The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Tol-in-Gaurhoth (Isle of Werewolves)

littlemanpoet · 07-18-2005, 09:18 AM

Now that the Finale of Werewolf VI is academic, I'm going to post up a few reflections on strategy. Please convince me I'm wrong about any of this, if you can.

The Mythomaniac is such a powerful wildcard that it creates the equivalent to a permanent power play in hockey. The Cursed Villager served that function for the werewolves already in Game III & IV, but was in Game IV balanced by the existence of a wealth of gifted innocents, not to mention the fact that the CV got lynched quickly.

That the MM became Seer#2 in game VI, gave the innocents such a powerful advantage that the werewolves didn't have a chance unless the innocents really bungled. The fact that there were so few ungifted innocents was no liability, but instead belied an embarrassment of riches in terms of gifted innocents.

After the Seer, the most powerful role, if used wisely, is not Ranger nor Hunter, but the two Shirriffs, revealed (on day 2, not day 1, I think) as known innocents. It effectively takes the initiative away from the werewolves until the werwolves can get rid of the shirriffs, which takes no less than 2 Nights.

All of this rehash to reiterate something I said before, which has now been proven out: if gifted innocents outnumber ungifted innocents, the werewolves are at a disadvantage. Further, the more experienced players we have, the harder it's going to be for the werewolves to win.

In Game V, if The Guy had been a known innocent, Feanor's set of double bluffs would not have been nearly as effective. In the same game, if the MM had become an additional Ranger or Hunter, or a second Seer, it would have tipped the balance against the werewolves so much that I think they'd have had a real hard time pulling off a win instead of the romp they experienced.

So I have two suggestions for future mods:

(1) If gifted innocents outnumber ungifted innocents, you will keep a better balance in the game by having a Cursed Villager instead of a Mythomaniac.

(2) The Mythomaniac needs to be rendered less of a doom-thrower against whichever side it does NOT wind up on. Therefore, try instead of having a one-time MM choice, have the Moderator do a random nightly choice such that the role of the MM changes every two Nights; this means that the MM could be a Seer for two Days and two Nights, then a werewolf for two Days and two Nights.

Like I said, please convince me I'm wrong about this stuff if you think I am.

07-18-2005, 09:18 AM	#6
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Now that the Finale of Werewolf VI is academic, I'm going to post up a few reflections on strategy. Please convince me I'm wrong about any of this, if you can. The Mythomaniac is such a powerful wildcard that it creates the equivalent to a permanent power play in hockey. The Cursed Villager served that function for the werewolves already in Game III & IV, but was in Game IV balanced by the existence of a wealth of gifted innocents, not to mention the fact that the CV got lynched quickly. That the MM became Seer#2 in game VI, gave the innocents such a powerful advantage that the werewolves didn't have a chance unless the innocents really bungled. The fact that there were so few ungifted innocents was no liability, but instead belied an embarrassment of riches in terms of gifted innocents. After the Seer, the most powerful role, if used wisely, is not Ranger nor Hunter, but the two Shirriffs, revealed (on day 2, not day 1, I think) as known innocents. It effectively takes the initiative away from the werewolves until the werwolves can get rid of the shirriffs, which takes no less than 2 Nights. All of this rehash to reiterate something I said before, which has now been proven out: if gifted innocents outnumber ungifted innocents, the werewolves are at a disadvantage. Further, the more experienced players we have, the harder it's going to be for the werewolves to win. In Game V, if The Guy had been a known innocent, Feanor's set of double bluffs would not have been nearly as effective. In the same game, if the MM had become an additional Ranger or Hunter, or a second Seer, it would have tipped the balance against the werewolves so much that I think they'd have had a real hard time pulling off a win instead of the romp they experienced. So I have two suggestions for future mods: (1) If gifted innocents outnumber ungifted innocents, you will keep a better balance in the game by having a Cursed Villager instead of a Mythomaniac. (2) The Mythomaniac needs to be rendered less of a doom-thrower against whichever side it does NOT wind up on. Therefore, try instead of having a one-time MM choice, have the Moderator do a random nightly choice such that the role of the MM changes every two Nights; this means that the MM could be a Seer for two Days and two Nights, then a werewolf for two Days and two Nights. Like I said, please convince me I'm wrong about this stuff if you think I am.