Also, I have to wonder now: how strongly do you suspect Leafsnail?
Not that much.
Arguing with Leafsnail about things I completely disagree with him on is something I've done a lot of in previous games with him. It never seems to amount to anything and I never get a strong read either way. I'm generally left concluding, "Well, I guess we just don't see eye to eye," and his game is strong enough that there's usually more than enough of what he's doing in other areas that it's hard to suspect him for whatever I disagree with him about.
Same deal here, except I decided not to argue with him about it since I knew how that would go.
Jim: It may have been clear to you, but I still wanted to hear you say it. What makes you think so? It can't be his day game, since according to you it is "shitty". Your later comment seems to indicate that it's because of the nature of the attacks on him- is that the case?
Shitty play isn't necessarily scummy play. He's making many of the same mistakes I saw him make as town in other games. (Particularly Wild Wild West Mafia. See my reply to Leafsnail.) Essentially, I recognize his meta, even if it's objectively terrible play.
The attacks on him by other players don't really affect my opinion of him very much.
So why not say so when voting him? Or vote him right when you commented on it?
I asked him some questions and wanted to see his answers before I made a decision. I pointed out the hypocrisy of him ditching as soon as he started facing questions considering his vote on Orangebottle because I wanted to, instead of stating the reason for my vote.
I suppose I should have been clearer.
Jim: Anything else about Shark strike you as scummy?
He only made the one post, so no.
He didn't "defer to my opinion" so much as "try to deflect as much as possible until it became clear he could no longer lie" (not mentioning the bandwagonning and stuff). I'm not sure what it would require for you to think Orangebottle is scum - it doesn't seem like you to give people a free pass this game due to past idiocy.
You're not the only person he's bowing his head in supplication to, saying "Forgive me, mafia-samas, for the error of my mafia ways."
Look, man. He did this exact same thing in Wild West Mafia. I attacked him for reversing himself on some issue after I pressured him extensively over it. I asked him what was up and he admitted that he was just trying to get me off of his case. But Jim! That's super scummy! And yes it is, and did he ever pay for it in that game, but he was town then and apparently thinks that's a good way to handle attacks. The inductive part of my brain reasons that he's making the same godawful mistake here.
Your answer, for the record, is "No, I will not help you choose which techs to take, Alien."
Refusal to answer is retarded since this is an issue that has never, ever, ever come up in a game before. Meanwhile, they are situations that you could realistically face as a player in the game and your answer provides insight into how you think, which is not an unreasonable thing to seek, and that it's more than well understood that hypothetical questions yield hypothetical answers that are inapplicable and the only thing being gained is insight.
So why are you refusing? It's dumb. I guess you must be hiding something.