# Mystery Mafia -- Game Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 17, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025 "2011-08-17T14:03:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 179
**Author:** ![lilflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@lilflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilflower)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3562 "2011-08-27T17:47:13Z")
I saw one post (too lazy to find it now) about how on the POG board, giving reasons for votes is scummy. That’s crazy! Is that a strategy discussion? I don’t think so but I guess that’s up to Gad. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3563 "2011-08-27T17:52:58Z")
> [@](#): > > And differences in game mechanics from other boards Other board experiences: Well, I haven’t played in a game with a single family that had nine folks in it before. On my boards that just doesn’t happen. When the family gets above 4, we usually just have separate individual families. You would THINK that a family size of 6 or more, would give the scums enormous influence over the lynch, leading people like me to wonder how it even happens that you’d get a scum lynched. Unless you had a trustworthy detective result it feels near impossible. Random lynches would always get influenced by the scum voters, so whoever isn’t guilty among the lynchees would likely end up getting pushed, and since they’d have so many votes among them, the lynch alone wouldn’t or shouldn’t be very effective. I have seen and even played in games where all sorts of random roles were distributed. Usually the scums get the very nice roles, like true cops and sane doctors and roleblockers; the powerful stuff, in addition to things like double voting, or immunities. Townies usually get a collection of good roles and garbage roles (for balance) and sometimes anti-town/bastard roles like the naive cop, or the hated villager. On my boards, if a roleblocker targets a scumbag that targets them for murder, the block is ineffective. In other words, a roleblocker cannot self-protect due to blocking a scum. Just our custom. On my boards, a doctor can’t self-protect ever. Detective roles are more rare, and they don’t always give you useful or complete information, but they don’t usually show up in the naive, paranoid, insane forms either. Lover roles on my board are like their own mafia family, they are trying to be the last two standing regardless of their stated or scanned alignment (town and mafia lover aren’t opposed to each other) and are therefore always anti-town, though I have seen the instant-death of the lover variety. On my boards the days are 24-48 hours long at the most. I am NOT used to having this much time to discuss, but I really like it. It does tend to make my strategizing more frantic and rushed, which could explain why I’m more eager to switch my vote than most folks here. I am also more impatient in general just because whatever happens, usually needs to happen within a 6-10 hour window while I’m at the computer. Different cultures for sure. I’m far out of my element here, and so far, it’s been really eye-opening. Also, voting without any or much reasoning is considered standard practice; you don’t always have much to make cases on, and the best way to generate reasons to vote someone is to observe who people are willing to lynch. We have to create our own opportunities, in that way. We can’t wait for the pro-town roles to save us with investigation results or to say they blocked a scum. And they’re lies at least half the time, so I don’t trust them. I was surprised to see the differences, because there are many many between boards. It’s like a whole different game. Giving reasons for votes isn’t scummy on my boards, but the reasons themselves could sound scummy or not. And generally, no-reason votes don’t happen later on in the game because you base it on who died, who got murdered, who voted who, and specific posts which are scummy. Of course some players still don’t give reasons, because they’re who they are. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3564 "2011-08-27T17:53:07Z")
We’re allowed to talk about ‘cultural differences’ between the two (or more) boards, but not about how those directly relate to \*this \*game. I thought End of Day was at noon my time, so I missed it. As always, it was a pleasant surprise to see I was right 🙂 I hope all of you East-Coasters can hunker down and ride things out this weekend without too much drama. ---
**Author:** ![pwnsall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7feea3/32.png) [@pwnsall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pwnsall)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3565 "2011-08-27T18:09:55Z")
> [@lilflower](#): > > I saw one post (too lazy to find it now) about how on the POG board, giving reasons for votes is scummy. That’s crazy! > > Is that a strategy discussion? I don’t think so but I guess that’s up to Gad. hmmm, that’s not exactly what i said making up reasons is scummy ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3566 "2011-08-27T18:33:30Z")
Wooohooo! And forgive me if this breaks the “No strategy at Night” rule, but it’s like so like beating my head against the wall, that I have to reply: > [@Silver\_Jan](#): > > @\*\* Idle\*\*, I know I got no apparent result but neither did you, I really don’t understand why you think I am a roleblocker? :rolleyes: What part of this are you not reading? I DID GET A RESULT: **I WAS BLOCKED!** I’ve said that twice now. I was blocked. I was specifically told I was BLOCKED from performing my Night action. So…hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…let’s see. It was probably due to someone who targeted me. Hmmmmmm…who said they targeted me that Night. OH…YOU did, that’s right. You targeted me Night 2 and I was blocked on Night 2: Therefore: Why in heck’s name is it so hard for you to think you might be a roleblocker? Seriously: 2+2=4! It’s basic logic skills here, Jan. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3567 "2011-08-27T18:51:22Z")
Woo hoo! And how funny is it to think about what must have been going through **sangaman** ’s head after he posted that and someone pointed it out? “Um, no, see, the thing about that is… (runs away)” ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Jan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Silver\_Jan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Jan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3568 "2011-08-27T18:51:27Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > Other board experiences: > > Well, I haven’t played in a game with a single family that had nine folks in it before. On my boards that just doesn’t happen. > > When the family gets above 4, we usually just have separate individual families. You would THINK that a family size of 6 or more, would give the scums enormous influence over the lynch, leading people like me to wonder how it even happens that you’d get a scum lynched. Unless you had a trustworthy detective result it feels near impossible. Random lynches would always get influenced by the scum voters, so whoever isn’t guilty among the lynchees would likely end up getting pushed, and since they’d have so many votes among them, the lynch alone wouldn’t or shouldn’t be very effective. > > I have seen and even played in games where all sorts of random roles were distributed. Usually the scums get the very nice roles, like true cops and sane doctors and roleblockers; the powerful stuff, in addition to things like double voting, or immunities. Townies usually get a collection of good roles and garbage roles (for balance) and sometimes anti-town/bastard roles like the naive cop, or the hated villager. > > On my boards, if a roleblocker targets a scumbag that targets them for murder, the block is ineffective. In other words, a roleblocker cannot self-protect due to blocking a scum. Just our custom. On my boards, a doctor can’t self-protect ever. Detective roles are more rare, and they don’t always give you useful or complete information, but they don’t usually show up in the naive, paranoid, insane forms either. Lover roles on my board are like their own mafia family, they are trying to be the last two standing regardless of their stated or scanned alignment (town and mafia lover aren’t opposed to each other) and are therefore always anti-town, though I have seen the instant-death of the lover variety. > > On my boards the days are 24-48 hours long at the most. I am NOT used to having this much time to discuss, but I really like it. It does tend to make my strategizing more frantic and rushed, which could explain why I’m more eager to switch my vote than most folks here. I am also more impatient in general just because whatever happens, usually needs to happen within a 6-10 hour window while I’m at the computer. > > Different cultures for sure. I’m far out of my element here, and so far, it’s been really eye-opening. Also, voting without any or much reasoning is considered standard practice; you don’t always have much to make cases on, and the best way to generate reasons to vote someone is to observe who people are willing to lynch. > > We have to create our own opportunities, in that way. We can’t wait for the pro-town roles to save us with investigation results or to say they blocked a scum. And they’re lies at least half the time, so I don’t trust them. I was surprised to see the differences, because there are many many between boards. > > It’s like a whole different game. > Giving reasons for votes isn’t scummy on my boards, but the reasons themselves could sound scummy or not. And generally, no-reason votes don’t happen later on in the game because you base it on who died, who got murdered, who voted who, and specific posts which are scummy. Of course some players still don’t give reasons, because they’re who they are. I have just had 3 days of partying lol Yay ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Jan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Silver\_Jan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Jan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3569 "2011-08-27T18:53:07Z")
I am so unsure now, how can he be a doc and a wolf? ---
**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:** [August 27, 2011, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3570 "2011-08-27T18:55:39Z")
Hey guys. Woohoo on the lynch. We are locking ourselves in for the Hurricane for the next 48 hours or so, so I probably won’t be around much at the start of the Day. I am far enough inland and at a high enough elevation that nothing other than falling trees and flooding is really a concern. Good luck to anyone else who lives in the NE near the coast. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Jan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Silver\_Jan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Jan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3571 "2011-08-27T19:02:28Z")
> [@Askthepizzaguy](#): > > Other board experiences: > > Well, I haven’t played in a game with a single family that had nine folks in it before. On my boards that just doesn’t happen. > > When the family gets above 4, we usually just have separate individual families. You would THINK that a family size of 6 or more, would give the scums enormous influence over the lynch, leading people like me to wonder how it even happens that you’d get a scum lynched. Unless you had a trustworthy detective result it feels near impossible. Random lynches would always get influenced by the scum voters, so whoever isn’t guilty among the lynchees would likely end up getting pushed, and since they’d have so many votes among them, the lynch alone wouldn’t or shouldn’t be very effective. > > I have seen and even played in games where all sorts of random roles were distributed. Usually the scums get the very nice roles, like true cops and sane doctors and roleblockers; the powerful stuff, in addition to things like double voting, or immunities. Townies usually get a collection of good roles and garbage roles (for balance) and sometimes anti-town/bastard roles like the naive cop, or the hated villager. > > On my boards, if a roleblocker targets a scumbag that targets them for murder, the block is ineffective. In other words, a roleblocker cannot self-protect due to blocking a scum. Just our custom. On my boards, a doctor can’t self-protect ever. Detective roles are more rare, and they don’t always give you useful or complete information, but they don’t usually show up in the naive, paranoid, insane forms either. Lover roles on my board are like their own mafia family, they are trying to be the last two standing regardless of their stated or scanned alignment (town and mafia lover aren’t opposed to each other) and are therefore always anti-town, though I have seen the instant-death of the lover variety. > > On my boards the days are 24-48 hours long at the most. I am NOT used to having this much time to discuss, but I really like it. It does tend to make my strategizing more frantic and rushed, which could explain why I’m more eager to switch my vote than most folks here. I am also more impatient in general just because whatever happens, usually needs to happen within a 6-10 hour window while I’m at the computer. > > Different cultures for sure. I’m far out of my element here, and so far, it’s been really eye-opening. Also, voting without any or much reasoning is considered standard practice; you don’t always have much to make cases on, and the best way to generate reasons to vote someone is to observe who people are willing to lynch. > > We have to create our own opportunities, in that way. We can’t wait for the pro-town roles to save us with investigation results or to say they blocked a scum. And they’re lies at least half the time, so I don’t trust them. I was surprised to see the differences, because there are many many between boards. > > It’s like a whole different game. > Giving reasons for votes isn’t scummy on my boards, but the reasons themselves could sound scummy or not. And generally, no-reason votes don’t happen later on in the game because you base it on who died, who got murdered, who voted who, and specific posts which are scummy. Of course some players still don’t give reasons, because they’re who they are. I am so a newbie in any board, we started playing in Facebook and that was fun, I look like scum anyway but I am learning to play, give me a 100 games or more. ---
**Author:** ![lilflower](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecccb3/32.png) [@lilflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilflower)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3572 "2011-08-27T19:11:28Z")
> [@pwnsall](#): > > hmmm, that’s not exactly what i said > > making up reasons is scummy I didn’t mean to misrepresent what you said. That’s just the way I read it. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Jan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Silver\_Jan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Jan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3573 "2011-08-27T19:31:09Z")
[quote=“lilflower, post:3572, topic:593025”] I didn’t mean to misrepresent what you said. That’s just the wa ---
**Author:** ![LightFoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LightFoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LightFoot)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3574 "2011-08-27T19:38:27Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > Woo hoo! And how funny is it to think about what must have been going through **sangaman** ’s head after he posted that and someone pointed it out? “Um, no, see, the thing about that is… (runs away)” Spoilers should be quite entertaining ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Jan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90ced4/32.png) [@Silver\_Jan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Jan)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3575 "2011-08-27T19:39:02Z")
ok I haven’t to foggiest ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3576 "2011-08-27T19:55:42Z")
> [@LightFoot](#): > > Spoilers should be quite entertaining They are. Gadarene has made a ridiculously awesome game. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3577 "2011-08-27T20:03:57Z")
> [@Silver\_Jan](#): > > I am so unsure now, how can he be a doc and a wolf? Easy. He’s a Doc, and he’s a Wolf. He can protect his fellow Wolves from Vigilante types, or he can protect Villagers (again, from Vigilante types) to look more Townie. He could even protect a Villager from the Nightly Wolf kill to look \*really \*Townie, because “Scum wouldn’t do that” [sup]TM[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3578 "2011-08-27T20:05:37Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > They are. Do tell… No, really, tell. It’s OK, it’s Night here, so everyone’s asleep. Just keep your voice low and nobody else will know, I promise. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3579 "2011-08-27T20:15:49Z")
Gadarene will know. Gadarene always knows. ---
**Author:** ![J.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ea666f/32.png) [@J.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J.D)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2011, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3580 "2011-08-27T23:09:31Z")
its interesting learning about how people play in other areas. to address one of thepizzaguys points, in our “vanilla” games, (villagers with no powers, wolves with only a team NK, and a seer or two who gets a role reveal each night) the lynch, and who votes whom plays a pretty big part in determining who the wolves are. The wolves are also outnumbered 3-1 or so, so them driving a wagon completely on their own is rare. Its also why we place a big emphasis on voting a main wagon. I have to say I like the tone of this board, most people seem very friendly. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025/3581 "2011-08-28T01:40:38Z")
Nobody dids a tally for me. ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025.md?page=178) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mystery-mafia-game-thread/593025.md?page=180)