Makings of Betrayal
Makings of Betrayal
Hi, I'm the Narrator and Welcome to Makings of Betrayal, a multiday social deduction game! Inspired by the campfire game Mafia, we have taken a refreshing twist on the classic.
Before we start, if you ever want to come back to the table of contents just press my name. I can not express how excited I am to share our game with you!
Table of contents
i. Mafia
iii. Real-Time
iv. Roles
vi. Gameplay
vii. Public Forums
viii. Messages
xi. Narrator
x. UI
xi. Profiles
xii. Achievements
xiii. Hubs and other Stretch Goals
xiv. We Say No to Micro-Transactions
xv. Premium
I can't wait to hear what you have in store for us. As someone who has never even heard of this game "Mafia" before, can you explain what it is?
John Doe
Of course! Mafia is a classic campfire game that groups of friends and family would play together. An uninformed majority, The Town, has to find the identities of an informed minority, The Mafia. As the Narrator, I would assign everyone a role via a playing card at the start. Then the game plays out in two cycles, Night and Day.
During the night all the Town members would go to sleep by closing their eyes and looking at their feet where as the Mafia would all open their eyes and point at who they would want to kill. The Narrator would then tell everyone to "wake up", reveal the player who died, and then let the players discuss for a few minutes who they believe the Mafia is. After a short discussion everyone would vote on someone to kill, in which the player with the most votes would be killed and reveal their role. The game continues until the Town eliminates all the Mafia or until the Mafia outnumber the town.
I think I played Mafia once before at a summer camp or something. I remember it was a lot of fun, almost like solving a murder case!
In regards to Makings of Betrayal, what are you doing that's so cool?
John Doe
For starters, we have implemented a real-time element to the game of Mafia. Over the course of a week, our players will be playing an epic game of Mafia. This means that in the mornings you will be given the Morning Post, a briefing on all the players who died the previous night. You will then have the next 9 hours to talk with the players in both public and private chats about the events that transpired and who you believe is the Mafia. (Or if you are Mafia, you will have to convince the Town to go after one another!) Everyone then votes on who they want to "Execute" then the cycles continue until there is a winner.
Each player will also receive a unique role! Spread out over the Town, Mafia, and Neutrals, there are 46+ roles that will make each and every game unique. You might also be asking what neutrals are, well, we added a third alignment as well so that the classic Town versus Mafia also has to deal with Neutral players with alternative motives.
Can you expand on the real time aspect of the game? I get that its played out over 5 days, but can you elaborate just a little?
John Doe
Makings of Betrayal's real-time aspect is the fundamental foundation of what makes our game so much fun. This though requires some mechanical elements that helps push the game forward without it becoming stagnant.
For starters, each day is broken up into 5 Phases. Night, Day, Trial, Execution, and Discussion. If you want to read more about the phases, -> Click Here <-
When a lobby is created, the host picks a time zone they would like to play around. We made this game in California so we tend to stick to PST, but there will be options for any of the existing time zones meaning anyone anywhere can play.
Within that Time Zone players will then play the game in its phases;
Day Phase : 8:00am - 5:00pm
Trial Phase: 5:00pm - 5:30pm
Execution Phase: 5:30pm - 6:00pm
Discussion Phase: 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Night Phase: 7:00pm-8:00am
That looks like around the clock action! Question though, what happens during the night phase? You said in Mafia players close their eyes and Mafia select someone to kill, does this hold true for Makings of Betrayal?
John Doe
The Night Phase is filled with action believe it or not. Makings of Betrayal has 46+ unique roles that are randomly assigned at the start of the game. During the Night Phase the majority of these roles can use their abilities that impact the game significantly. Without going into much detail, there are roles that can kill, protect, block other roles, catch people on fire, and so much more. If you're interested you can check out some of the role details -> Here <-
But, back to your question, during the Night players are no longer allowed to private message each other nor can they post in the public forums. This is the "going to sleep" part of the game, though it isn't an 11 hour lame duck waiting for action, its an 11 hour rollercoaster of emotions waiting to know what happens in the morning based on you and your players decisions.
So how do I host a game? Or even just join one?
John Doe
Any player with the Premium version of the game game will be allowed to create a lobby. This is done on the opening page of the app so you won't need to hunt for it. When a lobby is created, a 4-5 digit code will also be created in which players can use to enter a lobby. The code is displayed in the lobby for all players to see as well on players names in your friends list meaning anyone you know can join the game with ease, though strangers can't join unless you post the code publicly somewhere.
This easy to use system replicates that used in games like Among Us, Jack-Box and other party games meaning it'll be familiar and user friendly
So the game just started! What happens next?
John Doe
Makings of Betrayal starts with each player being given a role, added to any chats that may be associated with the role, and because the game starts during the Night Phase, players will be able to use their abilities.
The first Morning Post highlights the social start of the game where players then can start talking with one another about the events that transpired and any conspiracies they are boiling up. Players will both be making public post for the world to see as well as talking in private trying to decipher peoples roles leading to the first connections of the game.
From here on out the game follows the phase cycles and players who are lucky enough to survive trials and nights are further propelled into a world of mystery where their best friends may actually be their mortal enemies.
What do you mean by talking both privately and publicly?
John Doe
Makings of Betrayal has two different modes of communication built into it. The first one is that of our Forum Board. The game basically revolves around this board as it is solely unique to the individual game. Players can post on this board to share ideas, publicly accuse people, make promises to use abilities to the public, or give any last minute information before they are killed off. In addition to making post, players can comment on and add to forum threads with their own ideas and inputs.
Players can tag other players as well in these forums so that you can not only name someone, but directly call attention to them. You will also have the option to react to forums and replies with an array of 8 reactions such as our inquire, suspicious, and oh-dear-god reactionaries that are perfect for conveying feelings towards a post
In addition, the public forum is a place where the Narrator will post public information such as the Morning Post, Trial polls, and Execution polls. Players who die mid-day will also be announced by the narrator on the Public Forum.
Private chats are broken up into 3 categories: Individual chats, Group Chats, and System Chats.
Individual chats allow players to talk one on one about sensitive information they don't want getting into the wrong hands. It is also a great place to talk about who you want to target without getting blood on your hands specifically.
Group chats allow players to band together behind closed doors. This is great for say a Doctor, Sheriff, and Vigilante who have all found each other and want to make plans without playing telephone with one another but also don't want to post publicly about their intentions.
System chats are created pre-game for teams such as the Mafia, Cult, or Vampires.
Individual and Group chats are closed during the Night, Trial and Execution phase whereas System chats only close during Trial.
So tell me about yourself a little bit. Why is the Narrator so important and why do you even exist?
John Doe
Firstly, ouch.
Secondly, as the Narrator I oversee every single game. I make sure that everyone's abilities are used correctly, I reveal any public information such as deaths and roles, make all the Morning Post, conduct each and every Trial and Execution, and am here if you have any question. Every game of Mafia throughout time has had a Narrator and we are not going to kill that tradition.
So I go through you to use my ability? And you reveal everything? And you run the game? What does this all look like?
John Doe
I am an ai driven Narrator meaning that I am the app itself. Therefore I exist throughout the UI design of the game.
For example, when you want to use your ability, we have a special Ability tab that is unique to your role. Here will be a page that explains your role, has a section to select your target, as well as an informative area that lets you know how many uses you have left or any other nuances.
In terms of what exactly I look like, let me highlight what my design is going be.
Makings of Betrayal is going to have a friendly/familiar ui that uses purples, blues, and reds. We want to have a modern feel so we are implementing soft corners and transparent styles that gives a futuristic feel without feeling sci-fi. Our icons will all be custom made to the game so that we aren't having clipart styles clash with our sleek exterior.
We are also aiming for an easy to navigate system that lets our users find what they are looking for with ease. Our Roles and Rules, for example, will be located on an ever present footer. This allows you to access it whenever you want. Additionally, we will be utilizing bubbles, meaning when you open the Rules and decide to close them after you've found what you needed, you will be on the same page you left off on. This stops the player from having to go through a maze of options, navigating back and fourth, or ultimately getting lost in the complex game.
Believe it or not, the creators are long time fans of the game and have worked on optimizing the UI so that it is easy, fun, and friendly.
Enough about you, what about me? Besides playing the game itself, what elements revolve around me, the player?
John Doe
Luckily for you we have a whole Player Profile section! This includes an area that keeps track of Premium players statistics and achievements, it lets you change your location and pronouns, swap your profile pictures, and it is where your friends list is located!
Profiles will also show-off the hubs you are part of, but we will touch on that later.
To further elaborate, a Players Profile exist outside the bounds of a single game, meaning when you create your account, you are creating a Makings of Betrayal identity that joins each game. It is through this profile where what you do in game can be saved and showcased to other players. For example, say you get 5 kills over the course of a few games. This is an achievement that will unlock a reputation that you can add to your reputation bar and show off. Or if you win a game as the Doctor, you'll be able to change your profile picture to the Doctor!
So I can unlock things across the game? That is super cool!
John Doe
Right? It is cool!
One huge thing that our fan base has expressed to us is the need for an achievement system and stat tracking. Our initial release will have around 50 achievements, but we are hoping to include many more!
If you have premium and complete certain feats across the game such as getting 5 kills or winning 10 games. Alongside just being a cool cat through achievement hunting, every achievement will unlock a "Reputation" that you can plug in next your your display name to show off at just how cool you really are.
Getting role based achievements will also unlock profile pictures. As an example, winning the game as a Bruiser will unlock the Bruiser profile picture as seen above. Our stat tracking system will also keep track of your game information so that when future achievements are added you will receive the rewards for them even if you accomplished it before they were released.
In addition, players will be able to unlock profile borders that add fun flairs to each profile picture.
Wow, it sounds like this app is going to have everything!
John Doe
We do want everything for our app and that is why we are asking people to pre-purchase it or further support its development on kickstarter.
Our minimum budget goal is $20,000 and with that we can promise a functional app. However a lot of quality of life aspects will be missing from the game as well as some friendlier interfaces. Because of this, we have our stretch goals on our kickstarter.
For example, on the lowest end of our stretch goals we have the $25,000 goal in which we will be able to produce the app on both the iPhone and Android. Further up we have our $55,000, which in addition to being able to spend more on programming and art, we will implement unique role interfaces in the Ability tab. One reason something like this would cost more than our initial $20,00 is because we have 46 roles. That is 46 addition pages with special interfaces catered to you that will be added in the app.
Our personal fingers crossed goal is at $85,000. If we raise that much we will be able to add an amazing feature to our app called Hubs. Hubs will be a communal space outside of existing games where players can create a Makings of Betrayal community. Hubs would be a private group where players can invite friends to have a public forum with options to add designated chat rooms for things like "Looking for Game" or "Meme HQ".
Plus, so much more. We are going to create a beautiful app regardless, and you can help us in this process.
What if you don't make the higher goals and can only develop with $25,000?
John Doe
Then we develop an amazing app with $25,000! And once the app is released we will continue working on it to include the features we included in our stretch goals. And when we do update the app with new features such as roles or art, we will never charge players beyond the optional Premium. We hate micro-transactions and don't believe players should have to pay for content that should be released with the original game.
That's awesome to hear. Well, I'm excited to pre-order premium on your kickstarter to help develop the app! But before you go, what exactly does Premium do?
John Doe
First, I want to thank you, and anyone, who will help fund this project! Mafia is an all time favorite game of mine and I am more than excited to bring this game to the next level. Makings of Betrayal started as nothing more than a fun experiment with a group of my friends. Those 5 days, and then the next 5 years, have been such a joyful experience and we are ready to let all of you enjoy it as well.
With that, back to your question! Premium is for those who can't get enough. Notably, you will gain access:
i - Achievements
a. Achievements mark accomplishments made by the player.
ii - Reputations
a. Reputations can be shown off besides the players name in game. They are earned via achievements and highlight the players feats
iii - Hosting
a. The ability to host lobbies allows you to open a game for you and your friends. Only one person needs premium to run a game
iv - Statistical Tracking
a. Premium will give the player access to an array of information about their previous games such as roles played, number of times an ability has been used, and so on.
v- Ad Free Experience
a. We will not be including an overwhelming amount of ads into our game, only enough to help run our servers for our player. However, with the purchase of premium you wont even have to deal with that lonely ad.
Well, anyways, thanks for reading! As I have said before, I am just so excited. Hopefully I'll see you around in the lobbies!
Check out our kickstarter to pre-purchase or further fund Makings of Betrayal!