after playing a couple games in new comp 2.0 i was disappointed to see they're not as fun / as competitive as games in old comp lobby. here are some tips for training players who want to tryhard the right way and win.
[tryhard]
I. Mafia is a Social Game
The most essential aspect of Mafia that many players seem to forget is that Mafia revolves not on reads, not on tells, not on reports, not on meta, but on PEOPLE. Understanding and getting a feel of your fellow players is essential in winning games at above 50% consistently.
It will take a while to learn to read people through chat alone (making EM significantly harder than irl Mafia and its variants) and the best way to improve is to keep playing. The more you get to know how people react to certain situations, the better you can adapt your play to benefit from other people's behavioural tells.
It does not matter how correct (or wrong) your reads are. Mafia is a game of convincing, and so as long as you get enough people to think the way you want them to. Anything can be used as basis for a push or a lynch and understanding what to say at the right time to save your own skin or throw someone under the bus is a skill that cannot be taught and is only gained through experience.
Regardless of what your stance is on 'meta', it is almost always used (both subconsciously and otherwise) in understanding why people say things in certain situations. Understanding your fellow players as emotional, non-random beings (humans have extreme difficulty being random consistently) and how each responds to stimuli is important in planning your own actions in game.
II. Humans are emotional beings
Understand that the average player is a normal, feeling, person and use this to your advantage. Mafia is above all a game of emotional manipulation and social dynamics and adapting your own play to different people is essential in winning.
Getting reads on how another player carries themselves, treats those around them, and who is friends with who give subtle hints you can exploit to get what you want. Being able to adapt is crucial in any game you are in. An inflexible town that does not listen to reason and logical thinking might require you to strongarm the vote, while a table of intelligent capable players might require you to feign stupidity to convince them they are acting upon their own decisions' not someone else's.
Understanding what makes people tick is also important in learning how to push their buttons. Being completely text based, you can affect how people react based on what you type. A chummy, friendly table that you read as 'playing for fun' will not take kindly to your capsspammed tryharding while a different table might read your constant spewing of inane memes and repeated jokes as deserving of being lynched for being unreadable.
Use the whole spectrum of emotions to your advantage. A clear showing signs of indecision and weakness can be easily convinced by making them doubt their own judgment. Friendships established with other players can be utilised to make them less willing to lynch you (this is meta abuse plainly, but as long as you don't blatantly say so and make others perceive this to be 'scumhunting', who's to say you're wrong?)
III. Everyone is lying
The content of any statement is inconsequential in the long run and understanding the intent of said statement is a much more useful tool in 'reading' people. Everyone is trying their best to appear a certain way and to do that, one must lie. Understanding why someone says something is the basis of most reads and lynches, and is much more significant than what they say. People aren't perfect, and even the most towny ones can make genuine mistakes that appear scummy. Consistency is what helps determine the scum from the town. A scum consistently being townie but changing their reads on lylo (through whatever means, remember everyone in game is disingenuous) is much more suspect than a town who's consistently been inattentive.
Having established mafia as a social game of wits, understand that it isn't just mafia that should lie. So as long as what you say gets you closer to your win condition, by all means say it. While you might not necessarily agree with the (obnoxious) clear, stroking his/her proverbial helps in terms of the game you are in as it makes it easier for said clear to believe you later on.
IV. Don't take poop from anyone
Just because a player is more experienced than you, has more trophies than you, or has been on the site longer does not make their opinion any less valid than yours. Everyone is equal in game, and your vote holds just as much strength as anyone else's. Be confident in your reads and stand up for them, especially if someone else is trying to undermine you. Mafia is great because it's an exercise of conviction and getting others to listen to what you say (regardless of how much BS is in it) is ultimately satisfying.
Few players naturally gravitate to 'leading' town (it is just as daunting as public speech) but learning when to stand your ground and voicing your opinion will help you win games more consistently (regardless of alignment)
Remember mafia is played on the internet, and any preconceptions of 'morals', or 'hurt feelings' should be kept at the door. You play to win and should not let a raging tryhard or a more intimidating well-spoken player prevent you from doing so.
V. Don't be poop to everyone
There is a fine line from being outspoken and opinionated and being a d*** . Don't get into personal petty attacks on other people outside the game (in game is fine, using everything you have to your advantage is a must, if that means hurting someone else's feelings to survive another round, do it) just because they don't agree with you. At the end of the day, everyone's here to play, have fun, and win, and being a butthurt loser over an online game that has no bearing or significance on your real life.
VI. Don't be a butthurt loser
The only justifiable times to report someone are for gamethrowing, GRS, and cheating.
You should not care about what a random stranger on the internet who you will probably never meet in real life has said about you. Don't be sensitive over mundane things. Mafia is JUST a game. You have family, friends, and lotsa people who (probably) care about you. So stop whining someone called you bad/stupid/mentally deficient, suck it up, and play the next game. This is the internet. You cannot control what other people say and to think you have the power to do so makes you no different to the terrorists who attacked Charlie Hebdo.
If words have the power to define you as a person, that speaks more about your character than of the aggresor (dwi).
VII. HAVE FUN
Don't be that person who takes mafia so seriously that they fail to see that at its core, it is a game involving relationships with other people. We're all a bunch of nerds (i don't think you can describe a person who goes to a website solely dedicated to an online version of a party game that I have never seen played at any parties i've been to anything but) who are here to enjoy Mafia.
[/tryhard]
that's just my take on how to best play mafia lol, idk if it's accurate but it's worked for me well enough lol
