If you are a cop, I believe you have an obligation to follow up your investigative reports. You don't need to do this by claiming, but you do need to analyze the ones you have inspected and really check to see if they're scummy or townish, and to make sure your results exist in the same day. In this way, when you finally claim, you do have a leg to stand on and we can be relatively sure that, at least, if it's a fabriciation, it's a damned good one. And generally speaking, time will bear it out.
Yes, we're all worried about millers and framers and such. I feel that if you have such an investigation, you're obliged to follow it up for the time being and let the town play devil's advocate. In the event that it's shown your investigation came up wrong, congrats- you know there's something that can fool you. But until then...
Sopko
Day 1- QuietRain (I was the investigation that failed on the Day 2 flavor)
Day 2- Excal (Duck Man)
Day 3- Excal (Townie)
Day 4- Corwin (Rincewind)
Sopko has made other mistakes this game, including getting Smodge and Corwin mixed up early during day 2. I'd like to know why he decided to investigate Excal at this juncture. He has at one point been suspicious of Shale's defence, indicating that if shale flips scum or vice versa, it apparently looks bad for the other. Also during day 2: Sopko claimed that Bobbin's defence of VSM would be 'rather blatant if it's scum vs. scum'. I don't see Sopko trying to hit VSM after Bobbin's flip, correct me if I'm wrong.
He's pretty neutral towards Excal on day 3. This is decent play, because you're obviously waiting for the secondary results on your present suspect if you're a slowcop. He'd also understandably be eager for information at this point, so he hammers day 3 a bit earlier than is possibly necessary.
DOES defend Excal on day 4. Pretty much says the claims against him are stupid and that Excal has been around when he's been around.
Shale
Day 1: Excal - Town.
Day 2: Cranbud - Scum
Day 3: Otter - Town
Day 4: Fnorder - Ghost
Tiny Little Detail that Shale has going for him-
...well if that ain't the biggest mixed bag I've ever seen. On the one hand...<censored>. We lost a cop before he'd even gotten any results to breadcrumb. Yech.
@
http://www.rpgdl.com/forums/index.php?topic=268.msg2072#msg2072.
Lost *a* cop, as opposed to *the* cop. (Had breadcrumb in the same sentences?!) Shale hasn't said anything about breadcrumbing his role, but the general assumption is that there's only going to be one cop, or so I think. This does give him a bit more credibility. He did question Excal but not really in an aggressive tone. He also makes sure to point out that Excal looks somewhat town on the basis of, mainly, not giving any tells at all. Basically, on day 2, he's matching up with what he's said.
Not quite so in day 3. Yes, he makes a couple of shots at Cranbud. No, he's not terribly persuasive about it, and he waited until Kilga made an argument before voting; why didn't he go over Cranbud's posts more thoroughly himself, and try to figure out if he had made any slips?
Continues to defend Excal throughout day 4 and beyond. Makes a pretty weak defence of Otter as well, as compared to the one on Excal..
Kilga
Day 2: Shale- Town
Kilga has come under some attack since day 2, with verifiable scum amongst them (that being Cranbud). Cranbud kept at it on day 3, too, and I feel this was before reasonable expectation of Cranbud getting lynched. His logic seems extremely weak; I'm prepared to be somewhat kind to Kilga on this basis. However, in day 3, Shale DOES come under fire, and despite this investigation, I can't see Kilga mention him anywhere at all. I would've thought he'd like to do this. In regard to he's cop claim in specific, there's not so much to say; he revealed that Shale was pro-town and that's it; a solid defence, if you presume to trust Kilga. Which I did.
<->
So there go the three cops. And, from my perspective, they *all* look alright, but Sopko and Shale have both made some rather telling mistakes, and Kilga's role is just not enough to drag out much information from. I'm going to make a leap of faith here and not try to lynch any of these people today, despite really thinking that scum have had a big opening to jump in, here.
I am constantly interested on what people have to say on Shale and Excal right now. With two investigations on Excal and one on Shale, all coming up town, they both look pretty sweet. Couple thoughts, though.
-There are still thoughts going on about the me/Kilga/Excal vote train on VSM. Now... if VSM is actually scum (and he totally could be), suspicion for us on these grounds would drop off entirely. If he's town, though, it shoots up quite strongly. The doublevoting governor thing is a pretty dangerous fakeclaim for *scum* to make in case he gets called on it, because town, generally, does Not Like Losing their lynch.
-Since there are two claims for Excal being town, if I had to pick one of us three to lynch, I'd pick Kilga, which kind of bites because I think he's been playing pretty well so far. But I don't want to argue against multiple investigations (i.e. accusing Excal of being godfather) unless I'm either presented with really compelling evidence, or it's Lylo and I'm presented with reasonable compelling evidence.
I will vote.. tomorrow. I want other people to check if I've missed anything, further the case on Fnorder if they can (I don't know how much information his lynch would give us compared to a cop, right now, and information is becoming a critical concern. Plus, he's become more active as of late. This is slightly more on the towntell side of things than scum, IMHO.)