Specified Discussion of Tactics, Cop

[Darthe]

Basic Cop: 

 

 The cop is a role typically found in online mafia games and is considered basic... everywhere.  This role has many variants due to it's nature and much of the advanced metagame and role creation is based around fooling users of this role or variations on it.

 

The purpose of a cop is to hunt down members of the mafia.  When this game was originally created the cop and doctor were the only two power roles in the game.  They are meant to offset the power of the mafia by manipulation of the mafia's three powers, anonymity, a secret team environment, and the ability to remove another player from the game.  The cop affects the foremost two of these which is why it is typically considered the most powerful role in the game (a point that I obviously would argue). 

 

Function: 

 

Cops are given the ability to "view" another player during each night phase of the game by submitting the player of choices' name in a private message to the moderator.  The moderator will then reply upon daybreak with a result that reflects the alignment of the individual in question.  

 

Role Use:

 

The basic strategy of a cop is to discover people on the thread that appear suspect and then to view them, discerning their alignment ultimately.  This is done through various advanced and simple techniques all based on the situation.  Due to the sheer number of them this post will not cover all tactics, but rather some select ones that seem more effective in most situations and a few that are commonly done and should not be.

 

If we again assume a basic game of twelve players with a cop and doctor, then the town is actually at a disadvantage compared to the original game.  However, this is common online and so we will work under the pretense of said event.  With twelve people in the game and three mafia, a cop and a doctor, the cop has a 1/11 chance (roughly 9%) of finding the doctor on the first night or of viewing the person that the mafia kills.  The cop also has a 1/9 (11%) chance of being killed on the first night.  This model assumes that the game starts in night or that day one has no lynch.  Percentage adjustments for a day start game with a lynch are as follows: 1/10 (10%), 1/8 (12.5%).

 

However, on night 1 the cop has a 3/11 (roughly 28%) chance of finding mafia assuming no lynch or a night start.  The number tables for a cop are as follows assuming a day start and death in every phase.  If a doctor protects someone other than the cop or a person cleared by the cop then these numbers will chance in a manner that I can show but will not do here.  The following will show differences for a mafia or town lynch.

 

The Cop is cleared by virtue of knowing own role PM and status as a basic game, thus 11 potential candidates remain.

 

Night 1: 3/10 mafia (30%) if townsmember was lynched.  3/11 (28%) if no lynch.  2/10 (20%) if mafia lynched.

 

Night 2. 3/8 mafia (37.5%) if townsmember was lynched.  3/10 (30%) if no lynch.  1/9 (26%) if mafia lynched. 

 

Night 3. 3/6 mafia (50%) if townsmember was lynched.  3/9 (33%) if no lynch.  Game Over, Town Victory if mafia lynched.

 

Night 4. Mafia Wins if townsmember was lynched.  3/8 (37.5%) if no lynch.  

 

 

However, the above misses a crucial part of the cop role and one of its most valued, yet underappreciated, uses.  The above assumes that the mafia kills the person the cop views each night and thus, no townsmembers are cleared.  However if the cop keeps this information a secret or the mafia doesn't get absurdly lucky (less than .08%) the following is how the role is truly effective.

 

 

The Cop is cleared by virtue of knowing own role PM and status as a basic game, thus 11 potential candidates remain.

 

Night 1: 3/10 mafia (30%) if townsmember was lynched.  3/11 (28%) if no lynch.  2/10 (20%) if mafia lynched.

 

Night 2. 3/7 mafia (43%) if townsmember was lynched.  3/9 (33%) if no lynch.  1/8 (12%) if mafia lynched. 

 

Night 3. 3/3 mafia (100%, knows all mafia) if townsmember was lynched.  3/7 (43%) if no lynch.  Game Over, Town Victory if mafia lynched.

 

Night 4. Cop reveals, Mafia Loses in two days.  3/5 (60%) if no lynch.  

 

Night 5. Lynch Mafia again...   3/3 (100%) if no lynch.  Either way it is rinse and repeat from here.

 

 

 

You can see where that is going.  However, we tend to find some disparities where mafia kills a person the cop viewed or the cop protects a mafia kill and though that person is confirmed town either the doctor must reveal (NEVER DO THIS) to clear that person or the cop is still in the dark.  Essentially the two power roles can get in each other's way and throw off percentages.  This is why a claimed cop is protected by an unclaimed doctor but not a claimed one excepting certain circumstances mentioned in the doctor tactics thread.  

 

This is also why cops should hold their views until day three in a basic game.  Mafia needs to find a doctor and the cop is giving them a shooting pool, as the claimed cop is causing the doctor to be vulnerable and a doctor WIFOMing that situation is one taking a potentially game breaking risk.  

 

Thus, the next step is to discuss how a cop should be played in basic setups such as the one mentioned above.  Because a cop in the open is of little use to anyone.  

 

This infamous, practical, and overly common role is dualistic in nature.  The individuals who play as a cop often find themselves being used as town fodder or strung up and hated by day three because of their inevitable reveal.  Why is this?  Because the role dictates some form of aggression to most.  Cops need to ferret out mafia and so people playing this role tend to act in a way that either gets others to bite, hoping to bait mafia into attacking them with weak reasoning, or they play the game as the hunter they are.

 

It is a great way to get killed and screw a game up.

 

Acting off your meta as a player is a tell.  The mafia already knows more about you than you do about them because they know three people in the game that you aren't.  Thus their pool of doctors, cops, and vanilla townies is inevitably smaller than yours and always will be short of two of them dying.  If you are a timid, efficient, laughable, laudable, kind, aggressive, foolish, WoT filled, quiet, or otherwise unique player and you suddenly develop a sense of uncommon mistrust or anything different then you're doomed.  

 

Thus, these strategies where cops attempt to draw out mafia for the quick game are an awful way to play the game.  Look at the above chart.  Any cop that makes it through day three with a living doctor needs to reveal.  The game is over at that point.  Any cop that makes it to day four with a dead doctor needs to reveal for the same reason.  Any cop that reveals before that or plays in such a way that they draw undue attention is failing at their position.  And we all have done it.  The only reason to reveal on day 1 or 2 is because you found mafia, and I could make an argument against that.

 

Likewise, any cop who suddenly becomes timid upon day one of a new game is going to stick out, and not only to the mafia but to the town as well.  This may be a straightforward role but it incites some contrary play and all of that has to remain internalized or else you're going to suck.  If you view the biggest suspect that you harped on all yesterday and find out they are town you had best at least push at them still until you can find a reason to not do so.  Dropping your leads the instant day hits is a pretty big give away.

 

So, you recognize that you need to remain yourself.  Okay.  Well what are the more advanced maneuvers the role can be used for?

 

Simply enough, view the people who are big names in the town.  See, the way that the top charts worked most effectively was that a townie was cleared every night.  The mafia is relying on people to be different and so will be eliminating inactives and people off of their meta.  The town is going to be killing suspicious figures.  If those die, you have nothing.  Thus, you want to view some of the most normal people in the game and some of the stronger town players.  Any information is information, after all.

 

This rule follows regardless of if you are playing an advanced or basic game.  Let those who are liabilities die.  They hurt the town, the mafia, and the game.  If you waste your valued abilities on protecting and viewing them you may give the game away.  Besides, you look like a freaking wizard if you view the towniest of players and it turns out that they are mafia.  

 

Okay, there is some of the more pertinent information on the workings of a cop.  Later I will update this to include some roles that are less common and or less powerful variants of this role including:

 

role cop, lie detector, seer, and role variants such as strong willed, lynchproof, and paranoid.