[The Saucepan Man]

Originally Posted by Shelob

First off I'm not so sure if we can form a list of criteria and say "wolves will match this pattern" ...

My purpose in setting out my criteria was not so much to identify a pattern of Wolfish behaviour, but to encourage them to talk and (when the time comes) to vote. If they don't talk and vote, we are going to have a very hard time spotting them. So, having set out my criteria, I will have no hesitation in voting for those that I do not think are contributing sufficiently. Even if they turn out not to be Wolves, I would rather see the back of them than innocent Villagers who are contributing to the debate. Particularly when there is very little in the way of other evidence to go on.

Having said that, you are right, Shelob, to point out that we should be wary of those who say much but tell us little.

Originally Posted by Shelob

Good reasons, indeed reasons of any kind, are somewhat hard to come by on the first day...

True. But any reasoning, even gut instinct, is better than nothing because it gives us something that we can possibly work with.

Before the voting gets underway in earnest, I would just like to point out that it is in the Villagers' interests (and against the Wolves' interests) to keep the voting spread out as much as possible. Wolves love bandwaggons, because they can hide in them. If the voting is spread out, then it makes it more difficult for them to hide and they might be forced into a bold move to save one of their furry chums.

That doesn't mean that you should vote for someone that you have little suspicion of. But just bear it in mind when the time comes to vote. And keep an eye on how the voting progresses. There is no danger of a mass lynching, but it is worth taking into account who might buy it in the event of a tie.