# Spectators' thread for Mafia: Goontown (no living players, please!) **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [September 28, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135 "2018-09-28T20:14:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/21 "2018-10-08T14:26:09Z")
I’ve seen very little in the posts that distinguish scum from town, although read8ng back with context I do see a couple instances of what could be table talk. **Johhny Bravo** has the right idea regarding the post count rule, I think. I’m not sure the post count as a metric for breaking ties is really the best way to encourage participation; maybe a rule instead that calls for having to post X times per Day or you get a penalty vote instead? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/22 "2018-10-08T14:32:56Z")
I don’t like post counts as a measure for anything. Mostly because I tend to reply to many posts in one big post, instead of spamming a bunch of reply posts. So I always tend to have fewer posts although I have more responses. Instead, participation should be based on the one thing that the count actually matters: votes. Every player should have an active vote at the end of each Day. Penalties should be based on that. I use infraction points for failure to vote, which are used as tie-breakers. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/23 "2018-10-08T14:34:19Z")
I find the post count tie-breaker an interesting mechanism, since the players can know just who’s the lynch leader at any given time, and it gives the players the chance to save themselves by outposting each other. But, then, I love shenanigans. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/24 "2018-10-08T17:04:51Z")
My feeling so far is the post count mechanism just encourages more noise, and has potential randomness if we end with 2 players just trying to outpost each other near end of Day (hasn’t happened yet but could do). On the other hand, it should encourage more participation, so I’m not saying it’s a terrible idea. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2018, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/25 "2018-10-08T18:05:44Z")
I think **snoe** has it. I suspect that **Knowed Out** is on the same beat as well. Stranger ---
**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 8, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/26 "2018-10-08T23:58:42Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Pleonast** : > > Vote analysis can be useful, but it won’t catch a good player. A good player’s votes will be the same whether or not they’re scum. Actually, it can, if the good player’s teammates aren’t so good. If it looks like Player A is going out of his way to avoid voting for Player B, that looks bad for _both_ of them, especially if Player A is later killed and confirmed to be Scum. And I will confess that I didn’t think of all of the possible unintended consequences of the post-count tiebreaker. It’s an experiment, and, well, we’ll see how it turns out. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/27 "2018-10-09T00:37:57Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > I think **snoe** has it. I suspect that **Knowed Out** is on the same beat as well. > > Stranger …and maybe he don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/28 "2018-10-09T00:54:44Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > …and maybe he don’t. Yeah, he got my hopes up and then started switching around. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/29 "2018-10-09T06:50:42Z")
Having caught up, I came in to say that was weird, too - snoe built what looks like a decent case for a Biotop/Hi Neighbor scum team, then seems to have backed away from it with votes for snf and then KO, instead. Scummy move by snoe? Biotop’s brief response that he doesn’t really see anything in the vote record reads scummy to me. Maybe it’s a Biotop/snoe scum team? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2018, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/30 "2018-10-09T13:25:10Z")
Biotop-somebody in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2018, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/31 "2018-10-10T10:07:13Z")
Hmm. The point about it making no sense for scum Biotop to make that late switch from HN to SOTA is a good one, I think - it would only be the right move if HN and Biotop are the scum team. Which could well be the case - if so I don’t think they’re playing it that well, but such is life. My vote toDay would be on HN, I think - if he comes up Town, it makes Biotop all-but-confirmed Town. Unless that is scum Biotop’s plan all along - I wouldn’t put it past him! ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/32 "2018-10-11T03:51:59Z")
Is there really any question at this point? Stranger ---
**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 11, 2018, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/33 "2018-10-11T11:15:44Z")
I have to wonder, if the people who are so sure that they won’t even state their suspects because it’d be a spoiler, are all thinking of the same suspects. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/34 "2018-10-11T19:57:21Z")
If it wasn’t obvious before it should be now. People only post suspect lists when they have an agenda, and this one seems to be desperation at this point. I’m kind of just wishing this to be over now. The length of the Day really results in a lot of slack time for most players and then a flurry of activity at the last minute. I don’t know if this duration is typical, but I’d like to see a game with a 48 hour Day and 24 hour Night for quicker resolution. Stranger ---
**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 11, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/35 "2018-10-11T20:01:36Z")
We usually do week-long cycles, in part because people have different weekly schedules. If someone is never online on the weekends, for instance, they could get completely shut out of a 48-hour Day that happened to fall on a weekend. Even more so for someone who mostly only has time to play on weekends. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/36 "2018-10-11T20:05:20Z")
I am so glad I got killed the first Day. I’d be really frustrated with the waiting. If one scum is lynched and everyone agrees who the other one is, do they still have to play out Day 3 or can a mercy killing be declared at that point? Stranger ---
**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 11, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/37 "2018-10-11T20:14:25Z")
What if everyone agrees who the Scum is/are, but they’re wrong? ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/38 "2018-10-11T20:15:19Z")
Well, flock. That was not what I expected. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2018, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/39 "2018-10-11T21:14:19Z")
Well, I’ll be hornswoggled. Stranger, I was totally with you right up to the town flip, especially on the suspect list thing. Just goes to show what a compelling game even plain vanilla Mafia is. Does this clear Hi, Neighbor? I personally don’t think so, but I’d need to reread the thread and haven’t the time. ---
**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 11, 2018, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135/40 "2018-10-11T21:24:40Z")
In my experience, suspect lists are quite common, especially from someone who’s about to be lynched. If you’re not going to have a chance to tell everyone what you think later, you might as well tell them everything now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spectators-thread-for-mafia-goontown-no-living-players-please/822135.md?page=3)