Mafia
Also called Werewolf
A few players are secretly the Mafia. Each night they take someone out; each day the town votes on a suspect.
the best bit: finding out your sweetest friend was the killer all along
- Players
- 7–20 (best with 8–12)
- Time
- 30–60 min
- Learn in
- A few minutes
- Mood
- Lively
- Format
- Secret roles
The 30-second version
Everyone gets a secret role. Each night, the Mafia quietly picks someone to take out. Each day, the whole town argues about who's lying and votes someone out. The town wins if they find every Mafia member. The Mafia wins if they take over.
don't explain it all up front. play one practice round.
Grab these
Nothing at all. just your people.
Set up
- Sit in a circle and pick a Moderator. They run the game and don't play.
- The Moderator decides the roles: about one Mafia member for every four players, one Detective and one Doctor. Everyone else is a Townsperson.
- Everyone closes their eyes. The Moderator walks around and taps shoulders: once for Mafia, twice for the Detective, three times for the Doctor. No tap means you're a Townsperson. Keep your role to yourself.
Other ways to set up
- Deal cards
- Make a small deck: a King for each Mafia member, a Queen for the Detective, a Jack for the Doctor and number cards for everyone else. Shuffle, deal one each and peek at yours.
- Draw slips
- Write each role on a slip of paper, fold them and have everyone draw one from a bowl. Quicker than tapping in a big group.
How to play
-
Night falls
The Moderator says "Everyone, close your eyes." Everyone does, and stays quiet.
-
The Mafia chooses
The Moderator wakes the Mafia. They open their eyes, find each other, and silently point at one player to take out. Then they close their eyes.
-
The Doctor saves
The Moderator wakes the Doctor, who points at one player to protect tonight. They can pick themselves. Eyes closed.
-
The Detective investigates
The Moderator wakes the Detective, who points at one player. The Moderator nods if that player is Mafia and shakes their head if not.
-
Morning
Everyone opens their eyes. The Moderator announces who was taken out in the night, unless the Doctor saved them. That player is out and stays quiet for the rest of the game.
-
Discuss and vote
The town debates who seems suspicious. Anyone can nominate someone. If a majority votes them out, they reveal their role and leave the game. Then night falls again.
How to win
The Town wins when every Mafia member is out. The Mafia wins as soon as they equal or outnumber everyone else.
Once you know it
- Werewolf
- Same game, spookier story. The Mafia are werewolves and the Detective is a Seer.
- Keep it secret
- For a harder game, don't reveal a player's role when they're voted out.
From experience…
- Moderators, narrate. A little drama about how each night went makes the whole game.
- Tap the table or hum during the night so nobody can hear who's moving.
- The Detective's biggest decision is when to share what they know. Too early and they're the next target.