Let's talk some strategy ...

[Haggis_McMutton]

Not sure if this'll take off, but I've been thinking for a while that it'd be nice to have a thread dedicated to strategy talk.

I guess we can discuss how to play certain roles, or even what you would have done different in certain games or whatever.

FIrst question, spurred by the busdriver genocide in Fir's game: How the hell do you play busdriver?
I've never played one, seems really hard to pick targets at the beginning of a game when you don't know who anyone is.
Do you busdrive yourself?

[TA1LGUNN3R]

I think it kinda depends on the game. For example, I think in chu's game, because he had 2 busdrivers, it's supposed to be confusing. I think ideally he probably didn't want both busdrivers to die.

That being said, I've never played the role either.

-Tails

[safariguy5]

I put it in my Modern Warfare 2 game, and it turned out to be an extremely critical role I think on Night 3. I think the cop had been outed, and the driver saved him from the mafia by driving him with a vanilla townie. It's not a bad idea to target power roles once they've been claimed and drive them with people who haven't claimed. May even get lucky and get a scum.

That said, busdriving random people can screw with investigations although this can be useful later on if someone is mislynched. You basically got 1 scum dead to rights if you come out and claim the bus driver who switched the two people.

[Campin_Killer]

I've had it before and it can be tricky. One game I made the mafia kill themselves though. Ahhh, was that funny

[ga7]

The one great thing about busdriver is that there are many different ways to play it. It can also be the riskiest role if you have a PGO in the game
I almost always busdrive myself since I'm usually a target early on but to play it well really depends on what is happening, if you can read and anticipate what scum will do you can protect, and of course attain the busdriver graal which is to make the mafia selfkill
One of the most fun roles I had was mafia busdriver which was kinda replacing mafia godfather. You can be bulletproof & investigationproof the same but from your actions which of course involve a risk, makes it more challenging but more fun to screw with town

[Fircoal]

Switch yourself with the claimed power role to get their protection

[pancakemix]

The first (and only, I think) time I played bus driver was in a game modded by everywhere116 (and if you know who that is, you're old). I really screwed up the mason recruiter on his choices, and ended up getting myself recruited Night 2 after thoroughly confusing him. The strategy turned out ok, but it was pretty haphazard and I wouldn't recommend it.

Swapping yourself is probably the best strategy, but it can get you hated, to be sure. I remember the bus driver in my Simpson's game got lynched for swapping power roles out of protection and into death.

[Mr. Squirrel]

I love the busdriver role. Essentially, you can protect or kill anyone as long as you can anticipate where the actions are going to go. As a town busdriver, I early on will just busdrive anyone that I think is scummy. By screwing up the night actions, I might later be able to catch someone in a lie. Its not common, but occasionally it works well. Later in the game, once you get a feel for the different roles, I like to manipulate who I want to be protected and whatnot. I try to keep the cops out of danger (of course) and redirect kills.

The best is when you have a mafia busdriver. Easily my favorite scum role by far. Essentially, you can overcome every doctor or protection in the game. It really screws things over for claimed roles and leads to some interesting outcomes.

[strike wolf]

I've never played a busdriver. Best strategy would be guide claimed power roles out of danger and replace them with likely scum. As for me I don't know if I could resist the urge to just randomly switch people for the lulz.

[spiesr]

I put it in my Modern Warfare 2 game, and it turned out to be an extremely critical role I think on Night 3. I think the cop had been outed, and the driver saved him from the mafia by driving him with a vanilla townie.

I remember that, I was cult and got one chance to make a recruitment when my idiot partner got himself killed. So I went to grab the claimed cop, but the busdriver switched him with some goofball. That switch was probably the deciding factor in that game. Since the town basically followed the cop's string of successful investigations the whole game, if he had been recruited my group would probably have won with ease, rather than dieing a stupid failure...

[Fircoal]

The first (and only, I think) time I played bus driver was in a game modded by everywhere116 (and if you know who that is, you're old).

I'M OLD!!!

alternatively you could look at my rules x3.

[safariguy5]

I put it in my Modern Warfare 2 game, and it turned out to be an extremely critical role I think on Night 3. I think the cop had been outed, and the driver saved him from the mafia by driving him with a vanilla townie.

I remember that, I was cult and got one chance to make a recruitment when my idiot partner got himself killed. So I went to grab the claimed cop, but the busdriver switched him with some goofball. That switch was probably the deciding factor in that game. Since the town basically followed the cop's string of successful investigations the whole game, if he had been recruited my group would probably have won with ease, rather than dieing a stupid failure...

Speaking of which, I wonder if I should have just have that recruitment fail. Oh well, too late now.

[Haggis_McMutton]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

[Mr. Squirrel]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

Lol. I've never heard of it, but I think it would be hilarious to watch the scum freak out when they see the night scene.

[edocsil]

Ya, as a VT you play aggressively, perhaps lightly hinting at power. Accurate scumdar is you best friend, you are trying to lynch a scum and then take one for the team.

[aage]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to. Most of the people were like "oh gods, gimme a power role nowwww" (I even remember that there was this bloke who got vt for 25 games in a row, lmao) and I was ranting all over the place, to the amusement and annoyance of my fellow players, but for some reason it did work.

As a VT you're A) cannon fodder, and B) lynching bulk. Means you try to catch the night kill on yourself without letting the cop getting all distracted, and you need to attract doc attention to survive the night, othewise town doesn't have a lynching majority.

all in all, it just sucks, but we knew that already.

[safariguy5]

Actually, I'd prefer to have the doc save the cop. Cop surviving is much more important than VT surviving to me.

[Fircoal]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

[Iliad]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

At some point non-vanilla became quite popular around here, and we never stopped doing it.

[Fircoal]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

At some point non-vanilla became quite popular around here, and we never stopped doing it.

I did it at the start, I know that. I have to check other games back then to see who did what.

[TA1LGUNN3R]

All right here's a strategy I've kinda employed...don't know if it's any good though. D1 and even some of D2 I usually just ignore my role. I think 1st impressions are probably the most important. Also, it kinda allows me to accuse anyone without appearing to side with any one person or group. I don't feel that confident in my bluffing skills, so at least this way I can kinda give a reasonable defense if questioned later in the game.

Thoughts from the more experienced players?

-Tails

[pancakemix]

Huh, some interesting ideas here. Guess you can accomplish a lot with busdriver if you know what you're doing.

Now, let me ask about a far rarer role(around here anyway), Vanilla Townie

Anything you can do(except analyzing behaviour and etc). Seems like getting yourself NK'd would be a good thing as you're giving the power roles another night, but how'd you go about doing that?

Ever done anything crazy, like fakeclaim some kind of power role for the above mentioned reason?

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

At some point non-vanilla became quite popular around here, and we never stopped doing it.

I did it at the start, I know that. I have to check other games back then to see who did what.

I actually suggested including more vanillas in our games in a thread in the usergroup forum. Not a whole lot came of it. I'd gladly repost it here if there were enough interest.

All right here's a strategy I've kinda employed...don't know if it's any good though. D1 and even some of D2 I usually just ignore my role. I think 1st impressions are probably the most important. Also, it kinda allows me to accuse anyone without appearing to side with any one person or group. I don't feel that confident in my bluffing skills, so at least this way I can kinda give a reasonable defense if questioned later in the game.

Thoughts from the more experienced players?

-Tails

Actually, this is pretty much what I do.

[aage]

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

At some point non-vanilla became quite popular around here, and we never stopped doing it.

I did it at the start, I know that. I have to check other games back then to see who did what.

I actually suggested including more vanillas in our games in a thread in the usergroup forum. Not a whole lot came of it. I'd gladly repost it here if there were enough interest.

Do we have a usergroup?

[pancakemix]

CC Mafioso. You'd have to pester nag about getting in.

[Fircoal]

I did a lot of crazy stuff as vanilla towny. I played on a board where half of the players in each game were simply powerless vt, most of the time there were no more than 3 power roles, so I kinda had to.

Somehow I think that's how most boards do their mafia. x3 Nawt us!

At some point non-vanilla became quite popular around here, and we never stopped doing it.

I did it at the start, I know that. I have to check other games back then to see who did what.

I actually suggested including more vanillas in our games in a thread in the usergroup forum. Not a whole lot came of it. I'd gladly repost it here if there were enough interest.

Don't look at me x3 I find vanilla townie roles to be boring to mod so I don't put them in reegardless