The deduction game Mafia Murder also goes by the name of Mafia and Assassin. It is a who done-it kind of game that is great for a group of older kids, teens and adults. The One Night Werewolf line of games is based on this old parlor game.
With Halloween just around the corner, it’s time to bring out the spooky games. Clue, the dice game Boo, escape rooms like the Exit line of games—all great for Halloween fun. Mafia Murder fits right in, but you don’t have to keep the fun for the fall; it’s a great game for any time.
What You Need for Mafia Murder
First, Mafia Murder is a group game. You will need at least six players and as many as 16.
You will also need a deck of playing cards. Or you can get your free Mafia Murder cards in our Fun Library to make it easier, and more fun, to play.
The Object of Mafia Murder
The group is split into two teams: the Mafia and the townspeople. The Mafia are trying to kill as many of the townspeople as they can while the townspeople are trying to execute all of the Mafia.
Setting Up Mafia Murder
First, you need to separate enough cards for the amount of people who are playing. You will need to have one joker. Next, you need to have one black card for every two red cards. When there is an uneven amount, make the extra card red.
Shuffle the deck and deal the cards, one to each player, facedown.
The red cards are the townspeople. The black cards are the Mafia. And the joker is the mayor.
When you are playing the Family Game Shelf cards, you need to shuffle as many cards as there are players. The mayor card needs to be included and the townspeople cards and Mafia cards nee to be added in the two to one ratio. There should be twice as many townspeople as there are Mafia.
How to Play Mafia Murder
Players sit in a circle, keeping their cards secret. The mayor runs the game and is all knowing.
To start, the mayor tells all the players that it is night and they need to close their eyes and go to sleep.
Next, the mayor will tell the Mafia to open their eyes. All the players with the Mafia cards open their eyes and see who each other are. Next, without speaking or making any other noise, the Mafia decide which townsperson to murder. They then tell the mayor who they have killed—of course without talking.
Next, the mayor tells the Mafia to go to sleep. After a minute, the mayor will declare it to be morning and tell players o open their eyes. (The can make a show of waking up if they’d like.)
As the players wake up, the mayor tells of the news of the chosen player’s death. The mayor can make up a story with details to make it more fun.
The murdered townsperson is now out of the game and can’t speak.
Now, all the other players can question each other, trying to decide who the Mafia are. The Mafia players are trying to hide their rolls and act accordingly.
At the end of the day, the players have to vote on who they think is a Mafia. The mayor helps them narrow the suspects to two (or three if there is a large amount of players) and announces them. Next, each player gets one vote. A player can’t vote for himself. The player with the most votes is executed. This player can now reveal his roll. Was he an innocent townsperson? Or was he a murderous Mafia?
Next, the mayor says that is it night again. All players will close their eyes and go to sleep. The process begins again with the mayor asking the Mafia to open their eyes and chose a townsperson to murder.
The next morning, the mayor announces the new death and the discussion starts again and ends with a vote.
Winning Mafia Murder
The game continues with night and day cycles until either all the Mafia have been executed and the townspeople win, or until the Mafia outnumber the townspeople and win.
Variations
Detective Variation
In the Detective variation to Mafia Murder, the Detective is on the townspeople side. If playing with playing cards, make an Ace the Detective card, making sure that no other ace is shuffled in.
The Detective has a special roll. After the Mafia have chosen their murder victim and have closed their eyes, the Detective can open her eyes. She can now point to a player that she suspects is a Mafia. The mayor either nods or shakes his head.
During the daytime, the Detective can share his status with the group. This will have a Mafia eliminated. However, if the Detective make her identity known, then she is an easy target for the next night’s murder. On the other hand, if she doesn’t let her identity know, someone else who is more devious, can act like they are the Detective and try to sway votes.
Secret Voting Variation
To avoid people either having to “throw someone on the sword” to protect themselves, you can play with secret votes. Have the players write their choices on slips of paper and have the mayor read the results.
Mayhem and Murder
Mafia Murder is a fun game of who is it. It is especially great for group who love to interact with each other. It is perfect for Halloween and is sure to lead to a murderous good time.
Download our Mafia Murder cards here.
For more Halloween fun check out our Trick or Treat dice game, our Halloween dice game gift bag and our Halloween board game party.
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