Party Games
How to play Mafia
Identify the two hidden Mafia before they control the vote. The Mafia know each other; six townspeople must find them through discussion.
What you need
Eight secret role slips, moderator notes, and nine people including the nonplaying moderator
Set up the game
- Prepare two Mafia and six Town slips. Shuffle and deal one privately to each active player. The moderator records identities. Do not add special roles yet.
- Agree three-minute discussions, simultaneous votes, revealed roles after elimination, and the tie procedure below. Explain the sequence before anyone closes their eyes.
Playing Mafia
- At night everyone closes their eyes. Wake only the Mafia, who silently agree on one living Town player to remove, then close their eyes.
- At dawn announce the removed player and reveal their role. They observe silently and cannot vote or signal advice.
- Living players discuss suspicions. Bluffing is allowed, but displaying a private role slip while alive is not.
- Count down and simultaneously point at another living player. Most votes removes that player. A tie gives tied players a brief defense and one runoff. A second tie removes nobody. Reveal any eliminated role.
- After every removal check victory: Town wins when both Mafia are gone. Mafia wins when living Mafia equal or outnumber living Town. Otherwise repeat night.
Count survivors after each removal
After a night, two Mafia and three Town remain. Town votes out a Town player: two Mafia now face two Town, so Mafia wins immediately. Had Town removed a Mafia, one Mafia and three Town would remain and another night would begin. A private moderator count prevents continuing after the result is decided.
Keep additional roles separate
A Detective introduces private information, while a Doctor changes whether a night removal succeeds. Neither belongs to this starting setup. Before adding them, decide investigation results, protection limits, self-protection, role reveals and ties. Those decisions change the deduction problem, not just the story. For a larger group, add Town first and judge whether the discussion remains manageable.
Beginner decisions
- Ask what caused someone to change a vote. Their explanation can be compared with earlier statements; nervousness alone is weak evidence.
- As moderator, use identical timing and wording each night. An unusual pause can accidentally identify a role.
Common rule mix-ups
- Letting eliminated players advise the survivors.
- Importing a Doctor or Detective ability without announcing its exact limits.
Questions about this game
Do eliminated Town share a win?
Yes. This format awards a team result regardless of personal survival.
Why stop at equal numbers?
Parity is the declared ending in this house format, avoiding a repeated tied voting cycle.
Sources and edition notes
Traditional Mafia; explicit beginner house format for eight active players and a moderator. This folk game has no universal rulebook.
Sources and stated format checked October 14, 2026. This records a document check, not a claim of hands-on testing.
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