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Al-Hadikhia and Atheist: Difference between pages

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[[File:icon_alhadikhia.png|250px]]
[[File:icon_atheist.png|250px]]
<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>
<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 10px;">Information</span>


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<td>Type</td>
<td>Type</td>
<td>[[Character Types#Demon|Demon]]</td>
<td>[[Character Types#Townsfolk|Townsfolk]]</td>
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<p class='flavour'>"Alsukut min dhahab."</p>
<p class='flavour'>"Let us disperse with unnecessary conjecture and silly paranoia. There is a perfectly rational explanation for everything. Yes, a teacup may indeed be orbiting the planet, too small to see, but I shall drink my tea from the very real china in my very real hands."</p>


<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px;">Character Showcase</span>
<span style="display: block; color: black; font-size: 20px; text-align: center; margin-top: 20px;">Character Showcase</span>
<youtube>JRO9FNEwIcU</youtube>
<youtube>wvSr4QtJlKs</youtube>


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<div class="small-12 large-6 columns">
== Summary ==
== Summary ==
"Each night*, choose 3 players (all players learn who): each silently chooses to live or die, but if all live, all die."
"The Storyteller can break the game rules, and if executed, good wins, even if you are dead. [No evil characters]"


The Al-Hadikhia puts three players in a dilemma – who will choose to die, so that others can live?
The Atheist knows that all players are good and that there is no such thing as Demons.
* The Al-Hadikhia chooses three players per night. Everyone learns which three were chosen. Each player makes their choice before the next player is revealed.
* With the Atheist in play, there are no evil players—no Minions and no Demons.
* All players must be silent when the Al-Hadikhia acts at night. This period lasts from when the Storyteller first declares that a player has been chosen, until the Storyteller says that it ends.
* Good wins if the Storyteller is executed. Any living player may nominate the Storyteller, and the Storyteller is executed if 50% or more of the living players vote.
* At night, the Storyteller asks players out loud if they choose to live. If they nod their head, they live. If they shake their head, they die. Players may be brought back to life this way.
* If the Atheist is not in play and the Storyteller is executed, evil wins.
* If all players choose to live, then they all die instead. If a player chose to die but did not die, they count as alive for this calculation.
* Good loses if just two players are alive.
* The Storyteller may break any of the game’s rules. They may kill a player who nominated to simulate a Witch curse, kill players at night to simulate a Demon attacking, give players false information to simulate drunkenness, change characters at night to simulate a Pit-Hag, or even have the wrong number of Outsiders in play.
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== How to Run ==
== How to Run ==
Each night except the first, wake the Al-Hadikhia. They point at three players. Mark these players with the '''1''', '''2''' and '''3''' reminders, in the order the Al-Hadikhia chose. Put the Al- Hadikhia to sleep. Wake the player marked '''1''' and say “The Al- Hadikhia has chosen” then the name of the player, then “Do you choose to live?” They either nod or shake their head. Put them to sleep. If they chose to live, remove their shroud (''if any''), and if they choose to '''die''', add a shroud. Repeat for players marked '''2''' then '''3'''. If all three players are alive (''none of them have a shroud'') then add a shroud to all three. They '''die'''. Declare that the time of silence has ended.


Each dawn, declare which players marked '''1''', '''2''' and '''3''' are alive and which are dead. Do this even if a player’s alive or dead status did not change during the night.
While setting up the game, before giving the bag to the players, remove all evil character tokens and add Townsfolk or Outsider character tokens to match the player count.
 
Break any game rules, as you see fit. Use evil reminder tokens if you need them.


<div class="example" style="color: #5d2123; font-style: italic; font-family: GoudyOldStyle;">
<div class="example" style="color: #5d2123; font-style: italic; font-family: GoudyOldStyle;">
You may need to remind all players to be silent as the Al-Hadikhia acts. This includes non-verbal noise. This prevents players signaling to others about whether they have chosen to live or die.
The Atheist is a complex character, and is recommended for experienced Storytellers. In addition to rules knowledge, it requires you to have a good sense of fun and fairness. It is your job to create a fun game for all players, so only break the game rules to give false information (as much or as little as you want) or simulate the actions of evil characters that could be in play, but aren’t. If you can convince the players that there is no Atheist in play, or at least get them discussing the possibility, you’ve done well.
<hr />
Avoid creating arbitrary rules or changing the win conditions. In order to have a good time, the players need to know how they can win the game if an Atheist is in play.
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<div class='example'>
<div class='example'>
The Al-Hadikhia chooses Evin, Lachlan, and Sarah. Evin chooses to die. Lachlan chooses to die. Sarah chooses to live. In the morning, Evin and Lachlan are dead, and Sarah is alive.
There are three Outsiders in play, when there should be two. The players execute the Storyteller. Good wins.
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<div class='example'>
<div class='example'>
The Al-Hadikhia chooses Alex, Lewis, and Doug, who is dead. Alex chooses life. Lewis chooses life. Doug chooses life, so is now alive. Since all players are now alive, all three players die.  
The {{Good|Investigator}} learns that either the {{Good|Grandmother}} or the {{Good|Seamstress}} is the {{Evil|Boomdandy}}. The {{Good|Sweetheart}} nominates, and dies, even though there is no {{Evil|Witch}} in play. The {{Good|Slayer}} uses their ability on the {{Good|Gossip}}, who dies.
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== Tips & Tricks ==
== Tips & Tricks ==


* On the second night, all players will know that an Al-Hadikhia is in play. There is little point generating discussion about which Demon might be in play.  
* If you are the Atheist, you know who the Demon is: nobody. You know exactly what to do to win the game: execute the Storyteller. If you can convince the other players that you are indeed the Atheist, then that will be enough to win the game.


* Choose three good players, in order to maximise the number of deaths per night. Good players will often all choose to live, meaning three good players will die. This may hint to the good team that the dead players are actually good, but it's worth it. This strategy is particularly useful if the remaining evil players are all alive, since the evil team will have a significant voting advantage for the rest of the game.
* Don't be too fussed if the other players don't believe you at first, and want to execute a few players. Executing the Storyteller on day one just because one player claims to be the Atheist is a big risk for most players to take, and it is smart to play for a few days to get as much information as possible. Claim that you are the Atheist, again and again, and have patience.


* Choose an evil player every so often, to make that evil player look good, or to guarantee at least one death per night. Beginner Al-Hadikhia players may always choose good players, so choosing some evil players, particularly early on, can really help. It is usually best if the two good players that you chose, die, while the single evil player that you chose, lives. But having all three players die is also very helpful, since the final day approaches quicker. Avoid the situation where the two good players live and the evil player dies. The evil player you chose should have a clue as to what the other players are going to choose, to plan their own life accordingly.  
* Reveal your character early. There isn't really much point lying about who you are, since there are no evil players to fool, and no Demon attacks to avoid at night.  


* Choose yourself at some stage, particularly if all other players have already been chosen previously this game. If you are the single player that has not been chosen by the Al-Hadikhia, that makes you look VERY suspicious. To avoid this, choose yourself one night - just make sure that you choose two other players who are very likely to choose to die, because you will need to choose to live. Talking to a Minion beforehand, and arranging that they will choose to die while you choose to live, guarantees that you will not accidentally kill yourself, since it doesn't matter what the third player chooses.
* Convince as many players as possible to reveal their characters and information as early as possible. There is little point hiding information, since the player you need to beat is the Storyteller, and the Storyteller already knows everything.  


* The more information you have about which characters are in play, the better. Some characters, like the {{Good|Ravenkeeper}}, {{Good|Sage}}, or {{Good|Farmer}}, will want to die at night. Some characters, like the {{Good|Flowergirl}}, {{Good|Balloonist}} or {{Good|Poppy Grower}} will want to stay alive. Some characters, like the {{Good|Fisherman}} or {{Good|Slayer}} may not be sure if they want to live or die, depending on how useful their ability was or will be. If you know which players are which characters, you can arrange to choose three players that are all likely to live, or all likely to die. Either way, it's helpful.  
* If there are characters on the script that could make you drunk, such as the {{Good|Drunk}}, do everything you can to figure out whether or not you are drunk. If you are the {{Good|Drunk}}, then you are not the Atheist at all, there is no Atheist in play, there are hidden evil players amongst you, and executing the Storyteller will result in the evil team winning.


* Choose dead Minions occasionally. You can raise Minions from the dead, and this can be crucial, particularly if they get to use their ability again, such as the {{Evil|Assassin}} or the {{Evil|Poisoner}}. Alive Minions can also vote more often - very handy. Be aware of choosing Minions that will telegraph their ability to the good team, such as the {{Evil|Pit-Hag}} or the {{Evil|Cerenovus}}. If the public nature of these abilities too obviously let's the good team know which players specifically are Minions, this could cause trouble, outweighing the benefit of another alive Minion.  
* Don't be afraid to die. Most players will want to kill the Atheist at some stage, just in case you are evil. Dying so that the good team can win is worth it, even though it will result in the Storyteller killing an extra player (or more!) that night.


* Choose dead good players occasionally. While it certainly isn't helpful to give Townsfolk players their ability back, these players may look like Minions to the good team, confusing their information. Also, you can be fairly certain that good, dead players will choose to live again, so you can use that to decide which other players to choose. Every life or death decision of a player that you know beforehand, means you can choose players more wisely.
* If all the good team's information makes sense and is consistent, then kill all the players that this information points to as evil. Once all these players are dead, it should be much easier to convince the other players that you are the Atheist.


* Some players will always choose life at night, out of uncertainty or fear. Where possible, choose three of these types of players all at once at night.
* If the good team's information has some noticeable inconsistencies, such as once player learning that an {{Evil|Evil Twin}} is in play and another learning that a {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}} is in play in a one-Minion game, then highlight these inconsistencies to the group as evidence that the Storyteller is breaking the rules.  


* Talk to your Minions. They may be able to provide you with information on who to choose at night, and who not to. This is true even moreso than a regular Demon, because not only are you choosing which characters you want to kill, but you are choosing which combinations of characters. Your Minions may also provide you with information about which character they are, and if they are ok to die at night... and what their story will be afterwards.  
* If there are any characters in play that have game-ending abilities, such as the {{Good|Mayor}} or {{Good|Saint}}, then check with the Storyteller as to whether or not the game will end if you take a risky action. It is best that all players know beforehand, when they are about to do something that could end the game, with either a win or a loss.
 
* If an evil player is chosen at night, even yourself, plan what you are going to say the following day. Having a valid reason for choosing life (or death, as the case may be) is easier when you've thought about it beforehand. Avoid making Minions choose life or death without prior warning, and having to Scramble to come up with reasons for their choice. If you are playing with characters that allow you to die, like the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}}, it is also good practice to having your own night-choice and reasons pre-planned.  
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== Bluffing as the Atheist ==


== Fighting the Al-Hadikhia ==
When bluffing as the Atheist, there are a few things you should keep in mind:
 
* Don't be scared of choosing to die at night. Someone will. It's just a question of who, and how many. If you are a character than can afford to die, choose death. This will mean that, on average, the characters that can't afford to die will live through the night.
 
* If players live through the night, assume that they are good, or at least are not the Demon. Particulary if you are playing with new players. Generally, the Al-Hadikhia won't choose themself, so avoiding executing the players that have lived through the night, any night, may mean you end up executing the Demon by default.


* If players die at night in an unusual pattern, ask why. Good player will usually have a good reason as to why they chose death, and a good reason why they chose life. If the reasons that you are hearing don't make sense, you may have found an evil player.
* If you are a Minion, you can bluff as the Atheist without worrying that there will be another Atheist in play. There are no evil players in an Atheist game, so the fact that you are an evil Minion means that there is no Atheist.  


* If a player is returned to life, don't execute them. You may not know which character they are, but they aren't the Demon!
* If you are the Demon, you can bluff as the Atheist, even if the Storyteller doesn't show you the Atheist as a bluff. There are no evil players in an Atheist game, so the fact that you are an evil player means that there is no Atheist.


* Discuss as a group what your planned night-preferences are. If you signal that you will choose death, if chosen, that means that other players can choose life if you are chosen. If you signal that will choose life if chosen, that means that the other two players will need to consider dying, to avoid all players choosing life.  
* If you are bluffing as the Atheist, be prepared for the players to execute you at some stage. It is rare that any player claiming to be the Atheist will survive until the final day. So, bluffing as the Atheist tends to work best for characters who's ability is already used, such as the {{Evil|Baron}}, or will be used by the time you die, such as the {{Evil|Mezepheles}}. If there are characters that can keep the game going after the Demon dies, such as the {{Evil|Scarlet Woman}} or {{Evil|Mastermind}} or {{Evil|Imp}}, then this makes an Atheist bluff easier for the Demon.


* The Demon will likely be listening to any discussions about who is planning on choosing what, and will attack people based on that knowledge. Change your mind at the last minute without telling anyone, to throw the Demon's plans into disarray.  
* The first major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to spend your time convincing the good team that you are the Atheist. Unlike other characters, this may need a more social approach than usual, as most Atheists are loud and confident in what they know and what needs to happen to win. However, using the good team's information against them can also work, such as an {{Good|Empath}} learning that you are evil or a poisoned {{Good|Empath}} learning you are good - both of these result can be used as evidence that you are indeed the Atheist, since the Storyteller can break the rules to give the good team false information.


* Pay particular attention to nights where only 4 or 5 players are still alive. Unlike most Demons, which only kill one player per night, the Al-Hadikhia can kill three players per night. If you go to the night phase with 4 or 5 players alive, it will be game-over if the good players choose poorly. This night is the important one. Take your time to think, and make the right call.  
* The second major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to convince the good team that the information that they have is inconsistent, that it points to too many players being evil, that it doesn't make sense. This is different than trying to convince them that a particular player or group of players is evil, which wouldn't make sense if you are the Atheist. If you can confuse the good team as to what is happening, they may execute the Storyteller in haste, or execute the wrong evil players and let the Demon survive. Either way, evil wins. This strategy works best with characters that can cause a lot of confusion, such as the {{Evil|Poisoner}} or the {{Evil|Vigormortis}}.


* Don't try to break the "Silence" rule (by signalling to the other players what your choice was) by adhering to the letter of the law, but not the spirit. At night, the Al-Hadikhia character acts in silence so that the players don't communicate their thoughts to each other. The game is more fun this way. Don't break the rules on a technicality, as the Storyteller will adjust the rules to disallow this behaviour in the future.  
* The third major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to convince the good team that the information that they have makes too much sense! In a real Atheist game, the Storyteller will often be trying their best to make all the information consistent, or at least to make all players appear to be good. Making the argument that everything is making too much sense is making the argument that the Storyteller is responsible. This strategy works best with characters that can appear to be good, such as the {{Evil|Spy}} or the {{Evil|Imp}}.


* If your plan is to convince the group that all players are good, get your teammates to give false information that is either very consistent or wildly inaccurate. If you goal is to get a few good players executed to increase the final-day chances of an evil win, get your teammates to give false information that converges on particular players being evil.
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[[Category:Experimental Characters]]
[[Category:Experimental Characters]]
[[Category:Demons]]
[[Category:Townsfolk]]

Revision as of 17:28, 8 December 2023

Icon atheist.png Information

Type Townsfolk
Artist Marianna Carr

"Let us disperse with unnecessary conjecture and silly paranoia. There is a perfectly rational explanation for everything. Yes, a teacup may indeed be orbiting the planet, too small to see, but I shall drink my tea from the very real china in my very real hands."

Character Showcase

Summary

"The Storyteller can break the game rules, and if executed, good wins, even if you are dead. [No evil characters]"

The Atheist knows that all players are good and that there is no such thing as Demons.

  • With the Atheist in play, there are no evil players—no Minions and no Demons.
  • Good wins if the Storyteller is executed. Any living player may nominate the Storyteller, and the Storyteller is executed if 50% or more of the living players vote.
  • If the Atheist is not in play and the Storyteller is executed, evil wins.
  • Good loses if just two players are alive.
  • The Storyteller may break any of the game’s rules. They may kill a player who nominated to simulate a Witch curse, kill players at night to simulate a Demon attacking, give players false information to simulate drunkenness, change characters at night to simulate a Pit-Hag, or even have the wrong number of Outsiders in play.

How to Run

While setting up the game, before giving the bag to the players, remove all evil character tokens and add Townsfolk or Outsider character tokens to match the player count.

Break any game rules, as you see fit. Use evil reminder tokens if you need them.

The Atheist is a complex character, and is recommended for experienced Storytellers. In addition to rules knowledge, it requires you to have a good sense of fun and fairness. It is your job to create a fun game for all players, so only break the game rules to give false information (as much or as little as you want) or simulate the actions of evil characters that could be in play, but aren’t. If you can convince the players that there is no Atheist in play, or at least get them discussing the possibility, you’ve done well.

Avoid creating arbitrary rules or changing the win conditions. In order to have a good time, the players need to know how they can win the game if an Atheist is in play.

Examples

There are three Outsiders in play, when there should be two. The players execute the Storyteller. Good wins.

The Investigator learns that either the Grandmother or the Seamstress is the Boomdandy. The Sweetheart nominates, and dies, even though there is no Witch in play. The Slayer uses their ability on the Gossip, who dies.

Tips & Tricks

  • If you are the Atheist, you know who the Demon is: nobody. You know exactly what to do to win the game: execute the Storyteller. If you can convince the other players that you are indeed the Atheist, then that will be enough to win the game.
  • Don't be too fussed if the other players don't believe you at first, and want to execute a few players. Executing the Storyteller on day one just because one player claims to be the Atheist is a big risk for most players to take, and it is smart to play for a few days to get as much information as possible. Claim that you are the Atheist, again and again, and have patience.
  • Reveal your character early. There isn't really much point lying about who you are, since there are no evil players to fool, and no Demon attacks to avoid at night.
  • Convince as many players as possible to reveal their characters and information as early as possible. There is little point hiding information, since the player you need to beat is the Storyteller, and the Storyteller already knows everything.
  • If there are characters on the script that could make you drunk, such as the Drunk, do everything you can to figure out whether or not you are drunk. If you are the Drunk, then you are not the Atheist at all, there is no Atheist in play, there are hidden evil players amongst you, and executing the Storyteller will result in the evil team winning.
  • Don't be afraid to die. Most players will want to kill the Atheist at some stage, just in case you are evil. Dying so that the good team can win is worth it, even though it will result in the Storyteller killing an extra player (or more!) that night.
  • If all the good team's information makes sense and is consistent, then kill all the players that this information points to as evil. Once all these players are dead, it should be much easier to convince the other players that you are the Atheist.
  • If the good team's information has some noticeable inconsistencies, such as once player learning that an Evil Twin is in play and another learning that a Scarlet Woman is in play in a one-Minion game, then highlight these inconsistencies to the group as evidence that the Storyteller is breaking the rules.
  • If there are any characters in play that have game-ending abilities, such as the Mayor or Saint, then check with the Storyteller as to whether or not the game will end if you take a risky action. It is best that all players know beforehand, when they are about to do something that could end the game, with either a win or a loss.

Bluffing as the Atheist

When bluffing as the Atheist, there are a few things you should keep in mind:

  • If you are a Minion, you can bluff as the Atheist without worrying that there will be another Atheist in play. There are no evil players in an Atheist game, so the fact that you are an evil Minion means that there is no Atheist.
  • If you are the Demon, you can bluff as the Atheist, even if the Storyteller doesn't show you the Atheist as a bluff. There are no evil players in an Atheist game, so the fact that you are an evil player means that there is no Atheist.
  • If you are bluffing as the Atheist, be prepared for the players to execute you at some stage. It is rare that any player claiming to be the Atheist will survive until the final day. So, bluffing as the Atheist tends to work best for characters who's ability is already used, such as the Baron, or will be used by the time you die, such as the Mezepheles. If there are characters that can keep the game going after the Demon dies, such as the Scarlet Woman or Mastermind or Imp, then this makes an Atheist bluff easier for the Demon.
  • The first major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to spend your time convincing the good team that you are the Atheist. Unlike other characters, this may need a more social approach than usual, as most Atheists are loud and confident in what they know and what needs to happen to win. However, using the good team's information against them can also work, such as an Empath learning that you are evil or a poisoned Empath learning you are good - both of these result can be used as evidence that you are indeed the Atheist, since the Storyteller can break the rules to give the good team false information.
  • The second major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to convince the good team that the information that they have is inconsistent, that it points to too many players being evil, that it doesn't make sense. This is different than trying to convince them that a particular player or group of players is evil, which wouldn't make sense if you are the Atheist. If you can confuse the good team as to what is happening, they may execute the Storyteller in haste, or execute the wrong evil players and let the Demon survive. Either way, evil wins. This strategy works best with characters that can cause a lot of confusion, such as the Poisoner or the Vigormortis.
  • The third major strategy to win the game via an Atheist bluff is to convince the good team that the information that they have makes too much sense! In a real Atheist game, the Storyteller will often be trying their best to make all the information consistent, or at least to make all players appear to be good. Making the argument that everything is making too much sense is making the argument that the Storyteller is responsible. This strategy works best with characters that can appear to be good, such as the Spy or the Imp.
  • If your plan is to convince the group that all players are good, get your teammates to give false information that is either very consistent or wildly inaccurate. If you goal is to get a few good players executed to increase the final-day chances of an evil win, get your teammates to give false information that converges on particular players being evil.
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