User blog:Town Drunk/Why is the Town so dumb?

I read this in chat logs a lot. The townies are hanging townies and the dead are all calling the town dumb. The answer my friend is plain as the nose on my face. So give me that bottle and pull up that wooden crate, so I can CLUE you in on this whole affair.

Some people are just learning to play and the age range is, from the very young just like you, to older than dirt like me. The next factor is paranoia and this game plays on your paranoia a lot! Your name alone can be a huge factor into getting hung the very first day. I tend to use non-threatening names or the random names given by the game. Don't get too non-threatening or it could have the reverse effect. Names like My Little Pony, Justin Beiber, and Cootie Pie are just painting a bulls-eye on your forehead.

The town players are paranoid, just like they were back in Salem, and that paranoia plays against them. The Mafia is only 3 people in classic mode but they lack paranoia. All they must do is read the chat log and kill people who have accused someone else. Jim accused Bob and now Jim is dead, must have been that Bob! Get him!!

Sometimes you get more insight to who could be guilty after you are dead and it is up to one player to convey the message. The medium can end up messing the whole town up if they trust a dead mafia person. However I have seen a smart medium say, "Bob claims Jim is GF. Bob was Mafia should we trust him?" instead of just spouting out, "Jim is GF the dead told me.". So a one poorly developed player can make an entire town look bad.

Wills are often skimmed over and unless the players click on the graveyard to read the will, important information can often be missed. Some players are to the point, "IF I am dead Bob killed me, he is GF!". This will could get Bob hung, if the victim was investigative townie. But more often than not, the will is blank or it has too much information. "I am the sheriff N1-Jack could be mafia N2-Jim told me he is lookout N3 ..." This kind of will can get Jack killed on an assumption because everyone read the first line. Maybe Jack is a veteran? Jim has been outed as lookout and has no way to defend himself. Your will just gave the Mafia a hit list. If you must keep a nightly log, do it in reverse order; current night at top down to night one. Players see the important information at the top. Instead it would read; "I am the sheriff N3 Tonight Interrogate Fred N2-Jim says townie I trust him N1-Jack uses gun"

It can often seem a town is dumb as mud because of cheaters. Personally I found it rather easy to win as Godfather, if your crew doesn't squeal. Amature psychology and some misdirection go a long way in this game. Don't always blame the whole town. I have played less than a month and can tell you that cheaters abound. Friends will form parties in order to assist in killing off all the others. Others leak information via Skype, I was Godfather in such a game and someone in the group told the townies all the mafia names before the first night. Cheaters are worse than trolls.

If you are a townie, just keep your head down pay attention to chat logs, wills, and have fun!