[UPDATED] Official Hosting Guide

Formatting courtesy of: @Geyde

So you want to host a Forum Game?

1. Preliminary

The most important step of the process when hosting a FM is to have everything in place so that the reviewers have an easier time looking at your game.

First, you must choose a category of game type: FoL, SFoL, Vanilla, Standard, Special, Miscellaneous
If applicable, you may also choose a subcategory: Anonymous, Competitive, (Mini) Mashes, Turbo

FoL - Forum of Lies

All games in this category are standard FoL, with no changes whatsoever. If you want to host one, you may request to do so in the Queues and Submit Thread.
You can only main-host an FoL if you have experience co-hosting FoLs.
Phase lengths are 48/24, and all classcards can be found here.
Only one FoL or SFoL will run at any time.

SFoL - Special Forum of Lies

Any non-standard game of FoL will fall under this category. This includes any change from the basic formula, even extending to phase length.
If there are any changes from standard FoL, you must list them in the OP for the game. If anything is not included in the OP it will be assumed that it will be running by FoL mechanics. Closed setup games will not have to reveal changes.
Only one FoL or SFoL will run at any time.

Is the game based on conversion or the flavor of Throne of Lies? If so, then it is an SFoL.

Vanilla FM (VFM)

Open or semi-open FM games that are free of hidden mechanics.
Vanilla games contain only vanilla roles, standard night cycles, and have no bastard mechanics (with a few exceptions such as Godfathers, if their existence is made known).

Standard FM

Standard FM games follow the same rules as Vanilla FM, but they are closed setups.

Special FM (SFM)

Anything that is built for player enjoyment over competition, has a lot of widely varying power roles, or generally doesn’t fit into the other categories. SFMs may contain hidden roles or mechanics.

Miscellaneous (Misc)

Anything not included in prior categories is considered a Misc, including non-mafia forum games. Miscellaneous games are not required to pass review, but still must be submitted in the Queues and Submit Thread. Reviewers reserve the right to not allow your game to run.
Only two Miscellaneous games will run at any time, unless permission is given by the Queue Manager.


Subcategories

Mashes & Mini-Mashes

Mini-mashes are any FM with 20-29 players.
Mashes are any FM with 30+ players

Anonymous

Anonymous games are any FM in which all players use anonymous alternate accounts. Information on alternate accounts can be found here.

Competitive (Comp)

Any FM that is intended to be taken seriously, in which players are held to a higher standard than other matches. Competitive games may be invitation-only, or hosts may use a large amount of Wisdom of the Mod (WOTM).

Turbo

Turbos are games with short phase lengths, and usually last up to 3 hours. Turbos do not have to go through the review process or be submitted in the Queue Thread.


2. Submitting for review

Before any non-Miscellaneous/Turbo game can be run, it must pass review.
Do not submit your game for review unless it is ready to be played.
This includes having a fully-completed OP, as well as all classcards available to the reviewer.

In order to get your game reviewed, you must create a reply in the Queues and Submit Thread with the following information:


Game name:
Main host (and co-hosts if applicable):
Game size:
Game speed:
Game type:


What is game size?
Game size is the amount of players allowed. Some games have a strict amount of users allowed to play, whereas others only have a minimum.

What is game speed?
Game speed is the length of the day/night cycles. For example, a 48/24 game has 48-hour day cycles, and 24-hour night cycles.


3. The review process

After submitting your FM to the Queues and Submit Thread, you will be assigned a reviewer. Reviewers are volunteers, and work on their own time, thus they may not get to your game for a few days or weeks, depending on the length of the queue.


4. FAQ

1. What is bastard?
A bastard game is one designed for the enjoyment of the host. Bastard games will lie to the players, and are usually unpredictable. The exact definition can be found here.

2. What are open, semi-open, and closed setups?
Open - The rolelist is public in the OP and there is no variation. The exact definition can be found here.

Semi-Open - All potential roles are public in the OP, but there is variation to the setup, such as randomization of roles or rolelists. FoL falls under this category, as all possible classes are public, but not all classes will roll, and some may roll multiple times. The exact definition can be found here.

Closed - Very little information about the setup is public. Potential roles or alignments may not be shown. The exact definition can be found here.

3. What are majority and plurality execution systems?
Majority - Executions are decided when a player reaches a majority of votes.

Plurality - Whichever player has the most votes at the end of the day will be executed.

Some games will have a combination of majority & plurality. The result of a plurality tie will be made public in the OP.

4. Who are the reviewers and who is the Queue Manager?
A list of reviewers can be found here.

The current Queue Manager is @DatBird

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