Talent is Overrated is a book by Geoff Colvin. Basically he argues that what makes people successful in their fields is not natural talent or hard work. It is a "deliberate practice" However I have bad news to break.
THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO MAFIA
So what makes a great mafia player? I will tell you. These tips can turn a crappy fancy pants player into an expert player. Now you may argue that ur good because you win 60% of your games. No you still suck. To truly be a dominant player you must be able to win at will. This means that any game in which u decide you wanna win, you can win. Obviously there are circumstances that prevent this from happening such as n1's etc. Anyways here are some Principles off the top of my dome to make you a better player.
Understand that being right is only half the battle.
I have seen many great players who are very bad because they have an abrasive personality or vice versa a very submissive personality. You could be right everytime but remember people will only listen to you if they think you are town. Also remember to present your thoughts in a credible matter. Nobody listens to that guy who doesn't talk.
Balance your town/scum play.
Guess what u dummy. Wonder why you're so bad at being scum? It's because you are an easy townread. Sure being an easy townread is nice when youre town. But it will haunt your scum play. It is better to be a difficult read. People will respect you as a tough read. You will not be lynched for being null. Your scum and town play will balance.
Know when to be a (female dog)
Sometimes there's just nothing you can do. The clear is mad he wants hammer he refuses to listen. In this case, as either alignment you just gotta stop arguing and make the man happy. It's better to let him random hammer than to him off and hammer you.
Don't bus, why are you bussing?
Honestly, this is the most disgusting thing in the world. I have had many times where the town was ready to give me the game and then a partner pointed me out. When this happens the town rallys around and often time mafia doesnt even get townread. Bussing is almost always stupid. Having more mafia is always better. Heck, buddying your partner is a great strat. Everyone always says "Mafia would never buddy like that" If people are gonna be dumb just buddy your partners. There's strength in numbers. Remember that when voting.
Learn EpicMafia Mechanics.
I really shouldnt even have to write about this but every day I see scum throw away wins by not kicking/blitzing. Likewise, I see people fos those who have been cleared cuz they had hammer and didnt blitz etc. Stop throwing away wins. Don't be dumb. Learn simple game mechanics.
People who talk first / immediately vote at start of day are usually scum.
Not even joking. Go back through your last twelve games. I guarentee this is true more often than not.
Find patterns, find absolute truths.
I am always looking for new tells. Both town tells and scumtells. I have several things stored in my head that only scum say or only town say. I cannot share them here because they are too valuble. Observe patterns.
Reread every game.
Pick up tips from the graveyard. If they call you an idiot figure out why you were dumb. Look at people's roles see where they messed up, see where they towntold. Check out votes and night actions. READ GOOD PLAYERS GAMES. I can not stress this enough. If you know a good player who has a similar playstyle as you. Read their games, pick up strategy.
Be a likable person, be friendly.
You will not believe how much this helps. You will be n1'd less. People will listen to your reads. This next part will be controversial but in a 3 way people hammer whoever they dislike more. It's true. Most players can't develop good reads so they choose who they want to lose too. Win with class. Act like you've done it before. Try not to freak out at people when you lose.
Ask questions, get people to explain, apply pressure.
If you do these three things every game you will become a master scumhunter. Most people have learned how to fabricate a simple towntell and how not to look scummy. However, when you make a mafia explain his scumread he's dead. So many mafia will tr people to look towny. Just call them out dude. If they give a crap reason they are scum. On the other hand someone might have a really stupid reason to tr somebody. But it's genuine so you can know they are town. Always ask questions, why did you do this, why did you to that? The answer doesn't really matter, you're looking for legitimate thought process. Apply pressure by voting people, see what happens.
Destroy / Create
So many games end up with two people talking and everyone else tabbed out playing games looking at ** etc. Get people involved early by saying/doing something that creates controversy. Drawing an early fos is a small price to pay for a game where everyone participates up the wazzo. As mafia do the opposite. Let people be idiots and not talk. Destroy town order, dont let clear have selfvotes, talk in caps, make people pissed at each other. Do everything in your power to destroy an semblence of order.
Participate and Be Confident.
If you simply give an effort for a complete game you will dominate over the lurkers. People have trouble hammering those who try, remember that. Also be confident, if your town make your reads and give them. So many people are afraid of being called bad for outing their reads. It's better to be wrong than to sit silent and see that you fos'd two mafia but didnt say anything. Remember, scum is trying to make you feel like a bad player. BE confident! People want to townread you!
Know the strategies; play the odds.
Don't go into a game blind, know the situation each day. Know when to claim and when to hide. Know nl, ml, mylo, lylo. Preperation is everything.
Use the role markers.
Not sure if everybody even knows about these but you can mark players as scum or town. It helps keep things organized, when you have a sure townread mark it. Makes scumhunting easier. I don't use the notes. It would be nice if they saved from game-to-game. Oh well.
Some Thoughts regarding Meta.
Be very, very careful. Do not abuse meta, never ever abuse your meta. Never claim meta clear as scum, only do it in extreme cases as town. Also, learn others meta. Formulate player specific reads, not everyone plays the same.
Control your town.
Have you ever wondered why you cant control your town? Some player will be listened to, other will not be. Why is this? Let the town know you will not be f'd with. Also make them feel like you will listen to them (dont). Don't ask for selfvotes immediately. Let the day play out and be present. Dont sit there and lurk like an idiot. When useful content has ceased. You can be a man and lead or you can ask for selfvotes. Every game is unique decide which town will follow.
Quality over quantity.
You get 10 red hearts and 5 gold hearts per day with a max of thirty. Don't bother playing them all. Focus on taking time to play good quality games. Long games are almost always good games. If you are doing homework of watching tv don't play you dingus. Avoid playing mafia just cuz you have nothing to do. Play mafia with a desire to play mafia.
Some thoughts on running.
Stockpile hearts. Being at the top is never great. People play differently; some will throw. Try and find quality tables. Avoid players hat don't participate or players that hate you. If you lose a couple games in a row then take a break. Try and run on one setup, helps you be consistent. Don't give up on a run if you start 1-4. 10 days is plenty of time to come back. Remember you only need about 60% to trophy. That's going 3-2 everyday. Don't talk about your run in-game or use trophy AtE. Expect to go on losing streak and winning streaks. Only 10-15 players even play all their hearts so if you play em all you have a legit shot.
Final thoughts.
Have fun but not too much. Yes it's a game and the purpose of a game is to have fun. But what's more fun than winning?
If enough people like this I may make a more in-depth strategy guide. This guide only scratches the surface.
tl;dr dont be an idiot
