Holder of the Heel
Fiat justitia, pereat mundus
- Joined
- Dec 3, 2011
- Messages
- 8,850
- Location
- Alabama
- NNID
- Roarfang
- 3DS FC
- 1332-7720-7283
- Switch FC
- 6734-2078-8990
What is "Mafia"?
The game of mafia is a social game that pits an uninformed majority against an informed minority. Players are typically separated into two categories: a villager AKA "townie" and mafiasos AKA scum. The villagers are told that there is a secret faction among them that intends to pick them off one by one until they are no longer the minority, and that to win they must eliminate the threat to their town. The mafia on the other hand, seek to no longer be the minority, and will win once their remaining members acquires parity with the villagers. In some games their win condition is made more difficult where the mafia must outnumber the town, not be equal to them, which can be a bit harsh since time is the ultimate enemy of the mafia, who must avoid the eye of judgement. If third party roles, as in, players that win on their own terms that are separate from the mafia or village, do not count towards the villager's parity against the mafia, in that case requiring a majority of mafia members is less of a severe task.
What makes Mafia "Fun"?
The answer is simple: the players. What's not most important is the roles, but the people in them. Individuals communicating, working together, thinking critically, or competing is enjoyable. Therefore, anything within the design of the game that works against that should be left out. A mafiaso role that can silence a player, for example, has tactical value, but now activity is lowered when perhaps that player could be adding to the quality of the game with their presence. Each player should be able and feel compelled to do act, to accomplish something rather than nothing. Players thus should also not have to question their own competence, so roles that involve randomly succeeding or not should perhaps be avoided.
ALTERNATE ALLEGIANCES
Survivor
Win condition: Make it to the end alive.
Whereas a townie or mafiaso can still win in death if their team avenges them, a Survivor needs to do as their name implies: survive. That means it does not matter which side prevails. If the mafia overcomes the town, or if the town eliminates all threats, so long as the game ended with the Survivor among the winners, they share in the victory.
The unique dynamic that comes from that is a player whose interest is simply to end the game as fast as possible, and thus they are looking for what direction the wind is blowing. Yet at the same time, they do not want to come across as threat to either the town or the mafia lest they come up short.
A fault that can arise from this alignment is that the Survivor feels a lack of identity. They may feel, "Well if I just lay low and skate by, I'll avoid the fireworks and eventually the game will end." Any host using a role with this kind of alignment must try to keep that in mind when designing the other roles or when considering to give the Survivor a Night action of their own to compliment their goal.
Fool
Win condition: To be lynched OR to be killed.
The opposite of the Survivor. Most often the Fool specifically wants to be lynched, not killed at Night. This means the player wants to earn the ire of the town and come across as the most beneficial target to eliminate. Ultimately the Fool serves to be a nuisance to the villagers in particular and a boon for the mafia. The role's effect on the game increases tenfold if the host openly informs all of the players that there is a Fool among them. This will create another layer of paranoia: is that player just trying to appear suspicious to get attention? Thus the Fool will have to be crafty to instigate their death. The mafia will also abuse this public knowledge by using its existence as a shield from scrutiny: perhaps they aren't mafia but just trying to appear as one?
Considerations are whether the Fool has abilities and if so what kind. Do they avoid Nightkills making their win condition their only way out, or should they try to balance the act of teasing the Town but not tempting anyone with kill shots. Do they have an ability that makes them easier to lynch? Perhaps harder? Maybe they can win by being killed to make it easier. Can they block or hide*** behind players to survive the Night phases?
A flaw with the role is that the Town can not really care about the Fool's existence: if someone seems like a problem, that's problem enough, and if it's a/the Fool, well good riddance and we will move on. A solution would be to tell the town not only of the Fool's existence but also that if they succeed, the villagers receive some form of penalty that will make them regret it more than just a wasted Day phase. It could even be extended to the Night: if the mafia kills the Fool, they too might suffer as a group more than just having wasted a Night phase.
***Hiders can choose a player to target at Night and as a result anyone targeting the Hider specifically fails to get any results, whereas if someone targets the player the Hider is behind, whatever happens to them also happens to the Hider. If the Hider's target is attacked, they both are. If they are protected, so is the Hider. If one is investigated, the Cop will mysteriously receive two results.
Mastermind
Win condition: Survive during a mafia victory.
Typically the investigating is down by the villagers. The mafia knows their allies, so their goal is to abuse the ignorance and fear of those who aren't to move forward. But there is an exception: a role that is both third party and mafia at the same time AKA Third Party Mafia. The result is this: the mafia are informed that there is a Mastermind in the game. A player that wins when the mafia do, but so long as they live to see that victory, the mafia themselves lose and only the Mastermind wins.
This means that the mafia knows their allies, but they also must investigate themselves: who is the Mastermind that is secretly working against the town? Simultaneously, the Mastermind will wish to be undiscovered by the Mafia yet benefit their cause. Often times the Mastermind can communicate anonymously through the host to the Mafia, or the Mafia anonymously to the Mastermind through the host, creating a duplicitous relationship and link between them. Who is on the other end typing these messages? What if we talk about kill this player--if that's who they are what will they say? The mafia is now not only hunting for powerful villagers, but also potential Mastermind suspects, both with their Night kills but also gives them a goal during the Day: it is a perfect opportunity to "hunt" like anyone else.
Some considerations. Whether the Mastermind comes up innocent or dirty upon alignment checks. Whether the Mastermind or the mafia have role abilities that help them find each other. Is there an additional penalty or boon tied to the existence of the Mastermind with respect to the mafia? Should the town be told up front about the mafia's dilemma, is that a secret for them to know alone, or maybe one role among the villagers is tipped off about the existence of such a player.
Autocrat
Win condition: Survive during a town victory.
This is the townie version of the Mastermind, a Third Party Villager. A player that wants the mafia and any other threats to the town to be eliminated; however, if they survive to see such an end, the town is robbed of their victory and it is handed solely to the Autocrat. Once again, this is the kind of role that should be open to the town's knowledge: they ought to know that unless they get rid of a unique threat among their ranks, they can never truly win. That will also mean the mafia knows of its existence and will be weary of Nightkilling anyone they suspect of being the Autocrat.
Some of the same considerations apply with this role that goes with the Mastermind. Should they be a Miller-type role and come up threatening upon alignment checks or should they blend in? Is the Autocrat's existence enforcing something upon the town that further instills the need to find him or her? Perhaps a lynch lock tied to their life, for example. Does the Autocrat have a function, and what would it be?
Cult Leader
Win condition: Create a faction equal to or greater in size than the villagers.
The usual setup involves multiple predetermined forces that are pitted against one another. With the existence of the Cultist, a new dynamic exists. The Cultist is a minority faction all on his own that must match the villagers just like the Mafia, but in this case it only starts as one player. They must instead convert other players onto their side, often by targeting them at Night. The result is that a player may start as a villager, but if they are visited by the Cult Leader, they become a cultist themselves, almost like an infection.
Some considerations are whether or not a player can be returned to their normal allegiance, or if whether or not the death of the leader ends the conversion on all of his or her victims. Additionally, a problem arises when mafiasos are put into the mix: if the Cultist is allowed to convert a member of the mafia, it risks immediately imploding the group by having the infected mafiaso to leak who their old partners are, which can destroy the game. That means that it is recommended that the Mafia is immune to such conversions. Another option is to make it so that the converted player isn't actually converted, but is merely treated as a part of the Cult Leader's win condition.
This is the kind of role that can be really hard to balance as its influence cannot be contained and predicted like a premade team of villagers or mafia, and thus good judgment must be used when trying to find a way to implement an infection mechanic tied to a win condition. If successful though, it can serve as a new and additional layer of suspicion and mindgames.
Politician
Win condition: Changes between a mafia victory and a villager victory over time.
This is a role that is perhaps aligned with the town at first, but is told that throughout the game, their allegiance will change. The next Day phase they might become mafia-aligned and, while they do not know who the mafia are, they know that if they win right now, it will be their victory as well. The pattern continues until the game ends, constantly going from wanting the town to win and then the mafia again. The result is a player that must play both sides of the game, like a politician, and plan ahead for when they need the game to end and how so they can be standing with the winning side.
The politician may come up shifty or dangerous upon checks, or maybe they come up clean during the Nights they are considered among the village faction and only come up as threats to cops on the Nights that they are on the side of the mafia. Whether the town should be privy to the existence of such a whimsical role is something to consider based on what the set-up has. Another question is, what kind of powers, if any, should the politician have that goes with their ever-changing nature. Should their ability change along with their win condition? Perhaps their role should be something that can exist on either side, for example, a role blocker.
ALIGNMENT CHECKERS
Cops can select a player at Night and be informed by the host whether their target is friendly or hostile.
One of, if not the most, common and powerful role in the game of mafia, it is nearly inseparable from it. Its known, or usually presumed existence causes the mafia to worry about their perception: they don't want to risk being the most suspicious player in the eyes of anyone, lest they be the cop and immediately end their game.
There is something to be said however on whether its power goes against the spirit of the game. Should there be a role that can point at someone and know the one detail most significant in the game about someone? Should there be limitations? Sometimes this role is subject too randomness, so there is a chance they'll just be wrong. Maybe their results are the opposite of the truth--townies come up dirty and scum come up clean, all without them knowing of their handicap. Exercise due caution when considering such options to ensure that players feel like they can act meaningfully and have a positive impact.
Often there is a Godfather amidst the mafia that is used as a form of balance for the Cop's power. The Godfather is a mafiaso that comes up as a villager on checks from Cops. Typically the Cop doesn't know about the Godfather's existence, but it is so common that it's a possibility almost always kept in mind of experienced players.
An additional counter to the Cop's is the reverse, the Miller, which is less of a gift but a curse for the player. They win with or by the town, but come up as hostile. This can be a bit discouraging to the player given this role, so any additions to their role should be to justify or compensate for that weakness. Once again Cops aren't always informed of the existence of Millers in the game, but they are almost as common as the Godfather and are usually also kept in mind too.
COMMON ABILITIES
Revival
Brings back players that are dead back into the game.
This is a powerful role. Being able to slow down the mafia's victory on its own is useful, but if the deaths of players reveals their alignment, then the player revived is essentially a confirmed ally to the town for everyone to see, which goes against the standard of mafia: not everyone can know something for certain about one another. What often happens is that the mafia just spends the next Night killing them again; they know what they are capable of because they've since their role, and they cannot be framed unlike every other player.
One possibility would be to make with having this role is that roles are not revealed upon deaths, but that does eliminate crucial information for the players to talk about, and anything that detracts from activity should be considered a negative. Yes, the mafia could use the unknown to play to their narrative, but the mafia are more inclined to be quiet than active if given the choice. Perhaps roles could be revealed but their alignment obscured, although often times the role belies what side they would be on: for example, a Doctor would obviously be a villager.
Another potential limitation to the role is that if the reviver is killed, whoever they revived is also removed from the game, thus the game is not slowed or ground isn't being retreated. Maybe the revived isn't completely alive, but a spirit. Do they have a vote? Their role? Can they be targeted? The consideration is, should a player be brought back whole or changed?
Doctor
Can select a player and ensure they are not killed at Night
Doctors are potentially powerful, they can stop the mafia in their murders. However, statistically it is very unlikely they can select the same target as the mafia. However, increasing how many players they can select can then make it far too powerful, thus I would advise due caution in trying to lend any buffs to the good Doctor. However, a courtesy that may be considered is informing the Doctor when their target is in fact attacked, so it is never left ambiguous that the mafia failed to act or if they targeted someone immune to kills or if the attacker was blocked.
Consideration: Do not allow the Doctor to operate on themselves, otherwise they will almost certainly do it a lot because there is no life we value more than our own. And it is even logical: we know our own alignment, whereas we don't know for certain if we're protecting an ally when targeting someone else.
Listener
Can receive private messages sent by other players.
At Night players are given the privacy to talk to people in particular without the eyes of everyone on them. However, some roles can step in and retrieve messages passed, almost like picking up a radio frequency. Such a role could be town or mafia, although perhaps more fitting among the latter as a source of finding sensitive information to use against the town.
Considerations: Should the given messages be random or is their a method? Should they be anonymous so the Listener has to figure out who was speaking to who with these words?
The game of mafia is a social game that pits an uninformed majority against an informed minority. Players are typically separated into two categories: a villager AKA "townie" and mafiasos AKA scum. The villagers are told that there is a secret faction among them that intends to pick them off one by one until they are no longer the minority, and that to win they must eliminate the threat to their town. The mafia on the other hand, seek to no longer be the minority, and will win once their remaining members acquires parity with the villagers. In some games their win condition is made more difficult where the mafia must outnumber the town, not be equal to them, which can be a bit harsh since time is the ultimate enemy of the mafia, who must avoid the eye of judgement. If third party roles, as in, players that win on their own terms that are separate from the mafia or village, do not count towards the villager's parity against the mafia, in that case requiring a majority of mafia members is less of a severe task.
What makes Mafia "Fun"?
The answer is simple: the players. What's not most important is the roles, but the people in them. Individuals communicating, working together, thinking critically, or competing is enjoyable. Therefore, anything within the design of the game that works against that should be left out. A mafiaso role that can silence a player, for example, has tactical value, but now activity is lowered when perhaps that player could be adding to the quality of the game with their presence. Each player should be able and feel compelled to do act, to accomplish something rather than nothing. Players thus should also not have to question their own competence, so roles that involve randomly succeeding or not should perhaps be avoided.
ALTERNATE ALLEGIANCES
Survivor
Win condition: Make it to the end alive.
Whereas a townie or mafiaso can still win in death if their team avenges them, a Survivor needs to do as their name implies: survive. That means it does not matter which side prevails. If the mafia overcomes the town, or if the town eliminates all threats, so long as the game ended with the Survivor among the winners, they share in the victory.
The unique dynamic that comes from that is a player whose interest is simply to end the game as fast as possible, and thus they are looking for what direction the wind is blowing. Yet at the same time, they do not want to come across as threat to either the town or the mafia lest they come up short.
A fault that can arise from this alignment is that the Survivor feels a lack of identity. They may feel, "Well if I just lay low and skate by, I'll avoid the fireworks and eventually the game will end." Any host using a role with this kind of alignment must try to keep that in mind when designing the other roles or when considering to give the Survivor a Night action of their own to compliment their goal.
Fool
Win condition: To be lynched OR to be killed.
The opposite of the Survivor. Most often the Fool specifically wants to be lynched, not killed at Night. This means the player wants to earn the ire of the town and come across as the most beneficial target to eliminate. Ultimately the Fool serves to be a nuisance to the villagers in particular and a boon for the mafia. The role's effect on the game increases tenfold if the host openly informs all of the players that there is a Fool among them. This will create another layer of paranoia: is that player just trying to appear suspicious to get attention? Thus the Fool will have to be crafty to instigate their death. The mafia will also abuse this public knowledge by using its existence as a shield from scrutiny: perhaps they aren't mafia but just trying to appear as one?
Considerations are whether the Fool has abilities and if so what kind. Do they avoid Nightkills making their win condition their only way out, or should they try to balance the act of teasing the Town but not tempting anyone with kill shots. Do they have an ability that makes them easier to lynch? Perhaps harder? Maybe they can win by being killed to make it easier. Can they block or hide*** behind players to survive the Night phases?
A flaw with the role is that the Town can not really care about the Fool's existence: if someone seems like a problem, that's problem enough, and if it's a/the Fool, well good riddance and we will move on. A solution would be to tell the town not only of the Fool's existence but also that if they succeed, the villagers receive some form of penalty that will make them regret it more than just a wasted Day phase. It could even be extended to the Night: if the mafia kills the Fool, they too might suffer as a group more than just having wasted a Night phase.
***Hiders can choose a player to target at Night and as a result anyone targeting the Hider specifically fails to get any results, whereas if someone targets the player the Hider is behind, whatever happens to them also happens to the Hider. If the Hider's target is attacked, they both are. If they are protected, so is the Hider. If one is investigated, the Cop will mysteriously receive two results.
Mastermind
Win condition: Survive during a mafia victory.
Typically the investigating is down by the villagers. The mafia knows their allies, so their goal is to abuse the ignorance and fear of those who aren't to move forward. But there is an exception: a role that is both third party and mafia at the same time AKA Third Party Mafia. The result is this: the mafia are informed that there is a Mastermind in the game. A player that wins when the mafia do, but so long as they live to see that victory, the mafia themselves lose and only the Mastermind wins.
This means that the mafia knows their allies, but they also must investigate themselves: who is the Mastermind that is secretly working against the town? Simultaneously, the Mastermind will wish to be undiscovered by the Mafia yet benefit their cause. Often times the Mastermind can communicate anonymously through the host to the Mafia, or the Mafia anonymously to the Mastermind through the host, creating a duplicitous relationship and link between them. Who is on the other end typing these messages? What if we talk about kill this player--if that's who they are what will they say? The mafia is now not only hunting for powerful villagers, but also potential Mastermind suspects, both with their Night kills but also gives them a goal during the Day: it is a perfect opportunity to "hunt" like anyone else.
Some considerations. Whether the Mastermind comes up innocent or dirty upon alignment checks. Whether the Mastermind or the mafia have role abilities that help them find each other. Is there an additional penalty or boon tied to the existence of the Mastermind with respect to the mafia? Should the town be told up front about the mafia's dilemma, is that a secret for them to know alone, or maybe one role among the villagers is tipped off about the existence of such a player.
Autocrat
Win condition: Survive during a town victory.
This is the townie version of the Mastermind, a Third Party Villager. A player that wants the mafia and any other threats to the town to be eliminated; however, if they survive to see such an end, the town is robbed of their victory and it is handed solely to the Autocrat. Once again, this is the kind of role that should be open to the town's knowledge: they ought to know that unless they get rid of a unique threat among their ranks, they can never truly win. That will also mean the mafia knows of its existence and will be weary of Nightkilling anyone they suspect of being the Autocrat.
Some of the same considerations apply with this role that goes with the Mastermind. Should they be a Miller-type role and come up threatening upon alignment checks or should they blend in? Is the Autocrat's existence enforcing something upon the town that further instills the need to find him or her? Perhaps a lynch lock tied to their life, for example. Does the Autocrat have a function, and what would it be?
Cult Leader
Win condition: Create a faction equal to or greater in size than the villagers.
The usual setup involves multiple predetermined forces that are pitted against one another. With the existence of the Cultist, a new dynamic exists. The Cultist is a minority faction all on his own that must match the villagers just like the Mafia, but in this case it only starts as one player. They must instead convert other players onto their side, often by targeting them at Night. The result is that a player may start as a villager, but if they are visited by the Cult Leader, they become a cultist themselves, almost like an infection.
Some considerations are whether or not a player can be returned to their normal allegiance, or if whether or not the death of the leader ends the conversion on all of his or her victims. Additionally, a problem arises when mafiasos are put into the mix: if the Cultist is allowed to convert a member of the mafia, it risks immediately imploding the group by having the infected mafiaso to leak who their old partners are, which can destroy the game. That means that it is recommended that the Mafia is immune to such conversions. Another option is to make it so that the converted player isn't actually converted, but is merely treated as a part of the Cult Leader's win condition.
This is the kind of role that can be really hard to balance as its influence cannot be contained and predicted like a premade team of villagers or mafia, and thus good judgment must be used when trying to find a way to implement an infection mechanic tied to a win condition. If successful though, it can serve as a new and additional layer of suspicion and mindgames.
Politician
Win condition: Changes between a mafia victory and a villager victory over time.
This is a role that is perhaps aligned with the town at first, but is told that throughout the game, their allegiance will change. The next Day phase they might become mafia-aligned and, while they do not know who the mafia are, they know that if they win right now, it will be their victory as well. The pattern continues until the game ends, constantly going from wanting the town to win and then the mafia again. The result is a player that must play both sides of the game, like a politician, and plan ahead for when they need the game to end and how so they can be standing with the winning side.
The politician may come up shifty or dangerous upon checks, or maybe they come up clean during the Nights they are considered among the village faction and only come up as threats to cops on the Nights that they are on the side of the mafia. Whether the town should be privy to the existence of such a whimsical role is something to consider based on what the set-up has. Another question is, what kind of powers, if any, should the politician have that goes with their ever-changing nature. Should their ability change along with their win condition? Perhaps their role should be something that can exist on either side, for example, a role blocker.
ALIGNMENT CHECKERS
Cops can select a player at Night and be informed by the host whether their target is friendly or hostile.
One of, if not the most, common and powerful role in the game of mafia, it is nearly inseparable from it. Its known, or usually presumed existence causes the mafia to worry about their perception: they don't want to risk being the most suspicious player in the eyes of anyone, lest they be the cop and immediately end their game.
There is something to be said however on whether its power goes against the spirit of the game. Should there be a role that can point at someone and know the one detail most significant in the game about someone? Should there be limitations? Sometimes this role is subject too randomness, so there is a chance they'll just be wrong. Maybe their results are the opposite of the truth--townies come up dirty and scum come up clean, all without them knowing of their handicap. Exercise due caution when considering such options to ensure that players feel like they can act meaningfully and have a positive impact.
Often there is a Godfather amidst the mafia that is used as a form of balance for the Cop's power. The Godfather is a mafiaso that comes up as a villager on checks from Cops. Typically the Cop doesn't know about the Godfather's existence, but it is so common that it's a possibility almost always kept in mind of experienced players.
An additional counter to the Cop's is the reverse, the Miller, which is less of a gift but a curse for the player. They win with or by the town, but come up as hostile. This can be a bit discouraging to the player given this role, so any additions to their role should be to justify or compensate for that weakness. Once again Cops aren't always informed of the existence of Millers in the game, but they are almost as common as the Godfather and are usually also kept in mind too.
COMMON ABILITIES
Revival
Brings back players that are dead back into the game.
This is a powerful role. Being able to slow down the mafia's victory on its own is useful, but if the deaths of players reveals their alignment, then the player revived is essentially a confirmed ally to the town for everyone to see, which goes against the standard of mafia: not everyone can know something for certain about one another. What often happens is that the mafia just spends the next Night killing them again; they know what they are capable of because they've since their role, and they cannot be framed unlike every other player.
One possibility would be to make with having this role is that roles are not revealed upon deaths, but that does eliminate crucial information for the players to talk about, and anything that detracts from activity should be considered a negative. Yes, the mafia could use the unknown to play to their narrative, but the mafia are more inclined to be quiet than active if given the choice. Perhaps roles could be revealed but their alignment obscured, although often times the role belies what side they would be on: for example, a Doctor would obviously be a villager.
Another potential limitation to the role is that if the reviver is killed, whoever they revived is also removed from the game, thus the game is not slowed or ground isn't being retreated. Maybe the revived isn't completely alive, but a spirit. Do they have a vote? Their role? Can they be targeted? The consideration is, should a player be brought back whole or changed?
Doctor
Can select a player and ensure they are not killed at Night
Doctors are potentially powerful, they can stop the mafia in their murders. However, statistically it is very unlikely they can select the same target as the mafia. However, increasing how many players they can select can then make it far too powerful, thus I would advise due caution in trying to lend any buffs to the good Doctor. However, a courtesy that may be considered is informing the Doctor when their target is in fact attacked, so it is never left ambiguous that the mafia failed to act or if they targeted someone immune to kills or if the attacker was blocked.
Consideration: Do not allow the Doctor to operate on themselves, otherwise they will almost certainly do it a lot because there is no life we value more than our own. And it is even logical: we know our own alignment, whereas we don't know for certain if we're protecting an ally when targeting someone else.
Listener
Can receive private messages sent by other players.
At Night players are given the privacy to talk to people in particular without the eyes of everyone on them. However, some roles can step in and retrieve messages passed, almost like picking up a radio frequency. Such a role could be town or mafia, although perhaps more fitting among the latter as a source of finding sensitive information to use against the town.
Considerations: Should the given messages be random or is their a method? Should they be anonymous so the Listener has to figure out who was speaking to who with these words?
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