Executions for Dummie$ 101

[Rickdaily12]

This will be my first non-town guide of the series.

You are the Executioner.
You are an obsessed lyncher who will stop at nothing to execute his target.

This is an infamous role, to say the least. Most people either love getting Executioner or absolutely hate it. As with all other roles, I'm going to try arguing that this role is yet another role that people need to play the right way to truly enjoy it. Some people see it as the role that everybody hates in the town (No, this is probably SK). Or as one of those "we don't know your intentions, so we'll kill you as soon as we can" (This is probably Amnesiac).

But Executioner is actually one of my all time favorite neutrals to be listed as. I would list it directly under Amnesiac, even. I like to play Amnesiac for its fluidity in the game. However, getting lynched OR stabbed the day before you recall a role, one way or the other, happens way too easily. Executioner, on the other hand, as long as you ARE the Executioner still, in the game... can be a significant voice one way or the other for the main conflicts in the game. I LOVE the impossibility of dying at the hands of all people in the night, sans to the Arsonist and Jailor. And this will make all town and mafia members afraid of you. The fact that you don't kill people makes it worse for them, where all that matters to you is your target living until they die at your hands in the day.

Here's four main reasons why I enjoy playing as Executioner.
1) You are one of the four roles with permanent night immunity.
2) Your target gives you information about the game. (They are always innocent, therefore their interactions give you clues...)
3) Fear of death means nothing to you as long as you hold this role. You can win in life and in death.
4) After you get your target lynched, the fate of the game rests solely in your hands.

If this is a role you just can't seem to fit rightly into, I'll try to give you a hand on how to convincingly sell yourself to get the target lynched. However, as per the dual properties of the Executioner (the risk of becoming a Jester at ANY night) this guide will strictly focus on you as the Executioner, and not as the Fallen Jester. In my honest opinion, once you have been demoted to Jester, you have lost big time, because any of your interactions at that point will fall under suspect, and your immunity will disappear. I will try to give you ideas on how to successfully lynch your target before this happens.

This guide will focus on the following points:

1) Identifying the nature of your target.
2) How to earn credibility as a lyncher.
3) How to strike a deal with others.
4) Determining the victor of the game.

Alright, and without further adieu, welcome to the Random Lynching club! Happy hanging!

[Rickdaily12]

1) Identifying your target. Spoiler: Pay close attention to your target's overall profile in the first couple of days. And by this I mean, just what are they doing? How do they present themselves?

Recall in one of my other guides (Jailor) that I identify at least three broad kinds of players in every player in this game. You have people who talk a LOT, people who don't talk really at all, and those who contradict false information. The difference between most people and you is that you already know that your target is absolutely innocent. You know they are a member of the Town and that they wish to see all evil people lynched at the gallows. This is where it is up to you to try and "prove" that their intentions are a ruse and are not very friendly to the rest of the town... but first you should determine who they really are, speaking in terms of a role point-of-view.

If your target is talking a lot AND they aren't saying much about people, then they are trying to draw attention of the killers to themselves. There aren't really that many reasons to be doing this. Most of them are trying to bait people into a trap. Specifically, two roles- the Veteran, and the Transporter. These two roles are the only two roles who can really easily kill evil people by being annoying enough to be a target. I'll call this group, for future reference, Group A.

If your target is talking a lot BUT they give information about people, then they are some sort of investigator or another, almost all of the time. If they talk about checking people, then they are usually Sheriff or Investigator. If they talk about people being visited, then they are usually Spy or a Lookout. The difficulty here is going having to wait for information to be false, while ensuring that your target gets protection. Timing is key here. Let's call this Group B.

If your target likes to contradict people, then they are a variety of people. If they are typically aggressive in contradictions, it may be because they are searching for suspects to hinder or kill. This is usually the Mayor, Escort, or Vigilante. If they are more passive, they are paying attention to people, and trying to probe into your intentions more. I wouldn't confront these targets head on. This may be a Jailor. If not, well, they could be just about anyone, but more likely actual Mediums. Let's call this broad group of people Group C.

Finally, if your target is trying to quiet down and hide, it may be a habit, but it is often people who are powerful, important Town roles. This is also often a Jailor, as well as a Retributionist, Doctor, or of the sort. Let's call this Group D.


I've listed these people in order from A -> D in order of louder people to the quieter ones. The louder ones you can guess out of a hat, and the quieter ones you can figure are important people. However, you need to spend a bit of time just trying to figure out how to implicate these people. A couple of these roles are just going to be what I call a HELL NO role, at which point you should always back off and hope for the best. Most of them should be able to be attacked, though.

You get only one chance to make a convincing case to get them lynched. That power in your voice will last a couple of days, at most. Give it your all.
2) Gaining credibility as a lyncher. Spoiler: The first thing you need to do is ask yourself, "just who am I going to pretend to be"? Because the last thing you can do is pose as Executioner... mostly.

The thing is, people tend not to like random lynchers, ever. You need to have reasons for voting people. Okay, so if your target seems to be really confrontational with one person, try to wait a Day Phase, and hope that they are protected in the Night. If they show up the next day still alive, and still obsessed with this one guy, then what you can do here is pose as any investigative role, calling them out for being a number of things. Try to avoid pointing them as Mafia if you can, if you know that a Framer exists.

The trick is, do not try to go after your target in the second day. AIM FOR THE THIRD IF POSSIBLE. People are less inclined to believe an investigator just happens to find some evil person or another the night after the first. This is very traditional Executioner play and people will not trust it. The third is a more likely day to find someone after a bit of drama has unfolded. People will start to believe you had cause to check THAT particular person. For these purposes, I find it easier to pose as especially Lookout, then perhaps Sheriff. These are the more vague, less informative investigative roles than say, Investigator or Spy. It's easier to pass off N1 findings as (No one visited X, or Y is Inno/GF) than it is to say (X is Medium/Janitor, or Mafia visited Y, Y didn't die and also they say blah...) Yeah, try to avoid claiming Spy whenever possible.

You might run into more trouble if claiming an investigative role is less available to you. Those bluffs could still work, but there are other ideas to try and consider. Let's suppose the only investigative role living is a known Spy. However, some support roles are still unknown. What you could do here is pose as an Escort/Transporter, and demand people to say whether or not anyone has been doused or attacked. If Mafia or Arsonist ever miss a night of attacking anybody, (this is usually because of a jailing), tell the town it was because you either distracted your target, or transported your target with yourself on the hunch that they were immune.

Now, suppose the target immediately responds with the following roles: "I am the Jailor" or "I am the Mayor". BACK OFF. Demand the Mayor to reveal, but once he does, stay the hell away from him. Same goes for Jailor, because these two roles are the most powerful, important roles of the town, and you will face certain execution yourself if you keep trying to force suspicion onto them. These are what I call HELL NO roles. You are not going to get these two roles lynched without Mafia/Evil Neutral intervention. It's just something you are going to have to accept. I'll explain HELL NO roles a bit more in the next bit of the guide.


As for the rest of the town, let's revisit my earlier Groupings and discuss my general strategies for dealing with them.

Group A are the Loud Clowns. People here are generally worried about them actually being jester- you know they are not. Posing as a Sheriff and pointing them as suspicious usually is enough to do it. Just try to prove two things: they are suspicious characters, NOT jesters, who likely have the ability to visit people.

Group B are the Investigators. If their information hasn't lynched Mafia, accuse them of being the Consigilere if one is known to exist. Point out they have killed no mafia on the spot. Otherwise, wait for their findings to fail, and accuse them of not being an investigator.

Group C are the Uninformed. This is probably where claiming Lookout OR claiming Escort/Transporter will work best for you. Try to convince the town that they are trying to contradict people as a ruse to be their friend, and that they are doing awful things to utterly defenseless, unsuspecting people.

Group D are the Fearful. Their being quiet will often not help them talk their way out of a pointing without Town Intervention. The longer they have quieted down, the more likely you are to succeed casting suspicion onto them. Lookout or Sheriff is probably your best move here, as well.


Wait for the right time to announce that "you have gathered enough findings" to convict your target. Once you reveal those "findings", give it your all. You need to sell your soul a little to lynch this poor innocent, but it is often the only way to win as Executioner in the first place. If a known Town Member intervenes a bit to defend them, don't give up, but pause your mad lynching to go absolutely nuts for their throat the next day. You win off of trickery. Make it work.

Also, one last thing. If anyone claims you were immune one night, you MUST claim to be either Transporter, or worse, Bodyguard. Preferably Transporter, but if you cannot, Bodyguard is your last chance to be "immune" to stall for the maximum amount of time. The longer you live and divert attention to your own immunity, the higher your chances may be of your target lynching by sheer accident.

And if you are not going to pull through to the town as Executioner... never reveal your target to the rest of the town. Ever. Don't even include it into your will. This is just speculation, but I BELIEVE that if your target is accidentally lynched after you even died, you may still win. (Your win conditions DO say that you just have to get your target lynched at all costs... even if you sacrifice your own life indirectly to do it.)
3) How to strike deals and bargain with the other sides. Spoiler: You may, for whatever reason, find it difficult to get your target lynched. There are a number circumstances where you are forced into uncomfortable Executioner situations. Maybe the Town knows you really aren't just a person who got into lucky immune situations (I.E Bodyguard Vests or Transporter Saves), or maybe the Mafia is trying its best to lynch the suspicious people. Perhaps the whole town is confused and looking for someone to lead themselves into a trap. Maybe you found yourself a target with a HELL NO role.

There are really only two ways out of this problem. Yes, just two, and it revolves around you sacrificing your anonymity as an Executioner, and then joining with the Town, or Team Evil. And yes, you must decide to do this NOW.


Bargaining with The Town.

Typically, you are forced to do this if the Mafia is trying to target you personally, or the Town is just too confused to trust any further findings. Preferably, this is where you reveal yourself to the Jailor at night, or whisper the Mayor who you really are during the day. The obvious risk here is immediately being lynched or executed right then and there, but it's still, really, your only chance.

Remind the person whom you throw yourself at their mercy, that their situation is also not full of glamour. You want your target dead so that you win. This will also mean, though, that you are permanently night immune, which means anyone evil, besides the Arsonist, will be unable to kill you. This gives the Town a powerful ally. If the Mafia and SK cannot possibly kill "one of them", they will no longer be possibly able to eliminate you before one of the most important moments of the game- the final three.

Also, try to tell your town captive that if there is a Retributionist, that your target doesn't need to stay dead. Just to die on the gallows once, you win, and then aid the town with your immunity afterwards. You are willing to do anything to not be a Jester. Anything.

A smart captor will trust you, though not always heed your wishes. However, should your target be lynched after this moment, do the right thing and keep your word. Help the town from this point following. You win either way, alive OR dead, but be as honest as you can be.


Joining the Mafia

Definitely the more riskier situation. This is where you have to openly whisper to a person you SUSPECT of being a Mafia. You should only do this when you absolutely know that one, with you, the Mafia controls the gallows. Or two, your target is known to hold a HELL NO role.

Immediately make it clear to the evil people that they + you gets any of the remaining people lynched. The whole reason you've been immune up to this point is because one of the sole remaining innocents have been a thorn in your side right from the very beginning. Explain who that person is, and why their role was such a problem for you. Tell the Mafia you therefore want that person lynched and you want to help them.

If you lose, it could either be because your Mafia has an SK attitude wanting to stab everyone non-mafia in the back always, or because the remaining Town Member has enough pull to have you die at their hands, because they're a Jailor, or a Mayor with the power to throw you on trial. Or, Arsonist/SK still exist, and they also have spiteful attitudes wishing you not to win, just for the LULZ. A smart Mafia will welcome you into their branches. A (not-so-smart-or-nice word for them ) Mafia will kill you spitefully instead. Fair warning.


These should be last-ditch efforts to lynch your target before they (or you) are likely to die the following upcoming nights.
4) Determining the Victor. Spoiler: This will probably be one of the shortest points I will ever make. YOU HAVE WON. YOUR TARGET IS LYNCHED.

You are now impossible to kill, permanently, unless the Jailor or Arsonist decide to have their way with you. Will THAT be worth doing for them? Probably not. Are you worth lynching? Again, probably not. You are now in the most powerful chair in the town, because your target just got lynched. Your life, not to be crass, no longer matters, at all. You can then, if you wish, choose to determine the victor right away.

Usually what I do is side with the town immediately. I'll remind them all right from the start that vengeful killing is pointless, and that people trying to kill me are likely people the town themselves want dead. After all, why would you want a helpful Executioner to die... unless, you know, the Executioner through joining the Town will want THEM dead? Also remind the town, in cases of the Retributionist, that a revival of your target will not hinder you, and you would welcome their return.

I rarely join Team Evil, though it can be done. You are a Day Phase the town must waste in order to hang you or execute you through the Jailor. Then, in wasting time killing you, more of Team Evil can kill town in the time it took to deal with you, where they win the gallows and start killing people at both phases of the day.


In short, a successful Executioner is detrimental to both sides in having as an ally. In a game where time is such a crucial thing to pay mind to, your decisions after the death of your target will almost ALWAYS determine who wins the overall struggle. After lynching your target, it is such a satisfying, wonderful reward to have. Believe me. I love being the Executioner who decides who wins. It is an addicting position to be in.

Even though I always feel guilty in lynching an innocent. DAMN ME AND MY DEFENSE LAWYERING xD
And there you have it! Hope this guide was helpful in giving ideas!

[grepar]

I really enjoy those guides. Very detailed and precise. I Will never look At executioner role in the same way I did before Reading this. It's fine tho becouse there are Many useful Information, which I'd like to use as soon as possible !

[Magnasword2]

This is really good. My guides usually focus on more unorthodox and situation critical scenarios but this covers a hell of a lot. Kudos

[Rickdaily12]

This is really good. My guides usually focus on more unorthodox and situation critical scenarios but this covers a hell of a lot. Kudos

OH MY GOD. I didn't know that guide existed, I SWEAR. xD

Heh, I was going to make this anyway. But it was a good guide, I left a bit of feedback on yours as well.


And everyone else, thanks for the kudos! Much appreciated!

[Alicitzen]

Why would you ever not join the mafia? They have cookies!

[TheThief]

This is really good. My guides usually focus on more unorthodox and situation critical scenarios but this covers a hell of a lot. Kudos

OH MY GOD. I didn't know that guide existed, I SWEAR. xD

Heh, I was going to make this anyway. But it was a good guide, I left a bit of feedback on yours as well.


And everyone else, thanks for the kudos! Much appreciated!

You should do the survivor and witch guides. If you need help with survivor, I am a pretty good survivor. I am really good with being neutral as a survivor. I have one thing about survivor that I am good at doing and it saves my hide every time I am a survivor.

1.) Never pick sides until the very end...You will be lynch bait for town/mafia!
That is it!

[Magnasword2]

This is really good. My guides usually focus on more unorthodox and situation critical scenarios but this covers a hell of a lot. Kudos

OH MY GOD. I didn't know that guide existed, I SWEAR. xD

Heh, I was going to make this anyway. But it was a good guide, I left a bit of feedback on yours as well.


And everyone else, thanks for the kudos! Much appreciated!

You should do the survivor and witch guides. If you need help with survivor, I am a pretty good survivor. I am really good with being neutral as a survivor. I have one thing about survivor that I am good at doing and it saves my hide every time I am a survivor.

1.) Never pick sides until the very end...You will be lynch bait for town/mafia!
That is it!

I've done a survivor guide on my channel if it helps.

[Rickdaily12]

One thing I don't get about Mafia/SK.

WHY do they kill a claimed survivor -.- WHY WHY WHY

They're one of the closest things they will EVER get to a friend. I just don't get THAT level of antagonism. Ever.

[Magnasword2]

I can answer that one. A survivor can vote against both sides. If you don't pick a side you're a threat to everyone. Unles syou make it clear to the mafia you will help them you're a threat. There was also a point were to guarantee victory we had to get the survivor lynched so we could kill someone next day and have a voting advantage.

[Rickdaily12]

Town is a guaranteed enemy.

Survivor doesn't have to be.

I maintain it makes no sense.

[Magnasword2]

Survivors have votes in lynches. If you're not with us you're against us. Alot of Survivors I've seen make active moves against the mafia so Townies won't lynch them for being immune and get killed as a result.

[KTCatatonic]

I was lucky I read this guide literally right before I was exe. I was doing great til mayor borked the game. XD I have a new respect and liking for the role. The group explanations are interesting and helpful, but it gets tricky when the lines blur and people seem to fit into more than one category. Guess it's all part of the puzzle.

I would love to see a Survivor guide as well.

Sarah, I think it just depends on the game whether or not to side maf. In the game I mentioned, mafia and SK tried to kill me three nights in a row. I imagine they were very annoyed by me, so it was fun to side with town as well. Besides, too many cookies are bad.

[Arckas]

It's not just a guide on being an exe. It's a guide on life and how to be An exe in your life. This is a the best guide I have seen so far. I will definitely start using your tactics. Also, you really don't need the mafia support since the mafia will vote for that person anyway! granted you rant an obvious exe.

[grepar]

It's not just a guide on being an exe. It's a guide on life and how to be An exe in your life.

Well, that was deep, wasn't it :p ?

[Rickdaily12]

It's not just a guide on being an exe. It's a guide on life and how to be An exe in your life.

Well, that was deep, wasn't it :p ?

How to inspire people to take their obsessive lynching OUTSIDE of the game.
...
I think I'll stick with the praise for the guide thanks for the kind words! xD

[Morrowsaw]

Well I've never won with Executioner but I've been the reason that the town has won more then 5 times now I just wait until desperate moments in a towns side and reveal not only my role but also my target (which in turn proves said person is innocent) but also gives direction to those who accused my target if they lynch me then they know they were wrong if they don't believe me then I just say "well I might also be lying and am a failed exe attack me if you want SK/GF" usually the better players will help me lynch the others and we win from that point this isn't necessarily how to win but how to have the Mafia/SK NOT WIN

[Rickdaily12]

Ah, so you're also one of the spiteful executioners xD

I mean, striking a deal with the town is MUCH easier IMHO. There aren't any Town Night-Immune roles for a reason. But if the Executioner I'm dealing with is being honest with me in joining the Town, that solves all my concerns with the Executioner as say, a Jailor. And the Executioner wins, because with your help, they win as well. So I'm more than happy to help them. Most of them.

If they're obvious anti-town trolls, then I kill them. As Executioner, I turn to the Mafia only when desperate. I also like to see them suffer over me.

[Morrowsaw]

That to its funny when they lynch you cause you've said to much then suddenly A MAYOR APPEARS and lynches their ass
Edit:Also I just won a game my target was the investigator who the lookout watched visit someone so my target ended up getting lynched. When he did I blatantly said I was Exe to their face and that now I was a freelance Voter and would support the side that could get me to the end damn it can be a power fest cause the SK and GF "called my bluff" and wasted two days worth of kills on me where I proceeded to go for the Town seeing as they had 4 members.The SK still thought I was bluffing so again tried to murder me and failed then we lynched hi, and won shortly after God I love this Role

[Gis4Gamer]

I thought of a way to get your target lynched even if you are dead. This will only work if there is a possibility of there being a Disguiser as well as an arsonist. If you end getting doused by the arsonist then you should immediatly write in your will posing to be your target. When you do die people might believe that your target disguised as you and lynch him. But this won't work if your target dies, no one believes that you were killed by the arsonists the same night you were disguised by the mafia, or if Disguiser/last Mafia deception dies. Just a last ditch effort I came up with in case you are going to die.

[mouthyexpert]

I have a powerful hatred of executioners who reveal who their target is to prove that person's innocence. It's tantamount to game throwing if you ask me; executioner is supposed to fuel paranoia and make the townies suspicious of anyone throwing accusations around. In fact, I wonder if maybe executioners should be fixed to potentially target even antagonists so they can't pull this sort of thing.

[Rickdaily12]

If an executioner were to get an evil target, (literally, this could be half of the other roles) then it would be way too easy to get your target lynched.

Part of the challenge Executioner presents to the player is thinking up a way to convincingly lie. Your target is.always innocent. What can you possibly say or do to trick everyone into lynching that poor innocent person? And if that is out of the question, how can you bargain with people to get them to see that their death is.mutually beneficial to their side as well as you? The target's guaranteed innocence is a major hurdle to move through. However, it is also your only one.

The problem with being able to get an Arsonist as a target... Is that it would be way too easy to win at that point. Calling anybody out sill likely have them investigated the next night. It just wouldn't be fair. Take the other instance. What happens if your target is a revealed Mayor? Does my guide help you here?

I don't think the role needs to change at all. The players need to adjust to it, I think.

[TheThief]

If an executioner were to get an evil target, (literally, this could be half of the other roles) then it would be way too easy to get your target lynched.

Part of the challenge Executioner presents to the player is thinking up a way to convincingly lie. Your target is.always innocent. What can you possibly say or do to trick everyone into lynching that poor innocent person? And if that is out of the question, how can you bargain with people to get them to see that their death is.mutually beneficial to their side as well as you? The target's guaranteed innocence is a major hurdle to move through. However, it is also your only one.

The problem with being able to get an Arsonist as a target... Is that it would be way too easy to win at that point. Calling anybody out sill likely have them investigated the next night. It just wouldn't be fair. Take the other instance. What happens if your target is a revealed Mayor? Does my guide help you here?

I don't think the role needs to change at all. The players need to adjust to it, I think.

Easiest to get these roles lynched:
Doctor and Transporter...

[TheThief]

I have a powerful hatred of executioners who reveal who their target is to prove that person's innocence. It's tantamount to game throwing if you ask me; executioner is supposed to fuel paranoia and make the townies suspicious of anyone throwing accusations around. In fact, I wonder if maybe executioners should be fixed to potentially target even antagonists so they can't pull this sort of thing.

You could lie about your target....

[TheThief]

Survivors have votes in lynches. If you're not with us you're against us. Alot of Survivors I've seen make active moves against the mafia so Townies won't lynch them for being immune and get killed as a result.

The thing is that:
You know who is the investigator.
You know who is the survivor.

Usually you would kill survivor first... even if there is no lookout. Why is this a thing? The investigator has a vote and can find you... You would just removing the tool that you can use, but you kill them rather than killing your enemy...