BUt how does this Neighborhood benefit town? You argue yourself that a reward that gives no benefit makes no sense. Masons, fine, that's a reward. But how is the council itself a reward?
Masons is part of the Neighborhood. I don't see the issue here. It actually is a benefit, because with other players in the neighborhood, they can validate what BA and I claim to provide evidence that we're not lying. Makes our claim more believable so we can be accepted as more-likely Town to the rest of the Town players.
And here's where you're fundamentally wrong. Suppose that, in (iiib), scum doesn't post in the QT and nobody claims Alice or Bob the next morning. Then we know that Alice and Bob must be the scum. Which consequently means that neither Ichi nor Hydrad can be scum. So if Alice and Bob don't claim, they create two ICs. If they claim, well, that a good spot to start looking for scum. So do you really think the reward in this case gives no benefit? I think this makes perfect sense.
But they don't to use Alice and Bob at all. And the optionality of the pseudonyms can be verified in the Council QT.
The pseudonyms are obviously for scum. Just a Neighborhood is little reward at all. I think you were also forced to use these pseudonyms.
We weren't. BA's first batch of posts, at 3:30 in the morning an hour after the council QT opened (and as the first person to post), was to suggest we use the pseudonyms instead of our regular names. This is either AMAZING foresight on BA's part (who is newbie scum here in this scenario), or the obvious conclusion that they were optional. Additionally, Jimmm clarified later on that using a name other than your username without permission would be against the rules. You can argue this is ambiguous, but I think his wording in this (check with Hydrad) strongly suggests that we have the option to use pseudonyms.
Easy. first and foremost, even under pseudonym, BA wants to appear townie. Not posting is not townie. Plus, the pseudonym protects him, so why not post and try to manipulate?
Because scum needs to think about what to say. And for him to come in right away with a plan to manipulate requires him having some concept of what end he's manipulating to. And he couldn't do this, because even in the case where we were scum, we would not have had any collaboration about this yet.
See, here's where I am suspicious. Why does it take you to claim the Masons? That BA doesn't claim Masons is suspicious, because in a BA/WW scumteam, I expect you, WW, to plan such fakeclaims, since you're the experienced one.
BA would have to answer why he did not bring it up. Myself, I wasn't sure if we should admit it in there or not.. I couldn't really foresee the possible dangers, but I ultimately couldn't think of a good reason not to.
Okay, I understand this concern from your perspective.
Of course as scum you want to claim quickly, in order to be able to make this exact argument. But for all we know, you had the chance to inform BA first. That doesn't necessarily take, like, multiple hours.
But we have to plan things! You know this.. you and I talked over and over on how we'd handle situations as a scum team. Here I'd have to just leave a message in the QT and hope he plays along. What if I didn't think about every possible outcome? What if I made bad assumptions? What if this plan sucks?
And his confusion is also suspicions, because to me it says you didn't explain it to him properly. If he really had a message from Jimmmmm, there would be no need to be confused.
He was confused because he's a new player. Again, why would I be telling him that we're Masons in the Council QT and not or own QT, if we planned this out?
Yes, you did, see the explanation above. Plus, if we are already at MyLo, this is a good way to get that one last mislynch.
Exactly when in the last few days of BA and I playing multiple 12's did we have extra dice to save to make this MyLo?
Lynching a low roller did exactly what we wanted to: Forced scum into contributing. I mean, if you make that sort of argument, you'd have to show me how the plays of the players you suspect were scummier than yours.
BA played a 12 on Day 1. Voltaire was not lynched because of his low rolling. Ichi was the one under major fire (from you, nonetheless), not Volt, whose roll was more or less ignored in favor of meta arguments.
PPE: 18