Well I'm rarely this transparent about it so it could turn out differently, but I tend to figure out 2/3rds of a given scum team? Which is why I think the model works way better after getting at least one scum lynch. Before that, there is too much specualtion.
In post 539, Jazzmyn wrote:I've seen worse theories. That said, the "scum theory thingy" you've described appears equally applicable to townies, so I am not sure how much utility it has beyond simply characterizing players as either being active, following others, or deliberately lurking. If you intended it to mean more than that, then please elaborate.
It is equally applicable townies, but it is a theory about group dynamics. So I separated the players into 3 groups. A scum team will never have 3 active, agenda setting players. They will never all treat one another as easy lynches to gain town cred, and they will never all sheep.
Why?
Well, having three people on a team going balls to the wall in a game will lead them to conflict when they should be working together. Consequently, such a strategy would make risk outweigh reward.
Generally, when leadership is established within a group, others will fill in to supportive roles rather than attempt to challenge that leadership.
You can't have any followers or sheep without a leader. Additionally, having three from this team means scum would never be able to force an agenda. That gives way too much power to the town. So, someone is bound to step up (but followers also have the ability to "lead" in much more stealthy ways).
And if you have 3 scum lurking, the game will stagnate. The only way it works is if nearly everyone is a lurker (unfortunately, this game does give me those vibes sometimes). At some point, a lurker will get targeted, and if they flip scum, you have to look at the reactions and interactions with that lynch. Scum are going to be more than willing to get someone in this category lynched because they contribute little to the team anyway, and towncred will become more important than somehow keeping that member alive.
In conclusion:
JohnnyFarrar, Jazzmyn/tsq, notquitehere is definitely not the scum team
Neither is BROseidon, Mainez, Varsoon/Domino
-West9/Hydrangea, Aristophanes, Kalimar would be a very dysfunctional scum team if it exists.
Even though it is risky thanks to lack of information, I think it would be best to figure out who within the lurkers is the scummiest. This is mostly because they are killing this game anyway.
