Start with the setup, not the personalities
Write the guaranteed slots and flexible categories before the claims pile up. A Classic list may make one claim highly constrained while All Any leaves much more room. The same “two Doctors” situation can mean different things in different modes.
Close slots when evidence is strong enough
A revealed Mayor closes a Mayor slot immediately. A public role flip closes another. A cleaned death does the opposite: it creates uncertainty because the hidden role might occupy a slot that living players are claiming. Claim-space analysis should make that uncertainty explicit instead of pretending the graveyard is complete.
Distinguish hard counterclaims from soft pressure
A hard counterclaim means both stories cannot legally be true under the current setup. A soft counterclaim means the combination is possible but unlikely or poorly supported. Treating soft pressure as hard mechanics is a common source of bad 1-for-1 votes.
Use chronology to break ties
When two claims compete for one slot, compare when each claim first appeared, whether the night logs existed before the conflict, and whether results fit public events. The player who only produced a perfect log after seeing the rival’s claim has a weaker information history.
Reopen old claims after every flip
A death can turn a harmless overlap into an impossible set of stories. Recount the remaining slots after each confirmed role appears in the graveyard, especially before late-game trials where one false claim can decide parity.
Counterclaim example
In a hypothetical setup, all other Town slots are accounted for and only one Town Protective slot plus one Random Town slot remain. Two protective claims can coexist. If independent evidence then establishes an Investigator in that last Random Town slot, the two protectors compete for one place. Check for additional flexible slots and altered death records before calling this a hard conflict.
Common mistakes
- Calling any duplicate role claim impossible.
- Ignoring cleaned deaths when counting occupied slots.
- Forgetting flexible Random Town or Any slots.
- Refusing to revisit claim space after a confirmed flip.
