Noctetdies (Latin for "Night and Day") is a cross between an RPG and a strategy game.  The game begins with two teams - vampires and humans.  Vampires have the power to convert humans at night, and humans have the power to destroy vampires during the day.  The game ends when either all humans have been converted to vampires, or all vampires are dead.  Points are awarded to the winning team - if vampires win, then everyone who started as a vampire, as well as everyone who has been converted, gets points, providing motivation for converted players to fight for their new team.  If humans win, only surviving humans get points.  If a vampire player is killed, they are transported to the waiting room until the end of the round. 

The game map must be sufficiently large to provide a challenge, but sufficiently small that games do not last forever.  The town or city is pre-built and players begin in their homes.  Each new player is given a small amount of points which can be used to purchase objects to aid their side.  Objects which can be bought include garlic and crosses to protect against vampires for a limited amount of time, coffins for daylight shelter, and vials of blood to restore strength to vampires.  Day and night cycles last for five minutes each.

Vampires

A vampire character needs to prey on humans and drink their blood to replenish its constantly lowering strength.  Each day that the vampire does not drink blood either from a human or a vial purchased with their points, they age and become weaker.  After a certain number of rounds without replenishing strength, they die and are sent to the waiting room.  There is a maximum amount of strength they can get, after which they can still convert humans, but they do not get any younger/stronger.

Vampires can be killed by staking by humans or exposure to sunlight.  If they are found by a human during the day cycle, they can try to flee, but they do not have the power to bite.  If they are chased into sunlight, they die.  If they are cornered and the human stakes them, they die.  With enough points, a vampire can purchase a coffin, which will keep them protected from sunlight.  A human must have a crowbar (purchased with points) to open a coffin during the day.

A human can be bitten and converted by a vampire at night.  A vampire can spend one night's worth of energy to immobilize a human for thirty seconds, making them helpless against the bite.  Stakes do not work at night, though garlic and crosses will make a human immune for a short period of time.

Humans

A human character can be active either during the day or at night, but vampires can only be staked during the day.  Humans do not age, but unlike vampires, they cannot add to their ranks, only try to destroy all the vampires before they are all converted.  They do fatigue, and eventually need to sleep.  Once they fall asleep they cannot wake back up unless fully restored or awoken by a fellow human.  If their fatigue reaches zero, they will fall asleep where they are and cannot be woken by another human until back up to at least 50% energy.

If a human is bitten by a vampire, they become one.  They join the vampire team and receive the same restrictions and benefits.  If vampires win, converted vampires get points as well as original vampires.

Characters are saved when they quit.  If a player joins mid-round, they go to the waiting room until the next round.  Points are spent between rounds. 

Players spend their points.  Points can be saved up for more expensive items if the player chooses.

Players choose which side to play on for the next round.  It is recommended that teams be more or less even for fair play, but players can do otherwise if they wish.  The round begins ten minutes after the last one ended.

Players are placed on the map.  There is, to begin with, a "vampire" and a "human" half of the map.  For the first five minutes of the game, there is a barrier between the two halves, and there is no sunlight.  Players have this time to quickly decide on a strategy, if one will be used, and position themselves where they wish.  Thirty seconds before the barrier is removed, a message is broadcast to everyone informing them of what time it will be when the round begins.  The time is randomly selected for the beginning of each round.

Players may work as a team or go off on their own.  Chat text can only be seen by those in the immediate area.  There is a tavern in each half of town where players can gather to discuss strategy.  Vampires can move from building to building at night, and use their coffins for protection when daylight is coming.  A message will be broadcast to players thirty seconds before the beginning of night or day, to give them time to prepare.

Each phase takes five minutes to complete (a full day lasts ten minutes).  When one side has won, the game ends, points are given out, and everyone is returned to the waiting room. 

Garlic - one use. will grant a human immunity from being bitten for thirty seconds.
Cross - one use. will grant a human immunity from being bitten for two minutes.
Vial - one use. same effect on a vampire as biting one human.
Crowbar - five uses. opens a coffin during the day.
Coffin - five uses. protects a vampire as long as it is used.

This game concept is brand new and will obviously need some tweaking.  All of the material on this page is original and copyright 2007 Sappho.  For questions, comments, suggestions, or offers to help, contact Sappho at saphosgolos@yahoo.com.  This game is designed for use with the BYOND system, but the developer is open to the use of other systems as well.