The Syndicate

When my N1 death kept being brought back up on subsequent days, I started worrying that it was being used as faux-gamesolving fodder to distract from relevant interaction dissecting. It seems that was a valid concern.

It’s been a looooooong time since I was killed N1. It’s a shame it happened in my W game instead of my X game.

Welp, it looks my little ping turned out to be right this time. Too bad I didn’t live long enough to come back to it.

G-Man wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 12:46 pm I always get weirded out when JJJ adds cutesy clever quips to his gameplay becausef smart + cute makes me paranoid, and my brain wants me to tin foil the possibility that he's adding the cutesy stuff because he knows he's smart enough to work this game for a few phases under the present circumstances.

The lesson here is this: if JJJ makes it to Lylo, the baddies either goofed hard or JJJ is one of them.


Good game, despite the dearth of conversation. Thanks for providing a soft landing for my reentry, @Syn.

Wringing things down further, Long Con and Sloonei will get a pass from me for today, becasue I know their contribution level can be better.

Lime Coke and Roxy both commit the sin of publicly declaring their loss for who to vote for. It's okay to feel uncertain, but it's not a good look to me to wear that so late in the phase. Force something even if you're wrong and learn from the results.

Falcon just feels at-the-radar, which is a sin in and of itself.

I'm going to go with my gut on this one and [VOTE: Falcon] aubergine.

Good luck to you all. I have to paint now.

Wadding all my other ISO's into one post so I can paint paint paint.


@Lime Coke feels more like a flat vanilla to me. I get RL being an obstacle, but I don't see anything in the ISO to feel positive about. That's how you get out of the POE at this point. Coming back in now with the "wow I just don't know who to vote for" isn't helpful either. It's time to force pegs into holes and make some conclusions for the day.

Question for Lime Coke- What are your impressions of Epignosis, Roxy, and Sloonei? None of them appear in your ISO.


Question for the group- Given more time to engage and participate, what's constitutes a full-carbonated version of Lime Coke?


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@Long Con feels a little too breezy and nonchalant this deep into D1. A few brief comments on the game and people's thoughts, but it's so precious little. Not enough to evade the POE. That rando jump on JJJ's vote for me reads very odd to me.

Question for Long Con- Your interactions so far this game are pretty well-rounded. Who is in your POE and why?

Question for the group- Why is or isn't Long Con in your POE?


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@Roxy has two posts of game substance in her ISO by my count. One in which she asks JJJ for clarification on what a falcon post looks like and her 'all caught up' post with a bunch of takes that don't move her needle much at all.

Questions for Roxy- Why am I a 'probs not vote for' like Wilgy and Splints? Does Wilgy's entrance and posting change anything for you? Can you take any of those catch-up takes and use them to craft a POE? If yes, can you share with the class?

Question for the group- What do you think of her catch-up takes? Are they helpful or word salad?


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@Sloonei's activity feels stale. Either retirement has robbed him of his vigor or he's tip-toeing. I need more content with substance, but I'm not impressed so far.

Question for Sloonei- Has WIlgy given you anything to evaluate him with yet?

Question for the group- Is stale, unremarkable Sloonei content enough to remove him from your POE today?

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By virtue of the bottom end of the alphabet not impressing me much, Delta slides into the Not Today grouping. Wilgy's activity isn't enough to make me feel good about him, but it also isn't enough for me to feel bad about him yet.


POE:
Falcon
Lime Coke
Long Con
Roxy
Sloonei


NOT TODAY:
Delta
DrWilgy
Epignosis
Fingersplints
G-Man
JaggedJimmyJay

Long Con wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 12:38 pm G-man, I want to host the next game you play. I want x game.

We'll see if that's possible. I started this alphabet thing eight years ago with Battlestar Galactica. Twenty-three games in eight years is pretty sparse. This game caught me at a unique point in time from a scheduling and mindset standpoint. You know I'm a fan of your games, but it'll come down to timing primarily.

Whoops. I got my colors wrong. Jay has Falcon is solid green, not light green.

Why does this always happen when I try to read @JaggedJimmyJay? By default, he's never a D1 chop option because he brings quantity and quality to most of the D1's I have ever witnessed from him. This game is no exception. I always get weirded out when JJJ adds cutesy clever quips to his gameplay because smart + cute makes me paranoid, and my brain wants me to tin foil the possibility that he's adding the cutesy stuff because he knows he's smart enough to work this game for a few phases under the present circumstances. But his content feels on brand and I like the variety of interactions. He engages with whoever is around at the same time he is, but his focus isn't too narrow overall. That's helpful for tracing interactions and responses later once flips occur.


Questions for JJJ- 1) You arrive at a light green read on Falcon without much interaction with him. This implies you're clearing him mostly on meta grounds. Are you comfortable with that assessment, or can you point to something of substance in Falcon's posts that make that light green read more concrete? 2) Why do you think that my ISO'ing is in any way a response to anything anyone has attempted to 'prod' me with in this game?


Question for the group- Assuming a world where JJJ is a baddie, are there any D1 cracks that you can identify that we may kick ourselves for not noticing later on if he fleeces us?


VOTING POOL:

POE:
Falcon

TBD:
Delta

NOT TODAY
DrWilgy
Epignosis
Fingersplints
G-Man
JaggedJimmyJay

Whereas Delta's pivot to meaningful content felt protein-based, most of @falcon45ca's contributions feel like empty carbohydrates. Sure, he's been active, but he also hasn't said or done much that has helped move the thread along. It feels at-the-radar level, so I must express reservation. We need fewer marbits and more Kashi from this one.


Question for Falcon- Who is in your POE pool and why?


Question for the group: Should Falcon be in your POE pool for today for his empty-calorie post count or not?




Not going to waste a separate post on myself, so adding it here:

@G-Man- I know my role card. I know my schedule doesn't afford a lot of time to mafia. I know my skill set doesn't result in me being a very helpful player overall. But I know my role card. I've got a fluffy little cotton-ball tail.

Question for G-Man- Are you actually going to be able to finish these ISOs now that you've wasted away the morning and have to get on that painting while there's natural light available?

Question for the group- What criteria do use to evaluate my content to help you distinguish between my trying-to-contribute town play or my try-hard baddie play?


VOTING POOL:

POE:
Falcon

TBD:
Delta

NOT TODAY
DrWilgy
Epignosis
Fingersplints
G-Man

I need two more players in my NOT TODAY category. Pretty sure JJJ is making that list because he's moving the thread with substance, so the remaining ISO's need to really grip me.

While there's not much to @Epignosis's ISO, I like that he is referring to recent games to evaluate other players without doing so in a pushy and conclusive way. He's keeping an open mind without being wishy-washy. I really liked his post about talking to your suspects and not just at or against them. That feels like a more focused, on-point Epi from my deep memory.


Question for Epi: Will you please elaborate on your vote for Roxy? You attempted no interactions with her prior to that point. What's the substance behind that vote?


Question for the group about Epi: Does the quantity of one-liners in his ISO strike you as normal or out of the ordinary?


VOTING POOL:

Delta- TBD
DrWilgy- Not Today
Epignosis- Not Today
Fingersplints- Not Today

I realized that I should only be viewing these vote pool assessments as a temporary classification. I'm going to try whittle the 11 of us down to a POE pool of five like JJJ suggested, so everyone is a day-by-day consideration.

Within the first 12 hours of the day phase, @Delta switches from Hiiiiyeeeee mode to legitimate player interactions. That's good. Most of the interactions/comments are with JJJ, Falcon, and myself, so the focus is a bit narrow.


Question for Delta: You had no interaction of substance with Long Con prior to your post where you vote for him, citing "gut pings." Will you please elaborate, because this feels a little thin.


Question for the group about Delta: I don't believe I have ever played with him before. He joined last year around the time I checked out. What objective information about his play style should I know to avoid misinterpretation?


VOTING POOL:

Delta- TBD
DrWilgy- No
Fingersplints- No

Waiting on @DrWilgy and @Fingersplints to show up. The host has minimum-posting requirements in place, so I will pass no judgement on these two players at this time, nor will I vote for them.

My question to both of them, if and when they show up, is- what is your assessment of the game?




VOTING POOL:

DrWilgy- No
Fingersplints- No

Welcome to ISO-kicking time at the OK Corral. I've got a half-bathroom to paint this weekend, starting soon, so I don't have much more time to commit to the day phase. I'm going to look at ISO's, post a surface-level reading comment or two, and a question for the group and the individual player ISO'd for each of you. Keep calm and don't get sucked into any EOD shenanigans.

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:22 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 7:54 pm

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:12 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:02 pm

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:08 amWhat if I told you that there was a Canucks playoff game last night, and hockey > Maf?

I certainly believe you that hockey > Maf, though I’m not sure hockey prevents falcon from making falcon posts.

I dunno dude, that guy sure loves his Canucks

Well, nobody's perfect. But hockey definitely trumps mafia, even it involves cheering for the wrong team.

Whose jersey do you wear?

When I was a surly teenager, I opted to go against the grain and picked a team other than the ones my family supported. My dad and sister were Penguins fans (Lemieux & Jagr era) and my mom liked the Blackhawks (she thought Chris Chelios was cute). I got a book about the NHL from the library and wound up picking the Montreal Canadiens because their colors and logo were snappy, they had a lot of history, and they were a completely off-the-radar seeming kind of team. This was a few years AFTER they last won the Cup in '93 though, so they have only had a few really good years and that one fluky Cup Finals appearance. Also, because they're Canadian, they're like never on TV. Over the last 25 years, I've become more of a fan of the sport that any particular team, but I still have preferences. I don't take part in the obnoxious entitlement component of their fan base, nor am I hardwired to any of their rivalries. My preference for Canadian teams flows in this order: Montreal, Calgary, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Vancouver, Ottawa.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:53 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 7:46 pm This assumes a chaotic evil approach, in which the baddies don't put a lot of stake in the pride of winning the game either though. So your mileage may vary depending on the proclivities and egos of the baddie players.

Is this a theory that you would like to pursue?

Not yet. I was just mentioning it because it is a theory that I have employed myself in the past, so I know that it is possible. Given the post counts so far, it's difficult to say where the cutoff between low-posting and adequate-posting even is. Splints and Wilgy haven't even posted yet, which presents another set of challenges in a game this small. I don't equate no-posting absenteeism with low-posting mischief. How about you?

Sloonei wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 12:51 am If I could have an accurate Wilgy read bestowed upon me, that would be super. I’ve never been able to figure out how read him organically.

What methodology have you used to read him artificially in the past? Success rate?

Lime Coke wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 3:07 am

Lime Coke wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 3:03 am I was going to place G-Man in towns but then looked at iso and realized he wasn't really as towny so could vote there.

Main reason being he kinda just spoke about a past game and that's really it.

Like yes it was in topic with talking about yeeting low-posters or people that didn't even post but yeah still didn't do much else.

Shaded a JJJ vote on him lightly.

Yes, unfortunately, I don't bring much to these games. I'm data-driven, and D1 and D2 are just spaghetti on the walls of my brain. By D3 I get better about analyzing what's really sticking, but we don't have the luxury of time in this game. If I have to be an early mischop for the town to move forward, that's fine by me.

Roxy wrote: ↑Sat May 18, 2024 7:43 am Ok I am caught up and tbh there really is not much here from anyone that says "hey I am bad".

I always struggle on D 1's and am astounded at those that can pick and nudge people and find stuff on D 1.

Am not sure who is bad nor who to trust just yet. It's way too early for that.

I know I probs would not vote for Wigly or splints but I probs won't vote GMan as it has been a-while since we have last played and I am hopeful for a GMan style game since he is around! (how's the kids?)

Delta is high posting.
Lime Coke feels absent.
LC feels like he is auditioning for a SNL episode.
falcon seems normal but I cannot trust my read on him any longer.
JJJ feels like and eager beaver aiming to please.
Epi seems like Epi and since I feel he is bad he is probs good.
Sloonei I cannot even remember the last time we played but I do know this feels like you are doing your best Vompatti impression.


this is where I am and honestly very unsure of where my vote will go.

They're 12 and 8 now. My 6th grader won the middle school spelling bee back in December and her grades kicked butt all year. My youngest is auditioning for next year's elementary musical this morning. Lots of spunk in that one. My oldest is our introverted people pleaser, while my youngest is our litigator and fighter.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:16 pm [VOTE: W-Man] aubergine

Comes off a wee bit phony

Wow. This vote is even lazier than my gameplay. But you're probably pellet-stirring, so carry on then.

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:26 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:24 pm

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:19 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:16 pm [VOTE: W-Man] aubergine

Comes off a wee bit phony

How so? !_!

Just a vague sense of I don't know what to post, so I guess I'll post this

That's fair
I did kinda think his second 'x and y are mafia because z' post felt almost comically timed, considering I had mentioned that the first felt lightly townie. So can see your point there.

I dont want to lean into meta too much here, but is that out of the ordinary for G-Man? Not a player I'm familiar with at all so for the most part I attributed it to personality

Good luck getting a definition of my ordinary gameplay (though ordinary is a pretty apt term to use- I am a relic of a former era). Most of my gameplay decisions are based on my RL circumstances and how well I can hide the fact that I'm playing a game of mafia from my wife.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:31 pm

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:26 pm I dont want to lean into meta too much here, but is that out of the ordinary for G-Man? Not a player I'm familiar with at all so for the most part I attributed it to personality

That's a good question. G-Man hasn't played much in recent years, so it's difficult for me to provide a meaningful answer -- but if I reach far enough into the past I would describe G-Man's personality range as quite broad. He does add a lot of personality to his posting style, and that's his special G-Man charm. I'm not sure, however, that personality is generally the whole of his contribution (as it has been in these few posts). It's quite early anyway, so I'll see how G-Man carries on from here.

Isn't is a bit of a dis to say that someone's got a great personality? Oof. I love you too Jay. You are correct though, that your answer isn't meaningful.

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:35 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:17 pm We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

What would the psychological advantage be? The longer they 0 post, the more likely I am to vote them

See here.

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 7:56 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 7:46 pm

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:21 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:17 pm We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

Doesnt have quite the same flair to it as myself/Lime Coke

Though does that not give the opposite of an advantage? ;;'

Wilgy and I baddie-slanked our way to victory in a small game a while back, but I can't recall which one. There was a lot of "OMFG, it was BOTH of the low posters?!?" after the fact.

Long Con wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 1:32 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:17 pm We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

In the last game I played, I found that there was resistance to the idea of taking out low- or no-posters on day one.

This. In a game this small, it's more dangerous to policy chop a low-poster because the odds quickly stack up against you if you're wrong and have few if any meaningful interactions to ISO off of. If you're willing to live dangerously instead of methodically, and have a winning-be-damned, in-it-for-the-fun-of-playing mindset, then it's easier to commit to. But there's a lot of social pressure to make the 'correct' wrong choices when you err, so the tendency is to shy away from chopping low posters.

The mindset behind it is as follows:


This assumes a chaotic evil approach, in which the baddies don't put a lot of stake in the pride of winning the game either though. So your mileage may vary depending on the proclivities and egos of the baddie players.

Eh

Fair I guess? it's such an odd approach as a wolf though

It was glorious, but it's also the kind of thing that you only get away with once in a great while, so you have to put that card back in the deck for a while once you win with it.

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:12 pm

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:02 pm

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:08 amWhat if I told you that there was a Canucks playoff game last night, and hockey > Maf?

I certainly believe you that hockey > Maf, though I’m not sure hockey prevents falcon from making falcon posts.

I dunno dude, that guy sure loves his Canucks

Well, nobody's perfect. But hockey definitely trumps mafia, even it involves cheering for the wrong team.

JaggedJimmyJay wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 4:04 pm I’m a hare bunderwhelmed by G-Man.

Woeful punny bunny shtick from JJJ feels on-the-level for some reason.

Sloonei wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:50 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:21 pm

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:13 am

Sloonei wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 9:48 am

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 9:46 am Any thoughts so far?

You and Jay have done an adequate job of hoisting this game out of the silent void it was resting in. Enough so to award you each a townie point.

Sloonei's Maf

Waffling on Sloonei is the path to destruction. One must either love him or take him out of the game. There can be no middle path.

Outdated take.

Well, I haven't been around or playing very much lately, have I? Is an outdated take from an outdated player that surprising?

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:21 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:17 pm We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

Doesnt have quite the same flair to it as myself/Lime Coke

Though does that not give the opposite of an advantage? ;;'

Wilgy and I baddie-slanked our way to victory in a small game a while back, but I can't recall which one. There was a lot of "OMFG, it was BOTH of the low posters?!?" after the fact.

Long Con wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 1:32 pm

G-Man wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 12:17 pm We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

In the last game I played, I found that there was resistance to the idea of taking out low- or no-posters on day one.

This. In a game this small, it's more dangerous to policy chop a low-poster because the odds quickly stack up against you if you're wrong and have few if any meaningful interactions to ISO off of. If you're willing to live dangerously instead of methodically, and have a winning-be-damned, in-it-for-the-fun-of-playing mindset, then it's easier to commit to. But there's a lot of social pressure to make the 'correct' wrong choices when you err, so the tendency is to shy away from chopping low posters.

The mindset behind it is as follows:


This assumes a chaotic evil approach, in which the baddies don't put a lot of stake in the pride of winning the game either though. So your mileage may vary depending on the proclivities and egos of the baddie players.

falcon45ca wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 10:13 am

Sloonei wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 9:48 am

Delta wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2024 9:46 am Any thoughts so far?

You and Jay have done an adequate job of hoisting this game out of the silent void it was resting in. Enough so to award you each a townie point.

Sloonei's Maf

Waffling on Sloonei is the path to destruction. One must either love him or take him out of the game. There can be no middle path.

We live in a world where both of our current no-posters (Wilgy and Splints) are baddies and planning to low-post coast through Day 1 to establish psychological advantage.

Discuss.

We live in a world where Delta and Lime Coke are the baddies because fate has brought me back to a game with so many familiar and beloved people.

Discuss.