Mafia Guidelines/rules

[The Peeps]

Please don't be put off by the length, this post is intended to be used as a reference to basic rules. I've tried to segment everything to make it easier to find relevant information.

 

As a few new people have been giving this forum a look I thought it might be useful to make a rules thread. This isn't a definitive list as different game masters (GM) may have different rules for their own games but this is a general list of how to play mafia games.

Contributors: The Peeps, Jayseven, Cube

 

Posting

- You cannot edit or remove your posts.

- You can't directly quote any PM you receive from the host.

- No posting during the night phase

- When you die you can not post in the thread. Generally one post is allowed just after you die, as long as you reveal nothing that will affect the game.

- Roles (such as silencers) adjust how you can post in the thread. Be sure to check your PMs before posting*

- No posting pictures

Rules about posting should also apply to thanking. In one case, thanking has been used by someone who was forced to vote for someone else. They weren't allowed to say what was going on, but they thanked a post where someone said that they think he's been forced to vote. Which is unfair

 

 

An example of a basic, typical mafia game:

General

15 players are town, 5 players are mafia.

All players discuss the game within the thread.

The townies may not discuss the thread outside the game - this is cheating.

- In some cases townies are given a partner so they can discuss the game outside of the thread (PMs, msn, whatever) -

The mafia may discuss the game outside of the main thread (usually a free forum is made by the GM and discussion happens there)

The townies aim to root out and boot out any threats to them, typically the mafia, though some games have added threats.

The mafia aim to kill enough townies and live long enough themselves to attain a voting majority.

Sometimes there are neutrals, who may have their own agendas.

 

Day phase

There is a day phase and a night phase. The day phase is used by the Town to discuss the events of the night and any suspicions they may have. The mafia will join in these discussions and try to lead suspicion away from their players by gaining trust or placing suspicion on innocent players.

 

Night phase

No discussion is allowed in the main game thread during the night phase. Targets are typically PM'd to the GM during the night. During the night, the mafia will kill one player.

 

Write-ups

The GM typically announces when a phase is over. At the end of the Day Phase, they will summarise the vote tally and, should a player have been lynched, typically will announce their alignment and/or role.

When a night phase is over, the GM will write a summary of the events of the night - that is, an account of how people's targets played out. The GM may also PM certain players at this stage, depending on their role.

The write-up is home to the clues that will shape much of the day-phase discussion.

 

Voting

Players can vote during the day to try and lynch (kill) players they suspect to be mafia. Players mark their vote in bold e.g:

Vote: ReZourceman

Changevote: The Peeps

Remove vote

Vote: No lynch

If a majority 'no lynch' vote is reached, the night phase will start.

If a majority lynch vote is reached, that player will be lynched and the night phase will start.

 

Roles

Every player is assigned a role PM containing their alignment, character and role. These roles may include (but are not limited to):

Investigator - Find out a target's alignment/character/role

Protector - Block anyone from reaching your target and/or killing them

Roleblocker - Stop your target from doing anything that night

Redirector - force your target to target someone else

Vigilante - townie or neutral player with killing ability

 

Obviously the mafia can discuss their targets with each other before sending them out. The mafia can select one of their number as the killer each night. This player will forfeit their usual role for that night and kill a target instead.

 

I think that's everything you need to know to start taking part. You can pick up the rest in the game, it's very easy to join in. I replaced an inactive player half way through a game for my first time and I picked it up easy enough.

If anyone else wants to add anything or query anything they can do it here and I'll edit it in.

Edited November 17, 2010 by The Peeps

[jayseven]

An introductory thread is a great idea, well done I know someone who liked the idea at first, but was overwhelmed when I showed them a thread.

 

To add;

 

Aims

The townies aim to root out and boot out any threats to them, typically the mafia, though some games have added threats.

The mafia aim to kill enough townies and live long enough themselves to attain a voting majority.

Sometimes there are neutrals, who may have their own agendas.

 

Write-ups

The GM (games master) typically announces when a phase is over. At the end of the Day Phase, (s)he will summarise the vote tally and, should a player have been lynched, typically will announce their alignment and/or role.

When a night phase is over, the GM will write a summary of the events of the night - that is, an account of how people's targets played out. The GM may also PM certain players at this stage, depending on their role.

The write-up is home to the clues that will shape much of the day-phase discussion.

 

... All I could think of to add. Feel free to add to your OP in revised form, if you wish

[Cube]

Standard rules of posting in the thread

(These can vary in strictness depending on who's the host)

 

- You cannot edit or remove your posts.

- Try not to go off topic, especially with random pictures that don't add to the game.

- You can't directly quote any PM you receive from the host.

- No posting during the night phase, except for an automerge-prevention post*

- When you die you can not post in the thread. Generally one post is allowed just after you die, as long as you reveal nothing that will affect the game.

- Roles (such as silencers) adjust how you can post in the thread. Be sure to check your PMs before posting*

 

1. As night phases are at least 24 hours long, I'm fairly sure that this will always be outside the automerge time. So I don't think an anti-automerge post is needed.

2. I think that any rules about posting should also apply to thanking. I've seen thanking used by someone who was forced to vote for someone else. They weren't allowed to say what was going on, but they thanked a post where someone said that they think he's been forced to vote. Which is unfair

 

[Sméagol]

Which is why I included the rule about no thanks in the rules I posted in my sign-up threads. Seemed logical to me.

[ReZourceman]

Please don't be put off by the length

 

..................

[Sméagol]

It takes a ReZourceman to notice .

[The Peeps]

I thought the length might be overwhelming. It's not every day that people get to see such a big one. I wasn't sure I'd be able to insert Jayseven's and Cube's into mine but I managed to squeeze them both in.

[Sméagol]

Oh god don't give him any more material!! :p

[Cube]

I thought the length might be overwhelming. It's not every day that people get to see such a big one. I wasn't sure I'd be able to insert Jayseven's and Cube's into mine but I managed to squeeze them both in.

 

To be fair, mine is rather short.

[The Peeps]

But very effective

[Rummy]

So this whole no direct PM quoting thing I've never heard before except when specifically told not in my role, why is it not allowed considering in a mafia unless otherwise stated you can basically say whatever you like? There's generally no way to verify anything in a mafia so I don't see why it can even be an issue?

[Sméagol]

Because mafia games are based on truth, lies, and speculation. Everything that's said in the gamethread, should be open to questioning. If you just go quoting the mod, this leaves little doubt in the other players, that you're telling the truth. Of course, quotes can be tampered with, but still.. It's just considered unsporting.

[The Peeps]

Well if I see someone who's quoted their PM I still have the thought in my head that they could still be lying.

 

It's fair enough if a GM puts that rule in place but there's still nothing stopping a player from paraphrasing anyway. It has the same effect for me.

 

If someone makes a post that says my pm said that blah blah is evil, you don't just take it at face value.

 

Likewise if someone made a post that says this is my pm: 'you found out that blah blah is evil', you don't just automatically accept that the person isn't lying.

 

With the no quoting PMs rule the first post would be acceptable and the second post wouldn't but essentially it's the same information anyway.

[Dyson]

I believe it's there for clarities sake, so you can't take the game out of the game and try to "blame" a GM giving you wrong info as a tactic, for example. It also removes a lot of the personality from the game. If you quote a PM it removes you describing your role where you may potentially slip up, which is a good thing for the games sake.

 

TL;DR - It's a useful rule to abide by as it keeps the games personal.

 

 

I'd like to see rules being enforced a little bit more in the recent mafia games. Things have gotten a bit lax regarding night conversation and PM quoting.

[ReZourceman]

So this whole no direct PM quoting thing I've never heard before except when specifically told not in my role, why is it not allowed considering in a mafia unless otherwise stated you can basically say whatever you like? There's generally no way to verify anything in a mafia so I don't see why it can even be an issue?

 

In all my games its allowed, because you can just lie and pretend that I PMd you X.

[Dannyboy-the-Dane]

I'd like to see rules being enforced a little bit more in the recent mafia games. Things have gotten a bit lax regarding night conversation and PM quoting.

 

I think the thing about quoting PMs had been forgotten. It's only now it's been brought up again. Regarding night talk, if it's only a little friendly banter without game talk, I don't really see the issue.

[Rummy]

In all my games its allowed, because you can just lie and pretend that I PMd you X.

 

Exactly what I was thinking, there's no more way of verifying the authenticity of a 'quoted' PM than there is of a 'paraphrased' PM, so I really can't see how it becomes an issue? Only time I have specifically avoided doing either, is when you told me I couldn't say anything at all about myself XD

[Eenuh]

The thing is if you have to paraphrase a PM (since you're not allowed to quote it directly), you have to think of a different way to say things. Basically it means you have to think carefully about how you word things, which is what this entire game is about.

 

I often spend a long time wondering how I'm going to give out my information, or how I'm going to ask certain questions so they won't be misinterpreted etc. I think it can add an extra layer to the game. If we would all just copy and paste our information into the thread, it would remove quite a bit of the thinking process. It's more fun to have to think about what exactly you're going to say. =)

[The Peeps]

All fair points, it's in the first post anyway. GMs can do as they please.

 

I agree with Eenuh that it's more fun to say things in your own way.

[Sméagol]

Well, to bring my upcoming game up again.. People who have seen my example role. I mean, they're very specific. I think it would be unfair to just go quote them.

 

I'm also thinking of putting the standard win conditions in the rules and refer to that.. What if a townie quotes my win condition? 100% confirmed townie. That's not what I want.

[chairdriver]

I'm also thinking of putting the standard win conditions in the rules and refer to that.. What if a townie quotes my win condition? 100% confirmed townie. That's not what I want.

 

Simple. Tell the mafia what the townie win condition is.

[Sméagol]

Simple. Tell the mafia what the townie win condition is.

Another solution to a problem I've already solved .

[Nintendohnut]

So after a brief discussion about posting pictures in the star wars game thread I come I here to find it's not actually in the list of rules despite cube putting it in the second post. Can it be added in please? Only because it's an old skool rule that's generally beneficial to the game as a whe and the majority of players in that discussion isn't sidetracked (which is exactly what's happened in the star wars game) and people aren't spending time wading through images in posts rather than discussion, which is what the games are about. What do people think?

[The Peeps]

Added it in after I saw the discussion in the star wars mafia

[Diageo]

I think we should add the unspoken rule we have that ReZ is not allowed to win.