[SETUP] Psychopaths

[Beefster]

This was inspired by the recent thread on SKs. Rather than trying to buff the SK, nerf everyone else instead.

1-shot bulletproof Serial Killer

Compulsive Vigilante
1-shot Doctor
5 VTs

Okay... So it isn't really Mafia because there's no informed minority... But maybe this can work with a Mafia with no factional kill:

2 Mafia Goons (No factional kill)

1-shot bulletproof Serial Killer

Compulsive Vigilante
1-shot Doctor
6 VTs

I'm not sure I have the right number of VTs in either variant. I think it has to be a somewhat shorter game though

[Beefster]

Right. Didn't realize that the 1-shot bulletproofness effectively makes the vig into a cop. That clearly doesn't work.

I like the idea of bulletproof townies. Of course, they wouldn't be bulletproof to the SK. So:

1-shot Bulletproof Serial Killer

Compulsive Vig
2 1-shot Bulletproof Townies
3 VTs

-- or --

2 Mafia Goons (no factional kill)

1-shot Bulletproof SK

Compulsive Vig
3 1-shot Bulletproof townies
4 VTs

...

Unfortunately the issue with the mafialess variant is that it is broken by massclaim:

If the SK claims bulletproof, the town then has more than enough time to lynch the 3 bulletproofs and guarantee a win.
If the SK claims VT, the town has 3 confirmed town and a lynch pool of 4. The Vig kills one of the claimed VTs and gets killed by the SK and the town still has a guaranteed win.

The variant with a mafia isn't quite as broken by massclaim AFAICT.

Assume the goons always claim VT.

If the SK claims bulletproof and the vig claims vig, the vig gets one shot to find a goon among the VT claims before going down even if the town only lynches bulletproofs. SK is reduced to a kingmaker in this situation and the town depends on luck to win.
If the SK claims bulletproof and the vig claims VT, you have a similar situation with more luck
If the SK claims VT, you get 4 confirmed town and not much else. He would never do this. But since the town knows this, they would avoid massclaim to avoid depending on SK kingmaker.

If it were reduced to 2 bulletproof townies, the vig goes down the same way as the mafialess variant and the game is reduced to a nightless.

So it may actually be best to not have the serial killer be bulletproof.

[Beefster]

You could replace the Vig with a vengeful townie and reduce the player count. I think to make SKs work at all, the mafia has to not have its factional kill.

2 Mafia Goons (no factional kill)

Serial Killer

Vengeful Town
5 VTs

For the SK to win, he must survive for 4 days and kill/lynch at least 1 Mafia in the first 3 days/nights.
For the Mafia to win, they much lynch the SK and then beat the town in day play. They're best off lynching the SK on day 3.
The town has the best chance to win if they lynch the SK first, which reduces the game to nightless with a vengeful.

Interestingly enough, this setup would have no ties. SK > Mafia > Town
It might also be slightly SK-sided and anti-mafia-skewed due to the strategy the mafia has to use, so the vengeful might actually be better on the goons (make the first one to die vengeful or give the surviving goon a 1-shot kill the next night)

I'm not sure how the vengeful works into things. It might actually be better to go full vanilla.