Hosting Guide

[Mashi]

http://llftwg.pbworks.com/w/page/25585870/Hosting%20Guide - This is a much better and more comprehensive Guide (made by Fiver from LLF, an absolutely fantastic person and TWGer) that should be read after reading this one as a foundation.

 

Firstly, requirements for hosting, courtesy of mastergamer_38 from a long time ago:

    A player must have played an ample amount of games. This means, at least 3 games played.
    A player must have been active in said games. If you can't be active as a player, you can't be trusted as a host.
    A host is more active than any player and needs to devote time every day.
    An honourable mention, or showing constant skilled play in several games played.
    An understanding of TWG fundamentals, terminology, and role specifics.
    Able to constructively criticise and analyse players during the Post Game.
    Able to prepare a post game, which requires much thought and analysing of the players in the game.
    Able to be a good sport, TWG is a team game, not a lone wolf
    Approval from TWC Members.  If you're especially experienced (if you don't know whether you are, you're probably not), we may let you slide, but would prefer you to send us your games anyway.


Now on to how to Host!

Sending Out PMs:
When PMs are sent out, it is best to use random.org to randomise whom receives each Role.  Furthermore, the Players should be randomised as well, in order to avoid any PM order analysis shenanigans (As in, don't send Roles by going down the Players List.  Send out the Roles to random Players so that someone can't say "Hey, Player A received the first Role and since the Master Wolf is the first Role, he's the Master Wolf!").  In retrospect, I suppose it would be okay to do a drawing from a hat or something along those lines instead of random.org, but pretend you used random.org anyway, because you'll sound genteel!

Night And Day Phases:
It is generally recommended for Night Phases to be 24 hours long and for Day Phases to be 48 hours long.  Exceptions may be made in some cases (Such as if there was an inexorable hurricane that would have almost ruined a certain TWC member's loaf cake.) when the Host deems extensions necessary.  It is also recommended for Hosts to post the time the Phase ends in all the time zones of the players playing in the game, if possible.  Although it would probably be better for the Players to spend the 30 or fewer seconds ascertaining when the Phase ends in their time zones, it's more of a courtesy of the Host to do so for them.  Phases should also end late in the evening or at night, in order to give a majority of the Players to discuss the game when they most likely have enough free time.

Player Lists:
At the end of every Phase, it is best to post the names of the remaining Players left alive in the game, with the dead players names' striked out.  It's best to do this so the Players may view the Player List in an accessible area in the topic, so that they don't need to memorise who died and who remains alive.

Ambiguity:
When a Host answers a question from a Player, the Host should be as ambiguous as possible, while still answering the question to the best of his/her ability.
A Host should also be wary of what he/she says.  If Player A posts in the topic "I haven't received my seering result yet." and the Host posts something like "Sorry about not sending in results before, I was busy.", he/she just insinuated that Player A is the Seer!  Small things matter.  The Host should try not to post or comment about the game more than necessary in order to avoid any unfortunate fiascos.

Game Information:
It is highly recommended that Players send the Host every single PM they send and every single chatlog they've had.  This makes it a much less strenuous process in the Player Analysis section.

Post Game:
Post Games should be created as topics separate from the actual game topic.  This is done for various reasons.  A more conspicuous reason being because it keeps things more organised.  Another is to allow future TWGers who decide to reread past TWGs to be able to read the game topic without having the surprise ruined with a... well, surprise Role Reveal!
Post Games should also comprise comprehensive Player Analysis, Team Analysis, special Host comments about the course of the game, among any other details or minutiae (Though, we know that no detail is ever truly trivial!) that the Host feels necessary to post.
Post Games will probably be easy to make if the Host takes notes every Phase of what he/she finds interesting about the Players or progress of the game.  It shows how certain events develop and what caused the outcome of the game.

[master_gamer38]

It bothers me that you misspelled my name.

[Mashi]

Ahahaha, about time you noticed.