Introduction to the Mafia Game -
Mafia was originally a party game, typically attributed to Dmitry Davidoff and cited as being created in 1986. The game models a conflict between a small group of informed players (the Mafia) and a large group of uninformed players (the Town) and was designed to analyze the psychology of players when placed in either group, especially as a study of the mob mentality. It made the jump to forums much later in the mid-2000s. The electronic medium allowed the game to evolve somewhat, featuring more complex setups and a slower pace that allows players to really consider their options, though it obviously lacks the necessity of a poker face found in the original form.
You can get a description of Mafia Game on Wikipedia and a Mafia Wiki.
Global Mafia Game Rules -
Rules for players:
- You are not allowed to spam the Game Thread and get lots of post counts. Mafia is not a post-farming game.
- You are not allowed to delete your posts in the Game Thread and Voting Thread you are playing in.
- You are not allowed to edit your posts made in the Game Thread and Voting Thread you are playing in.
- To the above, since you cannot edit posts, If you have made an error or left out information from your post, you are allowed to multi-post and include the information and corrections there.
- Multi-posting is allowed, but all such posts must have reasonable information or corrections to the original post.
- You are not allowed to share quotes or screenshots of the Private Messages between the host and you publicly in the game thread or to other players privately. If you do this you will be mod-killed.
- You are not allowed to contact other players through Private Messages or other mediums for discussion purposes. Keep all discussion to the game thread. The exceptions to this rule are the hosts themselves giving you a private means of communication or the particular game format allowing it.
- Angleshooting is not allowed in Mafia Games.
- Out of Game Information (OGI) is not allowed in Mafia Games.
- You are not allowed to change your username when the game is ongoing without informing the host.
- Flaking / Going Inactive in a game is forbidden.
- If you are unable to play in a game you signed up for, inform the host to replace you.
- If you remain inactive for an entire day phase, the host has the right to replace or mod-kill you.
- To the above, you must make three game-related posts every Day Phase. Some game hosts might increase the posting requirement in their games. If you don't meet the requirement you will be subbed out or mod-killed.
- You are not allowed to use multiple accounts to participate in a mafia game. You may not pretend to be two separate human beings. You can only use one account in a mafia game.
- You are not allowed to sabotage your faction. You are expected to play to your win condition(s). Intentionally undermining your team is not allowed. Joining a game with the sole intent to troll is not allowed. ("Bad" or "alternative" plays, however, are allowed, if you sincerely believe in their merit)
- Discussion is not allowed during the Night Phase and the game thread might be locked. Do not post in the game thread once the Night Phase starts. Some game hosts might make an exception to this and allow discussion in the Night Phase.
- Please keep all complaints about game moderation and game balance to yourself and only post them after the game ends.
- If you get force replaced or mod-killed, you will not be eligible for the prizes of the game nor will be counted towards the leaderboard.
- All questions about the game must be asked to the host through Private Messages/Conversations. Avoid asking questions to the host in the Game Thread.
- Do not discuss ongoing games outside the game you are playing in. As long as a game is ongoing, you may talk about that game only where the host gives you explicit permission. Simply mentioning ongoing games without elaboration ("I'm playing in Game Q") is potentially dangerous. You can severely compromise a game's integrity by adding a new and unwanted source of information to the game.
- Respect the spirit of the mafia game. If you notice a loophole in the game you are playing, inform the host about it. Do not abuse loopholes to your benefit.
- Dead Players are not allowed to reveal anything they know about the game to anyone. They can, however, reveal their findings once the game ends.
- Dead people are not allowed to discuss anything in the Game thread. Once dead, a player must stop posting in the game thread.
- Some game hosts might make a Dead Players Private Conversation. Dead Players can discuss the progress of the game there.
- Dead players are not allowed to like posts.
- Some Normal Mafia Games might have a separate thread for voting with a prefix called "Voting Thread" attached to it.
- If a Voting Thread exists, you can only post your votes in the Voting thread. Votes posted in the Game Thread will be considered invalid by the host.
- If a Game has no "Voting Thread", you can post your votes in the Game Thread.
- Discussion is not allowed in the "Voting Thread".
- If you want to respond to a vote posted in the vote thread quote the voting post, copy the quote, and respond to it in the game thread.
- You should mention the game hosts in your vote post to make it easier for them to keep track of the votes.
- You should mention the player whom you are voting for in your vote post so that the voted player can make a response in his/her defense in the game thread.
- It is advised that you provide a reason for your vote.
- Votes must always be bolded by using the Bold BB Code (See vote format).
- Vote formats are of five types:-
-Vote: This format is used when you put your first vote in the day phase. The format is:
Vote @player A
-Unvote: This format is used when you remove your vote against a player. The format is:
Unvote @player A
-Change Vote: This format is used when you change your current vote from one player to another player. The format is:
Unvote @player A
Vote @player B
Rules for spectators:- As a spectator, you are forbidden to post in the game thread when the game is running.
- Do not interfere by talking with the players or hosts about the game.
- Do not like posts.
- You can ask the host to add you to the dead player private chat and you can discuss the game in the private chat till the game is over.
- You can post and give your opinions of the game once the game is over.
- The first post of the game thread must contain the names of the hosts, co-hosts, and coaches of the game.
- There must be a player list in the first post of the game thread and it must be updated regularly.
- It is a requirement to post a proper countdown that shows the time period of a game phase. You can use Holiday CountDown for this.
- You need to specify the duration of the day and night phases in your game.
- You need to specify whether you will allow role claiming or not in your game.
- You need to specify what type of lynch system you are going to use in your game and how you are going to resolve lynch ties.
- You need to specify how you will deal with inactive players in your game.
- If your game has a voting thread, it must be linked in the first post of the game thread.
- Similarly, the game thread must be linked in the first post of the voting thread. This allows players to easily go from the game thread to the voting thread and vice-versa.
- All alive players must be mentioned when you post a gameplay update. This ensures that all players are aware of the progress of the game.
- You are not allowed to change the setup of your game when it is running. Contact a coach if you consider it necessary.
- It is advised that you have at least three substitute players before you start your game.
- It is advised that you use substitute players when dealing with inactive player slots. Mod-kill should only be used as a last resort when no substitute players are available. This is because a mod-kill can imbalance your game.
- It is advised that you do not give inactive player roles to members who have been lynched or killed in your game. This gives the member an unfair advantage through prior knowledge attained through his previous role. Please contact a coach in case you want to do this.
- If you want to clarify some issues in your game, contact a coach.
- To the above, do not contact coaches who are playing in your game. You might have to give classified information and doing so will break your game.
- If a player or host breaks the rules of the mafia game given above he/she will receive a strike if the coaches agree that a rule has been broken.
- A strike will take one month to expire.
- If a player receives three strikes he/she will be banned and unable to sign up or play in any mafia games till the strikes expire.
- If a host receives three strikes he/she will be banned and unable to host any mafia games till the strikes expire.
- Direct bans can be given to hosts and players for breaking the rules.
Angleshooting is defined as doing things, or applying rules, in ways they weren't intended in order to gain an advantage in a game. In mafia, a common example of this is using OGI (out of game information) to exert public pressure or influence on the game, to publicly give reads based on OGI, or in more extreme cases, to use information acquired through illegitimate means to covertly influence a game. Angleshooting also covers all intentional uses of any flaws/quirks in the forum software in order to subvert the spirit of the game.
This definition is purposefully non-specific because angleshooting is more of a general idea than a specific case. Generally speaking, you know it when you see it, and it can range from relatively innocent/harmless to malicious and blatant cheating.
A good rule of thumb is if you're attempting to push a game in a particular direction, and your reasons for doing so are not based on what's directly happened in the game, or meta, you're in the danger zone.
The game of Mafia is firmly against angleshooting. If you are unsure if a particular action/read is angleshooting or not, (privately) ask the game host. If you encounter something in a game that you believe to be angleshooting, inform the game host and the game host will take a look at it.
Out Of Game Information (OGI) -
Mafia, as a game, can only work when the players inside the game abide by a certain kind of fiction. It's not roleplaying, not exactly, but the idea that a mafia game exists inside its own little bubble is what prevents games from degenerating into rampant angleshooting, prevents games from spilling over into other games, and lets us call each other liars without making it a personal attack.
Game integrity being paramount to healthy, fair games, the game of mafia places the highest priority on preserving it. Here's the Spirit of the Game version of OGI, and the reasons the game is against OGI influencing a game:-
The spirit of the rule regarding OGI is essentially this: no one should ever post anything that isn't about the game that a second player could reasonably make an alignment read based on.
Frequently, it's the second-order effects that OGI has on the game that is so disruptive. Even if you personally see nothing wrong / nothing alignment indicative about asking the game host a question in the thread, or commenting on a player's online activity elsewhere, or making a read based on what someone who's in another game is doing in your game, it's the catastrophic ripple effect that discussing these things in the game thread has on game integrity that's the problem. Players can and will read into your OGI comments, and players will read into those comments, and so on, and suddenly the game is no longer self-contained, no longer actually about the game.
To be clear: Sometimes OGI will influence a read of yours. It happens to everyone. "Man, Person X is posting up a storm in this other game but is a complete lurker here. Wonder if they randed wolf." That kind of thinking is bound to happen sometimes; it's unavoidable to a certain extent. What is completely unacceptable is publicly bringing up that read in the game thread.
Here's the short version, the quick "how should I act in a game" version: For the purposes of a game of mafia, everything outside the bubble should be treated (publicly) as if it doesn't exist.
- What a player is or isn't doing online (outside of the game), anywhere, doesn't exist.
- The game host doesn't exist. (All communication with/about game hosts should be done privately)
- Reports don't exist (if you need to report something, just do it, don't mention it publicly, and do not threaten to report someone.) Similarly, infractions and warnings don't exist. If you get one, handle it privately, don't mention it in the game thread.
Respect the bubble. Game integrity is an ideal that only works if everyone in the game actively works to maintain it.
Flaking -
Signing up for a game is a commitment. It is unfair to the host and the other players if someone who signs up is unable to meet this commitment. You are expected to meet your host's definition of sufficient activity. If an emergency prevents you from being able to play the game, then you should contact the host and request to be replaced, while at the same time providing them with a valid explanation of why you require a replacement. However, note that replacing out is only for actual emergencies; subbing out because you are unsatisfied with your role, because you suddenly no longer feel like playing the game, because you realize that you would rather not actually play several games at once are all non-valid reasons for subbing out, for example. The Game Managers are keeping track of subbing and activity patterns, and if someone has a history of subbing out for poor reasons or not meeting the minimum activity requirements, they will be banned from signing up for games.
Mafia has a minimum post requirement of Three Posts Per Phase, meaning Players that do not post at least thrice per game phase, of any phase length, may be subject to penalty. The game host may increase this minimum requirement, but may not decrease it. Given an appropriate explanation for flaking consistently, violations may also be judged on a case-by-case basis. Our hope is that if an individual signs up to play in a game, that they will contribute to that cause.
Phases -
A mafia game primarily consists of two main phases, Day and Night. A Day Phase and a Night Phase together form a Game Cycle.
Pregame:
In the Pregame, the host randomly distributes all roles in the game to the players and sets up the private anti-town faction chat where the anti-town players can talk. The anti-town players may have a small introductory conversation in the chat. The anti-town players through the chat become aware of who is on their side and as such become informed. The anti-town faction also has fewer players, hence they are the minority. The anti-town faction is as such an Informed Minority. The host then posts the Game Thread and mentions all the players for the Day Phase.
Day Phase:
In the Day Phase, the pro-town faction, the Town tries to weed out the anti-town players by lynching someone they suspect to be anti-town through a collective voting process. The Town, unlike the anti-town faction, has no idea who is on their side. The Town also forms the majority by having a higher number of players. Hence the Town is the Uniformed Majority Faction. Because the Town is typically the single largest faction present, it openly dominates the Day, with anti-town factions being forced to pretend that they are either part of the Town or Independent. The Town uses the lynch to eliminate players. The player with the most votes, the majority vote, or chosen by the monarchy depending on the lynch system used gets lynched and dies. the lynched player's role then gets revealed and the Day Phase ends. Most games will have a Day Start with Day Phase 1.
Twilight Phases:
The Twilight Phases are Dawn Phase and Dusk Phase. Twilights Phases typically act as buffers between the Day Phase and Night Phase allowing players to discuss the game in the game thread but disallowing the use of Night Actions and Day Actions.
Dusk Phase:
Dusk Phase is the Twilight between Day and Night. It is the period of time between the end of the Day phase and the announcement of the Lynch. In a Majority Lynch game, this is the period of time between a majority vote being reached/a hard deadline being hit and the announcement of the Lynch. In a Plurality Lynch game, this is the period of time between a hard deadline being hit and the announcement of the Lynch. In a Monarchy Lynch game, this is the period of time between the King voting/a hard deadline being hit and the announcement of the Lynch.
Dawn Phase:
Dawn Phase is the Twilight between Night and Day. It is the period of time between the end of the Night phase and the announcement of what occurred during that Night phase. Game hosts use this phase to resolve all Night Actions and as a means to inform players that no more Night actions will be received by the game host.
Night Phase:In the Night Phase, all discussion stops The anti-town players, however, are able to continue discussing because of their private chat. Because Anti-Town factions tend to have abilities that can reduce the Town's player base, and because such factions are generally aware of their allies' identities, Anti-Town factions tend to dominate the Night, with the Town left groping in the dark hoping to use their Abilities on the right players. The anti-town players collectively choose a player to kill and send their target to the host. The host announces the death scene and the role of the player killed by the anti-town faction when the Night Phase ends.
Endgame:
One Day and Night together form a Game Cycle, i.e; Day 1 and Night 1 together form Game Cycle 1. The phases mentioned above keep on happening in a cyclic manner like this: Day Phase 1 -> Dusk Phase 1 -> Night Phase 1 -> Dawn Phase 1 -> Day Phase 2 -> Dusk Phase 2 -> Night Phase 2 -> Dawn Phase 2 until the Endgame. The Endgame marks the victory of one particular faction because that faction attained its win condition by eliminating all opposing factions. This marks the end of the game.
Lynch Systems -
The lynch system is used in the Day Phase to eliminate players through a Voting Process. Generally, five types of lynch systems are used in Mafia Games:
- Plurality Lynch: In this lynch system, the player with the highest amount of votes at the end of Day Phase is lynched.
- Majority Lynch: In this lynch system, a majority of votes of the player base must be reached on a certain player to get him/her lynched.
- Monarchy Lynch: In this lynch system, a single-player called the "King" decides which player will be lynched. For balance purposes, the King title switches to a different player every Day Phase.
- Deadline Lynch: In this lynch system, a majority of votes of the player base must be reached on a certain player to get him/her lynched. However, if a majority of votes is not reached by the end of the Day Phase, then the player with the highest amount of votes gets lynched. This is the most balanced lynch system.
- Variable Lynch System: In this lynch system the game switches lynch systems. For example, Day 1 is Pluarity, Day 2 onwards is Majority.
- No Lynch: No player in the tie is lynched. This is the most optimal action to take as the Town has been unable to come to a consensus on who should be lynched hence no one should be lynched.
- Random Lynch: A player in the tie is randomly lynched through a Random Number Generator. This action, however, can be seen as unfair.
- All Lynch: All players in the tie are lynched. This action could break the game in small player setups.
- First Vote Lynch: The player who was voted first among all the tied players gets lynched. This action is also considered to be unfair.
Last edited: