In a far-flung future of vibrant lights and dark shadows, the unexpected death of a corporate mob’s patriarch leads to a living hell for his criminal associates and the homicidal undercover cops hidden among their ranks.
Hey guys, Black Fable is back, only this time it’s epic and on Cox Studios. You all kept asking for a cops and robbers game and now you’re going to get it—with a few added twists! Black Fable 4 will place you within a futuristic crime family. It’s good to be bad, isn’t it?
This game is a collaboration between me and Doctor Nanjo. We worked together on the gameplay and roles; however, I will be responsible for the story and most of the actual game. Still, be sure to thank him for helping me get this game off the ground!
Spoiler: Fast Facts
- Up to 18 players may participate! After NOT filling out a brief survey, you will be assigned a faction and a special power. Craft your character carefully to not give these away! - It’s the mafia versus the police, but the mafia are the heroes! Tired of all those ethical dilemmas getting in the way of your game? This time your “villagers” are a ruthless crime family backing an oppressive corporation, and the “witches” are an elite police force ruthlessly pursuing control. Neither side is wholly good or evil here, so the real question is: who will win? - Immerse yourself in cyberpunk action! In the world of BF4, cybernetic enhancements are common, technology has progressed to incredible degrees, but crime and suffering run rampant. As part of the mob, your characters will have access to whatever futuristic technology you can dream of. For inspiration, look to Cyberpunk 2077 and similar games! - Character death is never permanent! Play through three arcs of action and debate, where different players will die, be executed, and survive. Get to the Answer Arc for a chance to identify the undercover cops and win the game! - Odd new features inspired by a nautical mystery! In lieu of confirmations on execution, rounds will conclude with a chance to solve murders by identifying the killer and victim’s roles—but you’ll only gain info once you’ve got three exactly right. Additionally, you’ll be able to see the last memories of some of the victims. Use these features lifted from the Return of the Obra Dinn to discover additional clues.
Obviously, Black Fable 4 is an RP. You’ll be creating original characters and working with your best friends and mortal enemies to figure out who keeps killing your OCs. You’ll fit your character in the story below:
Spoiler: Story
“Good morning, Vista del Luna. This is DJ Red, back at you with some of the hottest tunes the corporations don’t want you to hear. But first, let’s wish a very special happy birthday to our favorite old fart, Dr. Leon Lunetti!
“Today, you’ll see loads of people celebrating Leon for his advancements in cybernetics. The supercomputer implanted in your eyeball? Leon. The sick electric hand that just punched your lights out? Leon. The flashing belly button of that woman you banged last night who might have actually been an android? Leon. Or more accurately, Diantech, the corporation he founded.
“But anyone here on the underground knows Leon is more than just some uptight CEO—though that would be awful enough. He’s also head of the Lunetti crime family, whose illegal actions have supported Diantech’s rise to power, bought off all the politicians meant to serve us, and kept any competitors in the enhancement business buried under six feet of steel. So yes, sing a song for the good doctor today every time your daily commute is interrupted by a dead junkie, or your prosthetic leg hits planned obsolescence, or your debt collector comes knocking.
“But I didn’t bring all this up just to bring you down. You didn’t hear this from me, but there’s rumors that the local police are finally making a move against Leon and his gang. Supposedly a team of elite cops they're calling Witches have infiltrated their ranks with the best technology the new world has to offer. Now, I hate the idea of handing our city to the pigs as much as you do, but at least they have a few rules. Assuming these Witches follow any of them.
“Now, I heard through the grapevine that Leon is having his entire criminal network brought to his tower for some birthday meeting. The old codger turns 80 today! Perhaps such a milestone might come with some changes in our good friend’s life?
“Hmm, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone on the scene to find out? Maybe a certain DJ with a degree in Journalism collecting dust in his closet? We’ll see…Until then, we’ve got some hot tunes on deck, so stay on the line!”
Should be pretty obvious what happens from here—Leon’s birthday goes to heck in a handcart, people start dying, and probably the cops are behind it. Can the mobsters solve the murders and stop the cops from killing them? I don’t know, you’ll have to play to find out.
The gameplay will be most similar to the critically-acclaimed Black Fable 2, with some changes. Learn more below:
Spoiler: Gameplay
There are X factions which can:
Mobsters: The “townie” role. The mob wins an arc if they outnumber the cops at the end of the game. They win the game if they identify all the cops.
Cops: The “witch” role. Cops win an arc if equal or more cops than mobsters survive to the end of an arc. They win the game if their identities are never uncovered. The Cops know each other’s identities and are able to communicate in a private space.
There may be one or more unaligned players. Watch out!
There are four arcs: Three of these are primary arcs. These are the main portion of the game, where players are murdered and executed. Victory in an individual arc is decided based on the ratio of players left alive. The last arc is the answer arc, in which the Monsters must identify the Cops hiding among them. Accusations in this arc are decided by majority vote. The mob gets 7 guesses to start with and earns an additional guess with each arc victory, but if a single cop remains after all guesses are expended the game ends in failure for the mob.
Within each arc, there are three kinds of phases:
Carnage Phase - Each player targets someone with their action, which is assigned at the beginning of the game. Once all the actions are resolved, people will DIE. At the end of this phase, you will learn if you have survived and gain any information you uncovered. Argument Phase - After discovering the previous phases’s victims (and there will be a LOT of victims), the remaining players will choose someone to execute. No power or faction information will be given upon the character’s death. However, there’s a new way to gain this info… Reckoning Phase - Only occurs at the end of the arc, after a victor has been declared. Players are able to make a total of five guesses in the form of “A the B killed X the Y” with character names and roles selected from a list. Guesses are first come, first serve, but players may only make one guess each. Players can discuss who should make which guess in the thread or privately. Additionally, players who are still alive at the end of the arc are unable to make guesses!
To assist with the Reckoning Phase, there will be a limited public role list. You’ll learn more about this when the game begins!
Those who die in an arc are sent to Gangsta Heaven (tentatively named) where they are able to talk with other dead people and watch proceedings in the world of the living.
Due to having multiple arcs, this game will be more character-focused than other BF games. Additionally, your characters will never be dead for good, so consistent activity is important. I’m hoping the game will last for 5 weeks but we’ll see lol.
If you’d like to sign up, start by reading and agreeing to the BF-MAMA below.
Spoiler: BF-MAMA
1. Don’t be inactive. 2. If you have to be inactive for some reason, let me know so that I can make accommodations if possible. 3. Be respectful toward other players, i.e. no being a jerk. 4. Don’t use meta needs of communicating private information like screenshots, PMs, etc. Be sportsmanlike. The spirit of the game is in solving the mystery, so using information behind the scenes can ruin the fun of the game and is also just a little embarrassing. 5. Don’t be spiteful if something bad happens to your character. Don’t try to ruin things for other people. Remember that everyone is here to have fun. Characters will do mean things to other characters in the course of the game due to the nature of a game of deception, but try to have fun with that! 6. Try your best to win! The nature of the game is that some people must lose. This means that you can't expect to win, but you should always try your best to work with your teammates and work towards even the slightest possible victory. Never act wittingly in contradiction to your winning objective. 7. By agreeing, you waive all right to file charges against me for any events that may have happened in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on March 7, 2022. 8. Don’t be inactive.
Spoiler: FAQs
“I don’t get the new features at all. Can you explain them again?” I can provide clarification, but they’ll make a lot more sense once you see them in action.
“Why did you use Obra Dinn mechanics in a cyberpunk setting?” Because I wanted to use both of them really badly but only felt like running one game, so I decided having a future mob would be more interesting than dumb smelly sailors.
“Is knowledge of Cyberpunk necessary to playing this game?” I’ve never even played Cyberpunk 2077, so I’mma say no. Some vague knowledge of the genre might help. But honestly, you’d probably be better off playing Obra Dinn.
“Have you finished planning all parts of the game yet?” Of course not. Fortunately, I just started an internship and a summer class, so I will have none of the time I need to do so. This should make me even more productive!
“Why is this game being hosted on some other weird forum that sounds inappropriate?” Good question. Feel free to ask KamiPanda. He’ll be happy to explain for me.
Now sign up below! This game can accommodate up to 18 players, so I don’t expect we’ll have to cut anybody. Since all of your characters come from the same crime family and are trusted associates of Leon, you will likely know each other. Maybe you’re related to Leon, like a son or wife. Maybe you’re a trusted enforcer or getaway driver. Maybe you just walk Leon’s dog sometimes and you’re not sure why you’re here. If you have ideas, start putting them in the thread and work with other players to make an integrated, interesting cast!
Is the 7 guess baseline for if we're at the max player count? If there's only like 14 players then 7 guesses might be pretty strong.
"I’ve never even played Cyberpunk 2077" - the story excerpt reads like it was ripped straight from the game so I could have sworn you'd actually played it. Props.
Anyway, this looks pretty cool! Everything seem- "Feel free to ask KamiPanda" HEY
Is there any countermeasure in place to prevent the same set of Mobsters from dying during the first Carnage Phase each arc?
Oh also, do the Cops win the moment they outnumber the Mobsters? Or does each arc last a set number of "days" or whatever?
Yeah, like in BF2 players can only die in the first phase once for the whole game.
And yeah, Cops don’t win until the end of the phase. Overall, the game will run pretty similar to BF2.
KamiPanda wrote:
Is the 7 guess baseline for if we're at the max player count? If there's only like 14 players then 7 guesses might be pretty strong.
"I’ve never even played Cyberpunk 2077" - the story excerpt reads like it was ripped straight from the game so I could have sworn you'd actually played it. Props.
Yeah that will scale based on players, I just forgot lol. The point is there will be an excess of guesses. Anything that needs to scale will scale based on players, such as kills-per-round, rounds-per-arc, etc.
For what it’s worth, this game is more-so based on a cyberpunk mafia game my roommate did than on cyberpunk itself, which is probably why it sounds on point. Though honestly not sure he’s even played 2077…
BF2 didn’t even have a survey so I wasn’t planning to add one. But we could delay character creation till after roles go out, I wanted it to be more like the BF2 process though
Have you not yet learned that the least trustworthy person when it comes to my games is me
I meant for that to say that you can express opinions about which role you want to be privately, if you care one way or the other. Otherwise I’ll assign roles randomly.
At that time, I’ll set up a QT with your role details. You can also put private-facing info about your character there
Okay my idea is to be a personal trainer and dietician to Leon and the rest of the mafia, specifically to help with cyber hardware rejection issues. Also whips ass if needed
Also he is green because of an algae colony living in his skin so he can photosynthesize, as well as other insane cool bio augmentations. His name is Broccoli Rob.
You thought you could be safe in your courts, with your laws and attorneys to protect you. In this world only I am law, my word is fact, my power is absolute.
Hey gamers it’s the main man Planetman coming in hot to announce that sign-ups will close forever midnight tomorrow night EST. If you want to last minute sign up (epic) now’s your chance please
Hello! I am a friend of Kachu and I heard about this and thought it sounded very cool! I've got experience doing forum games and roleplay like this before, so I understand the level of commitment and I'd love to take part if y'all would have me!
my character idea is Leon's wife who's like the same age as him but also this cool badass looking grandma who's surprisingly stern and scary and still in good condition due to technological advancements let me know if anyone wants to collab for this one (it'll take a day or two for me to decide on name, ref image, etc though)
At last, the cast has been finalized. Here’s the list below. I went ahead and added the characters of people who’ve already posted.
Spoiler: Cast List
1. KamiPanda - Leon's son's fiancee 2. DootDootDoot - Exec/Computer Brain 3. JaytheBluPirate - Leon’s youngest son 4. Collin1002 5. HonestIago - Leon’s personal trainer/dietician 6. Doctor Nanjo - Pizza Boy 7. CaptainPancakes 8. Pierre - Bartender 9. SlipNSlope - Funny Uncle figure 10. Southern Corn - Leon’s wife 11. Neotelenta - Janitor/Housekeeper 12. Bad Player - Pain 13. Kachu
Your role PMs are available on Cox Studios. If you have an account, you can find it there. If not, I’ll DM you a pic of the role PM, but please make an account as soon as possible!
Now you can begin creating your characters! A reminder to new players: design your characters so they don’t give away your role or affiliation. Also a reminder that Mobsters are the town faction, not the mafia faction. I’m hoping to start on Monday if everyone is ready.
One final note: there’s a secret role that will be assigned before the game begins. Keep an eye out for that!
Alright, so since we're allowed to start creating our characters, I'll go first.
My character idea is that he's Leon's youngest son. If he is the only son, then it would mean that he's the sole heir to the family name. If he is the sole heir, then he would have been assigned a bodyguard while he was growing up. If he isn't the sole heir, then that's okay, he still has a bodyguard. *shrugs*
He's fond of wearing a pair of sunglasses for a reason that only his family and bodyguard would know.
At the start of the game's events, he's engaged to his fiancée.
If any of these character relationships pings your interest and you want to be one of those characters my character knows, let me know so we can talk out the details. DMs are most preferred, but in this thread is fine as well.
Oooh, character relations already, awesome. I know other people already have some ideas, so I'll wait to see them before deciding what I'll do. As I've indicated before, I'm happy to be glue and make a character that fills some useful role in making the cast. Bodyguard or wife are definitely ones to consider so far.
Edit: If Hanzo's character ends up being Leon's only child, I imagine it would be reasonable that Leon had other children too but they've all been killed over the years. Mobster stuff, political stuff, cyberpunk stuff; it can be dangerous for a child of such an influential family.
Hi! My character's name is Leslie I think and I have decided on practically nothing else new. I think me and Hanzo will inevitably be related through what he described but we'll talk it out I think. Beyond that if anyone has any cool ideas for relationships with my character feel free to DM me or mention me in this thread, cheers!
As I said in discord, I already decided on my character beforehand regardless of my role/affiliation, but if anybody wants to have some sort of relationship to/connection with Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois
Raphael is a distant, distant cousin. From a lesser part of the family.
Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois is actually only the first part of Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois’ full name, but in Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois’ expansive grace Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois only uses Countess Elizabeth Arette Pistachio Charlemagne Natalia Marie Clementine Montague du Bois since it is so much shorter and simpler.
okay alright my character's name is Mona Lunetti. The main conceit here is they are oldest associates and a high ranking executive in Diantech that's long since used the corporation's technology to transcend into a fully mechanical and electronic body to achieve a sort of immortality. Almost. Though they're never dying of old age or disease they still have a fleshy brain somewhere in that fancy body and thus still have a fatal weakness to being shot in the brain with a gun. This can cause a transhumanist untold amounts of frustration if, hypothetically, they happen to be acquainted with some kind of pizza ghost and slash or vampire. Also they're not married into the family or anything by all means they're just Leon's old friend but they have changed their last name and been with him for so long most characters would probably be used to them as just part of the family at this point.
okay that's about it i have some things to reach out to SC already but I'm open to more or less anything if anyone thinks up a reason to relate to leon's metal friend
Also, they look like this. Their body can run 960000000001 concurrent instances of Doom before their mental processes start slowing down.
Spoiler:
please do not say tv head 2. please. my poor maidenly heart can't take much more stress.
Leon is a world-renowned scientist on the surface, but patriarch of the Lunetti crime family behind the scenes. He's recently turned 80, but thanks to his own technology you can barely tell. As CEO of Dianatech, Leon is as exploitative as they come, ranking in billions of profits while workers suffer in poverty. However, he's more supportive toward those in his "family," often inviting them to gatherings and the like. Still, everyone knows Leon is dangerous and has a hair-trigger temper, so it pays to be cautious around him. He views the city as his playground and feels he's on top of the world, often toying with the police because he knows he can get away with it. Leon is strangely religious for a mob boss, but it comes across as him needing a justification to drown out the voices of the people he's killed.
Spoiler: DJ Red
I'll keep this brief since almost no one knows Red. They're a radical leftist, activist, and DJ of VDL Free Radio, an underground news station. They often serve as a civilian journalist. Your characters might have heard of them, but they're hardly a major threat. They enjoy thrift shopping, folk punk, and venting about their mental health issues.
Red takes the place of the Investigator in Obra Dinn, following the events of the game after they happen. However, their story takes place at roughly the same time, so they may cross paths with the characters.
I mention them here because you can have a prior relationship with Red, if you're interested. However, it may only come up at a few points in the game.
No idea why I didn't realize that stuff with Red sooner. Very exciting to see, reminds me of Umineko a little bit like BF2.
This is going to be hype as hell.
I'm still assembling details for my character so nothing is set in stone, but it's leaning towards being the daughter of one of Leon's probably dead kids. Though she could have parents if it's deemed necessary.
Appearance: A tiny figure of just over 4 foot. Medium, silver hair tied up in a ponytail. Wears a crispy, white button up shirt with a popped collar and a silver chain around her neck. Black gloves cover her small hands. Rats of all stripes follow her around.
Occupation: Been in the business for over half a century and an expert in all sorts of scamming, conning, and cooking of books. She has been in countless gunfights, in countless high speed chases, and tortured on multiple occasions. She says that her rats have aided her in all her pincer attacks.
Backstory: on one of her first missions she was almost burned alive in a grease fire at an abandoned pizza parlor. Thankfully, using some nano machines found nearby in the trash (and maybe some help from someone else) she was able to get a nano machine body. The only problem is that it seems that these nano machines have memories of their previous owner “Uncle Pizza” who basically possesses her on occasion and she turns into a 6 foot, 400 pound pizza chef.
Appearance: An elegant woman with butterflies flying around her. She uses a chip implanted into her brain to control these butterflies, which are in fact miniature drones.
Occupation: As a Decado (the same family Lancer is from) she was raised to be an assassin. However after falling in love with Kolton she left that life behind. She's rich enough not to need to work anyway.
Background: Mercy might sound an unusual name for an assassin, but the Decados take pride in bringing merciful ends to those marked for death. It's a point of professional pride for them, setting them aside from common thugs. As such, her parents felt it the perfect name for their little girl. Like the others in her family, she was raised as a hitman from a young age, eventually specialising in controlling butterfly drones armed with poisoned needles. She carried out her assignments unflinchingly, and when her next task was to off the young heir of the Lunetti family it was business as usual. That is, until she got close enough to see him in person, at which point she fell in love at first sight. Naturally she immediately went to track down and kill the one who'd hired her, nullifying the contract and ensuring nothing would get in the way of her love. She and Kolton ended up dating, and then 4 years after, he proposed to her, leading up to the present day.
Personality: Cold and snarky, even downright acerbic. Unless she's addressing Kolton, in which case her personality does a 180 and she becomes a sappy idiot.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot post attachments in this forum