Regulus Black - played by Gerard (Sarah)Gerard is one of the players I'm most excited to have in the mix here. They're a solidly logical player still keening for their long overdue first win, returning from quite the hiatus not just in time but in form - they haven't played an ORG since their ill-fated run as Sierra in Second Chances. Mercifully, the Challenges in this Game ought to be a more even playing field, and at the very least I know they'll be relieved to find we're not using time multipliers for DNF. We played together in Ghibli I and both clicked brilliantly on a strategic level, and I'm eager to see them grapple with the more finnicky mechanics we're throwing in. They're going to be a bit busier than they anticipated when initially signing up so I'm a bit concerned that lower activity levels will limit the impact of their social game, but they're excited to dive into this as their break from all of that and will be bringing their all whenever they are online. Regulus is a super fun rep because of his affiliation to all Sides of things, and I expect Gerard to capitalise on those connections in the early game.
Arabella Figg - played by tarz_oneill (Kristie)I made an active choice not to seek out players from The ORG of the Rings for this second game, and out of those who approached me anyway, Kristie was the only one who insisted on playing right from the start (rather than joining the hosting team
![:P](http://images.proboards.com/new/tongue.png)
) - and after their truly amazing performance as Gollum I obviously wasn't going to say no! It's our honour to be hosting her once again, and I look forward to whatever Mrs Figg is going to bring. Tarz specifically requested an Order rep so that the sneakiness she displayed so openly as Gollum will instead come as a shock when it does come out, then doubled down on that by asking to play as a poor innocent old lady squib. But make no mistake, her devious side
will come out, it's simply a question of when. Usually this ends up backfiring for Tarz into a glorious flameout of an exit, but she defied my expectations by riding through to sixth place last time. And while my logical brain know it's unlikely she'll make it that deep again, my gut knows she has it in her and wants to be even more shocked and impressed this time. Can't wait to see.
As a pairing I really love the two of them together. I hope they get the chance to reunite and work together because their play styles are wonderfully complementary - Regulus' instincts tend toward conservative play and solidifying dynamics, whereas Figg will always be trigger-happy to set up the next big move, juggle their options and stir as much chaos as possible. If they can reconcile those and find a balance, both will be incredibly successful here. And if they can't... well that's all the more entertaining for us
Igor Karkaroff - played by DainiDaini is an extremely aggressive player who like a shark knows no other way but to keep swimming, plotting and scheming. So much so that he has been undermined in his first few games by the extent of those shenanigans, and locking in to his own perceptions without always considering how others might be seeing him. Look for him to be establishing and then ducking between multiple conflicting structures every round, narrowly but expertly dodging until karma has a chance to catch up. And expect him to own it, just like he never even considered the Kristie approach of hiding his villainy behind a good-aligned rep. Nevertheless his strategic instincts are sharp and generally more successful than you'd expect them to be, so I wouldn't bet against his longevity - despite being new to ORGing he's very well practiced, with three consecutive endgames which include his FTC loss in Smash Ultimate. He'll be happy to find a larger proportion of like minds than usual on the Death Eaters Side, where I don't think he'll be the only overplayer even if he's likely to be the most extreme. I'm sure it'll be a wild ride, and just hope that it's one he'll be able to enjoy without becoming the subject of controversy and bitterness. Hopefully his partner will be able to assist with that and set a tone of fun chaos rather than frustrated desperation, even when things go south.
Aberforth Dumbledore - played by NovaWell this is probably going to go terribly... but I don't mind, I can't wait, and I have a sneaking suspicion Nova feels exactly the same way
![:lol](https://i.imgur.com/X4ixXao.gif)
Nova's a veteran and stellar host when it comes to live games, but online her run in Sicily was more notable for her glorious personality and character rather than her game - I believe the highlight was her spending an entire week on a swapped Side ready and eager to flip on her original Side Buddies, only to find that the other side didn't believe her and preferred to brutally blindside one of their own for no good reason, rather than even pretending to trust Nova. I want to hope that she's learned some lessons there and is prepared to adjust her PM frequency and length for the forum game meta... but that was a newbie game and the communication standards here are going to be even more intense than she realises. Once she has a foot in I'm confident her social game will bolster her chances significantly, but I still worry she'll stick out on Day 1 like a sore thumb and find herself out of the loop again. However long Aberforth lasts though I'm ready to be enamoured by every message and confessional, and perhaps his eccentricities will help somewhat to minimise the negative impact of her own; I'd love to see some other players convinced that any communication difficulties are an intentional shtick rather than natural tendencies.
This is probably one of the pairings I have less faith in to go the distance or even reconnect after Day 0. I'm absolutely rooting for their success, but find it unlikely that both of them will be able to scrape through the pre-merge unscathed. But even if it happens post-game, the ID reveal for these guys should be a fun one because they've seen one another play in live settings, but I don't think either is expecting the other to be at all involved in this.
Lucius Malfoy - played by The DavetectiveI really hope David has used up his lackluster run in Smash Ultimate and is able to strut his stuff a bit better in this (he has promised me that he'll be more careful to read the rules, at least
![:lol](https://i.imgur.com/X4ixXao.gif)
) and I'm rooting for him to succeed, having landed in roughly the same spot in my first non-newbie game but persisted anyway just like he is hoping to do. When Lucius is in the loop he'll be trying to run rings around everyone else, including himself, spotting conspiracies that may or may not exist, creating plenty of his own, and investing meaning into every word of every interaction. I'm still kind of the same, so I can't knock it
![:)](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png)
but it does make for a fascinating game to follow. When he's not in the loop he'll fight to the end with every tool at his disposal, even inventing some if he has to. I predict he'll fair rather well among the Death Eaters (though I don't know whether I'm more excited or nervous about the prospect of Lucius/Karkaroff interactions), but maybe struggle to escape notice once he begins meeting new players and needs to scramble some, exposing his social capabilities and threat level.
Oliver Wood - played by Barrybran (Joey)This wound up being the perfect rep for Joey as he still feels like the new kid on the block here, even though it's now his fourth game; his energy is still fresh and wide-eyed, and seemingly out of his depth. So too Oliver is the youngest of our reps, and stands out for being more of an 'ally' to the Order than an actual member, remembered better for his school days than his war efforts. Barrybran's social game was wonderful in Vietnam with all the other short-spoken newbies until merge craziness somehow backfired upon him prematurely, but Mario was kind of eaten alive by the savages of Smash Ultimate, and the timezone for Cluedo made it difficult for him to get a fair shake to begin with. So even though he's been around the block a bit now, he's going to have to up his game to stand out among this cast of luminaries. I do think he's better poised than ever to channel some productive paranoia though, rather than being so quick to take others at their word - hopefully coming into the game with a locked in number one will allow him to focus that tendency upon Lucius first and foremost, and he'll inherit some of Lucius' skepticism in his dealings with everyone else.
These two are another pair that feel somewhat outclassed, but I think they're both somewhat underrated and still waiting to show their best ORG form. I hope this game will give them the chance! Certainly I expect them to have a fun rapport, and if it all goes south too quickly I trust them to use the Switch Charm safety net and at least retain some chance of recovery.
Hedwig's Killer - played by Waka (Rob)I'm still kind of in awe that Waka is playing one of my games! It was a shock when he first told me he was interested, and his selection of this rather novel rep and shtick was kind of inspiring, as a connoisseur of wild reps myself and also as a host still working to pin down the tone of this Game. He's a strong player in any cast, particularly when he's playing to win, and he's just exorcised some chaotic evil tendencies as a last-minute replacement in Fire Emblem Heroes so really wants to find success in this one. That was a surprise to hear about as well, but I'm kind of glad he's dipped back in and come out excited to play more given his frustrations as Fabio in the last game he played before the hiatus. I'm expecting him to excel here not just because of the rep, but because he's better placed than anyone to understand the meta here (such as it is) and turn it to his gain - he's excited to play among newer blood, knows how to vibe with all the veteran crowds, and has probably picked my brain about game design more than anyone else in ORG circles so will be ready to overanalyse, anticipate and exploit every twist just like I could in Conner's game. But above all the game stuff I'm just excited to see him have some fun here, and hope he does himself proud.
Nymphadora Tonks - played by Jungo077 (Dani)It's really tough to analyse Jungo coming into this because they've just won their very first game, and rather more decisively than anyone expected. So expectations are high, but experience is low and the sample size for predictions consists of just one run, and an extreme outlier at that. Their social game is impeccable and they were a UTR presence in a minority that had no business succeeding, yet by the endgame basically had everyone else shooting for each other while she waltzed through the wreckage. Which makes Tonks a particularly fun rep, literally able to show a different face to everyone, but generally just a badass whenever there's an opportunity to step up. Her strategic instincts and calm approach will transfer well to the veteran setting, and Waka is a great partner to build up her messaging style to something more in line with her eventual Side Buddies. But it's still hard to know whether she can possibly be as successful the second time around, and I guess that's the question which will be interesting to see play out. Mostly I'm hoping she gets to experience a different kind of game, playing from the top so that we can see how she fares with overt power.
These guys could be dangerous together. They don't have much of a history, but both seemed to be describing one another to a tee in asking for a particular kind of PBvO partner. They're both well-rounded players who could very easily find themselves in the center of their respective Side dynamics without it being super obvious. And as whacky as these Challenges are, Waka will be a favourite coming into the more technically difficult skill-based ones in the endgame stretch. Definitely a good pair to watch, and not a bad option if you had to put money on the longer-lasting pairs.
Corban Yaxley - played by VamaarVamaar's played two games now, finishing 8th in both as an affable presence nobody took too seriously as a strategic threat, but everyone loved all game long. And that second one only just wrapped, so he's in game mode and ready to hopefully break that barrier into the endgame this time around. He was one of the first people to reach out to me, and knew Yaxley thanks to AVPS which is of course the best way to be excited about Yaxley, so I'm glad we could make that rep happen for him. And he was kind of the underdog outsider in my mind, up until he crammed another game in first and, unbeknownst to him, got to play with quite a few of the players who will be popping up again in this. He's also been reading old ORG boards for fun, including the ORG of the Rings so is actually coming into this with a better idea of what to expect than most. On top of just being super friendly, the volume Vamaar crams into his confessionals is intimidating even to me, and so I don't doubt we'll know his thinking at every turn of this game, however it plays out. And if it's anything like his arc in GhibII, it'll be a wonderfully compelling story even through the rough patches in real time. I'm excited to see what this newly levelled-up Vamaar looks like, and expect him to be severely underestimated... just like Yaxley in AVPS.
Dedalus Diggle - played by Integreat (Shaun)A bunch of people will be stoked to see Integreat here, and also rather surprised. He was super involved in ORGing a long time ago, but never super successful as a player. He recently resurfaced in the Australian games as essentially a newbie socially/strategically but with a veteran's Challenge prowess which made for fascinating runs in Sicily and GhibII, both of which ended quickly after the merge - the guy is a threat, whether he's entirely out of the loop (as Shaun) or deeper in than anyone suspects (as Moro). And then he kind of fell off the map for a little while. But this game is right up his alley, and playing Diggle should go some way to minimising the threat of his social game even while it overshadows his status as a 'physical' threat, given the kinds of Challenges we'll be throwing at everyone pre-merge. He's such a positive presence that simply having him in the casting pool has made me happier about the game as a whole, and I can't wait to see him spread that warmth among the other players even when the Game is at its most intense.
The anticipation of Diggle and Yaxley together is wholesome enough to make for patronus tinder really. Both are significant question marks in terms of actual win equity, but I know we'll all be rooting for these guys, even if one of them is technically on the Dark Side, at least until the Order ups their pizza game.
Barty Crouch Jr - played by Martynas (Harry)Harry was the first person to message me about this game, and has been sharing his excitement with me regularly for all the long months between. He's one of the biggest HP fans on the cast, and is excited to get into the roleplay of it all for the first time - while he's a veteran of other gaming communities, and it certainly shows in his game, his forum ORG experience is limited to just one newbie game where he was able to basically be himself, which got him comfortably to fourth place. While I hope I'm wrong, I have the feeling that he's a bit too eager and not as cognizant of the learning curve between newbie and veteran games as he ought to be, so while I certainly don't expect him to be an early boot by any means (the guy is crazy active at all hours), I'm not sure he'll be able to find a solid enough footing to reach a favourable endgame this time. On the other hand, I also expect he'll have more fun than most, especially when it comes to the themeing and the absurd weekend Challenges.
Lily Potter - played by Rockardy (Shonee)This is probably the most surprising name on the cast list, and I think even they were quite sure they'd retired from ORGs even while slowly talking themselves into possibly doing this one rather than co-hosting, if the circumstances aligned, and they were just as stunned to find that indeed they did, and here we are. Their last game was Chile, and I can certainly understand them not wanting to enter into anything like that again... and yet I can also understand the temptation to go out on a more positive, enjoyable note - which I think is a healthy approach coming into this, their first in-character game. If Lily can avoid taking this too seriously there's also no reason why they shouldn't find incredible success, even in the Challenges (that might be one of my goals for this game tbh, the chance to surprise Shonee by telling them they've won a Challenge
![:lol](https://i.imgur.com/X4ixXao.gif)
) Their social game is strong enough to snow the best (and also myself), plus their gut instincts strategically are usually on point, and usually impressively nuanced too - right up until they start overthinking things and back themselves into a corner where every possible outcome burns a different bridge... so infamously that the prospect of having a BvW partnership neither member would ever consider betraying was a determinative factor in their signing up. The other point detracting from Lily's game is that she'll have rough first week while working nightshifts. I really hope she scrapes through that to the swap and finds herself caught up in the fun of it all once she has the time to spare, and comes out of the Game far happier and more satisfied than she did last time.
I'm also really eager to see these two bouncing off one another, and it should be one of the more enjoyable Floo Networks because both are banter gods even without playing a character. I'd say they stand a good chance of lasting a while, although both of them will be underestimating their chances and pleasantly surprised not to get blindsided each round. Maybe they can instill some confidence in one another along the way? But maybe it's more fun if they don't
Rodolphus Lestrange - played by Lawls93 (Brian)Brian is long overdue for some ORG success after some super unlucky early burnouts, and I so badly want this to be the one that finally clicks for him. Just the fact that he decided to reach out to me and sign up after a while away from ORGs, without really caring who he gets partnered with, gives me confidence that the time is right and he's as ready as he'll ever be. Because when he's playing comfortably, watching him is a masterclass... it's just been a while. He usually wants to keep things straightforward, and his instinct is to remain loyal rather than jumping at big moves, but for some reason he also has a tendency to attract the worst kinds of chaos, which this cast and his Side in particular will be likely to provide him with once again. It will be a bit strange seeing his reliable presence from behind Rodolphus of all people, though it was his first rep preference which leaves me rather curious about the direction he'll take.
Fleur Delacour - played by DanielleDanielle is another one who hasn't played a forum ORG since Chile, though she has co-hosted almost every Aussie game since, including The ORG of the Rings. I hope my new co-hosts won't take it too awfully when I say that she's been missed in that capacity, but the chance to host her here more than makes up for that. If anyone will be able to predict the surprises we've cooked up it's her, and while she's no slouch in Challenges generally I expect her to pick up on every subtle hint in my every instruction, and edge out some of the competition on that basis alone. Her gameplay is formidable, her track record backs that up, as does all my first-hand knowledge of playing alongside her and the marvel that is her careful and intentional threat level control, always perfectly timed to sneak into a winnable FTC. The biggest mystery factor here is that Fleur will be her most out-of-the-box rep in years, with an ostentatious personality that flies in the face of her usual MO. Even so I don't doubt that she could pull out another win here, or at least a near miss. The cast won't see her coming, but we certainly will
![:)](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png)
This is possibly the PBvO pair with the most interesting ORG history, as Brian's formative ORG experience turned upon the genuine relationship the two of them built, and which Danielle effortlessly set aside in one of the more brutal blindsides I've witnessed. So I'm really hoping they take the pairing seriously, earn the Mutual ID Reveal, and do some damage together deep into the game. They're perfectly capable of it too.
Travers - played by BlackrangerBlackranger was one of the later signups for this and ended up taking the last spot before we had some drops during the confirmation process. He's had a long hiatus since his impressive win as Night Angel in the first Masked Singer game, and (like so many of the others) squeezed in a brief practice run to reacclimatise. He's wonderfully excited by the theme, and has something fun cooked up for Travers, but I'm not sure how much he know about what to expect otherwise - he has a reputation for being a Challenge beast, which probably won't pan out here, but is also a strong social presence which will always be a boon even with some timezone trickiness to readjust to. I'd be shocked to see him on the outs early on, but haven't seen enough of him to have an informed opinion beyond that. So there's some fun for me here in not knowing quite what to expect, while also expecting greatness regardless.
Kinsley Shacklebolt - played by agreenparrotAGP and I have gone back and forth on struggling to play one another's games, to the point that it's a running joke even after I was a last-minute alternate for The Flight Attendant. So it's still a bit surreal to actually get to the starting date and have them still in the mix, intentionally and as planned. AGP is everything you can hope for as a host, wonderful both on the character front and with all kinds of game styles. I voted for him to win Legoland last year despite never really working together in-game, and he's just placed second in Fire Emblem, where he received a jury vote from Vamaar. And while I don't think he's super enthused by this theme or rep, he's still going to bring his all. I just have no idea what style of game he's looking to try out this time, so the next few days should be illuminating indeed. I do hope it goes better than his last foray into Australian time as Kurotowa, though even that took a particularly strange set of circumstances to see him exit right before jury.
The game Blackranger broke his hiatus for was of course AGP's own ASHE3, so this will be a fun connection to watch. Both could kind of go in any direction based on roleplay choices, though both are more than suave enough to bounce off one another regardless. I do suspect each will be more inclined to sink or swim on their own terms in the pre-merge at least rather than fighting too hard on one another's behalf, if it comes to that.
Alecto Carrow - played by Author999Author's shticks are always immersive and hilarious, so I have high expectations for Alecto which I don't doubt shall be both met and exceeded. On the game front, however, he has been horribly robbed in his last few games (through no fault of my own, no, squirtainly not!) and also has a similar history with Fantasma because he was the original Merry in The ORG of the Rings, who needed to drop on Day 1. Any yet he's capable of excellence in this respect too, even on Australian time (though Howl is a good few Pi Days behind us now) - so here he is ready to finally leave his mark, even if it takes some effort to bring the sole female Death Eater rep to life. I'm not sure whether this is going to all turn into yet another iconic mess straight away, or whether a longer run is in the cards. And though I do earnestly hope it's the latter... I also wouldn't be super disappointed to get some maddening flameout if it'll be anywhere near the level of tietierocks.
Mundungus Fletcher - played by GundhamI have huge respect for Gundham being willing to play this, even though our first real interaction was rather contentious in-game during Smash. He's a wonderful player with a tendency to see the bigger picture and think longer-term far more effectively than most. And even though he's coming off some unexpected arena losses and possibly hoping (vainly) to revive his Challenge prowess here, the absurdity of this Game's tone is right up his alley. I know he'll have a blast playing Mundungus in a way that is most entertaining to himself, regardless of how that comes across to the other players, and expect him to be a key cog in keeping things exciting in Grimauld Place early on. While I haven't personally seen him make a deep run into an endgame, I know he's capable of it and I'd love to see some things break his way here, giving us plenty of material to analyse strategically, even beyond the humour he'll bring.
These two have a long history, but among the most recent notch was Author as Richter getting rocked out for failing to properly vote out Gundham as Pyra/Mythra. Both are wonderful roleplayers, so their Floo Network ought to be amazing, albeit rather wordy... and all the more so if their strategic differences happen to resurface. My main concern for both of them is the timezone factor while they're separated, and potentially both trying for high-concept shticks which may take longer for the Australians to warm up to than some Australians will be willing to give them.
Pyrites - played by DesDes is our angelic alternate this season, and was willing to start today (yes,
today!) still uncertain about whether he'd be subbed into the game. He's got little to no knowledge or interest in anything HP, but is eager to play one of my Games regardless if the true fans can't show out. And while normally I'd write off an alternate, because most alternates don't have a whole lot of time to spare... I do wonder whether this exact combination of circumstances could be a winning formula for Des? He hasn't had time pre-game to overthink anything, he isn't invested enough to trip himself up too quickly, and he'll be looking for fun wherever he can find it amidst all the weirdness, all the more so given the reception of his last few games, in which Koichi's first round exit from GhibII stands out as the clear highlight. Pyrites is also a gloriously absurd rep to be giving him, because for a few moments the cast will legitimately be wondering whether playing as a non-canonical character who was cut from the first draft of the first chapter indicates the truest of fans with the deepest of cuts, or the most out-of-his-depth newb being laughed at by the hosts. My only regret is that it may steal some of Waka's thunder, but we absolutely couldn't have given Des a character with a more complex history which everyone else would be talking to him about. Anyhow, I guess my point is that I'm strangely excited to see this experiment unfold.
Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody - played by SheebshibCasting Sheebshib has been a journey and a half! Seemingly the most dedicated of all the HP fans who saw the advertisement (and willing to play literally any rep we wanted filled), they reached out to me despite never really being sure whether playing would be possible for them due to a slough of IRL commitments seeming to converge upon late April and early May. At some point they decided the mature thing to do was to pull out from the Game, given all the uncertainty, but were reluctant to shut down all possibility that it could end up working out, if we desperately needed numbers at the eleventh hour. So when we had our first of two drops following confirmations, I reached out again just in case... and it just so happened to come at the exact moment Sheebshib could finally foresee a clearer schedule, and now here we are
![:)](http://images.proboards.com/new/smiley.png)
I'm not really sure what to expect game-wise as they're the only player here I've never watched play in real time, though I've heard and read plenty of good things and know they've had significant successes in prior games as a solid all-rounder. And last time I hosted a game, the player I knew the least about but who came with a strong recommendation ended up winning... so while I don't think Sheebshib has played on Australian time before and that's going to be an obstacle particularly in the early game, I'm quietly confident in their ability to work some magic here.
How is this even a pair, you ask? Well the two players who dropped were legitimately both in an a BvW pair, and attempts to rearrange all the reps and pairings and Side divisions after already confirming these things with all the other players was... shockingly close to possible, but ultimately unfeasible. Meaning that the two alternates are now loved ones, one desperate to embrace HP while the other only didn't sign up normally because of the theme, one used to ORG wins or near misses and the other used to all kinds of flameouts. I mean, it wouldn't be a real BvW season without that one WTF odd couple of a pairing, would it? And it may just be the overtiredness talking but after bending over backwards for months to connect willing friends rather than doing any of my own matchmaking, I'm actually kind of looking forward to this absurd coincidence of a thing.