I find it perfectly plausible that someone might have a name that isn't a player in this game. And no, game design is generally done in advance of starting the signup thread. While it's possible Joe designed everything beforehand and left the names blank, your Robbeasy PM is rather specific to Robbeasy and I think it would have been in the game regardless of Robbeasy signing up or not.

All right.

I'd be interested in someone claiming to have a "non-playing" name, or, on the opposite, someone claiming to be Telika or JMich. (Or, again, even someone claiming one of these, and someone false-claiming the other.)

For now, I admit being a bit perplexed by how I've been the only one to dare giving my name. Which, by the way, would have only presented a risk to me if I was mafia or power role. I understand the argument about the danger of a full nameclaim (as, indeed, I don't assume anymore that we are just amongst ourselves), and am starting to accept the idea that names could be meaningful, although I'm still mostly skeptical about that (not to mention that the first (non-)presented theory postulates robbeasy=mafia - heck, my own first random vote was indeed pointing at the illegality implied in that name, but I doubt that one logic could apply to that many names). Still, even if there was hints in them, I THINK that the cost/benefit or revealing one telling name (such as nmillar, or one outside name, or one newbie name) would have helped the town without raising much danger.

Well, my focus has been, trying to get reasons on the table, getting myself the information that I can use later when I have more to piece together. I don't like hidden reasoning, because if held for too long, it can become anything and you can't prove otherwise, it's room for someone to either abuse it as a weapon, or turn it into a shield. I think that my posts stand out more because, well, I'm being more active about it while others are being a bit more passive with things it feels.

As for Telika's post...Honestly, I wasn't much into pushing a case on Pazzer, wasn't focused on it all too much, he tends to fly around the radar without me pegging anything.

I read the reason on Krypsyn, but to be honest, I'm going to have to ask for, well, a better explanation. I don't really understand it, and again, for the sake of having this on the table, I'd like to better wrap my brain around it.

And, as far as JMich (Yeah, I kinda do see the flow, but it did take a while for you to come out and bluntly say you were supporting his lynch for that reason), I have to say my big thing is the hidden reason. I expect a certain amount of cards held tightly to the chest...name, affiliation, role. Those things are to be played at needed moments and it's acceptable for those to be held close. Reasons for voting, make me nervous. not for any specific reason, but it just does.

Oh...since I started writing this hours ago and just got my attention back, on the name-claim. I...just don't have a reason to. It makes me nervous to see names out there for no reason, and I didn't see everyone agreeing to claim. I guess that's just me there. I'm also not too interested to start testing the name theory on day 1 with no other information. Maybe once we've hit Day 2 I'll be more interested, but I'm willing to hold my hand for now.

No, no and no.

Remember no one knows the full setup of the game except for Joe. Revealing information may well be harmless, but no one of the players knows that for certain. Or at all, really. Volunteering information is one of the worst things you can do as town in this game. The theoretical possibilities of the game of mafia are quite literally endless; you simply cannot know whether the information you possess carries any significance to scum. Particularly not this early.

Another thing to note is that even vanilla townies have their purpose – being meat shields protecting the power roles. That's why everyone is so concerned about rolefishing; scum is not only trying to guess who might be hiding a power role, but also who definitely isn't. Because power roles, though it may not seem that way occasionally, are very dangerous to them, and as such eliminated with the highest priority. So throwing out yet more names in the open with the reasoning that it "doesn't present a risk unless you're mafia or a power role" is an extremely wrong course of action. You win and lose with your faction, not by yourself.

In other words, your post is scummy as hell, and as I said before, I see why people would be no longer willing to chalk that up to inexperience.

Well that kinda kills the discussion doesn't it.

Which was the point. The discussion is inherently anti-town. And I don't think it would have worked as bait, either.

I disagree with that. Or more precisely, I think it's a general abstract principle statement that makes the economy of really assessing risk/benefits in a particular situation. And these assesments would have made for interesting discussions.

But the way you put it -and i'd say the way local rhetorics and representations work- is circularly closing the discussion on itself, categorising mere further questionnings as answers by themselves. It's a bit of a checkmate on reflexion, which is too bad on several levels : the preemptive cancellation of potential tools, and of a pleasant opportunity to stretch our minds a bit, which is part of the pleasure i take in this game.

You know what? I'm going to unvote JMich and vote Telika.

And why? SirPrimalform's comment about the role being oddly specific got me thinking. Those of you who have played in previous games will know that Robbeasy and myself have a bit of a rivalry going on that has popped up in most games, so why on earth would Robbeasy be nmillar's protector? It goes completely against what has happened in previous games.

I am of course assuming that role PMs are based on events from previous games (my own role PM does indeed validate this assumption), so I am now of the opinion that Telika's claim is entirely fabricated.

Robbeasy would also strike me as a candidate for one of the most likely to be chosen (assuming it's not random) as mafia too.

In fact, I'm even prepared to hazard a guess at Telika's role. He has tried to encourage whoever has the character of nmillar to come forward time and time again. Why? Sounds like a mafia lyncher to me.

I understand your perspective, but without wanting to boast about this, I've played in a few games before so I'm a bit ahead of you here. This discussion has taken place many times before; it's always the same and the conclusions are always the same.

But don't get me wrong: I do not want to assume any authority through my seniority here. I know better than anyone else how incredibly wrong I am sometimes. But if you want my opinion on the matter, here it is: I do not approve of unprovoked claims, and I think they hurt town as a team.

If it's purely done on names then I'd expect whoevers Robbeasy and Vitek to be mafia. As to my mind they've been mafia the most. Also expect you would be town.

But after the mega vote thing if i'm remembering right Joe said this game was confusing enough. Which makes me think the roles aren't that straight forward.


Have a Brazil nut and explain why your voted mods alter ego?

Telika seems eager for someone to die and i'd be more than happy to oblige. Daykill Telika .

So, does everyone understand now what I meant by "pazzer is being pazzer again"?

In other words, WTF?

Are you serious pazzer?
If so then you are either scum or, I am sory sorry to be rude, idiot.

whaaat?? you can do that?

Holy feck - I hope thats a joke Pazzer, or you have a stipulation you have to do that, otherwise that is indeed jumping the gun a little...;)

@ Everyone - heres a very good example of not reading anything at all into names...

Both Pazzer and nmillar have stated they would lean towards Mafia for anyone who claimed the name Robbeasy - yet I can tell you that in the 10 Mafia games I have played on this site, I only remember being Mafia 3 times (my memory is notoriously bad, but its definitely less than half) . So I would lean towards anyone claiming my name to be Town.

Except I wouldn't at all, because I dont think the name of a person has any remote bearing on their role? Until we get some solid information its completely WIFOM, and therefore a worthless argument. Stop it.