PersusThanks for the responses. If a lookout stated that they hid the previous night, would you view that action as scummy?
Depends on the circumstances.
If nobody found them particuraly suspicious, and they're town, then scum can easily kill them without leading a trail back to them. So hiding may be good.
A very strong town player could probably be expected to hide in order to save themselves, but imagine if they were actually scum playing really well, and claimed to watch something.
Really, the way it works means that each individual occasion has to be viewed on a basis of as it comes. There's too many nuances involved to make it a flat yes or no.
If you had a weak case against another person, would you switch to voting the lookout?
I don't like having weak cases in the first places. In any case, switching to the lookout is pointless unless circumstances would cause the lookout to be a stronger case.
It's, again, too nuanced.
What if the case against the other person was a strong case?
If I've got a strong case, I'm following it.
Dropping a strong case is never useful. To you or anyone.
I agree that hiding is a weaker action than the lookout action, but the fact that it has a guaranteed effect and could be used to keep a townsperson alive means it might be more powerful than your hypothetical scenarios suggested.
It does lend to that, and I just realized I sited a couple of those situations while answering an above question.
Again, the nuances involved with the lookout mechanic are ehhhhh.
Basing a case solely on the lookout being a lookout is dumb.
4MaskMastahcheese I know you would choose to actually lookout if you were picked.
Why do you feel the need to say this?
Does this influence how you would act?
How would you feel if I was lookout, and hid?
Do you expect that the other players would choose to hide or use their regular actions in place of their lookout duties if they were chosen?
Depends on what they believe is most advantageous.
I'd like to believe that we could find a use for it other than just what's blatantly placed in front of us.
Who is most likely to shirk their duties, and who of those are most likely to protect themselves?
The people most likely to not watch? People who would rather perform a night action they have, probably. Unless they fall under the below category.
People most likely to protect themselves? People who feel paranoid, and think they are at risk.
Let me ask this.
If you're town, and you think scum will try to kill you, would you feel more comfortable with:
1) Watching to see if you catch someone, and hoping you don't die.
2) Hiding to ensure you survive, at the cost of not gaining information, and the cost of not even wasting the scum a night if they don't target you.
3) Getting killed on watch and letting your roleflip speak for you.