Mafia

A game of deception and deduction: the town sleeps, the mafia strikes, and daylight brings accusations.

Category: party · Players: 7-20 · Duration: 30-90 min · Difficulty: medium

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Rules

1. A moderator secretly assigns roles: mafia, detective, doctor, and townspeople.
2. At night everyone closes their eyes; the mafia silently choose a victim, the detective investigates, the doctor saves.
3. By day, the town debates and votes to eliminate a suspect.
4. Mafia win when they equal the town; the town wins by eliminating all mafia.

Set up before the first turn

Bring Role cards or a deck. Gather 7-20 and place everything where all players can reach it before the first round.

Example first round

For a sample opening, the host reads the first instruction: “A moderator secretly assigns roles: mafia, detective, doctor, and townspeople.” Once that is complete, continue with: “At night everyone closes their eyes; the mafia silently choose a victim, the detective investigates, the doctor saves.” Treat this first pass as practice if anyone is unsure.

Host it well

• Use a practice turn for new players and rotate the starting player so the same person does not lead every round.
• Give the goal first, demonstrate one turn, then introduce edge cases only when they appear.
• Plan for about 30-90 min, but finish at the end of a good round if the group's attention starts to drop.

You'll need

• Role cards or a deck

Inclusive play

Let any player pass without explaining why. Adjust time limits, reading, movement, or team roles so people can contribute without disclosing an accessibility need.

Reviewed by MindPlay Hub

We review every guide for clear setup, playable instructions, and ways for people to participate without pressure. Read our editorial approach or report a correction.