Quote Originally Posted by deathworlds View Post
A couple of things we should consider when deciding what to do for a beginners game then, if we decide to have one at all.

A.) What our objective specifically is, or rather, what we hope to accomplish by hosting beginner games.
B.) What appeals to new players?

I believe our goal is to recruit players, and to have those players improve over time. If this isn't the case, we should clarify with each other.

My first game of forum mafia was S-FM 96: Gang Wars, it was an appealing setup to me, just because I was obsessed with scumfest saves at the time (and that was the only signups up when I wanted to join in) but it didn't really teach me much about mafia, or any of the principles behind it, it was pretty much just a night action game.
We were all new at some point, so why don't we share what appealed to us as new players? We can use that information to better craft a setup, instead of talking about the theory behind it.
A)I think our objective should be to entice all the people that go through the forums to give FM a shot
B)Crazy setups and a welcoming atmosphere

S-FM 170: Happy Fluffy Times was the first setup I ever played and as said, it was hidden. I think I read a forum game before that to get a feel for all the deception that could be done with words, and just jumped right in. I ended up losing my first few games, often because I was unable to provide town-tells and thus lynched early on. I got better by playing more, and listening and testing out the suggestions made by stronger players who would help me post-game. The human aspect of FM really appealed to me and finding ways to communicate and anti-communicate. It also helped that I love reading.

I don't really think the purpose of a beginner game is to get people good at FM, just to get people to play. People should get better, but first players need to enjoy playing, then they'll get to know us. And if they know us, they'll stick around.