MAFIA TRAINING SIMULATION (HOST VERSION)
What's this?
This is where you're coached through hosting experimental or ranked Mafia games.
Starting with basic unranked games is advised, where you can then progress to a ranked host simulation.
This involves coaches and player volunteers. They will either immediately correct your errors or subtly guide you to a better method if you make a mistake.
The experimental nature of unranked Mafia may not be for you, so we want to provide an alternative experience for those not keen on playing the games themselves.
What will I learn?
You'll learn the essentials of being a good host.
In ranked, valued qualities include well-designed setups and minimal host interference during conflicts. Unranked emphasizes creativity in role building and mechanics.
But your role as a host goes beyond assigning abilities. It involves the encouragement of thoughtful problem-solving, preventing laziness, and ensuring a competitive yet engaging environment that suits both ranked and unranked player preferences.
What will I be corrected on?
You will be corrected on how you handle the overall game. The criteria on how you're 'graded' is below.
Coaches will intervene if they observe any manipulation in simulated role PMs or subtle attempts to influence player decisions. Details like vote counting without spreadsheets may also be scrutinized just to ensure precision and avoid potential pitfalls that could concern massively impact the balance of the game.
The general rule of thumb is as follows:
- In ranked games, no one in the section wants an angry admin to come in only to take a monumental shit on the party. That is the absolute resort.
- In unranked games, a laidback atmosphere is crucial. Staff interference is more welcomed in order to maintain a positive environment. Mods usually work behind the scenes to minimize friction.
- Host interference: Minimizing overall intervention during the game.
- Organization: Effectively structuring posts, rules, and setup.
- Time management: Ensuring timely execution of actions to maintain a dynamic pace.
- Clarity of mechanics & roles: Avoiding confusion by explaining roles or mechanics clearly.
- Transparency: Avoiding revealing information that could significantly impact the game and allowing players to make informed decisions for themselves. This includes warning about unique mechanics in experimental games to avoid surprises in the future.
If you want to speed through being able to host a ranked game, this is your best bet. However, it is still up to Grammaton and Poyser to validate you as a host. If you don't make the cut, you don't make the cut. The criteria you will be graded on will hopefully help you find what areas you need to improve before hosting on your own and given trust to do so. It helps ranked mods trim the amount of time they have to comb through your setup because you've shown you're capable of balancing and organizing your own game without having to wait for it to be officially placed in the queue.
Otherwise, if you just want to learn how to sharpen your skills and get your feet wet with experimental games, we absolutely encourage you to do these simulations especially if there's an all original setup that you want to try that isn't found on the Mafiawiki and specifically OLF oriented.
This is essentially a trial and error thing. We need more people willing to host unranked games, however, because we want to give this section the attention it deserves.