Mafia
Card/Board Games
Video Games
Casual Meals
Mafia
Instructions
Rules adapted from the following website:
http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/mafia-game.html
http://www.group-games.com/stationary-games/mafia-game.html
This
stationary game (originally invented by psychology student Dimitry Davidoff in
Russia, 1986) is a popular group game involving strategy and bluffing. It is
good for discussing topics such as lying, deception, trust, good versus evil,
etc. or just for a fun time. There are five roles one can play: one narrator,
two members of the mafia, two members of the police (or one the group is not
large), one doctor, the remaining people are townspeople.
Setup
The narrator
needs to prepare the right number of playing cards to set up the game. He or
she takes out two aces (which represent mafia), two kings (which represent
police), one queen (which represents the doctor), and several number cards (one
for each of the remaining roles to be played). Therefore, if there are 12
people playing, there would be two aces, two kings, one queen, and seven number
(non-face) cards, adding up to 12 cards. The narrator shuffles these cards and
each person randomly selects a card, without revealing his or her identity. The
person assumes the role for the round.Roles
Ace card:
Anyone who gets an Ace card is a Mafia member. Their goal is to keep secret
that they are Mafia and blend in with the Townspeople. For them to win the
game, they want to eliminate the townspeople one by one each round but not to
get eliminated (voted off) during the day.
King card:
Anyone who gets a King card is a member of the Police. These members try to
figure out who is guilty of being a Mafia and who is innocent. Thus, their goal
is to help the townspeople vote correctly in who to eliminate during the day
(the good people, not the bad!). They generally want to keep their identity
secret so that the Mafia cannot eliminate them early.
Queen card:
The doctor role. This optional (but recommended) role serves one purpose – to
try to protect people during the night. He or she can also be selfish and
choose to protect himself during the night.
All other
cards (number cards): Townspeople. Their goal is to figure out who is a member
of the secret Mafia, and to eliminate them from the town during the day.
How to Play
Arrange the
players in a circle, with the narrator outside the circle and walking around
it. Each “day” of the game, the narrator takes the entire town through the
following commands in this order:
1. Nighttime
It is
nighttime, so everyone please go to sleep.” (Everyone puts their head down and
closes their eyes)
“Mafia,
please wake up.” (Only the mafia quietly opens their eyes. The ones that are
still “alive” quietly and unanimously choose a person to eliminate by pointing
to someone in the group. The narrator takes note of the person chosen.
“Mafia,
please go to sleep.” (The mafia closes eyes and places their heads down again.)
“Police,
please wake up.” (The member(s) of the police that are still alive open their
eyes and quietly points to one person who they suspect is a member of the
Mafia.
The narrator
quietly nods or shakes his or her head to indicate whether that person is
indeed Mafia.
“Police,
please go to sleep.” (The member(s) of the police close their eyes and place
their heads down.)
“Doctor,
please wake up and choose someone you’d like to protect.” (The doctor, if still
alive, wakes up and silently points to someone they would like to protect for
that day.)
“Doctor,
please go to sleep.” (The doctor closes his or her eyes and puts his/her head
down.)
“It’s
morning. Everyone please wake up.” (Everyone opens their eyes and raises their
head.)
2. Daytime
Update
The narrator
announces the person who was eliminated, unless the doctor correctly selected
the person who was targeted by the Mafia for the night. The person who was
eliminated MUST quietly leave the circle. This person may not speak to anyone
for the remainder of the entire game, but he or she may now keep his/her eyes
open to watch everything.
3. Daytime
Discussion/Voting
The
townspeople (along with the Mafia and Police who may pretend to be townspeople)
then nominate and vote on people who they suspect is a Mafia. Each person
nominated may make a defense and plead their case. The person receiving a
majority vote (50% or above) is eliminated. After someone is voted off, the day
is over. The day may also end without any eliminations if the entire group
decides to do so. The day ends, and the pattern starts again (Nighttime,
Daytime Update, Daytime Discussion/Voting).
How to Win
The police
or townspeople win if they successfully eliminate all mafia members. The mafia
win if they successfully eliminate all the townspeople. This group game
involves lots of strategy, knowing how and when to reveal your identity, who to
trust, etc.
Variations
A variation
for younger kids is known as Predator. Instead of mafia, there are “predators,”
and instead of police there are “hunters.” Usually three separate predators
(lion, wolf, bear) are chosen and they are instructed to pick up their heads
separately and kill someone (they sometimes kill each other). Also, rather than
using cards, simply just tap them while their heads are down (“If I tap you
now, you are the bear.”) It makes it easier for the kids to keep it a secret.
(Thanks Sara!)
Many other
variations exist for the game of Mafia. If you know some more good ones, please
leave a comment and tell us!
Notes about
After Meeting Events
Playing
other card games or board games is also fun! Monopoly, Life, Sorry!, Scrabble
and Apples to Apples are fun games that get a group talking and bonding while
they have fun!
Sometimes
our groups will go out for ice cream, or breakfast or some other meal. It’s a
casual time to just enjoy being around other people and getting to know one
another!
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