no, hugs are lame. I want candy.

So instead of being lynched a player would be candied....something to ponder.

Oh! How about embarrass? They're so embarrassed they leave the game.

ZFR has 6 votes and has been embarassed, he was Town Dartboard

Catapulted. That gives a nice mental image.

Why exactly do we want to remove the word lynch from the game?

Well, most of the time we write 'vote' or 'unvote' anyhow and there has been an increasing numbers of lunches. Also sometimes the flavour makes a word-replacement fun. But that's up to the mod and can be decided on a game by game basis. But if you want variety we can of course instead

-eviscerate
-incinerate
-carbonize
-tickle
-explode
-disintegrate
-ex-sanguinate

or simply
-kill

people.

It has racist connotations in America

For me, as a non-native English (and non-US-based) the word doesn't have any negative connotations beyond its literal meaning. Not worse than "kill".
In Polish, the word "execute" which is mentioned in the Mafia Universe thread as an alternative, has worse connotations since they can bring to mind the Stalinist executions that were common early post-WWII. Lynchings were never historically a problem there.
So, in Poland, asking a group of people to join this online game where we "execute" someone sounds worse that "lynch".

but...

Given that this is an English-speaking forum with a significant US-based number of members, I'm fine with changing it. Or leaving it.

This won't work because "kill" already has a meaning in Mafia: a broader term to signify any action that removes a player from the game: Night-kill, day kill, lynch, or even modkill.

Hopefully we can play again sometime!

Only in certain context, but in a Forum Mafia game it does not as that is how the game was designed. Lynching people goes way back in history and bringing race into it is something the uninformed do to create more strife and division. I think if whoever is running a game doesn't like the word or someone playing in it doesn't like the word then don't use it, otherwise it shouldn't matter or be an issue.

That being said we should stop this conversation now as a racial discussion merits nothing. Racism is a sad reality and is practiced by the ignorant and stupid, but this is not the place to have that discussion.

Nice to see team play that even includes a sacrifice for the team for the greater good. I would say that this trait, even more than other aspects, is a must to be found in a great player.

About the bussing, for the way you describe it, it must have been not just a downer but also underwhelming as bad tactics. Better not bussing unless it is in the most dire of circumstances, or with a definite goal in sight. Not only a sound approach, but it also feels the right thing to do.

Nevertheless, both games must have felt epic.

Well said. Agreed with that 100%.
Snark.

Last game, Pookie was dubious about whom to snark. Finally she made a decision and snarked Lift. He flipped Town, however.


Not bad at all. Also, nominate. Like at the Oscars. We can even say that the Oscar goes to... Micro!!! Congratulations, pal!!


Not bad, althoug somehow it gives me the impression that SirM left for the outhouse in order to make his peace with some beans that were getting the best of him.

Cool. But what is your word?
Politically charged.

I agree with trent that race has nothing to do with the word 'lynch'. Yes, there were too many unjust lynches of black people. And white people and natives and hispanics. Wild west stories are full of lynches. Usually on white outlaws or desperados or even on the (anti-)hero of the story. Dragging racism into it, just because that is at the moment the hot topic, is just artificial and doesn't do the cause any good. Let's just keep this as a game.

I mean, we have games called Secret Hitler here and yes, there were some nutjobs who were offended about the use of the word Hitler and who downrated the first Secret Hitler game. But no one seriously considered changing the name of the Hitler role to something less "offensive". If anyone is really worried about being 110% politically correct, they shouldn't be playing organized crime either - and that's what Mafia is.

So how about we just leave it to the mods to match the lynching to the flavour. If we're playing in space, 'eject' would be a fitting term. If we play the standard setting in some backwater village, lynching is an appropriate term.

Too much strange fruit. Plus, the word conjures imagery of a mob assassinating a defenceless victim, out of hate, while at the same time making a mock of justice. The idea is already charged. The historical meaning is even more charged. What about gassing people. Or giving someone a shower. Not nice for anyone. At all. Each country has a history it has to live with (and learn from it) or look the other way, depending on each one's choice. Respecting other people's feelings and trying ot understand their motives seems fair.

For some reason you brought to mind the novel A man lies dreaming, by Lavie Thidar. A meager consolation.

Or a dark fantasy/supernatural/horror game with werewolves. Or you forgot the other tradition of the game.

TGF just said something in that direction.

For a Call of Cthulhu game, it would be sacrfice. To Nyarlathotep, or the Outer Gods or to someone else, it is to be seen.

What else can we virtue signal about?

Well said and agreed 100%