View Topic

1) Why are you running for this position?
I am running for this position since it seems like a good position to contribute to games of Werewolf from. Also because I have some interest in hosting some games of Werewolf and I want to update some of the Werewolf forum information.

2) What do you aim to accomplish as thane? As part of this, you must include at least one thing that you promise to do beyond the minimum listed duties of the position during your term. It should be measurable, so that it's black and white whether you fulfilled this mandate at the end of the term if you are elected.
I have a few goals here. My main goal is to make sure multiple games of Werewolf run during the term, both on the forum and Discord, hopefully one of those being one of my Werewolf ideas. Another goal is to finally update the Hall of Winners thread, possibly with some additional stats. While I am inactive on the RMB, I know other forum and Discord users are active there so I would encourage/delegate volunteers/chosen people to discuss Werewolf on the RMB and on the RMB of embassy regions. Discussing the games on the RMB should do more to spread interest and understanding of the game than advertisements (though the latter can help) because the ones participating in the discussion can be there to answer questions that are not answered by advertisements and announcements while also providing extra useful tidbits.

2a) If you are an incumbent running for re-election, did you fulfill your mandate from the last election? If not, why didn't you?
N/A

3) What qualifications or experience do you have in the area that you are running in?
I have experience as a player in more than 5 games of Wintreath forum Werewolf, a player in multiple offsite games of Werewolf (not Mafia Universe or 10K Islands though), a small amount of Among Us experience, and quite a bit of Town of Salem experience. I do not have experience as Thane of Werewolf but I have run multiple other games on the forums and on Discord (mostly the former) such as Spyfall, Arena, Jackbox games (mostly private), and spam games. These are relevant experiences because they show that while most of my hosted games remain incomplete, I have adapted to understand how running forum games works relatively well. Plus the variety of games and media I have some knowledge of provides a sizeable pool of ideas for games to host and cohost. Also I have shared some of these ideas with others and received positive feedback about them, I will definitely work on them more but at least having frameworks for games of Werewolf is good right?

4) How do you plan to have the time to fulfill the duties of the position until the next election?
I am unemployed irl and also finished attending university for at least the rest of the year so those will not be leaching from my available time unless that situation changes (which is probably unlikely). Aside from that, it is likely that I will go on a trip during this or the next month and possible I will move which will certainly disrupt my time but I have still maintained some activity in prior examples of those scenarios, I should still be able to keep some activity up even then. Also, I know to delegate ideas to other people.

5) Are you currently a part of any other NationStates regional or organizational government? If so, please include those regions and positions.

N/A


I can explain parts of the Werewolf ideas that I have and of course answer other questions.

I stated when (technically before) nominations opened that I believed collaboration between the Thane of Werewolf and the Thane of Gaming could be a mutually beneficial arrangement for overall Culture in Wintreath. What were your thoughts on that and the potential of some duo-sponsored events (for example, I’m envisioning a Werewolf and related games tourney somewhere down the line)? Additionally, if you are in favor of such a scenario, do you have any ideas you’d like to bring to the table?  

You’re the only candidate bringing ONWW and the Discord community into the mix- is there a particular goal in mind there?

Heya Kane and welcome to the race! I'll ask you the same thing I asked Aren:

As you know, Werewolf has had an issue lately with participation.  We've generally tend to have to use all sources to pull from out of Wintreath to get people to sign up, since our own folks either burn out or generally just avoid signing up despite playing previous games.

My questions are: Why do you think this has been a continued problem, and what are some potential ways you think we could bring back player interest here and reduce player burnout?

I stated when (technically before) nominations opened that I believed collaboration between the Thane of Werewolf and the Thane of Gaming could be a mutually beneficial arrangement for overall Culture in Wintreath. What were your thoughts on that and the potential of some duo-sponsored events (for example, I’m envisioning a Werewolf and related games tourney somewhere down the line)? Additionally, if you are in favor of such a scenario, do you have any ideas you’d like to bring to the table?

You’re the only candidate bringing ONWW and the Discord community into the mix- is there a particular goal in mind there?

I can definitely see benefits from a Gaming and Werewolf collaboration and while I would probably not compete in a tournament (not a fan of those), I could still provide ideas for ways to combine the two thaneships together for such an event. Town of Salem, forum Werewolf, Among Us, a game I recently heard about called Goose Goose Duck (Steam description of the game), and even Spyfall and the Jackbox game Fakin' It (I actually managed to make a game of this work on a Zoom meeting once so I can apply that idea to Discord if players are willing and able to try it) are some games that could be mixed together for that tournament idea. Outside the context of a tournament (or as part of it), the Thane of Gaming, and other people knowledgeable about different games can try contributing to games of Werewolf using that gaming knowledge. For instance, a role with the Taunt ability that is present in quite a few video games could be interesting in Werewolf (an ability forcing other players to target the player doing the taunting when they use their own abilities).

I never mentioned ONWW here but that is an interesting idea, I know very little about the game though it could definitely be a good way to play Werewolf on Discord. The main reason I brought up Werewolf among the Discord community though is because an idea I have had for a long period of time is to play and host forum style Werewolf on Discord. Obviously some things would have to be different because of the differences between the platforms but if on another Discord server I am in, people can successfully run [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin_(game)] of all games, than we can make Werewolf work on the Wintreath Discord. Also if I remember correctly, Zaphyr might have a Mafia or Werewolf function. If so then that could be tested for a game of Werewolf, if not ONWW could be used as an introduction for new players.

Heya Kane and welcome to the race! I'll ask you the same thing I asked Aren:

As you know, Werewolf has had an issue lately with participation.  We've generally tend to have to use all sources to pull from out of Wintreath to get people to sign up, since our own folks either burn out or generally just avoid signing up despite playing previous games.

My questions are: Why do you think this has been a continued problem, and what are some potential ways you think we could bring back player interest here and reduce player burnout?

Some things taulover pointed out in the linked thread are the first thing I would point out in terms of reasons for activity being a problem (at least regarding long term players not returning for games of Werewolf) which is the sheer increase in posting activity during the games even with post limits since I also see some of those things being issues. I think something that could help (though I'm sure it has been proposed before and someone I think started to do one of these) was running a "throwback game" of Werewolf that is not necessarily vanilla but similar in style to the games that were played before the players from Mafia Universe, 10K Islands, and other sources started to be frequent participants in games here in the region (though I know some were already participating in some of those earlier games such as Aersoldorf and the long inactive aternox and bootsie). While I do value the contributions of Mafia Universe players, the playstyles from games there have noticeably contributed to games with significantly higher post counts and some more in depth examination of posts that can be interpreted as aggressive targeting.

Besides that, increasingly stressful situations in the outside world I am sure are also contributing to lower activity rates and more burnout in Werewolf from current players. For instance some players have caught Covid 19. Because of these reasons, I think it would be a good idea to have some more of those casual games of Werewolf. And then of course mentioning some of those old players more often on here, the Discord, through the RMB, and even through embassy dispatches and some IRC in connection with ideas relating to more casual games of Werewolf could help bring some of the players back for at least one game.

Another way to reduce burnout with potential hosts would be to contribute to putting ideas in the Vault (or another named idea area) Moot proposed last year. They could directly use the ideas there and use parts of them to mix with their own ideas for future games of Werewolf. Additionally, it could be a good idea to emphasize that just because many of the Werewolf games here are complex or have hidden role lists (or both) does not mean that potential new games need to have those same traits by pointing out some other games that have been hosted on here and in other places (such as 10K Islands).

Finally, it could be an interesting idea to try some NS forum Werewolf advertising (if there is Werewolf talk there), especially from users who are experienced there but not in the regional politics that complicate Foreign Affairs (as you, Moot, Ruguo, and a number of other Wintreans are familiar with). Yes this is more pulling from outside Wintreath but there are probably some potential players out there who are not too intense.

Good questions, I'll answer more if asked.


Edit: hopefully fixed a strange formatting issue where a large part of the response was turned into a long hyperlink

Misread- I think in my sleepiness I thought ONWW because Zaphyr has it. Good response Kane, I’ll pop in if I have more questions

Hey there! I have to admit, I can't remember the last time we had such a competitive election for anything, where I couldn't make a decision after giving it a few minutes of thought. So after reading everyone's campaigns, I have some questions...some are specific to you, and some I'm going to be asking everyone running.

1) "If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both". Do you feel there's any danger that adding a second focus on Discord Werewolf will take away from forum Werewolf? Why or why not?

2) We're involved in quite a few areas that compete for time and attention, especially from me: NationStates, Werewolf, and other forum and Discord games. If you had to split the time and energy we put into each as percentages (so they add up to 100%), what would that split be and why? Do you ever foresee a time when Werewolf is a more prominent aspect in Wintreath than NationStates?

3) One of the unique aspects of the Summer season is the Summersend festival, which happens in August. What sort of Werewolf-related ideas and events are you thinking for the festival?

4) Overall, I feel like your campaign is probably the most open to different ideas from other people, so what ideas from your competitors do you like and what ideas do you not like? Are there any that you'd take on if you were to win?

5) Speaking of your competitors, it's stiff competition...what do you bring to the table for Werewolf that none of them do?

Thank you for your answers in advance!

Hey there! I have to admit, I can't remember the last time we had such a competitive election for anything, where I couldn't make a decision after giving it a few minutes of thought. So after reading everyone's campaigns, I have some questions...some are specific to you, and some I'm going to be asking everyone running.

1) "If you chase two rabbits, you will lose them both". Do you feel there's any danger that adding a second focus on Discord Werewolf will take away from forum Werewolf? Why or why not?

2) We're involved in quite a few areas that compete for time and attention, especially from me: NationStates, Werewolf, and other forum and Discord games. If you had to split the time and energy we put into each as percentages (so they add up to 100%), what would that split be and why? Do you ever foresee a time when Werewolf is a more prominent aspect in Wintreath than NationStates?

3) One of the unique aspects of the Summer season is the Summersend festival, which happens in August. What sort of Werewolf-related ideas and events are you thinking for the festival?

4) Overall, I feel like your campaign is probably the most open to different ideas from other people, so what ideas from your competitors do you like and what ideas do you not like? Are there any that you'd take on if you were to win?

5) Speaking of your competitors, it's stiff competition...what do you bring to the table for Werewolf that none of them do?

Thank you for your answers in advance!

1. There's normally a risk when splitting attention and focus like this. In this case I do not think my focusing on Discord Werewolf would take away from Forum Werewolf since the latter is definitely still a strong institution. There already is precedent for mixing together Discord activity with Forum games (for example Werewolf spectator servers have been present for more recent games of Werewolf) I think that adding the Discord focus would ultimately help to strengthen Werewolf in all of the focuses I proposed. Focusing on Discord Werewolf by running Werewolf on Discord I think should help bring in new players from Discord to Forum Werewolf.

2. I would say the time split could be about 30% for Werewolf, 30% for other forum games, 10% for NationStates, and 30% for Discord. The issues part of NationStates doesn't necessarily take much time unless it is a difficult choice, chatting on NationStates about Werewolf would be the bulk of the time I would say for the 10% figure since creating explanatory posts takes far more time than simply mentioning that there are games in posts. When there is a lot of excitement about Werewolf, I can definitely see it becoming a more prominent aspect of Wintreath than the NationStates side for some players but probably not for most. Another idea could be to send telegrams to individual nations that have been in the region but not active on the RMB mentioning the different games in order to see if they show interest in them. Also a couple of polls could help (leaving them open to residents and non-residents alike) since then messages could be sent to players showing interest in the polls about the games.

3. My main idea is to host one or more games of Werewolf on the forums or Discord or both. Other Werewolf ideas I can think of are putting up idea threads on the forums asking for suggestions on possible roles, flavors, and mechanics, not just themes for future games. Another could be a simple questionnaire asking what people think of Werewolf and other games, with one specifically focusing on Werewolf, Town of Salem, and similar games.

4. I am a little worried about the rating system proposed by Abigail and Arenado but I like some of the ideas behind it. Mostly I worry that classifying games will feel overwhelming and that it will contribute to stigmas against games. I think that better explanations and descriptions of the games in the signup threads would help alleviate the issues that seem to be contributing to the calls for the rating system (such as outright stating if a game will be "closed" and explaining what that means). I like Abigail's Werewolf Academy idea since that can be definitely be helpful and unlike the Roleplay Academy, isn't limiting Werewolf to only members of the Academy/Guild. Having a more accurate Upcoming Hosts thread is a good idea but I also think leaving it open for games on multiple platforms is a good idea so that potential hosts and players can see that the games are not limited to the forums. I would definitely be open to Laurentus's advice and feedback about games that they mention. If I become Thane, then I would probably adopt Abigail's community feedback and input idea (in the form of the Summersend role, flavor, and mechanic thread I mentioned earlier, plus a general thread) I would not have the knowhow for implementing the subforum aspect of the Academy idea but the interviews should not be too difficult to add, plus there are information sections already, those could be expanded for this purpose. I could adopt part of the rating idea by making sure to have a post in signup and game threads specifying characteristics of that game of Werewolf (is it vanilla?, does it have unusual mechanics?, does it have unusual roles?, how secretive is the game?, etc.).

5. This does not seem significant but I bring an openness to posting on other regions RMBs about Werewolf along with an ambition to update the records of past games in the Halls of Winners. Something more significant that I bring is the experience I have participating in games of Werewolf and Assassins on Zoom and Discord and an ability to remember experiences enough to apply those to Wintreath since some aspects of Assassins could definitely be useful for Discord Werewolf.

Hope these are helpful answers.

I think something that could help (though I'm sure it has been proposed before and someone I think started to do one of these) was running a "throwback game" of Werewolf that is not necessarily vanilla but similar in style to the games that were played before the players from Mafia Universe, 10K Islands, and other sources started to be frequent participants in games here in the region (though I know some were already participating in some of those earlier games such as Aersoldorf and the long inactive aternox and bootsie). While I do value the contributions of Mafia Universe players, the playstyles from games there have noticeably contributed to games with significantly higher post counts and some more in depth examination of posts that can be interpreted as aggressive targeting.

From my memory at least, the playstyle of 10KI Werewolf is much more similar to Wintreath's than it is MU's. (i.e. more casual play, long story posts by the host, etc.) After all, Werewolf was originally introduced to Wintreath by Michi, who came from 10KI.

I think something that could help (though I'm sure it has been proposed before and someone I think started to do one of these) was running a "throwback game" of Werewolf that is not necessarily vanilla but similar in style to the games that were played before the players from Mafia Universe, 10K Islands, and other sources started to be frequent participants in games here in the region (though I know some were already participating in some of those earlier games such as Aersoldorf and the long inactive aternox and bootsie). While I do value the contributions of Mafia Universe players, the playstyles from games there have noticeably contributed to games with significantly higher post counts and some more in depth examination of posts that can be interpreted as aggressive targeting.

From my memory at least, the playstyle of 10KI Werewolf is much more similar to Wintreath's than it is MU's. (i.e. more casual play, long story posts by the host, etc.) After all, Werewolf was originally introduced to Wintreath by Michi, who came from 10KI.

You're correct.  Having played there recently, it's obvious some MU influence has hit it (with how hosts like Eastern New England toss in more role complexities or rules like some you'd find on MU)...but games there still play casually like ours used to before we really dove into the MU inspired changes.

At the same time though, they seem to have the same problems with interest that we do, only they don't pull from outside the NS sphere like we normally do.

I think something that could help (though I'm sure it has been proposed before and someone I think started to do one of these) was running a "throwback game" of Werewolf that is not necessarily vanilla but similar in style to the games that were played before the players from Mafia Universe, 10K Islands, and other sources started to be frequent participants in games here in the region (though I know some were already participating in some of those earlier games such as Aersoldorf and the long inactive aternox and bootsie). While I do value the contributions of Mafia Universe players, the playstyles from games there have noticeably contributed to games with significantly higher post counts and some more in depth examination of posts that can be interpreted as aggressive targeting.

From my memory at least, the playstyle of 10KI Werewolf is much more similar to Wintreath's than it is MU's. (i.e. more casual play, long story posts by the host, etc.) After all, Werewolf was originally introduced to Wintreath by Michi, who came from 10KI.

You're correct.  Having played there recently, it's obvious some MU influence has hit it (with how hosts like Eastern New England toss in more role complexities or rules like some you'd find on MU)...but games there still play casually like ours used to before we really dove into the MU inspired changes.

At the same time though, they seem to have the same problems with interest that we do, only they don't pull from outside the NS sphere like we normally do.

Who were some of the other players from 10K Islands again besides the ones I mentioned? I seem to remember Fighting Eagles and Eastern New England being some of the other recent visiting players.

Aside from Aerso who has been returning for games, there was also Ater Nox who I believe has left NS.