[Comrade Stalin] Roles

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First draft of the roles! There are currently enough roles for a game with 9 players.

Every role, except Stalin, has the ability to spy. Once during the game, this allows to you look at one goal card of one person. You cannot show the card to anyone else, though you can of course make claims about what you've seen. Whether people believe you is up to them.

Once you have spied, rotate your character sheet 90 degrees to indicate that you've used up your one chance to spy. Some rules indicate that you can refresh your ability: this means that you get to rotate your character sheet back to the normal position, and you can use your spying ability again.

Every role also has two special rules.

The Favourite (King)
  1. True loyalty: If you have a single goal card which means that you must kill Stalin, it instead means that you must protect Stalin. If you have two goal cards indicating that you must kill Stalin, they have their normal meaning.
  2. Hated: If Stalin dies, all surviving players -- you excluded -- get to vote on whether they want to kill you as well. You die even in case of a tie. (This doesn't apply if you are the only person left.)
The Heir (Queen)
  1. Chosen successor: If only you and Stalin are left alive, you both win, independent of your goal cards.
  2. Poised for takeover: If Stalin dies, you can discard one of your goal cards.
The General (Jack)
  1. Counter-espionage: Once during the game, you can prevent a spy or expose action. The person performing it has still used up his or her ability.
  2. Backed by the army: When Stalin attempts to kill you, you count as your own defender. (So you need one fewer defender to survive the attempt.)
The Ideologue (10)
  1. Expose: Instead of the spy ability, you have the expose ability. This ability allows to you turn one goal card of one person face up. That card will remain face up for the rest of the game, even if it gets transferred to someone else.
  2. Purify: Whenever you kill someone, refresh your ability.
The Assassin (9)
  1. Merciless: Once during the game, you can have your vote to kill someone count double. (Note: not your vote to defend someone.)
  2. Purify: Whenever you kill someone, refresh your ability.
The Believer (8)
  1. Open book: You can expose your own goal cards whenever you wish, turning one or both face-up. Any card turned face-up remains that way for the rest of the game, even if it gets transferred to someone else. You can use this ability as often as you like.
  2. Betrayed: If Stalin attempts to kill you and fails, then from that point onward all your goal cards count as "kill Stalin".
The Interrogator (7)
  1. I have the dirt on you: At the start of the game, before goal cards are dealt, choose another player (not Stalin or the Protégé). If you are killed, you can choose to have that person die as well.
  2. Purify: Whenever you kill someone, refresh your ability.
The Protégé (Joker)

There are no goal cards indicating that someone must kill or protect the Protégé. The Protégé is not dealt any goal cards.
  1. Powerful patron: At the start of the game, before goal cards are dealt, choose another player (not Stalin). As long as that player remains alive, Stalin cannot attempt to kill you. If that player dies, you immediately discard the role of Protégé and take over that player's role and goal cards. Any goal cards that used to indicate that player now indicate you. If the Interrogator had the dirt on your patron, they now have the dirt on you, unless they used it to kill your patron.
  2. Ambitious: You cannot win the game. (Note: you can of course win after you have discarded this role.)

Any thoughts?

Comments

  1. Dannii10 November 2013 at 04:43

    If you played with fewer people, should you choose roles randomly, or only include the top N roles?

    How should the Interrogator and Protégé record their choices?

    You haven't explicitly explained how the turn sequence works, but I'm guessing it's simply people accusing each other and Stalin suggesting assassinations. That may be fine once the game is underway, but I'm not sure what would happen at the beginning - how would you get things started when everyone wants to be cautious, and also when there's not much data yet. Perhaps Stalin should start by spying, and perhaps he could view both cards of the person he chooses?

    To mark abilities, there could be a space on the character sheets for a token to be placed. Once used the token is discarded, and if it gets renewed, one can be placed back. Easier than turning the character sheet around, especially considering many people have two single use abilities.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Victor Gijsbers10 November 2013 at 22:49

      You could do either, though I suggest always having at least the Favourite or the Heir in the game.

      These choices are to be stated out loud, and must be known to everyone. I need to clarify that.

      There's no turn sequence. Play has no formal structure until either Stalin tries to kill someone, or someone tries to kill Stalin. Then you're inside an attempt at killing, which must be resolved before a new attempt can be started. I'll clarify that as well.

      Tokens seem like a good idea.

      Delete

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