Hello, I'm Scarf. While I might not have the best track record at ranked games I think I can bring something to the community that allows us all to be come better players... While it may seem I have written a lot on this idea I have, please bear with it as it truly is for the best of the community.
You're probably here because you've come to know me for the setup I tend to run where there are many cops and one disguiser. I say many cops as the standard setup for the one disguiser game involves a single disguiser and five cops, but I want to nurture a culture for having at least six cops in the setup, or a greater even number.
The reason why the odd number of cops and one guiser setup does not work is that it forces people into a rl in the first day, or two nl's (which are boring) before the lylo is nigh. This setup also encourages using codes, something that prevents the point of the setup in my opinion, as it essentially trains you to think critically on how people are acting, as we are all familiar with that feeling we had the first time we were vanilla mafia. It's almost a form of stage fright.
That thrill is what makes the disguiser role so interesting, as we are constantly asking ourselves how we can pull of impersonating another player... Just like how we used to ask ourselves how in the hell are we supposed to impersonate a cop. This state of uncertainty is something older players aren't able to obtain normally, which makes the game type unique. No matter how many times you've played a disguiser, you're going to scratch your head at some stage when it comes to impersonating as your victims are always changing.
If you're good enough to not have to scratch your head in pondering how to impersonate your target congratulations, you're a star. Prove it by winning three rounds in a row with my setup. In order to test if you have been paying attention I shall write something completely unrelated to my idea. It shall be the conversation of two people I have just made up in my head. So, what did you think of that movie that we just saw? Well I do believe that the lead actor put on a fantastic performance and deserves all the Oscars. I disagree, but that will be an issue we will discuss later. And that's why I think you can not get a big ego about your skills as a disguiser.
With an even number of cops people are able to notice typing styles that they might have missed from the pregame. This is advantageous to both sides, as it allows for the disguiser to prepare for the coming challenges of impersonation, and it gives cops a chance to actually notice how others interact. With an even number of cops you should always not lynch, as rushing forward to lynch allows you to disregard how people act, and if there's any time you should focus on that - it's the first day of the game.
Ensuring that everybody talks is a great practice, as not only does it mean we're paying more attention to each other but it allows people to come out of their shells and instead of lurking all the time they'll actually get involved, once or twice. In talking to people you're not just testing to see if they are disguised, but you get different opinions which is fantastic. The person who lurked most of day one and was urged to talk before they even talked might have insight on who the disguiser is, and that extra piece of information might just swing the game in the way of the town in any game mode.
When others have critiqued this setup they sometimes asked why I use a role who has night meetings if I am so outspoken againgst using information obtained in the night. While it's true using villagers would prevent the use of codes it would not change the learned behaviour that the standard setup has enabled, which is not what I want. On top of that cops can never investigate another cop, so it's revealed who the disguiser was that day; this forces the disguiser to disguise every night until the game ends. On top of that everybody knows who is playing the disguiser from night one.
It's with this logic that I don't enable day starts. If the setup was 6 cops and one disguiser with a day start then the disguiser would be anonymous for the first day, and while the cops have the advantage of knowing who the disguiser was once the day's over the advantage of a night start is that you get to prepare. I played a round where I noticed that the person who had the (mis)fortune of playing the disguiser enjoyed Writing Like This And It Really Hurts Your Eyes... Knowing that you can see on day one if they are able to abandon their own traits in order to impersonate another, or not...
If you were able to pay attention this far I'd like to say thanks for reading my small essay on what I plan to do with this setup I frequently play. If we are able to spread the thought process I have detailed here to others, and it gets to the point where you can have 10 cops and two disguisers of two different mafia I would be very happy. If you have any questions about me or this project feel free to ask.
