Surely, each of us at least once in my life heard the words: "The city is falling asleep. The mafia wakes up." Of course, everyone, albeit briefly, is familiar with this fascinating board game - “Mafia”. However, just knowing the rules is unusually small for victory. It is very important to have an idea how to play the mafia and win by developing a strategy and the gift of persuasion. If you are an experienced player, you can even intrigue and conspire.
The plot of the game "Mafia"
This team “entertaining” has a very interesting detective content, which will certainly captivate all participants. Despite the fact that “Mafia” is a game, it was not invented for children at all. Its essence lies in the fact that there are civilians of a city who are tired of managing the mafia in it. And so, having gathered courage, they make the decision to "put behind bars" all the mafiosi. In this they are assisted by a police sheriff. The mafia is retaliatory and ready to destroy everyone who stands in its way.
Of course, now there are a lot of amateur versions of this game, with the addition of their own rules and new characters. However, this does not change the essence of how to win the “Mafia”. Even innovations in the rules and dilution of the game by other actors do not really change its main essence. The mafia is still killing, the sheriff is still trying to arrest, and civilians are trying to convict the perpetrators of the urban disorder through suspicion.
The basic rules of the game are simple. There is a leader on whose command the city falls asleep. At this time, the mafia wakes up, gets acquainted and kills a civilian. Since everyone's eyes are closed, except for the "goat nostra", of course, it is impossible to find out who is who. Usually the mafia is represented by two people. Their goal is to kill all civilians and go unnoticed.
After the mafia’s speech, the sheriff has the floor. He must point out who, in his opinion, can make a mess. Here is the first tip for those who play the role of the mafia. Find and kill the sheriff as soon as possible so that he cannot arrest you.
The task of civilians is to expose the mafia. After the city woke up, each of the players should express their suspicions and point out the villains. The person with the most votes must show his card and withdraw from the game.
Strategy building
For participants who are surely eager for victory, several strategies are suggested that are quite simple to crank out without arousing suspicion. With these tricks, you will learn how to play the table mafia and win even against professionals.
A setup
Mafia is a team game, so the composition of the gang of mafiosi can be several people. If so, then this strategy is perfect for those who play for the “evil” team.
Option one - you can substitute one of your own. If the citizens of the city keep real bandits on the fly, then one can ward off suspicions from themselves by agitating others against their companion. Having the gift of persuasion and iron evidence, you can easily convince everyone, remove your suspicions and continue to create outrage in a small composition.
There is also a second option for building the game - a crossbow. After several moves, a picture of the entire coalition of the gang of mafiosi begins to emerge among civilians. Imagine what their surprise will be when the mafia kills one of the alleged members of the criminal gang next night. Such a move will make the townspeople doubt their guesses and, most likely, even look for other suspects.
The last word
If you are lucky enough to become a mafia, try to make sure that the person who closes the circle is out of your environment by any means. You will be very lucky if you get a card like that and everything works out by itself. If this did not happen, kill the residents in this order so that the mafiosi speaks out last. It has long been proven that players who have the last word have a greater influence on the rest. Thus, the mafia will be able to control the game.
Of course, an experienced player can guess why at first the inhabitants are killed in a certain order, and then abruptly stop. But this game is not always played by professionals alone.
Coalition
In order to defeat the mafia, civilians must unite. Their strength lies in the number of their votes. It is very important to find an ally during the game. Try to support someone else's position that makes sense. Soon other members may appear in your union. If your arguments are convincing, you can defeat the mafia and save the city.
But beware of those who join the majority of votes at the last moment. It is this person who may be the most suspicious.
How to win at the Mafia
Remember that everything is important in this game. Try to notice changes in the behavior of participants, their reaction when they see their card and to someone’s accusations. Try to speak with reason and remember who votes against whom. This will help you determine the fictitious identity of the player. Let’s take a look at some general tips on how to win at the Mafia. Some of them are designed for players with any card, some relate to specific actors.
1. Evaluate your rivals
Before starting the game, try to talk with all the participants. Note how a person behaves in a normal state. And then see how he will behave during the game. If during the discussion the participant is noticeably nervous, most likely he is a mafia. If a person is calm and measured, most likely he is not dangerous. However, this does not negate the fact that he can turn out to be an experienced player and just be able to bluff.
2. Do not make excuses
If you decide to throw "all the bumps" on you, do not rush into the excuses and accusations of others. Of all the arguments given, challenge the weakest. At the same time, try to say so that the facts are as believable as possible. If, however, a person is turning everyone against you, convince other players that he is behaving strangely and obviously wants to overwhelm you. Thus, you can throw suspicions on him. This method is suitable for a civilian who wants to stay in the game, and for the mafia, which is close to being exposed.
3. Start with the quietest
If you got a mafia card, think ahead of your actions. Do not rush to kill those players who are campaigning against you. If you remove the quietest, you can avert suspicions from yourself. However, you should not relax, each move can be decisive.
4. Comments
This item is suitable for all participants. During the game, you can make provocative comments to those you suspect or want to remove. If you give publicity to one significant, but not necessarily true fact, you have every chance to entice others to your side and “remove” the interfering one.
Small team
Do you worry about the question of if you are 3 people, how to play the "Mafia"? If so, read the following options with few participants. It should immediately be recalled that this will be a one-turn game. If you are lucky enough to have four of you, then the “Mafia” will have a leader, and it will be able to start as usual with the murder.
If there are only three of you, then the game begins with a “blind choice”. The action occurs when the city is already awake. Participants must guess who the mafia is. It turns out that the voice of one person will be decisive. Here it is important to speak convincingly and lure this one to his side.
Also in the "Mafia" really play even two people. To do this, you need three cards, one of which is the mafia. Then deal cards for three. Look at yours, and leave the third untouched. Then one of the players must convince the second to open an unknown card. If it turns out to be a mafia, then civilians won. If on the contrary - victory is for the mafia.