Design the perfect civilian faction

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JaggedJimmyJay
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Design the perfect civilian faction

#1

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

This thread might make no sense. I just thought of it a moment ago and decided what the hell.

Imagine a civilian team in a Mafia game can be categorized into "positions", like you might see on a sports team. In soccer there are forwards, defenders and goalies. In basketball there are fowards, guards, and centers, etc. Consider a civilian team (and if you like a mafia team too, why not), and what those "positions" might be, and how you think they should ideally be arranged to form an optimal civilian roster.

I'll consider a few, using only general position groups (of course specificity can be added). Assume the civilian faction has 10 players, to make it simple.

1x Motivator -- token "leader", not necessarily (though plausibly) in terms of generating reads to be followed, but in terms of keeping the civilian team activated and engaged. More than one or two of these dampens their motivational impact collectively. Typically high post count. Example: MovingPictures07

2x Facilitator -- main function is to interact frequently and constantly with everyone else to create interactive content usable for large-scale analysis. May or may not be as focused on hammering home specific reads, at least not early. More than two of these can crowd the thread and make it difficult to follow. Typically high post count. Example: Sloonei

1x Provoker -- incites strong emotional reactions (within the rules and spirit of Mafia) with pointed, fearless accusation. More than one or two of these can create an environment of paranoia. Typically moderate post count. Example: MacDougall

2x Detached analyst -- attentive and engaged, but less inclined to play a part in every dialogue. Assembles thoughts internally before eventually providing thorough case work. Too many of these can limit the available data to analyze. Typically moderate post count. Example: Epignosis

2x Intuiter -- attentive and engaged, but less inclined to operate with compiled thread data. Allows instinctive and intuited reads to hold sway, and provides perspective sometimes lost in the thicket of analysis. Too many of these can result in a more arbitrary lynch sequence. Post count is highly variable. Example: S~V~S

1x Hard data analyst -- focused specifically on the objective data available, namely voting history and any known night actions. They eschew the psychological speculation and try to make hay with what they know. Too many of these can make the thread environment low-pressure for other factions. Typically low-to-moderate in post count. Example: G-Man

1x Goofball -- often civilian factions can genuinely benefit from having someone screwing around a bit (so long as they still attempt to play the game productively). They create a unique and challenging environment for those who already know them to be innocent. More than just one of these though amounts to a significantly less informative thread. Typically low-to-moderate in post count. Example: DrWilgy

This is just how I felt on a whim, as I typed this. I could wait an hour, do it again, and perhaps feel differently. Who cares though, it's a thread. Whaddya think? Do you think anything? Should I get a life? :ponder:
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Golden
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#2

Post by Golden »

I think there's something else, although maybe it's really just a jack-of-all-trades that moves between roles as needed, but it's what I'd call my own default style, and that is a 'design analyst' or perhaps a 'big picture analyst'.

I'd say it lives halfway between intuiter and hard data analyst - someone who takes on board rolecards, in-thread inferences from hosts and players, likely teammate or non-teammate relationships, and tries to slot in each player to a role to solve the theory of the game.

Obviously less useful in a game where most people are vanilla.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#3

Post by Epignosis »

I gave this concept thought. The perfect civilian faction is one that can be what the thread needs any any given time.

I try to do that. I don't think I'm a detached analyst, but I am sometimes. I think I'm just as much a provocateur and a liar (wasn't in your list, but I think civilian liars can do great things). Occasionally I can be a motivator I guess.

The beauty of Mafia is that it's dynamic.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#4

Post by Epignosis »

I think if anything, a perfect civilian group should be anything but absent.
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Quin
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#5

Post by Quin »

Every civilian team needs a Quin.
Lunalee wrote: Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:13 amQuin's ISO is full of posts that are actually trying to be helpful to the game. This doesn't look like town Quin.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#6

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

I would agree that people don't fit cleanly into any single "position" (not even the examples I provided). Everything is muddy. I wouldn't know how to label myself on that team. The dynamic also has to adapt as a town team shrinks, because people gon' die -- that relates to Epi's thought. I think the core of my thought is that civilian teams tend to be best served when there are multiple different approaches happening together that can be integrated into a full team effort.
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Overall: 73-57 (.56) | Town 49-41 (.54) | Mafia 18-11 (.62) | Independent 6-4 (.60)

The Syndicate: Town 23-26; Mafia 10-5; Indy 5-1 | RateYourMusic: Town 14-13; Mafia 5-4; Indy 0-3 | Mafia Universe: Town 6-0; Mafia 1-0 | Student Doctor Network: Town 2-1; Mafia 1-0 | HeroClixRealms: Town 1-0; Mafia 0-1 | Bulbagarden: Mafia 0-1; Indy 1-0 | 2+2 POG: Town 1-0 | Naruto Forums: Town 0-1 | Personality Café: Town 1-0 | Vendetta Strada: Town 0-1 | Mafia451: Town 1-0 | Wintreath: Mafia 1-0

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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#7

Post by Epignosis »

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:29 pm I would agree that people don't fit cleanly into any single "position" (not even the examples I provided). Everything is muddy. I wouldn't know how to label myself on that team. The dynamic also has to adapt as a town team shrinks, because people gon' die -- that relates to Epi's thought. I think the core of my thought is that civilian teams tend to be best served when there are multiple different approaches happening together that can be integrated into a full team effort.
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But keep him around for fun. :dark:
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Quin
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#8

Post by Quin »

Epignosis wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:32 pm
JaggedJimmyJay wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:29 pm I would agree that people don't fit cleanly into any single "position" (not even the examples I provided). Everything is muddy. I wouldn't know how to label myself on that team. The dynamic also has to adapt as a town team shrinks, because people gon' die -- that relates to Epi's thought. I think the core of my thought is that civilian teams tend to be best served when there are multiple different approaches happening together that can be integrated into a full team effort.
I know how to label you.

One scary motherfucker.

But keep him around for fun. :dark:
Mad Max:

Quin: "I want to kill JaggedJimmyJay"
Epignosis: "Don't kill JaggedJimmyJay"
Quin: "Why?"
Epignosis: "Shits and giggs"
Lunalee wrote: Thu Nov 01, 2018 9:13 amQuin's ISO is full of posts that are actually trying to be helpful to the game. This doesn't look like town Quin.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#9

Post by Epignosis »

I like 3J to play. It's no fun being knocked out just because your rivals are afraid of you.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#10

Post by Ricochet »

Epignosis wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 8:40 pm I like 3J to play. It's no fun being knocked out just because your rivals are afraid of you.
No kidding.
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JaggedJimmyJay
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#11

Post by JaggedJimmyJay »

It definitely hurts more to lose after a long civilian life than to lose after a quick out. :srsnod:
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Overall: 73-57 (.56) | Town 49-41 (.54) | Mafia 18-11 (.62) | Independent 6-4 (.60)

The Syndicate: Town 23-26; Mafia 10-5; Indy 5-1 | RateYourMusic: Town 14-13; Mafia 5-4; Indy 0-3 | Mafia Universe: Town 6-0; Mafia 1-0 | Student Doctor Network: Town 2-1; Mafia 1-0 | HeroClixRealms: Town 1-0; Mafia 0-1 | Bulbagarden: Mafia 0-1; Indy 1-0 | 2+2 POG: Town 1-0 | Naruto Forums: Town 0-1 | Personality Café: Town 1-0 | Vendetta Strada: Town 0-1 | Mafia451: Town 1-0 | Wintreath: Mafia 1-0

Awards:

Spoiler: show
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Rate Your Music

Best Townie, Maffies 4, 8 and 9
Best Scum, Maffies 3
Best Moderator, Maffies 8 and 9
Most Valuable Player, Maffies 7 and 9
Best Roleplay, Maffies 4 and 6
Spirit Award, Maffies 9
Hall of Fame inductee, Maffies 4

Mafia Universe

Mafia Championship Finalist, 2015 and 2020
Best Town Player, 2020

Hosts:

Spoiler: show
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#12

Post by Golden »

Epignosis wrote: Mon Aug 14, 2017 7:57 pmI think civilian liars can do great things.
This is a well underrated point. People are too quick to jump to "liar = mafia". Much more important to consider the motivational context.

I also agree with your overall point, though, epi, which is that a team that is able to adapt into the roles needed in the thread in the context are best of all.
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#13

Post by DharmaHelper »

Best civ team is just me and several clones.
our Linkitis is our lives.

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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#14

Post by Ricochet »

DharmaHelper wrote: Wed Aug 16, 2017 2:48 pm Best civ team is just me and several clones.
Civs.

Team.

heehee haha hoho
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Re: Design the perfect civilian faction

#15

Post by Dragon D. Luffy »

Im probably a provoker. Tho sometimes I play motivator too.
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