Interesting post, Lab. I just came up with pretty much the same conclusion.
I'll tell you how this reads scummy, Ice.
If you're innocent and participating in the game, you'll do as well or better for the town (dead or alive) than many of the rest of us. If you're dead (a good spirit), the only thing you can still do is help pick investigations. While active in the game and alive, you'll really help us sort through the lies and schemes to find scum. Frankly, it's easier for just about anyone to pick a decent investigation subject.... even FF if that's how this turns out. Rooting out scum in these games is much more difficult. For these reasons, I'd rather keep you alive (if you really are innocent) than help the mafia by lynching you. I say if the evils want you dead, we should make them use up one of their hits to kill you...... that is if the scum team isn't good enough at this to get you lynched themselves. Now, having considered these points, I'm less inclined to believe you are innocent after suggesting your idea that your death may help us in ANY useful way.
If you're evil, well then.... this little insight you've had about letting yourself get killed may serve an interesting purpose. Like it or not, Ice, you are a reasonable target for anyone on the opposing side. You know this as well as we do, judging from how much you've complained that you usually get killed early in these games. By allowing yourself to get lynched (for some plausible pro-town reason), your apparent willingness to sacrifice yourself for the "good of the town" should pretty much take the wind out of the sails for anyone who might otherwise wanted to lynch you for saying (or doing) something else that seems scummy to us. If they believe you.... the mafia is also less likely to hit a veteran player who has suggested his death may benefit the town more than it benefits the scum.
Now, where does that leave us? You've presented us a cute little WIFOM dilemma. End result is we're less apt to lynch you.... and the mafia is less likely to hit you.
Thus, not only do you manage to stay alive longer than you might have before... you've already presented a convenient defense for still being alive few days from now when others wonder if the mafia hasn't killed you because YOU are on their team.
All things considered, I've decided to call Ice's bluff (too) and take him up on his offer.
I vote to lynch Ice.
I don't believe Ice is as noble minded and self-sacrificing as he hoped to appear. Ice is sharp when it comes to anticipating how a game is likely to go and can strategize well what he needs to do to serve his team's purpose best long before the rest of us get that far. When Ice gets self-protective by saying things that don't actually add up and which psychs us out, that's worth noting as a danger sign.
