Umbrage's Guide on How to Win Scum Games

A compilation of basic attack maneuvers by Albert B. Rampage, Xylthixlm and Yosarian:

The Minimalist Approach

Pinpoint a single scummy player and bring him down. This approach includes the strategy of only attacking one player at a time until you are satisfied with his reactions and then move on to someone else, repeating the process until you are determined of sticking to a particular target. An aggressive way to do this can be found in this article.

Advantages:

-Minimum effort -Reduces the number of players that will potentially OMGUS you -Concentrates on relevant information in the present time

Disadvantages:

-Will be accused of tunnelvision -Not paying attention to what's going on with other players -Many players doing this with different targets will cut down the lynching pressure that is vital to gaining new information

(credit to Albert B. Rampage)

Calling the Team

Theorize a scum connection between living players. This means that one player being scum implies the scumminess of another player. Tar's Chainsaw Defense is an example of evidence supporting such a connection.

Advantages:

-Establishes a basis for your expected behavior the next day -Draws a special attention to your case if one of the players are proved scum -Provides a more varied set of reactions that you can analyze

Disadvantages:

-High error margin -Gives incentive to many players to discredit your case

(credit to Albert B. Rampage)

The Mafia Police

Propose a policy lynch because you disagree with the way someone plays mafia. For example, I once played with someone who refused to read his role pm on Day 1, so I suggested that we policy lynch him. I include lurker lynching in this category.

Advantages:

-Terminate a player that cannot be modkilled and/or refuses to be replaced -Incite a player to play in a way that pleases the other players

Disadvantages:

-Will be ignored in favor of "scumhunting" -Easy way to let scum slip out of the town's scrutiny -Stifles discussion

(credit to Albert B. Rampage)

Chip on the Shoulder Maneuver

Only draw suspicion on players that attack you. A generally discouraged survival-based strategy that can be used in the midgame. If employed too early, you won't have enough logical reasons to attack your opponents, so it comes off purely as an emotional outburst. Once the game advances to a certain point, you will need to figure out the scum more importantly than you need to survive.

Advantages:

-Discourages scum to attack you without at least some town support

Disadvantages:

-Will be accused of OMGUS -High chance of friendly fire; town attacking town. -Too arbitrary to consistently catch scum

(credit to Albert B. Rampage)

Bandwagon to Victory

Pick out players you think are town. Jump on whatever the largest bandwagon is, as long as it's not on one of those players.

Advantages:

- Brings people to lynch range quickly - Helps avoid fragmenting the town among many wagons

Disadvantages:

- May be accused of bandwagonning and/or "not scumhunting" - The largest wagon may be scum-led - Doesn't let other players read you easily

(credit to Xylthixlm)

Barnacle

Pick a player, or small group of players, who you think are likely town and better scumhunters than you. Follow that player(s).

Advantages:

- Borrows the skill of a better scumhunter - Helps avoid fragmenting the town among many wagons

Disadvantages:

- May be accused of bandwagonning and/or "not scumhunting" - The player(s) you pick may be scum - Doesn't let other players read you easily

(credit to Xylthixlm)

Vote Hopping

Attack a wide variety of people, either with FOS's or by moving your vote. Try to constantly keep voting for whoever seems slightly scummier then other people, even if that keeps changing

Advantages:

-Brings attention to a lot of different scumtells

-Lets you get a better read on a lot of people, help you figure out the whole lay of the game

-Keeps yourself flexible, preventing one of those "two townies lock horns and fight forever distracting the town hopelessly" situations.

-Makes it easier for the rest of the town to read you, which is an advantage when you're town.

Disadvantages:

-May make it easier for scum to manipulate you into being on a town wagon

-Can make a number of "enemies", especially if there's multiple pro-town people who OMGUS.

-Some people (incorectly, IMHO) think that vote hopping is a scumtell.

(credit to Yosarian)

Other

Adel has suggest Team Player, and populartajo has suggested Process of Elimination along with several more, although these do not constitute the definition of Attack Maneuvers.