From: turbopuns | #008
It's taught me that if you're going to host a game, it needs to be something you've played the crap out of, something you've beaten forwards and backwards, you can talk for hours about without ever hitting a topic that you're unsure of, that you can probably quote half the script of the entire game. It needs to be something you can confidently say "I know more than you do about this game. Period." to just about anybody.
Somewhat disagree.
A themed game does not have to remain true to the heart of the content it is themed behind. It is mafia after all, and simply playing the game out renders any conception of plot points and characters in said themes moot. Themes are used to draw players in, especially those who are like what you just described, not replay the theme in mafia style.
Theme knowledge is of course important so that you don't blaspheme the universe of the theme, but I would hardly state it to be paramount to making a good (or even balanced game). It's mostly there for hype.
Usually the best way to start with a theme game is to come up with an alignment split right off the bat. How would you divide the factions? After that, start with a core focus mechanic of how you want your game. Is it going to revolve around standard role, or are there other mechanics that need to be considered? Thus far, theme would have very little impact in actually balancing the game. Once you have the rough draft set out, that is when you apply theme knowledge via flavor writing and role dispersal. With imagination, you can literally turn any character into any role, simply by twisting around your own vision of how the character should/could be portrayed.
Using a pretty broad example, let's assume a Star Wars themed Mafia; say you want a Doctor Role.
-Luke could be a Doctor because he protects people with the Force, repelling anyone who comes near his target.
-Han could be a Doctor because he smuggles a player onto the Millennium Falcon for the night.
-Vader could be the Doctor for the same reasons as Luke, only using the Dark side.
-R2-D2 could be the Doctor because he is able to open and close doors, keeping people away from his target.
The list goes on, and is only limited by your imagination. In fact, it helps to have a very fertile imagination so as to combat the plague known as metagame.
If you try going into a game saying, "I want this game because I want this character to do this!" it will make for a bad first step towards balancing in the end. Look at the project as a whole, then fill in the roles with your own imagination afterwards.
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