Section 7: Violations & Penalties
The moderator should correct minor mistakes consistently and reserve removal from the game for conduct that compromises hidden information, repeatedly disrupts play, or harms another participant. Whenever possible, a penalty should restore fairness without revealing more information than the violation already exposed.
Common Violations
- Opening one's eyes, peeking, or using reflections during the night.
- Speaking, signaling, or intentionally making identifying sounds during the night when not instructed to act.
- Showing role material or using outside proof to establish a claim.
- Communicating privately with another player when private communication is not part of the selected variation.
- Continuing to speak, gesture, vote, or provide strategic information after elimination.
- Consulting recordings, messages, spectators, or information from outside the current game.
- Deliberately delaying a choice or refusing to follow the moderator's procedure.
- Harassing, threatening, or targeting another participant with personal remarks unrelated to game strategy.
Penalty Guidelines
- Correction: For an accidental procedural error with no useful information exposed, the moderator restates the rule and continues.
- Warning: For a minor or repeated disruption, the moderator gives a clear warning. A second violation may lead to loss of a vote or removal.
- Invalid action: An illegal night choice or vote is rejected. If time remains, the moderator may allow a legal replacement without identifying the player's role.
- Removal: A player who intentionally cheats, repeatedly disrupts play, or ignores safety boundaries may be removed from the game. The moderator announces how that removal affects the setup without disclosing unnecessary secrets.
- Restart: If exposed information makes fair continuation impossible early in the game, the moderator may cancel the round, reshuffle all roles, and begin again.
Moderator Errors
If the moderator awakens the wrong role, gives an incorrect investigation result, or reveals secret information, play should pause. The moderator should correct the error only when that can be done without creating a greater leak. If the error materially changes the game and cannot be repaired, the round should be declared void. An honest moderator mistake should not be treated as a player violation.
Disputed Results
The moderator's procedural ruling governs the current round. After the game, participants may discuss the ruling and clarify the house rule for future rounds. Secret roles should not be revealed during an active dispute unless play has ended or the round has been declared void.