action kept this plan a bit more secret). So at Crate #20, Pokes was at 3 Money and Diabecko at 4, with both having enough spare items to reach 5 Money each via the Black Market and cause a stalemate (if card chose to send a Money to pokes).

What happened after that point was a massive flurry of deals and deal-speculation, because certain agreements/decisions would result in an immediate victory or a stalemate due to two players being in range of 5 Money:

  • If Pokes and Diabecko agreed among themselves who would win and have the other concede, one of them would win.
  • If Diabecko and card agreed among themselves to have Diabecko win, Diabecko would win.
  • If card decided to send a Money to pokes, the game would result in a stalemate and neither Pokes or Diabecko could win (or anyone in the game for that matter) until a proposal came to break it or one of them gained or lost money, there were more agreements involved, or someone got Knocked Out.

(Axemabaro also unidled during the penultimate Crate, which could have been game-changing if they'd commented on a Crate and woken up - Diabecko's low Alertness put them at the end of the queue, and vulnerable to being attacked by Axemabaro who had potential access to a Crowbar. But Axemabaro didn't wake up.)

In the end, card decided to send a Money to Diabecko, in exchange for a payment of sharing the next dynasty, which would give birth to the Coregency of Diabecko and Card (A dual-Emperor Dynasty, the first since Angry Grasshopper and Excalabur shared the First Dynasty of Excalabur). Also Diabecko neglected to discard the crate where the exchange happened, which was a condition for victory; however the next crate was discarded due to card's proposal.

And at that discarding, Diabecko achieved victory,

Commentary

Very political dynasty. Secret and non-secret deals largely shaped and decided the game. Also, it goes to show that idea that early-game "advantages" mean very little - it's all up to the players who will choose what will become of those frills via their proposals later on. Yes, Alertness seemed to be the most important thing, but low Alertness was deliberately made to become really good - game-winning, in fact. The game we make here isn't a pure, fair thing. What people's silly numbers and game pieces ultimately mean largely depends on the interests of the other players, because if the situation isn't currently what we want it to be, we can propose/vote it to become it. (And then veil that intent with "it's fair/interesting/necessary/good") --Cuddlebeam (talk) 10:51, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

Interestingly to me, the politics was contrary to my personal experience. I didn't finalize any deals, secret or non-secret, and still ended up with 4 money.

I do disagree with the frills: Getting this money was in part because I kept a high alertness which felt not frilly at all but allowed me to take items that were the most helpful in getting more money (fishing rod, gas mask) and defending my hoard (crowbar, rope). Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. --Pokes (talk) 12:47, 8 March 2018 (UTC) (edited 13:57, 8 March 2018 (UTC) to sound less aggressive and separate my points)

I'm surprised I got away with this one: [1]. Getting the Fishing Rod let me gain an average of 1 money each crate if I could keep the food instead of having to eat it, and was the only thing that enabled any competition against Diabecko. Pokes (talk) 22:15, 8 March 2018 (UTC)

Upon reskimming through the proposals, I'm surprised that pokes, having the most alertness for quite a few crates near the end, didn't pick up a the Radio supply at any point. It would have initially guaranteed them 1 money while forcing someone else to waste supplies and actions on a radio as long as they stayed ahead. Anyway I thought that this was a very successful dynasty with lots of interesting choices even when there was only 3 people picking items out of the crates. Thinking up interesting supplies and interactions within the restrictions of only taking actions while looting a crate was fun. What I bargained for with Diabecko will become obvious next dynasty. I myself kept on neglecting to utilize the Black Market because it lowered my Health and if I wanted to get a Money within one crate I needed to lower my alertness as well. It was a good idea to get the Money when I did though! Card (talk) 05:01, 9 March 2018 (UTC)

Dynastic Histories

Round One - Myke I - Lyndse I - Myke II - Kevan I - Anthony I - Est I - Kevan II - Damanor I - Kevan III - Cayvie I - Josh I - Keitalia I - SatyrEyes I - Metadynasty I - Cayvie II - Brendan I - Kevan IV - Knightking I - Chronos Phaenon I - TrumanCapote I - Knightking II - Quazie I - Simon I - AngryGrasshopper I - Rodney I - Aaron I - Josh II - Metadynasty II - Chronos Phaenon II - Excalabur I - Excalabur II - 75th Trombone I - Elias IX I - Metadynasty III - Angry Grasshopper II - Hix I - Thelonious I - Elias IX II - Rodney II - Clucky I - Doremi I - Chronos Phaenon III - Amnistar I - Clucky II - Amnistar II - Bucky I - Clucky III - Josh III - Kevan V - Hix II - Spikebrennan I - Jack I - Purplebeard I - Rodlen I - Yoda I - Amnistar III - Darknight I - Bucky II - Yoda II - Metadynasty IV - Arthexis I - Amnistar IV - Devenger I - Ais523 I - Ienpw III I - Qwazukee I - Klisz I - Metadynasty V - Bucky III - Wakukee I - Kevan VI - Ais523 II - Josh IV - Purplebeard II - Ais523 III - Ienpw III II - Klisz II - Lilomar I - Coppro I - Ais523 IV - Kevan VII - Brendan II - Alecto I - Josh V - Clucky IV - Purplebeard III - Kevan VIII - Ais523 V - Purplebeard IV - Yoda III - Bucky IV - Kevan IX - Bateleur I - Metadynasty VI - Coppro II - Ais523 VI - Cpt Koen I - Southpointingchariot I - Josh VI - Scshunt III - Quirck I - Clucky V - Bucky V - Kevan X - Josh VII - Kevan XI - Scshunt IV - RaichuKFM I - Larrytheturtle I - Skju I - Metadynasty VII - Purplebeard V - Spitemaster I - Josh VIII - RaichuKFM II - The Alien I - Benzene I - RaichuKFM III - Purplebeard VI - Kevan XII - Ayesdeeef I - Bucky VI - Kevan XIII - Josh IX - Mideg I - Kevan XIV - Brendan III - Kevan XV - Tantusar I - Josh X - Kevan XVI - Thrawn I - Brendan IV - Kevan XVII - Moonroof I - RaichuKFM IV - Larrytheturtle II - Brendan V - Kevan XVIII - Brendan VI - RaichuKFM V - Kevan XIX - Brendan VII - Kevan XX - Viv I - Pokes I - Sphinx I - Madrid I - Pokes II - Madrid II - Metadynasty VIII - Axemabaro I - Diabecko I - Kevan XXI - Diabecko & Card I - Kevan XXII - Derrick I - Card I - Madrid III - Card II - Kevan XXIII - Pokes III - Kevan XXIV - Trigon I - Derrick II - Kevan XXV - Derrick III - Farsight I - TyGuy6 I - Pokes IV - Madrid IV - TyGuy6 II - Kevan XXVI - The Duke of Waltham I - Josh XI - Clucky VI - Naught I - Metadynasty IX - Kevan XXVII - Josh XII - Clucky VII - Josh XIII - Bucky VII - Josh XIV - Kevan XXVIII - Lemonfanta I - Clucky VIII - Josh XV - Misty I - ais523 VII - Josh XVI - Kevan XXIX - Trapdoorspyder I - Metadynasty X - Brendan VIII - Brendan IX - Zack I - Misty II - Josh XVII - MadisonSilver I - Josh XVIII - Kevan XXX - Lendunistus I - Josh XIX - SingularByte I - Trapdoorspyder II - Bucky XIII - JonathanDark I - Trapdoorspyder III - Habanero I - JonathanDark II - Misty III - Metadynasty XI - Josh XX - Lemon II - Kevan XXXI - Josh XXI - Clucky IX - Vovix I - JonathanDark III - Zack II - JonathanDark IV - Josh XXII