Mafia is a role-playing game that tests your powers of deduction.There is a small village where the locals and the mafia are fighting for survival.Depending on your role, the object of the game is to either kill or identify someone from the other team.Mafia is a game that can be played with a large group of friends.
Step 1: Everyone will sit in the same room if you gather 7 or more people to play.
The players can sit around a table, on sofas and chairs, or on the floor, but they must all be in the same room.Make sure that the space you choose is large enough for everyone to be comfortable in.The ideal number of people is 12 to 16.
Step 2: You can choose a moderator.
The game is not played by the moderator.They will be in charge of making sure that the game runs smoothly, so they should have a good grasp on the rules.Informing people if they have been eliminated and distributing cards telling people when to sleep and wake are some of the duties you will be expected to perform if you are the moderator.
Step 3: There is 1 card for each role if you split up a deck of cards.
The deck should be made up of as many cards as possible.There needs to be at least 1 king, 1 queen, and 1 card of a certain suit for each mafia member in the deck.The amount of the special suit should be included in the deck.To play with 12 players, remove all but 1 king and 1 queen and only include 7 more random cards.You can assign any card they want, such as hearts, clubs, or spades.
Step 4: Have each player take a card.
Take the deck out and hold it to the players.The players should look at their cards, but not the other players.Set players to face down on a table and have them keep their cards hidden for the rest of the game.A standard deck of playing cards can be used to assign roles.If you don't have a deck of playing cards, you can assign roles on pieces of paper and have everyone draw one out of a bag or hat.
Step 5: Players are assigned roles using playing cards.
The detective and doctor are the ones who get to use the special actions that these players can use once per round.A player who gets a special suit card is a member of the mafia.If a player gets any other cards, they are a townsperson.The detective points out to the player that they suspect he is a mobster.The person is eliminated if the detective is correct.Nothing happens if they are wrong.The doctor can point to one person who they want to save.They could also save themselves.The person the doctor chooses is saved if the mafia tries to kill them.
Step 6: The night cycle begins when everyone closes their eyes.
If you want, you can tell the players to put their heads down.No matter what their role is, all players should do this.If a player is a mobster, doctor, or detective, they should close their eyes and put their head down.
Step 7: The mafia should be told to open their eyes and choose a victim.
Anyone who drew a Mafia card should look around to see who else has their eyes open.Give the players a set amount of time, such as 60 seconds or 5 minutes, to decide who they want to eliminate from the game.They should tell you who the victim is when they make a decision.Tell the players to communicate silently with simple hand gestures, such as nodding or shaking their heads, and not to speak with other mafia members.No one will be eliminated during the round if the mafia can't come to a unanimous decision about who to eliminate.
Step 8: The mafia should be told to go back to sleep.
The person was chosen to be eliminated by the mafia.The mafia should be told to go back to sleep and close their eyes again.Wait until everyone closes their eyes.
Step 9: It's time for the detective to wake up.
Someone may point at someone they think is a member of the mafia if they open their eyes.Since there is only one detective in the game, they will have to rely on their instincts.There should only be one detective.If you see someone open their eyes, you need to check their cards to see who the real detective is.An alternative way to play is that the Sheriff/Detective does not eliminate the Mafia member they have identified.It is up to the sheriff to find out who the Mafia member is.
Step 10: If the detective was correct, tell them to sleep again.
If the person the detective identified is a member of the mafia, you should nod or shake your head.The sheriff should go back to sleep after they make their selection.The person will be eliminated if the detective is correct.If the person was wrong, they know who another one of the townsfolk is and can choose someone else on their next turn.
Step 11: Let the doctor choose who to save.
Someone can be saved or saved themselves by the doctor.The person the doctor saves will survive this round and not be eliminated.The person the mafia chose will be eliminated if nothing happens to the person saved.If a mobster opens their eyes when they aren't supposed to, you can eliminate them on a technicality.Before you start the game, make sure everyone knows the consequences of cheating.The town can no longer be saved from the mafia if the doctor dies.
Step 12: Tell the doctor to go back to sleep after they make their decision.
Once the doctor has told them to go back to sleep, it's time to note who it is.This is the end of the night cycle and the doctor will close their eyes.
Step 13: To wake everyone up, tell them about the events of the night.
If the detective caught a Mafia member, and the doctor chose the right person to save, you can tell the players a short story.It is possible to add details to your story.You could say, for example, that the mafia attacked John during the night, but the doctor was able to save them, so they will live.The mafia attacked and killed Maria last night, but the detective couldn't catch them.The doctor was too late to save her, but the detective caught one of the mobsters.George will no longer be able to commit crimes because he is in the custody of the detective.
Step 14: The players should talk about the events of the evening for 5 minutes.
The players should discuss recent events.Nobody can reveal that they have a special role.Mafia members should try to convince the other players that they are not criminals.Set a timer for 5 minutes to make sure the discussion doesn't get out of hand.It is possible for players to say something along the lines of, "Joey hasn't said much, which seems pretty suspicious."I might point fingers at other people if I was guilty of something.
Step 15: Players should be allowed to make accusations.
Someone may make an accusation against another player stating that they think the other person is part of the mafia.It is necessary for another player to move into the defense phase when an accusation is made.If someone else seconds the accusation, it goes to the defense phase.
Step 16: The accused should be allowed to defend themselves.
The person who is accused gets 30 seconds to explain why they think the person is in the mafia.The accuser can make up reasons why they think the person is guilty.The accused player can use a variety of tactics to prove their innocence.Someone might accuse someone because they look guilty and they don't have much to add to the discussion.The accused may use fictional alibis as part of their defense.No one would have a way of knowing if the accused were a doctor or a detective.The accuser might claim they are the real doctor or detective if the accused is lying.
Step 17: The players should vote.
The person in charge asks who thinks the accused is guilty and tells everyone to vote.The players should indicate their vote with a thumbs up or thumbs down.The number of thumbs up and thumbs down should be counted.If the majority of players voted thumbs up, the person is guilty and eliminated from the game, even if their card proves they were not part of the mafia.The person is saved if the majority votes thumbs down.If you let everyone keep their eyes open, you can hold an anonymous vote.Everyone has the right to vote, including the accused and accuser.
Step 18: If the player is not guilty, start a new accusation round.
The accusations begin again if there is not a majority vote of guilty.Allow someone else to make an accusation and progress through the accusation, defense and voting.The day goes on until someone is found guilty and removed from the game.
Step 19: After a player has been found guilty, begin the night round again.
If a majority of the players vote against the accused, they will be killed.They may no longer participate in discussions or votes after being eliminated for the rest of the game.The night round begins again after this happens.The person who is eliminated can keep their eyes open and observe the rest of the game, but they can't give the players any information.The game goes on until the mob is eliminated.The team with the most players left is declared the winner.
Step 20: For a political twist, change the game's name.
The sheriff is replaced by a revolutionary hero in a left-wing version of the game.The Mafia is replaced by the FBI in order to win the game.People who play this version of the game call it "Emma" or "Assata" instead of "Mafia".
Step 21: Extra roles for players will make the game better.
Extra roles can make the game more complex.The moderator can assign different cards to indicate additional roles in the game.The Informant is someone who gets to know who the Mafia are without them knowing who they are.Someone is chosen to defend.The person who the lawyer defends can't be voted out the next day.The peeping-Tom can open their eyes at any time.This person is more likely to be killed by the mafia if they find out who plays who in the game.The grandma has a gun.The person with a shotgun can't be killed if anyone visits during the night.2 players falling in love with each other will put them at a higher risk of being eliminated.Cupid picks 2 people to be his lovers on the first night.If one of the lovers dies, the other dies of a broken heart.
Step 22: For an extra-large group, create 2 competing groups of mafia.
For large groups of 20 or more players, it can be interesting to play the game with 2 separate groups and compete against each other.The 2 sets of mafia are going to kill the people of the town.You can give them names like Blue and Red Team Mafia.