I completely agree with this. As someone who has never hosted, and will probably not do so anytime in the foreseeable future (because there is no way in hell I would be able to design a game that is balanced, interesting, or nuanced enough to be enjoyable for the players I respect and would want playing my game), I'm mostly interested in the player side of this equation (though I acknowledge that the host side is equally if not more important), so that's wht I'll comment on.Mongoose wrote:I think it takes a great deal of finesse and mastery to find out someone is bad and then still make a case on him/her without revealing that you are in the know. When a mafia player crafts a post like a true artisan without an info dump, it's a truly beautiful thing. It takes skill, whereas stating "I know Kim Jong Il is bad, just trust me guys k" is lazy and easy.
We need to reward and encourage the first - that higher level of playstyle while discouraging the latter.
For me, a player who plays casually and without much skill and probably too little thought, I think I am exactly the type of player who is most prone to info-dumping, and the type of player who is least aware of when I am doing it. To that end, something tht would be incredibly useful and interesting for me would be a formal debrief at the end of a game in which the host and/or mod (I actually think the extra layer of objectivity of a mid would be ideal here, but the host is of course the most knowledgeable about their own game) gives a quick overview of how the game went down from their viewpoint, and (and this is the most important aspect for me) provided quoted examples of GOOD uses of info, and borderline/unacceptable ones. Generalizations and vague hints might save people's feelings, but they aren't really as useful as specific and real examples for educational purposes. People would need to be open to criticism and feedback on their play, but I think that is generally a desirable thing for the site as a whole. It would mean more work for hosts/mods, who are already working their butts off for our enjoyment, but I think a formal debrief would be super useful. It could be in addition to the normal post-game discussion tht happens among players and the post-game info that hosts are already providing, but would be more specifically targeted to keying players in to issues and/or exemplary behaviour a that went on during the game that not everyone may have been aware of. These debriefs could, of course, focus on any and all issues that hosts/mods noticed, and needn't be limited to the issue of info dumping, but since that seems to be a big concern right now, it's a place to start. This practice could of course be supplemental to all the ideas outlined by others above, but I think it is a practice that would be particularly useful to players like me who are especially prone to making boneheaded/thoughtless mistakes. Airing out the laundry, dirty or clean, once the game is done just seems incredibly helpful if one of the goals of the site is to teach players (both new and old) what the qualities of great mafiaing are.
