Multitasking

If you are looking for the Multitasking mechanic in Normal Games, see Inherent Multitasking.

Multitasking Alias: none Alignment: any Role type: Manipulative Choice: none Status: Historical

A Multitasking role is a role that allows its owner to perform more than one active night action in the same night; in other words, if the player has multiple night choices that refer to different actions, they are not mutually exclusive and can be performed at the same time. Typically, any number of different actions could be used at once. For example, a Multitasking Mafia Watcher could use both their "watch" action and their factional kill in the same night, if they chose to. There is no restriction on targets (other than the usual restrictions against self-targeting), e.g. the watch and kill could be placed on the same target or on different targets.

Multitasking does not allow a player to use multiple copies of the same action in the same night; the aforementioned Multitasking Mafia Watcher would not be able to watch two different targets in the same night. Multitasking also does not allow a player to exceed a limit on how often a single action can be performed; thus, for example, it would not be possible to perform the factional kill at the same time as another member of the faction was performing the factional kill, because of the restriction that the Mafia can only collectively perform their factional kill once per night.

Standard version

Multitasking allows you to perform more than one action per night. For example, a Multitasking Cop Doctor may both investigate someone and protect someone on the same night.

Multitasking on a Mafia or Serial Killer role allows you to perform the factional kill on the same night as you perform your actions, even if inherent multitasking is disabled.

Variations

Multitasking is no longer Normal.

These two variations of Multitasking instead are Normal:

Inherent Multitasking - a mechanic (not a role!) that allows factional and personal abilities to be performed at the same time.

Simultaneous - a role modifier that allows multiple personal abilities to be performed at the same time.

Play Advice

In setups where players can normally only perform one action per night, the fact that you're multitasking will become obvious if anyone tracks you. Because, outside role madness, it's far more common for Mafia to have a choice of types of night action than it is for the town (as the Mafia's factional kill forms a "natural" second action alongside a power role, whereas it's rare for townies to have two different power roles), this modifier is most commonly seen in anti-town hands. As such, being caught multitasking may be hard to explain (a claim of Multitasking Jack of All Trades may not be believable). On the other hand, if one of your actions is performing the factional kill, then being tracked to the kill is going to be fairly hard to explain away anyway, so it may make more sense for the scum to "put all their eggs in one basket" and simply hope to dodge any tracking attempts rather than split up their actions between different members of their team. Perhaps a good rule of thumb is for the scum to perform their kill using a member that they're willing to sacrifice, or failing that, the member least likely to be tracked or roleblocked, whether or not they happen to have a multitaskable second action on the side. (Of course, if a player has multiple possible actions and is not capable of multitasking, sending them to perform the kill would be something of a desperation move.)

Note that despite being a modifier associated with scum, it is probably a bad idea to claim this at the start of Day 1 (like you would with Miller) if you get it as town, as you'll just make yourself an obvious kill target. Simply hope you can explain away your actions easily if someone discovers you have it.

Sample Role PMs

The standardized Role PM for "Multitasking" describes the modifier as follows:

• As a modifier that affects how actions can be used together: You have the following active abilities, and may use multiple different abilities in the same night if you wish: (edit)

Example (factional + personal actions)

Welcome to game! You are a Mafia Multitasking Rolecop.

Your team-mates are names. You may talk to them here during night phases and confirmations only.

You have the following active abilities, and may use multiple different abilities in the same night if you wish:

• Each Night, if no other member of your faction is performing this action, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, that player will die.
• Each Night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will learn that player's role (but not their alignment).

You win if at least one mafia member is alive and all other players are dead (or if nothing can prevent the same).

Confirm by replying to this PM with a summary of your role.

Example (personal actions only)

Welcome to game! You are a Town Multitasking Jack of All Trades Cop Doctor.

You have the following active abilities, and may use multiple different abilities in the same night if you wish:

• Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, you will learn whether that player wins with Town. (You will get "no result" if this action is blocked.)
• Once in the game at night, you may target a player. Assuming no interference with your action, that player will be protected from one kill that night.

You win if all threats to the town are eliminated and at least one town-aligned player is alive.

Confirm by replying to this PM with a summary of your role.