I categorically avoid publicly stating my role or alignment regardless. I have to play it ambiguous for the sake of long-term strategy and game mechanics. See below:
1) If I say I'm townie early and everyone accepts and knows it's true then I become an early nightkill target. Result: early game exit.
1a) If I say I'm townie early and everyone accepts and knows it's true then the town is benefited ~80% of the games. Result: game becomes too easy for the townies to win and the mafia tends to lose. Game becomes less fun in the long run for everyone.
2) If I say I'm townie early every game, then the assumption is that if I don't say it then I'm mafia and I get lynched early. Result: early game exit
2a) Following the reasoning above, then if I stay quiet only when mafia, then the mafia is disadvantaged ~20% of the games. Result: game becomes too easy for the townies to win and the mafia tends to lose. Game becomes less fun in the long run for everyone.
The result of 1a and 1b is that the town always benefits from that playstyle alone - irrespective of anything else I do. Result: the game isn't fun or viable in the long run.
The mod will need to overcompensate and give advantage to the mafia to ensure game balance. But that risks making it too hard for the town, or games too short especially if things are too unlucky in the town in the first couple days. Result: Result: the game isn't fun or viable in the long run.
3) If I play it ambiguous then the mafia doesn't try to nightkill me in the early game (for no other reason than to get rid of a 'known' townie). They can use the ambiguity to their advantage try to make me look maf as a strategy. Result: I get to play into the mid-game, and neither the town or maf get an unwarranted advantage.
3a) If I play it ambiguous every game, and prove my townieness through gameplay, then the town knowns not to kneejerk into the silence=maf fallacy and vote me out immediately. Result: The town gives me a few days to prove my worth. I get a few days to observe and play to my strength in the mid-game through end-game. In the long run, this doesn't benefit the town or mafia too much. Especially since anyone, including eliminated players can comment and speculate in the thread.
3b) This strategy requires accepting occasional mislynches will occur as a price to pay for playing it ambiguous. It feels like every 6 months or so I need to get lynched just as a reminder to the town that silence=/=mafia. Mislynches are a natural consequence of the mafia utilizing my ambiguity as a strategy.
3c) The ambiguous strategy means that I get nightkilled during the later midphase of the game. Usually a day or so after I prove my alignment through actions and contributions.
3c1) I legitimately despise the silence=maf fallacy. My pushback this round was based only on that. It wasn't planned and I didn't think my post would actually change any minds. And you should expect me to get annoyed by it in the future too. I will totally accept a few mislynches in a row just to drive the point home - regardless of the cost to the town. Recall that, out of spite, I don't provide analysis to the town as a lynched townie ghost; and I liberally use the word 'dumbass' for the rest of the round.
I personally prefer the midphase of the game. The early game it too blind, and the endgame is just playing out the script. I don't care about surviving the game, so much as I like figuring out the mystery and formulating strategy and tactics.