Sketchwick's Gambit

The defensive tactic of claiming a role which investigates as guilty to respond to a guilty investigation without attacking the investigator.

When To Use

When the player is mafia, and has been caught by an investigative role.

Examples

• Upon a Cop investigation, claim Miller.
• Upon a Track to or a Watch on someone who died at night, claim any role that could have visited that target.
• Upon a Gunsmith investigation, claim Cop, Vigilante, Vengeful, or Paranoid Gun Owner.
• Upon a Neapolitan investigation, claim any Power Role.
• Upon a Follower investigation, claim Vigilante.
• Upon someone claiming "No Result", claim Commuter.

Risk

Although there are occasionally pro-town roles that do appear guilty to investigations (such as millers), the person in question usually gets lynched eventually.

Furthermore, this tactic is highly vulnerable to Kokusho's Gambit, in which the investigative role fakeclaims a different investigative to bait the use of this tactic.

History

This was originally named Chainsaw Defense, after PolarBoy claiming Landscaper on Day 1 of Beach Resort Mafia; the first line of his claim post was "I guess you found my chainsaw."

This could also be called the "Cochran Defense", as Sketchwick used it in Improbable Role Mafia when he claimed Johnny Cochran, a lawyer who is innocent, but appears guilty (a Miller). In that game, he was actually "mafia lawyer".