Alright guys well it looks like you will get to enjoy a game without me. Possibly the full time ya never know.
Some thoughts for the newer players and intermediate skill level players on what to look for.
Typically on webdiplomacy forum mafia the scum team behaves neutrally on the first day phase. People often look for the biggest lurker, the biggest poster, or a person who poorly justified an action. People tend to incorrectly scum-read players doing reaction tests, joke posts, and time wasting poetry. This actually allows real scum to do very little, and to plant votes strategically.
Example A – MoscowFleet in M23, he did not say much at all day 1. He voted, and used a rather neutral reason for doing so. His vote on vash was because “Vash didn’t quote the usual statistics like he does when he is town”. It was not obvious to anyone at the time, but Moscow was quite clearly just trying to lay low. The big difference between scum and PR, is that PR are usually less worried about keeping themselves safe from questioning. Scum players like to avoid a microscope day 1 whenever possible.
Example B – The Lazy Susan Scum. Vash is a classic example of this. Some scum players slip by telling you they will be busy this weekend, they have a paper due, theyre at a meeting, they have teaching, they have grading to do or they are going to be working a lot. That’s a very interesting thing to say. Town don’t normally assume they will be alive well into the weekend, or know if anyone will actually care. Examples of this Goldy in M22 stated, he would be out of town over the weekend but would try to be around for EOD. (Really interesting since that was a full 4 days ahead of time, how could he have known he’d be alive?) The logic im using here assumes that 1. Vanilla Town don’t want mafia to know they are vanilla town. So a VT would be risking a lot by implying they aren’t a good NK target. 2. Only scum have a preconceived idea of who may or may not die, so how could goldy have known?
Example C – The director of traffic. This is not that common of a scum heuristic. This website THINKS that’s the only type of scum there is. Its simply not true. The director of traffic style of scum is a difficult playstyle to accomplish. Maniac, HR, myself have all done it before with success. You appear to be a leader of town logic, and town led lynches. Constantly bussing or pressuring flips you know will hedge yourself to look good. All whilst never laying low, never backing down from a question and aggressively misleading town onto whatever targets you think you can. Krellin stands out as a great example of this as well, M17.
There are not many other scum styles. The important thing to remember is that lurking is not scum indicative, nor is directing traffic. 9 times out of 10 a person directing traffic is not scum, they are a worried PR.
-In 17/23 games on this website, there was an Example A scum player early game who voted strategically, camped, and posted neutral aligned observations of the playing field, talking about the setup, about specific role functions, or using a strange reason for why someone might be scum. In the case of MoscowFleet it was literally criticizing a player for not providing mathematical analysis of odds of particular roles in a semi-open setup. A virtual impossibility to justify voting someone for.
-In 5 or 6 of the last 10 games, a Scum player was Example C. A prolific poster, talking a lot, answering questions and leading town into chasing itself. Examples: wjessop M15, Jamiet99uk M16, brainbomb/krellin M17, HR M18, HR M19, maniac M22.
Example B is very common and happens every game. There is always a weak link on every mafia team. Someone who makes excuses, doesn’t contribute, and gains a ton of pressure early. Scum teams aren’t usually too scared of this, because it affords a team member a chance to offer bussing, and gives his buddies towncred. Examples including Chaqa M16, yoyoyozo M17, Vash M18, ObGYN M19, Maniac M20, Ikaneko M21, Vash M22.
How to play as 3rd Party.
Act like town. That’s all I got.
)
What should you be more afraid of?
)
)
)
)