Tools Required for the Game
The Mafia game is played with a standard deck of cards. Depending on the number of players, a different number of cards is used. There are many variations of this game, especially when playing with a large group of people, where new characters and special rules are invented.
There must always be at least one game moderator who does not hold any card. By choosing a great orator, the game will gain new colors, as you will not only play but also immerse yourself in an interesting story in which you will participate and create its course yourself.
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Mafia Player Characters
Aces โ mafia characters (the bad ones who commit crimes and “kill” the innocents)
Kings โ sheriffs (the good players who influence other players, as they learn at least one role during the game)
Queens โ doctors (the good ones who can protect the innocents and themselves. They can protect themselves only every other round, as it might happen that doctors, wanting to stay in the game until the end, start abusing their position)
All remaining cards โ civilians (not completely neutral players, as they have the right to vote)
If a lot of players are playing, additional characters are possible. This will add even more surprises to the game, for example:
- Bartender โ a mafia member who has the right to cancel the action of any character at night, e.g., if a doctor is protecting a member, he can cancel the protection.
- Lyncher โ considered innocent, capable of killing one player each night.
- Wizard โ on the side of the innocents. Can choose to either kill one of the mafia characters or save someone who is in danger of death. Appears in the game only once.
- Werewolf โ considered innocent, belongs to the mafia at night. If killed, his identity is revealed.
- Curious Tom โ has the right to open his eyes at any moment to learn the characters of the players. Often killed because he knows “too much.”
- Grandma with a Shotgun โ considered innocent, can kill anyone she wants each night. If she chooses the sheriff, both die. If she chooses the mafia, she does not die, but one of the mafia characters does. No one ever knows who is responsible for the death.
- Cupid and Lovers โ Cupid belongs to the innocents and can choose 2 players for the “first night.” One of them dies immediately, the other due to a “broken heart.” Lovers can be revived by the moderator and learn their roles.
- Informer โ knows who the mafia is but cannot reveal it to anyone. At night, the moderator allows them to open their eyes after instructing the mafia characters to close their eyes and raise their hands. The informer helps the good players, but if they reveal themselves, they are killed.
- Armored โ cannot be killed by the mafia. Can only vote in the game.
- Bandit โ helps the mafia, has no voting rights.
- Lawyer โ chooses whom to defend. After choosing someone to defend, they cannot vote the next day.
- Rambo โ can throw a “grenade” at a player, taking the lives of two more players sitting nearby.
- Bus Driver โ can secretly swap the roles of two players.
- Outsiders โ appear innocent, wake up after the mafia and doctors make their choices. If an outsider is chosen for elimination, the moderator can secretly hint this to them.
How Many Players Play?
“Mafia” can be played by 5 or more players, so it's best to gather a large group of friends and acquaintances. This way, the game won't get boring, and you'll have a fun evening.
It is said that the most interesting game starts when at least a double-digit number of players are playing.
Playing Mafia with 5-8 players. The cards are distributed as follows:
1 moderator, 2 mafia characters, 1 sheriff, 1 doctor, 0-3 civilians
Playing with 9-12 players
1 moderator, 3 mafia characters, 2 sheriffs, 1 doctor, 2-5 civilians
Playing with 13-16 players
1 moderator, 4 mafia characters, 3 sheriffs, 1 doctor, 4-7 civilians
Objective of the Mafia Game
If you draw mafia cards โ aces โ your goal is to eliminate all remaining players from the game โ sheriffs, doctor, and civilians.
If you draw other, non-mafia cards, your goal is to eliminate all mafia characters from the game.
How to Play Mafia?
The game has two phases โ day and night. At night, the mafia chooses to “kill” the innocents, and during the day, the good players try to eliminate the mafia characters from the game.
For example, if 10 players are playing, only 9 cards are used (the moderator does not receive a card). The game is played with the following cards:
- Ace of Diamonds, Hearts, Spades โ 3 mafia characters
- Queen of Hearts โ 1 doctor
- King of Spades and Clubs โ 2 sheriffs
- Seven of Diamonds, Four of Clubs, Ten of Hearts โ 3 civilians
NIGHT
The moderator shuffles the cards and deals one to each player, which they can secretly look at. Once the game starts, all players' cards must be face down and arranged in a circle on the table.
The game begins with the moderator asking all players to close their eyes. Then, at his command, the players with mafia cards open their eyes โ this way they learn they are accomplices.
The next task for the mafia is to decide which player they want to eliminate first. They decide this secretly, so the opponents do not understand โ by moving their eyes, head, or showing special agreed hand signals. In this case, the mafia chooses to eliminate the player with the Seven of Diamonds โ one of the civilians. Then the mafia characters close their eyes again.
Next, the moderator asks the doctor to open their eyes. Again, the doctor secretly shows the moderator which player they want to protect in this round. In this case, the doctor chooses to save the King of Clubs โ one of the sheriffs. After choosing a player, the doctor also closes their eyes.
It's the sheriffs' turn to open their eyes. They again have to choose one player. If the chosen player is a mafia member, the moderator signals them by raising or lowering a thumb.
If the thumb is raised, the sheriffs understand they chose a bad guy; if lowered, a good player. In this case, a civilian is chosen โ Four of Clubs. The sheriffs close their eyes.
DAY
Then the moderator, telling a story (because it's more interesting that way!), summarizes what happened. He begins: โLast night, the mafia group was persistently looking for those who stole their money. Due to ‘dirty games', they removed one of the civilians from sight โ Seven of Diamonds, because the doctor chose to protect the wrong person.โ The Seven of Diamonds card and player are removed from the game.
If the doctor previously chose to protect the player selected by the mafia, that player remains in the game. Also, if the mafia chose not a civilian, not a sheriff, but the doctor, the latter is the only player who can save their life.
ย Next, players discuss for about 3-5 minutes which players might be mafia characters. After selecting 2 possible mafia characters, for example, Ten of Hearts โ a civilian and Ace of Spades โ a mafia character, players vote again and choose to eliminate one of them from the game.
In this case, the players make a mistake and eliminate Ten of Hearts โ a civilian. The card is taken from the table. An important aspect is that none of the players can show their cards, even those who have already been eliminated from the game.
Again, the moderator tells all players to close their eyes and the game starts anew โ the mafia chooses a new victim.
Who won?
There are 2 possible outcomes of this game โ the bad guys and the good players:ย
The mafia wins if they manage to eliminate all remaining players throughout the game. If at the end there are at least 2 mafia characters left, the mafia is still considered the winner of the game.
The other players win if all mafia characters are eliminated from the game.
Unexpected circumstances
Sometimes you may find yourself in situations where you don't know how to get out and what move to make. These rules will best help the game moderator. Some of the most common circumstances and their solutions:
- Sometimes it happens that a player accidentally opens their eyes at the wrong time. The solution is simple โ either start the round over or immediately remove that player from the game.
For example, when asking the mafia to wake up, the doctor unexpectedly opens their eyes. The leader announces a new game or secretly removes the doctor.
- If you are the moderator and forget which character is which and what happened in the last round, you have the right to start the game over to not violate the players' interests and not influence the course of the game driven by sympathies.
For example, you forgot which person the mafia wanted to kill, so you tell everyone to close their eyes again, and the mafia to open their eyes, and ask them again which player was unlucky.
Psychology and tips
It has probably become clear that “Mafia” is a psychological game, so pay attention to players' emotions, body language, glances, breathing. Even if in reality you are close friends with the people you are playing with, keep in mind that in the game they can be your opponents and do not let sympathies win.
Some people are very good at hiding emotions or faking them, so when you ask them if they are civilians, mafia, or doctors, and they start smiling naively โ do not make hasty conclusions.
In game practice, there have been cases where players smile and seem to be lying, although in reality, they are simple civilians.
Don't be too quiet either, as you might give a false impression and later start chatting like crazy. In such a case, other players might think you are talking just because you want to eliminate them from the game.
If you are mafia representatives, try not to show each other signs that you are on the same team. On the contrary โ act coldly, ignore each other, you can even start accusing. This way, you will confuse other players and have a better chance of winning.
Speaking of the mafia, it's important to learn to fight โ not just to try to eliminate others as quickly as possible, but for a more interesting game, to sacrifice your own. For example, when playing with 8 players, there are 2 mafia representatives. You have already killed 3 people, 3 are left, but to defeat them, you can mix up the players' thoughts and kill one of your own.
No one will ever suspect that the mafia might kill another mafia member, so they will start eliminating their own โ the good players. You can sow doubts by commenting that you played well and eliminated another opponent. People are greatly influenced by such and similar comments.
If you are the sheriff, you must learn to protect others. If you already know who the good players are, try to preserve them.
For example, if you are playing against 2 mafia members, and one of them is already mirฤs, you can use your rights and loudly tell other players that there is only one mafia representative left in the game, so everyone should unite their forces and defeat him. This style of play is considered aggressive.
History of the Mafia Game
The card game “Mafia” originated in the Soviet Union in 1986. This game was created by Dmitry Davidoff while studying psychology at Moscow State University. Initially, its purpose was to be used as a teaching method to demonstrate how group behavior and hidden roles work.
The game quickly became popular among students and spread to many Russian schools.
The Mafia game reached Western audiences in the 1990s and became a favorite party activity in places like schools, camps, and social events. Its flexible rules and fun style allowed for the creation of many different versions of the game, including special themed ones or playing on internet platforms.
Overall, the history of the mafia shows that it started with educational goals, became beloved by representatives of various cultures, and remains very popular as a social guessing game.
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