I'm sorry I can't clearly follow 100+ posts of incoherent nonsense. As a note, I'd also request that you not be quite so rude. I've no problem with aggressive play, but there is no need to be rude.
Sure, apologies if that came across as rude, but you have to see how counter productive it is trying to debate someone who is arguing against an argument I didn't even make because they didn't read my arguments.
Why do they need to? As I said, they only need to destroy one item.
It counters massclaim strategies because if someone claims
"Hey I have a blueprint that makes town win the game! It needs items a, b, and c!"
And then there you are, already holding one of the items and a way to destroy it.
Your role keeps mafia from immediately losing to a massclaim.
I find it extremely unlikely that they would give the member of the mafia team, with the means to destroy the item, the item they need to destroy.
At most I'd expect another member of the mafia team to hold it so they'd have to spend one turn exchanging the item. Otherwise, like I say it would make the alien detector incredibly unlikely to ever get finished.
Assuming mafia team holds their own blueprints, they already know the item isn't useful to them so would likely just scrap it anyway as a means to keep the number of items in their possession as low as possible so they don't appear suspicious when investigated by the thief.
Furthermore it would also make the whole picking up items after a lynch kind of useless as if you lynch a mafia you're not going to be able to get any items you would need to make the blueprint.
I think a thief role would balance out the team better as it would be a preventative measure to stop the town from building the machine in the event of a massclaim, especially if the items are given to an unkillable player via body armor and doc but wouldn't just ruin that aspect of the game by deleting the item, as the items can be regained by lynching maf.
It would also give a REASON for your claim to exist, as that way, especially in the absence of evil sounding items you would be able to identify which players were hoarding items, without all the hoarded items getting deleted.
And I did read the parts talking about the potential mafia pool being thinned but I don't follow. Could you give me a rundown?
So, assuming we massclaim items as well, we know who has what. It is entirely likely based off what we know about the game that mafia have some items they don't want town to know about and hold some of the items required to make the alien detector.
So day 0 we massclaim.
The townies who hold the items that go into alien detector blueprint all claim and are uncc'd. Depending on whether or not it's revealed what goes into the blueprints the mafia may or may not lie about their items.
Everyone agrees to trade their items to one (or two) agreed sources who will be protected by Erik and the Bulletproof vest.
Maybe a lynch on someone unpreductive maybe not
Night 1
Mafia have two options, if only townies have the required items they need to use their night kill block and other pr on those with the actual items.
If mafia have some of their items they can nightkill and block whoever they chose.
2-3 Town investigative roles have a 3/8 chance of hitting scum (more if they agree to target different people the day before).
day 1
if all maf have an item free to trade they slip under the radar (if not some have suspicion).
1-2 townies have failed to give their items, if they were the uncc'd blueprint item townies they will likely appear more innocent.
A lynch happens, possibly on a scum revealed by the investigative role possibly one of the townies that were blocked at night.
night 2
Mafia kill/block other players trying to give their items or target the protected townies (and doc) or kill/block investigative roles
2-3 investigative roles have already cleared 0-3 townies (0 if they hit 2 mafia) so now confirm those who did not trade last night
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From this point on the pool gets thinner and thinner with following nights being a 1/2 chance of an investigative role hitting someone who lied about their items, had too many items or (if Erik) show up as mafia.
Following this it's quite easy to see how much of an advantage having 3 town investigative PRs are in this format. Obviously there are plenty of other variables and a massclaim isn't likely, but it's definitely town favoured.
Assuming mafia also needs 3-4 items to make their blueprint (if they have one), with only one theft ability they wouldn't be able to accumulate them in time before they would likely be found by the investigative roles or that the alien detector blueprint was finished.
