Rules · Roles · Narrator script
How to Play Mafia
Mafia is a party game where a hidden Mafia team eliminates one player each night and the Town votes one suspect out each day. The Town wins when every Mafia is out; the Mafia win when they equal the Town. You need 5 or more players, someone to narrate (or a phone that narrates for you) and about 20 to 40 minutes.
Play Mafia free with the phone as narratorWhat you need
Nothing but people: 5 to 16 players works best, with 7 to 12 the sweet spot. Traditionally you also need one narrator who does not play and a way to deal secret roles, like slips of paper or a deck of playing cards. A phone can do both: CardYard deals the roles and runs the night, so the narrator can play too.
Mafia roles
- Mafia
- Outnumber the Town without getting caught. Pick someone to eliminate with your team.
- Doctor
- Help the Town find the Mafia. Protect one player from the Mafia.
- Detective
- Help the Town find the Mafia. Check one player: Mafia or not.
- Townsperson
- Find the Mafia and vote them out. No power. Answer the night question and bluff.
How many Mafia for your group
About one Mafia for every four players keeps the game fair. Pick your player count:
- Mafia
- 3
- Doctor
- 1
- Detective
- 1
- Townsperson
- 5
A balanced game: the Town and the Mafia both have a real chance.
Play with this setupRole mix for 4 to 16 players
| Players | Mafia | Doctor | Detective | Townsperson |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| 12 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 13 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 |
| 16 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
How a round works
- Night: everyone closes their eyes. The narrator wakes the Mafia, who silently agree on a target. Then the Doctor picks someone to protect, and the Detective points at someone and learns if they are Mafia.
- Morning: everyone opens their eyes. The narrator says who was eliminated, or that the Doctor saved them. Eliminated players stay quiet for the rest of the game.
- Day: everyone talks. Who acted strangely? Who is defending whom? The Mafia pretend to be Townspeople.
- Vote: players accuse and vote. The player with the most votes is out and, in most groups, shows their role. Then night falls again.
Mafia narrator script
Read these lines out loud, word for word. Pause a few seconds after each one, even when a role is already out, so nobody can tell from your timing.
- Night falls
- Everyone, close your eyes.
- First night
- Mafia, open your eyes and see your team. Mafia, close your eyes.
- Mafia
- Mafia, open your eyes. Silently point at who you want to eliminate. Mafia, close your eyes.
- Doctor
- Doctor, open your eyes. Who do you protect tonight? Doctor, close your eyes.
- Detective
- Detective, open your eyes. Point at someone and I'll show you their side. Detective, close your eyes.
- Morning
- Everyone, open your eyes.
- News
- Last night, [name] was eliminated. / Last night, the Mafia struck, but the Doctor saved everyone. / Last night was quiet.
- Day
- Talk it out. You have five minutes. Who is lying?
- Vote
- Time to vote. On three, point at who you want out. One, two, three.
Narrator story ideas
A good narrator makes every morning a tiny story. Swap in the name of the eliminated player:
Someone is out
- The town wakes to bad news: […] slept with the fishes.
- […] went out for a late coffee and never came back.
- A black car idled outside […]'s house. Now it is empty.
The Doctor saved them
- The Mafia struck, but the Doctor was faster. Everyone is still here.
- Shots in the night, a rushed stitch-up, and nobody is lost.
A quiet night
- A quiet night. Too quiet.
- The streets were calm. Nobody is missing.
How to win
The Town wins when every Mafia member has been voted out. The Mafia win as soon as they are as many as the Townspeople left, because they can then out-vote everyone.
Playing with 4, 5 or 6 players
Use 1 Mafia. With 4 or 5 players, skip the Detective so the Mafia are not found on night one; keep the Doctor. Turn off the night 1 elimination so the first day is about talking, not grief.
Big groups and classrooms
From 12 players, use 3 or 4 Mafia and keep the day to five minutes. In classrooms of 20 to 30, the teacher narrates, eliminated students stay as silent observers, and the Family theme keeps it friendly: Pranksters instead of Mafia, and nobody is killed.
House rules to agree on
- Night 1: do the Mafia eliminate someone on the first night, or only meet each other?
- Reveal: does an eliminated player show their role?
- Doctor: can the Doctor protect themself (never, once, or always)?
- Ties: on a tied vote, is nobody out, is it random, or do the tied players face a revote?
- Last words: does a voted-out player get 30 seconds to speak?
Playing Mafia with a deck of cards
Take one card per player. Black aces or kings are Mafia, the queen of hearts is the Doctor, the jack of diamonds is the Detective, and number cards are Townspeople. Shuffle, deal face down and collect them again when the game ends.
Mafia vs Werewolf
Werewolf is the same game in a village: Werewolves instead of Mafia, a Healer instead of the Doctor and a Seer instead of the Detective. The rules do not change.
Tips for a great narrator
- Keep a steady rhythm and some background noise, so the Mafia's movements cannot be heard.
- Call every role every night, even when it is out.
- Make the morning news funny, not gory.
- Never look at the players while the Mafia choose.
Play Mafia online
On CardYard, pass one phone round and everyone plays, or let one narrator run a classic eyes-closed game from the script, or open a Room where every player uses their own phone, even on a video call.
Play Mafia free with the phone as narratorMafia rules questions
How many Mafia for 12 people?
3 Mafia, 1 Doctor, 1 Detective and 7 Townspeople.
Can Mafia be played with 7 people?
Yes: 2 Mafia, a Doctor, a Detective and 3 Townspeople.
How do you play Mafia with 5 players?
Use 1 Mafia, a Doctor and 3 Townspeople, with no elimination on night 1.
What does the narrator say in Mafia?
The narrator puts everyone to sleep, wakes each role in turn, announces the morning news and runs the vote. The full script is above.
Can the narrator play?
Not in the classic game, because they know every role. With a phone as narrator, everyone can play.
Is there a kids' version of Mafia?
Yes. Play with Pranksters who prank people out instead of eliminating them, and keep the stories silly.
How long does a game of Mafia take?
About 20 to 40 minutes, longer with big groups. A day timer keeps it moving.