Similarly, only amateurs need a code to convey results when lacking daytalk. (Tied to the above.)
If the rules ban you from setting up a code to your scumbuddies (which I think is patently ridiculous, the whole idea of an informed minority is that they're fucking
informed
; they have that talk for good reason, but I digress), then you can just as easily convey this information by how you treat the player you were targeting the next day. This can be something as subtle as buddying them if they're a PR and distancing from them if they're a VT, or vice-versa, and the mod would be none the wiser; that's just one obvious way to do it, but there are many more.I have no problems with posts that spell out, for instance, "MASONS". I've used this before as a mason. (Not that it was needed.) Because there's nothing stopping scum from doing the exact same sort of thing. Which I've done. (Not as a mason, but as other roles, like ascetic. For someone who's done it before as scum, see kuribo.) It holds the exact same risk as both alignments: being discovered at an inopportune moment. It holds the exact same reward as both alignments: the chance to be believed easier. But it's something town and scum can do with equal skill, so it's idiotic to say they shouldn't be able to do it...
...Especially given there's a whole level of subjectivity to it. If I link to a video that features Simon from Firefly, then at a later time claim that was a doctor breadcrumb...who are you to, subjectively, say whether that is or is not a legitimate breadcrumb? Some will believe it, some won't. (Admittedly, there is a gray line. I believe it was Oversoul who used to post things like TTGOXTSV and later claim, "that translates into a strong townread on X because of what Y, flipped scum, did here". But one, he did this as both town AND scum, and two, there was no key he used to prove that's what he meant, only his own word. So, for all we knew, he was making shit up.)
Where is the line drawn?
At things that are literally written into the damn site rules. No trust tells. No outside influences. No BBCode to hide messages. Nothing invisible, usually nothing that is gibberish, and nothing that scum would never do. Which basically translates into...
...This. Most of the other stuff is fair game.In post 33, MagnaofIllusion wrote:Great rule of thumb - if you have to use some other site to translate what you post here on MS then it violates the Cryptography rule.
When all else fails: be loose about it and don't go into specifics...
but
, include a rule in your rules which punishes loophole exploitation, and if someone tries to push something which isn't okay, point to that rule, disallow it, and if necessary, appropriately punish the asshole who was stupid enough to try and do that.
)