You'll be the narrator — you'll see every role and run the night. Players join from their phones and see only their own role.
| Player | Role | Status |
|---|
Mafia (also known as Werewolf) is a social deduction game created by Dimitry Davidoff in 1986. The Mafia secretly eliminate the other players — the Citizens — without getting caught. The Mafia win by outnumbering or eliminating everyone else; the Citizens win by finding and eliminating every Mafioso.
Mafioso — the antagonists. They know each other, wake at night, and silently agree on one player to eliminate. By day they blend in with the Citizens.
Doctor — allied with the Citizens. Each night, after the Mafia sleep, they point to one player to protect; that player survives any night attack. Usually may protect themselves, but often not the same target on successive nights.
Detective — allied with the Citizens. Each night they point to one player, and the narrator silently signals whether that player is Mafia or innocent.
Citizen — no special power, and usually the majority. They rely on discussion and voting to root out the Mafia while trying to survive.
Godfather (6+ players · Mafia) — leads the Mafia. When the Detective investigates them, they appear innocent. If the other mafiosi fall, the Godfather carries on alone.
Jester (7+ players · neutral) — wins only if the town votes them out. Act suspicious enough to get lynched — but not so obvious the town spares you.
Vigilante (8+ players · Town) — once per night may kill one player. Choose carefully: kill a townsperson and you've helped the Mafia.
Bodyguard (9+ players · Town) — each night guards one player. If the Mafia attack that player, the Bodyguard dies in their place and the target survives.
Mayor (10+ players · Town) — once they reveal themselves, their vote counts double for the rest of the game.
At the start, each Mafioso learns who their teammates are; the Citizens are told only how many Mafia are in the game. In an open setup the number of each special role is known; in a closed setup it isn't; a semi-open setup reveals only limited or tentative information.
Everyone closes their eyes. The narrator wakes the Mafia, who acknowledge each other and gesture to agree on a victim, then sleep again. Other night roles — the Doctor and Detective — act in turn. Gentle tapping can mask the sounds of gesturing.
Everyone opens their eyes and the narrator announces who died overnight. The living discuss, and anyone may accuse another player. If more than half vote to eliminate the accused, they're out and night falls again — otherwise discussion continues until someone is eliminated. Depending on house rules a dead player's role may or may not be revealed, but the dead never influence the rest of the game. Because there's more to deliberate, days tend to run longer than nights.
The two phases alternate until all Mafia are eliminated, or the Mafia reach numerical parity with the Citizens.
No matter which role you get, the most important thing is to have fun. Embrace the chaos, trust your instincts, and remember — it's all in good fun. Happy playing!