# Werewolf (Mafia)--The Split \[Signups--In progress\] **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 13, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692 "2009-02-13T15:44:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/141 "2009-02-17T02:37:03Z")
It is pretty clear that the testeriser is not going to give us anything useful in the short term - even if it is simple like the 1st colour coding for role, 2nd for power role (the most obvious code, so possibly not?) it will take a while before we can figure out the code. Thus, the tester will only be useful to the town later in the game. If the code is more complex, the tester might be a liability. If Player A’s first colour was green and he was a werewolf, and Player B’s first colour is green, we would be tempted to lynch B. This might be a good idea, or the code might be no better than random guessing in this case. But a random guess dressed up as speculative proof could turn dangerous. Personally, I think the tester will give us, the town, an enormous advantage once we work it out, and we should be focusing on cracking the code. Thus, I believe we should _always_ test who we intend to lynch, every Day, starting toDay. Failing that we ignore the tester entirely. Putting a half-arsed effort into what will become our greatest asset will put the town in too much pain. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Credible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@Justin\_Credible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Credible)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/142 "2009-02-17T02:40:25Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I assume no, as we will be informed what kind of person/wolf each killed person was once they die. True…but if we can test the dead, we can have a better shot at linking certain colors with characteristics, since we’ll know for sure what the tested person was. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/143 "2009-02-17T02:41:16Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > We get the testerizer Wed., which is halfway through the DAY, right? So if we vote Wed. by 10:00 p.m. EST, when do we get the results? Friday? You get the results on 10:00 p.m. EST Wedensday. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Then, we vote in the day(small “d”) Friday for execution, right? Naturally, early on the testerizer means nothing other than its potential for future data analysis. > > It seems volunteering to be tested is wise early(since there is no reason to point any fingers). I also agree with random lynching on DAY ONE, at least. Lynch votes count the entire time (and for unvoting a testerizer vote, use orange), and you’ll have half the day with the extra info from the testerizer. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/144 "2009-02-17T02:42:20Z")
> [@rexnervous](#): > > **can previously killed people be put into the testerizer?** No. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/145 "2009-02-17T03:25:14Z")
Goddamnit, I already got a vote for something? Hmm. **Daphne** doesn’t seem suspect to me either. Why is she hiding in plain sight? ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/146 "2009-02-17T03:42:01Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > As **Daphne** says. My post concerned the question of whether or not we ought to kill everyone we test “out of hand,” as **Telcontar** put it. There was a movement underway early in the game in support of just that strategy, but **Telcontar** said that might not be wise. I think it would be wise. > > And to be very clear, I wasn’t attempting to imply or assert that I have any misgivings about **Telcontar** ’s veracity/motivation. There’s a subtle difference between killing everyone we test and testing everyone we kill. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/147 "2009-02-17T03:55:26Z")
If we’re testing people only once and because we’ve decided we’re lynching them, I don’t think that difference exists. Am I missing the distinction? ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/148 "2009-02-17T04:09:25Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > If we’re testing people only once and because we’ve decided we’re lynching them, I don’t think that difference exists. Am I missing the distinction? Way I see it for the first week or two the difference is somewhat irrelevant. But after that, the distinction becomes - what is paramount? Testing or Killing? You may have two entirely different people in mind for each case. ---
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/149 "2009-02-17T04:11:40Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > He volunteered to be tested, not necessarily to be lynched - at least that’s how I read it. > [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > As **Daphne** says. My post concerned the question of whether or not we ought to kill everyone we test “out of hand,” as **Telcontar** put it. There was a movement underway early in the game in support of just that strategy, but **Telcontar** said that might not be wise. I think it would be wise. > > And to be very clear, I wasn’t attempting to imply or assert that I have any misgivings about **Telcontar** ’s veracity/motivation. I was volunteering to be tested, lynch status TBD. Personally I think we should attempt to create a pool of live tested people so that we have a sense of the color patterns and frequencies before we start killing people. There’s also a chance the werewolves will tip their hand. More generally: we should not kill anyone today (assuming 18 players, as i think is the case). This would be clearer in a simple town-monster game, but i think is true here as well. Assuming that there are two kills a day (one from scum, one from us) then on day 8 there will be four live players. if the game is still going on at that point, exactly one of those players will be scum. All of the remaining villagers would have to agree on a target to kill that target (and they’d have to get it right). the situation is functionally equivalent (even slightly better) if there are only three live players at that point. if we don’t kill today we get one more day worth of information at no cost (3 person mafia on day 9). ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/150 "2009-02-17T04:29:00Z")
I disagree, **Telcontar**. No lynch means no information. No lynch does not make sense Day One, especially with the testeriser addition to the pot - not only no lynch info, but no code info either. We should aim to win this game as a town before it comes down to the scenario you posit. ---
**Author:** ![Telcontar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Telcontar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telcontar)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/151 "2009-02-17T04:34:02Z")
> [@DaphneBlack](#): > > I disagree, **Telcontar**. No lynch means no information. No lynch does not make sense Day One, especially with the testeriser addition to the pot - not only no lynch info, but no code info either. > > We should aim to win this game as a town before it comes down to the scenario you posit. Do the math. If we don’t lynch than we’re in the same position tomorrow that we are in today, just with one person IDed by color. There is no loss. ---
**Author:** ![AllWalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@AllWalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllWalker)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/152 "2009-02-17T05:14:40Z")
> [@Telcontar](#): > > Do the math. If we don’t lynch than we’re in the same position tomorrow that we are in today, just with one person IDed by color. There is no loss. Tell that to the person the werewolves eat toNight. Lynching is the only weapon we have against the wolves. Holding off on the lynching gets us one extra test, at the cost of one towners life. Although lynching is a shot in the dark, it is a shot we have to take - even if we eliminate a towner by mistake, we might glean some information about the way people vote. Holding off on lynching seems to benefit the wolves more than the town. ---
**Author:** ![Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Seeker\_of\_Truth\_and\_Beauty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seeker_of_Truth_and_Beauty)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/153 "2009-02-17T05:14:59Z")
I hate to assume things, so: **Do we know how many Ranchers, Farmers, and Werewolves there are? Balanced count would be 6 of each. I didn’t see anything that specified; did I miss it or is it not stated?** ---
**Author:** ![rexnervous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e9c0ed/32.png) [@rexnervous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rexnervous)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/154 "2009-02-17T05:21:37Z")
> [@Seeker of Truth & Beauty](#): > > I hate to assume things, so: > > **Do we know how many Ranchers, Farmers, and Werewolves there are? Balanced count would be 6 of each. I didn’t see anything that specified; did I miss it or is it not stated?** I didn’t see it stated either. But I was operating on the assumption it was more like 7/7/4. It seems to me that 6/6/6 is too unbalanced for the 'wolves. ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/155 "2009-02-17T05:30:07Z")
With 18 players, I’d guess 4 wolves. Normally wolves are 25% or less of the total. No more than 5 in this set-up are likely, to keep the right balance. No-lynch, especially on Day One, is not pro-town. Like **AllWalker** said, it’s our only shot, as a town, at getting rid of the wolves. We should hope for as few mislynches as possible – and it is possible to do very well. Town in the Evil Dead game that just concluded basically only mislynched once. We can find scum. Let’s not give up before we’ve even started! ---
**Author:** ![DaphneBlack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daphneblack/32/5389_2.png) [@DaphneBlack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaphneBlack)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/156 "2009-02-17T05:34:30Z")
NETA: If we agreed on a no-lynch, we’d be in a huge information hole, not just from the lack of the testeriser info and the lynch colour, but on the voting records. The efficacy of voting records for finding scum has been debated, but it is solid data, and especially as time goes on, Day One voting records can illuminate patterns. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/157 "2009-02-17T05:34:34Z")
It may seem pointless to lynch a random person on the first day. But the problem is that the wolves will kill a person every day, and they don’t kill at random. If we refrain from lynching the first day, why not refrain the next day? After all, we’re no better off then than on the first day, right? The only way we gain information is by lynching. We don’t learn anything (except possible power roles, which might not even exist in this game) if we never lynch. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/158 "2009-02-17T05:36:35Z")
Someone PM me if people start getting naked. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/159 "2009-02-17T05:39:29Z")
Got it. Subs: Ichini Sanshigo, Blaster Master, MHaye, Hoopy Frood, Santo Rugger (For lewd discussion only) ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692/160 "2009-02-17T05:40:35Z")
> [@Seeker of Truth & Beauty](#): > > I hate to assume things, so: > > **Do we know how many Ranchers, Farmers, and Werewolves there are? Balanced count would be 6 of each. I didn’t see anything that specified; did I miss it or is it not stated?** It’s not specified. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/werewolf-mafia-the-split-signups-in-progress/485692.md?page=9)