How to Play Mafia: Game Rules, Terminology, Tactics and Strategies

The history of the modern version of the game Mafia began in the 20th century. Its prototype was the classic game “Killer,” where the villain had to secretly kill civilians while avoiding the police.

The game gained popularity thanks to the TV series “La Piovra,” whose plot is still used as the basis for any game session. The creator of the modern rules of the game can be considered the psychology student Dmitry Davydov, who organized university tournaments during his student years.

The mobile game “Among Us” brought renewed popularity to this genre of board games, introducing additional mechanics to the classic gameplay built on communication and quality deception through voice chat.

Brief Rules of Mafia Game

The brief rules of playing Mafia: a group of 8-10 people is divided into random roles distributed using cards. Depending on the number of players, the roles can vary. In the classic version, there are 3 roles: civilians, commissioner, and mafia.
The mafia’s goal: to kill as many civilians as possible and not get caught, while the commissioner and civilians aim to identify the mafia as quickly as possible.

Rules of Mafia

The rules of Mafia can be difficult to understand for uninitiated users. However, we have tried to structure all the available information and present it to you for quick and easy familiarization.
The recommended number of players is 10, but you can play with a group of up to 30 people.

First, you need to determine the number of mafias, which is easy to calculate: divide the total number of participants by 4. (For example, 12 participants, 12/4=3, the number of mafia in a 12-person game =3)

Next, a moderator is chosen, preferably an experienced player familiar with all the rules. He shuffles the deck and offers each player to draw a card with a role on it. (The role can be drawn or written, depending on the cards you use). The drawn card should be hidden in a pocket or placed out of reach of the opponents.

Moderator: “Night falls, the city goes to sleep, and the mafia awakens.”

The mafia opens their eyes and gets to know each other, they have 5-10 seconds for this (the moderator counts aloud). At the end of the time, the moderator announces that the Mafia has gone to sleep.

Moderator: “Morning has come, the city wakes up.”

All table participants must open their eyes. The first night is discussed. It’s important to share your impressions and observations, who heard what, how the moderator and neighbor behaved, etc. You can say nothing, but this will attract suspicion to you.

First voting. Table participants raise their hand for the person who, in their opinion, is the mafia. How the voting takes place is up to the participants, one option: the moderator points to a participant and counts the number of hands raised. The person with the most points goes to the gallows and reveals their card.

Moderator: “The city falls asleep, the mafia wakes up and chooses its target.”

This night, the black players wake up and point to the player they want to kill (they show with a finger or an imaginary gun at a table participant). They can kill one person. The moderator is silent all this time, so as not to give away the mafia. When the black team players have decided on the victim, the moderator moves on to the next day. In some variations of this game, the Don indicates the Mafia’s final choice.

Morning. Moderator: “The mafia has made their choice and gone to sleep. The Sheriff wakes up.”

This night, the Sheriff (commissioner) can check one player for belonging to the black or red group. If the Sheriff points to the mafia, then the moderator nods (up-down) his head, if the choice falls on a civilian, then the moderator waves (left-right) his head. If the Sheriff was previously killed, then the moderator crosses his hands, which means the death of the commissioner, the Sheriff can still check any player. If the Sheriff points to a player who has just been killed by the mafia, the moderator also crosses his hands – this player cannot be red or black. If a maniac participates in the game and the Sheriff chooses him, then the moderator twirls his finger at his temple to indicate who it is.

Day. Moderator: “The Sheriff has conducted a check and went back to sleep. The city wakes up (and so does the Sheriff), and a player named N (N-player’s name, who was killed by the mafia) is dead.

The Mafia’s victim reveals their card and leaves the table. Voting begins. The game then repeats this cycle until a winner emerges. It is important to follow the course of voting, be attentive, and analyze the choices of participants in the council.

Roles in the Mafia Game

Commissioner (Sheriff) – the leader of the civilians, his task is to find the mafia as quickly as possible and save the civilians.
Civilians – residents of the fictional city where the game takes place.

Mafia – the main antagonist, whose goal is to kill all the civilians.

Don – the head of the mafia, his voice is decisive in the nightly killings.

Additional roles that can be used to complicate the game, making it more interesting and increasing the duration: Doctor, Prostitute, Maniac.

Doctor – a city resident who has the right to heal a player, it is forbidden to heal the same person twice, and the doctor cannot heal himself.

Maniac – can kill any resident at night, or refuse to kill.

Prostitute – a representative of the civilian population, who can save one player from the black team. Operates only at night.

Terminology of the Mafia Game

Red player – law-abiding city population. Refers to participants not related to the criminal world and wanting to identify and imprison the mafia as soon as possible.
Black player – Villains, whose goal is to act secretly and commit murders, posing as civilians. This term refers to the mafia, Don, and Maniac.

Car accident or shootout – when two players gather the same number of votes, this event occurs.

Sawing the table (dividing the table) – during this vote, 2 participants gather the same number of votes against themselves, and a shootout occurs, dividing the remaining players into 2 groups.

Critique (critical situation) – the endgame of the party, in which the mafia has to neutralize one or two red players. Checkmate in mafia.

Mismatch — 2 players, belonging to different teams (red and black), who argue each other’s affiliation with the mafia. The town may doubt whether these players have active roles.

Active Role — a role that requires making complex individual and tactical decisions. This term refers to the mafia, don, and commissioner.

Raise Two — initiating a voting stage to consider the involvement of two players in the mafia, with two stages of voting and the elimination of both candidates from the game.

Leave Everyone — after two stages of voting, the table decides to keep both participants in the game. Applicable when both nominated players have successfully argued their innocence or the voters lack sufficient grounds to expel one of them.

Guessing Game — a situation where a minimal number of participants remain in the game, and it’s easier for the reds to identify the mafia. Luck plays a significant role at this stage, as each miss by the reds brings the mafia closer to victory.

Agreement — the selection of the mafia’s first victim. Occurs on the first night.

Statics — The Don chooses three candidates, who are killed one after the other during the night. Long-term planning is a doubtful tactic since each player can behave differently during the day.

Dynamics — during the day discussion, the mafia decides (secretly) whom they will kill at night. The discussion is conducted through gestures or facial expressions so as not to alert other players.

Commissioner’s Revelation — the commissioner reveals their identity and shares opinions regarding the suspects. If the commissioner is experienced enough, this action can end the game with a victory for the reds.

Balance — a one-time bonus that guarantees the continuation of the game for another cycle. Several candidates from different teams are determined by voting for expulsion.

Counterweight — A tactic applicable for playing in small companies. If 2 players suspect each other, they are both expelled by voting. If neither turns out to be black, the game ends with a mafia victory.

False Commissioner Revelation — Pretending to be the commissioner with subsequent verification and corresponding performance. Used by the mafia to confuse the trail. Often this role is played by the Don.

Covering the Commissioner — a red team player pretends to be the commissioner and announces verification options agreed with the real commissioner. The agreement takes place during the day – for this, players use special gestures unnoticed by other participants.

Red or Black Check — a player verified by the commissioner at night; if it’s a civilian, then the check is red, if it’s someone not from the civilian society, then black. The false commissioner can also use the check and share their thoughts and assumptions at the meeting.

Double Red or Black Check — a term describing a situation where the opinions of the commissioner and the false commissioner match. For example, both think that a player is red.

Red-Black Check (Mismatch) — used when the opinions of the commissioner and the false commissioner about a specific person differ.

Discussing a Player — discussing behavior and suggesting assumptions about a player’s affiliation with a certain faction.

Friendly Fire — killing an ally. Used to confuse the table and continue the game with a slight time advantage. Often the mafia kills the don, who previously revealed himself as the sheriff.

Eliminating Hand — a vote that eliminates a player from the game. The last vote given for the most obvious black player.

Delaying Vote — voting with a slight delay. Applicable to a player who is last in the voting queue.

Decisive Hand (Decisive Vote) — In a tie between two players, the decision of the last voter is final and determines the fate of one of the candidates.

Withdraw Hand (Waste Vote) — voting for a player with no votes. Used when a participant does not trust the majority decision and seeks to maintain the balance of power in the game.

Breaking the Vote/Table (Break) — When the table is divided into several groups, a player not leaving their vote for any candidate breaks the vote. A term describing this situation.

Backup Voting — In situations where the votes for 2 candidates are evenly split, a backup voter can be chosen, whose vote will decide the outcome of the entire meeting.

Mathematical Victory for Civilians — When most participants, who turn out to be civilians, are checked, the council sends the remaining players to the gallows, leading to the inevitable defeat of the blacks.

Getting in the Vein — gaining the trust of players. Often applied to the mafia and don.

Paranoia — a person’s fluctuating mood when making an important decision.

Zero Round — The first cycle, consisting of night and day. The start of the game.

Conflict — A conflict between two game participants based on suspicion of each other’s involvement with the blacks.

Game Situations in Mafia

When playing complex scenarios with people who have extensive experience in this game, you may encounter various situations, the meaning of which is essential to know for confident play. Let’s discuss them now.
When a car crash (shootout) occurs in the game, the two players involved must prove within a minute that they are not mafia. The goal of each is to stay in the game.

If the sheriff is killed by the Mafia, the moderator skips the Sheriff’s morning. The game continues without this phase.

At the vote, the Sheriff (commissioner) may reveal their identity and argue their choice of check from the morning. Here a False Commissioner may appear, who confuses the table. (Important: revealing identity does not require showing the card).

Players eliminated from the game are not allowed to comment on the game. They remain silent and simply observe for the rest of the time, showing any gestures is prohibited.

How to Play Mafia – Tips for Beginners

If you are wondering – how to play Mafia? Here is a list of tips for beginners:

1. If this is your first encounter with this game, start by familiarizing yourself with the rules presented in our article. Try playing the online version. It will help you adapt and understand the basics.
2. If you have encountered this game before, but everything in your head is blurry and unclear, and you want to play with friends, choose a simplified version of Mafia. Use the minimum number of roles, it will simplify the game, and then you will easily understand all its principles.
3. If you have decided to play Mafia, but are unfamiliar with all the subtleties, visit a fan club. They will gladly welcome you to the team, and you will see how everything is structured in practice.
4. Paper versions of the game can also help beginners. Purchase a set in a store, cards with a clear description of your role and tasks will help you navigate.
5. For the most effective playing of various situations, watch instructional videos on YouTube or thematic streams on Twitch.

The material was updated (1 February 2024) by the experts of the Bonuski.com