Deadline

A deadline is a time limit for the current day imposed by the moderator. A few games have built-in, pre-set deadlines, but in most cases a deadline is imposed ad hoc by the mod because the day is taking too long.

Ideally, a mod would never have to impose such a deadline (or Replacements, or a Mod Kill...) but these things all happen, sometimes.

What happens at deadline?

It is up to the mod. Some mods have a rule that if no-one has a majority of votes at deadline, there will be no lynch.

However, a more common mechanic is to allow lynches with a reduced majority for a lynch. Usually the mod takes the required number of votes for a normal lynch and halves it, rounding up. Thus, if 9 players are left alive, 5 would lynch normally and 3 would be enough for a deadline lynch.

Other mods have more complicated rules. It is of course essential that these rules be spelt out to the players in advance, preferably before the game starts, but at the latest when the deadline is first imposed.

A typical rule (devised by Dragon Phoenix and used by very many mods) is:

If I impose a day deadline, lynching will require at least half of the regular majority at deadline. In case of a tie, first come first served. In the endgame (six players or fewer) only lynches with a regular majority will occur.

When should a deadline be imposed?

A deadline may be imposed if it seems that players are stalling out, conversation is dropping off, or discussion is wandering far into non-game-related areas, like last week's football game.

When imposing a deadline, it is important to keep the following things in mind:

1. Make your deadline far enough out to give players a chance to absorb the new conditions for Lynch. 3-4 days is probably an absolute minimum. Longer may be advisable in larger games. Keep in mind your own schedule too: if you're going to be out of town over the weekend, setting a Saturday noon deadline is probably poor form, as your players will be cooling their heels for 36-48 hours!
2. If your deadline is retractable, be fair in deciding to retract it, and let your players know how to get out of it. Most prefer the information provided by a full-majority lynch, if possible, so if you're expecting more posts or Private Messages before you'll retract the deadline, say so!
3. Never, ever let your decision to place a deadline be affected by who has the most votes! This is the worst sort of Metagaming (and interference by the Mod, to boot!), and will assure you an empty house the next time you moderate a game, if it ever gets out. Instead, try to pick some neutral criteria, like a smaller # of posts than # of players for 4 days straight. If players can start to predict Roles by your actions, you've doomed your game inadvertently.