The Game System & Outline

[JESS]

Hey guys! This is just a guide briefly explaining the system that is going to be used in the Beta Games. If the system works really well in this beta test, then we'll use it in the first proper games on Tributes of Panem. If it doesn't work sufficiently, we'll try again. This thread is also the place to ask questions and make suggestions. It's your game system, too, so you are more than welcome to suggest modifications if you don't think the system is effective.

The Gamemakers
For each Hunger Games, there will be two Gamemakers. They will be responsible for everything, from the arena to the deathlist to the mutts. They will reply to all the threads with various actions to spice up the Games. If the tributes haven't done anything particularly exciting, the Gamemakers throw in some mutts or some fireballs and make everything a whole lot more interesting.

The Gamemakers will be selected after the Reaping and will usually be staff members, but a trusted member could also have an opportunity to do it. Gamemakers need to be impartial to the outcome of the games, so its preferred if the Gamemakers didn't have any tribute characters. We need to keep it fair!

There is a password Gamemaker board and will be the place to discuss everything to do with the games. There is also a Gamemaker user account that will only be used by the Gamemakers. Only they will know the passwords, and if the passwords are ever shared, there will be consequences.

The Arena
The Beta Arena is almost completed, though it is completely hidden from all of you. When the games are about to start, they will be opened to everyone.

Step 1: The Reaping
We won't need to do a Beta Reaping because it's very simple and our tributes have already been selected. Just like in the books, a tribute's name will be entered into a bowl (or in our case, an online randomizer) and drawn at random. To make the site simpler, we don't have tesserae because, as a player, getting reaped for the games is an exciting thing, and unnecessary tesserae could be used to increase the odds of being a tribute. Instead, a character's name can only be entered once, with the exception of purchased slips. (see the Banking System for more information on this.)

Step 2: Tribute Parade
After the tributes arive in Panem, they meet with their stylists, who make them look their best while being shown off to the rest of the world. Tributes are dressed in costumes that tie in with their district industry.

I predict that we won't ever have many prep team characters, so you will be responsible for your own outfits. Polyvore is an excellent place to plan and create costumes. The tribute parade will be just one post from each character, depicting their outfits and how they feel.

Step 3: Training Centre
The Training Center is a skyscraper in the Capitol where the tributes live and train in preparation for the Hunger Games. Tributes will attend training in the underground gymnasium three days in a row, starting at 10am each morning. There are many training stations and obstacle courses, including knot tying, edible plants and insects, camoflauge and weaponry.

You will choose two skills that your character learned in their district (ie, Katniss is skilled at Archery because she hunted, and Peeta can camoflauge himself because he decorated cakes in the bakery), two skills that they will learn in the training centre, and two skills that they are generally hopeless at. This will prevent people from making Mary Sue characters who are alright at everything. It's unrealistic and there's bound to be skills that your character isn't good at.

Step 4: Private Sessions
The private session is a tribute's chance to show the Gamemakers what they are capable of. The tribute will choose a particular skill they excel at, and then scored from 1-12 (1 being very low and 12 almost impossible to achieve).

For your character's private session, you will need to send a post depicting their session to an Administrator via PM (hence, private session). The staff will then have a panel discussion about the training scores. If someone doesn't submit their private training session within 3 days, they will be skipped and given a 1. When everybody has submited, or the 3 days have passed, the training scores will be released to the public.

Step 5: Tribute Interviews
The night before the Hunger Games, each tribute is interviewed on television. Each tribute is allocated 3 minutes of time, and will be asked about their life at home, time in the Capitol, training scores and the Reaping. The interviews are in order of districts and the female tribute is always interviewed before the male counterpart. The main purpose of the interviews is to show the rest of the Capitol a little about each tribute to help them choose their favorite.

You will be given a template with a few basic questions to answer, plus one more personal question that you can add in yourself. When you've answered all the questions, post them in the appropriate thread (will be in the Tribute Interview board).

Step 6: Popularity Poll
Popularity is a weapon, too, and if a tribute wins the crowd over they are more likely to receive gifts.

At this point in time, everybody would have a favourite tribute. After all the interviews are posted, a popularity poll will be released. You will vote out of character - we are the viewers, after all - for your favourite. You can only vote once and you can't vote for your own character. We'll know if you do, so don't do it.

The Hunger Games - The System
Now, this is where it gets tricky. Using another randomizer, we'll decide how many and which tributes will die. At the beginning of each 'round' (round 1 being the Bloodbath & Day 1, round 2 Day 2, etc), a death list will be posted and you will have the opportunity to claim your kill. The death list is random but also takes into account a character's training score, popularity, current health and sponsorship.

It is much like the Reaping. Characters with bad training scores will have their name entered into the death list generator more than those who scored better. Popular tributes are more likely to get sponsors and more likely to survive another day, therefore their names are entered less than unpopular tributes. Health is an obvious one; those with more injuries are entered more times than healthy tributes. All in all, the favourites will be favourites but still have a chance of dying. I won't go into much more detail than that because the thought of explaining it gives me a headache. The death list will only be done daily in game, tributes will be picked off one by one until a lone victor remains - we won't know who the winner is until the day of the Showdown.

When the death list is posted each day, you can claim the kill in the 'kill claim' thread. You can decide how your character dies and plot it out with other players. We won't control everything; it is your character, after all.

& that's it!
Anyone who knows me, knows that this post is my definition of brief. Anyway, that's all I can think of right now. If you have any questions, here is the place to ask.