The Council: Elsinore

Started on the 21st of August 2020, with Jamie as the Outsider:

We find ourselves at Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Players are courtiers in service to King Hamlet. I am Prince Fortinbras of Norway, and I have sent two spies to the Danish court.

As those of you familiar with Shakespeare might expect, the King is not long for this world. Proposals that give courtiers the role of characters from Hamlet are encouraged. Proposals involving ghosts, poison, and other elements of this and other plays are encouraged.

Players

Cuddlebeam, Josh, Scholasticus, Kevan, Zaratustra, Riggdan, Jake, Bais

Rules

A Life's Work

Eliminate Cuddlebeam. The Outsider shall then unambiguously post to the gamestate channel the name of a non-Spy Courtier for the purposes of this Proposal, themed as the death letter with the result of Cuddlebeam’s investigations into the royal family.

from Proposal 1 by Cuddlebeam, seconded by Josh; Josh, Cuddlebeam, Scholasticus, Kevan, Zaratustra and Riggdan in favour; Jake and Bais against.

Outcome

Fortinbras reveals:

Cuddlebeam has fled Elsinore Castle, and word was later sent that their body was discovered by the docks of a Norwegian port. On subsequent investigation, the following note was found in their chambers, thus proving that Cuddlebeam is a non-spy Courtier.

I sought to find the spies old Norway sent

Or at the least, to learn who I could trust.

But not a soul I questioned could be bent,

So now to challenge Fortinbras I must.

If I should live, I’ll prove his crimes ere dark.

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.

Cuddlebeam has also been eliminated. Reminder that eliminated players may not communicate with other courtiers.

(Context: This was a scam the Court had noticed where if they could prove even one player to be 100% innocent, a physical proposal of "kill all other players" would win them the game, so a proposal of "kill one player and reveal another as innocent" was worth voting through. Proposer Cuddlebeam overlooked the fact that the killed player could be chosen to be named by the proposal, rendering it almost useless. This proposal pre-dated changes to the core ruleset which would disallow multi-kill physical proposals, and which would also clarify that dead players no longer counted as players.)

Time and Art

A proposal here we find with sev’ral parts—

One in the realm of Time, and one of Art.

Of Time we must buy more, and shut the gate

’gainst Night: it shan’t another friend eliminate.

As weighty words of Law exhaust our eyes,

Thus now in verse they must be summarized.

Rather than ending after the third proposal passes, the first day phase ends after the fifth proposal passes.The first paragraph of each proposal must be a summary of its contents in verse, which is flavortext and has no gameplay impact. A proposal cannot be seconded until the Outsider has indicated their approval of the verse summary by adding any reaction to the message containing it.

from Proposal 3 by Jake, seconded by Kevan; all of Court in favour.

Shirts and Skins

The mad Prince stalks, beset by sins,

And Claudius fills with dread;

“I’ll pick two captains, shirts and skins,

So off with Hamlet’s head.”

Make a new rule: Claudius has enacted two plots to deal with the murderous Prince in his Court. Following the enactment of this proposal, within 48 hours, each Courtier should name the two other Courtiers they think most likely to not be spies. The one who receives the most votes shall be named Laertes; the one who receives the second most votes shall be named Rosencrantz, with all ties breaking in favour of the Courtier in the latest position in turn order. Once appointed, Laertes and Rosencrantz shall alternate (first Laertes, then Rosencrantz) picking Courtiers until all Courtiers are in one or the other’s team. At this point, Fortinbras may name one Courtier from either team. That Courtier switches sides.Rosencrantz’s team is sent to England; Laertes’ stays in Elsinore. In the night phase, Fortinbras may only choose to eliminate a Courtier from a team that contains at least one Spy. At any time after the second night-phase elimination, either Fortinbras or Rosencrantz may announce that the England party has come home, at which point this rule may be removed from the ruleset.

from Proposal 4 by Josh, seconded by Scholasticus; all of Court in favour.

Clarifications

On the team vote

ah, I never weighed in on that question did I

the rule says “each Courtier should name”, not “each Courtier should write down the name of”

I think it is completely fair to interpret “name” in this context as “unambiguously indicate”

therefore I think the poll is a totally valid way to collect those indications

however

as no method was given for how that should be carried out, I see no case by which I can reasonably argue that players have to have locked in their preferences

Game end

After Shirts and Skins enacted (ironically a proposal made by a Spy), it was pointed out that if "each Courtier should name the two other Courtiers they think most likely to not be spies" was taken literally the Spies would not be able to name each other, and that any such votes should be struck out. When this was done, the change in outcome allowed the Court to identify one Spy (Josh) and infer the other (Kevan). Under the core ruleset at the time (where a physical proposal could eliminate any number of players) they would have immediately been able to execute both of them, and Fortinbras immediately conceded the game on behalf of their team.