This is a story from five years ago.
Before I even knew the first thing about playing mafia, I already that game under my thumb. It's a simple story, really. I was given the ability to mole, to evade the village inspector's grasp, and a similarly inexperienced player inspected me on the first night. It was bound to happen. Not understanding the fundamentals of an alias game, I immediately began roleplaying as Wario, my alias, in our IRC channel. Of course the mafia wouldn't target me, after all, I was one of them, and as long as one of the three village info roles did so, I had the game at my fingertips. It was a perfect game, for three days no one even suspected. It was a joy to control the actions of each and every player, a rush to trick the vigilante into killing the lynchpin.
But that's not how it panned out.
Three hosts, frustrated at the farce that I had created, each decided to cancel the game even as I moved my final piece into checkmate. My first triumph, my awakening, had become barely an asterisk on my record.
Over time I realized that my talents involved lying, leveraging, and bullying. I was the perfect mafia, but not the perfect mafia player. In fact, my fundamentals are so weak that no one ever name drops me when talking about the great players of our time, in spite of some of the big plays I have made over the years. Sometimes, I'm not sure I even want to prove them wrong. Maybe so that I can lie more easily. Maybe because I don't think I deserve it. Maybe because I'm really not good enough. And maybe that's why I make the risky, turn one plays that I do.
Still, I have a dream. To one day win a big game. I don't think it's a delirious wish. I think it's destiny.
A new thread, posted into Circus Maximus. What was once a dead place has somehow sprung back to life, with no help from me. I was badged for my contributions to this subforum, but barely find the time to even play a game now. But when I saw this new game, saw the potential in it, and when I could imagine a role worth contributing, I had to join. Or maybe none of that is why. Maybe winning and contributing a good role are good reasons, but only given the host in question.
My handsome Yeti, I do remember when first we met.
You didn't know it was me, that rainy Washington day,
But I had seen your pictures, you were disadvantaged yet.
When lesser men looked upon you, they said you would neigh.
Maybe you do look a bit like a bit equestrian,
But I don't think that makes your beauty but pedestrian.
I never confessed my love for her. We met once and did not even exchange words, that was all. To me, she would always be a woman on the internet. She must have been swamped with requests for internet relationships, and it gripped at my heart to think of a young girl under attack from all sides, unable to handle the emotional strain. So I decided that I would protect her. I would be the one not to make rude comments about her appearance. I would be the one to change the subject on irc when people were making fun of her. She would never notice. She would never have to. That's not what this was about. And I know that, if I accomplish nothing else in life, I will always be glad that I was able to treat a woman with such profound respect.
That brings me to night 0. Boldly I walk amidst the cacophony of post-restricted players, spouting their madness, to make my risky play of the new game. Explaining myself the only way I know how, "I'm the cult master and I'm taking applications for new cultists. Please pm me your role pm and alias if you'd like to win this game." It was so stupidly forward of me. I should have at least beat around the bush, maybe only implied my status, in fact I'm sure that was the plan before I said anything. Why do I have to be such a bad mafia player?
No, no I will be a good player. I will win this game. And not for me. For her. I'll do it for her.