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Work on the next update of the Werewolf system has started! This second major update will correlate with Werewolf 26: A New Adventure in Old London, and will include features that will help @Neon Abigail host her theme for the game. The overall goals for this update are to allow hosts to create and start games on their own without needing me to do work on the backend for each game, as well as provide specific functionality to help Abbi run her flavor of the game using systems that can be reused in future games. Here are the specific things I'd like to do:

Starting a Game and Adding Players
Approved Werewolf hosts will be able to create a new Werewolf game in the system once they've created the topic it will go in. Current approved hosts are myself, @Michi, @Ruguo, and @Neon Abigail, and there will be a process for others to become approved, too. The reason for this is so that people can't go through and create a bunch of random games that aren't going to be used. This permission is only used for creating the game! A host can add other hosts without this permission to the game, and all will be able to use the host game functions.

Once started, the host will be able to add players to the game by putting in their name or ID number. I considered allowing players to self-join, but I want our Werewolf games to be host-centric, and there may be valid reasons for a host to not allow someone to join their game. I also want to hold the door open for potential private games in the future should the host want to go that route, possibly as a donator perk.

Roles, Abilities, and Effects
This update will also introduce a role system, an ability system, and an effects system. Roles will attach to players, and will contain abilities that players will be able to use in the game. Effects may be applied to players either by the host or through the use of abilities, and impact the way they interact with the game and the system. Not all roles and abilities may be included in the system for Werewolf 26, but the ones Abbi has told me would be most helpful for her to have will be included.

Vote Power
This is a hold-over from WW25 and the related discussion. Hosts will be able to assign a default vote power to players, where 1 = 1 vote, 2 = 2 votes, etc. This is meant to be the default vote power for that player for every round in the game, but can be overridden by abilities or effects, which themselves can have singular or multiple uses.

If time permits, I may add other minor features, and I'm sure there will be plenty of bug fixes, but this is the plan for the next version. Please feel free to give your thoughts and feedback in this topic.

Amazing work thank you so much for all you do

Work continues on the system! Here are a few updates:

Create a Werewolf Game
Approved hosts can now create a Werewolf game by creating a topic in the Werewolf forum, then going to More->Add Werewolf. This will create the basic components behind the scenes and display the Werewolf game information at the top of the topic. The idea is that from there the host will be able to add players and set up aspects of the game (though this portion isn't in the system yet).

Werewolf Game Status
Werewolf games now have one of three statuses. Created means that the game has been made but not started, active means the game has started and is in progress, and finished means the game is over. The game status will control what is displayed and allowed. For example, depending on that status, the first line on the page will say the game hasn't started, give current round and phase, or indicate that a game finished on a certain round and phase. Also, player votes will only register when a game is active to prevent players from voting before or after a game.

Other Minor Updates
1) Added restriction that only the topic OP can create a Werewolf game (if all other requirements are met)
2) Fixed bug where game wouldn't display if it didn't have a co-host
3) Removed 2019 game module system (I took a crack at a module system for Werewolf, Mage Wars, etc. back then, but it didn't get very far)
4) If there are no co-hosts, the "Other Hosts" field will not show in the game display.

Another update!

Adding Players: Host Approval
Hosts can now add players to their game by going to Players, then clicking the "Add Players" button on the top-right of the list and typing in the name of the player they want to add. This is the only method to add players to a game after it's already started (adding subs, etc.).

Adding Players: Self-Join
Host can also enable the option to allow players to join on their own by going to Host Options and checking the box for "Enable Self-Join?". When Self-Join is enabled, a button will appear on the top-right of the Werewolf area for members to join the game. Once clicked, they're added to the game without the host having to do anything. This option is disabled by default, so once the game is created the host will need to enable it if they want to use this method.

I invite anyone interested to test the join button in my test game.

Disclaimer: The ability to host private games (restricted to only certain people such as friends) may become a donator perk in the future. However for now, whether Self-Join is enabled or not, hosts are expected to allow all interested players to join unless they have a good reason not to include them. If you as a host feel the need to exclude a player that wants to join, please consult with the Jarl of Werewolf (@Ruguo) before the game starts.

Other Minor Updates
1) Player status can now only be changed by a host when the game is in progress.
2) Incorrect profile links on the Players page have been corrected.

Adding Players: Self-Join
Host can also enable the option to allow players to join on their own by going to Host Options and checking the box for "Enable Self-Join?". When Self-Join is enabled, a button will appear on the top-right of the Werewolf area for members to join the game. Once clicked, they're added to the game without the host having to do anything. This option is disabled by default, so once the game is created the host will need to enable it if they want to use this method.

I invite anyone interested to test the join button in my test game.

Disclaimer: The ability to host private games (restricted to only certain people such as friends) may become a donator perk in the future. However for now, whether Self-Join is enabled or not, hosts are expected to allow all interested players to join unless they have a good reason not to include them. If you as a host feel the need to exclude a player that wants to join, please consult with the Jarl of Werewolf (@Ruguo) before the game starts.

What about player caps? I know those have been a thing in the past.

I also think that any self-join option should also have a self-leave option. (UI principle of being easy to undo changes.) Though I suppose asking the host to remove you if you accidentally join would be an alright workaround.

A good question since my game is capped 

There's only so much I can do in a day.

It's in the plans for Self-Join (of course, the host will always be able to add players beyond the cap).

The next update is here!

More Player Options
Hosts can now specify a maximum number of players in the Host Options panel. The default is 0, which means that there's no limit to how many players can join. However, this setting only applies to self-join, and hosts can manually add players beyond this limit. Also, per @taulover's suggestion players now have an option to leave the game if it hasn't started yet. Hosts can also kick players from the game if it hasn't started yet. Once the game starts, these options are disabled and the host should instead kill off inactive players in line with any rules they have for inactivity in their game.

Start Game Button
Once the game has been created, hosts now have the option to start the game. This will change the game status to active, the round number to 1, and the phase number to day. Once the game is started, it cannot be reversed back to created but not started without backend effort, so be sure you really want to start the game when you push the button!

Advance/Reverse Round Options Moved
The links to advance and reverse a phase have been moved from the host options panel to the main screen and turned into arrow buttons, which show before and after the round and phase information. The system for changing the phase has also been completely rewritten, but the importance of that will be revealed in a later update.

<3

This system has come an incredibly long way in a breathtakingly short time. 

One thing that might also be useful is a feature to let the host designate a post cap. An easy system to do ISOs and Multi-ISOs would also be very helpful in bigger games. 

This system has come an incredibly long way in a breathtakingly short time.

One thing that might also be useful is a feature to let the host designate a post cap. An easy system to do ISOs and Multi-ISOs would also be very helpful in bigger games.

A post count tracker at least is something I've requested

@Laurentus: The things you can do when you set your mind to it.

With around a week to go I'm not sure I'll be able to get everything planned into the system before Abbi's game starts, but I hope to have another update or two this week that will add at least some of the things she'd requested, and I can continue to work on it into the game itself. Ultimately, Werewolf is a big draw for Wintreath, and it does good for us to diversify into things other than NationStates...hopefully in the future I can use the same module system to allow people to host their own Clickwar and Mage Wars games, too.

Good point on the ISOs, since usually that's the biggest thing players ask for. I guess we do still have the print page as the hacky ISO.

@Laurentus: The things you can do when you set your mind to it.

With around a week to go I'm not sure I'll be able to get everything planned into the system before Abbi's game starts, but I hope to have another update or two this week that will add at least some of the things she'd requested, and I can continue to work on it into the game itself. Ultimately, Werewolf is a big draw for Wintreath, and it does good for us to diversify into things other than NationStates...hopefully in the future I can use the same module system to allow people to host their own Clickwar and Mage Wars games, too.

At this rate MU better watch out, because we're every day getting more on their level with features, and we may end up surpassing them.  

The next update (and probable final one before the game starts) is here! Unfortunately, I haven't gotten as far as I would have liked at this point, so development will continue during the game itself. But onward to the update!

Round Post Counters
Games now have a Posts page where you can see how many posts a player has made each round. You can see an example of this in our last game. 

On the chart, B is the period before the game started, which could be player signups or game discussion. In this case, the only post was Ruguo indicating that the game would begin the next day. A is the period after the game ended, which is usually where people talk about the game in general. Bolded rows indicate that the member is a host, and grey rows indicate that the member is neither a host or a player. I'm guessing from this and Abbi's post you can tell where the next update is going.  But this page will also be updated in the future as time allows.

Minor Bug Fixes

• Fixed issue where votes were displayed for the wrong game
• Fixed issue where leaving or kicking a player would delete them from all current or past games they were a part of