Mafia (also known as Killer, Wolf or Village game) is a role-playing game involving strategy, survival, and the ability to detect liars. The imaginary setting is in a village, with locals and the mafia fighting for their survival.
There are many different variations of this game. The version described here requires a deck of cards and is best played with twelve to twenty-four players.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Preparing for the Game
Step 1. Choose a moderator
This guy must understand the rules and have played the Mafia before.
Step 2. Distribute a deck of cards so that each person has a sheet (minus 1 for the moderator)
The king card is a detective, and there can only be one king. The queen card is the doctor, and there can only be one queen. Select a shape (eg spades) as a mafia group. For every 3 villagers, there must be 1 mafia person (rounded down). Put these three types of cards into the pile, along with all the other cards - except for the moderator.
Step 3. Deal the cards and have each player take one and look at it without showing the card to anyone else
The card drawn is the character he will play. When everyone has drawn and seen their cards, the moderator will start the game.
Step 4. Play through the day and night rounds (explained below) until all mobs are eliminated, or the number of mobsters and residents is equal (in this case, the mobsters have full control over the voting process)
The game starts at noon, when the mafia doesn't know who is a member of its herd.
Method 2 of 4: Night Cycle
Step 1. The moderator should start the night cycle by asking everyone to close their eyes and bow their heads
Step 2. While everyone is “sleeping”, the moderator must instruct the mafia to wake up and pick a victim
People holding mafia cards will open their eyes and decide for themselves (as calmly as possible without making a sound) who they want to kill. The mafia informs the moderator about its victim by pointing it out, and the moderator will again tell the mafia to sleep.
Step 3. The moderator will ask the detective to wake up
The detective then selects someone he deems to be a mafia and the moderator will confirm secretly (through body movements) whether that person is a member of the mafia or not. If the detective is right, the mafia member is eliminated; if the detective is wrong, he knows that the target he chose is a villager (other than himself or someone else he suspects to be a mafia but was wrong in the previous turn). The moderator will then instruct the detective to go back to sleep. Note: in the alternate gameplay, the detective cannot get rid of the mafia he has become aware of automatically. The detective must convince the villagers the next day to pick the mafia.
Step 4. Then, the doctor will be asked to get up and choose the person he wants to save
The doctor will appoint this person secretly. He can also choose to save himself. If the person killed by the mafia is saved, that person will survive. Otherwise, it will still die. If the doctor dies, the villagers cannot be saved from the mafia attack.
Method 3 of 4: Daytime Cycle
Step 1. The moderator asks everyone to get up and give a short story about the choice of the mafia
If the doctor chooses to save a "dead" person, that person will still be alive in the moderator's story. If the person chosen by the mafia is not saved, he will still die in the story.
Step 2. Discuss the night before
The players (all of them) have to discuss the events of the previous night. They may not show their cards, although they may convince others of their role. Once the discussion reaches a point where it raises suspicion, it's time for the accusation stage.
Step 3. File an allegation
At this point, one can accuse another player by claiming that the player is part of the mafia. Once a charge is filed, the other players must agree to it in order for a vote to take place. When a person is suspected by two people, the accuser must explain the reasons. Then, other players can speak up if they want to support the accusation.
Step 4. Defend the accused
Now, anyone can defend the accused (including the accused himself) and explain that he is not a member of the mafia. You can pretend you're running a real trial. The accused can come up with an artificial alibi and appoint someone else to take his place. He can also use his relationships with other people as an excuse to state that he is not a member of the mafia.
Step 5. Vote
Moderators will now vote to see who agrees the accused is guilty. This voting process can be done openly or privately.
Step 6. Read the final decision
If the majority of the voters voted guilty, the accused had to show his card and was presumed dead. If you don't use cards to play, the accused just has to say whether he is a mafia or not. If the voting results show that the accused is innocent, you must start the accusation session again. The day round will continue until someone is found guilty and removed from the game, then the night cycle will start again.
Step 7. Create a story
In a variation of the daylight cycle, no discussion or accusation is carried out. If someone is killed, the moderator will create a story about the incident without telling who the killer is. If someone is rescued, the moderator can explain why he was injured, how he was found, and saved (while not telling who the killer was). This variety helps to develop creativity and fun while playing.
Method 4 of 4: Other Variations
- Some left-wing versions of the game replace detective figures with famous revolutionary heroes, such as Assata Shakur, Emma Goldman, or Ernesto Che' Guevara. The mafia organization can also be replaced with the FBI, so to win the game, all FBI agents must be removed. People who play this version of the game usually refer to it as "Emma" or "Assata" instead of "Mafia".
- Moderators can choose mafia members, detectives, etc. This method is effective if the moderator knows each player's playing ability, so that the game proceeds in a more balanced manner.
- Set aside time (five to fifteen minutes) before each discussion session (so that it can happen several times a day) for people to talk confidentially. They can't show their cards, but can convince someone they're innocent - to get them off the hook.
- Another position that can also be played is informant. He knows who is a member of the mafia, but these mafias do not know who he is. The informant's job was to help the villagers, but he had to be careful because if the mafia got suspicious, he might be killed. On the first night, the moderator will ask the mafia to do something (eg raise your hand carefully) and allow the informant to open his eyes, so he knows who is a member of the mafia. Look for the related wikiHow article for a more detailed explanation of how to play this version of the game.
- Some of the other roles used for fun are the protector, who cannot be killed by the mafia and can only be removed by voting; bandits, who could not participate in the vote but knew the mafia and helped it; the lawyer, who selects the person he will defend so that the person cannot be eliminated from the game the following morning; a hero, who can throw a "grenade" at a person and kill that person and both of them in one turn; and the bus driver, who can switch roles between two people at random. The roles that really must be played are moderators and mafia.
- Another variation simply adds two types of players to the original line-up: the serial killer and the postman. Serial killers will try to get rid of doctors so that doctors can't save their victims. However, this serial killer can be killed by the mafia, although he can still kill other people in the same turn (Note #1: serial killers are not mafia, so detectives can't "detect" them. Note #2: Better not to open cards when You play the role of a serial killer, as the moderator will still call his turn, even when he dies). The postman acted like any other resident, with one small exception. When killed, he acknowledged his identity as a postman, and helped deliver someone else as a package to the afterlife.
- For larger groups, you can set up two rival mafia groups.
- The game can become more difficult for the mafia if they are not allowed to communicate at night. When night falls, the moderator mentions each player's name, and the mafia member must point to his target without opening his eyes. If at least half the mafia members appointed the same person, he would die. Otherwise, all players will survive. The mafia must choose its victims during the day, for example through eye contact, so that the villagers don't notice. However, they still have to open their eyes on the first night in order to get to know each other.
- The game will be much more interesting if the player does not open his cards when he dies. All cards are unlocked only after the game ends, so the villagers don't know how many mafia members are left.
- You can also play this game in vampire or wolf format, to make it even more exciting.
- You can keep everything running for other variations, except when someone wakes up, the moderator tells about how the person died (it can be a funny or scary story). Then, everyone will vote to choose the mafia.
- Here's another interesting alternative: The Other (or alien). You are easier to play if there is a doctor role. These aliens look like villagers. After the mafia and the doctor do their job, the alien will wake up. If the mafia chooses it, the moderator must signal the alien to be active. In the afternoon of the next day, the alien must try to get him to get out of the game. If successful, is the winner (he loses if selected before active).
- Some people play this game with wizards. He sided with the villagers and was able to kill one person he suspected to be a human at night, as well as save another by signaling to the moderator. However, wizards can only do this once throughout the game.
- Lycan -- Lycans are residents (they know they're Lycans, the mafia can also claim to be Lycans), but if detectives or witches pick him up at night, he'll be seen as a mobster. This role is not very fun, but helps the mafia. When Lycan dies, he will be considered a member of the mafia.
- The peek-a-boo can open his eyes whenever he wants. He can find out who plays a role in the game, however, this makes him vulnerable to being killed by the mafia.
- Armed granny -- if someone visits this granny at night, the visitor will die. So if detectives or wizards chose them, they would die. If the mafia tries to kill him, a mobster will randomly be killed. He can't be killed by the mafia. The people who investigated it also wouldn't know if they died because of the grandmother or the mafia, or some other factor. These people were on the villagers team.
- The god of love -- on the first night, the god of love chose two people to be partners. If one of them dies, the other will also die of a broken heart. So, if the god of love chooses Bob and Bill to be partners (the sexes don't have to be different), if the mob kills Bob, Bill will also die that same night. These two will be notified that they have been selected as targets, so that they know who their partner is. The god of love sided with the villagers. Alternatively, the selection of pairs can also be determined based on the results of the distribution of cards (for example, 2 hearts and 2 diamonds as a representative of the partner's role). Then, the couple will be woken up by the moderator on the first night so they can get to know each other.
Tips
- If you get killed, you can still sit back and watch the game.
- To make the game interesting, moderators can create creative short stories about how each victim was killed or saved.
- As the number of players increases, so does the number of characters. This method is especially effective when people are tired of being villagers all the time. At this point, start creating random characters with the ability to do certain things. Moderators will have to put in a bit more effort to keep up with the storyline, but the payoff will be worth it for big game sessions.
- Remember who is accusing whom, who is supporting whom, etc. At the end of the game, you may have the opportunity to determine who is the mafia, so the memory of the actions of all players can be very useful at this stage.
- Killing someone who accused him during the day was the worst thing a mob could do, because this way, he would become the prime suspect if someone thought, "Who benefits from his death?"
- A good strategy for a mafia is to choose other mafia members. This way, he would not be suspected.
- Realistically, the minimum number of players required is 7 (5 residents against 2 mobsters).
- Asking about the strategy of the mafia members (as well as the smart villagers) after the game ends can be interesting.
- Sit in a circle with no tables or music for a mystical feel. Don't forget, living the game is what makes it fun.
- Don't make random accusations in the first round. This round is the best time to assess people's behavior. Also, try to detect who seems to know someone else's identity -- he or she could be a mobster.
- If the number of players is not a multiple of four and you have to leave the normal population:mafia ratio of 3:1, you have to change the game to maintain justice. You can usually ignore the lack of 1 mobster in multiples of 4 villagers (for example, 3 mobsters for 11 players or 3 mobsters for 13 players - the result won't be much different from 3 mobsters for 12 players). However, at a number of players like 10, 14, 18, etc., the moderator should consider adding new mafia members, but also assigning additional roles to the population, for example as a doctor, inspector, etc.
- Show cards only when you die. Otherwise, the detective will have an advantage in one round (or more if the doctor protects him). If a person never shows his card, this means he is a mafia.
- If only the moderator knows the number of mafia, the players have to guess it.
Warning
- Be aware that if you play with children, they tend to slip up on who belongs to the mafia.
- The first round of the game can last longer than an hour. Rounds will generally last 10-45 minutes, and a full game session can last up to 3.5 hours.
