First off, my complaints:
While I understand the rule eliminates the need to find replacements, which makes the game run smoother, I think it adds an element to the game that changes the balance -- the fact that there's an extra death. It was the root of the argument between evil and I on D2. Without the cloud of modkill over the head of the group, I think D2 would have been a lot smoother.
Personally, it's not fair for town, even if the modkill is scum. The town is forced to look at all of these "what if" scenarios -- scenarios that change the strategy the town was going for. A lot, if not all, of the "what if" scenarios look at the modkill as being a townie -- never as scum.
In a replacement, I think the only roles that would be allowed to return are ones that have NO other knowledge a simple townie would have. This eliminates any roles that investigate (cops, trackers, watchers), scum, and any group. In effect, I would ask myself one simple question: "Does this player have ANY knowledge that any other player in this game doesn't have WITHOUT QUESTION?"
Yes, I was an un-CCed Mason and Fate was a Mason -- it's a logical replacement. However, it fully cleared my role as a Mason. There's no way you would place a dead Mason into ANY other spot in the game.
For all we know, shrine could have tried to make a CC the next day. It essentially forced the decision to be between shrine and evil, with no way to place any doubt on the third player. It turned a 33% chance into a 50% chance.
My Play
Yes, I was the last Mason. Sadly, DKU's "I trust Cat... I mean yawetag" posts took any doubt away. It was obvious he read his PM and forgot that Cat was replaced. While it was nice to have the backup, it still surprises me that I was never killed at night. To me, I was the most logical N2 kill -- almost everyone in the group trusted me.
It's nice to see that evil didn't find the biggest breadcrumb I left (edited to show breadcrumb):
yawetag wrote:D
on't act so fast on this trust issue.
A
s I think about it, it's not a good idea.
N
othing good can come out of it.
A
s I see it, listing two people removes the chance of the town knowing the third Mason if the second is killed.
I
t's really easy to explain.
S
imply put:
M
asons will list their partner, as well as a random third person.
A
Mason kill at night, or even a Mason lynch, will cause a counter-claim between the two "trusted" players -- especially if one of them is non-town.
S
o, this puts us in the same situation we're already in.
O
ur position would be no better than it is now.
N
either of the "trusted" players can be fully trusted, and the town will be forced to lynch one of them.
W
ho wants to be in that type of situation?
I
think it's better for the Masons to leave breadcrumbs and keep from fighting with their partner so it's easier for the town to clear the third.
T
his way, the scum can't use any information that's given so blatantly, such as a list.
H
opefully, the town can find the clues without tipping the scum.
M
y list will be kept personal unless the group thinks it's a better idea.
E
veryone should then participate, though, and ones that don't give a list should be looked at very closely.
It was left more to clear DKU in later days than it was to clear me -- anyone could have argued that I made the post in an attempt to fake-claim my way as the last Mason; with DKU dead, I could have only hoped it would have worked -- and would have only used it as a last resort.
I wanted the message to convey a point. Having a random post to attempt that type of breadcrumb would have stuck out like a sore thumb. Luckily, after about 30 minutes of thinking, I realized I could argue the "trust list" while placing the crumb -- I was going to argue against it anyway. Once I realized a list of two people would be huge trouble if one was scum, the rest was simply writing it in a way to not make it appear disjointed or hashed together.
I told DKU about the post the next night. He was worried that it was too obvious. I told him that it was only to be used in a case of having to prove you were the last Mason. We also talked about trying to get a counter-claim when it seemed right to claim. I attempted it, but no one took the bait. In fact, the back-and-forth "Mason should claim" chat between evil and myself was EXACTLY what I wanted. My hope was that one of the scum would try to claim it -- especially after the "obvious" last Mason was denying it. No one bit, so my next hope was that someone would counter-claim after I did, using "Why didn't you do it yesterday? You're scum trying to take the claim!" At that point, I'd have asked for a counter-claim, and, if there was one, first use the "Why would DKU state they trust me -- and only me -- if you're the last Mason?" If that didn't work, my breadcrumb would have been pointed out.
Alas, it was never needed.
Looking back, I only see two flaws in my game:
1) The D2 math-fight with evil. The ONLY reason I kept it going was that I felt he was scum trying to get the town behind him. My real thought was that he was bussing his partner -- there's no easier way to get the town on your side. I couldn't have been more wrong.
2) Not even suspecting shrine. I never once had any inkling that shrine was scum.
Play of Others
I certainly can't talk about everyone's play, so I'll mention what sticks out in my head.
You were screwed the second you replaced SK. I don't think there was any way you could have escaped a lynch. However, I didn't see you really try. It's possible you read through and realized how quickly the boat was sinking, but it's still not a bad idea to at least grab the pail and start bailing.
The biggest problem I saw was referring to me as Cat when giving your trust list. It didn't escape my notice, so I'm almost positive it didn't escape other's. It still surprises me that you were killed that next night.
Your style confused me from the start, and I think the only reason you were killed was simply because you had some hand in both lynches. I had you as scum. It's your playstyle, so I can't argue against it -- it just struck me as scum in this game.
Great job as scum. I haven't read through the entire thread yet, but, as I said before, I never suspected you as scum. My biggest problem was your not knowing who CMaR replaced. I chalked it up as just not paying attention, though.
Please, if anyone has opinions on my play (good, bad, or ugly), let's talk about it. In addition, I'd love to hear what everyone has to say about my opinions on you (or others). I can honestly say that this game has been my most favorite of the ones I've played here.
