[SETUP] Smalltown Wifom

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[SETUP] Smalltown Wifom

Post Post #0 (ISO) » Sun Aug 07, 2016 1:55 am

Post by Hoopla »

This is an eight player setup setup (2:6) that uses the Smalltown format where each role in the game and which player has it is public information. Typically a pregame draft will determine the order of players' role selections, however this game has a special mechanic where scum privately select each players' draft position pregame. Scum can place themselves first/second, last/second last or any other combination they wish. Then once the order is announced, the game is opened and players will select a role from the following list:

1-Shot Vig
1-Shot Doc
1-Shot Roleblock
1-Shot Redirect
1-Shot Commute
Day 1 Lynchproof
Day 2 Lynchproof
Mafia Loveriser/VT (If the player who selects this role is scum, the scumteam become lovers. If town selects it, VT)


Additional Notes:

- Scum have daytalk
- A Mafioso can't perform an action + the factional NK in the same night
- A Redirector can redirect a player onto itself
- Role resolution order is Commute --> Roleblock --> Redirect --> Protect --> Kill
- A Mafia Lover will commit suicide if their partner is lynched/killed. A Mafia D1 or D2 Lynchproof can still commit suicide if its partner is lynched D1 or D2. A Doc can't save a suicide at night if its partner is vigged.
- 50% of the votes required to no lynch.

~~

The Mafia Loveriser/VT role will always be selected last as there is no reason for a townie to select this role higher up if there is a chance mafia will Loverise themselves. As such, this creates some delicious wifom about whether mafia will rig the order to Loverise themselves. I can feasibly see that slot being considered confirmed town in some games OR be clouded by a lot of paranoia if it's a gambitty/experienced player in the slot, however, a wise scum strategy may be to pick an extroverted, gambitty player as last in the draft.

I'm sure more wifom will come about whether scum will be ballsy enough to take the first pick in the draft or two high picks, but regardless, I expect high draft picks to come under pressure early in the game. Typically vigs get snaffled up very early in games with drafts like Pick Your Power, but having all information public means the Vig is at the mercy of the Roleblocker and Redirector who can neutralise or abuse it if they know/guess which night it will be used.

If scum select the Lynchproof roles they will yield control of the Vig/Redirect/Roleblock roles to the town which could cause more problems for them at night. If they try to gain control of the nightphase by taking the Vig/Redirector/RB, they could cause more problems for themselves during the day with a reduced pool of potential mislynches on D1/D2. Some towns may also view the Loveriser/VT as confirmed town, which could create some process-of-elimination problems for scum if they don't opt for a Lynchproof or Loveriser role.

There's so many possible ways for roles to be distributed amongst the players, so it's hard to tell how balanced this game would be or if there are any dominant breaking strategies, but none of the roles can directly confirm someone as town or scum, so both teams should have a chance. I also feel like any dominant strategy that may arise in multiple iterations of this game could be subverted in future games by scum selecting unexpected roles/draft positions or towns lynching/not lynching certain roles on D1.

I've also opted for this game to be eight players instead of seven so a vig shot from either faction will not take away one the of town's mislynch chances.
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Post Post #1 (ISO) » Sun Aug 28, 2016 8:09 am

Post by Cogito Ergo Sum »

We played this at our minimeet. I enjoyed the little drafting minigame and trying to convince the town to lynch the D2 lynchproof on D1. The game we played isn't really relevant in this regard but it looks reasonably balanced to me given the variety of powers town must inevitably given and I do like that the vast majority of games scum either has to allow a vig kill or create a 50-50 on D2.

(The Mafia Loveriser/VT role does have some value by the bye in that a scum flip confirms it as town. That was my stated reasoning for picking it while being 3rd in the draft order.)
Scumchat is awesome. Yarr!

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Post Post #2 (ISO) » Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:18 pm

Post by Hoopla »

In post 1, Cogito Ergo Sum wrote:(The Mafia Loveriser/VT role does have some value by the bye in that a scum flip confirms it as town. That was my stated reasoning for picking it while being 3rd in the draft order.)
Mmm, I didn't really consider that aspect of the Mafia Loveriser/VT role. Who won and where did scum place themselves in the order/what roles did they take?
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Post Post #3 (ISO) » Sun Aug 28, 2016 10:45 pm

Post by Fenchurch »

Setting the draft order was a bit fiddly face-to-face. The method we chose was to put a phone in the other room with the list of player names, and everyone would take it in turns to go into the other room for exactly one minute, scum when they were there would write on the phone the chosen order. This meant that the first scum to go out would make a suggestion and the second scum had the hammer.

Draft order and role choices:
1. CDB - 1-shot Vig
2. Nexus - 1-shot Roleblock
3. CES - Mafia Lover/VT
4. Patrick - D1 Lynchproof
5. Primate - 1-shot Doctor
6. Shanba - 1-shot Redirect
7. Fenchurch - 1-shot Commute
8. Staeg - D2 Lynchproof

We recorded the game, although we missed the first 5 minutes, and I make no promises regarding the quality of the video or the gameplay contained within:


Spoiler: Game results
Scumteam of CDB and CES win the game
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Post Post #4 (ISO) » Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:15 am

Post by Hoopla »

Nice game! And nice gambit by CES taking that role at third. Like I said, it slipped my mind that that role gets confirmed as town upon a scum lynch, which does actually make it viable to take earlier in the draft.

Thinking about it more, I'd probably change the Redirector to not being allowed to redirect someone to themself, as the optimal play for this role as town is to always redirect someone to themself in the hopes of picking the scum making the kill -- this essentially makes this role a pseudo-vig that only kills mafia. I think using the role in this manner makes it too townsided and making the town have to redirect the kill onto a buddy is a more interesting/strategic mechanic, and also, when you consider the VT is able to confirm itself sometimes, it might just be a bit too much town power. Other clarifications; I wouldn't allow a Doc to self-protect and I wouldn't refund a vig shot if it was roleblocked.

I might consider running one of these on the forum.
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