Sensible Erection | Sensible Noir: The Reckoning

Friday, 30 January 2009

quote [ On entering the warehouse, they found the dog trapped under a beer truck and the floor covered with blood, shell casings, and corpses. ]

We left the bar gradually, shuffling out into the dark with our shoulders hunched and our hearts heavy. Some travelled in pairs, but most regarded everyone else as equally suspicious and looked furtively around until they’d made a safe distance out into the city.

Safe. None of us were. Except the Mob, that is.

I headed home. Home proper, not my office. I wanted a good bed and I didn’t care what happened to some other poor schmuck out there while I slept. My head hit the pillow and I was out, my prayer for a night of blessed oblivion granted, oh most gracious of gifts.

Morning came through the window, bright and clear. Too bright. I swung myself out of bed and headed to the window. Snow. All around, the city was covered in a thick white coat. It was beautiful, pure, like something had covered over every dirty thing in the city and left only this soft, clean slate.

Like a sheet over a stiff in the morgue.

I shook my head to dispel that unbidden image, and got myself together for the day. A little later I was walking downtown with my hands shoved into my coat, breath icing around my mouth with every exhale. I walked to the diner for my usual coffee, and saw an angel sitting in my usual booth. An angel in a red dress. Doll-face.

She looked up as I sat down, and gave me one of her stunning smiles. “Isn’t it perfect?” she said, tilting her head to the snow. “It’s like something out of a fairy tale. I’d forgotten how pretty this rotten town could be.”

I nodded. “Sure is. Why the fancy get up? You got other plans for today I don’t know about?”

She smiled, coyly. “It’s Valentine’s Day, Barrat. A girl has to look her best on Valentine’s day.”

The date had slipped my mind. With everything that had been going on I was having trouble keeping the day of the week straight. “I suppose you got some pretty boy to take you out tonight.” I said, giving her what I hoped was my most rakish grin.

She shrugged. “Maybe. We’ll see if there’s something to celebrate this evening, I guess. I might have someone I need to thank…” she raised her cup to her mouth slowly, her dark lips pursing to sip the hot liquid. I shook my head a little to clear it, and coughed a little.

“Good luck has been hard to find. Maybe now we’ve got this snow we’ll be able to spot some tracks for once. Whatever happens, today’s our last stand. We don’t get one today, none of the people of this town have anything to celebrate.”
I didn’t tell her that it wouldn’t change our fates either way. I didn’t have the heart. Maybe I had too much of one. No matter.

She nodded. “I guess you should know. The cops found another body this morning, down at the dog track. Frankie Erring got beaten to death with one of those damn mechanical rabbits. They said his face looked like ground beef by the time they were done with him. Cops are saying he was missing something too, an older wound. Guy certainly attracted plenty of bad attention.”

I sighed. That wouldn’t help any, either. Suddenly I’d lost my taste for my breakfast. I pushed the plate of meat away and emptied my wallet onto the table. I stood.

“Shall we dance, Doll-face? One last spin around the room, whaddaya say?”

She rose and took my proffered arm with consummate grace.

“Let’s show ‘em how it’s done.”

I could only hope we would. Just once, the fairytale could come true.

Players
(in no particular order)

Silent - Victor Odin - Drugstore Clerk
cardinal - William. J. Water - Museum Curator
jamjam - Tequila Mockenbird - Torch Singer
Fwee - Pronsias O’Malley - Bootlegger
KingPellinore - Dwayne Fallson - Blackjack Croupier
archangel_2 - Manny Horton - Speakeasy Owner
spite48 - Ambrose B. Turner - Exotic Photographer
Stension - Tom Porter - Bailiff
lilmookieesquire - Lucille L’amour - Ingenue
shiney things - Constance Moker - Boarding-house Landlady

The Dead:

Penisinface – Clarence Mason – District Attorney (Townie) - Lynched
Theolypse – Gen. Holden Gray – Oil Tycoon (Townie) – Killed by Triggerman
Aidentas – Sonny Dayennet – Lush Playboy (Lover) – Killed by the Mob
Jewbacchus – Isobel Van Der Racquet – Wealthy Heiress (Lover) - Suicide
Equinophobe – Mikey Swenson – Newspaper Vendor (Townie) - Lynched
Apomorph - Patrick File - Pornographic Bookstore Owner (Townie)– Killed by the Mob
dead_bob - ‘Knuckles’ McCracken – Bodyguard (Townie) – Killed by Triggerman
wyckedfae - Bobby ‘Brooklyn’ Lawrence - Auto-Mechanic - Lynched
context - Dot Parkes - Society Columnist (Townie) – Killed by Triggerman
redemption - Willy Fargher - Casino Valet (Triggerman) – Killed by Mob
beerboy - Selwyn Prophet - Film Projectionist (Crooked Cop) – Lynched
juju - Patience Dearheart - Court Stenographer (Townie) – Act of Mod
Bodnoirbabe - Abigail Rhode – Waitress (Townie) – Killed by Mob
cb361 - Jimmy ‘the Rooster’ Foreno - Flyweight Boxer (Townie) - Lynched
googirl0007 - ‘Fast’ Eddie Buck - Junior Reporter (Townie) – Killed by Mob
Hardrada - Louie – Barfly (Townie) – Lynched
shizac - Frankie ‘the Red’ Erring - Dog Trainer (Townie) – Killed by Mob

Day 0: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74155
Day 1: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74178
Day 2: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74225
Day 3: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74285
Day 4: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74341
Day 5: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74374
Day 6: http://www.sensibleerection.com/entry.php/74428

Do what you do.

[mafia game] [by brat#3@7:13amGMT] [+10 Good]

Comments

brat#3 said @ 7:14am GMT on 30th Jan
Make it count.

cardinal said @ 7:23am GMT on 30th Jan
Stension If you don't vote for Stension at this point, you're either mafia or mob.

cardinal said @ 7:24am GMT on 30th Jan
*or a fool.

spite48 said @ 7:36am GMT on 30th Jan
Stension

archangel_2 said @ 12:55pm GMT on 30th Jan
Stension really is our best chance at catching one of 'em...

archangel_2 said @ 12:56pm GMT on 30th Jan
er, Stension

KingPellinore said @ 1:07pm GMT on 30th Jan
Stension

lilmookieesquire said @ 2:25pm GMT on 30th Jan
Ah hell. Stension.

Stension said @ 3:35pm GMT on 30th Jan
KingPellinore

shiney things said @ 4:02pm GMT on 30th Jan
Stension i guess

Fwee said @ 10:31pm GMT on 30th Jan
Stension

jamjam said @ 6:13pm GMT on 31st Jan
Stension

shizac said @ 1:28pm GMT on 30th Jan
wow, didn't see THAT one coming.

Stension said @ 3:34pm GMT on 30th Jan
At this point, it seems that the lynch mob for me is unstoppable. So tiredly, I will voice the objection that I have been saying for the past 3 days. I am not mob. I have not, and will never be mob.

In several hours, I will reveal who I am.

KingPellinore said @ 3:55pm GMT on 30th Jan
Oh, please.

According to Day 0, the only things left besides town and mob are the Vampire and the Protector.

There are 10 of us. Odds are 3 to 5 you're a baddie. Claiming to be a special only clinches the deal, in my opinion.

Fwee said @ 10:31pm GMT on 30th Jan
Stension

I don't think I even need an explanation for this one.

Fwee said @ 10:32pm GMT on 30th Jan
Bleh.

Stension said @ 12:12am GMT on 31st Jan
OK, let's get it out there then.

I'm the vampire. I'm sure this will mean I prob won't survive the night as I'm more of a threat to a mob win than to a townie win. If the protector protects me, the town still has a chance. If you lynch me, mob gets majority, game over. I'm the thin thread that holds your lives in balance. Cut me if you wish.

Silent said @ 1:38pm GMT on 31st Jan
I don't think we get a chance to win any more, it's just a matter of losing with dignity, this is the reckoning and I think anyone who doesn't wholly believe in your guilt is too scared of being labelled the next bad guy.
Call me a fool but I don't see any concrete proof of your guilt, for all I know this reveal is a lie and you're mob but your actions so far have not been any more suspicious than your accusers, I fear we're caught in a cycle of bully-boy tactics and bandwagonning.
I've been accused of being mob just for asking people to think about who they're voting for, to be sure of the accused parties guilt, if that makes me a bad guy then so be it but frankly we wouldn't be in this mess if people had their own reasons for condemming each innocent we've killed so far, instead of just voting to kill.

So in the end, if you're really the Vampire, I apologise I couldn't get through to people, if you're not then atleast we managed one, before the world ended. But either way it won't be my finger on the trigger.

spite48 said @ 12:23am GMT on 1st Feb [Score:2]
Ok, here's how it is.

I own this town –see? You all work for me now. If you have a place to live, it's because I don't mind. If you drive a car, it'll be because my lieutenants don’t need it yet. If you earn money, it'll be because you are useful to me. Call the cops if you like - they all work for me. Go ahead and talk to the new District Attorney, he’ll tell me everything you said, and apologize for bothering me. Write to the Governor. He’ll tell you that they’re doing everything that they can, but what he’s really saying is “I have a new house, and I don’t give a crap about you.” Best thing for everyone, is you get used to it. I’m not going anywhere, and if you don’t make yourself useful, well there’s no saying what might happen. I hear the Hudson is a nice spot for a long walk in cement shoes. That’s all. Dr. Water, please see me in my office, I have a job for you.

KingPellinore said @ 12:25am GMT on 1st Feb
Aright, boss. You said if I made it through this I was a made man. What I gotta do, kiss your ring, or somethin'?

cb361 said @ 12:30am GMT on 1st Feb
pixpls.

brat#3 said @ 12:41am GMT on 1st Feb [Score:5 Informative]
Knowing that he was next on the hit list, Porter had gone to ground. The rest of us spread out, looking for him in every dive, under every bridge, in every two-bit flea motel we could think of. “Come out, Porter!”

“We know you been workin for ‘em!”

“Show yourself, you yellow-bellied hood rat!”

All we were missing were the pitchforks and torches.

Come evening, we found a resigned looking Porter sitting on the front porch of a derelict old house out by the railyards. He sat primly in an old swing chair, his hands clasped in his lap, a neat tie knotted at his throat and his moustache neatly trimmed. As we assembled in a ragged group around the porch, he regarded us all with cold eyes. At length he spoke,

“And so the good people of this town have come for me, as I knew you must. You couldn’t help but follow the piper’s song, even as it has led you all to your doom. Do you even know you are damned? Perhaps you think I can save you, if I would only be the monster you wish me to be. I apologise then, for I am an altogether different kind of monster, and my death will not help you at all.”

Doubt flickered on a couple of faces at that, but most were undeterred.

“You expect us to believe that? Well, if you ain’t mob, who are you?” Someone yelled from the crowd.

Porter merely smiled, a queer, crazy smile that made my mouth go dry. “I suppose you may as well know. My name is Albert Hamilton Fish, though some of you may have heard of me as the Brooklyn Vampire. I have been paying you good people visits in the evening hours- though as it stands, I alone carry the memories of those meetings.” He patted his stomach as he spoke, and a devilish grin spread across his face.

A woman in the crowd screamed, a high pitched, keening wail.

“You bastard, it was you that cut me!” Called a man’s voice. “You sicko, you crazy, diseased rat!”

Porter- that is, Fish- only smiled wider at that, his whole face looking more like a Halloween lantern’s than a man’s. “I must say I particularly enjoyed spending time with Miss L’Amour- although I do hope that scar won’t unjustly ruin your cinematic future, it really would be a most dreadful shame.” He laughed as her screams began again in earnest.

I shook my head, trying to think, trying to work out the odds- if he wasn’t one of the Mob rats, then who was? Everyone around me seemed to suddenly be holding back a snigger, barely containing mirth at the folly we were about to perpetrate on ourselves. What had he said, the piper’s song… who had we been following all this time, who had I been tagging along behind…

A girlish voice cut through my mind like a razor heading downtown. “So sorry, Fish, but it don’t seem like you can convince ‘em. We might’ve let you be if you hadn’t come calling on the wrong people. My friends don’t like playing your little games- consider this as paying ‘em back what you took, with interest.”

BANG.

I turned from Fish’s slumped form to see Dollface standing there gun outstretched, my angel turned devil in her red dress. “You… it was you, this whole time!”

She lowered the gun and faced me, a dazzling smile on her face. This morning that smile had me wagging my tail like a puppy, but now it left me cold and horrified. “Oh, Barrat. I told you there might be reason to celebrate, and there is. There’s nothing left in our way. I get the whole city as a Valentine’s day present!”

My mind roiled. I was going to be sick. How could this be? That first day in the office, so sincere, her plea, the names… I gave her the names!

She nodded, reading my mind. “You’ve been such a help, really. Now we’ve dealt to all the likely troublemakers, there’s no-one left to oppose us. You sure made things easier than we ever thought possible! I’m sure my man will want to thank you himself, won’t you hon?”

She turned slightly as Ambrose Turner walked forward, tipping his cap to me in wry amusement.

“She sure is something, ain’t she? Still, who wouldn’t fall for a face like that. Guess you haven’t been catching too many shows lately, or the wig wouldn’t have fooled you.” With that, he pulled at her blonde locks and down they came tumbling, revealing her own raven hair beneath.

It was like a kick to the guts. Sure I recognized her, who hadn’t seen Tequila Mockenbird down at Horton’s one time or another. I’d been a fool, chasing an angel straight down to hell.

He continued in his lazy drawl. “Horton’s one of mine, too. Same with Pronsias and Fallson over there, he’s my eyes and ears. I hope you all are paying attention,” he said, raising his voice to the stunned townsfolk. “We’re in charge now, and you best start thinking of ways to keep us all happy. There don’t need to be any more trouble, long as you know your place. But as of right now, this city belongs to me and mine, and there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

I felt for my gun in my pocket, blinking in dismay as my hands clutched at nothing. Where the hell- Home. Dresser. Goddamn it all..

Ambrose flicked his fingers at his henchmen, watching me like a hawk. They both drew their pistols and leveled them my way as I stood there like a fool with my hand in my pocket . There was nothing for it. I had to quit. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe I could get by here, swallow my pride any any sense of right and wrong. I could still have a future, same as the rest. I looked at Dollface as she lit a smoke, but she wouldn’t look my way. She would’ve never looked my way, and I shoulda known it.

I set my jaw and pointed my fingers in my pocket, looking straight into Turner’s snake eyes. “You want this city, you take it over my dead body!” I said, as I raised my arm with my hand still in the pocket.

His men didn’t disappoint. The bullets burned through me, one after the other, til I couldn’t stand. As the ground came up to welcome me home, I watched the last rays of twilight fade over the horizon, til all was black. Black, cold, and silent.

Dead: Stension – Tom Porter/Albert Fish (Brooklyn Vampire) -Lynched

brat#3 said @ 12:44am GMT on 1st Feb [Score:2 Informative]
MOB WINS – MAFIA PARFAIT

THE MOB:
Spite48 – Ambrose B. Turner - Godfather
archangel_2 – Manny Horton – Palm Greaser
Fwee – Pronsias O’Malley – Tough Guy
KingPellinore – Dwayne Fallson – The Snitch

And, last but not least

Jamjam – Tequila Mockenbird – Femme Fatale AKA Dollface

THE GOOGLEGROUP: http://groups.google.com/group/the-goodfellas-of-se

I'll be posting a night-action recap and answering any questions you might have, but first I'd like to thank all of you for making this a completely fitting and woefully depressing Noir-themed game! Congratulations Mob, and Good Game everyone. Hope you enjoyed it!

brat#3 said @ 12:46am GMT on 1st Feb
Ahem. Almost parfait.

cb361 said @ 12:56am GMT on 1st Feb
Terrific game, and congratulations to everyone. Particularly to our sneaky, under-the-radar mafiosos, and most particularly to our Femme fatale narrator.

Apologies to cardinal and stension. Looks like the numbers were lying to me, while the mob were lying low.

spite48 said @ 1:28am GMT on 1st Feb
It may have been easier to enjoy the game from the mafia side, but I had a blast. I particularly enjoyed the write-ups. Thanks a ton Brat#3.

spite48 said @ 1:16am GMT on 1st Feb
almost?

brat#3 said @ 1:45am GMT on 1st Feb
just closing my tags ;)

But I do think it was funny that you were so sure Cardinal would protect himself, and yet kept blocking him. He couldn't, btw.

KingPellinore said @ 1:26am GMT on 1st Feb
Awesome write-ups, brat#3, right down to the very end.

archangel_2 said @ 4:12am GMT on 1st Feb
Yeah, she did an AMAZING job running this game - on every level, but especially those write-ups. I'm sorry it was so one sided, as I'm sure it wasn't as fun for her to run the game as much as it would've been otherwise, but I had a tremendous amount of fun - and there were times when I REALLY needed that recently.

Anyway, thanks, brat.

brat#3 said @ 4:36am GMT on 1st Feb
Thanks guys :) I'm glad it wasn't too annoying to have to read through screeds of texts just to find out what happened. Still can't write a short post to save myself.

spite48 said @ 1:31am GMT on 1st Feb
Question: What was likmookiesquire?

Aidentas said @ 1:46am GMT on 1st Feb
He was my mistress. Baked potato, on the side.

lilmookieesquire said @ 2:13am GMT on 6th Feb
You loved it.

brat#3 said @ 1:53am GMT on 1st Feb
Glad you asked. This was one thing that unfortunately didn't have time to become anything story or game wise.

Aids, as 'the Cad' had two lovers, both of which believed themselves to be the only one. He had two google groups,
http://groups.google.com/group/love-in-the-afternoon-se and
http://groups.google.com/group/love-after-dark-se

He wasn't allowed to tell each of his lovers about the other, unless it came out in game due to investigations etc. It was my way of adding in a little more of a mason group with a suitably dirty noir twist to the Lover's Pair.

The lover who died when Aids was killed was determined by who Aids had last posted to, i.e who he was with. Jewbacchus only died on the basis of one minute. If one of the 'girls' had been killed, he would have been taken out if he was currently 'with her', otherwise he would have continued on in a (now monogamous) Lover's Pair with the lover remaining.

lilmookie showed up as a 'Jilted Lover' along with some description in KingP's investigation as a way to indicate what might have happened...

I was looking forward to in-game cat fights and Aids trying to keep all three alive while not sharing what he knew, but c'est la Mafia.

spite48 said @ 3:24am GMT on 1st Feb
That had the potential to be hilarious.

brat#3 said @ 3:36am GMT on 1st Feb
INORITE?

cardinal said @ 3:06am GMT on 1st Feb
HAY! I WAS THE SAWBONES! WOT ABOUT ME! SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING COOL ABOUT ME!

spite48 said @ 3:24am GMT on 1st Feb
You made a lot of money from us bribing you to stay home.

KingPellinore said @ 5:03am GMT on 1st Feb
SERIOUSLY.

I lucked out and found you night 4.

Believe me, you got your own post on the mafia forum.

redemption said @ 8:13am GMT on 1st Feb
Well done, I must admit I had 4 of you called the day after you offed me. Good timing on your part ;)

Thank you very much Brat#3. Some of the best write-ups we've had in a while!

googirl0007 said @ 3:03am GMT on 2nd Feb
i was *pissed* when wyckedfae was lynched.

spite48 said @ 4:01am GMT on 2nd Feb [Score:3 Insightful]
Wyckedfae was lynched, without a single mafia member voting for him, and the town went through the list of voters one by one. That was essentially game.

theolypse said @ 1:59am GMT on 1st Feb
Man. I console myself with the thought that, playing, I might have fingered more than the two I did. Probably not, though. Well-played, murderous villains.

spite48 said @ 3:23am GMT on 1st Feb
Thanks. We were ultimately incredibly, undeservedly lucky.

brat#3 said @ 3:20am GMT on 1st Feb
THE SURVIVORS:

Townies:
Lilmookieesquire (also jilted lover)
Shineythings
Silent

The Sawbones
cardinal

sythe said @ 4:37am GMT on 1st Feb
*shakes his head and rolls his eyes*

TheGreat YamHeist said @ 5:04am GMT on 1st Feb
*smacks sythe*

spite48 said @ 5:10am GMT on 1st Feb
stop doing that!

sythe said @ 10:52pm GMT on 7th Feb
Potential GMs: -_- has said that he's not ready to run the next game at the moment. Anyone want to run the next???

spite48 said @ 6:35am GMT on 8th Feb
Working on it. I'm not ready yet.
Won't be for a few months. Sorry.

Silent said @ 11:09am GMT on 8th Feb
I wish I could, I don't even know what it fully takes, cause I'm weird like that.
Shame is I had a perfectly good setup.

cb361 said @ 11:40am GMT on 8th Feb
SE Mafia will grow moribund and inward looking without a constant supply of new GMs, so I'd say develop it if you have the time. The job can take a lot of different things depending on how you run the game and what you're trying to achieve, but I think the only hard and fast quality it requires is a lot of time.

Firstly, a game takes longer to develop and get balanced than you'd think, and once the game's running it occupies an incredible amount of your time. If you go with a standard 48-hour day period, that means you're only going to have two spare evenings a week for several weeks - and you can't let it slip. I don't know about anybody else, but GMing was the closest I've ever come to a mind-altering experience.

But other than the commitment to invest a load of time in the game, any other requirements are fluid because you can develop your original setup to take advantages of your strengths and skirt around your weaknesses.

tldr: "do it, but take your time"

sythe said @ 2:26pm GMT on 8th Feb
What he said. Also, I've been working on a GM guide here.

Silent said @ 2:46pm GMT on 8th Feb
I've got the entire thing planned in my head and have spent today writing it down but still I do not know if it's balanced enough or needs tweaking, as for having the time? I have more time than sense.

archangel_2 said @ 2:31am GMT on 9th Feb
I really wish I could. I'm nowhere near ready to run the game I'm working on, and I'm going to be moving in the next couple weeks, so my time has to be devoted to that. (I'd still be able to play, but run a game? Not a chance.)