# Colorless Mafia **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [December 2, 2009, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729 "2009-12-02T18:21:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/81 "2009-12-06T05:00:18Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I just got home from work. There were some decidedly NON-dopers have a grand time today. Heh, I know–all in fun. I think mafia’s a great way to spend a weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/82 "2009-12-06T05:05:57Z")
Okay, first thing that jumped out at me. With the current set-up, we have the potential of losing 4 (i.e. fully 1/5) people each D/N cycle. That’s a pretty fast clip. Personally, I’m usually of the opinion that the vigilante should shoot purely at their own discretion, but I am a tad concerned that the body count. Of course, conversely, a good vigilante can pretty much singlehandedly win the game for town\*, and giving advice to the vigs rarely works. Regardless, he or she probably shouldn’t shoot toNight. \*(See: Ben as Ace of Spades in RL mafia) ---
**Author:** ![special\_ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@special\_ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/special_ed)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/83 "2009-12-06T05:20:38Z")
**Rule 12:** Do not edit your posts. I won’t do anything if you do, but you’ll still be breaking the rules. But you should feel bad about yourself if you do. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/84 "2009-12-06T05:22:23Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > Ah. That explains it. > > In any case, confirmed. This may be a clue that Tom Scud is either VT or SG (scum goon), as these are the only roles that have duplicates. ---
**Author:** ![MentalGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/439d5e/32.png) [@MentalGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MentalGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/85 "2009-12-06T05:33:22Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > This may be a clue that Tom Scud is either VT or SG (scum goon), as these are the only roles that have duplicates. Or an indication that he is not either one and was wondering why someone else was getting that PM. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/86 "2009-12-06T05:55:29Z")
> [@MentalGuy](#): > > Or an indication that he is not either one and was wondering why someone else was getting that PM. Which is what I make of it as well. By my reckoning **Ed** sent each of us an individual copy of our role PM and cc’d **Normal**. **Vote pede** for seemingly innocent, potentially smearing inferences out of the gate. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/87 "2009-12-06T06:08:09Z")
Confirmed. ---
**Author:** ![special\_ed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@special\_ed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/special_ed)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/88 "2009-12-06T06:18:14Z")
**Vote Count** with about 4 days, 19 hours, and 43 minutes to go 12 Votes required to start Countdown. (peak vote in Parenthesis) **1 Vote** **Pedescribe** (1 #86) ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies (86) **Not Voting:** Mahaloth, Nanook, Tom Scud, Drain Bead, Freudian Slit, pedescribe, ToeJam, USCDiver, peekercpa, DiggitCamara, storyteller, Ichini Sanshigo, Red Skeezix, Zeriel, MHaye, amrussel, Rin Twisted, GuiriEnEspaña, Mental Guy ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@Red\_Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/89 "2009-12-06T06:28:15Z")
Confiriming. ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/90 "2009-12-06T06:41:57Z")
My poor inbox, Ed! 🙂 Have fun, everybody. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/91 "2009-12-06T07:49:07Z")
I’ll concur with pede that the vig (and roleblocker) should really hold their fire on Night 1. I’ve never played an open setup game before; should be interesting. One thing that occurs to me is that Mason claims should be even more trust-worthy than normal, as we’ll know how many Masons there are, and also know for sure that they exist, so a false claim would not just risk but pretty much ensure a counterclaim. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/92 "2009-12-06T07:50:23Z")
Whoops. Didn’t see Ed’s big setup post (thought maybe he was going to wait until everyone had confirmed), so no Masons. Okay. ---
**Author:** ![GuiriEnEspana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GuiriEnEspana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuiriEnEspana)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/93 "2009-12-06T09:28:35Z")
Checking in to confirm receipt of PM. ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/94 "2009-12-06T12:55:43Z")
PM read and received. In the beginning… Grudges. Don’t hold grudges. Grudges are bad, ok? They distort one’s perceptions of the players in this game, meaning that you might decide someone is one of the scum just because you want a reason to get them lynched. Don’t do it. Be objective. Look at the evidence in this game, then base your vote on that. (It’s ok to note that a player is behaving differently this time around than they did in the last game. But do take into account that people’s circumstances change over time. I, for example, am about to start a 13 week placement at some activity providers, which will occupy my working day. This means my free time to read here in the day completely disappears wef Monday 14th). The foregoing does not apply to the scum. They can act on grudges all they want. It just helps us hang them later. ---
**Author:** ![MHaye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bbe5ce/32.png) [@MHaye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MHaye)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/95 "2009-12-06T13:06:53Z")
> [@pedescribe](#): > > Okay, first thing that jumped out at me. With the current set-up, we have the potential of losing 4 (i.e. fully 1/5) people each D/N cycle. That’s a pretty fast clip. I don’t think you should worry too much, as that sort of rate of loss is not sustainable. Back in Three Kingdoms Mafia (on Idle’s board) we had three scum killing groups and a Vig in a 20 player game. Roughly speaking, the population had a half-life of 2 Days; that is, the population at the start of a Day was half what it had been at the start of the Day two Days earlier. As the game winds on, the number of Nightkills will fall and the chance that the Doc will protect a death target or the roleblocker will block a killer rises to almost significant levels. So if this game achieves that level of bloodiness, it’ll last about 6 Days. > [@](#): > > Personally, I’m usually of the opinion that the vigilante should shoot purely at their own discretion, but I am a tad concerned that the body count. Of course, conversely, a good vigilante can pretty much singlehandedly win the game for town\*, and giving advice to the vigs rarely works. Regardless, he or she probably shouldn’t shoot toNight. > > \*(See: Ben as Ace of Spades in RL mafia) I’m not so worried about people giving _advice_ to the Vig. It’s trying to give them _orders_ that is the big no-no. A player who wants to advise a power role on where to look is going to have to give reasons for their advice or it will, very properly, be ignored. And the reasons become information that will help the Town discern the scumballs in their midst and lynch the living daylights out of them. I’d like to think that the power roles will at least consider the possibility that the players offering advice are doing so with less than the purest of motives, though. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/96 "2009-12-06T15:46:40Z")
pm received. yeh, **ped** that’s kind of a stretch. ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/97 "2009-12-06T16:11:02Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > Which is what I make of it as well. By my reckoning **Ed** sent each of us an individual copy of our role PM and cc’d **Normal**. > > **Vote pede** for seemingly innocent, potentially smearing inferences out of the gate. It wouldn’t be a mafia game if I wasn’t getting votes out of the gate Day 1. “Seemingly innocent, potentially smearing inferences”? That’s…about as broad an accusation as you can make. Seriously, that could apply to just about anything and everything anyone says about another player. If we followed that line of thought, we’d all be too paralyzed to do anything. And I acknowledged that it may have have been a _hasty_ inference. I was remembering when I PMed five VTs at once, causing an unintentional masonry. This is why I used the words ‘may be’. Because I wasn’t sure it was. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/98 "2009-12-06T16:17:42Z")
> [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](#): > > Which is what I make of it as well. By my reckoning **Ed** sent each of us an individual copy of our role PM and cc’d **Normal**. > > **Vote pede** for seemingly innocent, potentially smearing inferences out of the gate. That was weird. I’m not voting for him yet but since we have so little to go on he’s on my short list. ---
**Author:** ![Rin\_Twisted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/82dd89/32.png) [@Rin\_Twisted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rin_Twisted)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/99 "2009-12-06T16:38:17Z")
Note to GM- all righty, options changed. > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > I’ll concur with pede that the vig (and roleblocker) should really hold their fire on Night 1.. Why the roleblocker? ---
**Author:** ![Normal\_Phase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Normal\_Phase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Normal_Phase)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2009, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729/100 "2009-12-06T17:00:45Z")
> [@Rin\_Twisted](#): > > Note to GM- all righty, options changed. And PM sent. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colorless-mafia/519729.md?page=6)