JaggedJimmyJay
The Brassiere of The Syndicate
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2022
- Messages
- 2,372
- Reaction score
- 3,123
There were many factors in our loss, including some bad luck. But I was going around saying brilliant things like "Santy is town, that's my last legacy", so give yourself a break. I think you did play competently. Keep in mind that the town player has [I believe] three core objectives: 1) find mafia, 2) avoid being wrongly eliminated, and 3) promote a healthy game thread.
I think you missed the mark on #1, but quite literally all of us missed that mark. Sometimes that's how it goes! You did very well with the other two points, especially considering you were viewed as a suspect the entire game. Way to keep your spirit high and play under duress. Many players would have been voted out in your position.
A few "tips", per your request:
~ Take care with meta reads. They can be immensely powerful tools; indeed, they might be the most reliable kinds of reads there are -- but only when you really have developed them with a large sample size. It sounds like you're in your first year or two of playing, and that might mean you haven't seen a lot of certain players on both sides of the affiliation coin. So let those impressions develop before relying on them too strongly. Use them, wield them, play with them -- but be careful about how much confidence you put in them.
~ Play the town alignment actively rather than passively. Sometimes players will wait for the game to come to them, so to speak, and that can be okay under the right circumstances and for certain types of solvers. I get the impression though that you'd be better as an active solver, even though I thought you played a more passive game. Take that game thread by the horns and bend it to your will (within reason), and create an environment conducive to your ability to find the answers you seek. Address other players directly, consistently, and persistently. Ask questions, make accusations, make suggestions, and lather, rinse, repeat. When you post a reads list on Day 1, do so with belief in yourself that it is a product of a real process of your own cognition, something that you came up with your own way. It doesn't have to be perfect. It only has to be yours.
~ Most importantly, when you get something wrong, it doesn't have to result in an overhaul of how you approach Mafia. I had a very poor game just now by my standards, and truth be told I will probably play the next one very similarly. It has worked for me more often than it has failed, and I will continue to trust in my abilities. You're an engineer. You have all kinds of brains. You have a unique mental skillset that can serve to town's benefit. Put it to use, and weather the adversity.
