# MAFIA: The Game - Ideal for Beginners \[Game in Progress\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099 "2015-07-14T00:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/181 "2015-07-20T01:51:25Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Oh, I very much hope they do! Scum trying to coordinate is a gift. The key to mafia is detecting insincerity and lack of a genuine desire to hunt scum. Scum have extra info, but the paradox is that the more they use it, the likelier it is for us to catch it. Right. That’s why I want to wait until day for substance. When and if they try to coordinate later, after so long being unable to coordinate at all, insincerity and evil alliance could surface. Wish we could have had storms today to drop the temperature. Tomorrow will be hotter still, they say. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/182 "2015-07-20T02:01:06Z")
Ninety-three degrees here in Portland. It was even hotter yesterday. Damned unnatural, you ask me. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/183 "2015-07-20T02:24:07Z")
> [@Plumpudding](#): > > I agree with **Biotop**. Seems unlikely scum would try to force a tie. Remember, they need less information than we do and keeping thir information to themselves is just as important as getting more information about us. I wasn’t suggesting that scum might try to engineer a tie in order to get information. Rather, say that a scum is about to get lynched. The other scum could then pile onto the next closest candidate to create a tie, hoping to get their comrade off the hook. Ordinarily, last minute vote changes which affect the vote outcome and which aren’t well justified pretty much scream “scum”. But in this game, the scum could plausibly argue that they didn’t have a strong feeling about either candidate and felt it was best to force an outcome that would generate information for town. In other words, we have a situation in which behavior that is usually scummy could plausibly have a pro-town motivation. This creates an opportunity for scum to get away with stuff that would be very risky in a regular game. So I think we need to figure out how to handle this situation before it comes up. Maybe we just play Mafia as usual and view last minute vote changes with great suspicion. OTOH, this does deprive town of a potentially valuable tool, so it would be great if someone could come up with a better idea. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/184 "2015-07-20T02:32:21Z")
How about those Dodgers. Zack Grienke is a fine pitcher. Could be that a different hurler in LA gets the Cy Young this year. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/185 "2015-07-20T02:34:23Z")
What’s it, 43 innings scoreless now? ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/186 "2015-07-20T04:45:35Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Oh, I very much hope they do! Scum trying to coordinate is a gift. The key to mafia is detecting insincerity and lack of a genuine desire to hunt scum. Scum have extra info, but the paradox is that the more they use it, the likelier it is for us to catch it. Absolutely. My mantra is always: look for those who have perfect information beforehand (usually in terms of Townie innocence) and lynch them. If they actually accumulate information, it should be even more obvious who knows more than (s)he should. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/187 "2015-07-20T09:58:08Z")
How hot is it where I live? We have lots of 100º+ days. Thermometer got up to 108º a few days in April, but it’s cooler now and some days the high is as low as 97º ! This is normally the rainy season which would help us feel cooler, … but unfortunately we’re in the middle of a record-breaking drought. ☹ But frankly I barely know how hot it is outside! :smack: For health necessity I spend most of my time in an air-conditioned room. Here I am, an aging computer hacker pounding the buttons on an aging laptop… ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/188 "2015-07-20T10:15:58Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > Huh. I never knew that! Not that I ever gave much though to who had posted in a thread before. But I did have the same thought that **Plumpudding** had (I presume): the players who have not been talking much about the game here might be absent because they are too busy talking about it over on the Scum forum. > > Or, they might just be having fun outdoors over the weekend, so who knows? Nope, my reason for sharing those stats was to get it going for later in the game, where those stats may become a talking point. Right now they’re irrelevant, since we haven’t really started. Lurking may become a talking point, but I can’t fault people for not participating before **day one**! It’s still easier to have those stats in the thread for everyone to see, and to begin early, so we don’t get bogged down in posts. Anyway, sorry for being a way for a bit. I will have to read up on what you guys have been talking about later. I have an appointment to get a new passport in an hour. I will stop editing, and do the quoting **Sario** suggested. Personally I find it messy and annoying, but not editing is much more important than my OCD. See you guys later! ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/189 "2015-07-20T12:16:32Z")
> [@TexCat](#): > > Plumpudding, There is an easy way to get the participation numbers. In the Thread Games forum, click on the number under the Replies column. It should bring up another window with who has replied and how many times. Thanks! Didn’t know that! The only problem using that tool is it counts the posts posted before the game started… And I like going over posts manually so I get some sense of the content and length. ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/190 "2015-07-20T12:36:18Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > Right. Again I am new at this …but if we plan for five days while the wolves can’t do anything without us seeing, that is surely an advantage for us. Sure they then have two days to formulate a response after a game day, but they have to deal with FIVE full real days of postings. That’s a lot to cover and something might be missed in their response. > > Or perhaps a coordinated wolf response might force someone to change their tune, which the town could notice and question. Right now they can plot together an immediate response to whst we post. > > So right now I am content to just talk about the weather until the daytime. Sure is hot, isn’t it? I do not see this as a problem at all. Scum will inevitably get to know what we plan anyway, and the more machinations from their side, the more slips to catch when they’re feeling safe. To be honest, the more we talk and force _them_ to talk, the better for us. Right now I don’t think they have much to talk about anyway. Hot? It’s summertime, baby. > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > I wasn’t suggesting that scum might try to engineer a tie in order to get information. Rather, say that a scum is about to get lynched. The other scum could then pile onto the next closest candidate to create a tie, hoping to get their comrade off the hook. Ordinarily, last minute vote changes which affect the vote outcome and which aren’t well justified pretty much scream “scum”. But in this game, the scum could plausibly argue that they didn’t have a strong feeling about either candidate and felt it was best to force an outcome that would generate information for town. > > In other words, we have a situation in which behavior that is usually scummy could plausibly have a pro-town motivation. This creates an opportunity for scum to get away with stuff that would be very risky in a regular game. So I think we need to figure out how to handle this situation before it comes up. Maybe we just play Mafia as usual and view last minute vote changes with great suspicion. OTOH, this does deprive town of a potentially valuable tool, so it would be great if someone could come up with a better idea. I wasn’t suggesting that either. I was trying to say that _if_ scum would try to last minute vote, _we_ get information, and a lot at that. That information is worth a lot more that our first mason. Anyone changing their vote last minute, **without** a proper reason is painting a red target on their ass. This creates a lot of opportunities to catch scummy behaviour, and if anyone slips I’ll be on their ass like a mudslide. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/191 "2015-07-20T13:37:39Z")
If the Scum vote last-minute to try to save a comrade, that comrade is still going to be under suspicion, and is likely to be lynched the next Day or two anyway. And even if the last-minute voting doesn’t look suspicious at the time, it sure will in retrospect, once we see the alignment of the person they were saving. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2015, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/192 "2015-07-20T14:10:49Z")
Wow! I am loving the fact that you guys are super dedicated and serious about your mafia games. My name has been mentioned once or twice already and the game hasn’t even technically started yet. This is gonna be awesome and I can’t wait for my turn to host a game next time. ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/193 "2015-07-20T14:27:49Z")
> [@Dante\_G](#): > > Wow! I am loving the fact that you guys are super dedicated and serious about your mafia games. My name has been mentioned once or twice already and the game hasn’t even technically started yet. > > This is gonna be awesome and I can’t wait for my turn to host a game next time. Hi! I’m wondering, do you have any comments on the discussion so far? ---
**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:** [July 20, 2015, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/194 "2015-07-20T14:35:09Z")
As of this moment, I don’t really. I’m sure you are looking for me to answer just so you can see what kind of player I am and get an early feel for me, but rest assured, I am not trying to tip my hand in favor of any side just yet. I shall wait until the true Day 1 phase starts to start playing strategy. ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/195 "2015-07-20T14:36:23Z")
Alright, fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/196 "2015-07-20T14:41:45Z")
I’ll go ahead and tip my hand even in these earliest of days - I would like the Town to win. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2015, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/197 "2015-07-20T14:46:10Z")
Total Scum move, Jimmy. LOL ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/198 "2015-07-20T15:04:39Z")
> [@Plumpudding](#): > > Nope, my reason for sharing those stats was to get it going for later in the game, where those stats may become a talking point. Right now they’re irrelevant, since we haven’t really started. Lurking may become a talking point, but I can’t fault people for not participating before **day one**! It’s still easier to have those stats in the thread for everyone to see, and to begin early, so we don’t get bogged down in posts. Yeah, I wasn’t advocating taking any action on those numbers. I realize it’s very early in the game. Like I said in my post, it may be that people were just out enjoying the weekend. I was just discussing it as a general strategy. And, as **Chronos** said, early in the game it’s not uncommon to target lurkers if you have no other basis for targeting anyone. (I’ll take his word for it since I have never played before.) In any case, like the tiebreaker discussion, it’s all speculation until Day One starts for real. ---
**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:** [July 20, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/199 "2015-07-20T15:12:02Z")
Are we set? I say start soon no matter what. We can move on with one unconfirmed(sub later if they never show up?). ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/200 "2015-07-20T15:17:28Z")
It is always darkest before the dawn. However, I have a feeling that the somewhat brighter sky to the east means day will be here soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099.md?page=11)