Mafia Theory Debate: The inactive Rule is better to follow than the noob rule

I will be arguing the inactive rule is theoretically a better rule to follow when leading lynches, than the noob rule. I will briefly define in my own words, what each is. Also for clarification, these aren’t exactly rules per say, as they are not required for players to follow. They are more just Standard Operating Procedures that have been created by players and been labeled rules. Inactive Rule: This is a procedure that is thought to be an effective way of catching scum, as it pursues players who aren’t as active as other players, or who have a lower post count. Some players feel that there is a good chance to catch scum in inactive players, as they are not as caught up, and may miss details that a more active player might of picked up on. This therefore leads to a higher chance of the player “scum slipping”. This rule is also used commonly near the beginning of the game, to save the ache of pursuing a claim from the character later on, when the game get’s to the point where information is more pertinent. Noob Rule: This rule was created along the assumption that a newer player who doesn’t have as strong of a grasp on the game, will have a higher chance of scum slipping, and accidentally giving themselves up as mafia. Inexperience is assumed to a higher potential in giving up information that could implicate the noob as mafia, where as if that noob had a better understanding of the game, the mistake would have been less likely. Contention 1: Noob slips are less likelyThere has been a few cases where the noob rule has worked, which has made it so popular over the last couple of years. There are two incidents I can think of off the top of my head. One would be Pokémon mafia DP1, modded by HCP where buddamoose admitted that he was third party, but could switch affiliation. After much debate around whether he was being truthful or not, he was eventually lynched due to the fact that there was no way to verify if he couldn't’t switch back or not to third party, or even mafia. This lynch turned out to be a good lynch, after it was revealed that buddamoose could in fact switch his affiliation twice. Had budda not been targeted that Day Phase, he may have survived another day phase or two, though whether he would have made the same decision in his claim or not, would be unknown. Given his in-experience with the game at that point, it is safe to assume he made the decision based off of his lack of knowledge on how 3rd parties were generally regarded. I did the same thing as a survivor, in BlackVoid’s Death note game, as a fairly nooby player. The other one off the top of my head would be lannan’s slip over a year ago in kyro’s naruto game. In this slip, he had actually not only given himself away, but also his entire team. There are plenty more examples of noob slips working in favor of the town, but the question for this debate, is if they are better to pursue than in-active lynches? So let’s identify the main differences between the two. Noob mistakes are based around bad, or un-informed decision making, while the in-active rule is based around length of game play, skipped details, and mis-interpretation of the situation. The versatile argument with the noob rule, is that not all noobs will make a mistake, in fact, in terms of how many noob mistakes actually happen as scum compared to as town, the numbers are slightly limited. So with that being said, a noob to mafia can also be an intelligent individual who picks up on facts, details, rules, and play very easily, making it harder to make a slip. However, if this same player is in-active, intelligence level doesn’t even get taken into effect, as not reading OP’s, or seeing all claims, can result in mistakes. . http://www.debate.org...http://www.debate.org...http://www.debate.org...Contention 2: Noob slips can be mis-interpretedFollowing the noob rule can have devastating effects for the town, based off of mis-interpretation. Many noobs will say things that seem pro-found to veteran players, because of their knowledge of things townies, should or shouldn't’t say. However someone new to mafia, is less likely to know which things are taboo or not to say as town, and will say them resulting in their own innocent demise through lynching. A very recent example of this would be cybertrons lynching in Left for dead mafia, modded by TDK. He was WIFOM’ed by veteran players, and confused by concepts he didn’t understand, and his actions were perceived to be scummy, which ultimately resulted in his mis-lynching. There are other cases in which this type of ordeal has happened, and these types of things do not cater to newer players. . http://www.debate.org...Sub A: Noob rule can hurt the town A newer player who is active, and pushed for claim is harmful, if there is no suspicious activity in his behavior. Mod’s may give newer players power roles to open them up to mafia, and help them achieve a better understanding of the game. So if a noob hasn’t displayed any suspicious behavior, yet is forced to claim anyway, than this has harmed the town more than it has helped. Sub B: Subjectivity of being labeled as a noobGenerally mods will only allow newer players into a game if they have completed a beginners series. In cases where a noob has prior experience on another site, or has completed a beginners series, they will still be regarded as a noob as they are a new face to veterans. Pressuring a player who has already grasped the concept of the game, and has experienced the game to a certain degree, does no more good to the town than it does in random pressuring an experienced player. Contention 3: In-active’s harm the game moreIn-active’s are a lot more harmful to the game, because a decent flow in activity is crucial to the town succeeding and getting information. Mafia have been known to lurk, to both avoid pressuring, and allow town to tear themselves apart. Such has been known to work plenty of times in the past. Town will only accrue reads on active players in the game, as interactions are all the town has to go on. If a mafia member is lurking, or in-active, they can remain alive until late game, due to town responding to each others behavior, and worrying about deadlines set by the moderator. An in-active member has no incentive to claim, or get online if he sees that he/she has no pressure, or the pressure is limited, and can potentially skate through the game based on impatience. However in the few cases that the in-active member does come online, a copious amount of votes on them will act as a deterrent for them not to claim, at risk of being lynched, or mis-lynched. This entire argument of course, is in the assumption that the mod hasn’t expressed intention to replace said player. Contention 4: In-active’s likelihood of slippingThere is an increased likelihood of an in-active player scum slipping. When a player is too busy to dedicate much time into a mafia game, they generally will only post a few times in the day phase, without actually reading everything. Despite how smart this player normally is, if they have not read OP’s, information outted by other players, or the mod, they may give information that is either contradictive of something that someone said. When an in-active player comes online to see they have compiled plenty of votes, and realized they may get lynched if they don’t make a statement or give information, they may end up giving making a slip due to not carefully analyzing all the information. These players are less likely to sift through hundreds of posts in order to verify that they aren’t making a scum slip also, where an active player who has kept up on the game can easily find a contradiction in their statement.