You may schedule and run your own Mini-Mafia anytime you like, though there are a few basic guidelines to avoid clutter and confusion in this subforum. Keep in mind these are not strictly enforced rules, and we recommend you use these along with your best judgment to determine what is right for you and your Mafia.
1. Try not to have too many Mini-Mafias running at the same time We're thinking three Mini-Mafias at any one time (main Mafias excluded) is the cap.
2. Try to keep themes varied to encourage the most interest between all Mini-Mafias. For example, if someone is running a breakfast mafia, don't run a dinner mafia at the same time, it'll make both mafias less successful.
3. Try not to participate in too many Mafias at any one time. We recommend that newer players play only one Mafia at a time to avoid mixing up their roles between games. We also suggest that you do not play and host a Mafia at the same time, for the same reason.
1. Basic Roles
Basic Town Side Roles
Basic Town Side Roles
Doctor - Protects one person a night. Is usually unable to protect from serial killers.
Cop - Investigates one person a night and learns their role. Sometimes referred to as 'Seer'.
Vigilante - Able to make one kill a night. Is usually unable to kill serial killers.
Basic Mafia Side Roles
Mob Boss - Responsible for sending in the vote for the Mafia side lynch. Replaced upon death. Some games go without and allow the mafia to come to a consensus.
Basic Sideless Roles
Serial Killer - Kills one person a night. Wins if everyone else dies. Usually immune to all kills beside lynch.
2. Advanced Roles
Advanced roles do not necessarily have a predetermined side, but due to the town's size in comparison to the Mafia, most often end up Town. Careful not to overpower or underpower a certain side when you're implementing these!
Advanced roles do not necessarily have a predetermined side, but due to the town's size in comparison to the Mafia, most often end up Town. Careful not to overpower or underpower a certain side when you're implementing these!
Dancer - Stops one person daily from using their role. Sometimes referred to as 'role blocker'.
Psychic - Stops one person daily from voting. (Variation: changes their vote.) Sometimes referred to as 'vote blocker'.
Mad Scientist - Random effect (kill, investigate, protect, or roleblock) on target.
Spy - A Mafia member who, if investigated, turns up town. (Variation: Town member who turns up Mafia.)
Friends - Town members who start the game knowing each other's innocence. Usually 3 people. Sometimes referred to as 'masons'.
Siblings - A two-person variation on the Friends. They do not necessarily have to be on the same team, and they may even have an additional role, but if one dies, the other commits suicide the following night. Sometimes referred to as 'lovers'.
3. Custom Roles
Custom roles are roles specific to your game whose abilities do not fit into an aforementioned niche. Try to explain these to the best of your abilities and be prepared to answer players' questions about the roles until the theme becomes familiar. Take extra care to get feedback on these roles before you run the game, as they can be unintentionally gamebreaking.
Mafiascum.net's wiki has a great list of balance-tested roles that you can rename to fit your theme, if you feel like you're missing something.
Custom roles are roles specific to your game whose abilities do not fit into an aforementioned niche. Try to explain these to the best of your abilities and be prepared to answer players' questions about the roles until the theme becomes familiar. Take extra care to get feedback on these roles before you run the game, as they can be unintentionally gamebreaking.
Mafiascum.net's wiki has a great list of balance-tested roles that you can rename to fit your theme, if you feel like you're missing something.
4. Game Size and Game Length
A game's size is directly proportionate to its length, due to the amount of people who need to die for a victory to be decided. Ideally you want somewhere around 20 people for a game that will last about a week. The approximate ratio of town to mafia should be 2:1 and there should never be more than one serial killer or invincible townie.
The amount of killing, protecting, and roleblocking roles you add also has an effect on game length. Try not to make a game that could potentially play out longer than you are willing or able to host.
5. Game Mechanics
Day and Night Phase
It is my personal preference to exclude night phase as it curbs discussion at a time when people want to discuss. I find it promotes more activity to have all kills come in at end of day and begin the next day immediately. Inclusion of night phase is entirely up to you, but do your best to make sure deadlines are clear (this includes translating deadlines into different time zones to cater to all members; if you need help with this, use the following time zone converter.)
Deciding Roles
Roles are to be decided randomly, no exceptions. I found a great online tool that will randomly assign roles for you if you don't feel like picking them out of a hat. You may re-roll the random roles once at your discretion if you feel too many vital roles will potentially be inactive.
If you have any additional questions post here and the mods will do their best to answer them.
A game's size is directly proportionate to its length, due to the amount of people who need to die for a victory to be decided. Ideally you want somewhere around 20 people for a game that will last about a week. The approximate ratio of town to mafia should be 2:1 and there should never be more than one serial killer or invincible townie.
The amount of killing, protecting, and roleblocking roles you add also has an effect on game length. Try not to make a game that could potentially play out longer than you are willing or able to host.
5. Game Mechanics
Day and Night Phase
It is my personal preference to exclude night phase as it curbs discussion at a time when people want to discuss. I find it promotes more activity to have all kills come in at end of day and begin the next day immediately. Inclusion of night phase is entirely up to you, but do your best to make sure deadlines are clear (this includes translating deadlines into different time zones to cater to all members; if you need help with this, use the following time zone converter.)
Deciding Roles
Roles are to be decided randomly, no exceptions. I found a great online tool that will randomly assign roles for you if you don't feel like picking them out of a hat. You may re-roll the random roles once at your discretion if you feel too many vital roles will potentially be inactive.
If you have any additional questions post here and the mods will do their best to answer them.
