This is probably the biggest problem that I see over and over again. It turns the value of a powerrole into a process-of-elimination device by way of claiming during the day, without fully utilising its night potential, which doesn't make for a fun game. A lot of open setups have been broken by massclaiming or partial claiming strategies.In post 1, mith wrote:Another common one: Too many named roles. Often the strategy in such a game is an immediate massclaim, which forces Mafia in a bad spot - either the named roles are confirmed, or the Mafia must counterclaim and put themselves in a 50-50 situation. While having the power roles out obviously makes them vulnerable to being killed, the EV gain from improving lynches is more significant, even before considering whether the outed power roles can further help the town by coordinating their abilities.
Some good ways to counter this problem is adding a higher ratio of VT's, make the setup variable (0 or 1 Trackers, 1-2 Doctors etc.), or add mechanics that disincentivise claiming on D1 (or at all), for example; the daykill mechanic in Masons and Mafia which allows scum to daykill a mason if they name one correctly.
Another design strategy to dodge the named role is to design a game based entirely around mechanics rather than roles, such as Double Day Unlimited, or to give each player the same role like Duck, Duck, Goose!.
And then sometimes the best design decision is start over again and not force inelegant tweaks onto a setup just for the sake of making it work.