# Random Mafia **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 18, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942 "2010-03-18T21:47:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/161 "2010-03-20T00:40:00Z")
OK, I guess we did decide to do the mass name-claim, then. I would have liked a little more discussion first before starting it, to make sure we’re not doing something stupid, but then, I’m always reluctant to do things that can’t be undone. Now that we’ve started, though, there’s no sense holding back: I’m Jesse Jackson (Reverend). ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/162 "2010-03-20T00:41:37Z")
OK, I guess we are claiming. Are we using any order at all? I’ll just go, then. > [@](#): > > You are Samuel Johnson (Critic). You win with the Town. > [Samuel Johnson - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Johnson) I guess “dictionary writer” or “boring dude” was too long for the description. 🙂 ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/163 "2010-03-20T00:44:16Z")
lexicographer is same length as choreographer, though. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/164 "2010-03-20T00:44:50Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > All righty then: i like elizabeth berkley better. > **[Redirect Notice](https://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http:%2F%2Fstarz.ru%2Fcelebrities%2FElizabeth_Berkley.jpg&imgrefurl=http:%2F%2Fstarz.ru%2Fcelebrities%2FElizabeth_Berkley.htm&usg=__lFG6h63JCDS2S_MTSx44KpubiT4=&h=600&w=505&sz=91&hl=en&start=1&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=ZfpEdsbmV4yx5M:&tbnh=135&tbnw=114&prev=%2Fimages%3Fq%3Dchristie%2Bberkley%2Bnude%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rlz%3D1T4ADFA_enUS360US360%26tbs%3Disch:1)** ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/165 "2010-03-20T01:53:47Z")
Hey everyone! It’s me, the **Town Mayor**. I’m gonna keep taxes low, the roads fixed, terrorists at bay and _ **THWAKK!** _ … Hmm, I appear to be dead. That kinda sucks. Oh well, I guess I’ll hang around to do post counts and maybe answer questions if needed until this all gets resolved. Good luck, everyone! ---
**Author:** ![Drain\_Bead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47774/32.png) [@Drain\_Bead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drain_Bead)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/166 "2010-03-20T02:07:15Z")
Here’s mine: > [@](#): > > You are Eva Peron (Spiritual Leader of the Nation of Argentina). You win with the Town. > [Eva Perón - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eva_Peron) I prefer Evita, though. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/167 "2010-03-20T02:43:16Z")
> [@ShadowFacts](#): > > Hey everyone! It’s me, the **Town Mayor**. I’m gonna keep taxes low, the roads fixed, terrorists at bay and _ **THWAKK!** _ > > … > > Hmm, I appear to be dead. That kinda sucks. Oh well, I guess I’ll hang around to do post counts **and maybe answer questions if needed** until this all gets resolved. Good luck, everyone! Bold mine. \*\* Can Shadow answer questions?\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/168 "2010-03-20T02:51:43Z")
I would have liked to have waited until at least one night had passed. I don’t know what information it would have brought. But, I still have a sizeable stack. Not gonna go all in on this argument. Gonna “fold” my stance against it. \*\* You are Joan Miró (Aritst). You win with the Town.\*\* 1. Since when does Name Claim bring with it alignment ? 2. Should we look at the later claimers since we didn’t order the claims? **OR** the first few claimers? WIFOM. – That is, I can’t tell what Scum are doing here. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/169 "2010-03-20T02:57:34Z")
On retrospect, I would look closer at the earlier claimers. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/170 "2010-03-20T03:23:52Z")
At this point, I don’t think we can read too much into the order of claims at all. First of all, the Scum haven’t had a chance to talk amongst themselves about any strategy they might have for gaming the claims. Second, they’ve been coming quick enough that it looks like each person claimed as soon as they saw the thread and that name claims were occurring (thought this wouldn’t apply to the first one or perhaps two). Third, the primary way that Scum would attempt to game a mass-claim would be to try to be the last to claim, so they know what everyone else has claimed and won’t accidentally claim the same as anyone else, but when the name-space appears to be “anyone with a Wikipedia page”, the chances of that happening are negligible, so I don’t know of any particular advantage they’d have in going at a particular time. There is, I suppose, an argument to be made that Scum might want to be the first to claim, or the last to claim, or in the middle, or whatever, to give themselves cover. The difficulty there, though, is that you can make the case for any claim order at all, so it doesn’t give us any information. And even if a Scum did decide that it was best to claim first, say, e wouldn’t be able to put that into practice unless e happened to see the thread when the claims were just starting. Most aspects of post timing in this game are due to individuals’ schedules, not actually anything game-related. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/171 "2010-03-20T03:41:51Z")
Chronos, you offer good points. You are basically saying that claim order is a null tell. Correct? You are basically stating that the “no particular order” (instead of a _random order_) actually benefits Town. Correct? But, I think this road leads to the hot button issue of late “Scum would never do that”. Scum might not have been able to communicate yet, but they do know their brethren. If one of them have already claimed, it is possible that the rest fell in line, on some incredibly good guess or reading between the lines or other such coincidence. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Since **special ed** claimed, I’ll help him get the ball rolling. Last time Freudian this, it was followed by listing the members, of (her?) non-VT cohort. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/172 "2010-03-20T03:56:01Z")
I never claimed in the last game. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/173 "2010-03-20T04:05:56Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I never claimed in the last game. I’m not so sure I follow you. Why are you saying this? We both know that you were a mason. IIRC, You did have a death reveal, and Drain also stated there were no other masons after your death. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/174 "2010-03-20T04:14:26Z")
yeh, i claimed early because i am scum (not) and chose the wicked witch of the west. that sure instills a lot of town confidence i am sure. so yep claim order and a buck gets you coffee at mickey d’s. and crud **z** are you really that obtuse? two guys are in an eleveator. one guy turns to the other and says: “ok, who farted?” get it. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/175 "2010-03-20T04:24:19Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > I’m not so sure I follow you. Why are you saying this? > > We both know that you were a mason. IIRC, You did have a death reveal, and Drain also stated there were no other masons after your death. I know I was a mason, but you said “last time I did this.” And I never made a role claim, that’s all. ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/176 "2010-03-20T04:39:28Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I know I was a mason, but you said “last time I did this.” And I never made a role claim, that’s all. And, I’m saying that your “never made a role claim” statement is completely irrelevant to anything else. ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/177 "2010-03-20T04:57:16Z")
> [@](#): > > Chronos, you offer good points. You are basically saying that claim order is a null tell. Correct? > > You are basically stating that the “no particular order” (instead of a random order) actually benefits Town. Correct? I’m saying it’s a null tell, and therefore neither benefits nor hurts Town. Given my druthers, I’d have preferred a set order, just to be absolutely certain Scum weren’t gaming it, but on the other hand, that would have taken more time (both to set up the order in a way that would make clear that the Scum weren’t gaming it, and to wait for the claims to come in as folks’ schedules would allow). And I have no idea what you’re trying to get at with **Freudian**. You said “last time she did this”: What’s this “this” that she supposedly did? ---
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/178 "2010-03-20T05:17:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And I have no idea what you’re trying to get at with **Freudian**. You said “last time she did this”: What’s this “this” that she supposedly did? > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Since **special ed** claimed, I’ll help him get the ball rolling. > [@Meeko](#): > > Last time Freudian \<\\> this, it was followed by listing the members, of (her?) non-VT cohort. Early on in Pond. Freudian was all “Wink wink nudge nudge, I like what Drain and Meeko are saying here, wink wink nudge nudge.” ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2010, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/179 "2010-03-20T05:47:23Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Well, fuck. That’s what I get for posting distracted. > > One more time. > > My role: > > Also, the 60 second buffer blows. Joseph is spelled wrong in both your attempts to claim **vote NAF1138** I assume it’s spelled wrong because you typed instead of quoting your pm. I am > [@](#): > > Role: Random Mafia > You are Fu Mingxia (Olympic Gold Medalist). You win with the Town. > [Fu Mingxia - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Mingxia) ---
**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:** [March 20, 2010, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942/180 "2010-03-20T06:39:58Z")
Quoth **Meeko** : > [@](#): > > Early on in Pond. Freudian was all “Wink wink nudge nudge, I like what Drain and Meeko are saying here, wink wink nudge nudge.” Because clearly, it’s impossible that anyone would ever agree with anything anyone else ever said without having some special knowledge. I think one thing you need to learn in these games, **Meeko** , is to be able to look at the game from a generic point of view. From your knowledge that the three of you were all Masons, that might have stood out, but from anyone else’s point of view, it was completely unremarkable. Heck, I didn’t even notice it, and I did know who you all were. Moving on, quoth **Wanderers** : > [@](#): > > Joseph is spelled wrong in both your attempts to claim > > vote NAF1138 > > I assume it’s spelled wrong because you typed instead of quoting your pm. Clearly, somebody made a typo, here. But why assume it was NAF? It seems just as likely to me that it was sachertorte when he wrote the PM in the first place. And the fact that it’s misspelled the same way both times looks like NAF was copying and pasting from _somewhere_; why not from the actual PM? **Vote One and Only Wanderers** for jumping to unjustified conclusions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/random-mafia/532942.md?page=10)