WWJ VIII ~ Things That Go "Quack" In The Night

[The Saucepan Man]

This is a noisy village, for the most part, as I suspected it would be. I’m gonna have quite a hard time keeping up.

I see that Nogrod has succeeded in making Owlish tactics and the merits of dicussing them the main topic of conversation after all. This I regard as entirely unhelpful, for the reasons that I stated earlier. Nevertheless, as others have said, it is quite typical for him on Day 1, and it would be foolish for a Duck to draw attention to himself so. So I hesitate to believe him Duckish purely on the basis of this.

Nevertheless, the discussions centred around our Owl have already done some potential damage, I believe, which really ought to be remedied. Nogrod suggested that we should all drop hints, suggesting our Owlishness, so as to “buy time” for the real Owl. How ludicrous would that be? Every time that an innocent dies, we will be scanning their posts and making accusations based on them, on the basis that the dead villager might have been the real Owl. A lot of dead innocents lie down that road. The Owl too would have to drop hints, since not to do so would mean that he or she would stick out like a sore thumb. But the Owl’s hints would have to be true, so as not to render them useless. And who is in the best position to spot this? I’ll give you a clue. They have bills and webbed feet. So the plan, at best, delivers a pile of dead innocents and, at worst, a dead Owl. ‘Tis a silly plan. We should not go there.

Hmm, maybe I should reassess my opinion of Nogrod. But no. Surely it would be too risky for a Duck to suggest such a dangerous plan here at the beginning of all things.

As for mormegil’s observation that the Goose might try declaring as an Owl, it would be a foolish thing to do, assuming that the Owl is on his or her talons. To be believable, the Goose would have to declare one, probably two, “Ducks“. A wise Owl will remain silent - that should go (and should have gone) without saying. Either the Goose gets “lucky” and a Duck is lynched (in which case the Goose is failing in his or her task) or an innocent is lynched, swiftly followed by the Goose. But by identifying this as a potential risk, you make it more likely that a real Owl declaration, on Day 3 for example, will not be believed. On the contrary, I think that we should believe any Owl declaration. It can soon be accurately, and lethally for a Goose masquerading as an Owl, tested.

This is exactly what I meant when I suggested that we should avoid discussion of Owlish strategy. Not only do we risk putting the Owl in a difficult position, but we also risk tying ourselves up in knots. And now you have got me doing it, albeit to try to repair the damage that has already been done. I suggest we leave the Owl and the other Gifteds to get on with their business and get on with our own which, for true ordos, is analysing, testing, putting forward theories, accusing and, ultimately, voting.

More in that vein soon, although it might not be for an hour or so as my dinner of rat’s tails and mouldy potatoes is shortly to be served …

[Anguirel]

That was an extremely sensible point-yet, sigh, again-Saucie. Goosey goosey gander morm!

Well, I shall vote soon, and at present probably for Kath, the perennial suspect, or possibly morm, the pate-de-foix-gras...

[Lalaith]

SauceOrc, your point about false Owlish hints and their futility makes excellent sense.
However, on the Goosey Owl question, what if said Goosey Owl came up with, not a Duck, but a list of "known innocents"? Think of the confusion....I'm not saying by the way that the true Owl should reveal itself in such a scenario, I'm just pointing it out as a possibility...

[Anguirel]

Right. Here goes, ladies and gentleorcs, the second vote of the day.

And it goes to

++KATH

This is a dull and unoriginal choice, and I can't make much of a case for it, because Kath has acted as a sort of clarifier but entirely eschewed involvement herself. I do however think it is, in principle, the right thing to do. Not even the most charming Rainbow Chaser should get away with silence without a little attention.

Good luck in the remains of the Day...

[Nogrod]

Originally Posted by The Saucepan Man

I see that Nogrod has succeeded in making Owlish tactics and the merits of dicussing them the main topic of conversation after all. This I regard as entirely unhelpful, for the reasons that I stated earlier.

Nevertheless, the discussions centred around our Owl have already done some potential damage, I believe, which really ought to be remedied. Nogrod suggested that we should all drop hints, suggesting our Owlishness, so as to “buy time” for the real Owl.

Well I said, we should think of that option too. And now, as it starts to be discussed - and the variable pro's and con's are being outlined, it also means, that the ducks can't make it their weapon! This is what I meant. Any one of us, alone, might forget one possible trap or possibility for ducks - and fall in it. Now as we discuss them open, the ducks can't rely on their "threesome-brain" against our one Owl. It's like we are playing together - giving pieces of ideas and offering them to our Owl to think about... and the more ideas, the more problematic it is to our ducks to come up with the working plan.

Sorry: we seem to have a bit different approach to this, but I think laying bare all the possibilities confuse the ducks more - who are already in distress more than we are (I think Farael's game just showed it - WW XX). We should press on them to have the hard times - not making ourselves work a double-shift.