by Randyxpxp » Thu Mar 14, 2019 9:52 pm
This guide covers a basic overview of the roles, strategies, and general complexities of Classic All Any. This guide is not designed for Ranked as such. I rarely play Ranked, as I do not like the defined structure and town-heavy nature of Ranked. I prefer All Any, which features a much more chaotic, unpredictable structure, and a wider range of roles and possibilities. This handbook primarily focuses on specific roles and considerations of effective strategies for those roles, to some extent applicable across an array of scenarios. Note that this guide details my personal considerations of this particular field of Town of Salem game theory, and is not meant to be taken as a fully comprehensive or infallible science. Town of Salem, especially All Any, is a very chaotic, psychological, deceptive game, and this guide is only meant to delineate a theoretical overview of the various roles and their interactions. Although a thread like this can potentially improve the skill of future opponents of mine, particularly new players, it can also improve the skill of future allies, and in either case, I find the player base of Town of Salem, especially the All Any population, could use some general improvement, which tends to increase the challenge of the game. Not every player is a tryhard (and occasional trollhard) like me, which is fine, but if you actually like to win and not screw yourself over game after game, a certain degree of solid strategy and knowledge is required. Having said that, there is still the element of other players and their thoughts, actions, and faults, which is by and large outside of your control. Especially for new players though, and even for veteran players, there is always room for improvement. I seek to improve my skills every game, and learn from my mistakes whether I win or lose. Interestingly, many of the highest rated Ranked players do not seem to play much Classic All Any, and would potentially find this game mode more difficult to win consistently in than Ranked, given, in part, how accustomed they’ve become to the defined structure of Ranked. In All Any, there isn’t always a jailor, there isn’t always a godfather or four mafia, there can be multiple neutral evil and neutral killing, there may be survivors, amnesiacs, and vampires, and there is often a lower frequency of claims and communication, which can lead to higher levels of chaos, naturally. Much of All Any is about clever use of night abilities, speaking at wise and opportune moments, and ultimately using the information available to form a model of each unique town’s role list, from which one can seek to form an optimal game theory for that match. I’ve played many hundreds of Classic All Any matches now, and I admit I’ve become sort of obsessed with the game mode, to such an extent that each game fits into a certain type now, despite the variable role list. If you are new, please read this guide with an open mind, and whether you are new or not, consider sharing this thread with others. I'd also just mention that I may add to or edit this in the future. I wrote this all tonight because I'm having another manic episode and all. I hope if anything, you enjoy some of my musings about the various roles and possible scenarios, and perhaps take something useful from this guide that can be applied in practice.
General Practices
Generally, there are a few useful practices it is advisable for players to make a habit of. Firstly, for the most part, you want to make a will. This can be either a true will or a fake will. You may even make a fake will as town. It is also common for some players to prepare multiple fake claims in their will. I have observed so many instances now in which a player does not make a will or an effective will and is lynched as a result. If you’re a jester, this is fine. But even then, having a will may prevent you from being killed at night by a jailor or a vigilante. Having no will at all is dangerous, and will often lead to a player’s demise.
Secondly, it is critical to read the chat and pay attention to details, even subtle details such as the way a player talks, whispers between players, and other such nuances. Often, players do not pay much if any attention to the chat, and this inattention can result in a variety of misfortunes for such players. Although it isn’t imperative, it can also be useful to record claims of others in your will for personal reference, regardless of your role. As a general principle, if you want to win as any role, it is in your interest to pay close attention to the chat. However, I would also mention that if you seem like you’re paying too close attention to the chat, you may come across as an evil who is trying to gather information for the purpose of manipulation. This isn’t always the case, but while close attention is important, if you reveal how closely you’re paying attention, and particularly if you make many comments or ask many questions etc., this can raise suspicion or mistrust in the minds of others, and potentially lead to your undoing.
Thirdly, if you’re going to play Town of Salem, be sure to understand exactly how each role functions, as well as how each role can interact with every other role. For example, many players leave the game when they die early as town. While such players may be aware of the powers of a retributionist or medium, it seems as if many don’t consider this, or at least don’t place enough value in the potential of it to have the patience to see what comes. Dead can communicate with mediums as well as jesters, and even a single dead soul can mean the difference between a win and a loss for a given faction. Jesters are particularly useful to speak to in Hell, as they can be convinced to haunt a specific target, for whatever motive. As another general note, again especially for new players, be aware of the ways in which some roles automatically interact with certain other roles at night in certain circumstances. Jailors, escorts, and consorts will be attacked by serial killers they jail or roleblock or werewolves they jail or roleblock on full moons. Vigilantes will kill themselves the night after they shoot a town member. Jesters haunt someone even if they do not select a target. Bear these and other mechanics in mind in any game. Also bear in mind that your name, skin, pet, house, and other such characteristics are information usable by players, and such information may make you a target of others for any reason.
Some strategies to consider when you've been accused include claiming investigator and finding your accuser as sheriff/exe/werewolf (implying exe, though not as effective if your accuser claims sheriff), claiming investigator and finding your accuser as framer/vampire/jester (implying jester or framer), claiming veteran and saying you alerted, claiming vigilante and saying you shot your accuser (implying exe), claiming escort and saying you roleblocked your accuser, claiming transported, claiming transporter, claiming jailor, or otherwise making a claim that contradicts your accuser. One of you will probably be lynched if you contradict an accuser, but buying yourself a night may be sufficient to win, or at least give your faction a better chance to win.
Jailor
There are two main ways jailor is played in All Any: 1) the jailor reveals Day 1 or 2) the jailor conceals their identity, possibly until mid or late game. If you reveal Day 1, be sure to explicitly call for TP/LO. Also consider saying who you’re jailing so TI, TP, and TS don’t visit that person. Always keep a will and be sure to save your will before the night ends. Ask for roles Day 2, or ask for players to whisper you roles. Be active. Be aggressive. Don’t be passive. Identify suspects, feel free to vote for role for information, and if a mafia is lynched, be absolutely sure to review who did and did not vote that mafia member up. Lynches of mafia can provide very useful information. As jailor, I recommend not jailing people who talk Day 1 most of the time, even though evils do talk Day 1 sometimes. Often, as people talk briefly Day 1, you can quickly scan who is not speaking and jail one of these targets. Such targets in many cases turn out to be evil. I would also suggest that survivor and amnesiac claims are generally technically safe executions, as well as anyone who is acting like a jester. Sometimes, players will claim a role like mayor or retributionist in jail to avoid being executed, but use your intuition and decide whether the player seems to be evil or not. Often, you can intuitively sense when someone is town, and when someone is not town. This intuition is not completely reliable, but in All Any, you sometimes don’t have much information to go off of. If you decide to reveal, this will make you a target of many evils at some point, especially werewolves on the first or second full moon, who will often risk attacking you in order to kill multiple victims, or at least kill you. If you decide not to reveal, you may be randomly (or deliberately) targeted, but this allows you to keep a low profile. If any investigator outs you as spy/blackmailer/jailor, you should probably claim jailor, even though inattentive evils may not notice the living or dead investigator’s will. Be especially cautious of doctor claims in SK games, sheriff claims in werewolf games, and bodyguard claims in arsonist games. If you jail a serial killer and are killed by them, you will receive a special message that indicates you were killed by the serial killer you jailed. Overall, play carefully, jail suspicious or quiet targets, and most importantly, use your executes. Jailed evils will frequently try desperately to get out of jail. They may even threaten to report you if you execute them, or otherwise employ an array of manipulative tactics to persuade you to let them live. Also pay attention to whether there are any mafia kills the day after you jail someone. If there are not, it’s often a strong possibility this player is mafia, but many jailed mafia will claim they were attacked in jail to make themselves appear to be a target of mafia. A solid strategy in such scenarios is to jail the same target again and see if there are any mafia kills the next day. Along these lines, I would also highly suggest that, in many scenarios, if you appear to have the MK (mafia killing) in jail, i.e. the mafioso or the godfather, it is often powerful to keep this target jailed each night rather than lynch them, while town seeks to dispose of other evils. Often, when there are no mafia kills and a mafia is jailed, town will lynch this person, and the gun is simply handed to someone else who then becomes a mafioso or godfather. Jailor is perhaps the most precarious role to play in All Any, and I find that often, it is better to claim jailor early rather than conceal your identity. It is especially dangerous, I find, to conceal your identity but also push players for information during the day. This can make you a target. Note that jailor is a unique role.
Mayor
As in the case of jailor, there are two main ways mayor is played: 1) reveal Day 1 or 2) conceal your identity or otherwise do not reveal until later. If you reveal, you cannot be healed, you cannot whisper, and you cannot whisper to. If you wish town to know you are mayor, you may claim mayor and not reveal. However, you will likely be pushed to reveal at some point. If you reveal Day 1, play aggressively. Vote for role, or otherwise ask for claims. Don’t be afraid to lynch someone on a hunch. Hunches are frequently accurate. If you don’t reveal early, consider not saying anything at all, or even acting like a jester or an evil, or claiming survivor. Then, when the opportune moment arises, you can reveal, and use your voting power to lynch evils. If there is a jailor, you may ask to be jailed Night 1, or be jailed later in the game for protection. You will be a target of evils if you reveal or otherwise claim mayor, so be prepared to die earlier than you might expect. I would also personally recommend not lynching vampires in most instances. Vampires are generally far less dangerous to town than mafia and other evils, and can be used to kill mafia, find immunes, as well as convert town rather than kill. (As evil, be wary of hidden mayors who don't plan to reveal until late game. If you think evils have majority or you randomly push a hidden mayor, they will likely reveal and lynch you, and if they have protection, this one mistake can lead to your downfall.) Note that mayor is a unique role.
Retributionist
I find that claiming retributionist Day 1 is a powerful strategy, especially when there is no jailor claim, mayor reveal, or other TP/LO request. Retributionist is a powerful but vulnerable role that can easily mean the difference between a win and a loss. If you stay silent or otherwise conceal your identity, you may be found by a consigliere or a witch and killed at night. Having a lookout or transporter on you is especially effective to counter consorts and witches. Also be mindful of which roles you decide to revive. Jailor is generally a priority, followed by roles like vigilante, bodyguard, escort, and other roles that have an active ability. Roles such as medium, vampire hunter, and spy are generally less critical. When you’ve finally revived a target, consider being aggressive and pushing lynches, as you no longer have any other function in the town. Note that retributionist is a unique role.
Veteran
I find one of the most effective vet baits is to say something along the lines of “I got the entire mafia lynched last game” or something that makes yourself look like a smart aggressive player who can lead town to victory, and who now has the nerve to boast about their skill. Many evils will be off-put by this, and may visit you. Town may visit you as well, but that’s an unfortunate piece of collateral damage. Whatever your vet bait, try not to make it too obvious, or too evil-sounding. You may not even vet bait at all, or may instead wait until Day 2 to start asking for roles, whispering players for roles, and so on, which should make you a target of mafia or other evils. If you’ve alerted Night 1 and are confirmed veteran Day 2, consider saving your alerts until late game when you are likely to be a target. Many veterans use all three alerts in the first three nights, and have none left in crucial late game situations. If evils are smart and cautious, they will not visit you once you are confirmed veteran. If you are not a veteran, be mindful of who speaks Day 1. Veterans frequently bait Day 1 by saying something, often something provocative. I highly recommend you strongly consider not visiting players who speak Day 1 unless they call for TP/LO or claim jailor or mayor. Sometimes veterans will do this as well, but usually if someone calls for TP/LO they’re not a veteran. Note that veteran is a unique role.
Vigilante
My general approach to vigilante is to remain silent, analyze the behavior of others, and pick targets off between Nights 2 and 4. I am not the kind of vigilante that saves my bullets until later nights. I usually try to use all three in short order, but that’s just me. Be aware it is very dangerous to claim vigilante early, as a witch may control you to kill yourself or another town. You may find claiming veteran is an effective strategy in some scenarios. You may also find acting like a jester or claiming survivor is effective as well. If you do claim vigilante or plan to be aggressive during the day, consider asking for TP/LO, as verbal aggression will make you a target. Although it is tempting, try not making a habit of shooting someone just because they haven’t said anything. If you want to shoot someone because they’ve been silent, consider asking them for a role, however be mindful this may make you a target, and you may also be heard asking for a role by a blackmailer. In All Any, as opposed to Ranked, it seems it is generally better to keep a low profile as vigilante, and use your intuition and logic to identify suspects.
Bodyguard
As a bodyguard, it is generally wise to guard TP/LO requests, although some of these players may be evil. If you are identified as bodyguard/godfather/arsonist and asked for a claim, generally, unless you want to try a fancy fake claim, immediately claim bodyguard and post a will, although you may still be lynched sometimes. Try to anticipate who will be targeted by evils that night. Consider how the previous day’s discussion went, who seemed like town, who was vocal, etc. These players will often be targets. If you’ve revealed yourself as bodyguard, it is wise to either self-vest that night or the next night, as you will become a target of evils at some point. You may also self-vest Night 1. As in the case of vigilante, you may even find it effective in some scenarios to act like a jester or claim survivor to deter evils from targeting you.
Doctor
As in the case of bodyguard, it is generally wise to heal TP/LO requests. If you are identified as doctor/disguiser/serial killer, claim doctor and post a will, although in a serial killer game you will be more suspicious, and you will likely need to defend yourself harder than you normally would. If you’ve revealed yourself as a doctor, consider a self-heal that night or the night after. You may also self-heal Night 1. I generally like to save self-heals for full moons, as doctors can heal a werewolf attack on them, and any other evils who visit you will be attacked by the werewolf who attacked you. Consider who will be targeted that night, and again consider acting like a jester or claiming survivor, or otherwise keeping a low profile.
Escort
Always keep a will, and ensure your will is saved before the night ends. You may roleblock a serial killer or a werewolf on a full moon night. If you roleblock a serial killer, you will receive a special message that indicates the target you visited is a serial killer. If you roleblock someone and there are no mafia kills that night, consider asking the player for a role and claiming you roleblocked them. However, mafia may have simply hit an immune target, been jailed or roleblocked by someone else, or just not visited. If you roleblock the same player again and there are still no mafia kills, it is a strong possibility the player is a mafia killer. However, as in the case of jailor, consider not lynching this target and instead using your distractions to keep them from killing. There is a risk in this strategy that you may die from someone else or be controlled by a witch.
Transporter
As transporter in All Any, I find it is generally better to transport yourself with suspicious targets, in case you are attacked. This swaps targets, and can cause mafia to kill mafia. Be aggressive as transporter if you take this strategy. If you instead decide to transport others, keep a low profile, and if you claim transporter, consider asking for TP/LO. Even if you only kill one or two evils by transporting yourself with them, that is a significant gain for town. Late game for transporter in particular can involve psyching evils out as to whom you're going to transport that night.
Medium
As medium, you cannot see anyone speak Night 1. You also cannot ever see any other mediums speak during the night. Only the dead can see other mediums speak. The general strategy to confirm mediums is for the mediums to say their names to the dead at night, and have the dead tell them what names they are being told. If you are a medium and there are dead to speak to, ask them to ask the mediums to say their names, and also tell them your own name. Also ask for investigative results, and any other information. Include all of this in your will and save your will by night’s end. Quote what the dead say specifically as well. This can improve your credibility. Be careful claiming medium, as it seems to be a popular target of evils once it has claimed and given the dead a voice. Also be careful outing other mediums whom you’ve confirmed at night by speaking with the dead. In addition, be wary of what dead evils tell you. Dead evils will sometimes try to deceive mediums, and give them false information, or misdirect them away from their living evil allies. If you find the opportunity to speak to a jester, consider asking the jester to haunt a target. Be aware that in All Any, when you first claim the dead accused someone of being evil, for some reason, this will sometimes make you look somehow suspicious or dubious, and evils will try to turn the suspicion on you. Try to make your case solidly, clearly, and aggressively, and be sure to use other mediums to confirm yourself. Medium is actually a very powerful role. If you wish to séance someone, rather than séance a town member, consider speaking to someone you think is evil, as you may be able to misdirect them, or otherwise give them information they can use in their evil doings that may either benefit town or your personal vendetta.
Investigator
Investigator is a very frequent target. If you claim investigator, be sure to call for TP/LO. Consider claiming investigator Day 1 to give yourself credibility and protection. Post results every day, unless you find a result that you think will out an important town role, in which case you may want to keep the result a secret. The bodyguard/godfather/arsonist result frequently results in a lynch, and in many cases the target is a godfather or arsonist. However, if a target is a doused, the target will appear as bodyguard/godfather/arsonist, and may be none of those roles. Consider asking the player for their role in whisper first. It is possible, of course, the player is an actual bodyguard, in which case you may not want to out them. The framer/vampire/jester result can also occur when a target is framed by a framer, but this is somewhat unlikely. In SK, werewolf, and arsonist games, be especially wary of doc/disg/sk, sher/exe/ww, and bg/gf/arso results. In witch games, watch out for lookout/forger/witch results. If you find a vigilante/veteran/mafioso result, since you were not shot visiting this target, it is often likely this target is either a vigilante or mafioso, and if there are no vigilante kills, it is often the case this target is a mafioso. Consider investigating all survivor claims early.
Sheriff
As sheriff, make a habit of checking quiet players, and especially players who seem hesitant to vote up evils or who’ve voted innocent on mafia or even witches. If you find a suspicious target, I suggest you include the “Your target is suspicious.” message in your will. This can make you look more legitimate, less like an executioner. If you’re accused of being an executioner by a suspicious target, continue to push them, and check other targets and post results for them even if the suspicious target isn’t lynched yet. Bear in mind a suspicious target may be framed, and if the target claims jailor, they are likely not evil. Also call for the suspicious target to be executed by a jailor or shot by a vigilante, as this also makes you look less like an executioner, who wants their target to be lynched and not executed or shot. Note that you cannot find werewolves suspicious unless it is a full moon, nor can you find godfathers, vampires, arsonists, executioners, jesters, or witches suspicious unless they are framed.
Lookout
Be on TP/LO requests, unless you have an intuition someone else will be attacked, in which case you may watch that target instead. If you find a killer or other evil, post your results immediately, although there are some scenarios in which even if you find an evil at night, you may still want to conceal your identity as a lookout until later. If you see a vampire visit a town or kill a mafia, I recommend not lynching the vampire unless the vampires have a full clan. Also consider not visiting anyone on full moon nights, at least for the first full moon, as you increase your risk of being mauled by a werewolf.
Spy
Always bug someone the first night. Bugs can provide useful information that can also confirm yourself as a spy. Do not bug on the first full moon as a general rule. It is not worth the risk of being mauled simply to gain some information from a bug, especially if you were to bug a jailor, mayor, or other TP/LO request. Consider claiming spy early, and posting daily, especially if there is no jailor claim, mayor reveal, or other TP/LO request. If you lay low, consider not posting your will until you are either asked for a claim, you appear to find an immune target mafia visited, or you match your mafia visits to someone’s will. Often, mafia such as consiglieres, consorts, and disguisers will reveal whom they visited in their wills, and you can use this information to correlate it with your spy results. Be sure to study the spy bug results on the ToS wiki. Spy bugs can be very useful.
Vampire Hunter
There are two main ways vampire hunter is played: 1) reveal Day 1 to let town and evils know you are a vampire hunter or 2) keep a low profile. If you reveal, mafia (and other evils) are less likely to target you, as vampires are a mutual and dangerous enemy of mafia and even NK. If you keep a low profile, you are more likely to be visited by vampires, and you are also more likely to glean useful information from the vampire chat at night. Pay close attention to how the vampires talk at night, and compare it to how players talk during the day. Also be sure to notice any mentions of names, as this can isolate suspects. After you’ve staked a vampire, consider revealing your role if you haven’t already, as this makes you less likely to be targeted by mafia. Once all the vampires are dead, I suggest you almost never say the vampires are dead. If you indicate the vampires are dead and you’ve now become a vigilante, you will become a target of mafia. Instead, unless another vampire hunter has claimed the vampires are dead, continue as if you are still a vampire hunter, and use your single bullet wisely.
Godfather
As godfather, a bodyguard claim can get you lynched by suspicious towns, even if you are found as bodyguard/godfather/arsonist. If someone finds you as bodyguard/godfather/arsonist, consider claiming you are doused, or that you were transported that night, and instead claim a different role. Investigator, sheriff, doctor, and spy are solid fake claims for a godfather. Investigator can be especially useful for lynching neutral killing you’ve identified either via their immunity or a consigliere. If you claim TI to get NK lynched, you cannot be killed at night by a serial killer, a vampire, or a vigilante. Even just one night can be enough to bide you the time to manipulate and kill successfully. Consider acting like town, and even countering executioners. If you get an NK lynched by faking TI, this should give you some credibility in town’s eyes, and sheriffs also won’t find you suspicious. You may even consider getting your own mafia lynched in certain circumstances, especially when there is suspicion on you. As the godfather, you are the head of the mafia, and you can force the mafioso to kill your target, as well as advise your other mafia members in what actions to take, what claims to make, and other strategies. If you do claim bodyguard and there was a TP/LO request, and especially if there is or was a lookout on this player, consider claiming you were roleblocked or witched to explain why you didn’t visit. Claiming jester or subtly or blatantly acting like a jester is also a potentially effective strategy as godfather, particularly as you cannot be found suspicious by a sheriff. I have even outright claimed godfather before and gotten away with it on multiple occasions. People are often afraid to lynch players who overtly claim evil roles. As a side note, consider not attacking or at least not having any random mafia visit on the first full moon. As another side note, if your MK is jailed and you cannot kill on a given night, your mafia may still visit that night merely for the possibility a spy may post a will the next day showing someone was visited by mafia, and accusing that player of being immune. If a mafia killer is jailed or roleblocked and there are no kills, a mafia may want to quickly post a spy will saying someone was visited, as the jailor or escort who visited the mafia killer may suspect them of being mafia, and this suspicion may be countered if your fake spy will suggests someone was attacked by mafia and survived. I also find as mafia that it is useful to keep a separate will of each night’s mafia attack, so that if you die, this record can be referenced and used as evidence against an immune target mafia attacked. For any mafia member other than the godfather (although the godfather may also benefit from this claim), a fake vampire hunter claim can be a very powerful defense against vampires, who commonly kill mafia at night. If you fake vampire hunter though, prepare to be investigated. A fake vampire hunter claim works particularly well when a disguiser can disguise as a revealed vampire hunter.
Mafioso
As mafioso, I find an effective All Any strategy consists of claiming TI early, or claiming TP, and pushing targets you suspect of being NK or vamp. You do not have night defense like the godfather, you are found suspicious, and your only ability is to kill at night, so to compensate for this, it is potentially better to be active and contributive rather than silent and sneaky. Be sure to include any immune targets in your death notes. If you fake vigilante, consider accusing a target of being immune, if not simply to bide time. Faking veteran is dangerous, as veteran is a unique role, but when there doesn’t seem to be a veteran, faking veteran can deter vampires and NK from visiting you.
Blackmailer
It is a common strategy for blackmailers to stay home the first night, although this is more prevalent in ranked. You may even decide not to blackmail at all, and to simply fake spy. If you do blackmail, TI is usually the best target. Pay attention to whispers. Sometimes, you may even hear a witch whisper a serial killer, werewolf, or arsonist, and thereby deduce their roles. Investigator and spy are solid blackmailer claims. Consider not blackmailing on the first full moon.
Consigliere
The standard claim for consigliere is investigator. If you list your actual visits in your will though, you may be called out by a spy. Consider swapping your nights around so that it doesn’t appear you visited those targets on the nights you actually did. Sheriff, spy, and other claims are decent as well, but as usual if you are investigated your only normal out is to claim transported. Be sure to share your results with your mafia each night. If you are lynched, do not whisper your mafia to tell them the new result for the previous night. Instead, in your last words, simply say the role you found last night. Be advised that you will see doused targets as arsonists. If you happen to find a witch, I don’t suggest you whisper them immediately. One of the best times to whisper as an evil is during the voting period, when players are distracted by voting someone, and the chat is scrolling with votes. If you find an NK, you may even consider telling them you’re consigliere and that you know their role, and will out them if they kill you, or you may fake witch. Give them targets to kill, and lynch them later if you can. Getting a jester lynched is often beneficial for mafia. Town lynches a neutral evil rather than a mafia, you can ask the jester to haunt someone of your choosing, and mafia can kill someone else that night. Consider not visiting the first full moon.
Consort
Always keep a will. I do not recommend saying who you visited, unless you think the town will fall for an escort claim. TI and TP are solid claims, as well as transporter. If there is one or more survivor claims Day 1, consider distracting one of those players, as they often turn out to be an arsonist, or even a vampire or town. Consider not visiting the first full moon.
Framer
As framer, many players like to pretend to be a jester. This is dangerous, however, and can get you executed or shot. Instead, consider faking TI if need be, and if someone finds you as framer/vampire/jester, claim you were framed, or claim jester or transported. Frame someone town is suspicious of, as this person is more likely to be checked by a sheriff or investigator. As usual, there are many fake claims you can make for many purposes, but I find that in All Any, TI is usually the best claim for mafia, as you can more effectively get NK lynched. Consider not framing on the first full moon.
Janitor
I’d suggest using all three cleans in a row or not cleaning at all. The reason for this is that, in All Any, unlike Ranked, there is no definite role list, and the main function of cleanings is effectively to prevent a retributionist from reviving town. If you clean and are found as medium/janitor/retributionist, you will become suspicious. Medium is more suspicious than retributionist, however retributionist is also a unique role. If you cleaned a retributionist, this becomes less suspicious. If you clean a player, you will know that dead player’s role and will. You can therefore steal someone’s identity. You may even pretend to be the jailor, and copy the dead jailor’s will. When you claim jailor, the jailed players will likely confirm they were jailed those nights, and you can have your mafia claim they were jailed on other nights. Transporter, escort, and other such roles are also powerful stolen identities for janitors.
Forger
As forger, I highly suggest you do not forge anyone until the third night. There is generally no substantial benefit from forging a will the first night, and you can also be caught by a lookout. On the second night, any players will only have Night 1 results, and you risk being mauled by a werewolf during your visit only to forge a Night 1 will. If you do forge a will and you resist the temptation to write something humorous, try making the will look legit, or write something in the will that casts suspicion on someone. I personally don’t like forger.
Disguiser
Keep a will of whom you disguise as each night, or at least consider doing so. That way, if you die that night and are outed as a disguiser, the town will know that player’s role. Doctor is a common disguiser claim, however you will not show as a doctor to an investigator unless you disguise as a doctor or don’t disguise at all. I often do not visit as disguiser, mainly due to paranoia about veterans and werewolves, but it is still useful to disguise. As what is perhaps the least powerful mafia role, I would recommend that, as disguiser, you be very aggressive in getting enemies lynched, given how disposable you are. If you disguise as a unique role such as retributionist and are lynched or otherwise killed, this can get your target lynched.
Amnesiac
An effective strategy for amnesiac is to claim survivor Day 1 and ask to be investigated to confirm. If you are investigated, you will be seen as survivor/vampire hunter/amnesiac. You will appear to be a survivor, and this can allow you to remain neutral. A consigliere will find you as an amnesiac and, especially if you remain neutral and no town roles are remembered by any amnesiacs, the mafia may offer you to side with them later. Later, you can remember a role and choose a side. You may also claim vampire hunter, or claim amnesiac. It is dangerous to claim amnesiac however, and you may be lynched, executed, or otherwise killed for a variety of reasons. As amnesiac, try to keep a low profile and remain neutral. For some reason, many amnesiacs and survivors become very involved in the business of the town, which can easily make enemies for them. It is as if being neutral makes some players restless, and they have an urge to get in on the action. But this is precisely what can prove your demise.
Survivor
Survivor is definitely one of the trickiest roles to play in All Any. It’s become a meme in this game mode, and there is perhaps a higher rate of survivor lynchings than you might think there would be, given they’re neutral roles who have no attack. As survivor, a solid general strategy is to claim survivor Day 1 and ask to be investigated to confirm, then keep a low profile for the rest of the game and side with majority at the end. I recommend not becoming too involved or vocal. This can make you enemies with someone. You may also claim vampire hunter or amnesiac. Vampire hunter is especially effective for getting in the good graces of town and mafia alike. You may also say nothing at all, but if you are asked for a role later, especially if you are attacked and survived, if you then claim survivor, you are likely to be lynched or at least deemed suspicious. Survivor is a frequent arsonist claim, and a frequent evil claim in general. As to interactions with survivors, mafias can be very aggressive against survivors, which can backfire and also divert attention from more pressing risks such as NK. As mafia, getting a survivor on your side is generally better than pushing to lynch them, let alone attack them. It’s generally better to be up-front and open as survivor at the beginning, and to keep a low profile and be friendly.
Vampire
Claiming veteran, or suggesting you’re a veteran or might be a veteran Day 1 is a powerful vampire strategy. If you convert a veteran, this is even safer. This will usually deter killers from visiting you. You may also claim survivor, amnesiac, or vampire hunter, or claim or act like a jester. TI (or vigilante) is again a powerful claim as vampire, especially if you’re trying to lynch an immune target such as a serial killer, werewolf, arsonist, or godfather. You cannot leave death notes, so faking an investigative role is one of your only options to get an enemy killer lynched. If you have at least two vampires, try to bite a few mafia to lower their numbers, then convert town. Don’t use any names in vampire chat at night, unless you’re using names to deceive potential vampire hunters. For example, you may refer to yourself or other vampires as if they are not vampires. This can lead a vampire hunter to think the person you refer to is not a vampire, when in reality you are referring to yourself or another vampire. Don’t verbally specify which targets to vote, whether tonight or for any future nights. Vampire hunters can see this. Only “specify” targets for the purpose of deceit. Speak vaguely, and also try to speak differently at night than you do during the day. Skilled vampire hunters will pick up on patterns. If one of your vampires visits a vampire hunter, you may consider trying to get the vampire hunter lynched that day by framing them as mafia or neutral killing, although this is unlikely to work in most circumstances. One of your vampires may even claim to be the vampire hunter who staked the dead vampire last night while you claim TI. This is just one of many possible vampire strategies. Once you have numbers, consider being more open with town about your identity. Town is more likely to side with vampires than mafia, naturally. I would just note that I’ve claimed vampire Day 1 more than once before and managed to win.
Executioner
The standard and now cliché executioner strategy is to claim sheriff and claim you found your target as suspicious Night 1. While this works sometimes, it often backfires, and will get you lynched instead, or will cause neither of you to be lynched. Sometimes, there is also a more suspicious target Day 2 than your target, and you are forced to wait until at least Day 3 anyway. Generally, if you fake sheriff and claim your target is suspicious Night 1, smart town will suspect you of being an executioner, and if your target is smart, they’ll push to lynch you to confirm themself. I find investigator and lookout are better fake claims, generally, particularly investigator. Lookout is powerful, but requires that you just so happened to watch someone who was killed that night, and it just so happens to be your target. If you claim lookout, consider waiting until Day 3 to post your will, and have your target visiting the dead player Night 2. Although you risk being mauled, incinerated, or executed Night 2, a Day 3 lynch is more likely to work than a Day 2 lynch. If you’re going to try to get your target lynched Day 2, I find investigator is likely the best strategy. You may for your target’s role in whisper, and then post a suspicious or conflicting result in chat. (Although whispering early in the day may be deemed suspicious.) Even if your target claims a role in whisper, you can claim that your target won’t claim. If you make your case within about 10 seconds of the start of voting, the pressure of a lynch (often your vote + mafia votes) is enough to put your target on trial. If there is a serial killer or a werewolf, doctor/disguiser/serial killer and sheriff/exe/werewolf are effective results. A bodyguard/godfather/arsonist result is also a good D2 result. As executioner in All Any, I also suggest you claim transported both Night 1 and Night 2, in case you are investigated. Claim transported at the beginning of the day, and ask who else was transported. This makes it look like you were really transported, which can conceal your identity. Before you push your target, I strongly suggest asking them for a role, as in some cases, they are already confirmable, and if you push them, you will be lynched. In cases where your target is, say, a transporter who is confirmed or a vampire hunter who staked, you may need to wait a few nights before you can lynch, or perhaps turn into a jester. I would rank investigator, lookout, and sheriff in that order for fake executioner claims, but again, many towns fall for the fake sheriff claim Day 2. In any case, investigator seems to be the most subtle executioner fake claim. Once you lynch your target, if you want to survive and side with evil, I recommend you consider claiming executioner so that any werewolf or arsonists don’t target you. Inattentive evils will sometimes fail to realize you are executioner and potentially attack and kill you, not that it matters at that point.
Jester
I know some effective jester strategies, but I’d rather not detail some of them here. A lot of jester lynches involve making suspicious claims, sometimes claims that are easily provable. Otherwise, I’d just make a few notes. If you identify an evil, you may want to whisper them and tell them you’re jester, and ask them to push you. They will usually oblige you in my experience, especially as they can use you to haunt someone. I would suggest most town roles are precarious claims for jester, even doctor in a serial killer game, sheriff in a werewolf game, or bodyguard in an arsonist game. If you attempt to look like an executioner to get yourself lynched, be careful of looking too much like an actual, say, TI. Sometimes you may even lynch an evil and “confirm” yourself, which is the opposite of what you want to do. Voting off evils usually isn’t in your interest either. In late game especially, getting yourself lynched is critical. In a 4-player or 3-player situation, a very effective strategy is to essentially force the other players to vote for you under the threat that you will vote against whoever doesn’t vote you up. To complement this strategy, ask all the players to abstain except one, and specify that if any player votes innocent, you will vote that player. This forces players to lynch you or else be lynched by you, although if one of the players is a jester, they will likely not vote you or will vote innocent. Note that in some cases, if you want a jester to haunt a target, it is more effective to deceive them as to who is who, so they haunt the target they think they’re not haunting. For example, if a jester says he’s going to haunt your godfather and that he wants town to win, you could say your godfather is the jailor, which may cause the jester to pick someone else. The same applies vice versa when you want the jester to haunt evil and so deceive the jester by saying an evil is actually town. As another relevant note, if someone deliberately pushes you because they know you're jester, or if someone pushes you at all, generally, it is counter to your objective to defend yourself, at least too heavily. I've seen so many jesters get voted off the stand after counter-accusing their accuser. (Saying nothing on the stand may also get you voted innocent.) A few more notes for jester: 1) faking a town role for any reason can get you killed by evils at night, especially if you fake a role like sheriff to look like exe and end up getting a mafia lynched; 2) claiming evil (or jester specifically) Day 1 can often be an effective method to both survive until late game and ultimately get lynched, as evils will likely not target you and you should only die at night if there's a vigilante or a jailor who decides to kill you. Frequently, there is neither a vigilante nor a jailor, and even when there is, they may ignore you in favor of deadlier targets.
Witch
As witch, your priority in All Any is to find evils, but also find any unrevealed jailors, control retributionists if needed, control vigilantes or vampire hunters, control TP, control escorts, and also, I would suggest, control arsonists. I find it best to lynch arsonists as witch in most situations. Even if you control one arsonist, you may be doused and ignited by another arsonist. You may whisper mafia and inform them of the arsonist’s identity, to have the mafia push them instead. Be wary of werewolves as well. Although I usually visit as witch on the first full moon, this is dangerous, and can get you killed. If you find a werewolf and they are not lynched, control them each full moon to ensure they don’t deliberately or inadvertently attack you. If you are attacked and lose your barrier, it is critical you not be attacked again. If you were attacked by mafia or vampires, ensure they know you’re a witch. You may reveal their names in your will in case you’re killed at night. As I mentioned earlier, I do not recommend whispering at the start of the day in many cases. This can easily get you lynched by suspicious town. Also, if the evil you whisper to dies at some point, your whispers with them may be used as evidence against you. I recommend whispering during the middle or last part of the voting period, if you whisper at all. If you find mafia or other evils, don’t whisper too much. Ask the mafia (or vampires) for the names of their other members, and if they reply to you, do not reply back unless they ask for critical information or you have some substantial reason to reply. You must survive to see the town lose as witch. If you die, you cannot win, even if other witches win. This makes your survival a top priority, the top priority, essentially. If you know who the jailor is, be sure to witch them if you think they may try to execute mafia or other evils, although if you prevent a jailor from executing a werewolf on a full moon you will be mauled. You can also force the jailor to execute a jailed town, but this is a rather high-level play. If there is a confirmed veteran, consider witching town into the veteran. Use vigilantes to kill town, or, as a safer method, make a vigilante kill themself. Be careful not to be seen by a lookout. If you happen to be found out as a witch and pushed to lynch, strongly consider confessing to being a witch and offering to reveal the identity of evils if you are voted innocent, emphasizing you will erase the information if you are lynched. This doesn’t always work, but especially if town is desperate, and especially if there is a serial killer, werewolf, or arsonist, if you claim to know the identity of such an evil, this can compel even town to vote you down in exchange for your information. Be advised that if you don’t follow through, you may be voted back up, and though you may give false information to deceive town, this may backfire that same day, and even if you manage to mislynch, town may lynch you the next day out of spite. I would just note that I’ve claimed witch Day 1 more than once before and managed to win. But that’s because I’m a maniac and I like to do crazy shit sometimes to see what happens. Giving direct roles to town, regardless of the role, is actually quite lucrative for town as well. In any case, be careful not to claim witch publicly until you’re confident it won’t backfire. Sometimes, even in late game when evils have majority, there may be a sleeper mayor who reveals when you claim witch and lynches you. As an important end note for witch, be advised that when a player attacks a witch and destroys its barrier, the attacker does not receive a message that their target's defense was too strong to kill. Instead, they receive no message, and the player (witch) is simply seen alive in the morning. When you attack someone, receive no defense message, and they survive, the target is either a witch or was healed by a doctor. This is a common method by which mafia (and vampires or serial killers) identify witches, but be mindful of the possibility a target may have been healed by a doctor or may itself be a doctor. Along these lines, doctor is a decent fake claim for witches. Once you reveal your fake claim, you can claim you will self-heal that night, and then, if you are attacked on a later night, your barrier should protect you, and you should have bought yourself enough time to manage a win.
Serial Killer
Serial killer is my favorite role. I find SK is perhaps the highest skill role in the game, or at least the most difficult role to win with, even in All Any and even with multiple SKs, but particularly when you are the only SK. I will only advise being smart. Other than that, the only specific note I would make here is to be mindful of when you out an immune target in a death note, as the target you attacked may be another serial killer. Also, claiming doctor is tantamount to suicide in smart towns, and if you're investigated, claiming transported, claiming veteran, or otherwise calling your accuser an exe is probably your best shot. There are multiple ways to counter accusations, as mentioned earlier. If you get jailed you may want to claim ret or mayor (especially in a multi-SK game where it's valuable just to survive the night), or claim TI or something that is not doctor or survivor.
Werewolf
A sheriff claim will get you lynched as werewolf a lot of the time, as will a fake exe claim. People fall for both claims still, but veteran players should see through them. There are usually better claims you can make. Try to get multiple kills each full moon. Calculate who is likely to receive more visitors. Be careful of bodyguards, but don’t be afraid to visit TP/LO requests. You may even elect to stay home each full moon. I’ve managed to win a game as werewolf before without mauling anyone by doing this.
Arsonist
While it is common for arsonists to wait to ignite until at least Night 3, and more commonly Nights 4 through 6, and while I used to do that a lot, I now usually ignite Night 2, partly out of personal manic impatience on my part, which I admit isn't always the best strategy. The main reason I do this is that there is often more than one arsonist in the game, and it allows you to see if there are other arsonists. If there is another arsonist, you may even elect to ignite each night, rather than douse at all. If you ignite the same night another arsonist douses someone, you ignite that target. Arsonists ignite all doused targets, not only their own. As with godfather, a bodyguard claim is likely to get you lynched, and you may be better off claiming doused or transported. If you are attacked at night, consider igniting the next night, as your immunity will likely be outted in a death note. As with any neutral killing, you may want to try to get neutral evils on your side, or even a survivor. Arsonist is the least likely NK to make allies, however, particularly given that other players don’t know if they’re doused and there may be more than one arsonist. Despite the habit of some arsonists to ignite early, it is probably a better strategy to ignite in late game.
Tips and Tricks
1. As mafia, discuss your claims the first night. You may "confirm" each other in various ways.
2. If you hit an immune target at night as godfather/mafioso or serial killer, but you suspect the target is an ally or otherwise useful, consider framing a different target as immune in your death note the next night. Often, this will throw town off, and deflect suspicion from yourself or the actual immune target. As SK, you may even fake frame someone as immune in your death note even if you don't hit an immune target, which in most cases is logically possible since there can be multiple serial killers, and one of the serial killers may have hit an immune.
3. Be prepared to defend allies from suspicion. However, if you do so, you may become suspicious yourself, especially if the ally dies and their role is revealed. If you defend an ally from suspicion, try to avoid merely saying their accuser is exe. This can work, but if your ally is lynched, smart towns will remember your exe accusation and turn on you next. Deflecting suspicion onto someone else is probably a better strategy.
4. As evil, merely accusing your accuser of being an executioner is not a very effective strategy. It can bide you some time, but you are better off making a solid defense.
5. Sometimes as evil, especially in late game situations, you may need to sacrifice a neutral evil ally such as a witch or executioner to save yourself.
6. If you are jailed Night 1 or Night 2 as evil and the jailor has not revealed, you may learn their identity by faking TP and asking who they are. However, some jailors will be suspicious of this and may execute you for asking for their name.
7. If you find yourself in a kingmake situation, try to either friendly up to the kingmaker or even deceive them. Sometimes, kingmakers will announce they will side with a certain role, such as a werewolf. If a kingmaker does this, claim werewolf immediately, and make your case believable. You may even offer to draw a game if the kingmaker lynches the other person. This may convince some players to side with you.
8. In my experience, when a mafia has 1-3 players to start, this seems to increase the chance of vampires and NK in the town. Be prepared to push enemies aggressively, as you have fewer members than usual to work with.
9. If you are jailed Night 1 as serial killer, your best bet may be to claim retributionist. If you are in the jailor's will the next day, you will probably want to immediately claim retributionist and say you will revive the jailor. Otherwise, most other claims should get you lynched. In some games, even buying yourself a single day can be enough to get you a win, especially in double or triple SK games.
10. If you are evil (non-jester) in late game and you sense you will be lynched the next day, prepare a way to deflect suspicion onto someone else at the start of the day, especially via a fake will. If you say nothing or present a weak case, you'll probably be lynched.
11. As evil, saying that town members are "confirmed" can make you trustworthy in the eyes of town, even if the confirmed town is an obvious veteran confirmed in someone's will. It makes you look like you are interested in confirming town from non-town, even though you're interested in killing town.
12. "[X], role?" is a short, powerful way to cast suspicion onto someone.
13. Calling for TP/LO as evil can be an effective method to distract town from more important targets, and make yourself look like town. This can also make you a target of evils.
14. Be careful as to whom you whisper or reply to in whisper. Players may lie about the contents of your whispers to them.
15. If you are found guilty as mafia, you can cast suspicion onto a non-mafia by whispering that person before you die, or saying something to them publicly. You may also "out" fake mafia members in your will.
16. Be especially suspicious of any survivor claims who did not claim Day 1. These are often NK.
17. When someone is accused of being mafia and people begin to vote them, mafia will often vote for someone else to create chaos. This is called splitting and can reveal mafia.
18. Medium is a common fake claim in All Any. Be especially suspicious of medium claims who don't quote the dead specifically.
19. Hail the Dark Lord.
20. Sometimes, it is better not to kill anyone at night as mafia. Doing so may leave you with insufficient votes to lynch an enemy.
21. When a death note outs someone as immune and someone else asks for this person's role or otherwise pushes them, the accuser is commonly the one who wrote the death note or one of their mafia associates. Along this vein, when the person they accuse is likely or possibly a werewolf who's just mauled or an arsonist who's just ignited, it's commonly better for town to divert its attention to the mafia accuser rather than the NK who's just killed and must wait to kill again. Pay close attention to death notes and who references death notes, as this can give someone's identity away.
22. If you intentionally or unintentionally lynch a jester, consider whispering the player during their last words to tell them whom you'd like them to haunt. A dangerous foe being haunted by a jester can mean the difference between a win and a loss for you. You may also whisper them before or during their trial.
23. If you have important information you'd like to share during the day whether publicly or privately, particularly information such as whom the jailor is, but you fear you may be jailed and unable to act on or further communicate this information at night, you may take the very last moment before nightfall to speak or whisper your information, in case you are jailed or in case of other contingencies. For example, if you're mafia and you've identified the jailor, but you don't want to reveal this information publicly or you don't want to whisper during the middle of the day and be found suspicious, you may whisper the information to an associate at the very last second, which both allows them to receive the information and prevents the jailor from having ample time to jail you for suspicious whispering. This strategy can also work in towns in which you are, say, a serial killer, and know another serial killer's identity, to whom you wish to transmit such important information.
24. As evil, or even as town, try to befriend survivors early on or in late game. Tell them you side with them, and ask them to vote certain targets. This will often get them to at least not vote against you, if not get them to vote with you. Be careful telling them your role, however, as some survivors may not side with you if you reveal your exact role or alignment.
25. Be aware that some town will act like or appear to be evil, but are in fact town. I find this may be particularly prevalent in the case of mediums, for some reason.
Conclusion
One of the main points of the game that I would emphasize in my conclusion to this guide is that it is often very effective to fake claim witch, executioner, or jester in a late game situation, whether as town or evil. Evils commonly trust witch claims, while executioner claims can better explain immunity (or force a mislynch) and jester claims can make them less likely to lynch you. Jester claims can also make them more likely to lynch you however, so tread with caution. As evil, if you are found by a lookout or an investigator, you may be able to avoid being lynched that day by claiming investigator and claiming you found your accuser as sheriff/executioner/werewolf, implying your accuser is an executioner. Decent evil fake claims to avoid being lynched for a day include retributionist, vampire hunter, and even jailor, among others. As to an overall best strategy, it’s ultimately situational. Each town is unique, comprised of unique players and roles at a unique time. Players adapt to each town, each day, each night. Within a few days time, if you’re still alive, and even if you aren’t, you’ll find the game is coming down to the wire, and there are critical decisions to be made. This is when you may find it apt to change your strategy entirely. NK is in a particularly precarious predicament in many late game scenarios. Town want to lynch them, mafia want to lynch them, even witches may want to lynch them. A single mislynch in late game is what determines the fate of many towns. For every role, there is a unique mosaic of skills and strategies available. Mastery of this game takes time and practice. It is unlikely a player will deeply internalize all of the various peculiar nuances inherent in the game in a short span of time. Intuition, perhaps, is the most important factor. Logic can only go so far in this game. Sometimes it’s just not precisely clear what the identities of players are, potentially until it’s too late. Being too passive, too quiet, or even too loud can doom players. There is a certain balance required between being too aggressive and being too passive. When you take the game seriously, pay close attention, and extrapolate potentials, but also enjoy it, you may find like me it becomes your favorite game, if it isn’t already. I do hope more players join the All Any community. We could use some more maniacs here…
- Glazer
Last edited by
Randyxpxp on Fri Jun 14, 2019 3:43 pm, edited 22 times in total.