[Mafia] City on Fire

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Traditional Games > The Game Room > [Mafia] City on Fire

t a s t e: Sep 6, 2010

Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.

STARLET KIDNAPPED FROM HOME

Front page, but below the fold in the late edition. Virginia Hall could boast a few major roles in recent hits, but she was young yet and hadn�t anchored her own picture. Not that Mayer would let it happen anyway, but if she�d been a little more famous, or a little more killed, she�d have probably bounced that warehouse explosion from the top. As it was, she�d have to take what she got.

Pretty girl, Hall was. Not exactly my type, a little lean in the face and pale as a ghost, but still, lovely enough that I lingered on the photo while I sipped my coffee. That�s why I knew it when I saw it again, even beneath the scarf and sunglasses, when it found its way into my office that evening. I�d thought she was beautiful in print, but ink on paper was nothing as grand as seeing her in person. To see her like this was to know that there was something so inherently different about her, so beyond everyone else, that she might have leapt fully formed from the Pacific.

I can�t imagine she was unaware of the effect she had on me, but to her credit, she didn�t acknowledge it. Instead, she walked to the empty chair in front of my desk, sat, and lit a cigarette.

�Mr. Garland.� Not a question, but a statement.

�Yes. Miss�� A question, asked indirectly.

That which was unspoken remained unanswered. �I need your protection,� she began. �Subtle. Discreet. I need to be here, but I can�t be known to be here. Can you do that for me?�

Simple enough, I suppose. And yet�

�And to whom would I be providing protection, miss?� I stood and walked to the window, minding her reflection in the glass. She didn�t react.

�Does it matter?� Her cigarette had gone out, but she hadn�t yet noticed.

I turned and offered my lighter as nonchalantly as possible. �I can�t say that I�m inclined to jump in headfirst without some idea of what I�m getting into.�

She leaned forward with a hint of a smile on her face, relit, and returned to her original position. She then took a long drag from her cigarette, almost as if to demonstrate that she knew how to keep it lit, and exhaled with what seemed like a deep sigh.

�Fine, but you�re better off not knowing.�

�I�ll take my chances, thanks.�

Another sigh. �Very well. If you insist, Mr. Garland.�

A sudden noise from the alley cut my focus. I started over to take a look, but to my surprise, she clutched my arm and stopped me in my tracks.

�I�ve got something everyone wants, Mr. Garland, and they�ll kill us both to get it. Grab your gun and keep your head. We�re leaving now.�

Looking at her then, I couldn�t say no.

~

City on Fire is a mafia game for 15-XX players. I like to build the soul of my game before the body, so depending on player interest, I'll adjust the setup as necessary. Those that have played in my games before, such as The Passage, should have a sense of what to expect. There will be many roles, but most if not all will be traditional. No cult mechanics or death millers.

Regular rules apply. Don�t betray the spirit of the game or I�ll get wild irl. I prefer to make games that are almost exclusively player-driven, and as such will only modkill players in obvious bad-faith violation of the rules or the like. I will look favorably on requests for replacement in the early stages of the game but less so later on.

t a s t e fucked around with this message at 04:46 on Oct 4, 2023