quote Slim Jim

Introduction:
A mafia game in its simplest form is a group of "Town" players against a group of "Mafia" players, with each trying to kill off the other side. Town players can only kill by lynching and only know their own alignment; they have to figure out the alignments of others during the course of the game. The Mafia players know each of the other members of their mafia group [more on multiple mafia groups later] and can communicate with them outside of the thread. The mafia can vote on lynches and have one kill per night. The last team remaining wins.

There are often individual players, who are aligned neither to the town nor to the mafia. Some can win with one or even both groups; others can only win when they are the last surviving character. Individual players that can only win when they are the last man standing must be killed by the Town or Mafia for either of those sides to win.

A final, and less common, type of player is a Cult Member. These players can communicate outside of the thread but do not have a night kill, unless they recruit a player that has one. They win when they outnumber the non-Cult Members.

Games can have multiple Mafias [or Cults, but that's very rare] and in that case the overall number of mafia players increases but the size of the individual groups decreases. Both have night kills and their goal is to be the last remaining group.

Setup:
A game of mafia can have many different numbers of players but, in my opinion, gets better with the more players that participate. Generally, the mafia have about a fifth of the total number of players, though the percentages suggest it should be about an eighth or ninth for the odds to be even. The reason for having more mafia players than the percentages suggest is because they are based purely on numerical data and don't take human intelligence into the equation. Therefore, as the players should be able to figure out who the mafia players are as the game goes along, for the game to be fair the mafia should start with the odds in their favour, even if that does sound contradictory.

Once everyone has signed up, they are sent their role for the game privately by the game's moderator. Players may not discuss their role with the other players unless they are mafia or their role message specifically states that they can. Roles are almost always assigned randomly by the moderator, so that everyone has an equal shot at getting the various different roles.

Anyone can role claim at any point in the game thread, if they feel it will help them. A role claim is exactly as it sounds: you claim a role. That can include your character if player a themed game, if you feel it will strengthen your role claim. You can make a fake role claim if you wish to, if you feel you can defend yourself well enough when scrutinised. Under no circumstances should you quote any private messages from the game moderator without his/her permission. There will be more on the various different roles later; the majority require the player to private message the moderator in the night phase in order for it to be used.

When everyone has received their roles, the game begins. It will start with an introductory passage that explains why the two sides of the town have turned to killing and lynching, and the game then either moves into a day phase or a night phase, at the discretion of the game moderator.

A day phase is when the players try to decide on a player to lynch. They can accuse, defend, reason, argue and squabble at will but forum rules apply, so don't make personal attacks. The Town Aligned players are trying to find a mafia or individually aligned player to kill off with a lynch, while the Mafia Aligned players are trying to sway the opinions of the town to vote for another town player without revealing themselves as mafia. Individually Aligned players are much like the town in the day phase, in that they don't know who is town or who is mafia, and can only cast votes based on what they learn during the game, though they do have the added plus of knowing they can't do any direct harm to their own chances…unless they vote for themselves! Voting for yourself is entirely legal, if you feel it will increase your chances of winning; dead town players win if the town wins and dead mafia players win if the mafia wins. Sometimes sacrificing yourself for the good of the majority is an effective way to win.


To cast a vote you should use this system: Vote: Player's Name or if changing a vote from one player to another: Change Vote: Player's Name. Any votes not using this system won't be counted, as it provides an easy way for the moderator to view votes quickly and efficiently and so should be followed at all times.

Players can also vote for a no lynch by posting: Vote: No Lynch. A no lynch is different from a no vote because, if the no lynch reaches the required amount of votes, the day phase ends prematurely with no lynch occurring.

A no vote means you are abstaining from voting and has no effect on the vote count. To remove your vote you should post: Change Vote: No Vote. The day phase ends when the deadline is reached or when more than half the active players cast their vote for the same player or for a no lynch.

The deadline is normally set forty-eight hours after the day phase begins but can be shorter or longer at the moderator's discretion. It is never normally shorter than twenty-four hours, to accommodate players in different time zones. When a lynch is reached, the moderator will post to signify the end of the phase and then post a write-up of the lynch or lack thereof. If the town has agreed on a player to lynch, the moderator will usually reveal the alignment and role of that player, though in some special versions of the game the moderator keeps that information secret. When the write-up has been posted, the moderator opens the night phase.

During the night phase, players with a night ability [covered more under Roles] send the moderator a private message declaring how they would like to use their ability or, if allowed, to not use it at all. The night phase ends when the deadline is reached or all the players with a night ability send in a private message telling the moderator their choice for that night. The deadline is usually twenty-four hours after the night phase began to accommodate all time zones but can be longer. In some games the moderator will ban people from posting in the game thread during the night phase but that is entirely up to the discretion of the moderator.

When the night phase is over, the moderator will announce it in the thread and then post a write-up of the night's events, taking into account all the night abilities that have been used. When two night abilities conflict [such as two killers each targeting each other] it is down to the discretion of the moderator what the outcome is, whether that be to decide on the scenario chronologically [for the example used before, whoever sent in their kill first would be successful] or that both are either successful or unsuccessful.

At the end of the night phase, the moderator reveals the roles and alignments of any players that have died during the phase, before announcing the start of the next day phase. Some games don't reveal the roles and alignments of dead players but that is quite rare.

Roles:

Army Veteran – This player has a one-time night kill. They can use their one kill during any night phase but once they use it, they become a regular townie for the duration. It is up to them how long to save it but to use it, they must send a private message with the name of the player they wish to kill to the moderator. If targeted by someone else at night before they use their kill, they will instead kill that player, regardless of alignment or intent.

• Variations:
  Paranoid Gun Owner – This player cannot choose to kill anyone. They will always shoot any player that targets them for any reason at night.

Bomb – This player will kill anyone that kills them at night or the person that puts the last vote on them in a lynch. Occasionally they will kill the first person to target them during a night phase, whether it is an investigative cop, a protecting doctor, any form of killer or anyone else for that matter but that is a twist decided by the moderator at the start of the game.

Bulletproof – This person is immune to night kills by the mafia but can sometimes be killed by a Serial Killer, depending on how the moderator sets up the game. Also, another variation is that the mafia can roleblock this player and target them for a kill both in the same night if they have those abilities in their crew and that can be used to get around their immunity.

Bus Driver – This player can choose to switch any two players during the night phase by sending the moderator a private message with the names of the two players he wishes to switch. Whatever was originally supposed to happen to one will happen to the other.

Cop – A cop can investigate any player of his or her choosing at night and the moderator will send them the alignment of that player when the night phase ends. They can reveal that information however they wish, whether it be via an out-and-out role claim or by trying to steer suspicion toward or away from their target.

• Variations:
  Insane Cop – This cop always receives the wrong alignment for the person they investigate. Once they figure out that they are an insane cop, they can provide useful information by assuming the opposite of what they receive from the moderator is true.
  Mafia Cop – As mafia players already know who is mafia and who isn't by virtue of being able to communicate with fellow mafia players, a mafia-aligned cop will receive information about the role of the person they choose to investigate.
  Naïve Cop – A naïve cop will always receive town-aligned results from an investigation, and are effectively useless.
  Random Cop – This cop receives completely random information about the person they investigate, rendering them effectively useless.
  Role Cop – A role cop is a town-aligned cop that receives information about a person's role, instead of their alignment.
  Paranoid Cop – A paranoid cop will always receive non-town aligned results from an investigation, and are effectively useless.

Doctor – A doctor can protect any player of their choosing during the night phase. This means that any attacks on that person will fail and the player will survive. Because of this, doctors are very important roles for the town. If two players target the protected player, the doctor only protects them from one attack and the other is successful.

• Variations:
  Bodyguard – A bodyguard will kill anyone that tries to attack the person they choose to protect.
  CPR Doctor – If the person they are protecting gets attacked, this doctor protects as normal. However, if they aren't attacked, the doctor kills the player instead.
  Insane Doctor – There is a fifty-fifty chance that this doctor will kill the person they attempt to protect if they aren't attacked by someone else. This is decided by the flip of a coin.
  Naïve Doctor – This doctor fails when they try to protect someone, and as such are completely useless.
  Paranoid Doctor – A paranoid doctor not only protects but also roleblocks their chosen player.
  Suicidal Doctor – This doctor takes the hit for the person they are trying to protect. If the person they choose to protect gets targeted, the doctor dies instead.
  Weak Doctor – If this doctor protects someone that is mafia-aligned or an individually aligned killer, they get killed. However, when protecting town-aligned players they are successful.

Godfather – The leader of a mafia group, they are responsible for sending in the night kill information to the moderator. They can communicate with their group outside of the thread to help decide who to kill each night before sending a private message with the name of their target and who is to carry out the kill to the moderator. Sometimes The Godfather will be allowed to recruit new members but doing so usually forgoes the night kill If investigated by a Cop, The Godfather comes up town-aligned, though this can change either when one member of his crew is killed or all the other members are killed, depending on the moderator's preference. If The Godfather is killed, the mafia lose their night kill for the next night while a new Godfather is chosen.

Mafia Goon – A generic mafia member, who can be assigned to the night kill by The Godfather, game circumstances permitting. They have no special abilities but can communicate with other mafia members outside the thread.

Mafia Hitman – Sometimes the mafia will have a designated hitman to carry out kills. They either choose their target themselves or The Godfather sends in the kill as usual but this character always carries it out. They can communicate with other mafia members outside of the thread. If the mafia hitman is killed, the mafia lose their night kill for the next night phase while they regroup and decide on a new killer.

Mason – A mason is part of a mason group that are generally town-aligned, though sometimes individually aligned, that can communicate outside of the thread. This has the added benefit of knowing some guaranteed allies as well as being able to discuss theories on who to lynch away from the view of mafia members.

• Variations:
  Cult Leader – The cult leader, often called the cult recruiter, is the founding member of a cult, who has the job of recruiting new members. They cannot recruit certain people, including the mafia, and sometimes if they try to recruit a mafia member, they are killed but that is a variable decided by the moderator. If the leader is killed or lynched, they group can no longer recruit unless there is a secondary leader. The cult leader can communicate with members of their cult outside of the thread and win when their cult outnumbers the rest of the players. To recruit, the leader sends the name of the person they wish to recruit to the moderator. They find out if it was successful at the end of the night phase and the new member either joins immediately or at the end of the next night phase, at the moderator's discretion.
  Cult Member – A cult member is, obviously, a member of a cult. Their objective is to recruit as many people as possible until they outnumber the rest of the players in the game. They can communicate with other members of their cult but have no special abilities, unless they had one before they were recruited.
  Recruiting Mason – Usually just starting with one player, this is essentially a town-aligned cult. They can recruit people at night by sending a private message to the moderator with the name of the person they wish to try and recruit. If they attempt to recruit a mafia-aligned player, they die.
  Secondary Cult Leader – A generic cult member unless the Cult Leader is killed, in which case they assume the role of leader and take over the responsibility of recruiting for the cult.

Manipulator – Sometimes called a Politician, this player can change the lynch vote of any other player, regardless of whether they have voted or not. To do this they send the name of the player whose vote they wish to change and who they want them to vote for to the moderator. The also have their own vote, which they cast as normal in the thread. The moderator generally doesn't show the manipulated vote in the vote counts.

• Variations:
  Multivoter – Rather than being able to switch someone else's vote, this player can cast multiple votes on their own. Usually it is just two but can sometimes be three or even four in a large game.

Psychiatrist – A psychiatrist's goal is to find the Psychopath and cure him. They do this by sending a private message to the moderator at night with the name of the person they think is the psychopath. If they successfully find them, the psychopath is cured and becomes a regular townie. If not, the psychiatrist must continue to look.

• Variations:
  Firefighter – More or less the same as a Psychiatrist, the firefighter is looking for the Arsonist instead of the Psychopath.

Roleblocker – This player can block the night ability of any other player by sending a private message to the moderator with the name of the person they wish to block. Sometimes if they block the mafia Godfather they prevent the mafia from performing any actions at night, whether it be killing or recruiting. In other games they can block the designated mafia killer from carrying out their hit.

• Variations:
  Prostitute – The mafia version of a Roleblocker.
  Strongman – A mafia member that can only roleblock a Bulletproof townie to allow a mafia kill on that player.

Serial Killer – A Serial Killer is individually aligned and their goal is to be the last remaining player in the game. They can perform one – usually mandatory – kill per night by sending the name of the player they wish to kill to the moderator. If they neglect to do so, they kill a random player if their kill is mandatory.

• Variations:
  Arsonist – The arsonist is essentially just a Serial Killer, except they use fire to kill their victims and can be cured by the firefighter, at which point they become a regular townie.
  Overeager Vigilante – The same as a regular vigilante except that they MUST kill every night; if they don't send in a kill to the moderator, a random kill is assigned.
  Psychopath – They are almost identical to a Serial Killer, except that they when there is a Psychopath in a game, there is always a Psychiatrist.
  Vigilante – The vigilante is essentially just a town-aligned killer. They win with the town, so will try to only kill individuals and mafia members but they have no additional information so must figure out who to target by figuring out who they think are non-town aligned. They can abstain from killing each night if they choose to do so.

Siblings – Usually they come in pairs, though could come in threes or more. Generally one is town and one is mafia and when one dies, the other commits suicide the following night. They know who their sibling is but whether they can communicate outside of the thread is up to the moderator of each individual game.

• Variations:
  Lovers – The same as siblings, except that the players don't know who their lover is but sometimes they are given a searching ability at night to try and find them. The send a private message to the moderator with the name of the person they think is their lover and receive a message at the end of the night telling them if they were right or not. If they were right, they essentially assume the exact same role as a sibling.
  Treacherous Lover – This lover is a member of the mafia. They win with the mafia, regardless of whether their lover survives. However, when this player dies, their lover commits suicide like the normal lover relationship.
  Vengeful Lover – The same as a Vengeful Sibling but applied to the lover scenario.
  Vengeful Sibling – Instead of committing suicide when their sibling dies, vengeful siblings will become individually aligned upon the death of their sibling with the new goal of killing all of the people that killed their sibling. If it was via a lynch, the vengeful sibling must ensure all of those players are dead, at which point they win the game. If it was via night kill by the mafia, they must kill all members of the mafia, at which point they win the game. If it was via night kill by a town member, they must kill all members of the town. If it was via night kill by an individual, they must kill that individual, at which point they return to their normal role and win conditions. Players that must be killed being lynched or killed by other people counts towards the vengeful sibling achieving their win conditions.

Townie – A generic townie has no special abilities. The only use they have is to help discussion during the day phase and cast votes for lynches, along with surviving as part of the winning town group.

• Variations:
  Hated Townie - This townie requires one less vote than everyone else to be lynched.
  Miller – A miller is a regular town player except that they come up mafia-aligned when investigated.

Tracker – This player can choose one other player to track at night by sending their name to the moderator during the night phase. When the phase ends, the moderator will tell them who, if anybody, that player targeted during the night phase but not what they targeted them for.

• Variations:
  Watcher – A watcher is a weaker version of the tracker, in that they only learn whether or not the player targeted anyone, whereas as a tracker finds out whether they targeted someone and who it was they targeted.

Traitor – A traitor is a mafia-aligned player that cannot communicate with the other mafia players outside of the thread, as they don't know that they are aligned with them. The traitor knows the other mafia members and wins if the mafia wins. If mafia recruitment is allowed, they can be recruited at night and when they are, they become a normal mafia goon. If investigated, the traitor comes up town-aligned until they are recruited.

The player isn't always informed if they have a variation on a role, for obvious reasons.

There are other roles but I think those are the most common ones and in every game a moderator may put their on twist on a particular role. For example, in a big game with two mafias and a serial killer, the mafias might have alternating night kills.

Usually, unless the town gets lucky, the first couple of days in the game are pretty bad for the town because it is easier for the mafia to convince them to lynch townies before information starts to be revealed in the write-ups and people have the chance to be caught out for their lies. However, once the game builds some momentum and the town can start to piece together the information, the momentum generally shifts. Sometimes all it needs is that one break through, no matter how lucky, for the town to blow the game wide open and get a victory.

The game is very easy to pick up as you play, so if you aren't sure what you need to do after reading this, don't worry! It'll become pretty clear once you start to play the game!

quote The Blode

Slim was eager.