Mafia – Game Rules
Mafia is a social deduction game where the same roles appear each time, but every round creates a new story.
Dramatic twists, bluffing, intuition, logic and persuasion all mix together.
It’s Villagers vs. Mafia — red vs. black.
Teams & Roles
The classic setup for 10 players: 3 mafia members vs. 7 villagers.
Villagers (the red team)
Villager
A regular player with no special night abilities.
Good news: villagers are the majority.
Bad news: they have almost no information and don’t know who their teammates are.
Goal: identify other villagers, work together, and eliminate the mafia.
Sheriff (Detective)
A key villager with an active night ability. Each night, the sheriff checks one player to learn if they are mafia or villager.
The sheriff is the most dangerous threat to the mafia and usually becomes an early target once discovered.
Goal: investigate at night, find mafia members, guide the villagers.
Mafia (the black team)
Mafia Member
Bad news: mafia is the minority.
Good news: they know each other, act as a team, and can eliminate one player each night.
Goal: coordinate night kills, mislead villagers during the day, manipulate votes, and reach numerical parity.
Don (Mafia Leader)
The head of the mafia team.
The Don chooses the night kill order and each night can ask the moderator whether a specific player is the sheriff.
Goal: set the strategy for night actions and coordinate the team silently.
Winning Conditions
Mafia is a team game — you win or lose together.
- Villagers win when all mafia members are eliminated.
- Mafia wins when the number of mafia equals the number of villagers (or mafia becomes the majority).
Game Structure
Mafia is a turn-based game. Each player has a seat number.
There are two phases:
Night
Players close their eyes (or use masks).
Only roles called by the moderator act. No one should move, react to sounds, or seek extra information.
Day
Everyone opens their eyes.
Players speak in turn — each has one minute.
This is the main phase for discussion, accusations, logic, bluffing, and voting.
Game Start — “Night Zero”
The game begins with a night.
Players close their eyes. The moderator moves around the table and lets each player draw a card with their role. The player checks it and closes their eyes again.
After roles are distributed:
- All villagers keep “sleeping”.
- The moderator says: “Mafia wakes up.”
Mafia members open their eyes, identify one another, and the Don quietly shows the planned kill order.
No shots happen on Night Zero. The Don also does not search for the sheriff on Night Zero.
Then mafia goes back to sleep. They will not wake up together again in future nights.
The moderator may ask the sheriff to briefly raise their hand to confirm they know their role.
The sheriff does not perform a check on Night Zero.
Day Phase
The moderator says: “Good morning, town.”
If mafia killed someone during the night, the moderator announces which seat number died. That player gives a short farewell speech and leaves the table. They cannot nominate anyone for voting.
On the first day, there are:
- No kills (after Night Zero)
- No sheriff checks
- No Don checks
Players speak one by one, one minute each.
Nominations
During a speech, a player may nominate someone for elimination.
They must clearly say:
“I nominate player number X.”
The moderator responds: “Accepted, number X.”
Each player may nominate only one person per turn.
Outside their turn, players may communicate only with minimal gestures that do not disturb others.
Voting
Only one player can be eliminated per day.
After all speeches, the moderator lists all nominated players.
Voting happens in order, one nominee at a time.
Everyone votes:
Each player extends one hand forward.
When the moderator announces:
“Who votes to eliminate player number X?”
those in favour place their hand on the table.
The moderator counts the hands.
Players who already voted cannot vote for other nominees.
A player may vote against themselves.
Abstaining is not allowed — every vote will go to someone.
Important:
If several players are nominated, any votes not used earlier automatically go to the last nominee on the list.
If only one nominee exists, they are eliminated automatically.
Ties
If two (or more) nominees receive the same number of votes:
- each gets 30 seconds for an extra speech;
- the table votes again.
If still tied:
- table voting for eliminated both players
The eliminated player gives a final 30-second speech and leaves the game.
Night Phase (starting from Night One)
Mafia Hunt (Night Kill)
When all players close their eyes, the moderator says:
“Mafia goes hunting. Mafia passes by numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.”
Mafia members (eyes closed) raise one hand.
When the moderator names a number, they must all “shoot” simultaneously (bend and straighten a finger).
For the kill to count:
- all mafia must shoot the same number,
- each mafia member must shoot exactly once.
If someone shoots multiple times or doesn’t shoot at all — the mafia miss.
Don Searches for the Sheriff
Moderator:
“Don wakes up and searches for the sheriff.”
The Don opens their eyes, silently shows a seat number.
Moderator nods “yes” if that player is the sheriff, shakes head “no” otherwise.
Then the Don sleeps again.
Sheriff’s Check
Moderator:
“Sheriff wakes up and investigates.”
Sheriff opens eyes and shows a number.
Moderator shows:
- Thumbs down — mafia
- Thumbs up — villager
The sheriff then sleeps again.
Moderator repeats both checks each night, even if the sheriff or the Don have been eliminated.
Then:
“Good morning, town!”
and a new day begins.
Rules, Penalties & Behaviour
To keep the game fair and enjoyable, the following actions are forbidden:
- Talking out of turn
- Excessive gesturing
- Insults or offensive language
- Referring to night-time movements or sounds
- Making real-life oaths, threats, or promises
Fouls
- 3 fouls → the player loses their next speech
- 4 fouls → the player is removed from the game
(if they are nominated that day, voting is skipped)
Moderators may give unlimited warnings for disruptive behaviour.
Severe violations during the night (for example, opening eyes at the wrong time) may result in:
- a full reset and redeal of roles, or
- an immediate victory for the opposite team.
Enjoy the Game!
Wishing you great plays, sharp deductions, and unforgettable moments!
