# Mafia REUNION observation and comments ie the FORBIDDEN THREAD **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [January 6, 2017, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439 "2017-01-06T02:30:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/21 "2017-01-10T15:25:54Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I can never figure out what the hell is going on in these games, but damn do I love to watch them. > Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk This one is nuts, too. I’m so glad we can have a new thread for each Day. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/22 "2017-01-10T16:05:00Z")
I’ll also reoffer for anyone who is confused or unfamiliar with mafia. Im happy to provide anyone who asks full disclosure on who is who and what is happening behind the scenes. It’s marginally easier to track stuff that way. But the trade off is you can’t really play along anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/23 "2017-01-10T16:08:26Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > This one is nuts, too. I’m so glad we can have a new thread for each Day. I went crosseyed just reading Night Zero. So, an expert can correct me if I’m wrong, but there seem to be several different ways to draw suspicion this early in the game. [ul] [li]Slip of the tongue/fingers (a la **Colby** )[/li][li]Vigorous and mostly-unnecessary defense OR offense[/li][li]Posting too much[/li][li]Posting too little[/li][li]Just seeming “shifty”[/li][/ul] From what I’m gathering (and from the few games of Werewolf I’ve played IRL), Day One is basically firing shots in the dark and hoping to hit something Scummy. Do things get more targeted as the number of players dwindles? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/24 "2017-01-10T16:13:38Z")
I agree with players saying that login information is useless information for the game. A player can just quickly pop onto the Dope and not check the game. It hardly has to be their top priority and it doesn’t produce any data that’s useful. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/25 "2017-01-10T17:21:38Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I went crosseyed just reading Night Zero. > > So, an expert can correct me if I’m wrong, but there seem to be several different ways to draw suspicion this early in the game. > > [ul] > [li]Slip of the tongue/fingers (a la **Colby** )[/li][li]Vigorous and mostly-unnecessary defense OR offense[/li][li]Posting too much[/li][li]Posting too little[/li][li]Just seeming “shifty”[/li][/ul] > > From what I’m gathering (and from the few games of Werewolf I’ve played IRL), Day One is basically firing shots in the dark and hoping to hit something Scummy. Do things get more targeted as the number of players dwindles? It’s a game about tracking behavior. Early in the game town is always at a disadvantage and generating as much behavior data as possible is in their best interest. Day 1 is mostly shots in the dark and nonsense. Not that people can’t find legitimate tells, but that there is so much noise it’s hard to find the signal. As the game goes on it gets easier to sort. Late in the game town has usually overcome the information disad. Long games tend to favor town overall. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/26 "2017-01-10T17:32:40Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > It’s a game about tracking behavior. Early in the game town is always at a disadvantage and generating as much behavior data as possible is in their best interest. Day 1 is mostly shots in the dark and nonsense. Not that people can’t find legitimate tells, but that there is so much noise it’s hard to find the signal. As the game goes on it gets easier to sort. Late in the game town has usually overcome the information disad. Long games tend to favor town overall. Thank you! Like I said, I’ve played Werewolf, which has the advantage of being able to look other players in the eye while you’re accusing them. I’m so terrible at “strategery” that it’s actually hard to play against me because I’m so unpredictable, so maybe I’ll learn something. Also, _Rogue One_ is worth it, if only because you get to see things you haven’t seen since you were a kid. Also, if you’re a _Rebels_ fan, there are several sneaky shout-outs. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2017, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/27 "2017-01-10T18:10:56Z")
> [@Mafia Reunion - Day One](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-day-one/776577/327): > > I don’t really get the wagon on **septimus.** The timing and rationale for his leap off the **Colby** wagon are certainly weird…possibly even TSTBS? (Too Scummy To Be Scummy) Seems like a scum needing to get off his buddy’s wagon would be more likely to find another wagon and focus on the new candidate rather than simply unvoting. But more to the point, **septimus’** unvote is only scummy if he is **Colby’s** scum teammate…so why are people voting for him now, while \*\*Colby’s \*\* status is still unresolved? Now I find this one suspicious. If Septimus was scum (which I’m now doubting), he could be unvoting for any number of reasons. Thing Fish’s conclusions are way too simplistic and narrow-focused, and he’s trying to have it both ways: he doesn’t get the wagon, AND it’s so scummy it’s maybe TOO scummy, and Septimus’s vote doesn’t make sense, AND we should stay with it because Colby’s status is unresolved. That’s where my vote would go now. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/28 "2017-01-11T19:37:54Z")
My favorite post of the game so far. Old school players vs people who have been playing recently. Stuffs going to go down. > [@Mafia Reunion - Day One](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-day-one/776577/552): > > I’m ignoring the irrelevant things you say. I’m focusing on the problematic things. > > Let me put it like this: > > Welcome to Mafia. It’s a game about information. One side has information, and they’re the bad guys. The other side is seeking information, and they’re the good guys. Some information is given out at the start in terms of context. The good guys should try to make their decisions using as much of that context as possible. The bad guys can ignore the context and just play however they’d like because they’re not seeking information. > > I don’t know what it means that you’ve decided to use your magic faerie wand to say that Ulla’s not scum. Maybe you’re snuggling her because you know she’s a townie. Maybe she’s your scum buddy and you’re not picking up on her attempt to orchestrate a cat fight as a demonstration to the rest of us. Or maybe you’re both townies, and you just have a great nose for truth. I can’t figure it out with the information at hand, so it’s irrelevant to me. > > What I can figure out is that you apparently don’t want to bother reading the game set-up, and that is pretty damn scummy to me. You even recognize it’s scummy ,but you feel like acting scummy… gives you a pass because it’s too obvious? Well, it’s not too obvious for me. And I’ve played both scum and Town in this game before, and having votes being placed on me as scum is a lot more concerning. It’s the sort of thing that leads one to lash out, just like you’re doing. Why me instead of whomever else? Perhaps because you’re starting to see that the old “Obvious scum move is a great disguise for being scum” isn’t working out for you this time? I find that problematic. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/29 "2017-01-11T19:48:15Z")
for the people at home, helpful initials that get used. FOS - Finger of Shame (suspicion, too, but I like shame better) - What you point at someone you are supicious of but don’t want to vote for yet. OMGUS votes - OH MY GOD YOU SUCK!!! votes. A vote made in retaliation to someone voting for or finding you suspicious. More to come as I notice them. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/30 "2017-01-11T21:03:12Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > for the people at home, helpful initials that get used. > > FOS - Finger of Shame (suspicion, too, but I like shame better) - What you point at someone you are supicious of but don’t want to vote for yet. > > OMGUS votes - OH MY GOD YOU SUCK!!! votes. A vote made in retaliation to someone voting for or finding you suspicious. > > More to come as I notice them. WIFOM - wine in front of me ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2017, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/31 "2017-01-11T21:15:18Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > WIFOM - wine in front of me Good one. Doubly good since even translated its not immediately obvious what it means. It started off a a princess bride reference and sort of expanded to mean any decision where the outcome in uncertain. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/32 "2017-01-12T12:59:40Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > WIFOM - wine in front of me That was the one I hadn’t been able to figure out yet. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/33 "2017-01-12T14:01:21Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Good one. Doubly good since even translated its not immediately obvious what it means. > > It started off a a princess bride reference and sort of expanded to mean any decision where the outcome in uncertain. Kind of…I think maybe it’s closer to what I put below. > [@Draelin](#): > > That was the one I hadn’t been able to figure out yet. Thanks! Yeah, I should have included a clearer definition, but was struggling to describe it. To me, and I could be wrong, it is like this. Please tell me if my understanding is wrong. Wine In Front Of Me - A conversation/argument that is, in a way, not really worth it. Why? Because it goes round and round like the Wine In Front Of Me scene in Princess Bride. If I say, “scum wouldn’t do that”, someone can say, “Well, maybe because they wouldn’t do that, they _would_ do that.” Then, it can go back around and around about bluffs, double bluffs, and triple bluffs, etc. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/34 "2017-01-12T14:25:54Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Kind of…I think maybe it’s closer to what I put below. > > Yeah, I should have included a clearer definition, but was struggling to describe it. To me, and I could be wrong, it is like this. Please tell me if my understanding is wrong. > > Wine In Front Of Me - A conversation/argument that is, in a way, not really worth it. Why? Because it goes round and round like the Wine In Front Of Me scene in Princess Bride. If I say, “scum wouldn’t do that”, someone can say, “Well, maybe because they wouldn’t do that, they _would_ do that.” Then, it can go back around and around about bluffs, double bluffs, and triple bluffs, etc. Yeah, it’s hard to define. Because that’s not quite right either, but it is closer. It definitely means that it’s pointless to talk about though. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/35 "2017-01-12T15:01:20Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Yeah, it’s hard to define. Because that’s not quite right either, but it is closer. It definitely means that it’s pointless to talk about though. Is it not a circular, never-ending argument/conversation? I’m not sure I even know anymore. I just know that if it is fruitless, we throw WIFOM at it. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/36 "2017-01-12T16:05:49Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > . I just know that if it is fruitless, we throw WIFOM at it. That’s the one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/37 "2017-01-12T16:07:16Z")
NETA? I see this one all the time … what the hell?? From what I can gather it means that what they are saying doesn’t change the point or argument, but it needs to be said just the same. Or it could mean Never Eat Turkey Alone, either way, I need clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Astral\_Rejection](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/258eb7/32.png) [@Astral\_Rejection](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astral_Rejection)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/38 "2017-01-12T16:17:36Z")
> [@Dante\_G](#): > > NETA? This one means “Not Edited To Announce.” It’s an additional observation or point that relates to their previous post, but they forgot to add it in. ---
**Author:** ![Dante\_G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@Dante\_G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante_G)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/39 "2017-01-12T16:22:04Z")
Ah, thanks Astral! So I was kind of right. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2017, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439/40 "2017-01-12T16:26:31Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > This one means “Not Edited To Announce.” It’s an additional observation or point that relates to their previous post, but they forgot to add it in. I love it. I thought it was, Not Edited to Add. Still, the meaning is the same. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-reunion-observation-and-comments-ie-the-forbidden-thread/776439.md?page=3)