Mafia team

The Mafia in Mafia

The killers hiding in the town. They know each other, strike every night and lie every day.

Also called: Mafioso, Gangster, Goon

Team: The Mafia
At night: Wakes with the Mafia
In Werewolf: Werewolf
In the app: Mafia theme

How the Mafia works

The Mafia are a small team, usually one for every four or five players. On the first night they open their eyes together and see who their partners are. Every night after that they silently agree on one player to eliminate.

By day they pretend to be ordinary Civilians: they join the discussion, cast suspicion on others and vote with the town. The Mafia win as soon as they equal the number of town players left alive, because from then on they control every vote.

Playing Werewolf instead? The same job belongs to the Werewolf.

What the narrator says

When the role wakes

“Mafia, open your eyes. Silently choose your target.”

When it goes back to sleep

“Mafia, close your eyes.”

Press play to hear the app's narrator. The full script for every role is on the narrator script page.

How to play the Mafia

1.Talk as much by day as you would if you were innocent. Going quiet is the fastest way to get voted out.
2.Don't defend your partner too hard. If they're doomed, voting with the town buys you trust for later.
3.Eliminate the players who are reading the table well, not just the loudest ones. A sharp Civilian is more dangerous than a noisy one.
4.If the Detective claims, decide quickly whether to kill them tonight or counter-claim. Hesitating gets you caught.

Playing against the Mafia

1.Watch the votes, not the talk. Mafia partners rarely vote against each other until it's hopeless.
2.Ask people who they'd kill if they were Mafia. The Mafia have already had that conversation and often answer too smoothly.
3.Remember who died: the Mafia chose them, so ask who benefited from that player being gone.

The most common mistake

Over-explaining. Innocent players don't build alibis; Mafia members who justify every move stand out.

Questions about the Mafia

How many Mafia should there be?

About one Mafia member for every four players: one or two for 5 to 8 players, two or three for 9 to 12, and three or four above that.

Do the Mafia know each other?

Yes. They open their eyes together on the first night, so they know exactly who their partners are for the whole game.

Can the Mafia kill one of their own?

In most rules no, and the app only offers town players as targets. Some groups allow it as a bluff, but it rarely helps.

Other Mafia roles

Let the app narrate your next game

A spoken narrator, automatic role dealing and a day timer on one phone. Free, no sign-up, works offline.

Start a game