Yes, for particular roles where it's laid out, alternate win conditions are fine.

Bodyguards are really one of the exceptions, their job is to protect/die for a town member (especially if that town member wins the game). They should be rewarded for actually filling their role.

Remember, a Doctor Who game where I, as Rory, bodyguarded Amy and lost.
Well I think the mod retroactively gave me a win or at least MVP for recreating an actual story moment. I think that was the start of bodyguard roles winning if they actually protected a townie here on realms actually.

Question: if low participation is a problem, what about something like Hybridity... 6? Whichever one where they could level up and unlock additional powers based on XP that they gained (at least in part) from meeting a posting floor each day.

Question as well...
When someone is misdirected, how do y'all determine who the next target will be?

Question for you all regarding Mafia win conditions - on the Realms, we have treated a win as surviving, ignoring the efforts made by vocal active players (both mafia and town) that have died regardless of their playstyle (or were killed bc of how good they were doing).

In the championship games over at 2+2, wins were not given to the survivors but to a voted upon 3 players - and the players voted on who they think should be given the win.

What do we think about that process? I know that there is a chance that more than 3 players deserve it, but what do we think of that process?

I am really dismayed by the ideas put forth (in one of the current games) of "personal wins" and surviving overshadowing what SHOULD be the win which is fulfilling the ACTUAL win condition of eliminating a faction that is opposed to your own.

I was reminded of another thing that happened in K-Ness Final Fantasy VI mafia. Basically the cop (zyxba) had found a mafioso (Vorlon20). Zyxba started a pressure vote, Vorlon fake claimed, people backed off. zyxba kept insisting he was scum but didn't want to outright claim cop. Day ended, zyxba was killed, Vorlon skated for a few days before dying (I believe). In the post-game discussion this happened:

I think my use of the phrase "personal win" is being taken out of context. I'm not looking for a point for the records books. I'm saying that you join a game first and foremost to play. To play, you want to survive. Surviving is significant, especially when you consider that more don't survive than do.

In Quebbsters example, I'd say Zxy played "wrong" by letting his interest in survival surpass his interest in his factions survival.
But havin your faction win collectively I don't think should encourage a disinterest in survival, unless a player has no contribution to make on their factions behalf, in which case, I don't know why they signed up.

I've sacrificed myself for the faction, even knowing I won't get a win, so maybe that taints my view but, for the most part, I'm pro "standard win" of being alive at end of game. In fact, when I was sent to 2+2 to represent I was so thrown by the "You don't have to live to win." I missed it - misinterpreted - and while I got the win I feel a little bad about that goof (though the win was more for you all so I was willing to fight "tooth-and-nail" by pulling out all the tricks so I'm not sure even if I had understood it would've changed much as I wouldn't have felt I had did right by all of you.)

I do think certain roles, though, such as BG or Martyr should get a Win even if dead (I remember first time I got Martyr and basically felt I was Vanilla. However it did let me win the game by blackmailing the vote but that took special circumstances for a bluff to work. Melkhor's Mutant Massacre for those who were around or curious).

I also am fond of alt-win conditions and when I've written roles it's not unusual for a large number of those. I've even written entire games where entire factions could focus on alternative plays for a different win (eg: "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" where players could forego standard Night actions to travel in search of key artifacts or to prevent the Big Bads from assembling them. Alt-win was actually how the Mafia won by completing the special goals of the Big Bads.)

So, I guess, in other words, I think overall I believe in "live to win" but paradoxically I wish people weren't so focused on their win tally and would put the faction over it. I'd rather see more people have fun even if it means I have to throw my score. Balancing that I also think each game should have some unusual win conditions to help keep the Mafia games fresh. Never knowing what twists are in helps bring people back and keeps aways the doldrums.