This thread is a general purpose thread that will serve a few purposes for new players and old alike.
What is a Competitive Social Game? A Competitive Social Game, or CSG for short, is a catch-all term for large-scale games that take place over a significant period of time comprised of competitive social interaction between players, usually comprising of player-selected eliminations and short-term sub challenges. CSGs tend to be so large that they require entire external forums to run successfully. If that's all mumbo-jumbo to you, just think of CSGs as competitive versions of popular reality competition shows, like Survivor, Big Brother, and The Mole. CSGs aren't strictly these types of games, but these are good place to start when thinking about how to define them.
CSG Planning
The primary purpose of this thread will be to help organize and plan CSGs. Because CSGs are large and incredibly demanding, we ask and require that only one CSG be going at a time. If you wish to host a Competitive Social Game, please use this thread to request a spot on the following queue. Once the current game comes close to wrapping, this thread will be updated, and the next player on the queue will be allowed to start their thread once they are ready.
–--Competitive Social Game Queue–--
–Last Updated: March 4, 2017-- (Spring 2017) Survivor 8: All Stars (Hosted by: Kitsune Inferno) – Co-Hosts: Galaxy 9000, vorlianis, Shuhan -- Start Date: April 7th, 2017 -- Anticipated End Date: No Later than May 31st, 2017
(Summer 2017) Big Brother 5 (Hosted by: Kaido, King of the Beasts) -- Co-Hosts: Kitsune Inferno -- Start Date: TBA -- Anticipated End Date: TBA (allow 60 to 90 days)
(Fall 2017) [Empty]
(Winter 2017) Survivor 9 (Hosted by: SpaceCowboy) – Co-Hosts: TBA -- Start Date: TBA (tentatively winter?) -- Anticipated End Date: TBA (allow 45 to 60 days)
(Spring 2018) The Amazing Race 1 (Hosted by: Kitsune Inferno, TBA, TBA, TBA, TBA, and TBA) - Start Date: TBA -- Anticapted End Date: TBA (Allow 45 to 60 days)
(Summer 2018) [Empty]
(Fall 2018) Survivor 10 (Hosted by: Kitsune Inferno) – Co-Hosts: TBA -- Start Date: TBA (depends on when Survivor 9 happens) -- Anticipated End Date: TBA (allow 45 to 60 days)
Ask for a spot and we'll normally grant it to you. If however, this is your first time Hosting a CSG, then we absolutely you link up with a Co-Host, preferably one who has Hosted or Co-Hosted before. Just ask for one in this thread, and one of the veterans will usually be happy to help!
CSG Primer
The rest of this thread shall serve as an informational guide for all things CSG! If you're new to the concept, be sure to read the great things in this thread. And if you're not new, you might learn a thing or two!
Types of CSGsBy its definition, there are probably tons of games that would fit under the umbrella of the CSG moniker. In the interest of keeping this section manageable, let's focus on the three concepts that have already successfully launched. As we add new types of CSGs, this section will expand.
Survivor
Survivor games are based on the popular television show, Survivor. The rules of Survivor vary from game to game, but revolve around one simple premise: outwit, outplay, and outlast the other players in your quest to becoming the Sole Survivor, the last player standing. The game takes place over the course of two phases, a Tribal Phase and Individual Phase. During the Tribal Phase, players are sorted into two or more Tribes. Members of a Tribe are expected to work together to maintain stats and resources, and win Challenges. Losing a Challenge for Tribal Immunity means that that Tribe must go to Tribal Council, where they must vote one member out of their Tribe and usually, out of the game. This continues until Tribes either Swap (a shift in tribe configuration) or Merge (all tribes merge into one). Once Tribes Merge, the Tribal Phase ends and the Individual Phase begins. At this point, it's every player for themselves, and in Challenges, Individual Immunity is on the line. All players attend all Tribal Councils, and only those with Individual Immunity are safe from being voted out.
Play continues until only 2 or 3 players remain. At that point, the Final Tribal Council, a Jury comprised of the last handful of eliminated players (usually 7 to 11 players) will cast their votes to determine which of the Final Two or Final Three deserves the title of Sole Survivor. To win, you have to make it to the Final Tribal Council while also convincing the Jury, comprised of players you likely had a hand in eliminating, that you played a better game than the other player or players left. Winning Survivor requires a winning combination of Challenge prowess, mental acuity, and social finesse. That and sometimes luck. But like I said: outwit, outplay and outlast.
For more information on all things Survivor, please check out the comprehensive American TV show Wiki: http://survivor.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page and this page in particular: http://survivor.wikia.com/wiki/Survivor_(franchise) for specific format information. Like this page says, twists and format tweaks are common, so expect the unexpected. Wait, that's not this game's motto!
Big Brother
Big Brother, like Survivor is based on a popular television show as well, Big Brother. Our CSGs play strictly by American and Canadian Big Brother rules. Please ignore most other international formats. Big Brother plays similarly to Survivor, but follows its own set of rules. Also, Big Brother's motto is "expect the unexpected", so the format changes all the time.
Big Brother revolves around a collection of players, called HouseGuests, who "live together under one roof", competing for the ultimate goal of being the last player standing. Unlike Survivor, Big Brother usually has no tribal phase, so right off the bat, Big Brother is an individual game. Every week, a Competition is held, where the winner becomes crowned Head of Household. The Head of Household calls the shots that week, and is usually safe for the rest of the week, but they must Nominate two HouseGuests for Eviction. Later in the week, the Head of Household, the two Nominees, and three other HouseGuests selected at random (or through other means) compete in a Power of Veto Competition. The winner of the Power of Veto has the power to cancel one of the Head of Household's nominations. If the Power of Veto is used, the Head of HouseHold must choose a Replacement Nominee, which can not be the Power of Veto holder or the canceled Nominee. Once the Power of Veto ceremony concludes, the players still Nominated for Eviction must campaign to the other HouseGuests in a bid to survive Eviction Night.
On Eviction Night at the end of the week, all HouseGuests except the Head of Household and the Nominees for Eviction must cast their vote to Evict one of the Nominees. The Nominee who receives the most votes to Evict will be Evicted from the House and either eliminated from the game or sent to the Jury. In the event of a tie, the Head of Household will cast the deciding vote. Once a HouseGuest is Evicted, all remaining HouseGuests (including the surviving Nominees of the week) sans the outgoing Head of Household will compete to become the following week's Head of Household. This continues until the Final Three, when all HouseGuests compete for Head of Household (inluding the outgoing Head of Household) in a series of three Competitions. The winner of the final Competition becomes the Final Head of Household, and will immediately Evict one of the remaining two HouseGuests. Then, the Jury (again, 7 to 11 players) will decide which of the Final Two played the best game and will vote on a winner.
The biggest challenge players of Big Brother will face are the constant shifts in power. One week, your closest ally could be Head of Household, and the very next, your biggest enemy. Winning Big Brother requires the same skills as winning Survivor (Competition prowess, mental acuity, social finesse) in the long term sense, but in the short term sense, winning Big Brother requires the ability to be flexible and strategic enough to survive every individual week.
Big Brother also has a comprehensive Wiki here: http://bigbrother.wikia.com/wiki/Big_Brother_Wiki. Remember, we play by rules similar to the American or Canadian editions of the show. We do not and WILL NOT play by U.K. or Australian rules. While there does not seem to be a comprehensive page that describes the format, you should read up on the individual BBUS seasons, starting with Season 2 (Season 1 of BBUS followed international rules), if you wish to find out more about the Head of Household and Power of Veto concepts.
The Mole
(I'm not the most familiar with this format, but if you are somebody who is, please help me improve this section!)
Based on the TV show of the same name, The Mole revolves around players trying to discover the identity of the Mole, one of the players who is actively sabotaging the other players. Each cycle, players will compete in a Mission where the Mole will actively work against the other players. At the end of the cycle, players are Quizzed on the identity of the Mole, and the player who answers the most questions incorrectly is eliminated from the game. Therefore, it is beneficial for players who are not The Mole to play against the others in an attempt to convince them they are. If successful, the other players will answer incorrectly and risk being eliminated.
When two players and the Mole remain (total of three), one final Mission and Quiz are performed. The player who answers the most questions correctly will win The Mole.
I don't think the Mole has a dedicated Wiki, but do check out the show's official page on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mole_(U.S._TV_series)
CSG Legacy
CSGs have taken place on Arlong Park since the summer of 2010, and since that is a very long time with a lot of games, here is a comprehensive guide to every CSG played on Arlong Park. Note that these are links to external forums, and if you can't view anything, please let us know in the thread right away. Thanks to Huschel for helping me collect some of the finer bits of information!!
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Survivor
One Piece Survivor: Little Garden by Kitsune Inferno September 15, 2010 to November 2, 2010
(RESULT: Bellamy (Zack) defeats Franky (Wooden_Giraffe) in a 4-3 vote)
One Piece Survivor 2: Skypiea by Kitsune Inferno (Co-Hosted by kmohyudin and Wooden_Giraffe) July 5, 2011 to September 8, 2011
(RESULT: Nojiko (trappedolphin) defeats Shakuyaku (Huschel) in a 4-3 vote)
One Piece Survivor 3: Alabasta by Waffles, trappedolphin, and Huschel (Co-Hosted by Mr. M and Gerri) June 19, 2012 to August 14, 2012
(RESULT: Crocodile (Silent K) defeats Bourbon Jr. (Mastello) in a 4-3 vote)
One Piece Survivor 4: Drum Rockies by Kitsune Inferno (Co-Hosted by Tyrone Pines and Galaxy 9000) June 9, 2013 to August 28, 2013
(RESULT: Perona (Wooden_Giraffe) defeats Makino (trappedolphin) and Rayleigh (Kubihige) in a 6-1-0 vote)
One Piece Survivor 5: Dressrosa by Galaxy 9000 (Co-Hosted by trappedolphin and Huschel) June 9, 2015 to July 26, 2015
(RESULT: Nico Olvia (Femme) defeats Chouchou (Kubihige) in a 4-3 vote)
One Piece Survivor 6: Arlong Park by Kitsune Inferno, Mastello, and Space Cowboy (Co-Hosted by Mr. M) May 17, 2016 to July 1, 2016
(RESULT: Carrot (Kubihige) defeats Kalifa (Tyrone Pines) and Garp (Shuhan) in a 4-4-0 vote – Tie broken by Garp)
One Piece Survivor 7: Totto Land by Galaxy 9000 (Co-Hosted by BellisarioFaith and Kubihige) December 11, 2016 to February 25, 2017
(RESULT: Kaya (NateRich) defeats Monji (Huschel) in a 5-4 vote)
One Piece Survivor: All-Stars by Kitsune Inferno (Co-Hosted by Galaxy 9000, vorlianis, and Shuhan) April 7, 2017 to October 11, 2019
(RESULT: Pending)
Big Brother
One Piece Big Brother by Kitsune Inferno (Co-Hosted by trappedolphin) September 15, 2012 to December 16, 2012
(RESULT: Caesar Clown (Galaxy 9000) defeats Nami (Wooden_Giraffe) in a 3-2 vote)
One Piece Big Brother 2: Cruise Ship by NateRich (Co-Hosted by trappedolphin and Galaxy 9000) August 24, 2013 to November 1, 2013
(RESULT: Baron Tamago (Print Error) defeats Aokiji (Doll) in a 6-1 vote – THIS PAGE IS BROKEN NATE FIX IT)
One Piece Big Brother 3: Rivals by Kitsune Inferno, trappedolphin, and Huschel July 12, 2014 to September 21, 2014
(RESULT: Lao G (NateRich) defeats Bartolomeo (Silent K) in a 5-2 vote)
One Piece Big Brother 4: Impel Down by Kubihige (Co-Hosted by Wooden_Giraff, NateRich, and trappedolphin) July 5, 2016 to September 3, 2016
(RESULT: Jabra (Kitsune Inferno) defeats Pappug (vorlianis) in a 5-2 vote)
One Piece Big Brother 5 by Kaido, King of the Beasts (Co-Hosted by Kitsune Inferno) TBA
(RESULT: Pending)
The Mole
One Piece: The Mole by Galaxy 9000(Co-Hosted by Huschel) September 4, 2016 to September 27, 2016
(RESULT: Boa Hancock (BellisarioFaith) defeats Foxy (Wooden_Giraffe) in identifying The Mole, Marguerite (vorlianis))
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If you ever want a history lesson, check out these links! And relive all the great moments we've had playing these games! If any of the information posted above is incorrect, please let me know so I can fix it.
In the future, I am going to be launching a Legacy Project that will involve resorting the archives of past games in a manner that makes it much easier to read through the games. 
CSG Threads
This is a small informational primer for creating and maintaining a successful CSG thread.
- Clearly define your rules and relevant information in the opening post. For a template, please refer to the Survivor All-Stars thread.
- Once the previous game ends or reaches a point where you can satisfactorily open Sign-Ups (a good courtesy would be to ask the current Game Host for permission), you may create your new thread. Make sure to clearly set a deadline for Sign-Ups and establish how many players your setup will need.
- Once the game starts, be sure to update the thread to make that known. However, do not link to the ZetaBoard where the game is being played.
- Be sure to build your audience discretely. While it's never happened before, it can be possible for players to break the game by joining the audience, so keep your audiences regulated.
- Once the game has ended, and the winners have been decided, please let a mod know so they can Close your thread after a day or so. No need to have old games get bumped all the time!
- Also, once the game is over, make sure to open the ZetaBoard to the public and post a link to it here.
- Since your game thread will likely be pretty slow during the game, you may want to consider making progress reports that inform players of events in the game. Use what I will do in the All-Stars thread as a template.
If you have any questions on this subject, don't hesitate to ask here! I'm always open for helping create really good opening threads, and some of our more experienced players could help too if you ask!
That's all I can think of for now. Check back to this OP frequently, and if you have any questions, feel free to use this thread to ask! Hosting CSGs is hard and tiring, but we can post about that here and make it easier and more fun for all involved parties.
my word. Excellent work Kitsu.
what was I thinking?
