In post 536, Hu Tao wrote:
We need to eliminate gramps today, otherwise the game will never progress. They are too polarizing, and need to be flipped.
too polarizing? i’m in the same predicament i was in last game, and it’s frustrating to see the same dynamics play out -- especially when i’m actively trying to help town progress. it might seem polarizing because you initiated a narrative with their meta read on me, failing to back it up meaningfully, and assumed everyone would just fall in line. this approach has done more harm than good. instead of fostering collaboration and productive analysis, it’s created a feedback loop of suspicion that’s undermining our ability to scumhunt effectively.
i’ve explained, repeatedly, why subjective meta reads, especially ones like hu’s, are unfair to my alignment -- particularly on day 1. they don’t account for the fluidity of ingame behavior and rely on preconceived notions of how someone should play. i urged patience: wait until day 2 or day 3 when you have more interactions and analysis to back up your conclusions. guess who agreed with me here; yup; trekkie! but instead of listening, we’ve wasted the entirety of day 1 on me. this fixation has not only stalled progress but actively hurt town in the long term. instead of scumhunting and gathering meaningful reads, we’ve been stuck trying to parse the details of hu’s meta read and whether my defense of myself -- a defense i had every right to make, was scummy. it’s not. defending yourself against a baseless claim isn’t scummy; it’s logical.
then nova comes along, capitalizing on the distraction. nova shifted the focus from hu’s meta read to vague, unsubstantiated reasons for scumreading me -- reasons that aren’t even accurate. when i pointed this out, nova conveniently disappeared. this kind of opportunism is NAI. but nova saw an opening to pile on and took it without adding meaningful content or clarifying their stance. and i wish they are here right now because at least they provided different perspectives/lens and adding more to the conversation.
now let’s talk about trekkie. trekkie has spent this day playing along in a way that feels performative rather than productive. trekkie’s posts have consistently contributed to the noise but haven’t pushed the game forward. instead of helping town regroup and refocus after hu’s meta read derailed us, trekkie allowed the distraction to fester, even chiming in with superficial contributions that added no clarity to the situation. scum thrive in chaos, and trekkie’s behavior fits that pattern.
moving forward, if i’m around tomorrow, i’ll continue to generate reads and focus on pushing the game toward meaningful progress. if i’m not, use my flip to reassess how this day played out. hu’s meta read was the catalyst, but players like nova and trekkie exacerbated the situation and kept us spinning in circles. reflect on who benefited most from the wasted time and who worked against the thread’s productivity -- that’s where scum hides.
for future days, we need to be more vigilant about how time is spent; letting one topic dominate for an entire day phase often benefits scum by limiting the breadth of analysis and narrowing the scope of suspicion. diversify the conversation to include under discussed players, question patterns of behavior, and consider the broader context of votes and actions taken thus far. finally, keep track of unresolved questions or inconsistencies, ensuring that critical threads don’t get dropped as the game progresses. by being methodical, balanced, and focused on evidence, town can maintain control of the game and prevent scum from exploiting chaos or inertia.
