Eliminate-or-Lose

A situation where the town must lynch Scum, or they will lose the game immediately. Also called 'Lynch right, or lose'.

It is 'Lynch-Or-Lose' when a Day dawns with one less Scum (on the same Faction) than the number needed to Lynch; two Mafia among five players, for instance, or one Serial Killer among three. This stage of the game usually means that people won't Vote unless they are certain of who the scum are, since one pro-town player voting for another could theoretically let the entire Mafia family vote for that person and immediately win.

Technically, it is possible (but less obvious) for a game to be at Lynch-or-Lose with two less scum than an outright majority; this is because their Night Kill, if uninterrupted, can place them in an unbeatable position the following Day. This case usually takes at least one Faction in the game by surprise; if the Town knows they have no surviving Doctor or Vigilante, however, they may play it safe whenever it starts to become possible they are reaching the Endgame, where a single decision could spell disaster.