Voting at six players
We have reached the middle of the game. The round at six may be the final point (if all blacks are found on one of the lines) or an intermediate stage. By now you can already determine a team, find a red or a black by the count, the metagame, emotions, the positional school, moves and sheriff lines, and assess a player and a team over a distance. So the case when the count cannot identify a black is not covered here.
Case 1. All teams are found
All four players on both lines are known: two sheriffs and their checks. The civilians must make a joint decision, and its quality depends on whether enough information has been collected. If the data is enough, vote for removing the team you consider black, without dragging the game out.
If there is no clear decision, it is better to split the table, keep everyone alive and go into the night. Then with five at the table the town will have four more informative speeches instead of two, and can decide on their basis. By keeping the players you prolong the game by only a couple of minutes, because the choice in this round is equal to the choice in the guessing round.
The table is split simply: the mafia team of one line plus one of the civilians vote against one check, the rest do not vote. Who votes with one team and who with the other is decided by the reds.
Case 2. One black is not found on one line
You have two sheriffs and only one found mafioso. So the whole team is found on one version only. The difference from the previous case: the false sheriff can give a black a black check. One way for the mafia to win is to start a vote between the sheriffs, and the check will break with a black win.
To block this, nominate a pair: a sheriff and his found black. The vote is between these two, by the familiar principle of the split.
If there is a red on all lines at the table, he insures with a single hand. To insure means to hold a hand over the table so that, if a player does not give his vote (a break), the hand can be added and a car crash made. If they are going to break on the player under the first hands, we "catch" the hand and do not give it, seeing that it will be added (this variant is harder).
If a check is nominated under the first hands and among the unknown pool of players a black of the nominated player's version is hiding, splitting is harder: the vote may be broken. Then the split can be entrusted to the candidate under the first hands, so that he himself chooses who votes against him. This is the only case where we allow a potentially black player to decide who votes against whom. He will approach it responsibly, because if he does it wrongly he loses. If the level of your "black" leaves much to be desired, split as described below.
Case 3. A single checked red
In conditions of uncertainty the red hero chooses at his discretion two players, splits the table and lifts them. Those chosen must do everything to persuade the table to remove someone else. But if a civilian is firmly set on lifting you, accept it and try to stand with the one you consider surely black.
If you split the table and have not decided on the pair, ask the player you consider the most black: "Whom do you want to stand with?". He names a slot he is ready to leave with. We lift those two. This insures against a mistake, and under the first hands goes the blackest of the resulting pair: that gives fewer chances to lose through a break.
Three rules of voting
- Only two players are nominated. Then a black cannot divert a vote and break on the player under the first hands.
- Split so that for the player under the first hands vote players from the other black team. The one who is presumably mafia with him does not vote. All possible variants must be taken into account.
- A red insures, that is, votes against the last candidate while holding his hand back.
An extra device: a civilian may ask everyone who is not voting against the first nominated to take their hands off the table. This lowers the probability of a break.
Lifting two at six is ideal when there are two equally badly playing or suspicious players: lift them simply because it does not matter which of them is black.
For the black
You close the round at six, at the table three checked civilians, and it is decided to lift two now and one in the guessing round. There are several ways to bring the team to victory, for example, to use the uncertainty of the split and break the vote by putting your hand where it is not expected. A black at six looks for where the reds have not agreed on the distribution of hands. A good reaction: offer your own split in which you are put in a safe place. To "become red" for the table, use fouls.
Self-check questions
- You are the mafia closing the round at six. At the table are three checked civilians. It is decided to lift two now and one in the guessing round. In which three ways can you bring the team to victory (two to the guessing round) in this seemingly hopeless situation (the ban on lifting two at four is in force)?
- How should the table be split in order to break the vote as a black?
- How can you "become red" for the table with the help of fouls?
- You play mixed colours for the mafia. What obligatory conditions does this strategy have?
Example
Six players. The reds know: sheriff A with a red check on no. 2, sheriff B with a black check on no. 5. The reds split: no. 2 votes against sheriff B, the mafia of version B votes against no. 2, a red insures. If the vote breaks, the offender is visible.
Practice
Play the three cases five times each, swapping roles. For each case name whom to nominate first and who insures.
Typical mistakes
- Nominating more than two.
- Not insuring.
- Not explaining the split.
- Putting under the first hands the one who has the critical round.
Source of the idea. The chapter "Voting at six players" from Dmitry Novik's book "Mafia in the Style of Zen" (2020), and the principles of the universal tie vote from "50 Shades of Red" (2021).