Semi-Open with excess roles

[Persivul]

Something I've seen on another site but haven't come across here is the semi-open game with excess roles. All possible roles are open for all to see, but there are more roles than players - maybe 18-20 roles for a 13 player game. Any thoughts on the pros and cons of this format?

[Ether]

I like them. They're a good way to let people know what they're getting into while still being sort of closed.

18-20 roles for a 13 player game is a bit much, though, assuming it'll still have a healthy number of vanillas. Semiopen role madness games sound like a bad idea, they'd be pinning scum down too much.

[callforjudgement]

It works role madness if you have split role/alignment. I'm not sure it works otherwise. (If you have more roles than players it's probably a role madness unless most of them are VT, which seems unlikely to be the case.)

Arguably Normals are of this type already (we have the greylist, but apart from that, there's a list of approved roles but more of them than there are players in a typical Normal).

[Ircher]

It works role madness if you have split role/alignment. I'm not sure it works otherwise. (If you have more roles than players it's probably a role madness unless most of them are VT, which seems unlikely to be the case.)

Arguably Normals are of this type already (we have the greylist, but apart from that, there's a list of approved roles but more of them than there are players in a typical Normal).

Thats like 50 roles. No way you can even REMOTELY try to guess the setup as a VT even after a pr flip/claim or two.

[Frozen Angel]

My semi open Dota Mafia has picking modes very close to this (Random Draft - Captains mode)

http://forum.mafiascum.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=66413

[Randomnamechange]

Netherspite's Semi-Open Role mafias have been good fun, it basically works off of having 10 or so roles in different categories and random ones being chosen.