”The ’Red Death’ had long devastated the country. No pestilence had ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood was its Avatar and its seal – the redness and the horror of blood. There were sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, were the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, were the incidents of half an hour.
But the Baron Montresor was dauntless. When his village was half depopulated, he summoned to his presence his most light-hearted friends from among the neighboring noble families, and with these retired to a private masquerade in the seclusion of his well-guarded Palazzo. The external world could take care of itself. In the meantime it was folly to grieve, or to think. The Baron had provided all the appliances of pleasure. There were buffons, there were improvisatori, there were ballet-dancers, there were musicians, there was Beauty, there was wine. All these and security were within. Without was the ’Red Death.’”
The Cask of Amontillado is a modified Werewolf game about allegiance, betrayal and grim death in old Italy. The setting is based on the novels ”The Cask of Amontillado” and ”The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe. Much of the flavor text are direct or modified quotes from these novels.
The game is divided into ”Hours” and ”Toasts”. Every Hour, each player must decide whether to mingle, conspire, court or spy. Every Toast, players must vote to have someone unmasked – and pray that the Red Death doesn’t show itself. The nobility’s only chance of survival is to rub shoulders with the right people at the right time, as only two noblemen at the Palazzo possess the means of escape. But only one of these two men will survive…
The game begins with the First Hour, and ends with the Last Toast.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Montresor
”The thousand injuries of Fortunato you have borne as best you could, but when he ventured upon insult you vowed revenge. At length you will be avenged; this is a point definitely settled – but the very definitiveness with which it will be resolved preclude the idea of risk. You must not only punish but punish with impunity. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.
It must be understood that neither by word or deed have you given Fortunato cause to doubt your good will. You continue, as is your wont, to smile in his face, and he does not perceive that your smile now is at the thought of his immolation.”
Victory Condition: Exact vengeance upon Fortunato.
Each Hour, Montresor may:
* MINGLE with a target player of your choice.
If your target is only targeted by you this hour, you are ALONE with your target and will learn his role (Noble, Fortunato, the Red Death).
If your target is trying to SNEAK into the cellar, he will notice that you are on to him and will cease his burglary. You are not notified if you interrupt a SNEAK this way, and the target is not told why he failed.
If Montresor is ALONE with Fortunato AND has PREVIOUSLY learned his identity, Montresor will EXACT VENGEANCE upon Fortunato, triggering Montresor’s victory condition. Upon this, Montresor will escape the Palazzo through the secret catacombs, together with any Nobles who got on his good side.
Fortunato
”Few Italians have the true virtuoso spirit. For the most part their enthusiasm is adopted to suit the time and opportunity, to practice imposture upon the British and Austrian millionaires. You, Fortunato, pride yourself on your conoisseurship in wine. In this matter you are sincere.
But other things draw you to Montresor’s masquerade. You have studied forbidden old tomes and ancient lore. The Red Death may be overcome by other, unlooked-for means. In the deep wisdom of occult Kabbala you have found strange keys to the realm of death and blood. There may be things they want. And the final clue lies in Montresor’s Palazzo.”
Victory Condition: Strike a deal with the Red Death.
Each Hour, Fortunato may:
* MINGLE with a target player of your choice.
If your target is only targeted by you this hour, you are ALONE with your target and will learn his role (Noble, Montresor, the Red Death).
If Fortunato is ALONE with the Red Death AND has PREVIOUSLY learned his identity, Fortunato will STRIKE A DEAL with the Red Death, triggering Fortunato’s victory condition. Upon this, Fortunato will leave the Palazzo, together with any Nobles who got on his good side.
The Red Death
”The ’Red Death’ has long devastated the country. No pestilence has ever been so fatal, or so hideous. Blood is your Avatar and your seal – the redness and the horror of blood. There are sharp pains, and sudden dizziness, and then profuse bleeding at the pores, with dissolution. The scarlet stains upon the body and especially upon the face of the victim, are the pest ban which shut him out from the aid and from the sympathy of his fellow-men. And the whole seizure, progress and termination of the disease, are the incidents of half an hour.”
Victory Condition: Kill every living soul in the Palazzo. Don’t let anyone escape.
Each Hour, the Red Death MUST:
* INFECT a currently uninfected player of your choice with the Red Plague.
Infecting a player has no effect as long as the Red Death is MASKED. Infected players are not told when they are infected. Should the Red Death ever become UNMASKED, all infected players will DIE INSTANTLY and any subsequent infections will KILL INSTANTLY.
Infected players who escape the Palazzo before the Red Death is UNMASKED, will survive.
The Red Death does not need to be ALONE with his target for his infection to succeed.
Infecting a player does not interfere with MINGLING.
Nobles
”While the lesser plebeians of Italian stock die in droves outside the gates, you have been fortunate enough to get yourself invited to Montresor’s fabulous masquerade in his Grand Palazzo. Some of your family warned you against him; indeed – he is an excentric old curmudgeon, but then much of your family died in pain while your open mind was rewarded.
However, you are not sure Montresor can keep you entirely safe. Rumors abound of the hedonist Fortunato and his delvings into strange literature. Fortunato has seen such prosperity in his life that it can scarcely be believed that certain external powers did not have a hand in providing it. Proving your friendship to either of these gentlemen is an act of prudence.”
Victory Condition: Survive the masquerade by getting on Montresor’s or Fortunato’s good side.
Each Hour, a Noble may choose to do one of the following:
* SNEAK down to the wine cellar to bring up a Cask of Amontillado. This is only successful if you are not targeted by Montresor AND no other player is successfully SNEAKING this Hour.
* MINGLE with a target player of your choice.
If your target is only targeted by you this hour, you are ALONE with your target and will learn his role (Noble, Fortunato, Montresor, the Red Death).
If you have stolen a Cask of Amontillado you will automatically and for the rest of the game treat everyone you MINGLE with to a goblet of Montresor’s outstanding Amontillado, even if you are not ALONE with them. If you are not ALONE with your target, those players targeting your target will receive a goblet of Amontillado as well. If you manage to treat Fortunato with a goblet of Amontillado, you get on Fortunato’s good side, as well as learning his identity. Fortunato will be told your identity.
If you have previously learned about Fortunato’s identity AND Fortunato is currently MASKED AND you are ALONE with Montresor, you will tell Montresor about Fortunato’s identity and get on Montresor’s good side. Montresor will be told your and Fortunato’s identity.
MECHANICS OF MINGLING
* Each player decides what to do each Hour by sending a PM to the Moderator, containing the name of the desired action (Mingle, Sneak, Infect, Abstain) and the name of the target player, if any. Once an order is sent, it is final, so take your time.
* Hour turn sequence:
1. Nobles, Fortunato and Montresor MINGLE and SNEAK.
2. Nobles get on someone’s good side, if eligible.
3. Fortunato triggers his victory condition, if eligible.
4. Montresor triggers his victory condition, if eligible.
5. The Red Death INFECTS.
6. The Red Death triggers his victory condition, if eligible.
* Posting in the game thread during Hours is allowed and encouraged.
* To determine whether or not you are ALONE with a player while mingling, only the number of players targeting your target is considered. If none, one or several players target YOU, and you target BOB whom no one else targeted, you have been ALONE with BOB. If one or more players targeted BOB as well, however, you have not been ALONE with BOB.
* The only notification a target of mingling will ever receive is if the target is Montresor or Fortunato and the action resulted in the mingler getting on their good side.
* There is an unlimited supply of Casks of Amontillado in the cellar, but you only need to charm Fortunato once to get on his good side.
* If BOB and MIKE both SNEAK into the cellar at the same time but MIKE is targeted by Montresor, BOB will successfully steal a Cask of Amontillado.
* It is possible to get on both Montresor’s and Fortunato’s good sides – one does not exclude the other (as long as you keep quiet about it!).
* Even if Fortunato has already had a goblet of Amontillado, he won’t say no to another.
* Goblets of Amontillado are instantly consumed upon reception. With the exception of Fortunato, players are not told the identity of the player presenting them with Amontillado.
* Even if Montresor already knows Fortunato’s identity, he will appreciate the gesture – unless Fortunato’s identity is already public knowledge.
* Red Plague infection does not interfere with MINGLING.
A TOAST, SIGNORI!
* After each Hour, the guests of the Palazzo must raise their glasses and Toast to the good health of one player. Each player may vote to Toast to the health of (player name) using (accuse) tags.
* When majority is reached, the toastee UNMASKS himself to receive the praise. This REVEALS HIS ROLE TO ALL (Nobleman, Montresor, Fortunato, the Red Death).
* If the the Red Death is UNMASKED, any player that is currently INFECTED with the Red Plague will DIE.
* You may only Toast to a currently MASKED player.
* No player may self-vote.
* When a victory condition is triggered, the game ends. Any player who is not included in the triggered victory condition lose the game.
