Mission Brief
Mafia is the classic social deduction game: a small, informed group of Mafia members hides among the town and eliminates one player every night, while the Citizens try to work out who they are before it's too late. Nobody knows anyone else's role - only the Mafia know each other. On Nightroom you play Mafia online with friends or strangers, with built-in voice chat, while the game itself runs the nights, the speeches and the votes. No cards, no moderator, no registration.
Rules: How to Play
1
Roles are dealt in secret
Every player is given a hidden role. There is one Mafia member for every three players (the room owner can change this ratio), always led by a Don, and the town always has one Sheriff and one Doctor; everyone else is a Citizen. Mafia members see each other's roles from the start.
2
Introductions
Before the first night, players speak one at a time on a timer while everyone else is muted. Nobody has died yet - this is the first chance to read people and to make an impression.
3
Night falls
All microphones turn off. The Mafia vote on a victim, the Don checks one player to find the Sheriff, the Sheriff investigates one player, and the Doctor chooses someone to protect. By default the roles act one after another; the room owner can switch to a simultaneous night where everyone acts at once.
4
Morning
The night's result is announced: who was killed - or that nobody died because the Doctor guessed right.
5
Discussion and nominations
Microphones turn on and the town debates. Any player can nominate one suspect for the vote. If nobody is nominated, the town goes straight back to sleep.
6
Justification
Each nominated player gives a timed defence speech while the others listen.
7
The vote
Players vote on the nominees one by one, and each player has a single vote. The nominee with the most votes is eliminated. A tie is resolved with another round of defence speeches and a revote.
8
Last words
The eliminated player says their final words, and the next night begins. The cycle repeats until one side wins.
Goal of the game
Mafia is played by two teams with opposite goals. The town - the Sheriff, the Doctor and the Citizens - wins by eliminating every Mafia member. The Mafia, led by the Don, win as soon as they equal or outnumber the rest of the town. The Mafia know exactly who their teammates are, the town knows only what it can deduce.
Players and roles
Mafia on Nightroom needs 4 to 10 players. With the default ratio of one Mafia member per three players, roles are dealt like this:
- 4–5 players
- Don, Sheriff, Doctor and 1–2 Citizens.
- 6–8 players
- Don, 1 Mafia, Sheriff, Doctor and 2–4 Citizens.
- 9–10 players
- Don, 2 Mafia, Sheriff, Doctor and 4–5 Citizens.
The room owner can lower the number of Mafia by setting one Mafia member per four or five players.
How the night works
At night all microphones are off, and every role with an ability acts in secret.
- Sequential night (default)
- The Mafia vote first, then the Don checks, then the Sheriff, then the Doctor - each with their own timer.
- Simultaneous night
- All roles act at the same time. The Don picks a victim and a check independently, and check results are revealed only when morning comes.
- Night length
- By default the night always runs its full length, so how quickly it ends never reveals which roles are still alive.
- Check results
- By default the Don and the Sheriff keep their results for the whole game, marked on the checked players' cards.
- Repeat checks
- By default the Sheriff and the Don can't check the same player twice.
Voting and ties
- One vote each
- Every living player votes once, on the nominees in turn.
- Most votes
- The nominee with the most votes is eliminated.
- A tie
- The tied nominees give another defence speech, and the town votes again between them.
- Another tie
- Depending on the room's setting, either one of them is eliminated at random or nobody is eliminated that day.
- No nominations
- If nobody is nominated during the discussion, no one is eliminated and night falls.
How to win
The game checks for a winner twice in every cycle: in the morning, once the night's result is announced, and during the day, as soon as an eliminated player has finished their last words. The town wins the moment the last Mafia member is voted out. The Mafia win as soon as the number of living Mafia members equals or exceeds everyone else - after a night kill, or after the town votes out one of its own. From that point they can no longer be outvoted. After the game you can open the match results to review how it played out.
Room settings
The room owner can adjust Mafia before the game starts:
- Reveal role on elimination
- Show an eliminated player's role to everyone (off by default).
- Mafia ratio
- One Mafia member per 3, 4 or 5 players (3 by default).
- Simultaneous night
- All night roles act at once instead of in turn (off by default).
- Keep check results
- The Don and the Sheriff keep their results all game (on by default).
- Full-length nights
- Nights always last the full timer, so timing gives nothing away (on by default).
- Repeat protection and checks
- Allow the Doctor to protect the same player two nights in a row, or the Sheriff and the Don to check the same player again (off by default).
- Tie-breaker
- A persistent tie eliminates a random nominee or nobody (random by default).
- Timers
- Separate timers for speeches, discussion, night actions, voting and last words.
Tips and strategy
- As a Citizen
- Watch the votes, not just the words. Who pushes a nomination and who quietly follows tells you more than any speech.
- As the Sheriff
- Don't reveal yourself too early - a known Sheriff rarely survives the night. Build trust first, then use your checks to steer the vote.
- As the Doctor
- Protect the players the Mafia most want gone: the confident accuser, or the player who seems to know too much.
- As the Mafia
- Blend in by voting with the town - sometimes even by pressuring a fellow Mafia member. Never defend each other too obviously.
- As the Don
- Your checks decide the game. Find the Sheriff, then make the town stop trusting them before you remove them.
"As a civilian, your strongest weapon is observation. Watch for voting patterns. As Mafia, blending in is key - sometimes leading the charge against a fellow Mafia member is the best disguise."
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Mafia game?
Mafia is a social deduction party game. A hidden group of Mafia members eliminates one player each night, and the rest of the town has to find them and vote them out during the day. It is also known as Werewolf.
How many players do you need for Mafia?
Mafia on Nightroom works with 4 to 10 players. 7 to 10 players give the best balance of roles and the most interesting games.
How do you play Mafia online?
Create a room on Nightroom or join an open lobby, wait for players to gather, and the room owner starts the game. Roles are dealt automatically, and the game guides everyone through the nights, the discussion and the votes - all you need is a browser and a microphone.
How long does a game of Mafia take?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the number of players and the timers set for the room.
Is it free? Do I need to register?
Yes, it's free, and no registration is required. Open a room in your browser, pick a name and an avatar, and play with voice chat. Creating an account lets you keep your match history.
Do we need a moderator?
No. Nightroom acts as the moderator: it deals the roles, runs the night, keeps the timers and counts the votes, so everyone gets to play.
What does the Don do?
The Don leads the Mafia. Each night they vote on the victim with the team and check one player to find out whether that player is the Sheriff.
Can the Doctor protect the same player every night?
Not two nights in a row by default. The room owner can allow it in the room settings.
Is a player's role revealed when they are eliminated?
Not by default, which keeps the town guessing. The room owner can turn on role reveal for eliminated players.
What is the difference between Mafia and Werewolf?
They are the same game with a different theme. Werewolf replaces the Mafia with werewolves and the town with a village; the rules and the way you play are essentially identical.