[littlemanpoet]

Originally Posted by Kath

lmp, I see your point about you and Sauce arguing. I had quite forgotten you did that. However, that does not mean that one or the other of you is not a wolf, trying to make yourselves look normal.

A very good point, and something that I got to thinking about on my way home from work.

I have a theory to propound. I am not sure I believe in it, but we surely do need an alternative to the current one that has gone THREE DAYS running without dissent. That must stop.

Fact: Feanor of the Peredhil has done her level best to set up a game that would allow for a maximum of ploy and gamesmanship as compared to logic and reasoning. The result is that if the werewolves can define "the story" according to their own interests, and get the rest of the players to accept and believe it, they increase their chances of winning this game.

Fact: There are two werewolves who at the start of this game did not know each other's identity.

Fact: Espiem floated his "how a werewolf might think" theory, which has by and large been accepted by the majority of players if the lack of opposition to it is any indication: "the wolves are in competition and are looking to kill each other".

Fact: the phantom has been doing his level best to dictate what this game is, and how it may best be understood. This is completely in character for an innocent Phantom, and is thus unlikely to arouse overmuch suspicion.

Fact: Espiem has gone into prosecutor mode, and picked out Elempi as his first target, which is not in the least unusual and therefore is least likely to arouse overmuch suspicion. This, by the way, is a reasonably effective way of getting one particular player who is known to be susceptible to defensiveness, on the defensive, and not thinking about what might really be going on. Well, maybe in another game, but not this time.

Fact: Espiem and the phantom have, as is usual for both of them, been loudest and so far, by and large, controlled the conversations.

Potential Remonstration: But this is the way Espiem and the phantom always behave.

Answer: All the better for them if they are the two werewolves.

I contest the assertion that the two werewolves are necessarily out to get each other. One werewolf may have decided to float this theory because it dawned on "him" early that this could well be the case, and would be convincing to the rest of the players. The werewolf who takes this initiative hopes and expects that the other werewolf is astute enough to notice that it may be the first werewolf who is floating these notions, and catches on, through further careful observation, that this first is indeed the other werewolf. Thus, by sheer amount of posting and control, as well as coded markers within posts, indicating what each other is doing, these two have come to a "read between the lines" understanding of who each other is, and proceed to play the game as hard as they can, trying to control it as much as they can, and have thus struck an alliance that actually runs counter to the prevailing "story" as to what's really going on.

I for one consider SPM and the phantom to be supremely capable of such a ploy and counterploy set-up, especially if the two werewolves are looking out for each other. Remember, Fea has stated that if one werewolf wins, both werewolves are considered to have won. So all the talk about one werewolf defeating the other is smoke and mirrors.

Now, everybody but SPM and the phantom, please tell me if you see any holes in my theory.

SPM & the phantom, please be so kind as to defend yourselves.

Finally, it's about time someone besides those two provided an alternative "story" to this game, and I will go so far as to congratulate myself. Phantom, you're not the only arrogant man on this board.