Board game - Mafia. The whole family is gathered.

Today it is hard to find a person who has not heard of the psychological game "Mafia". It first appeared back in 1986, created by Dmitry Davydov, a student of the psychology faculty at Moscow State University. This game is for a large group of people, where participants are randomly divided into 2 groups: townspeople and criminals. One of the players becomes the host, who controls the game process. He distributes cards to the participants, which determine who has joined the mafia and who plays on the side of ordinary citizens.

Game Process
The game is divided into 2 phases: day and night. During the day, participants discuss who might be a criminal, present their theories, and then vote for each suspect. The goal of the townspeople is to identify the criminals while the criminals try to divert suspicion from themselves, convincing the others of their innocence. As a result of the voting, the candidate who receives the majority of votes is considered killed and eliminated from the game.

After this, night falls. All residents sleep (closing their eyes), and then the mafia takes a shot. At this stage, the criminals open their eyes and silently decide who will be the next victim, using gestures. The host accepts the choice, announces the start of the day, and reveals who did not wake up this time. The townspeople win if they identify all the mafia members. The criminals win if fewer townspeople remain in the game than there are criminals.

Roles in "Mafia"
Since the appearance of "Mafia", its gameplay has not undergone any changes, but the roles have transformed. To be more precise, they have expanded! Mafia members gained special abilities, and the townspeople have leaders. We will tell you more about them below.

Leaders
There can only be one leader in the game, but if you want to play without one, simply increase the number of townspeople in the party. Leaders have special properties and also wake up at night. Their actions come after the turn of the criminals.

Detective
As a real detective should, this character can find out who a player is. And of course, he has a firearm, which means he can also shoot someone! After the mafia's shot, it's the detective's turn. He chooses a player, and the host reveals their role. If the detective wants to shoot a player, he shows this by making a shooting gesture.

Sheriff
In terms of abilities, this is almost like a detective. "Almost" because he does not have the ability to find out a player's role but can shoot them. If the sheriff suspects you of being in the mafia, be sure he will shoot you.

Priest
The priest's ability is the same as the detective's, but with one nuance: if he decides to find out a player's role, he will also reveal his own to the chosen player.

Judge
This role speaks for itself. During the day, in court, he can protect a player from being eliminated from the game: if the judge does not vote against the candidate for elimination, that player will remain alive even if the majority voted for their elimination. However, this role is not revealed – let the mafia guess who is among the abstaining players.

Journalist
This character can find out if 2 people belong to the same group of players. At night, he chooses two people, and if they are on the same side, the host will nod to him. However, the host does not reveal which group they belong to.

Jailer
This leader can also find out roles. If a player turns out to be a criminal, he is sent to jail. After the night phase, the host announces who became the prisoner – losing their abilities, the ability to kill, and the right to participate in voting, but can still participate in discussions. However, if the jailer is shot, all prisoners are immediately released and regain their abilities.

A few more townspeople
In addition to leaders, "Mafia" has other roles:

Doctor – protects a player from death: wakes up before the mafia and chooses someone to be saved from the shot
Bodyguard – wakes up before the mafia and protects his target: if the player is shot, the bodyguard is eliminated instead
Werewolf – pretends to be mafia: wakes up with them and acts like a criminal but tries not to reveal himself. If the criminals identify and kill the werewolf, they get an additional shot
Beauty – acts almost like a doctor, but removes all abilities from her target for that night.
Mafioso
Godfather
The godfather wakes up after the victim's murder. He chooses a player and deprives them of their voting rights during the day vote.

Thief
The thief wakes up before the mafia's turn. He steals the ability from a chosen player, who loses it for that night.

Lawyer
Like the thief, this character wakes up before the mafia and learns the role of the chosen player. The lawyer can use the obtained information to commit a murder but must convince the other mafia members to choose his target as the victim. Meanwhile, he cannot reveal his own role.

Informer
This character acts as one of the very first players before the mafia, and this is related to his ability: he can slander one participant. This means that if someone wants to check his role, the host will have to show the mafia card, even if the player is not one.

Loners
Only one such character can participate in the game (hence the name "loners"). This is the third side of the confrontation, which wins when all other participants except the loner are eliminated from the game.

Maniac
This character, like the mafia, also kills players. There’s just one more corpse in the city.

Slasher
Like the maniac, the slasher leaves more dead bodies by morning, but can only kill a player with some role. He cannot kill an ordinary citizen.

Con artist
Unlike other loners, the con artist does not kill anyone; he acts somewhat smarter: the player he chooses votes the same way as the con artist. First, everyone votes as usual, after which the host informs the player chosen by the con artist how he votes based on how the con artist voted.

Yakuza
Similar to the mafia, but opposes it. To add yakuza to the game, follow these recommendations: there must be at least 12 people participating, and the criminal roles are divided equally between the mafia and the yakuza. Each clan wins only if all members of the hostile group are killed and the townspeople find themselves in the minority.

Frequently Asked Questions
How to play the board game "Mafia"?
To play "Mafia: The whole family is gathered", gather a large group of willing participants, choose a host, and distribute one role card to each player. All you need is the power of persuasion. If you are "mafia," do not let others vote against you. If you are a townsman – identify the criminals and stay alive! Each round takes place in 2 phases controlled by the chosen host.

How long does a game of "Mafia" last?
It all depends on the number of participants and their experience in the game. With a minimal number of players, the party will last about 20 minutes.

How many people can play "Mafia"?
From 7 to 17 people can participate in "Mafia: The whole family is gathered". One player must be the host, which means that between 6 and 16 individuals can take on roles as mafia or townsfolk.

What is the point of the game "Mafia"?
Regardless of the role you receive, you will strive for one thing – to stay alive. However, your affiliation with one of the groups will influence your gameplay style: if you are mafia, you need to divert suspicion from yourself, convincing the townspeople to vote against their own. Meanwhile, the townsfolk play in ignorance of who is who and try to determine that.

Game duration: from 20 minutes

Number of players: from 7 to 17