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The Game From Start To Finish; To Steal Brobst's Title
Topic Started: Jan 5 2017, 11:25 PM (549 Views)
Michael Myers
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1/5/17... Opening Night

That title just conveniently auto-filled from the last game. Fun fact.

So, yeah, I'm going to keep this kind of brief. There are too many messages flying for me to be posting in here at the moment, which is good. It's an active bunch.

My initial thoughts are that there are some players here that know what they are doing. The small talk is flowing, but it's the productive kind. People are also making statements that lead me to believe they have been here before. Clubber, for instance, just had a conversation with me about how we've all done the small talk game and now we all know we just have to wait until the next step. Basically, that our job tonight was to show up and be active and display that we have done so. The next step can only take place after tribes are announced (because anyone that tries to strategize too hard now will only put a target on their back).

The thing that made me really think Clubber is a vet, is that he pointed out how the small talk at this phase of the game is always awkward in that we can't have real conversations, because we can't reveal anything about our real selves, so all small talk has to be about the game, and nobody can say much about it yet. So, it's a necessary discussion, but it's just kind of a contrived thing... and it's our job at the moment to take part in it. There's a show on Food Network where the judges have to guess if the competing cooks are pros or cons (basically people who cook as a hobby) based on how they are cooking (their knowledge and techniques, etc). After this conversation with Clubber, I'd have to guess he's a pro.

And other players are making meta game talk like that too. Luke was saying something similar to me about how the game works at this stage. And Hannibal is another player that seems extraordinarily smart. More meta game talk with him. I don't know where his allegiances will end up lying, so he's one of those players that could either end up being a huge asset to me or a major threat. I'll have to keep my eye out, since it's going to end up being completely situational. He's also extremely sociable, so he might be a double threat... strategic and diplomatic. That makes for a dangerous player.

Darth Vader also seems like he was very sociable tonight. Most of the players I talked to mentioned having talked to him, so I think he was doing his job and reaching out to everyone like we all should be doing. For my part, I was mostly talking to him about laying low for the moment, about finding some sort of balance in the game, and about playing relaxed for now. How much of that I really believe is besides the point. I think Darth Vader is a smart player, so I need him to think I'm going to be a rolls with the punches sort of guy... which, I'm not. I'm a " you do what I want or I will find a way to assassinate you" kind of guy. But I want to keep that my little secret for now. I think Darth has his own secrets.

Instead of making the usual small talk, that's several players that are making small talk ABOUT small talk itself. Again, total vet thing to do. In general, I've never had an opening night where I've had so many people making commentary ABOUT how the opening game generally works. I just think that, at least the more active players, seem to kind of know what they are doing... and it's making the night seem smooth for a player like me. I like that.

Of course, this is a twenty player cast and most of the players are doing the average amount of messaging and sending typical first night posts. Jaws and Bastian haven't logged in yet, so I obviously have no read on them. Freddy is coming off as a total newbie. I sent him a message asking how the game was going and all the typical opening stuff, and his response was something about being in my nightmares and having more knives than me. I tried to bring the focus back to the game, but he just kept continuing with one liners about the same stuff. No substance at all... and not even really small talk. Just like a sentence or two about being a slasher.

Ghostface just FINALLY got back to me. He seems like he's trying to play catch up and I can't tell if he's a complete newbie or if he was just too busy all night to really participate, even though I saw him logged in. Marty also came late to the party, but when he finally messaged me, it seemed like a thoughtful message (he was one of the few that messaged me first. I hadn't gotten the chance to send him anything up until that point, because my inbox had a steady flow of messages that I was already responding to).

Rocky seems to like Darth Vader. He also seems to like Clubber. The three of them were possibly the most active, as far as I could tell. Rocky also seems like a smart player, though he didn't show me the depth of knowledge that the other two did. He seems like someone I could use to my own personal advantage more... but I can't be sure of that just yet, so I have to keep my eye on him. The key might have to come down to my own ability to deceive or manipulate him better than the other two, if it became necessary. I enjoyed my talks with him tonight for sure.

The two players that I want in my pocket right now are definitely Navin and Jason. Both of them are very talkative to me, but have not really reached out to enough other players... either because they were too lazy or too busy or both. But the conversations I've had with them make me believe I could definitely work with them. Other players are currently overlooking them... which makes them that much more valuable to me and just as importantly, it makes me that much more valuable to them, if I can demonstrate how much they need me. The main thing I might need to work on is... they haven't reached out to EACH OTHER yet. This could be the making of perceived symbiosis... which anyone that knows my theory on Survivor, knows that that is the magic ingredient.

Jack Sparrow and Mr. Miyagi are both largely in character. The difference is Jack likes to only talk about Rum and give me one or two sentences per post which do nothing to demonstrate his desire to move in a direction of working together. On the other hand, Miyagi is showing me a wisdom I just can't quite put my finger on... almost like an under the radar player, but one that knows what they are doing. He has shown knowledge of the game in some of his messages, and I wouldn't mind working with him. His name also comes up a lot as someone people say they've talked to a lot tonight, so I think he's been super talkative. If I had to guess, Jack... newbie. Miyagi... vet.

Superman... no read on him yet. He was here and then he was gone. Sensei seems chatty, but we are currently playing a game where we take turns posting a female villain and heroine... nothing game related. Maybe it will create a "bond?" Who knows?

And Dr. Evil seems like your average player... probably not a newbie, but it's too early to get a real read on him.

I really don't have a read on anyone else yet.

As for the twist... I'm going to have a blast making deals and trying to manipulate things across tribal lines, as I'm sure you (Brobst) are aware. This twist might as well have been created for me. :lol:

Now I'd better get back to my inbox. I have messages waiting for me.

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Michael Myers
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1/6/17

1:24 am est

Just like that, the relationship between myself and Hannibal has become very complex. We've now both expressed an interest in working together.

We've actually also both admitted that we believe the other is a "smart" player.

Hannibal has said he wants to work toward working with each other and not just for ourselves, and he has stated that the types of players like me are the ones that he both watches out for and likes to work with. So basically, he's admitting the same thing that I wrote in my previous entry about him... that I could either be a huge asset to him or a major threat.

So we both feel that way about each other, and we both basically know we feel that way. We are telling each other we want to work together, and if we did, we could probably be a force to be reckoned with, which would be kind of fun... like me and Helen in Allstars. That was a FORCE to be reckoned with, and we never turned on each other. But this could potentially go south on me if he preemptively tries to take me out... just like it would go south for him if I pulled the trigger first.

So it's like a game of friend or foe in a way.

My biggest worry is that Hannibal is someone that has figured out who I am, and that is why he used the language that he used. Maybe he's someone I burned before like Newman or David. Maybe he wants to work with me but is scared I'll burn him again. Or maybe it's not someone I've ever played with. Maybe it's someone that thinks I'm someone else (like when Juli voted me out because she thought I was Melissa). I don't know. But the wording in the message made me nervous.

The thing is, I actually DO want to work with Hannibal at the moment. I really do. I just don't want to get burned myself in the process of trying.

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BROBST
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I knew you'd get great thoughts down in here as always!

And I was like "stole my title"....... then I remembered you did that last summer, too.

Then I saw the sub-title of this entry. :lol:

P.S. I debated for awhile about whether or not to do open PM'ing this time around. Finally settled on giving it a shot for funsies.
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Michael Myers
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1/6/17... Day Two

10:20 pm est

Tribe Reveal Day

This is the second season in a row that I was at work when tribes were revealed. Unlike last season, however, nothing major seems to have gone down. And I'm pretty happy with my tribe at the moment.

I have Hannibal over here, and for the moment, I fully plan on working with him. I also have Jason over here, so I can keep him firmly in my pocket, and I doubt Hannibal will want to go after him, so long as Freddy continues to isolate himself (I see him as our buffer here), but even if he does, Freddy just sent me a picture of me, him, and Jason looking creepy with a jack o' lantern, and said "how is this for a picture of the final three?" I think the guy is clueless, but if Hannibal suggests voting Jason out, I'm sure Jason would have no problem voting with me and Freddy to fix that problem. I just don't think it will be a problem to begin with.

Meanwhile, Ghostface seems to be opening up at little. Hannibal seems to like him and he seems to like Hannibal. So, it's looking like, if Hannibal really does want to work with me, we could pick our third out of Jason or Ghostface.

I'm hoping these small tribes don't last long enough that we'll have to make that choice. Obviously, I will defend Jason if we do. An immunity or two could go a long way right about now. But the Freddy buffer is an important asset to have... and we definitely have it at the moment. I'd guess Freddy goes first over here... unless Hannibal makes a power play. Then I'd have to counter and work WITH Freddy.

As for cross-tribal chatter, I'm still having good conversations with Rocky and Miyagi. I want to cultivate those bonds because I could use them down the road, either after we reunite or if I want to hatch plans across tribal lines. For now, there's nothing like that going on, because it is still early. But you (Brobst) know that when I'm given the chance I will work across tribal lines. We did it in that SM game we played together.

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BROBST
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Michael Myers,Jan 6 2017
09:29:46 PM
But you (Brobst) know that when I'm given the chance I will work across tribal lines.  We did it in that SM game we played together.

Oh my gosh, I had totally forgotten about that. That awful game is literally THE reason I started hosting years ago on MySpace back in the day when that was the place to hang. Seeing a game that was sooooooooo poorly ran and blatantly affected by hosts who had zero clue what they were doing and manipulated various outcomes on purpose is why I started hosting in the first place.

I was like, this is something that COULD be cool and fun and could give people a real playing experience and all.

Here we are many years later and 17 seasons in. :D
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Michael Myers
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Yeah, it was bad. And to think, I gave them a second chance and played their Allstars... only to get completely screwed over by the host on purpose... again. That's one of the reasons I am very selective about who I play for. I really only play for two people now, because I trust them to host fairly. Obviously you are one of them.

In other news...

Danger Will Robinson!!!

I just got the following message from Freddy out of nowhere. The dude pretty much ignored all game talk I tried to nudge out of him so far and just stay in character. Now, all the sudden I get this...

Quote:
 
I will never miss a challenge or a vote...

I will always be here, but I don't spend much time bull shitting for

the sake of trying to kiss everyone's ass. I usually stay in touch

with those I want to work with the most and stay out of the way

of those who try to be everybody's friend.



I always love the people who ask you all the questions then tell everyone else your answers to the questions... hehehehee

Screw them all!

I will be loyal to the tribe and fight for our horror club to destroy the others.


That sets off ALL SORTS OF WARNING SIGNS. First of all, it screams of desperation. Second of all, it reeks of unpredictability. Finally, some of those tenets he lists are things that would make it very hard for me to work with him. For instance, if he won't talk to people that we aren't working with, how can we control the game? I'm a control player.

So yeah, all the more reason to take Freddy out fast.

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Michael Myers
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And then Freddy tells me that "Brobst casts us in these rolls for a reason," basically hinting that all of us on this tribe are villainous players. And while that may or may not be true, the fact that he is saying it basically means he is admitting that HE is a villainous player. Not a smart thing to say.

He's definitely playing the role of Freddy well though. Talking to him is like making my way through a psycho circus... especially with all of his .gifs and photos.
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Michael Myers
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1/8/17

8:10 pm est

Challenge Night

Well, Sensei Kreese just got voted out at the cave council, which is best case scenario for me, because that means I don't have to compete tonight, and we still have Freddy to vote out the first time we lose as a buffer. So, that couldn't have gone any better at all. Now, let's see how Freddy reacts with the tribe. He was already chaotic enough to begin with, now is he going to scramble? Is he going to cause havoc? Or will he see this as an eye opener and try to lay low and form real bonds. He's got to cool it with the image file shtick.

In other news, Jason just told me something that is music to my ears. He says he feels like Ghostface is a bit disconnected, whereas Hannibal might be a little bit TOO connected. And I agree. He said he looks forward to reading my messages the most, and considering he was always the one I wanted in my pocket, GOAL ACHIEVED. I ran with it, told him I was relieved to hear that he felt the same way I did, and offered him a formal alliance. This could be the beginning of a beautiful thing for me.

I actually do not like my conversations with Ghostface at all. So, IF Freddy can learn his lesson and be a normal person, I'm almost hoping he can now ingratiate himself to Jason. Maybe we can vote Ghostface out first BEFORE Freddy. I mean, yes, I did say that Freddy seemed desperate and unpredictable. But at the same time, a person that can't break out of his shell and actually give real input, other than to act like he agrees with the group, I don't like that either. I feel like Ghostface is in Hannibal's pocket, and that's not good.

Now, I'm not saying I'm officially targeting Ghostface over Freddy yet. But, it's getting to the point where they are equally on the bottom to me. And I won't vote Freddy out if I think it means Ghostface and Hannibal will vote for me or Jason next.

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Michael Myers
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Well, the challenge is going on, and I don't have to compete, so I figured I'd update this really quickly.

The alliance between myself and Jason seems to be working out. We are discussing how to make sure our current tribe works out in our interest. We are also discussing keeping on the down low just how tight we are. And we are discussing trying to make Freddy feel like we are his hope on the tribe. That way, if we need to, we can make a move with him when the time comes.

I really like the way this night is going.
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Michael Myers
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Hey, Brobst, stop "trapping" my main ally!!! Please and thank you.

Also, I find it interesting that Bastian claims that he was told the vote was for Jack Sparrow, only to have it switched to Marty at the last minute after it was too late because his vote was already locked in. Now, apparently, everyone on his tribe knows that he didn't vote with them. Luke also says that the vote was supposed to be for Sparrow. But Sparrow fought hard to stay and apparently Marty didn't really show up to tribal council. According to Bastian, Superman is the one that really pushed to make the move, which tells me that Superman (playing the quiet type with me and some of my allies) might be a player to watch for down the road. And he apparently made his push during the voting deadline, which makes matters even a bit more suspect. I don't like chaos around me... unless I'm causing it. Now, right now, he's not on my tribe, but the nice thing about this cross-tribe communication is I can gather this sort of intel on players now.

I wish Freddy had stuck around. I wanted to woo him to my side more. And having Jason in isolation means he can't talk to Freddy currently, which is a bummer. I think Freddy can really play a big part in our flag making challenge, since he clearly loves doing things with image files and such, so maybe that will help to make him feel like part of the tribe. I'm really starting to want to work with him over Ghostface. I just am. Ghostface doesn't give me enough to work with. But we'll see how Freddy is tomorrow. If he wants to be here, he has to work for it like Jack Sparrow did tonight.

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Michael Myers
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1/9/17

5:30 pm

I hate flag challenges. I just am not good with image files and I don't have Photoshop (MS Paint sucks). Usually, with bigger tribes, someone with a big ego or delusion of being the "leader" will just take it upon themselves to do all the work, which I always love, because...

A. it means I don't have to do a damn thing and

B. they often put a target on their own backs in the process for displaying their controlling tendencies.

But that's not the case here. First of all, there WOULD only be five of us, but Jason is "trapped" (and looking like a busy bee, because he and Miyagi have been online a LOT). Without him to help, that leads four of us, and Ghostface might as well not exist. Hannibal and I are both throwing ideas around, and the best I can do is post some images that maybe he can use to create something with, because he does have Photoshop.

The good news is working with Hannibal on this might solidify the perception of the two of us being a team... in his mind more than in mine. But that's all I really care about... HIS perception of ME... or of US. In the meantime, I'm biding my time until I hopefully get Jason back? And I'm trying to make sure Freddy wants to work with the two of us over the others on the tribe.

At any rate, for once, I'm actually doing my best to help on the flag challenge. :lol:

Ghostface, by the way, is useless in my mind. I officially want him gone first. I'm hoping Jason will agree with me... that is, if Jason is back before we have to vote. And if so, I'm hoping we can naturally convince Hannibal it's a better idea for the tribe too. Freddy has put in more effort since he's returned from the cave council than Ghostface ever has... at least with me.

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Michael Myers
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Well, we have some flag options. As of now, Freddy just decided to run with it. His first attempt was pretty cool. I liked the fog effect behind the blood spatter border. His second attempt fixed some of the clunkier things about the first one, such as rounding out the character images, adding the game logo, and including the names of the players. However, it traded the cool fog background for just a solid dark blue one, which takes away from both the creepiness of it and from the colorful aesthetic, in my opinion. The perfect flag would be the second one, but with the fog instead of the solid blue.

Meanwhile, Hannibal PMed me his own version of the flag, which is completely different, and I think it looks better than Freddy's final version. I did tell Hannibal that, but I'm not sure if Hannibal is going to post it in the public forum or just let Freddy take this one. And if he does put it in there, I'm not sure if it will cause a butting of heads. I wouldn't mind that, to be honest, and if it happens, I'd talk Freddy into letting Hannibal have his way to "keep him thinking he's in control," thus cementing Hannibal as the enemy among us in Freddy's eyes while keeping Hannibal thinking I'm on his side. If there is no butting of heads, well then, I won't be sabotaging anything quite yet. But eventually, it will happen.

I actually wish Freddy would just redo his current flag with the fog though. That would be my favorite. I just don't want to ask him to do it, because he's already done a lot of work today compared to me, and I don't want to come off as demanding or ungrateful. So, the flag is whatever he or Hannibal decide it is at this point. I will not make any waves over something such as that.

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Michael Myers
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1/9/17

11:15 pm est

I'm working really hard to flip this thing off of Freddy and onto Ghostface. I just don't trust someone that talks to me in one or two line sentences, especially when I get the feeling that they talk more to someone I'm competing with for power. And yes, I'm competing with Hannibal for power. We are working together. But that doesn't mean I don't want to be better positioned than him... and I think that Ghostface is tighter with Hannibal than he is with me. I can't have that. I think Freddy is tighter with me, so my optimal move now is to switch the first vote off of Freddy and onto Ghostface, and I am very determined to do so.

I think I could easily get Jason to do it, but I can't rely on that because I don't know when Jason is coming back (or if he is for that matter). So I'm really working hard to get Hannibal, himself, to want to switch the vote, without making it seem like I'm pushing too hard for it for my own personal reasons. Luckily, Hannibal is a little more up in the air now, thanks largely in part to the way Freddy has played since he came back from the cave council. He has been humble and positive. He hasn't scrambled. He's worked hard to assimilate to the tribe. He even made the flag, and did a good job of it (he added the fog!!).

And then there's this tidbit. Apparently, Clubber informed Hannibal that Ghostface talks a lot to Dr. Evil. Interesting. I really could care less... but Hannibal cares. So I'm making it seem like a bigger deal than I really think it is, because if Hannibal thinks it's a big deal, suddenly, he has a reason to flip this thing with me.

On a side note, the fact that Clubber is telling Hannibal things like this and he's not telling me... yeah, I don't like that either. Hannibal is too well connected, and I need to keep an eye on that. All the more reason to make sure I have more power.

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BROBST
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Always appreciate reading your thoughts, dude!

And interesting stuff you mentioned Flag-wise. I love that this is more or
less the first time in all the games here where you've said more about it all. :D
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Michael Myers
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1/10/17

6:20 est

So yeah, Freddy is now being really short with me. Ghostface is still being really short with me. And no matter how hard I'm trying to make Freddy feel comfortable with me, and to realize I want to work with him, he's not showing any signs of actually caring or believing me or anything worth my time. All he says is things like "thanks for the respect." Does that mean he doesn't want to work with me? I don't like that.

So maybe I don't want to keep Freddy around as much as I thought. I keep flip flopping because the two of them both give me so many reasons to want nothing to do with them.

At the end of the day, I think my best bet is to really try to move forward for the time being with the mindset that my alliance is truly with Hannibal and Jason. For once, in a game, and this is rare, there's nothing worth me really manipulating at this point. I'm actually maybe already in the best spot... even with the people with equal power as me. So my conversation with Hannibal has suddenly become a legit conversation about making the right decision for the two of us, instead of a positioning move on my part. And I'm now pointing out my suspicions of Freddy again.

I don't know who we'd vote out tonight if we lost. I just know it'd be either Ghostface or Freddy, and to be honest, I might even be swinging back to wanting it to be Freddy.

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