@bionic: Yeah, I brought up NK discussion, so what? I found it odd. I also think it's nice that so many people weighed in on the topic. Lots of ammo for Rash's quote miners.
@Oman: That was pretty creepy. Why are you buddying to me?
Anyway... I managed to find some time.
For reference, my initial impression of the votes on Lowell was posted in
#165. Most of it still applies. I did amend the read on Tony’s vote after the connection between the quote about wolf and his own case against Lowell was explained to me. I had misunderstood that argument but now see the logic behind it.
It was also brought to my attention that I’d missed Fhq’s pressure vote. I’ve now reread it. It
seemed
like it was honest pressure as it was placed appropriately and removed once Lowell started posting again. Though the
placement
was fine, I don’t really like the way Fhq pushed suspicion on Lowell while removing the vote as well as other stuff he did afterwards. More on this below…
On the Wagon
Rash:
Still seems legit to me. There was that one little problem with his vote, but it has been buried under a mountain of townie play.
Oman:
Gives five reasons for voting Lowell. They are: information, policy, information, information, and claim or die. Then he spends the rest of the day pushing for a Lowell lynch. OMG! Like I said before, I know that Oman is a rash player, but this seems like too much.
@Oman: Explain yourself. I'll have more specific questions for you once you have.
Tony:
I still feel like his initial vote was a little suspect. The unvote @ L-1 + revote @ L-2 was null. However, what I find most suspicious afterwards was the way Tony stopped looking at other people. His posts after that vote were all defense or side-comment until the end-of-day IGMEO Oman. This while serious discussion about the Lowell lynch was taking place.
@Tony: Why did you stop hunting?
wolf:
I still think the initial vote was scummy. The meta-based unvote seemed transparent, but the “hammer” vote (actually L-1) struck me as preemptively defensive, which is usually not a good sign. And she “hammered” for his refusal to answer questions though he’d already done that before she unvoted. So why the change in stance?
@wolf: Which games of Lowell’s did you read? Did you by chance read mini539?
Tommy:
I still don’t have any problems with Tommy’s treatment of Lowell. Some of his other actions are questionable, but none of it is of major concern.
Fhq:
Voted for pressure, unvoted
while pushing suspicion
after Lowell answered. He continues to talk about how Lowell is a bad player, slipping in scummy qualifications, while defending wolf, who is his other suspect at the time. He votes Darox because of a miscount? Then back to Lowell, then Darox again, as the conversation shifts. There are some questionable contradictions in his arguments. In the end, Lowell gets the vote for deadline and bad play.
@Fhq: Please explicitly share your read on wolf.
Darox:
I think this drama has been in the forefront of the game long enough that I don’t need to rehash it. Combining his most recent unvote with the hammer demonstrates that the unvote itself was likely for show. I still rank Darox high in my suspicions but yesterday’s info has produced multiple leads and I don’t know that he’s the scummiest of the bunch.
On the Sidelines
bionic:
He was against a Lowell lynch for the same reason I was (meta and the suspicious acts of wagoneers). He allowed himself to be talked into an info lynch, which looks kind of slimy, but his unvote was the most appropriate of anyone’s. I don’t find his actions noteworthy.
Elias:
His vote and unvote reasoning were solid, but he muddied it later (which bionic called him on), and again when explaining why he wants to look at Darox tomorrow. He was one of the earlier supporters of an info lynch. He prompts user to give a solid stance on Lowell as the day is winding down. He contradicts himself again when saying he hasn’t looked much at the Darox case.
Conclusions
This post probably sounds pretty paranoid. I just wanted to look at all the angles.
I feel like Rash, Tommy, and bionic get a townie pass for the day, unless something comes up. Oman’s playing like a freak but that’s a part of his reputation; Tony had passive tunnel-vision and some OMGUS, but that’s about all; Darox still has to answer for his convenient voting patterns but there are bigger fish to fry. These three are not my primary concerns.
Elias could be, by process of elimination, the scum on the sidelines and his play is far from clean. In hindsight, Fhq’s D1 actions were worthy of a vote and, read in isolation, he’s the scummiest on the wagon. However…
Wolf’s alignment is suggested not only by her own actions, but by others’actions as well. We have the early Lowell wagon started by people who found wolf scummy. We have several players defending wolf and downplaying her actions at moments when she might have been the clear alternative to Lowell. We have several suspicious players who seemed to find she and Lowell both scummy but him the better lynch. Combined with her own play, I see this evidence as pointing to a clear conclusion, but I’ll await answers to my questions before placing my vote.
