# Mafia Watch-Along Thread - NO SPOILERS! \[FORBIDDEN TO LIVE PLAYERS\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 17, 2015, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379 "2015-07-17T01:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**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:** [August 28, 2015, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/241 "2015-08-28T18:42:23Z")
Stick around. Or go let off some steam. I’ll be brushing up on my Arnold quotes, there’s sure to be a few achers. See you at the party! ---
**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:** [August 28, 2015, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/242 "2015-08-28T18:50:52Z")
There will be one Arnold character. John Matrix. The rest of the characters, both heroes and villains… well, you’ll just have to wait and see. Just remember this -\*\* it’s all in the reflexes\*\*.🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2015, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/243 "2015-08-30T12:08:49Z")
It’s been pretty slow the last few days. Few posts with little of substance… ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/244 "2015-08-31T14:56:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Biotop** : > > But it should not be. I am town and can read. So can others. I have not hesitated to post, that’s for sure. But I know nothing for certain any more than anybody else who is not wolf. In fact, the paradox of **Biotop** ’s situation is that he’s actually the most ignorant player in the game right now. Everyone else knows the alignment of at least two people, while he knows the alignment of only a single person. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/245 "2015-08-31T20:50:56Z")
Town has really turned this game around. It was an uphill battle, but they’ve clawed their way into a strong endgame. ---
**Author:** ![TexCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/texcat/32/9041_2.png) [@TexCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexCat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/246 "2015-08-31T20:59:47Z")
😛 It looks like they are doing better without all of the experienced players. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/247 "2015-08-31T21:00:34Z")
Did **Nonsuch** ever cast a vote? ---
**Author:** ![TexCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/texcat/32/9041_2.png) [@TexCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexCat)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/248 "2015-08-31T21:03:26Z")
Yep. He voted for Diggit. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18645456&postcount=1555](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18645456&postcount=1555) ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2015, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/249 "2015-08-31T21:05:37Z")
Oh yeah, missed that. Thank you. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/250 "2015-08-31T22:57:44Z")
Which, notably, was a significant vote, as **Biotop** (the tiebreaker) was on the other candidate. This does not, of course, mean that **Nonsuch** is a Townie: It’s possible that he was a wolf choosing between wolves, and it’s also possible that he’s a wolf choosing to kill another wolf for Town credibility. But for the moment, he can still take credit for it. ---
**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:** [August 31, 2015, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/251 "2015-08-31T23:48:56Z")
Well, nice to know death hasn’t robbed me of my capacity to be wrong. Now I have…I should say, now I _know_ that I have…no idea what is going on. Bio, Cygnus, and Prof P are Town by virtue of voting for Sario, sangfroid is Town because Sario voted for him, Chitwood and Nonsuch just seem really townie, and now Bravo and precambrian are Town by virtue of voting for Diggit. Clearly there is an error somewhere in my calculations! I guess I would probably go with Nonsuch or Chitwood for tomorrow’s lynch, but fortunately town will make their decision without my input! I wonder if they will finally get around to eating Biotop tonight. ---
**Author:** ![sachertorte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sachertorte/32/3727_2.png) [@sachertorte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sachertorte)\ **Post date:** [September 1, 2015, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/252 "2015-09-01T13:49:22Z")
> [@Astral\_Rejection](#): > > Town has really turned this game around. It was an uphill battle, but they’ve clawed their way into a strong endgame. I agree. They certainly are discussing the right things and using both ‘scummy play’ and ‘townie play’ as criteria for finding good lynch candidates. It’s a shame that DiggitCamara posted so little. I would hate for a game to hinge on do we lynch or do we not lynch based on little to no information. But by process of elimination as well as other good thinking, they came to the right choice. Yay. > [@TexCat](#): > > 😛 It looks like they are doing better without all of the experienced players. To be fair, it should be expected for better lynches to occur later in the game as more information is revealed. Town has 3 successful lynches. One by Seer investigation. Two heavily influenced by ‘lynch the lurker.’ > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Well, nice to know death hasn’t robbed me of my capacity to be wrong. Now I have…I should say, now I _know_ that I have…no idea what is going on. Bio, Cygnus, and Prof P are Town by virtue of voting for Sario, sangfroid is Town because Sario voted for him, Chitwood and Nonsuch just seem really townie, and now Bravo and precambrian are Town by virtue of voting for Diggit. Clearly there is an error somewhere in my calculations! I guess I would probably go with Nonsuch or Chitwood for tomorrow’s lynch, but fortunately town will make their decision without my input! I wonder if they will finally get around to eating Biotop tonight. And now you see the difference between what scum do and what Town _thinks_ scum will do. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/253 "2015-09-01T14:48:36Z")
Usually, scum follows the most obvious course of action at any given moment. It’s town that tends to twist itself in knots trying to account for the “unexplainable” events of night kills and end-of-day voting. You’ll never go wrong assuming scum nightkilled someone because they thought that person was A) close to catching scum, or B) a potential power role. It’s a rare day in Mafia that scum were actually trying to manipulate town’s next lynch, because scum can rest easy knowing town will do that to themselves. Having said all of that, you guys should clearly **vote Astral** , because I still think “explaining the scum course of action” is a scum tell. 😃 ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/254 "2015-09-01T14:51:12Z")
I meant to add, in response to anyone giving extra leeway to players who voted for a wolf lynch: In every game I’ve read, one of the first comments in the hidden wolf thread or forum is “bus each other HARD if it looks like one of us is going down.” It’s a data point that somebody voted to lynch a wolf, and nothing more. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/255 "2015-09-01T19:14:51Z")
Interesting. Do you think that it is common for wolves to\* pick \*fights with each other, or only to join on bandwagons if a fellow wolf is drawing heat? If the latter, it would suggest that the _earliest_ proponents of lynching a wolf might be more likely Town than those casting the “critical” votes. And WRT to this particular game: late in Day One, Cygnus and Chitwood both made dramatic last-minute vote switches from one Townie to another. Obviously there is no clear scum motivation to do this, but do you think it is the sort of thing scum might do to create confusion, or would they be more likely to not want to draw such attention to themselves? ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/256 "2015-09-01T20:21:35Z")
I think scum will pick fights with each other over inconsequential things, yeah. I’ve seen a game where a scum told his partner that he would introduce a critical flaw into his reasoning, and the other wolf should jump on it. That’s exceedingly rare, though. The general way to play scum is to pretend you aren’t scum, and act as if you’re town. This includes building normal cases on your scum teammates. This is tough to do, and the entire game of mafia is built on that foundation! I think wolf-on-wolf cases are more common in the first few days. As the bodies start piling up, I think wolves are far less inclined to push for each others’ deaths, but will happily join a wolf lynch after it has developed some steam. One wolf trait I’ve noticed: as town starts to second-guess itself near end-of-day, wolves tend to be more reluctant to switch their vote. This, unintuitively, especially includes lynches where the current leader is a wolf. Town causes far more end-of-day vote shenanigans than wolves, because the wolves don’t want to stand out. It’s an example of PIS, or perfect information syndrome. The wolves know town has a wolfie dead to rights, and they can’t put themselves in the wild, paranoia-filled mindset of a townie who isn’t sure of themselves. If you’ve got a contentious vote with lots of unvotes, and that person ends up wolf, take a hard look at the people who didn’t switch but acted less than confident of their votes when they first placed them… they could be scum who decided to bus for that sweet, sweet town cred. ---
**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:** [September 1, 2015, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/257 "2015-09-01T22:23:43Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > Interesting. Do you think that it is common for wolves to\* pick \*fights with each other, or only to join on bandwagons if a fellow wolf is drawing heat? If the latter, it would suggest that the _earliest_ proponents of lynching a wolf might be more likely Town than those casting the “critical” votes. I think scum mainly ignore each other in the game. I mean, they respond some to each other, but they pay little attention. I try to forget who my scum partners are when I post during the game. I never really forget, but I find I can almost convince myself I don’t know who it is. ---
**Author:** ![DiggitCamara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@DiggitCamara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiggitCamara)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/258 "2015-09-02T00:19:10Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I think scum mainly ignore each other in the game. I mean, they respond some to each other, but they pay little attention. I try to forget who my scum partners are when I post during the game. I never really forget, but I find I can almost convince myself I don’t know who it is. This was my first game as scum, so I’ll have to update my behavioral patterns. But yeah, I believe myself that the best way to play this game is to behave as normal townies would at all times. However, my lack of participation is usually my downfall, be it townie or scum. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/259 "2015-09-02T04:10:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Astral** : > > You’ll never go wrong assuming scum nightkilled someone because they thought that person was A) close to catching scum, or B) a potential power role. This would suggest that that **Thing Fish** was closer to the mark than anyone else in Town, because he was definitely _not_ a power role. And I try to play the same no matter my alignment, except that I do make a little effort to specifically attack other Scum. For whatever reason, my vote analysis program _always_ seems to think I’m above-average in scumminess, and I try to counteract that a little. ---
**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:** [September 2, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379/260 "2015-09-02T18:32:13Z")
Welcome Biotop! You played a hell of a first game of mafia. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-watch-along-thread-no-spoilers-forbidden-to-live-players/725379.md?page=14)