VERY limited communication NOC

askaninjask

[FLAIL ARMS]
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I've been thinking about a game in which you can only communicate via certain phrases that are predetermined. This solves my main issue with NOC's - the walls of text - but I would like these set phrases to be inclusive enough to allow for meaningful discussion despite the limitations.

Elaborating - In the main thread, players can only post with a certain number of set phrases posted in the OP. These would be things like
Starting discussions:
  • What do you think, <user>?
  • What do you think about <user1>, <user2>?
  • If we mislynch, we lose.
  • If we no lynch, we lose.
  • Voting for no lynch is an excellent idea.
  • Voting for no lynch is a horrendous idea.
  • Post number <number> is interesting.
Observations of other users:
  • I am (very/somewhat/mildly) suspicious of <user>!!
  • I am (very/somewhat/mildly) confident that <user> is village.
  • <user> has suspicious voting patterns.
  • <user> has not posted in too long!
  • <user> is just jumping onto various bandwagons.
  • <user> is playing like a newbie.
  • <user1> seems to agree with everything <user2> says.
  • <user> seems like they are <role/allegiance>.
  • I am 100% confident that <user> is <role/allegiance>.
Defending yourself:
  • I'm an innocent (man/woman)!!
  • The fuck did you just fucking say about me (<user> optional) you little bitch?
  • I am (a) <role/allegiance>.
  • It's just a randlynch, bro!
Insults:
  • <user>'s mother was an elderberry, and their father was something too idk man
  • When I see <user>, my hand automatically go to the dick.
  • <user> did nothing wrong.
  • <user>


etc.

Do you think such a game could be fun? If so, what additional phrases would you like to see added?
 
Last edited:

Yeti

dark saturday
is a Community Contributor Alumnus
<user> is a:
BANDWAGONING SCRUB.
CLEAR SCUM.
NOOB TOWN.
OBV TOWN.
RAGING NARCISSIST
SNUFF FILM ENTHUSIAST
(BANMEPLEASE)
BUTT BUDDY WITH <user2>

the only problem is this would make it sort of hard to scumhunt in that people couldn't really buddy or bus super effectively... a lot of the sleuthing in NOC is in those walls of text and what someone is either saying or not saying about someone else.

that said, i do think it's an interesting idea.
 
I just don't think it would be a very interesting setup. There's nothing really to read into since everyone can say the same thing, so little quirks like people's posting style/tone and all that gets removed. Can't really see it being all too fun since all the options people normally have of getting "reads" is reduced, so it's even more luck based than usual. A better implementation of the same idea would be to limit words/characters of a post, or maybe even limit the number of posts per day.

Or, maybe do something like no in-thread posting, but have the game play out over IRC/showdown. Obviously, the problems with that would be committing to a time-frame, but perhaps if all the players agreed to commit to be on for a 1-hour/30 min time frame with all other times being optional, it might be an interesting game, I dunno.
 

askaninjask

[FLAIL ARMS]
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I just don't think it would be a very interesting setup. There's nothing really to read into since everyone can say the same thing, so little quirks like people's posting style/tone and all that gets removed. Can't really see it being all too fun since all the options people normally have of getting "reads" is reduced, so it's even more luck based than usual.
I agree, this is definitely the biggest problem with the entire idea. I do think though that given enough options as for what to post (i.e. a set of 30 or 40 phrases instead of 5) that scum reads and such things COULD be made.
 
That system would fix most of the problems I have with NOC. According to other sites I play on, my biggest problem is I filler WAY too much. This concept on its own fixes that issue, and erases the overly intimidating walls. Honestly i'd probably enjoy playing something like this
 

LightWolf

lightwoof
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
I'd actually enjoy a NOC game where everyone needs to create or steal memetic GIFs to communicate their points to others.

While I'D LOVE TO PLAY THE SHIT OUT OF IT, this is just a horrid concept defeating the purpose of NOC. A lot of the time in NOC is spent convincing others of your points, because all points are pretty subjective, while it doesn't require as many walls of text as I put out, you can't really restrict people's ability to express their opinions or the games just fail. Not to mention if you stifle speaking there is so little to jump on when it comes to finding scum, which is the point of the whole game, NOC is p much a game of Hide and Seek.

But yes someone host a NOC game where everyone may only communicate through one of the specific methods set up by the host, and then must stick to that, this includes having Ullar make their points for them, talking in twitch emoticons or memetic GIFs, or if you are a boring person fine Hearthstone Emotes.
 
Isn't there a better way to limit walls of text? Say, everyone's post has to fit within twitter's character limit and you can only post x times?
 

shade

be sharp, say nowt
is a Senior Staff Member Alumnusis a Smogon Discord Contributor Alumnus
lets just do no contact at all mafia, you are only allowed to post your lynch vote and send actions to the host
 

UncleSam

Leading this village
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Actually I have an idea

Just only allow quoted posts and lynch votes. Ie if someone wants to say something they have to dig through previous games and find someone who said something similar enough to what they wanted to say.

Such a game might be fun for beginners if everyone has an experienced mentor to help them find posts which reflect their sentiments - it would act as a pseudo Smogon Mafia history lesson to boot.
 
A NOC where to have to be creative to express what you say seems intuitively fun, like a charades-mafia.

Why do we want to limit walls of text in the first place? Mafia is a game where people can analyze and communicate and for some people that comes out in long, well thought out posts. If people don't want to read the walls then they shouldn't and then the wallers should learn to be a little more concise to get their target audience to vote the way they want. That's part of what it means to have social acumen in a game like this.

Little hard and fast rules like x characters and x posts are easily and readily abused. The game looks the way it does because that's the way the personalities settle, and the problem is one of motivation.
 
Why do we want to limit walls of text in the first place? Mafia is a game where people can analyze and communicate and for some people that comes out in long, well thought out posts. If people don't want to read the walls then they shouldn't and then the wallers should learn to be a little more concise to get their target audience to vote the way they want. That's part of what it means to have social acumen in a game like this.

Little hard and fast rules like x characters and x posts are easily and readily abused. The game looks the way it does because that's the way the personalities settle, and the problem is one of motivation.
Because people are lazy and find that having to read walls is "unfun". And to be fair when you get a lot of them, it does become unfun. That said, I think the point that a game like this gets at is that people can find it overwhelming when there's a lot of posts with a lot of words going on for pages and pages. With a setup like this, it limits that, with the idea I think being that the game then becomes accessible for everyone regardless of skill level or experience.

But I definitely agree with you. I think this idea is just about finding a way to make NOC more appealing to those who may not necessarily find the base game fun to play due to things such as a lot of posts/walls.
 

askaninjask

[FLAIL ARMS]
is a Forum Moderator Alumnus
Obviously there are other ways to decrease walls of text, many of which may be better if that is your only goal. I think my game as described could be a fun, low stress experience for those involved - players who want a more refined NOC experience don't have to join, and anyway have a variety of other websites they can play on.
 

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