Crazy irrational theory on scum hunting that might backfire.
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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Crazy irrational theory on scum hunting that might backfire.
Lets say you are a player who has a very established meta on this site. Lets say you are playing with more than a few people who know your meta very well in that game.
What if as Town, you start to do things that are Scummy (for you) or just start doing things a wee bit out of character for you. Is this a viable way to Scum hunt?
My thought process behind this is that another Town member is going to be more likely to bring it up as a point than a Scum player. The reason for this lies in the psychological component that everyone has at least a little from being Scum. I believe that Scum inherently chase after things that are not as Scummy as what a Townie would see considering that a Townie is uninhibited from their guilt as a player in the game. Further still, what if you have established yourself as Town in that game? I believe this would have the opposite effect. I believe the change in meta at that point is going to allow the Scum player to see the difference more clearly because of the stark contrast that the rest of Town see in that player.
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McMenno they/themOne For Aren't-We-Allthey/them
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Infinity 324 they (pl.)Survivorthey (pl.)
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Raskolnikov Jack of All Trades
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I think even unintentionally one'll naturally act a bit different from game to game (or just over time) and meta junkies will point it out and make a fuss. No effort necessary from you!
I can see this being helpful though, if only because I think in general scum meta less, because it's more work for them thinking about extra stuff in the game like meta (and researching it and so forth) with less reward than it is for town. But I haven't played with more than a few very good scum players, and I don't have experience with the all time best. I assume they'd pick up and point out meta differences just as they would as town especially with players they're very familiar with.-
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callforjudgement Microprocessor
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This works if you're an Innocent Child, or otherwise have a very reliable way to prove you're town. The benefits are minor but real.
In other cases, the benefits don't match the risks. (If nothing else, even if you figure out the whole scumteam as a result, it makes it very hard for you to convince other players to lynch the scum that you've found.)scum· scam · seam · team · term · tern · torn ·town-
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BrainpanSonata Townie
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The reduced likeliness of the scum responding could also be attributed to scum seeing and avoiding the trap. It's heavy wine territory and seems like it could backfire if you apply the criteria to Townies who try to rationalize unusual behavior.Video games can be educational. The Oregon Trail taught me that Manifest Destiny is fatal.
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zMuffinMan Survivor
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well, other than all the other reasons it's not a good idea to do something like this, i think your theory is wrong - it's probably more dependent on a player's playstyle than a player's alignmentIn post 0, LicketyQuickety wrote:My thought process behind this is that another Town member is going to be more likely to bring it up as a point than a Scum player.spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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How do you catch Scum?In post 7, zMuffinMan wrote:
well, other than all the other reasons it's not a good idea to do something like this, i think your theory is wrong - it's probably more dependent on a player's playstyle than a player's alignmentIn post 0, LicketyQuickety wrote:My thought process behind this is that another Town member is going to be more likely to bring it up as a point than a Scum player.I was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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zMuffinMan Survivor
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mostly by looking at things that are probably more dependent on a player's alignment than a player's playstylespiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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I need a further explanation because you just got done saying that how people react to things has more to do with playstyle than alignment. You are now saying you base your scumhunting not on playstyle, but on alignment. So I think you might be able to see how I could view that as a contradiction.In post 9, zMuffinMan wrote:mostly by looking at things that are probably more dependent on a player's alignment than a player's playstyleI was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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zMuffinMan Survivor
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no, i said that whether or not someone brings up what is essentially meta is more to do with playstyle than alignmentspiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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Correct me if I am wrong, but I am just assuming that you don't read people based on different playstyles and you simply read people based off if they are Scummy or Townie in general. Is this a correct statement?In post 11, zMuffinMan wrote:no, i said that whether or not someone brings up what is essentially meta is more to do with playstyle than alignmentI was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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mastin2 The Second Coming
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Yes. I did it all the time. The thing is, though, it only works if you're given select circumstances and mindsets.In post 0, LicketyQuickety wrote:What if as Town, you start to do things that are Scummy (for you) or just start doing things a wee bit out of character for you. Is this a viable way to Scum hunt?- You must be trying to use your scum meta to improve your town game, not degrade your townplay into your scumgame. If you're intentionally playing worse than normal, you're gonna eat a mislynch and could potentially even face a ban. (Unlikely, but possible.) The difference is important!
- You must have enough players in the game that are intimatelyfamiliar with you. Not just "generally", or "vaguely". Intimate knowledge is a must.
- You must be actively prodding the players you are scumhunting using this method: are they giving you a pass when they shouldn't be? Are they jumping onto you for reasons that are entirely unrelated? Does it look like they are waiting to jump on you until later? If so, why? Do they hold suspicion of you?
- You must not be too blatant about this. If you broadcast your intentions too openly, the whole effectiveness of the gambit is lost.
- You must have a select end point, where you proceed to explain your thought process, step-by-step, and your findings.
And, of course! Scum players will fall into one of the two above camps, whichever is more convenient to them.
So, you'll need to be prepared to reply to all of that and scumhunt there, too.
Even after all of this, you'll still be placing yourself at considerable risk, so it always helps to have a backup plan in place. I never did this without some idea of what could go wrong, and a countermeasure to that. It's also something that can't be done consistently. Once in a blue moon, sure, but if it becomes the new norm for you...then it loses its potency, as scum are quick to adjust.
So, is it a possible, even viable, scumhunting tactic?
Yes.
But ONLY under specific conditions, and even if those conditions are met, it is something that has a fair failure rate, and reasonably low success rate. Meaning, I would not recommend heavy reliance on this. It'd be a tool, and nothing more.My academy.
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zMuffinMan Survivor
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no, not reallyIn post 12, LicketyQuickety wrote:Correct me if I am wrong, but I am just assuming that you don't read people based on different playstyles and you simply read people based off if they are Scummy or Townie in general. Is this a correct statement?
i look at a lot of different things when i think about whether a person might be scum or town, but what you're asking here only serves to prove the point; whether or not someone brings up meta is entirely based on how they play (unless they're such bad scum players that they don't do what they'd normally do as town)spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh spiffeh-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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Thank you for explaining that is such detail, mastina. Needless to say, I will have to establish myself much more as a player before I even think about using this maneuver. But is nice to know that even this zany theory that I had does in fact hold a place in the world of Mafia. I am relieved that it does because it allows me to see that playing somewhat creatively (or just with a gob ton of experience) that more pathways to different kinds of plays are available at more advanced levels.In post 13, mastin2 wrote:
Yes. I did it all the time. The thing is, though, it only works if you're given select circumstances and mindsets.In post 0, LicketyQuickety wrote:What if as Town, you start to do things that are Scummy (for you) or just start doing things a wee bit out of character for you. Is this a viable way to Scum hunt?- You must be trying to use your scum meta to improve your town game, not degrade your townplay into your scumgame. If you're intentionally playing worse than normal, you're gonna eat a mislynch and could potentially even face a ban. (Unlikely, but possible.) The difference is important!
- You must have enough players in the game that are intimatelyfamiliar with you. Not just "generally", or "vaguely". Intimate knowledge is a must.
- You must be actively prodding the players you are scumhunting using this method: are they giving you a pass when they shouldn't be? Are they jumping onto you for reasons that are entirely unrelated? Does it look like they are waiting to jump on you until later? If so, why? Do they hold suspicion of you?
- You must not be too blatant about this. If you broadcast your intentions too openly, the whole effectiveness of the gambit is lost.
- You must have a select end point, where you proceed to explain your thought process, step-by-step, and your findings.
And, of course! Scum players will fall into one of the two above camps, whichever is more convenient to them.
So, you'll need to be prepared to reply to all of that and scumhunt there, too.
Even after all of this, you'll still be placing yourself at considerable risk, so it always helps to have a backup plan in place. I never did this without some idea of what could go wrong, and a countermeasure to that. It's also something that can't be done consistently. Once in a blue moon, sure, but if it becomes the new norm for you...then it loses its potency, as scum are quick to adjust.
So, is it a possible, even viable, scumhunting tactic?
Yes.
But ONLY under specific conditions, and even if those conditions are met, it is something that has a fair failure rate, and reasonably low success rate. Meaning, I would not recommend heavy reliance on this. It'd be a tool, and nothing more.I was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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mastin has answered my question, but thank you for giving your perspective.In post 14, zMuffinMan wrote:
no, not reallyIn post 12, LicketyQuickety wrote:Correct me if I am wrong, but I am just assuming that you don't read people based on different playstyles and you simply read people based off if they are Scummy or Townie in general. Is this a correct statement?
i look at a lot of different things when i think about whether a person might be scum or town, but what you're asking here only serves to prove the point; whether or not someone brings up meta is entirely based on how they play (unless they're such bad scum players that they don't do what they'd normally do as town)I was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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Wisdom Of the One
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Skrub Goon
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Firebringer Trail Blazer
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Then you are destined to win as scum all the games.In post 18, Skrub wrote:But what if your town meta is that you always look scummy and your scum meta is that you always look townie?Show"You are the Joker of mafia players" - Oversoul
"last time I was scum with Firebringer
his first post in the scum PT was "yes I rolled scum!"
I decided to post "haha just don't post that in the main thread", but to get up to date on the main thread first.
His first post in the main thread was "yes I rolled scum!" -popsofctown-
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GuyInFreezer Magical Girl
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Lynch him when I townread him.In post 18, Skrub wrote:But what if your town meta is that you always look scummy and your scum meta is that you always look townie?
That's how I read nacho for a while.Show"I used to think you had this elegant-trolly, minimalist playstyle. Then I realized the playstyle is ~Lazy~
The true enlightenment was realizing that they are the same thing."
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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Even Nacho?? Damn, I had no idea.In post 20, GuyInFreezer wrote:
Lynch him when I townread him.In post 18, Skrub wrote:But what if your town meta is that you always look scummy and your scum meta is that you always look townie?
That's how I read nacho for a while.I was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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LicketyQuickety Survivor
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Your meta is going to change by the time you get to the level that you can pull this off. Just through experience you Town meta is going to get more Townie and then it is your job to make your Scum meta look as Townie as your Townie meta. I had a horrible record of getting lynched Day 1 for a long time (or what seemed like a long time) and now I am able to play in a way where I live a lot longer, sometimes even getting killed N1. Its still somewhat of a problem for me, I still haven't got all the kinks out, but I am improving and that is what it is about.In post 18, Skrub wrote:But what if your town meta is that you always look scummy and your scum meta is that you always look townie?I was anything worse than you! Anything worse than you was I!
You was doided teh aposit_tisopa het dedoid saw em.-
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mastin2 The Second Coming
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Congratulations, you are now among a select group of scummers: the group that is most likely very good at the game (the one and only thing in question being how good you scumhunt), but hates every minute of it.In post 18, Skrub wrote:But what if your town meta is that you always look scummy and your scum meta is that you always look townie?
The first few times you're good at scum, you're proud of it. You think it's an accomplishment that you're that good.
The next few times you're good at scum, you're still thrilled that you haven't lost your touch.
The next few times you're good at scum, you begin to get a series of emotions: annoyance and even boredom.
If those emotions don't sabotage your scumgame and you're still winning, eventually they shift into being sick of it and absolute apathy.
Doesn't take long for those to turn into hatred after that.
You'd be surprised at the vast number of scummers who, simply by playing when landing scum, have a near-guaranteed victory.My academy.
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kuribo he/himFire and Brimstonehe/him
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If you were scum, who would be your two or three partners for your dream team?In post 23, mastin2 wrote:You'd be surprised at the vast number of scummers who, simply by playing when landing scum, have a near-guaranteed victory.Join me on my quest to play every NES game! Some of them are awful.
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