Yes, inspired at 4 AM. Inspired when I should have been finishing my poster presentation (although my progress has been blocked by the confidentiality of certain documents).
If you had to pick one tradition from high school as your favorite, which would it be? For me, there were a lot of great things out there. I loved how we ate lunch in the halls. I loved how we'd all crash my house for sleepovers and stay up doing the most random and pointless of things. However, there's one tradition that is inarguably the most memorable.
And you guys know what it is. ARML. More specifically, the trip to Penn State. Although our years at TJ did not bring success for the A-team, it was easily the most enjoyable annual experience I have ever had. Even the pointless viewing of Sorting out Sorting and the cheering for bubble sort could not dampen my spirits on those trips. Not even a broken air conditioning system and later a broken bus could ruin those days. No, not even having to share a seat with a kid from Blair *shudders* could taint the greatest event of the year.
What comes to mind when we think of ARML? Of course the competition. Certainly the frisbee. Probably also The Creamery and the fruitless search for edible food on Friday night. But once again, you guys know what I'm getting at.
Mafia. The game we participated in every Friday night and on the return trip. Played on the battlefield of the bus or in the dorm, we dueled with our words and our actions, and on many occasions pissed off the people around us trying to sleep or rest. Once Akshar was dead and the game could actually begin, we prepared ourselves. As spittle flew from our mouths and fists shook and banged the seats, some lives were lost. Some lives were saved. It was more than a game. It was war.
A game of such emotion and energy, Mafia brought us together. As we laughed and shouted and proclaimed "I AM THE MASON!" we became better friends with every syllable. Such a game changes lives.
But I ask, why have we abandoned it? Part of the beauty of Mafia lies in the fact that it can transcend space and time. It can be played across continents and across languages (well, this might cause problems). We can play it from anywhere. And may I be so bold as to say it is foolish of us not to.
Mafia is played across the internet on many forums. It's quite popular, as you know. But is it really the same as playing with the people you know? As regular as people might be on forums, they will forever be perplexed when someone types "AMERICA!!!" or "My name is John." So why not play amongst ourselves. We have no forum, but why not email?
Of course, as monumental as the original game of Mafia was, this must reach even greater heights. It must be sufficiently amazing to be worthy of the rehashing of our Mafia tradition. It must be Epic Mafia.
What is Epic Mafia? Well, you can click on the link and it will give you a better description. Traditionally played in a Java applet with chatrooms, Epic Mafia takes the extraordinary game of Mafia and stretches it to unheard-of proportions. There are no less than 49 possible roles. Everyone has something to do. Barely anyone is left out as a boring 'villager.' It is absurdly complicated and hilariously entertaining.
Why not just play in the Java Applet? Because once again, this is no mere run-of-the-mill Epic Mafia game. This will involve everyone. The nights will not be 2 minutes. They will be 2 nights! The days will not be 5 minutes. They will be 5 days! The game will not be capped at 20, it will be open to all who wish to enjoy the revival of the greatest tradition of our time.
I hope to start this game in September, and that it progresses over the course of the school year, bringing us joy and fun and laughter, especially when we need it the most. For that is why we play this beautiful game. So that, after we kill Akshar, we might cherish each other's company and wit, and perhaps yell at each other a little as well. However, under no circumstances shall we debate, of course.
There are many things that need to be decided. Issues of time requirements and character roles must be resolved. But such minor obstacles shall not stand in our way. We can do it. Our exceptional history in organization and coming to unanimous decisions gives me no reason to believe otherwise.
To you, the reader, I have just one question. Will you join us?
For posterity, I am currently winning the recruitment count. In addition, since I was the last person to tell Ved to post this, anyone who joins the game through reading this post is also to be counted as a recruit of mine.
ReplyDeleteGood day, sir.
"Once Akshar was dead and the game could actually begin, we prepared ourselves" Lmao.
ReplyDeleteOh oh oh ! Meeeeee :) =] Haven't had a good game of mafia since you guys graduated >:
I am not a woman.
The game's not even started and Jenny is lying....clearly, she's always mafia (she certainly was in that game =P). I suggest we take appropriate measures after dealing with Akshar.
ReplyDeleteSo basically
ReplyDeleteMafia degraded in quality over the years because the later classes (particularly the classes of '11 and '12) were terrible at it, and made it really frustrating.
Also, Arvind's goddamn defenses.
This post was hilarious. Earns the Lily Stamp of Approval. Count me in on this game, although I'm not clear on how it's going to work. But that's okay, I'll leave it to you. After all, you always were the best God.
ReplyDeleteMafia can also get you arrested. Just ask DBR.
ReplyDeleteSo this is what, slower-than-real-time mafia?
Is this the Arnav incident, Brian? >_>
ReplyDelete