How to Play Mafia

What is the "Mafia"

Mafia is a team role—playing game with a detective story. According to him, the mafia appears in a peaceful city, and honest residents can no longer sleep peacefully, because every night criminals kill one of them. During the game, ordinary citizens need to figure out and neutralize the mafia, otherwise it will take over the city.

The participants draw the cards and, depending on the image on them, determine their role. The game is divided into two periods — day and night, which alternate each other. At night, everyone closes their eyes, only the mafia wakes up and identifies the victim. During the day, all the characters are awake and discussing who might be the culprit. At the same time, real bandits try not to show it, pretend to be civilians and try to put honest players on the wrong track. At the end of each day, a vote is held, and the most suspicious resident, according to the majority, leaves the game, revealing the card.

Who will win — civilians or the mafia — depends on intuition, logic, the ability to observe and manipulate.

You can also use masks to cover your face with them at nightfall. However, it is rather an entourage and an optional attribute of the game.

How many people do you need to play Mafia

You can play with three people, but the process will be boring and too fast. The optimal number of participants for a dynamic game is from 8 to 11.

In a company of 3 to 6 people, the role of the mafia is assigned to one, from 7 to 9 to two, from 10 to 11 to three. If there are 12 or more participants at the table, divide the total number by 4, round the value up — so many people will be criminals.

How to play Mafia

Determine in the company who will be the leader. He will take part in the game from the outside and will coordinate the process.

1. The presenter distributes one card face down to the participants. Players figure out their role by hiding it from others. The first night is announced, everyone closes their eyes. Then, on command, the mafia members open their eyes, get to know each other and, at a signal from the presenter, fall asleep again.
2. At the command of the presenter, the city wakes up. Residents are looking at each other's behavior, trying to notice which of them is the mafia. Each in turn can tell a short biography or utter the phrase: "I am a civilian / I'm not the mafia." After that, a discussion begins, during which the players must figure out the criminals. Any arguments are allowed: you can accuse, suspect, defend someone who seems harmless, or even keep silent. The candidates who have caused the most doubts are put up for voting. It is announced by the presenter. The one with the most votes against is eliminated from the game, showing everyone his card. If two participants scored equally, each makes an exculpatory speech, trying to convince the city of his innocence, and the vote takes place again.
3. Night falls again, and everyone closes their eyes. The presenter announces: "The city is falling asleep, the mafia is waking up." Criminals open their eyes and make gestures to agree on who to kill, showing it to the presenter. At the signal, the mafia falls asleep.
4. A new day begins, everyone opens their eyes. The presenter announces who has become a victim, this person is eliminated from the game. He can say the last word and tell you who and why he considers the mafia. The characters start the discussion again, put the candidates to the vote and determine who leaves the game.
5. The night of the murder and the day of the discussion, voting and determination of the eliminated replace each other. This lasts until the civilians figure out all the mafiosi. Or until the moment when the criminals kill all honest players.

What other roles are there in the Mafia

The classic version of the game can be varied with additional characters. Among them are the commissioner, don, maniac and others. This is especially useful if there are a lot of people at the table. This way the Mafia will become more interesting.

You can use one, several, or all roles at once. At the same time, agree in advance which card will designate a particular hero.

Civilians

• The commissioner is activated on the second and subsequent nights. At the command of the presenter, he wakes up after the mafia or don and checks one of the players. To do this, the character points at the suspect with a gesture or eyes, and the presenter must in response show a thumbs up if it is a civilian, or a thumbs down if it is the mafia. If the criminal is identified, the commissioner, without giving away his status, must convince civilians to expel this player during the day.
• The doctor wakes up every night after the mafia or the commissioner and tries to guess who became the victim. If the presenter confirms the suspicion, the doctor "heals" the victim, and the peaceful city wakes up without loss. However, a doctor cannot treat the same player two nights in a row, and he has the right to save himself only once during the entire game.
• The sheriff wakes up after the doctor, starting from the second night. The character patrols the city and, in case of suspicion, "shoots" at a potential criminal, showing a gesture to the presenter. The goal is to neutralize the mafia or a maniac. But if the victim happens to be a civilian, he leaves the city at daybreak. At the same time, while "awake" the sheriff should not give himself away, so as not to become a target of the mafia. By the way, make an agreement in advance about the actions of the character: he can only shoot on suspicion or must do it every night.
• The prostitute, or mistress, wakes up the very first and points to one of the players at the command of the presenter. Thus, for the next night and day the selected person receives immunity from inspections by the commissioner, don and sheriff (the presenter, respectively, shows them that the player is "blocked" and offers to look after another one). Another "client" of a prostitute cannot be killed by a mafia or a maniac, a doctor is not able to cure, and the player is not kicked out at the upcoming vote. The heroine cannot choose the same person two nights in a row. And if a prostitute becomes a victim of the mafia, her "client" is also considered killed.

Criminals

• Don is at the head of the mafia and makes the final decision to kill a civilian if his team cannot agree. Also, the hero wakes up separately from his charges and tries to figure out the commissioner by pointing at one of the players. The presenter confirms or refutes the guess. In the afternoon, Don must convince the civilians to expel the commissioner at the vote. Or he can kill him next night with the mafia.
• The maniac acts alone. He wakes up last and chooses a victim. She can be either a civilian or a representative of the mafia. A doctor cannot cure a murdered person. And if, during a night check, the commissioner points to a maniac, the presenter characterizes him as a civilian. The task of this character is to remain the last player.