Organization & Mafia; what works best for Modding a game

[Red2111]

any other mods that have tips or different ways they organize their games please add them :)  eventually we all might be able to consolodate our methods for running games and make a niffty how-to guide for newbie mods as well as teach older mods some new tricks

 

 

okay so there have been many questions lately on how to mod a Mafia game.  aside from picking the roles you're goign to use and getting your game as balanaced as possible, organization of the game related info is the next important step.  

 

 

most mods agree that the two most useful documents are microsoft Excel as well as a Word Processor.  some Mods choose to use only one, while other mods (like myself) use both

 

"Why do i need to keep track of the actions, you ask?"  well it's simple.  players like to know what went on behind the scenes once a Mafia game is completed.  most will want to know "Who killed me?!"   so having an action tracker sheet allows the mod to find all the game info in one easy place and is much better than digging through PM's.

 

 

for tracking the actions of the game, i find that setting up a spread sheet is the simplest method. the link below is an example of the spread sheet used during my Gilligan's Island Mafia game.  link

 

my aim with each spread sheet is to make it as easy on me as possible.  having to look for impotant game related info (especially in bigger games) can mess up a mod and make the experience of running a Mafia game a real P.I.A. so i try to have all the important info on the action tracker sheet for easy finding.  

 

so i include a players list with their roles, a lynch/nk record, and i seperate the day actions and night actions.   it's also helpful to list any onetime use roles (such as a recruitment ability) seperate.  

 

 

 

now i mentioned that i also use a word Doc (multiple word docs actually) along with my spread sheet.

 

here is the word doc i used in my Gilligan's Island Mafia  link

 

 

this in my Game Set-Up Doc which includes a more detailed listing of the roles i used, as well as the rules for the game and i also save a copy of each Role PM i send out in the beginning of the game.  the Role PM's are also another thing which players like to see posted after a game concludes and keeping them with the Game Set-Up Doc makes them easier to find so again i'm not forced to sort through my PM box at the end of the game.

 

 

other things i use a Word Doc for would be if i'm keeping a story with the game, if a player has the ability to hand out PR's, or if there is a lie detector.  in these cases, i keep a seperate word doc for each (which i did in my Scooby-Doo Mafia)

 

 

oh, and because there are multiple documents for the games, i usually set up a folder that is game specific.  or instance i have a Mafia folder located on my desktop and each game i'm planning has it's own folder and all game related info goes into its specific game folder, this way i can keep each games info together and don't get them mixed up.  sicne i sometimes run multiple games at once, i wouldn't want to mix up action trackers of the games.

 

 

the directory looks somethign like this

 

Mafia >

       Saw

       Matrix

       Scooby-Doo

       Harry Potter

       Gilligans Island >

                          game pic.gif                    

                          tracker.xls

                          set-up.doc

                          story.doc

 

 

 

[Charis alAslan]

Red! This is exactly what I was looking for! Thanks so much!  ;D

[Red2111]

np glad i could help :)

[LilyElizabeth]

This is an example of what goes on my Word doc. This is Day Five of Disney:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Day five powers: Graverobber (Naeann) Watchmaker (Verbal) Godfather for a day (Pete)

 

 

 

Ah! Another day begins. Your numbers are certainly shrinking. You wonder who is no longer with you today, and you don’t have to wait long to find out.  Alanna and Pookie are sleeping in their beds. You can’t wake them. Alanna’s breath smells slightly of apple. Pookie’s does not. You also find Sarah in a narrow alley between buildings, crumpled to the ground. Clearly, there are signs of a struggle, and a piece of apple lying in the dust.

 

Alanna, Copper from The Fox and the Hound, Tracker, town-aligned, is sleeping

 

Pookie, Merryweather, Roleblocker, town-aligned, is asleep

 

Sarah, Danny the Great Dane from the Twilight Bark, town-aligned, Recruiting Mason, is snoozing

 

 

This was not a good night for the town. Or was it?

 

It is now Day Five. You have until Monday 8PM MST to reach a majority of votes. With 14 awake, you need 8 to lynch.

 

 

 

Millon’s vote doesn’t count today

 

 

Vote count:

 

Limi (8 ) – Adella, Amadine, Boopsy, Tigraine, Marta, Verbal, Cairos, Mcs

Adella (1) – Naeann

Naeann (1) – Limi

Millon (1) - Wombat

 

Not voting: Millon, Pete, Sam

 

With 14 awake, it takes 8 to lynch.

 

You have until Monday 8PM MST. Good luck!

 

 

 

The arguing was fast and furious, and it centered around two people – Adella and Limi. Most of you felt that Adella was telling the truth, and pretty quickly began to demand that Limi be put to sleep. It was a struggle, but she finally gave in, touching the apple to her own lips. Her final words were “It won’t do you any good. We’ve already won.”

 

Little Miss, Mater turned Happy, Empowerer turned mafia, is asleep

 

It is now Night until Monday 8PM MST. Please get your night actions in promptly.

 

 

 

Boopsy doubles nobody

 

Adella watches Wombat

Amadine watches Marta

Mafia nightkills Mcs

Marta steals vote from Millon

Mcs enhances to 100%

Millon frames Boopsy

Naeann curses Verbal

Sam roleblocks Tigraine

Verbal 50% puts Boopsy to sleep - succeeds

Wombat views 50% Verbal – not mafia

 

PMs

 

Adella – The following people were targeted last night: Wombat, Marta, Mcs, Millon, Boopsy, Verbal, Tigraine

 

Amadine – The following actions were attempted last night: Neighborhood Watch X2, put to sleep X2, vote stolen, frame, curse, mafia roleblock, finder viewing

 

Verbal  - You were cursed. Your power will function at 50% for the rest of the game. Which means your kills have a 50% chance of not going through.

 

Wombat – Verbal is not mafia

 

 

 

And this is a copy of my Excel spreadsheet. I often had to refer to the role PM's so having them handy was a big help. The columns with the numbers were to track that a player had posted each day/night cycle - one of my rules. At the start of the game, they were alphabetized, and as players died (or were put to sleep) they were moved to the bottom. I also highlighted them - dead were grey, mafia - green, etc.