If Mafia is poor enough to have their key player lynched Day 1, they ought to be in a difficult to win situation. In some newbie games and some open set-ups, a correct lynch Day 1 of mafias key powerrole almost certainly nails them. Say in a Newbie Game, if the M. Roleblocker is lynched D1, a cop has the full safety of knowing a Doctor exists to break the game, unless mafia gets lucky N1. In small games, one or two lynches deciding the game is not a damaging mechanic - it's extremely hard to give each side enough room for multiple chances. Having said that, I don't think the situation is so bleak in an On/Off Goon lynch D1;Herodotus wrote:The point is town and scum outguessing each other, but Olinea is right that there's a chance the town will be far, far ahead at the end of day 1. What if the mafia started as goons, and assigned the lights-off and lights-on/off roles between them on night 1?
Scum's "optimal" play N1 is to shoot with the Lights On, as townies thinking in the way Hero suggested could net them a 1:6 nightless game, but if they're wrong, this gives mafia a free kill (remember, townies can't change their light status after a lynch or at night). I expect at least one townie would switch their light off for N1 to compensate for this, and if they do, losing the On/Off Goon D1 still gives the Off Goon some townies to aim for, preventing it from being essentially nightless. The balance of the game was designed so that two mislynches loses the game,
unless
town can outguess scum once at night, as one prevented NK gives them a third mislynch - I think this mechanic makes trying for lights off a viable play for N1, as town are really only wanting one save, unless they're banking on hitting the On/Off Goon to cash in an advantage in a psuedo-nightless game.
