Mafia As A Social Game: Argument About Charisma

History

Original Publication: July 11, 2013 by Mastin2

Original Thread.

Introduction

For the last few years, I've been a strong advocate that (at least in the early days) it's not the scummiest player lynched, but the least-charismatic player. They can be one and the same, but often are not, and it makes sense--in early day phases, the town doesn't have much to work off of, lacking concrete information. They have theories and instincts, and there's why the least-charismatic player gets lynched:

Because a charismatic player can generally address the concerns of both theories and gut in a way which sways opinion away from their lynch, regardless of whether the theory was right or wrong. Less-charismatic players then fall under scrutiny, unable to present themselves as favorably. I use that word, "present", intentionally, and this quote is why:

To sum up my lesson to the town in a single word: presentation.

I recommend it to all of you in various different ways; one reason this game was so close was because most town players didn't present themselves as well as necessary, whereas [the scumteam of the game] had a lot of experience presenting ourselves favorably as both alignments. You don't want to structure yourself so much that your posts look artificial and hollow (that's a quick way to the noose), but you want to make sure that both you AND your reads are looked at favorably.

A huge tip is talking to specific players and working with them, coordinating not only reads, but also reasons. When you think you have something, present it to your peers and explain why you think it's important, and evaluate off of their feedback how valid it is. One element of my scum play throughout the game was that I talked with others and tried working with them--as scum, to manipulate them so that they'd see me favorably. But this skill is just as important to master as town, because the town is the majority; you need other town players to obtain a lynch. Even dead-on reads are worthless if you can't convince your fellow townies you're right.

I use phrases like "work with me here" and highly discourage players from antagonizing one another for good reason: because the town works best by working together as a whole, and to do so, they need that common ground. It's vital to hold understanding of one another (this desire is one reason why Meta is so prevalent currently), because a key element of mafia games is teamwork. You need to be able to see where a player comes from while explaining where you come from to work towards common ground. You can't fly solo, not as town and not even as scum. (Easier as scum, but still inadvisable.) Both sides need to work as a coherent unit to maximize their chance of victory.

If there's one lesson of mine that I'd value more than any other, it'd be that--to recognize that there's a grander element of mafia that extends beyond just yourself, and that you need to think of others.

A more accurate way of saying "least-charismatic" is "least presented themselves favorably". It's a skill that may seem to benefit scum more than town, but it's VITAL to master as both alignments, because mafia is a team game extending beyond just yourself. Many players fail to realize this, and their presentation skills suffer as a result, which I view as a large problem across the site currently. The tips I've prepared will not only help dodge (mis)lynches, but also help obtain your choice in lynches.

Talk to players, not at them.

It's a subtle, but vital, difference. Talking TO a player is working with them, it's trying to appeal specifically at them. Talking AT a player is talking which just so happens to be addressed to a player, but isn't really meant for them.

Keep calm and rational.

Yes, you'll get emotional, and often have quite justified reasons for shouting and screaming at players. But the site meta is slowly moving away from tolerating strongarm tactics (this is a good thing!) and is lowering their acceptance of AtE, so this tactic is becoming increasingly ineffective. Instead, take deep breaths, calm down, and come back when you can present a coherent argument. Use emphasis when necessary, and not at all times, and you'll be able to highlight key points in your argument much more effectively.

Display confidence, not arrogance.

It's a fine line to walk, but not one you want to cross. You need to present yourself with energy to tell others you're right, but you need to be careful to not let them think you're arrogantly assuming you can't be wrong; that's a permanent one-way ticket to being ignored.

Display humbleness, not doubt.

It also goes the other way--you shouldn't blow up your reputation greater than it actually is. Not only will it have meta consequences (as expectations of you become what you bragged about), but it'll also make it so that people are less-likely to believe your reads are grounded in reality. So, when it comes to your capabilities, be realistic about what you have to offer. You DO have to watch out for taking this humbleness too far, though. You don't want your reads to be seen as worthless; you want them to hold value.

Arrogance/Humbleness Summary

Present your reads at their actual value. For skilled scumhunters, this value will be higher and some "arrogance" is acceptable. However, not being a scumhunting god, you still need to convince the town that your arrogance is warranted. An easy way to do this is to slightly tone your arrogance down (at least, initially) so that they give you more of a chance to prove yourself.

Don't antagonize players!

Town, scum, doesn't matter; it's a stupid idea. A common instance of this is saying to a player, "I don't need to address you, you're scum!" Well, what happens if you later change your mind about them and think them to be town? Precisely; they've (understandably) lost their confidence in you, meaning that your newer (and probably more accurate) reads are held in doubt because of a stupid mistake of arrogantly antagonizing a player.

Addendum

There's a certain value in trying to provoke a reaction, and there's also a certain value in not letting yourself go off on tangents (as stated below), but don't take either of these too far; it'll come back to bite you in the ass.

The town is made up of a majority.

So talk to multiple players. Don't talk to them in generalities; in my experience, that's not very convincing. Talk specifically to each and every single player. I realize that in a larger game, that's more of an effort, but it works, and it works damn-well, especially if you target other key players. (For instance, the player spearheading your lynch, or the player in strongest opposition to the wagon you're pressing, or people you think will be likely to join you on your latest endeavor.)

Address other players.

The opposite of the above--just as you need to talk to every player about your own reads, you also need to talk to every player about their read on you. Failure to do so can create an enemy where an ally is desperately needed. (See also--antagonizing players.)

Find a common ground.

I dislike using the term "compromise", because that often doesn't work well, at least, not for a town player. I think a better term is Negotiate. When talking to another player, see what you have in common with one another, and if you can get them to your side. You need to negotiate with them so that you're working together, as a team. If you're desperate, I call this bartering (e.g., "when I flip town, lynch X"), in that you know you can't get what you want today, but can set the stage for future days. But note that bartering IS a move of desperation (most players ignore the lynched, and only a minority listen to nightkilled players because NKA is written off as wifom); when used outside of desperation, it's likely to be seen as "setting up (mis)lynches". Instead, try to invoke negotiation early (when rational), rather than bargaining later (when desperate).

Admit that you could be wrong.

Nobody's a scumhunting god; this ties into the humble/arrogance, ties into the common ground, ties into don't antagonize, basically, everything. You can be wrong, so you have to work with others to show why you think you're right.

Keep an open mind.

Accept that there will be alternative viewpoints, and you'll be in a much stronger position, as you're able to better work with them.

Tell the truth!

If you misremember, don't try to invent an explanation. Come clean, and admit you were wrong. It'll be far more consistent in the long-run, because if you try to invent reasoning, your inventions build up one after another and begin to contradict themselves quite heavily later-on. This goes back to the humble/arrogant tip above.

Keep things clear.

This is a HUGE thing. If you're constantly walling or constantly spamming, chances are astronomically high that people are skimming what you're saying, if not flat-out skipping it. That's bad. You can't change them, but you CAN change yourself. Succinct posts will do you wonders; keep things as short and coherent as possible.

Even stream-of-consciousness posting gains value with a minor editorial touch, making it easier to follow your thought process and making it easier to see where you are coming from.

Don't lose focus, don't over-focus.

Letting yourself get distracted can help prevent others from considering you credible. The opposite is just as true, if not more; we call it confirmation bias/tunnel vision. The town is made up of a lot of players, and you shouldn't spend too much or too little time on any specific group of them; you should be addressing all of them equally.

Wrap-Up

Is this guide going to be everything you need? No, it's just some general tips. These aren't iron-cast rules; I chose the term guidelines for a reason. I can't guarantee that following these will make you unlynchable (as even a charismatic guy like myself gets lynched, even early-on). It WILL help to reduce your rate of being lynched, though, because a lot of these problems are things I see in far too many players these days.

It's a large problem the site as a whole has, and this guide is meant as a way to minimize it.

Additional Notes

• This guide is not specifically about day one, nor is it specifically about early day phases, but people following this guide will benefit most strongly during those early phases.

• Though this guide's primary purpose is to help players prevent their own (mis)lynches, it is also geared to helping players convince others that their reads are right.

Further Reading

On Compromises, courtesy of Gorckat. MastinMD