It's good to be back! First the questions, then the soapbox.
Everyone: What question would you least like to be asked in this RVS, and what would you answer to it?
Hapah: What's your favorite RVS question and what is your answer to it?
This is going to sound very odd, but the answer to these is the same: the "What's your favorite color/food/whatever". I'll expand on that a bit at the end.
Others: What's your previous mafia experience been like? What do you look for in other people's actions? Failing that, what made you want to give it a shot?
I actually got started in a Starcraft II custom game (which was basically just Mafia) and a Gary's mod thing (which was different but the general idea was the same) at about the same time. I liked both, I was already lurking on B12 because I liked DF, and so I ended up here!
@Everyone: Who would you inspect as a Cop and why?
I've been chewing on this for a while, and it's a little more complicated than you'd think. I would probably look at "strong" players later in the game (doubly so if the other strong folks have been murdered), and people that I'm kinda on my own in suspecting. If there are two suspects and one of them gets lynched, the other one will probably sort itself out the next day or catch a Vig bullet or something. But if I've got a scummy read on someone and nobody else does, I'd like to be able to confirm that one way or the other. A lot of it depends on what you know of the game setup, if anything, y'know?
Wubadub: What about you?
Hapah: What do you think of this situation between TBF and roo?
Right now I think roo is fine; I'm on the fence about TBF.
I'm not an IC, but I've been around a while, and I'm gonna give you lot a little unsolicited advise (it ties well into the favorite RVS question above). One of the single most important things you can ask in Mafia is "Why?" . And I don't mean directly just asking people why (though you sometimes have to, sometimes in more words and sometimes in less), but figuring out why people are asking the questions they are. Also, it can be very helpful to just pretend or assume that someone is going to ask you "Why?" after you ask a question or vote someone. Great example already:
Hapah super duper serious vote btw.
Don't do this, especially not the second bit. You get called on it and have to reply.
@ TBF
His post felt fake, trying to fit in. And deliberately talked to only me and you. Trying to be our budddies and ignored the actual game. His question doesn't lead anywhere and neither does his answer toward your first question.
-snip-
You want the "why" of your question or vote, the reasoning behind it, to be available if people put a little thought into it. The more you have to defend yourself on the fly the more chances for something to slip, or for your foot to find your way into your mouth. Best to be as clear the first time around as possible.
Regarding the RVS question above, it ties into the "why". I've never heard a good reason or explanation on how someone could divine something about my alignment based on whether I prefer baked or mashed potatoes. In my eyes, someone asking that type of question generally means one of three things:
1.) Lazy Townie. If there's no way they can care about your response, they had no reason to ask the question besides wanting to look active.
2.) Lazy Scum. When you already know who isn't scum, you are just kinda going through the motions if you want to take it easy (good scum may try to suss out roles or behavior patterns).
3.) Total newbie. They just don't know any better or how to scumhunt (though truth be told I barely know how to on Day 1 as well).
Happily, the response to 1 and 2 is the same: stick their neck in a noose until they convince you it doesn't belong there. Either you get a lazy townie engaged (win), or you lynch some scum (win), or you lynch a lazy townie (unfortunate, but I'd lynch lazy town over active town anyway). And for the newbies, well...you help them as best you can, but this is Mafia and you're gonna kill innocent folk sometimes.
TBF: I want you to explain where you were going with that question you asked roo, and I want you to explain why you just dropped the question instead of getting the answer you were looking for or pushing him on it. If there is some context that you think I might be missing, please link it. Because, as it stands:
....
roo: Are you going to continue being incomprehensible?
@Gentlefish:
Look for past games with roo in them.
He basically just flings his vote at somebody and expects us to read his mind, from what I recall of his play.
PFW
What the heck.
That's not even where I was going with that question.
Then clear up where you were going.
@Hapah: ':\
Nah.