I actually think that the Beat Cop, exactly as implemented in this game, is a good idea, once folks figure out how to use it. It’s just that, as particularly evidenced by everyone’s trust of Lakai right now, folks still haven’t figured out how to use it. It has some uncertainty, and it requires skill and deep thought to use it well, and to my mind, those are always good additions to a game.
And scratch my earlier observation about the Informant. I was thinking for some reason that the Informant’s day name would be on the list given to the Mafia, but of course there’s no reason it has to be. They could probably still neutralize the role through clever disinformation, but that would force them to think about it, which (as I said) I approve of.
Some thoughts, incidentally, on some other possible roles:
The Martyr: Can, on any night, choose to sacrifice emself. If e does so, all other night kills are automatically blocked, regardless of who’s targetted and how. Probably only of significant value in games with multiple night kills, but might also be useful if the Detective is public and the Doctor has just died.
The Schoolteacher: Has been teaching in this town forever, and knows what everyone wanted to be when they grew up. At the beginning of the game, is given a list of every player and a role for each. For those with genuine pro-town special roles, the list is accurate. For vanillas and anti-town roles, the list shows a role selected at random. Would mostly be useful for verifying role claims (unless a Mafia coincidentally happens to claim the role that’s listed for em).
The Medium: Can, with difficulty, communicate with the dead. Once per night, the Medium chooses one dead player, and asks that player a single question. The dead player can respond with a single word answer (usernames are considered to be single words, for this purpose). The dead player is not obligated to answer honestly, so the Medium probably shouldn’t bother asking dead Mafia.
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