To be clear:

My thought is that the game starts out ONLY with a CL, no followers. Why? Because that is how I see it being the most balanced. It allows D2 to start at a likely 9v2. If we started 10v2 that turns D2 into a likely 8v3, and that is too much too fast to be considered balanced, imo.

If then the CL on a super-slim chance happens to get lynched D1, my guess is that the mechanic would be something simple like, the hammerer gets converted into the new CL, or 1 random wagon-rider. To me that seems the most simple, easiest, and balanced way to handle it. Speculation on the CL being D1 lynchproof and whatever else seems wayyy off to me, but, of course, we don't know.

My secondary guess is that there is no replacement CL if the CL is D1 lynched, and that 3 townies simply get turned into cultists.

reckless and unnecessarily messy

I hold the view that every single lynch that isn't the CL or a cultist brings the cult closer to winning (thinning the pool to choose the PRs from and decreasing town's numbers.) We've got tools besides lynch at our disposal, and I say we can use them without lynching to make things a bit more solid. I don't see not lynching as a "delay in getting started" with my view of how things could unfold. Deprogrammer is our strongest muscle here, not the lynch.

Of course we could lynch and actually hit the PR, anything is possible, but, I'm going on likelihoods...but...wait...

Who's putting forward blatantly incorrect misinformation? I pose mine as an opinion/idea, you're seeming to post this as fact.

Are you meaning to make this sound more dire than it is and put out more misinformation? Cult can't "steal" the vig or the tracker, they can convert them and in turn remove their powers "Steal", to me, implies they are taking the power roles over for themselves. Not so. I'm not saying it isn't bad to lose the power roles (duhh), but it just seems like wyrm is misrepresenting things here, again, because obviously it is the same for the CL. There are more PRs to seek out the CL/cultists in the pool than the reverse. Numbers are on our side. Killing townies just makes it easier for the cult, at least on D1 when there is no information to help increase the odds of hitting cult, and the likelihood of killing town is QUITE HIGH.

Do you not understand that I was posing an idea that I think is possible, not purporting to claim I knew something for a fact?

*refresh* (last post viewed prior to this refresh was #133)

*sigh*
Actually, we have the information that the CL "CAN", so I figure that means the CL is not compulsory. However, if the CL decided not to recruit someone on a night, that is really bad play, imo (why on earth would the CL do that?), and not something I'm accounting for happening in this game. Yes, sure, it's possible, but I actually find it so unlikely that it's a non-factor. This statement reeks of bad information.

However, I have a hard time seeing a cultist or the CL false-claiming deprogrammer (it makes absolutely no sense from any angle I can see), but then, not everyone agrees on what makes a smart move.

I don't follow your maths. I did a similar thing above ^

9v3 D1 with a no-lynch makes D2 start 8v4, but a D1 townie lynch makes D2 start 7v4

and

10v2 D1 with a no lynch makes D2 start 9v3, but a D1 townie lynch makes D2 start 8v3

Ask yourselves, would you rather start D2: 9v2 or 10v2? That's basically what I'm looking at atm to determine my no-lynch vote (RW and flub are somewhat tempting to vote for, but nothing severe enough to switch quite yet, I still view no-lynch as preferable.)