Posts from Workshop

I present to you Mafia setting №15, a version close to final. Here is only the game description and closed roles, and the ND order. Rules, illustrations, and open roles will be presented in the game thread.

Attention! The planned game is the first game on ХВ with open roles. Example of a game with open roles

...They have come for me. After so many years of peace and tranquility, I must once again don my chainmail and traveling cloak. I must join them and participate in the affairs of the Higher Ones once more. Recent events bode nothing good - Baldr has fallen into Niflhel, the terrible winter of Fimbulvetr has passed, Fenrir and Garmr have broken their chains. The squad I will join as a guide is small in number, but strong in skill - only Óðinn may know how the most glorious of the living, the most legendary einherjar, the wisest skalds, alfar, and even one of the valkyries managed to gather together. And each of them is aided by some Higher Power; each has their own. I have sworn to lead them to Bifröst itself, where the squad will enter the final battle, the Battle of the Gods...
But on whose side?

About the Game
There are four sides of power in the game.
Asgard - the fortress of the Aesir, analogous to the town. Victory: no other powers remain.
Niflhel - the land of the dead, analogous to the mafia. Victory: absence of Muspelheim and Jotunheim forces, numerical superiority over Asgard forces.
Muspelheim - the land of fire, analogous to a maniac. Victory: no other powers remain.
Jotunheim - the land of giants, analogous to a maniac. Victory: no other powers remain.

Closed Roles
Asgard

Power of Odin (Óðinn) Status +
The High Aesir, progenitor of all Aesir, who together with two brothers created the ordered world and the people inhabiting it. He sits in Valhalla, where einherjar - the best of warriors fallen in battle - train and feast. Odin goes by many names; ravens and wolves serve him; he is one-eyed, wears a blue cloak and a wide-brimmed hat pulled over his forehead, and travels astride the eight-legged horse Sleipnir. The spear (the unerring Gungnir) - a symbol of military power and magic - is Odin's constant attribute.
PS - "Speeches of the High One" - double vote.
ND - "Lord of Ravens" - sends ravens to watch a target, learning what actions the target performed or were performed upon the target. The target can be one - probability of knowing = 120% (one action + small chance for a second, if any) or two - probability of knowing = 60%. Cannot be used on oneself.

Power of Thor (Þórr) Status +
God of thunder, storm, and fertility, a divine hero protecting the Gods and people from giants and terrible monsters. Thor is depicted as a red-bearded hero armed with the war hammer Mjölnir; he rides in a wagon drawn by goats. Giants strive to steal the hammer (or ensure that Thor arrives in their land without the hammer and belt of strength).
PS - "Strength of the Thunderer" - avoids death at night once.
ND - "Hammer Mjölnir" - at the start of the night, the ГМ sends the name of one player; the one possessing Thor's power can kill them.
As long as Thor is in the game, all players belonging to Asgard forces possess DD - "Thing" - they can send the ГМ the name of a player they consider hostile. If at least one third of the votes from the number of players belonging to Asgard forces is gathered for one of the players, the ГМ sends the name of this player to Thor.

Power of Heimdall (Heimdallr) Status +
Guardian of the Gods, the brightest of the Aesir, considered a son of Odin; his nicknames are "Golden-Horned" and "Golden-Toothed," and his horse is "Golden Mane." As guardian of the gods, Heimdall is distinguished by sharp sight and hearing; his hearing is hidden under the roots of the world ash Yggdrasil, where Odin's eye also resides. Before the end of the world, Heimdall blows the Gjallarhorn ("loud horn"), calling the Gods to the final battle.
ND - "Guardian" - protects a chosen player; with a 50% probability kills the attacker. Cannot be used on oneself.

Power of Njord (Njörðr) Status +
A god among the Vanir, father of Freyr and Freyja. After the war between Aesir and Vanir, he became a hostage to the Aesir and married the giantess Skadi, with whom he lives nine nights in his dwelling Noatun and an equal amount in Trymheim, in the mountains. Njord is wealthy, has power over the sea, wind, and fire, and patronizes navigation, fishing, and hunting of marine animals.
ND - "Lord of the Seas" - learns a player's status.

Power of Freyr (Freyr) Status +
A god among the Vanir, embodying vegetation, harvest, wealth, and peace. Freyr is the son of Njord and brother of Freyja, with whom he had an incestuous relationship. He is the owner of the wonderful boar Gullinbursti ("golden bristle"); another attribute of Freyr, the wonderful ship Skidbladnir ("folded from thin boards"), always has a fair wind, accommodates any number of warriors, and can be folded like a handkerchief.
PS - "Ship Skidbladnir" - 50% probability to avoid a block.
ND - "Fertility" - comes to a chosen living player and resurrects them (saves only from one killing). Cannot be used on oneself. Also removes poisoning.

Power of Freyja (Freyja) Status +
Freyja ("lady"), daughter of Njord and sister of Freyr, Goddess of fertility, love, and beauty. She rides in a team of cats; her attributes are the falcon necklace, capable of turning the owner into a bird, and the Brisingamen belt. Like other Vanir, she is an expert in seidr magic. At the same time, Freyja daily divides and chooses killed warriors with Odin, thus performing the functions of a valkyrie.
ND - "Voice of the Valkyrie" - learns the status of one who has left the game.

Power of Skadi (Skaði) Status -
Goddess-hunter and skier, daughter of the giant Thjazi, wife of God Njord. After the Aesir killed her father, she put on a helmet and chainmail and appeared before the Aesir to avenge him. Skadi agreed to make peace with them on the condition that the aesir make her laugh (Loki succeeds in this) and give her a husband. According to the condition set by the aesir, Skadi chooses a husband by his feet and points to Njord, thinking she is facing the beautiful Baldr.
ND - "Giantess's Hunt" - adopts the characteristics and abilities of a player who has left the game. Used once per game.

Power of Ullr (Ullr) Status +
One of the Aesir, son of Siv and stepson of Thor. He is an excellent archer and skier. Appears as "Aesir-archer," "Aesir-skier," "Aesir of the shield" (the shield is called "ash" or "Ullr's ship"). As God-skier, Ullr was repeatedly compared to and brought close to Skadi.
ND - "Ullr's Shield" - protects a chosen player; with 50% probability dies. Cannot be used on oneself.

Power of Vali (Váli) Status -
Vali is the son of Odin and Rind (stepson of Frigg); a revenge-child who, at one day old, avenged Baldr's murder by killing Hod. After the death of the world and the Gods, Vali, together with other representatives of the "younger generation" of Gods, will live in the renewed world.
PS - "Blood Brother" - upon Baldr leaving the game, learns the name of the player who killed him.
ND - "Revenge" - killing without possibilities for resurrection or protection. Not blocked. Used once per game.

Power of Baldr (Baldr) Status +
Baldr ("lord") - a young Aesir embodying spring. He is beautiful, bright, and benevolent; his eyelashes are compared to snow-white plants. After Baldr began having disturbing dreams, Odin travels to Niflhel to learn Baldr's fate from the völva. She predicts that Baldr will die at the hand of the blind god Hod. Frigg took an oath from all things and beings — from fire and water, iron and other metals, stones, earth, trees, diseases, beasts, birds, snake venom — that they would not bring harm to Baldr; she only failed to take an oath from a insignificant sprig of mistletoe. One day, while the gods were amusing themselves by shooting at the now-invulnerable Baldr, the malicious Loki slips a mistletoe rod to the blind god Hod, and he kills Baldr.
PS - "Frigg's Oath" - Baldr cannot be executed.
ND1 - "Forces of Nature" - changes the target for the ND of a chosen player.
ND2 - "Spring" - on the night of application, no players will leave the game. Also cures poisoning. Used once per game.

Power of Bragi (Bragi) Status +
Bragi ("poet," "best," "main") - God-skald, husband of goddess Idunn. The name Bragi possibly indicates a connection to the sacred intoxicating drink.
ND - "Art of the Skald" - observes a chosen player and writes a vísu (poem, not necessarily rhyming), in which what happened to the player is described (additional clues may be given). Three times per game can "publish" a poem in the "newspaper" (including posthumously). Cannot be used on oneself.

Power of Tyr (Týr) Status -
God-guardian of warrior rules, patron of wars, assemblies, and duels. Tyr is wise and the bravest; he is called upon in battle and duels; one of Tyr's kennings (poetic metaphors) is "God of Battle." During the Gods' taming of the monster — the wolf Fenrir, Tyr, to confirm that the chain placed by the gods on Fenrir would not harm him, places his right hand in the wolf's mouth, which Fenrir immediately bites off (hence Tyr's epithet — "one-armed").
ND - "Rules of Battle" - blocks a chosen player. If the player performed a checking ND this night, their result will not arrive with 50% probability. Cannot be used on oneself.

Power of Forseti (Forseti) Status +
Forseti ("chairman"), God among the Aesir who resolves disputes (chairman of the thing); son of Baldr and Nanna. Embodies justice.
PS - "Justice" - his vote against a player who committed a night killing is doubled.
ND - "Forseti's Scales" - compares statuses of two players (result - different/same).

Niflhel

Power of Loki (Loki) Status + until the first killing committed, then -
Loki is a God among the Aesir who sometimes enters into hostile relations with other Gods, mocking them and displaying a whimsical-malicious character, cunning, and guile. Loki and the giantess Angrboda sired chthonic monsters — Hel, mistress of the realm of the dead, the wolf Fenrir, and the world serpent Jörmungandr. Having changed gender and turning into a mare, Loki also sired Sleipnir — Odin's eight-legged horse. During the final battle of Gods and monsters, he brings a ship made of the nails of the dead from Niflhel to fight the Gods; he himself fights Heimdall and they kill each other.
ND1 - "Loki's Schemes" - blocks a chosen player. If the player performed a checking ND this night, their result will not arrive with 50% probability. Cannot be used on oneself.
ND2 - "Cunning Aesir" - killing.

Power of Hel (Неl) Status -
Chthonic monster, Goddess of the underworld, daughter of Loki and a giantess. She herself is half blue, half the color of flesh; she stoops and has a fierce appearance. Her halls are called Damp Mist.
ND1 - "Mistress of the Dead" - comes to a chosen living player and resurrects them (saves only from one killing). Cannot be used on oneself. Also removes poisoning. Used three times per game.
ND2 - "Underworld Kingdom" - killing.

Power of Fenrir (Fenrir) Status -
Giant wolf, son of Loki and a giantess. The Gods first kept Fenrir with them, and only Tyr dared to feed him. Since all prophecies said that Fenrir was created for their destruction, the Gods put the Leding chain on him, but Fenrir easily broke it, as well as another chain, Dromi. At the request of the Gods, the dvergar made the strongest chain Gleipnir from the sound of cat footsteps, a woman's beard, mountain roots, bear sinews, fish breath, and bird saliva; the Gods put this chain on him and bound the wolf, during which he bit off Tyr's right hand, who had placed it in Fenrir's mouth as a sign that the Gods would not harm the wolf. Before the end of the world, Fenrir breaks free from his bonds and in the final battle of chthonic monsters and giants with the Gods, swallows Odin.
DD - "Gleipnir Chain" - during execution kills a chosen player among those who voted against Fenrir.
ND - "Terrible Wolf" - killing.

Power of Jörmungandr (Jörmungandr) Status -
World serpent, one of the three chthonic monsters sired by the giantess Angrboda from Loki. Jörmungandr lives in the world ocean, surrounding the inhabited land — Midgard. In the final battle before the death of the world, Thor and Jörmungandr fight again; Thor strikes the serpent but dies himself from the same poison spewed by Jörmungandr.
ND - "Serpent's Venom" - poisons a chosen player. The player leaves the game on the following night.

Power of Hod (Höðr) Status +
Hod ("fighter") - blind God among the Aesir, killer of the bright God Baldr. Killed by Vali, who avenged Baldr's murder, Hod comes back to life in the renewed world and reconciles with Baldr.
ND1 - "Blindness" - comes to a player at night; if he finds Baldr - kills.
After Baldr's death, receives ND2 - "Loki's Advice" - killing.

Jotunheim

Power of Ymir (Ymir) Status -
Ymir, the first giant and in general the first anthropomorphic being. When the rivers called Elivagar ("turbulent waves") froze into ice, poisonous frost emerged from them, filling the world abyss Ginnungagap. Under the influence of heat from Muspelheim, the frost began to melt and turned into the giant Ymir. The cow Audumla, who arose from the melted frost, fed Ymir with her milk; from the salty stones she licked, Buri emerged, ancestor of the Gods, father of Bor. A boy and a girl were born under Ymir's armpits, and his legs produced a son - all they gave rise to giants. The sons of Bor — Odin and his brothers later killed Ymir and created the world from his body: Ymir's flesh became earth, blood — sea, bones — mountains, skull — sky, and hair — forest; the walls of Midgard were built from Ymir's eyelashes.
PS - "Strength of the Jotun" - avoids death at night once.
DD - "Frost" - a chosen player's vote is not counted during execution.
ND - "Giant's Malice" - killing.

Muspelheim

Power of Surtr (Surtr) Status -
Surtr ("black"), fire giant. Before the end of the world, Surtr comes from the south; in the final battle of Gods and chthonic forces, he kills God Freyr and then burns the world.
PS - "Black Giant" - 50% probability to avoid a block.
ND - "Fire Sword" - kills a chosen player and all who came to them at night with a 75% probability. For each player, the probability is calculated separately.

ND Order.
I. Checking NDs.
II. Blocking NDs.
III. Protective NDs.
IV. Killings.
1. "Revenge" (Vali)
2. "Fire Sword" (Surtr)
3. "Serpent's Venom" (Jörmungandr)
4. "Blindness" and "Loki's Advice" (Hod)
5. "Giant's Malice" (Ymir)
6. "Terrible Wolf" (Fenrir)
7. "Hammer Mjölnir" (Thor)
8. "Underworld Kingdom" (Hel)
9. "Cunning Aesir" (Loki)
V. Resurrecting NDs

All mythological information is taken from the website http://norse.ulver.com/

Thanks to the mythology and the non-player characters tailored to it, the result is quite interesting and, most importantly, logical. You can't achieve that with a standard setting.
P.S. I've already spotted a couple of roles that I wouldn't mind playing.

P.P.S. Veg, is it okay that in that Mafia game, the roles were chosen first, and then the non-player characters were revealed? I guess I haven't fully grasped it yet; it will become clearer as the game progresses.

How interesting and intricate! I'll take a closer look later, but for now, it looks promising. The evolution of the faction is evident. We'll see how it turns out.

with open roles

I don't understand what that means :o. Please explain it in a simple way. :)
But I like the game itself. Even though it will be even more complex than Magnus's.

Check out the example of a game with open roles. It seems pretty straightforward there :) It's challenging, yes, but I tried not to make it too complicated by introducing something new or special features... the website I linked to as an example hosts Mafia games that are much more complex than ours :)

Added 27 minutes later

P.S. Veg, is it okay that in that Mafia game, there was a choice of roles at the beginning, and then they released the nD?).. although I guess I haven't fully figured it out yet; it will become clear as the game progresses.

This is just an example of a game. Besides, there's a game theme there, and here it's just a workshop ;) Here, you can say, it's the backstage of the game, which can be subjected to balancing. The beautiful and delicious things will be in the game theme, as a dessert :)

Here, they were talking about slaves, in general:
The idea arose to create a mafia in the future, where there would be 4 or 5 mafia groups, and no citizens as such, at best 2 or 3 people, and even then, they would be more like serial killers: in the style of a doppelganger or something like that.
Setting: the world of the East, ancient times, secret societies, the gesture of an outstretched hand, the world of I.A.O....

Here, they were talking about slaves, in general:
The idea arose to create a mafia in the future, where there would be 4 or 5 mafia groups, and no citizens as such, at best 2 or 3 people, and even then, they would be treated as serial killers: in the style of a doppelganger or something like that.
Setting: the world of the East, ancient times, secret societies, the gesture of an outstretched hand, the world of I.A.O....

That's interesting; everyone knows that almost everyone is a mafia member and constantly accuses each other of it. They execute the serial killers first so that they don't interfere, and then they deal with each other. But then there will be many murders, and every day at least 2 killers will have to be hanged, which means the mafia game will be short.
I hope I understood the idea correctly.

Well, not exactly, and it's not necessary that each mafia will only have Night Actions (ND) for killing. We plan to expand the range of their capabilities: one mafia will be combat-focused, another will mainly focus on recruitment, a third might specialize in defense, and the fourth will gather information and deliver precise strikes. Essentially, there will be groups of alliances with 3-4 people each, and the townspeople will have a hard time, but they will transition to a different status than they are used to: "win by numbers." + It would also be worth introducing a regulation for Night Actions, to spread out the killings, for example, one killing every 2 days per mafia, because 4 victims is too many. Also, give a choice for a second Night Action: check/defense/second kill, etc., depending on the type of mafia.

Setting: Sicily, mid-20th century.

Cosa Nostra
The Mafia has one murder per night.

Don – the "Godfather" of the mafia group, engaged in illegal business. When left alone in the family, he gains the ability to kill.
Special Ability: "Drug Trafficking" - blocks the Special Ability of the chosen character.
Status +
Weapon – a collectible 13th-century crossbow (melee)

Consigliere – the Don's personal advisor, has his own law firm. When there are no Caporegimes left in the family, he gains the ability to kill.
Special Ability: "Bribery" - limits the daytime voting of the chosen player to three candidates selected by the Mafia. The Game Master sends the list to the player.
Status +
Weapon – a letter opener (melee)

Caporegime (x2) – a captain, commanding a combat unit of the family. From the beginning of the game, he has the ability to kill.
Status –
Weapon – "Tommy Gun" (Thompson submachine gun) (ranged)

Manic

Pyromaniac – a dangerous individual with a special passion for fire and suffers from severe paranoia.
Special Ability: "Arson" - with a 75% probability, he burns the victim and everyone who came to the victim that night. Protection has priority over "Arson."
Passive Ability: "Paranoia" - hides from one chosen player each night. All actions of this player directed at the Pyromaniac have no effect.
Status –
Weapon - none

Town

Judge – a well-known and respected person in the city, the townspeople listen to his words.
Passive Ability: "Justice" - double vote.
Status +
Weapon - none

Doctor – a worker at the local hospital, ready to come to any call at any time.
Special Ability: "Resuscitation" - returns a player eliminated that night to the game, but only if only one murder was used against him.
Status +
Weapon – scalpel (melee)

Police Chief – the head of the city police station, dreams of eradicating all crime in the city. Knows the Sergeant, can communicate with him.
Special Ability: "Information Gathering" - checks the status of the chosen player.
Status +
Weapon – Beretta pistol (ranged)

Sergeant – a young police officer working at the city police station. Knows the Police Chief, can communicate with him. After the death of the Police Chief, he receives his Special Ability and the results of the checks.
Special Ability: "Summon to the Station" - blocks the Special Ability of the chosen player for one night.
Status +
Weapon – Walther pistol (ranged)

Vagrant – a homeless person in the city, walking around the city at night and observing the residents.
Special Ability: "Night Walk" - observes the chosen player; if a murder is directed at him, he dies instead. Has priority over arson.
Status –
Weapon - none

Thief – a city burglar, earning a living by stealing.
Special Ability: "Theft" - learns the type of Special Ability used by the target and can use it on the next night; on the night the stolen Special Ability is used, the person from whom it was stolen cannot use it. Each resident can have their Special Ability stolen only once.
Status –
Weapon – knife (melee)

Padre (Madre) – a local priest, opposed to all violence.
Special Ability: "Blessing" - protects one of the town's residents. Protection has priority over arson.
Status +
Weapon - none

Townsman (x4) – an ordinary city resident.
Status +
Weapon - none

Abilities for townspeople (not displayed in the newspaper, except for successful liberation; cannot become an additional target for the Pyromaniac)
Firearms Collector – check for firearms (yes/no).
Melee Weapons Collector – check for melee weapons (yes/no).
Analyst – comparison of statuses (same/different), cannot compare with oneself.
Liberator – frees from all blocks.

Order of Special Abilities:
1) Blocking
2) Checks
3) Protection
4) Murders
5) Healing
In case of controversial situations, the order of Special Abilities of the same type is determined randomly; the exception is that arson always occurs before other murders.

You're rushing again.
The images aren't suitable—not only are the styles, colors, and sizes different, but so are the time periods.

What on earth is this "Fortress" soldier in the image? How does he protect, and in what way—there are different types of protection. Explanations should be provided immediately in the role description.

The Young Warrior isn't very young. The protection isn't detailed.

How does the Merchant block?

The Bogatyr "Kills ND"? O_o

Prince is not a rank, it's a title. "ND of choice"—write all explanations in the role. Scrolling back and forth gets annoying quickly.
Nobleman and Boyar are the same thing. And there was never slavery in Rus.
By the way—how are they going to do all this?

How does the Potter find out the status? Especially if it's not specified for anyone?

Does the Blacksmith grant killing for the entire game? What will happen then? O_o
How does the Polovtsian block? Does the Swede check?

Tatar
Byzantine
Polovtsian
Tumen
Mongol
Swede

How were they all able to unite? Mongols and Tatars of that time were the same people. By the way, by the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, the Polovtsians and Pechenegs had already become part of Rus; their blood had mixed with the Slavs.

How does the Shaman block?

The role descriptions are sparse and made up out of thin air.
With this many killings and a lack of variety in ND, the game will turn into something unrecognizable. You won't get twenty people for this.

As it stands, this isn't considered a setting.

Added after 1 minute

Russian lands.

By the way, "russian" is written with a lowercase letter.

I agree with Vegtam; it seems a bit inconsistent, especially since I don't understand the reasons for such hatred from the Byzantine towards the Rus'. But I would like to respond to some points.

Does the Bogatyr "kill ND"? O_o

It's the same as "kills a person with ND"; crabby just jumped the gun.

How does the potter know the status? Especially if it's not listed anywhere?

Well, as I understand it, the potter is hired to make dishes, and the guy is attentive, he watches the employer, sees where and what, asks here and there, and that's how he figures it out. And you can figure out the statuses later; you don't have to start the Mafia tomorrow. And here, I'll delve into history.

The Mongols and Tatars of that time were the same people.

No, the Tatars were one of the Mongol tribes, although it's clear that the author chose the wrong words here.

By the way, the Polovtsy and Pechenegs had already become part of Rus' by the time of the Tatar-Mongol yoke, and their blood had mixed with the Slavic blood.

The Pechenegs as a tribal formation did not exist at all by the time of the Mongol-Tatar invasion; our princes took care of them a little. But I'm not claiming that there were no representatives of their people at all. As for the Polovtsy, they didn't merge at all; they stood out as a tribal formation until that time, they just became quieter, and the Mongol-Tatars finished them off in the period of approximately 1237-1240. But in general, the setting does not specify the time period :D

OMG, the Fortress guy's horns on his head are just perfect (considering they appeared oh-là-là much later, the young warrior is just the right age... and the merchant: if these are Mongols, where did paper money come from O_O About the nobleman as well: what opera is this from? Of course, mixing the 13th century with the 19th is great. (not to mention they didn't exist as such back then) And a hunter with a firearm....I'll keep quiet about the Byzantine...some kind of Cossack...by God...About the Tumen...reading the wiki: it denotes a unit of the size "darkness", but here it's some warrior not of the Mongol type at all...Next: a Mongol...an interesting flag on his back)) And a Swede in a sheet - the peak of the season, they decided to dress lightly after the Battle on the Ice?) I'll only say about the shaman that he's ripped from the wiki, where he's described as a resident of Altai. In short, everything is very crap at the moment. If this is the future of Mafia on HeroesWorld, then Zubr has probably rolled over in his army more than once

Added after 7 minutes
Ah yes, I didn't read the description...a boyar with slaves...that's mega...
Byzantine:
builder of the legendary Tower... me no understand...
and also a writer...where from? In ancient Rus', they mainly wrote chronicles or hagiographies, literature for high society began to appear in the 17th or 18th century. And Leo Tolstoy rolled over together with Zubr
And another description: also crap...everything was made by template: which, which, which - occurs in more than 50% or 75% percent of all the text...

Arandor, what’s up with your mafia?

You should have asked how my studies are going. You don't even seem interested (
You'll get your Mafia game, I just need to find a few more pieces of art. Even if the rest don't match each other, I don't care, as long as I have them. And yes, I need exactly 20 people; I won't reduce the number.
Ugh, the most worrying thing is whether I'll be able to handle the role of GM... I can write the newspaper, even if it's not very good, but I'm not sure about the clues. But I'll try to make them decent, maybe even more logical than informative, so they can't be solved by just searching online.

Added 44 seconds later
I don't know when it will start yet, maybe in a couple of weeks. It depends on my mood.

Added 13 minutes later
Oh yeah, I might make the rules even stricter. Some people are getting too relaxed.
This will mainly concern activity (both daytime and nighttime, i.e., ND), revealing roles to "close" people who are also participating in the Mafia (immediate modkill and exclusion from future games, at least mine, and there will be one for sure), and so on.
I was also thinking about selectively accepting people into the game because some people sign up and then disappear. This needs to stop

And yes, I need exactly 20 people; I won't reduce the number.

+

selectively accept people into the game because some sign up and then disappear.

=
summary: