# Screamers Mafia **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 21, 2009, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938 "2009-09-21T13:16:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 47
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2009, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/921 "2009-10-06T23:55:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t know, **Drain Bead** , that doesn’t look all that smudgy to me. “Posts that had me raising my eyebrows” just sounds to me like the sort of fine-tooth-combing that everyone does to everyone else in these games. > Meanwhile, another idea: It occurs to me that we can put peeker’s claim to at least a partial test. Suppose peeker were to post, a minute before the end of the Night (or even right at the scheduled Crack of Dawn, since it’s likely to take the moderators a minute or two to post the Dawn reveal post), whom he protected over the Night? This would presumably be too late for the Scum to change their target, but as long as it comes before the moderator post, it would enable us to see whether his protectee lived or died. Can anyone come up with any flaws with this idea? another sculpture in the mount rushmore of not really good ideas. first, as others have commented there a lot of variables. but i will also be practical. the logistics of timing claims over the internet and bulletin boards can be problematic. we had one game where **pede** was running one of his weird borda count systems. because of the way votes were tallied i was to show up (scum planning) at the last second and switch my votes which would have saved a scum and killed a townie. i had it all coded on my bb and was drinking an ice cold beverage (back in the day ice cold beverage = bottle of tequilla with a bowl of limes) waiting for t - minus two minutes. so here i sit smoking a squag getting squiffed getting ready to post what would have been the fatal blow. bb gets an emergency reset from the server and goes into re boot mode. fifteen minutes and one dead scum team mate later i get back on line. poof said the plan. shit a million years ago **buff** damn near did the same thing. i think she got her tie making vote down with less than a couple of minutes to save my butt and preserve the first scum shutout. just trying to say that timing can go haywire and is not at all reliable. so yeh, probably not ideal. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/922 "2009-10-07T01:35:37Z")
Well, OK, but in this case, missing the timing just means that it works out the same as if you hadn’t tried. It’s not a matter of deciding who dies, but just of determining whether some information gets out or not. And really, unless we’re just going to give **peeker** a pass for the entire game, sooner or later we’re eventually going to have to see some sort of reason to believe him. ---
**Author:** ![peekercpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@peekercpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peekercpa)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/923 "2009-10-07T01:42:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Well, OK, but in this case, missing the timing just means that it works out the same as if you hadn’t tried. It’s not a matter of deciding who dies, but just of determining whether some information gets out or not. > > And really, unless we’re just going to give **peeker** a pass for the entire game, sooner or later we’re eventually going to have to see some sort of reason to believe him. duly noted that you have different criteria for different folks. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/924 "2009-10-07T03:00:15Z")
**@AllWalker** : Nice analysis, clearly I was mistaken. If I say I’m sorry can I avoid biting your balls? Thanks a lot for that very helpful vote chronology, **amrussell**. At least I expect it will be very helpful when I get around to examining it closely. Sorry,\*\* BillMC\*\*. I am coming more and more to agree with **Oredigger** and whoever else said upthread that lynching nonparticipants is not good Day One strategy. Speaking of nonparticipants, I would support subbing \*\*USCDiver \*\*if we don’t hear from him soon. Re: drink order, I’ll have what **peeker’s** having, please. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/925 "2009-10-07T03:34:46Z")
> [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > **@AllWalker** : Nice analysis, clearly I was mistaken. If I say I’m sorry can I avoid biting your balls? I spent a lot of time on that. Least you could do is give 'em a nibble. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/926 "2009-10-07T04:00:26Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > And there’s me being wishy-washy again. > > **USCDiver, do you think you’ll be able to play more this week?** I sure hope so. I left town Friday thinking I’d come back to a relatively low number of posts from the Night and get back into the swing on Sunday or Monday but with the extension of the Day it was the beginning of Nighttime when I got home and I have just in the last 24hrs been able to catch up enough. The posts of \*\*Drain’s \*\*I mentioned that piqued my interest late last week were (I think) the following: > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > I think everyone was assuming that you were definitely saying you were one of multiple Docs. Knowing that you’re not saying one way or another helps clarify things a bit. > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Seriously, why on earth does this make me sound bad? Great, instead of 23/24 people potentially assuming that he was saying he was one of many, it’s really 21/24. Bully for you. Now tell me why it matters all that much. > [@Drain\_Bead](#): > > Honestly, I think I’m about 60-40 that he’s scum, but that 40 is too much for me to run the risk that we save a Vanilla at the expense of a Doc. I think the voting breakdown today will be really helpful, particularly in analyzing the first and second tiebreaks. I initially parsed this section of the conversation as **Drain** trying to make a point that ‘nearly everyone (which I assumed to include herself) had believed **peeker** ’s claim’ but then a few posts later she states she’s 60% sure he’s scum. On a re-read now, with everything else in the meantime, I suppose the first part of the conversation should be interpreted more along the lines of ‘nearly everyone is assuming he’s claiming to be one of many docs’ which is much more specific than just ‘believing the claim’ and can be reconciled with her continued suspicion of **peeker** For what it’s worth, I am particularly suspicious of **peeker** ’s claim because I can’t really envision a mechanism where an individual town-aligned doctor would be told they were one of multiple docs. But I can definitely see the advantage for a Scum who was claiming doctor to set up a defense against a counter-claim. Later in the game a False Claim of Doctor may be used to force a claim from the Real Doctor, but this early it smacks of genuine self-preservation. ---
**Author:** ![CatInASuit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3be4f8/32.png) [@CatInASuit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatInASuit)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/927 "2009-10-07T08:42:47Z")
**BillMC** - Sorry to see you go. **AllWalker** , I apologise for getting it horribly wrong. I am hoping to play the rest of the game with more than the half a brain cell I have currently been using. I’ll pass on the ball snacks though and stick bottles of beer thanks. ---
**Author:** ![GuiriEnEspana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GuiriEnEspana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuiriEnEspana)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 9:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/928 "2009-10-07T09:47:47Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > All right, I love it when data comes together! /snipped So do I. This probably means NOTHING and has no relation to the game or anyone’s alignment but… Your post is a little misleading and, although \*\*CIAS \*\*has admitted to making an error in questioning your decision, there’s been a couple of misinterpretations of people’s opinions on both parts. There is a difference between expressing a preference for a Thursday VOTE and a preference for a Thursday DAY END as the former is equivalent to a Friday day end. If we look back over the opinions expressed in **AllWalker** ’s list, taking the final say as each person’s actual preference - people are allowed to change their minds and as there’s no **unprefer** option - a simple statement of the new preference should override any previous post. Some people expressed a preference for more than one day so these can be counted as multiple votes. In summary, there was a tie for a Wednesday and a Thursday day END (4 votes each) and only 2 people expressed a preference for a Friday day END. Tuesday End (1): > [@Thing\_Fish](#): > > I would suggest that we make an agreement that Days should be the standard 5 days in length for the time being; since Night is always 48 hours, this would give us a consistent _ **Day of Thursday through Tuesday** _… Wednesday End (4): > [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > On balance, I think the advantages of a \*\*\*Wednesday dusk \*\*\*(and thus starting the clock on Tuesday) are greater than those of a Friday dusk. > [@CatInASuit](#): > > Well, I suggested \*\*\*ending it on Wednesday \*\*\*because of Pleonast’s games, which always seemed to work so well. > [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I like day \*\*\*ending on either Wednesday \*\*\*or Thursday, but that’s purely a personal preference. > [@jpei](#): > > And I would prefer **a Tuesday vote** to a Thursday vote, FWIW. On preview: or Friday, just not a Thursday. Thursday End (4): > [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I like day\* \*\*ending on \*\*\*either Wednesday or _ **Thursday** _, but that’s purely a personal preference. > [@Oredigger77](#): > > Now that we’ve got our leader let’s have a little more discussion or possibly a vote on when we want the [I\*\*]Day to end\*\*\*. Like I’ve said before I think it needs to be\* \*\*on Thursday \*_or Friday_. But I think we need to come to some consensus. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > _ **Thurs** _ or Friday is fine with me. Sometime late afternoon would be better, I think. > [@Normal\_Phase](#): > > Also, having thought it through a little more, I think I might actually prefer a \*\*\*midday-Wednesday countdown \*\*\*start, as opposed to late Tuesday. Friday End (2): > [@Oredigger77](#): > > Now that we’ve got our leader let’s have a little more discussion or possibly a vote on when we want the _ **Day to end** _. Like I’ve said before I think it needs to be on Thursday or _ **Friday** _. But I think we need to come to some consensus. > [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Thurs or **Friday** is fine with me. Sometime late afternoon would be better, I think. Saturday End (1): > [@jpei](#): > > And I would prefer a Tuesday _ **vote** _ to a Thursday vote, FWIW. On preview: _ **or Friday** _, just not a Thursday. /snips and bolding mine **Freudian Slit** ’s preference could be interpreted for a Thursday or Friday vote or day end. Anyway, in conclusion, the majority of people who expressed an opinion wanted a Tuesday/Wednesday vote with a Wednesday/Thursday day end. And if we take **Freudian Slit** ’s preference for Thurs or Fri vote, the Tuesday vote/Wednesday day end wins hands down - even if we count your unexpressed preference. As I say, this probably means nothing at all but I thought it was only fair to point out that **CAIS** had a reasonable point and that the preference of the majority was not taken into account when you decided to vote on Thursday. ---
**Author:** ![GuiriEnEspana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GuiriEnEspana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuiriEnEspana)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/929 "2009-10-07T09:55:50Z")
NETA Sorry for that really long post, have just learned how to multi-quote but on posting I realise I should have used spoilers - that’ll be my next learning task. As I said, all this probably means nothing but **AllWalker** brought it up again after (I don’t know how many) posts so it must have some importance for him. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 10:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/930 "2009-10-07T10:34:09Z")
> [@GuiriEnEspana](#): > > NETA Sorry for that really long post, have just learned how to multi-quote but on posting I realise I should have used spoilers - that’ll be my next learning task. > > As I said, all this probably means nothing but **AllWalker** brought it up again after (I don’t know how many) posts so it must have some importance for him. Fair enough, it seems like everyone else is willing to let it drop, and so am I. I only raised it because it showed up a couple of times in the thread, and with the low current post volume I actually had the chance to dust off the data. It really isn’t important, I just didn’t want my leadership to be part of a case against me in the future. ---
**Author:** ![GuiriEnEspana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GuiriEnEspana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuiriEnEspana)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/931 "2009-10-07T10:55:01Z")
> [@AllWalker](#): > > I just didn’t want my leadership to be part of a case against me in the future. It’s OK, we already have your vote against \*\*BillMC \*\*to hold against you in the future 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Trepa\_Mayfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@Trepa\_Mayfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trepa_Mayfield)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/932 "2009-10-07T13:37:18Z")
Night ends in 5 and 3/4 hours! Make sure you’ve got everything in before that! ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/933 "2009-10-07T13:46:37Z")
I cannot get used to non fluff night posting! I have been too thoroughly conditioned in other mafia games… ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/934 "2009-10-07T13:50:37Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > Of course, it damned the townie that I put the first vote on, but that’s not important right now. Technically, you put the second vote on him (cue scary music), as Peeker had already voted him when you put your vote on. But you did state the case that basically everyone else said “me too” to. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/935 "2009-10-07T13:52:09Z")
Also, **Mods, what is the last day for subs?** ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/936 "2009-10-07T13:56:27Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > I cannot get used to non fluff night posting! I have been too thoroughly conditioned in other mafia games… Not to mention I need a break from the game to keep myself relatively sharp. If I don’t get away from it occasionally I have trouble caring. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/937 "2009-10-07T14:18:24Z")
Thanks amrussel, that’s really useful. On your voting patterns, IIRC AllWalker as leader placed a provisional vote on Peeker, so it was effectively 7-7 at the point he claimed. **@Chronos** - You ignored my question, what is your position on a day 1 Doctor lynch? Alas, poor Bill, I knew him… not at all really. He really should have asked for a sub. ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/938 "2009-10-07T14:46:52Z")
> [@Tom\_Scud](#): > > **Mods, what is the last day for subs?** Day Two ---
**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:** [October 7, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/939 "2009-10-07T15:33:55Z")
I actually kinda like the substantive Night posts–it makes them go faster. I get twitchy waiting for Day when I’m Town and can’t do anything but drink fake booze. The only other game I was in where Town could strategize at Night, Scum could during the Day, so that’s something we should consider. I think in that game the fact that Scum could day-strategize was made clear, though. Can’t remember at this point–I think it was the Firefly game. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2009, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938/940 "2009-10-07T15:46:02Z")
Night discussion also cuts down on the number of posts by non-players and Dead players. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938.md?page=46) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screamers-mafia/510938.md?page=48)