The most troublesome part of Nero's play is how the neighborhood dynamic is factoring into it's play, or rather how it's not. The early-game argument with TDA, summarized in
Post 375, over what apparently happened in the neighborhood PT noticeably didn't yield a tangible
read
on TDA. The interactions with TDA, contained in
Post 136,
Post 375,
Post 381,
Post 385,
Post 387,
Post 391, and
Post 687, are mostly concerned with defense and nitpicking at TDA's argument. Definitive reads or judgments about either d3x or TDA's alignments are completely absent and that is
not
what I would expect from someone who has an extra PT conversation going with them. Furthermore, it doesn't look like he's attempting to refine those reads at all, opting for votes on the ika policy lynch wagon and the randomidget wagon. And for all the tunneling on IAI, the case just isn't there.
As a side note, I think the overall neighborhood dynamic that Nero Cain, d3x, and TheDudeAbides have going here is very usual and counter-intuitive. The only distrust is that TDA is scum reading Nero Cain, but there's a distinct lack of synergy between the three players when it comes to reads and voting. They don't move as a block, which is what I would expect to see from 3 players who mostly trust each other who share a PT. The read from d3x on Nero Cain feels really off too, in
Post 552. Since Nero Cain doesn't
really
have any solid stances, this is a really strained angle to give Nero a null-town read and I think it demonstrates a lack of skepticism on d3x's part I would expect to see in a town neighbor. I also think the reaction in
Post 351 to TDA and Nero's argument is awkward because it downplays the importance of what TDA's concerns about Nero. I think it's more likely for the purpose of smoothing everything over and deflecting attention away from the goings on the neighborhood than trying to get to establish a more solid read on either Nero or TDA.
I think there's a good chance both Nero Cain and d3x are scum.
VOTE: Nero Cain