gftgy: 1-S2-1-564449, Human: 1-S2-1-7818686, EpicTimes: 1-S2-1-1008807

[gftgy]

I understand that watch-list doesn't have any practical effect, but I am loathe to be labeled a potential toublemaker and I appeal this verdict on principle. I have over 800 games played (500 on this computer), and the fact that this is my first report should speak volumes to both my gameplay experience as well as attest to how I conduct myself in the game. Based on Alright's stated reasons for the verdict, it is apparent to me that they did not understand my actual intentions and reasoning in the game, which I will do my best to convey properly here. If possible, I would like to request SuperJack to handle my appeal, as I trust their understanding of meta-gameplay elements, which is key to my appeal.


Firstly, this opinion may be unpopular, but I want to enter into evidence that the avatar one chooses - much like their name - can actually have an impact on the game. Some avatars may have a negligible impact (e. g. Hunk), while others, like the Demon here, will often have a considerable impact. In this replay, this is immediately proven at the start of Day 1, where no fewer than four people express an interest in the Diablo's death, even before any night actions have taken place. Other possible examples of an avatar impacting the game is someone with a basic male or female avatar pretending to be new, or someone making an authoritative appeal to their experience by showcasing a Protoss avatar, both of which are established tactics in SC2Mafia. Thus, regardless of the more traditional gameplay reasons I will now expand upon, I want to make it clear that I wholly reject Alright's notion that a decision should not be apparently influenced by someone's choice of an avatar. If, as moderators of the game, you feel strongly that avatars should not be considered in gameplay decisionmaking, I suggest you remove the offending avatars entirely, rather than attempt to change human nature (the observation and manipulation of which is, after all, the core gameplay element in Mafia).

With that in mind, let’s recap the game. As the replay will show, at the start of the game I check the Help Menu to see the point distribution (and familiar faces) of players, which will shape my tactics and how I behave in this game.

Day 1, three others (Dr. Progesss, bruh, and Dr. Prognosis, in that order) declare their dissatisfaction with the Diablo avatar. As far as I am concerned, the game has already started, even if nightfall hasn’t occurred. Exactly zero other sentiments have been expressed at this point, so I become the fourth person to share the same. In other games during the first day, sometimes people will lie and say that they’re the Godfather, others mention their favorite music; I’m personally fond of the “let’s lynch Diablo” tactic. This is Mafia gameplay.

Night 1, the Crier/Judge (unknown at this time) further expresses that the Diablo, player 8, should be lynched come daytime. This is potentially Five persons with a publicly stated interest in lynching Diablo, possibly including a Judge. At this point, I have no way to know whether Diablo is good or evil, but I’m immediately thinking about how I can potentially manipulate the possible judge to lynch a fellow evil if I come to suspect Diablo of being one.

Day 2, Dr. Prognosis is dead. bruh says that 8 is not suspicious. I actually state that I don’t think 8 is the Diablo, but that I would like to put 8 on trial, anyway. (If I recall correctly, my intuition at this time suggested that 8 may have been the Judge.) [At this point, Dr. Progress helpfully informs me that the player circle always starts at the very right with player 1, therefore making 8 at the very left the Diablo - something I had actually never figured out on my own despite my number of games played.] 8 defends himself by saying that I am trying to randomly lynch a ns person, and because I am interested in pushing 8 to trial, I try to manipulate public opinion which believes both that 8 is the demon, and has a stated interest in the demon dying. 8 receives 5 of the 6 votes needed for trial, as a couple other people have expressed their interest in lynching the Diablo, but successfully escapes into the night without being placed on trial. At this point, based on what 8 has said in chat thus far, that 8 was not voted up despite the court of public opinion, that 8 is apparently Diablo and that someone who wanted to lynch Diablo was shot by the Mafia, and that 8 was found not suspicious by bruh, I suspect that 8 is the Godfather, which I publicly claim before the day ends. To expand upon this, if the Diablo were not Mafia, I surmise that the Mafia would have wanted all townspeople interested in lynching Diablo alive, so as to prompt the town to mislynch Diablo, keeping Mafia safe. More damningly, if the Diablo were not Mafia, the Mafia would have every interest in following the publicly stated town interest and lynching (or at least voting up) the Diablo. Neither of these happened, so I presume that the Diablo is a member of the Mafia.

To drive home this point, by the second day, I have CORRECTLY pinpointed a Mafia member based entirely on social cues and a sheriff’s claim that they were not suspicious.

Night 2, There is no disturbing of the peace, but the Neutral Evil is still unaccounted for making Judge still possible. An Investigator AFK-suicides (this is important and not mentioned in Alright's summary), and bruh, another vocal proponent of lynching Diablo is shot by the Mafia.

Day 3, At this point, with bruh dead, if I wasn’t sure that the Diablo was a member of the Mafia before, I am now. I push to have him lynched, but I am instead voted up by all four evils, and a couple naïve town members. This is where I really have a problem, because since I am on trial and Agosto suicided last night, there are only four town remaining to vote for my innocence, meanwhile there are four evils I can count on to vote against me, and a neutral benign. No invests have spoken up at this point, and two are in the graveyard, so I assume that none exist, making the sole town random likely a protective role. (This is my save, so I have the advantage of knowing the probabilities.) If I reveal as a doctor (for which I have no proof), the other two presumed protective roles will be doubtful, and if either speak up that they themselves are protective roles, I am certainly doomed. Furthermore, as far as I know, a Judge is fairly likely as there have been no kills from the neutral evil, no audits, no witching, and cult probability is too low to be worth considering (~4%), potentially resulting in myself being courted as soon as I reveal as town. Further still, even if I survive my trial, I can expect to be promptly murdered at night after revealing as a doctor. Since the town gov is dead, I can’t pray for a Mayor reveal to save me. My only hope for a successful defense is to deflect back onto 8, who has not defended himself at all this game other than to point towards me, and pray that the neutral benign would join my cause. This was a game-deciding moment that I did not take lightly (and it's only Day 3!), and I maintain that I provided the best defense I could have, given the circumstances. I am convicted guilty by a vote of 5 to 3, with one abstention from an AFK vigilante, who consequently suicides at night (also missing from Alright's summary). I successfully managed to convince the neutral benign to vote with me, and all (present) town except the one who has written this report.

If coffeeclubbr had voted innocent with the rest of the town, I would have been saved, and the town potentially victorious. Considering that theirs was literally the only deciding vote, as all four evils were naturally voting guilty, this report is tainted by a clear conflict of interest. Furthermore, a review of this save from coffeeclubbr's perspective shows that they are already convinced that 8 cannot be Mafia, as they have updated their last will to say so. Therefore, with 20/20 hindsight, I believe that there is absolutely nothing I could have said to make coffeeclubbr think 8 was evil to save the town.

In the graveyard, I am immediately told that it was a good defense, so I actually take offense to being reported for “game-throwing” and “offering no defense when trialed.” To lend credence to everything I’ve stated above, and that I haven’t just made it up to defend this report, I even explain that I couldn’t have revealed as a doctor in the graveyard of this replay, while several people, including the still-alive survivor, state that it was obvious that 8 was a member of the Mafia, so I find it shortsighted that Alright assumes we had no basis to push for a lynch, particularly after both investigative roles and the town gov turned up dead. Surely Alright doesn't expect town to just sit around and die?

At any rate, I object to being reported for “griefing” for my (otherwise successful) attempt to have a Mafia member lynched, and I object to being reported for “gamethrowing” by the one townsperson that didn’t recognize an evil and was arguably the consequent cause of our loss. Additionally, I expressly state in the replay that I am actually targeting player 8 specifically when I am unaware that they are the demon, and my behavior remained consistent with my goals and knowledge as clarified in this post.

So aside from the question to staff about my appeal, the question I have after all this is: Did coffeeclubbr even notice after the game that 8 was Mafia when they wrote this report?

EDIT: Went overboard with the colors for clarity because I'm really worked up about my first report. I figured in a game like this it had to happen sometime, as emotions often run high, but I really think the verdict was delivered without a complete analyses of the situation.

EDIT EDIT: Oh god what have I done. I'll fix this, I swear!

EDIT EDIT EDIT:
Account Name: gftgy
Account ID: 1-S2-1-564449

Crimes Committed: Color Abuse