[Megagame] Stand Still Stay Silent - Game Ends

Welcome to Pandemic, SE++'s first Megagame - This is a large scale 40 person play by post game we've been designing over the last couple of weeks that aim's to let us all find out how fun and dandy it would be to live through a viral apocalypse. If you're familiar with the Shut Up & Sit Down megagame series then you'll have a broad idea what to expect here.

This megagame can support up to 40 players. If we get a lot more interest in it, we'll see if we can expand the player count a bit. If we get a lot less, we'll quietly sob to ourselves and adapt accordingly.

What is a Megagame?

A megagame is a mix between board game and roleplaying game. There're rules on how each individual bit functions but they're fairly simple and open to interpretation. What we're looking for is players to tell us what they want to do. The hosts will sit down behind the scenes to work out what actually happens! There are a couple of key principles that make this fame function.

What is a Pandemic?

The date is 2015. Economics in the western world still haven't recovered from the 2008 market crash, new media technologies have enabled popular protest like never before. The middle east is still reeling from the Arab Spring and Russian aggression is on the rise. The power of the USA is faltering and new powers, like Brazil and China, are quickly coming to the forefront. People are dissatisfied, tensions are high and the world is a tinderbox. Against this backdrop, a mysterious new disease has appeared in Spain. The mass media suggests that it's a relatively small outbreak, but reports from the World Health Organisation have circulated the world's governments. It's deadly, contagious and not like anything seen before. If not contained it could rip through a nation's populace in a matter of months, which could have devastating effects on the world order.

What does the world look like?

What role do players play?

Players will be put in a team of four, each representing a national government. As a pandemic breaks out they must look after their own national interests, advancing their countries place in the world while attempting to contain one of the greatest catastrophes humankind has ever seen. Players will be one of these four roles:

• President - Responsible for overseeing the team's finances. The president needs to keep track of Infection in their country, manage public terror and assign the countries limited resources to the other three players. It's up to the President (or Prime Minister) to lead their team in these uncertain times.
• Military Commander - Each country has a substantial military. The Military commander manoeuvres them around the world map. They could be used to protect borders, invade other nations or control the flow of refugees. If conflict does break out, the Military Commander has to win it.
• Diplomat - Diplomacy hasn't failed us yet. The Diplomat will be responsible for talking to other teams, sending delegations to neutral countries to make friends and vote on UN resolutions that appear in the thread. Fairly rules light, they're the best chance of us all getting through this without someone unlocking the nukes.
• Scientist - To fight the unknown, one must understand the unknown. The Scientist is responsible for advancing the country along the tech tree, putting together their own theories on what's going on and acquiring technologies from other friendly scientists.

The countries they'll be playing as are:

• The United States of America - Current leader of the free world, the USA is struggling to hold onto it's position. They haven't lost it yet, and they still have the world's greatest nuclear arsenal.
• The Russian Federation - Russian aggression has risen in the last few years. Rumours are that they've been mobilising more and more troops as of late. If Russia was launch an invasion, no single country could stop it.
• The Peoples Republic of China - Some say the second greatest power in the world. China is on the rise, happy to let the other major powers collapse around it. Quite content with the current state of the world, China will do what it can to preserve it.
• The Arab Republic of Egypt - Recently stabilised after the Arab Spring, Egypt worries that other powers may try to take advantage of it. Its no slouch however and it's shown itself to be very resilient to internal upheaval. If this Pandemic leads to the downfall of the west, Egypt will be set to rise.
• The Federal Republic of Nigeria - Africa's largest economy. Though they've seen their own share of internal conflict, they're a power in the region and are better set then most to weather the oncoming storm. If an opportunity arose, Nigeria would be quite happy to drive western influence from the continent.
• The Republic of South Africa - Africa's second largest economy and friendly the west, South Africa is looking to maintain stability in the continent. However, if they did have a chance of becoming Africa's leading power, they could push for it.
• The Federal Republic of Germany - The greater power in Europe. Germany wishes to see Europe brought closer and closer together, though it prides it's own place in it. Germany would like to see the EU match any other power in the world.
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Committed to the balance of power, the UK would see no world power outstrip it's peers. Only by having an even playing field can peace be assured, as any country that attempted to break away from it would be restricted by the others. They'd probably also be fine with the EU shattering under it's many strains.
• The Federative Republic of Brazil - One of the world's swiftest growing economies, Brazil would see itself recognised as the equal to the other great western powers. They're content with the current state of the world as their economic growth will soon put them in a very good place in it.
• The Argentine Republic - Hostile to western influence in South America, Argentina has long been drumming up internal dissatisfaction with the presence of the United Kingdom in the nearby Islas Malvinas. If western hegemony was to crack, Argentina would swiftly see them expelled from the continent.

To sign up just post !Sign up in the thread. If you want to sign up as a group (up to four people), just make it clear in the thread who you’re signing up with.

How long will the game take

We're looking at one in game week per day, running for a total of 2-2.5 weeks. We'll have long days on the weekend to give the hosts a bit of a break. Sign ups are open until Monday the 13th, with the first day being Monday -> Tuesday. Each game day will finish at 10pm GMT/5pm EST.

How does the game work? Like, actual rules?

We'll send out role specific information when sign ups close, but mostly you just PM your orders to the relevant host every day and results will be posted in the thread when they're worked out.

Whose on the host team?

The host team is myself as main host, @MrBlarney as map host and @Sir Fabulous as science host.

WHOSE WHO:

Day 1 - A World of Noise
Day 2 - Slumbering Giants
Day 3 - A Union of Tears
Day 4 - If this is the calm
Day 5 - Gone Dark
Day 6 - First Contact
Day 7 - Retreat
Day 8 - War
Day 9 - Stand Still