Durzan
2017-01-23, 05:40 PM
So, I'm sure that most everyone here has heard of the party game known as Mafia, Forum Mafia, SC2 Mafia, Town of Salem, or any other game with similar rules.
Well guess what? I took that game, and turned it into a forum game that involves using simple d20 rolls, PMing the game host regularly, and of course, as much roleplaying as all those involved are willing to do! The game is designed to be customizable and modular in nature, yet simple to play. Games should typically take no more than a month or two, but can be modified to take a longer or a shorter period of time.
Games are also designed so that the host can tell an overarching story between multiple games.
If you want to play a game, I will be hosting a game on GitP shortly. If you wish to host your own game, feel free to do so, but shoot me a PM, as there are some background rules that you would need to know that are not in the thread (so that potential players cannot use the knowledge to screw up the game).
Now, without further a-due, I present to you:
Mafia: The Roleplaying Game
Introduction: It is a late winter evening in the bustling city known as the . The various citizens bustle around the city, chatting, shopping, hanging out and running errands… but little do they know that their quiet little city will soon be flooded by a wave of bloody homicides, as groups of gangsters and crazies come out of the shadows to wreak their twisted designs upon the once fair city. Will you root out the evil before it destroys this beloved forum? Are you working in tandem with the Mafia or Triad, or do you have other sinister goals? Will you die as part of the intrigue of this mass crime wave, or will you survive to see it to its bloody conclusion?
Overview: Mafia: The Roleplaying Game is a game centered around investigation, deception, and roleplaying. Players are secretly divided among factions, and given a role with special abilities. Their goal, is to use any means necessary (lying, framing, murdering, sabotage, torture, guessing, investigation, etc.) to see their faction satisfy their win condition, and if possible live to see it. Most players are not given knowledge as to what role other players are, and as such must use their investigation skills to deduce who their allies and enemies are. At the core of the game is the conflict between the Town, an ignorant majority, and one or more groups informed majorities (Usually the Mafia, but can be the Triad, the Cult, or some other nefarious group), as well as a smattering of Non-Aligned players with their own motives and victory conditions.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is divided into weeks (IE week 1, Week 2, etc), with each week beginning with a Kill Vote, proceeding through the Action Phase, and then ending with the Voting Phase. Gameplay begins when the first murder is made public on Day 1 of Week 1.
Kill Vote: At the start of every week, the Mafia/Triad may designate one person which they want to kill by voting. The person with the most votes is automatically the target of a murder attempt made by a random mafia member, unless designated by the Godfather. The attack automatically succeeds, unless the target is under some form of protection (IE Doctor protection, Bodyguard, Bulletproof vest, etc). Should the victim survive, the Kill Vote is wasted for that week.
Cult Vote: If a game has the Cultist faction, then once per week during the action phase, the cult can vote to attempt to convert one person of their choice. The person with the most votes is targeted by a random Cult member the day the vote is held. In order for the target to be converted, they must be a town or neutral aligned role, must not be immune to conversion, and cannot be protected by a Doctor. Should the target be successfully converted, then they join the cult and their role is changed to Cultist. Should the attempt fail, then the target finds out who that the person sent to convert them is a cult member. The Cult cannot have more than 1/4 the total number of living players. Should their numbers exceed this amount at any point in the game, then they cannot convert anymore people until at least one cult member dies.
Action Phase: This phase begins on Day 1 as soon as the results of the Kill Vote(s) are posted, and ends on Day 4. During this time players can search for clues by investigating the crime scene, shadowing other players, perform role special actions, perform other actions, post their findings in the game thread, and/or scheme talk privately with other players Via PMs. Actions are performed by PMing me what action you want to take, and to whom (if applicable). I then will secretly roll a 20 sided dice, add any modifiers to the roll, and consult a table for the relevant action. How successful you are at your action is dependent on the roll made. I will only respond to your first 3 actions each day, so choose what you do wisely. Also note that whatever actions you take MAY impact the rolls of future actions you make during the week.
Transition Phase: This Phase occurs on day 5. Players may still take actions as though they were still in the Action Phase, but any such actions should be wrapped up by the end of this day. Players may also start voting for the players they want to lynch.
Voting Phase: Begins on Day 6 and ends on Day 7. During the Voting phase, players present the evidence they found in the game thread for dissection. Using this evidence and its implications, players will try to convince each other of their own innocence and the guiltiness of others, as a vote will be tallied up during this time. During this time players may still publicly discuss stuff in the game thread, chat with each other privately through PMs, Perform Special Actions that can only be used during the voting phase, and of course vote. Other than that, players cannot perform any other actions during the Voting phase. Due note that players that are part of a faction with a Kill Vote may also use this time to privately vote on who to kill, and get the Kill Post written ahead of time.
Lynching: During the Voting phase, players present the evidence they gathered during the action phase, and use it to determine who to kill. All players that are still alive will shoot the Game Host a PM with their vote by the end of day 7. Players may choose to vote for a specific player or to vote to abstain. Players are allowed to change their votes ONCE and only ONCE, so vote wisely. Once I have collected everyone’s votes, I will tally them up and the player who receives a clear majority of votes will be lynched. If there is a tie between two players, or the majority of players voted to abstain, then no one is lynched and play resumes as normal. Regardless of what happens, I will post the next Kill Post and play will resume as normal as the cycle begins again.
Jail: Players may, at anytime call a vote to jail a specific player for up to 3 days. In addition, if a player is caught in the act of torture, sabotage, or murder, they could be automatically given jail time. While in jail, a player cannot take any actions, can only make a single public post in the game thread once per day, and the post must be colored orange. There can only be one jail vote going on at a time.
Bulletproof Vests: A bulletproof vest is a one time use ability that grants you immunity to all murder attempts for the next 24 hours. If a role mentions a bulletproof vest, then they can use this ability. If it is mentioned that they have more than one bullet proof vest, then they can use this ability that number of times.
The Game ends when one faction has fulfilled its victory conditions, all but one player is dead, or a neutral killing role has satisfied their victory conditions.
Recap of the Game Cycle:
Day 1 — Action Phase: Killing Vote (if applicable) occurs, Investigations begin and players start looking for clues.
Day 2 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 3 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 4 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 5 — Transition phase: All player actions and investigations should be finished by the end of the day; voting begins.
Day 6 — Voting Phase: The town picks someone to lynch by a simple Majority Vote.
Day 7 — Voting Phase: All voting needs to be finished by the end of the day. Votes are finalized and tallied; the player with the most votes (if any), is lynched. In the event of a tie or a majority of votes that have abstained, then no one is lynched that week.
Factions:
All games of Mafia have at least 2 factions, among which all players are divided. A player's role determines which faction they are a part of. Factions affect the player's Victory Conditions, who the player's allies are, and can even effect the player's special abilities.
The Town: Normal everyday citizens who are being terrorized by groups of murderers or cultists. The Town faction represents the ignorant majority in this game. In order to win, the Town must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
See that all evildoers are dead. (IE eliminate all Mafia, Triad, Cult, Neutral Roles who’s victory conditions oppose those of the town, etc)
Ensure that at least 1 Town-Aligned player survives.
The Mafia: An organized crime syndicate of Italian origin. The mafia is an informed minority, IE mafia members know exactly who the other mafia members are. In order to win, the Mafia must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Become the majority by eliminating enough Town-Aligned players. (IE you must have more living Mafia Players than living Town Players)
Eliminate all rival factions (IE Eliminate all Triad, Cult, Neutral Killing roles, etc)
Ensure that at least 1 Mafia Player survives.
Triad: An organized crime syndicate of Japanese Origin. The Triad is an informed minority, IE Triad members know exactly who the other Triad members are. In order to win, the Triad must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Become the majority by eliminating enough Town-Aligned players. (IE you must have more living Triad
Players than Town Players)
Eliminate all rival factions (IE Eliminate all Mafia, Cult, and Neutral Killing roles, etc.)
Ensure that at least 1 Triad Player survives.
Cult: A shadowy religion. The Cult is an informed minority, IE Cult members know exactly who the other cult members are. In order to win, the Cult must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Protect the Prophet at all costs (Or the equivalent role, if the Prophet is replaced by a unique role).
Kill or Convert all members of Opposing Factions (AKA: Town, Mafia, Triad, Neutral Killing, etc).
Neutral: People that are neither allies or enemies of any side… but may have their own agendas. In order for a Neutral to win the game, they must satisfy all of their role’s Win Condition.
Other Factions: Some game variants may have factions unique to that game.
Roles:
At the start of each game, players are given a role, which determines which faction they are a part of, any special abilities they may have, and/or any special victory conditions for that specific role.
Town Roles:
Citizen: The average player. Has one bulletproof vest that can be used, but otherwise, no special abilities.
Mayor: The leader of the town. During the Voting Phase, the Mayor may reveal his role to the public; if he does so, then his vote counts as 3 votes for the rest of the game. The mayor may also check the ballot at anytime to see who is voting for who, regardless of whether or not they have revealed themselves. Once the Mayor has revealed himself, he cannot be protected by the doctor or the bodyguard; his practically guarantees his eventual death. The Mayor is immune to Cult Conversions.
Detective: An undercover cop, tasked with finding all evil-doers hidden among the town. Once per day during the Action Phase, the Detective can check a person’s crime record. Doing so can help narrow down which role a person is… or give an idea of what the person has been up to recently.
Doctor: An undercover medic, tasked with ensuring the survival of the innocent town members. During the Voting Phase, the Doctor can choose one person to protect for the next week. While protected in such a manner, the person being protected is immune to all Kill Votes and murder attempts as long at the doctor is still alive. The protection wears off at the start of the next voting phase, at which point the Doctor must choose someone else to protect. If Converted to the Cult, the Doctor’s role changes to a Witch Doctor instead of a Cultist.
Bodyguard: A person who specializes in risking himself in order to protect others. During the Voting Phase, the Bodyguard can choose one person to guard for the next week. Any torture attempts made against the person being guarded automatically fail. In addition, if any successful murder attempts are made against the person being guarded, then both the bodyguard and the murderer die instead of the victim. This ability bypasses almost any immunity.
Veteran: A former soldier with the uncanny ability to sense when death is coming. During the action Phase, a Veteran may go on alert for a single 24 hour period. While on alert, the veteran is harder to take actions against, and if anyone targeting the veteran with any action fails their action check by 5 or more, then they die. A veteran can only use this ability Once Per Week, and can only use this ability a total of 3 times per game.
Vigilante: A seeker of justice, outside the constraints of the law. Once Per Week, when attempting to kill someone during the action phase, A vigilantee may choose to automatically succeed in killing his target. This ability can only be used a maximum of 3 times per game.
Jailor: A citizen who secretly specializes in interrogation. Cannot die from a failed torture attempt, and gets a static bonus on all interrogation checks.
Crier: A news reporter with a very loud mouth…who also happens to be an obsessed fan of Paul Revere. A crier can send out up to 3 Anonymous Messages per day during the Action Phase instead of the usual 1.
Mason Leader (Cult Games only): The Leader of the Masons. Once per Day during the Action Phase, the Mason Leader can attempt to convert a single living player into a mason. If the target’s role is Citizen or a Neutral Begnin Role, then the attempt succeeds and the Player’s role is changed to that of a Mason. If the subject is Cult Aligned (Excluding Kira, if applicable), then you automatically kill the unholy Bastard. If the subject is any other role or alignment, then the attempt fails. This ability can only be used 3 times per game. Should a Cultist attempt to convert you, then the target will also automatically die.
Mason (Cult Games only): A member of a cell of Masons. Knows who all the other Mason Members in town, and are immune to Cult Conversions, but otherwise have no special abilities.
Mafia/Triad Roles:
Godfather/Dragon Head: The leader of the Mafia/Triad. His vote counts for 3 when determining whom the mafia should kill, and He is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per game, if the Godfather/Dragon Head dies, then a single Consigliere/Administrator can take their place.
Hitman/Enforcer: A trained thug that carries out the dirty work of the Mafia/Triad. No special abilities.
Consigliere/Administrator: A corrupt undercover cop who does the dirty work of the Mafia/Triad. Once per day during the Action Phase, the Detective can check a person’s crime record. Doing so can help narrow down which role a person is… or give an idea of what the person has been up to recently.
Framer/Deceiver: A trained forger who tries to divert attention away from the Mafia/Triad by planting false evidence at crime scenes or by framing innocent bystanders. Once per Week during the action phase, the Framer/Deciever can plant false evidence on a single target, implicating them at the most recent crime scene. In addition, Framers receive a static bonus on Sabotage Checks.
Kidnapper/Interrogator: An unsavory person who is trained in enhanced interrogation techniques. Cannot die from a failed torture attempt, and gets a static bonus on all interrogation checks.
Cult Roles:
The Prophet: The secretive leader of the Cult. His vote counts for 3 when determining whom the cult will attempt to convert, and He is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per game, if the Cult Leader dies, then a single Consigliere/Administrator can take their place. .
Witch Doctor: A doctor with mystical powers and a ties to a shadowy cult. Like the Doctor, the Witch Doctor may choose one person during the voting phase to protect during the next week. At the end of that time, should the Witch Doctor AND the person he is protecting survive, then the target’s role is changed to Cultist (provided that the target isn’t immune to cult conversions). Once per game, if the Prophet dies, then a single Witch Doctor can take their place.
Cultist: A shadowy member of a cult. Cultists have no special abilities.
Blasphemer: A cultist with experience in forgery. Once per Week during the action phase, the Blasphemer can plant false evidence on a single target, implicating them at the most recent crime scene. In addition, they also receive a static bonus on Sabotage Checks.
Neutral Benign Roles:
Survivor: A dude who doesn’t care which faction rules over the city; he just wants to be left alone! He has 3 Bulletproof vests that he can use, but otherwise, has no special abilities. [I]Win Condition: Survive to the end of the Game.
Executioner: A guy who has some inexplicable beef with another person. Like the Survivor, he has 3 Bulletproof vests that he can use, but otherwise, has no special abilities. At the beginning of the game, the Executioner is given a random player as a target. Win Conditions: See your target lynched by the town, and survive to the end of the game if possible. (As long as your target has been lynched by the town while you were alive, then this win condition is satisfied, whether you survive to the end or not. If the target is murdered, or dies by some other means other than lynching, then the Executioner’s role is changed to Jester.)
Spy: A man who is tasked with killing multiple specific targets. Win Conditions: Kill all other Spies. Kill all Executioners. Survive to the end of the game.
Psycho: A crazy dude who goes around biting people. Once per week during any phase, the Psycho may bite a single person. Doing so prevents the person from using the Anonymous Message action AND from posting anything in the game thread for the rest of that day. Win Condition: Bite 5 different people.
Guardian: A man who is obsessed with protecting a certain person. At the beginning of the game, the Guardian is given a random player as a target. Three times per game, the Guardian can protect his target as if he were a doctor. Win Condition: Ensure that your target survives to the end of the game. (As long as your target is alive at the end of the game, then this win condition is satisfied, whether you survive to the end or not. If the target is murdered, or dies while the Guardian is still alive, then the Guardian’s role is changed to Jester.)
Jester: A seemingly cheerful person with a secret death wish. Once per day during the action phase, a Jester can annoy a single person. Doing so has the chance of adding a single crime the target has to your crime record. Should the Jester be lynched by the town, one random person who voted for them dies the following day. Win Condition: Get lynched by the town.
Amnesiac: A dude who hit his head and forgot who he was. Once per game, an Amnesiac can discover who he really is. When this happens, the amnesiac chooses the role of a dead person and switches from the Amnesiac role to that role. When this happens, the entire town finds out that the Amnesiac remembered who he was, and what role he chose. Win Condition: Survive to the end of the game, OR satisfy the victory condition of the dead person.
Neutral Evil Roles:
Scumbag: A citizen with a grudge against the town. No special abilities. Win Condition: See the town lose, and survive to the end of the game.
Judge: A corrupted judicial figure that secretly has it in for the town. Once per week during the action phase, force an anonymous vote to lynch someone. When this happens, the Judge’s vote counts for 3 votes, and the person with the most votes is immediately lynched. Abstaining is not possible during a forced Lynch. Important: The forced lynch is in addition to the normal vote at the end of the week, and does not hinder or prevent any other actions. In addition a player cannot vote to abstain during a forced lynch. A Judge may use this ability up to 3 times per game. Win Conditions: Force the lynching of 3 different people, and see the town lose. Survive to the end of the game.
Witch: A person who practices witchcraft against the town. Once per week during the action phase, a witch may possess a single living player, forcing that player to perform one action of their choice. The possessed player will know that they have been possessed, but will not be informed on the action the witch took. Any information gained from the use of this ability is given only to the witch. The witch can use any normal action during the action phase, but cannot use role special abilities. The use of an action by the witch doesn’t count against the player. A player being protected by a doctor or who has been bitten by a Psycho during the week is immune to possession for the rest of the week. Win Conditions: Possess 5 different players, and see the town lose. Survive to the end of the game.
Auditor: A corrupt government tax agent. Once per Week during the action phase, the Auditor can visit a single target and rob them of everything they own. Doing so converts a Town-Aligned role to a citizen, a Triad/Mafia role to a Hitman/Enforcer, and Neutral role to Scumbag. Cultist Aligned roles are immune. This ability can only be used 3 times per game. Win Conditions: See the Town lose, and survive to the end of the game.
Neutral Killing Roles:
Serial Killer: A psychopathic murderer who tortures his victims. Receives a static bonus to Torture attempts and cannot die from a failed check. Once Per Week during the action phase, the Serial Killer can automatically kill a person whom he successfully tortured. This ability bypasses immunity. Win Conditions: Be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Mass Murderer: An axe-crazy sociopath intent on killing everyone. Receives a static bonus to murder attempts and is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per week during the Action Phase, the Mass Murderer can go on killing spree. When this happens, the Mass Murderer picks one person to kill, and anyone shadowing that player also dies. This ability can only be used up to 3 times per game. Win Conditions: Be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Arsonist: A psychotic man-child who just wants to watch the world burn. Once per day during the action phase, the Arsonist may douse one target of his choice in gasoline. The target knows that they have been doused, but can’t really do anything about it. Three times per game during the action phase, the Arsonist may choose to ignite all targets he has doused up to that point, killing them. Win Condition: Kill 5 different people at once. If possible, be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Actions and Crimes:
Actions are things you can do during the Action Phase to gather evidence, to hinder other's investigations, and to further the goals of yourself and your faction. You are limited to performing 3 actions per day during the action phase. Crimes are assigned to your character based on those actions.
All the possible actions you can take during the Action Phase are as follows:
Shadowing: You attempt to find evidence of suspicious activity by following a person, keeping tabs on them, and searching their homes for suspicious materials. If you are lucky, then Shadowing may give you a hint about what role your target is, or what faction they belong to. If you fail, you may find false evidence, or the person whom you are shadowing may find out.
Investigation: Not all information is given at a crime scene when it is first presented to you. By studying it, you can search for valuable information that may point you to the killer or give you a lead to follow. Crime scenes deteriorate with each investigation (Each investigation increases the difficulty of others rolls). Failure may result in skewing or destroying the evidence left at the crime scene.
Anonymous Message: You may send a short message to me that will be posted in the game thread for all to see. You can only send one Anonymous message per day.
Torture: You kidnap a victim and interrogate them for useful information. Failure could result in false information, death, jail time, and/or or the death of the subject.
Murder: A highly risky attempt to off someone, that should be carefully considered before carrying it out. Usually only carried out by gang members, serial killers, or evil people. Vigilantes also can kill. Failure could result in the victim’s escape, jail time, and/or the killer’s death. Unless the murder is carried out by professionals, the crime is carried out poorly, and leaves a bit of evidence behind if not properly disposed of. Each murder committed within 3 days increases your chances of being found out. An individual cannot kill more than once per day. A murderer may leave a short message to be displayed when the victim’s body is found. (Note: The murderer must write out the murder scenario. How it was written and what it entails will be posted in the Game thread…)
Sabotage: Whenever someone commits a crime, I will automatically roll the die again to see how well the perpetrator was at *ahem*… cleaning up. This roll determines the starting difficulty for investigations. The perpetrator, or someone else may also request to actively sabotage crime scene after the initial “clean up”, in which case I make a separate roll and increase the difficulty accordingly. A player cannot try to sabotage the same crime scene more than once. A player may instead use the Sabotage action to remove a few crimes from their crime list, or to add additional crimes onto someone else's crime list. Doing so has a much higher chance of failure than sabotaging a crime scene.
Special Action: Use one of your role’s special abilities. May or may not involve a roll.
Other Actions: Want to do something that can’t fit under any of the options above, talk to me about it and I will see what I can do.
Crimes: When a detective or equivalent role uses his special ability on someone, they get a list of crimes committed based on previous actions they’ve performed in the past and/or based on their role. The possible crimes you can commit are:
Arson
Murder
Theft
Kinapping
Corruption
Tresspassing
Destruction of Property
Disturbing the Peace
Conspiracy
Solicitising
Sabotage
Stalking
Jaywalking
Achievements:
To make things even more fun long term, there is an achievement system to Mafia. At the end of each game, players can earn points by earning achievements, after which, they can then display the total number of points earned in their Signature if they so desire. This is purely for bragging rights, so don’t take it too seriously. Some additional achievements may be added as part of the different game variants.
Epic Fail! (Die from a bad roll during a Murder or Torture attempt): +2
Win a game as a Town-Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Mafia or Triad Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Cult-Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Neutral Benign Role: +5
Win a game as a Neutral Evil Role: +5
Win a game as a Neutral Killing Role: +10
Survival Streak! (Survive to the End 3 games in a row): +5
Win Streak! (Win 3 games in a Row): +10
Epic Win Streak! (Win 5 games in a Row): +20
Legendary Win Streak! (Win 8 Games in a row): +25
Mythic Win Streak! (Win 10 Games in a row): +50
Silver Tongue! (Talk your way out of being lynched, when at least 3 people are in favor of lynching you): +10
A for Effort! (Fail to kill the same person 4 times in a row): +10
Taxes Beautiful Taxes! (Successfully Audit 3 different people in one game as the Auditor): +10
Clever Girl! (Trick someone into revealing their role publicly): +20
Texting Addiction! (Send out 20 Anonymous Messages in one game): +20
Infection! (Bite 10 different people as the Psycho in one game): +20
Help, Help, I’m Being Opressed! (Get bitten by the Psycho 5 days in a row): +20
I See Dead People! (Possess 10 different people as the Witch in one game): +20
The Last Laugh! (As the Jester, be the last person to be Lynched in the game): +25
Geffery Dahmer! (As the Mass Murderer, Kill 5 people with just one killing spree): +25
Hung Jury! (Fail to lynch someone during Week 1. All players must vote, and none can abstain): +25
Killer Romance! (Over the course of at least 1 week, successfully roleplay a public romance between yourself and one other player during a game. Both players must survive long enough to get a first kiss): +25
Role Roulette! (Switch roles 4 Different times in one game): +25
Enhanced Interrogator! (Successfully torture 5 different people in one game): +25
Anyone Can Die! (Kill one player of each faction within the first 3 weeks of one game): +25
We found a Witch! (Lynch a witch during Week 1): +25
Those Darn Blood-Sucking Parasites! (Lynch an Auditor during Week 1): +25
Awesome Death! (Write an epic Death Post): +25
Death to all Politicians! (Lynch the Mayor and the Judge during week 1): +50
I’m a Survivor! (Survive 5 Kill or Murder attempts in one game. You cannot be a role that has immunity.): +50
Flawless Victory! (As Mafia, Triad, or Cult, win the game without having any of your faction members die): +50
Magnificent Bastard! (Score 100 points in one game): +50
What the Heck Happened?!? (All players die during week 1): +100
Magnificent Host! (Successfully host at least one game of MG Mafia): +20
Well, thats it for now. Feel free to post comments, suggestions, or questions.
Well guess what? I took that game, and turned it into a forum game that involves using simple d20 rolls, PMing the game host regularly, and of course, as much roleplaying as all those involved are willing to do! The game is designed to be customizable and modular in nature, yet simple to play. Games should typically take no more than a month or two, but can be modified to take a longer or a shorter period of time.
Games are also designed so that the host can tell an overarching story between multiple games.
If you want to play a game, I will be hosting a game on GitP shortly. If you wish to host your own game, feel free to do so, but shoot me a PM, as there are some background rules that you would need to know that are not in the thread (so that potential players cannot use the knowledge to screw up the game).
Now, without further a-due, I present to you:
Mafia: The Roleplaying Game
Introduction: It is a late winter evening in the bustling city known as the . The various citizens bustle around the city, chatting, shopping, hanging out and running errands… but little do they know that their quiet little city will soon be flooded by a wave of bloody homicides, as groups of gangsters and crazies come out of the shadows to wreak their twisted designs upon the once fair city. Will you root out the evil before it destroys this beloved forum? Are you working in tandem with the Mafia or Triad, or do you have other sinister goals? Will you die as part of the intrigue of this mass crime wave, or will you survive to see it to its bloody conclusion?
Overview: Mafia: The Roleplaying Game is a game centered around investigation, deception, and roleplaying. Players are secretly divided among factions, and given a role with special abilities. Their goal, is to use any means necessary (lying, framing, murdering, sabotage, torture, guessing, investigation, etc.) to see their faction satisfy their win condition, and if possible live to see it. Most players are not given knowledge as to what role other players are, and as such must use their investigation skills to deduce who their allies and enemies are. At the core of the game is the conflict between the Town, an ignorant majority, and one or more groups informed majorities (Usually the Mafia, but can be the Triad, the Cult, or some other nefarious group), as well as a smattering of Non-Aligned players with their own motives and victory conditions.
Gameplay:
Gameplay is divided into weeks (IE week 1, Week 2, etc), with each week beginning with a Kill Vote, proceeding through the Action Phase, and then ending with the Voting Phase. Gameplay begins when the first murder is made public on Day 1 of Week 1.
Kill Vote: At the start of every week, the Mafia/Triad may designate one person which they want to kill by voting. The person with the most votes is automatically the target of a murder attempt made by a random mafia member, unless designated by the Godfather. The attack automatically succeeds, unless the target is under some form of protection (IE Doctor protection, Bodyguard, Bulletproof vest, etc). Should the victim survive, the Kill Vote is wasted for that week.
Cult Vote: If a game has the Cultist faction, then once per week during the action phase, the cult can vote to attempt to convert one person of their choice. The person with the most votes is targeted by a random Cult member the day the vote is held. In order for the target to be converted, they must be a town or neutral aligned role, must not be immune to conversion, and cannot be protected by a Doctor. Should the target be successfully converted, then they join the cult and their role is changed to Cultist. Should the attempt fail, then the target finds out who that the person sent to convert them is a cult member. The Cult cannot have more than 1/4 the total number of living players. Should their numbers exceed this amount at any point in the game, then they cannot convert anymore people until at least one cult member dies.
Action Phase: This phase begins on Day 1 as soon as the results of the Kill Vote(s) are posted, and ends on Day 4. During this time players can search for clues by investigating the crime scene, shadowing other players, perform role special actions, perform other actions, post their findings in the game thread, and/or scheme talk privately with other players Via PMs. Actions are performed by PMing me what action you want to take, and to whom (if applicable). I then will secretly roll a 20 sided dice, add any modifiers to the roll, and consult a table for the relevant action. How successful you are at your action is dependent on the roll made. I will only respond to your first 3 actions each day, so choose what you do wisely. Also note that whatever actions you take MAY impact the rolls of future actions you make during the week.
Transition Phase: This Phase occurs on day 5. Players may still take actions as though they were still in the Action Phase, but any such actions should be wrapped up by the end of this day. Players may also start voting for the players they want to lynch.
Voting Phase: Begins on Day 6 and ends on Day 7. During the Voting phase, players present the evidence they found in the game thread for dissection. Using this evidence and its implications, players will try to convince each other of their own innocence and the guiltiness of others, as a vote will be tallied up during this time. During this time players may still publicly discuss stuff in the game thread, chat with each other privately through PMs, Perform Special Actions that can only be used during the voting phase, and of course vote. Other than that, players cannot perform any other actions during the Voting phase. Due note that players that are part of a faction with a Kill Vote may also use this time to privately vote on who to kill, and get the Kill Post written ahead of time.
Lynching: During the Voting phase, players present the evidence they gathered during the action phase, and use it to determine who to kill. All players that are still alive will shoot the Game Host a PM with their vote by the end of day 7. Players may choose to vote for a specific player or to vote to abstain. Players are allowed to change their votes ONCE and only ONCE, so vote wisely. Once I have collected everyone’s votes, I will tally them up and the player who receives a clear majority of votes will be lynched. If there is a tie between two players, or the majority of players voted to abstain, then no one is lynched and play resumes as normal. Regardless of what happens, I will post the next Kill Post and play will resume as normal as the cycle begins again.
Jail: Players may, at anytime call a vote to jail a specific player for up to 3 days. In addition, if a player is caught in the act of torture, sabotage, or murder, they could be automatically given jail time. While in jail, a player cannot take any actions, can only make a single public post in the game thread once per day, and the post must be colored orange. There can only be one jail vote going on at a time.
Bulletproof Vests: A bulletproof vest is a one time use ability that grants you immunity to all murder attempts for the next 24 hours. If a role mentions a bulletproof vest, then they can use this ability. If it is mentioned that they have more than one bullet proof vest, then they can use this ability that number of times.
The Game ends when one faction has fulfilled its victory conditions, all but one player is dead, or a neutral killing role has satisfied their victory conditions.
Recap of the Game Cycle:
Day 1 — Action Phase: Killing Vote (if applicable) occurs, Investigations begin and players start looking for clues.
Day 2 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 3 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 4 — Action Phase: Investigations and player actions continue.
Day 5 — Transition phase: All player actions and investigations should be finished by the end of the day; voting begins.
Day 6 — Voting Phase: The town picks someone to lynch by a simple Majority Vote.
Day 7 — Voting Phase: All voting needs to be finished by the end of the day. Votes are finalized and tallied; the player with the most votes (if any), is lynched. In the event of a tie or a majority of votes that have abstained, then no one is lynched that week.
Factions:
All games of Mafia have at least 2 factions, among which all players are divided. A player's role determines which faction they are a part of. Factions affect the player's Victory Conditions, who the player's allies are, and can even effect the player's special abilities.
The Town: Normal everyday citizens who are being terrorized by groups of murderers or cultists. The Town faction represents the ignorant majority in this game. In order to win, the Town must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
See that all evildoers are dead. (IE eliminate all Mafia, Triad, Cult, Neutral Roles who’s victory conditions oppose those of the town, etc)
Ensure that at least 1 Town-Aligned player survives.
The Mafia: An organized crime syndicate of Italian origin. The mafia is an informed minority, IE mafia members know exactly who the other mafia members are. In order to win, the Mafia must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Become the majority by eliminating enough Town-Aligned players. (IE you must have more living Mafia Players than living Town Players)
Eliminate all rival factions (IE Eliminate all Triad, Cult, Neutral Killing roles, etc)
Ensure that at least 1 Mafia Player survives.
Triad: An organized crime syndicate of Japanese Origin. The Triad is an informed minority, IE Triad members know exactly who the other Triad members are. In order to win, the Triad must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Become the majority by eliminating enough Town-Aligned players. (IE you must have more living Triad
Players than Town Players)
Eliminate all rival factions (IE Eliminate all Mafia, Cult, and Neutral Killing roles, etc.)
Ensure that at least 1 Triad Player survives.
Cult: A shadowy religion. The Cult is an informed minority, IE Cult members know exactly who the other cult members are. In order to win, the Cult must satisfy ALL of the following Win Conditions:
Protect the Prophet at all costs (Or the equivalent role, if the Prophet is replaced by a unique role).
Kill or Convert all members of Opposing Factions (AKA: Town, Mafia, Triad, Neutral Killing, etc).
Neutral: People that are neither allies or enemies of any side… but may have their own agendas. In order for a Neutral to win the game, they must satisfy all of their role’s Win Condition.
Other Factions: Some game variants may have factions unique to that game.
Roles:
At the start of each game, players are given a role, which determines which faction they are a part of, any special abilities they may have, and/or any special victory conditions for that specific role.
Town Roles:
Citizen: The average player. Has one bulletproof vest that can be used, but otherwise, no special abilities.
Mayor: The leader of the town. During the Voting Phase, the Mayor may reveal his role to the public; if he does so, then his vote counts as 3 votes for the rest of the game. The mayor may also check the ballot at anytime to see who is voting for who, regardless of whether or not they have revealed themselves. Once the Mayor has revealed himself, he cannot be protected by the doctor or the bodyguard; his practically guarantees his eventual death. The Mayor is immune to Cult Conversions.
Detective: An undercover cop, tasked with finding all evil-doers hidden among the town. Once per day during the Action Phase, the Detective can check a person’s crime record. Doing so can help narrow down which role a person is… or give an idea of what the person has been up to recently.
Doctor: An undercover medic, tasked with ensuring the survival of the innocent town members. During the Voting Phase, the Doctor can choose one person to protect for the next week. While protected in such a manner, the person being protected is immune to all Kill Votes and murder attempts as long at the doctor is still alive. The protection wears off at the start of the next voting phase, at which point the Doctor must choose someone else to protect. If Converted to the Cult, the Doctor’s role changes to a Witch Doctor instead of a Cultist.
Bodyguard: A person who specializes in risking himself in order to protect others. During the Voting Phase, the Bodyguard can choose one person to guard for the next week. Any torture attempts made against the person being guarded automatically fail. In addition, if any successful murder attempts are made against the person being guarded, then both the bodyguard and the murderer die instead of the victim. This ability bypasses almost any immunity.
Veteran: A former soldier with the uncanny ability to sense when death is coming. During the action Phase, a Veteran may go on alert for a single 24 hour period. While on alert, the veteran is harder to take actions against, and if anyone targeting the veteran with any action fails their action check by 5 or more, then they die. A veteran can only use this ability Once Per Week, and can only use this ability a total of 3 times per game.
Vigilante: A seeker of justice, outside the constraints of the law. Once Per Week, when attempting to kill someone during the action phase, A vigilantee may choose to automatically succeed in killing his target. This ability can only be used a maximum of 3 times per game.
Jailor: A citizen who secretly specializes in interrogation. Cannot die from a failed torture attempt, and gets a static bonus on all interrogation checks.
Crier: A news reporter with a very loud mouth…who also happens to be an obsessed fan of Paul Revere. A crier can send out up to 3 Anonymous Messages per day during the Action Phase instead of the usual 1.
Mason Leader (Cult Games only): The Leader of the Masons. Once per Day during the Action Phase, the Mason Leader can attempt to convert a single living player into a mason. If the target’s role is Citizen or a Neutral Begnin Role, then the attempt succeeds and the Player’s role is changed to that of a Mason. If the subject is Cult Aligned (Excluding Kira, if applicable), then you automatically kill the unholy Bastard. If the subject is any other role or alignment, then the attempt fails. This ability can only be used 3 times per game. Should a Cultist attempt to convert you, then the target will also automatically die.
Mason (Cult Games only): A member of a cell of Masons. Knows who all the other Mason Members in town, and are immune to Cult Conversions, but otherwise have no special abilities.
Mafia/Triad Roles:
Godfather/Dragon Head: The leader of the Mafia/Triad. His vote counts for 3 when determining whom the mafia should kill, and He is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per game, if the Godfather/Dragon Head dies, then a single Consigliere/Administrator can take their place.
Hitman/Enforcer: A trained thug that carries out the dirty work of the Mafia/Triad. No special abilities.
Consigliere/Administrator: A corrupt undercover cop who does the dirty work of the Mafia/Triad. Once per day during the Action Phase, the Detective can check a person’s crime record. Doing so can help narrow down which role a person is… or give an idea of what the person has been up to recently.
Framer/Deceiver: A trained forger who tries to divert attention away from the Mafia/Triad by planting false evidence at crime scenes or by framing innocent bystanders. Once per Week during the action phase, the Framer/Deciever can plant false evidence on a single target, implicating them at the most recent crime scene. In addition, Framers receive a static bonus on Sabotage Checks.
Kidnapper/Interrogator: An unsavory person who is trained in enhanced interrogation techniques. Cannot die from a failed torture attempt, and gets a static bonus on all interrogation checks.
Cult Roles:
The Prophet: The secretive leader of the Cult. His vote counts for 3 when determining whom the cult will attempt to convert, and He is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per game, if the Cult Leader dies, then a single Consigliere/Administrator can take their place. .
Witch Doctor: A doctor with mystical powers and a ties to a shadowy cult. Like the Doctor, the Witch Doctor may choose one person during the voting phase to protect during the next week. At the end of that time, should the Witch Doctor AND the person he is protecting survive, then the target’s role is changed to Cultist (provided that the target isn’t immune to cult conversions). Once per game, if the Prophet dies, then a single Witch Doctor can take their place.
Cultist: A shadowy member of a cult. Cultists have no special abilities.
Blasphemer: A cultist with experience in forgery. Once per Week during the action phase, the Blasphemer can plant false evidence on a single target, implicating them at the most recent crime scene. In addition, they also receive a static bonus on Sabotage Checks.
Neutral Benign Roles:
Survivor: A dude who doesn’t care which faction rules over the city; he just wants to be left alone! He has 3 Bulletproof vests that he can use, but otherwise, has no special abilities. [I]Win Condition: Survive to the end of the Game.
Executioner: A guy who has some inexplicable beef with another person. Like the Survivor, he has 3 Bulletproof vests that he can use, but otherwise, has no special abilities. At the beginning of the game, the Executioner is given a random player as a target. Win Conditions: See your target lynched by the town, and survive to the end of the game if possible. (As long as your target has been lynched by the town while you were alive, then this win condition is satisfied, whether you survive to the end or not. If the target is murdered, or dies by some other means other than lynching, then the Executioner’s role is changed to Jester.)
Spy: A man who is tasked with killing multiple specific targets. Win Conditions: Kill all other Spies. Kill all Executioners. Survive to the end of the game.
Psycho: A crazy dude who goes around biting people. Once per week during any phase, the Psycho may bite a single person. Doing so prevents the person from using the Anonymous Message action AND from posting anything in the game thread for the rest of that day. Win Condition: Bite 5 different people.
Guardian: A man who is obsessed with protecting a certain person. At the beginning of the game, the Guardian is given a random player as a target. Three times per game, the Guardian can protect his target as if he were a doctor. Win Condition: Ensure that your target survives to the end of the game. (As long as your target is alive at the end of the game, then this win condition is satisfied, whether you survive to the end or not. If the target is murdered, or dies while the Guardian is still alive, then the Guardian’s role is changed to Jester.)
Jester: A seemingly cheerful person with a secret death wish. Once per day during the action phase, a Jester can annoy a single person. Doing so has the chance of adding a single crime the target has to your crime record. Should the Jester be lynched by the town, one random person who voted for them dies the following day. Win Condition: Get lynched by the town.
Amnesiac: A dude who hit his head and forgot who he was. Once per game, an Amnesiac can discover who he really is. When this happens, the amnesiac chooses the role of a dead person and switches from the Amnesiac role to that role. When this happens, the entire town finds out that the Amnesiac remembered who he was, and what role he chose. Win Condition: Survive to the end of the game, OR satisfy the victory condition of the dead person.
Neutral Evil Roles:
Scumbag: A citizen with a grudge against the town. No special abilities. Win Condition: See the town lose, and survive to the end of the game.
Judge: A corrupted judicial figure that secretly has it in for the town. Once per week during the action phase, force an anonymous vote to lynch someone. When this happens, the Judge’s vote counts for 3 votes, and the person with the most votes is immediately lynched. Abstaining is not possible during a forced Lynch. Important: The forced lynch is in addition to the normal vote at the end of the week, and does not hinder or prevent any other actions. In addition a player cannot vote to abstain during a forced lynch. A Judge may use this ability up to 3 times per game. Win Conditions: Force the lynching of 3 different people, and see the town lose. Survive to the end of the game.
Witch: A person who practices witchcraft against the town. Once per week during the action phase, a witch may possess a single living player, forcing that player to perform one action of their choice. The possessed player will know that they have been possessed, but will not be informed on the action the witch took. Any information gained from the use of this ability is given only to the witch. The witch can use any normal action during the action phase, but cannot use role special abilities. The use of an action by the witch doesn’t count against the player. A player being protected by a doctor or who has been bitten by a Psycho during the week is immune to possession for the rest of the week. Win Conditions: Possess 5 different players, and see the town lose. Survive to the end of the game.
Auditor: A corrupt government tax agent. Once per Week during the action phase, the Auditor can visit a single target and rob them of everything they own. Doing so converts a Town-Aligned role to a citizen, a Triad/Mafia role to a Hitman/Enforcer, and Neutral role to Scumbag. Cultist Aligned roles are immune. This ability can only be used 3 times per game. Win Conditions: See the Town lose, and survive to the end of the game.
Neutral Killing Roles:
Serial Killer: A psychopathic murderer who tortures his victims. Receives a static bonus to Torture attempts and cannot die from a failed check. Once Per Week during the action phase, the Serial Killer can automatically kill a person whom he successfully tortured. This ability bypasses immunity. Win Conditions: Be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Mass Murderer: An axe-crazy sociopath intent on killing everyone. Receives a static bonus to murder attempts and is invulnerable to any Murder attempts made during the Action Phase… although a Killing Vote made by a rival faction can still result in their death. Once per week during the Action Phase, the Mass Murderer can go on killing spree. When this happens, the Mass Murderer picks one person to kill, and anyone shadowing that player also dies. This ability can only be used up to 3 times per game. Win Conditions: Be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Arsonist: A psychotic man-child who just wants to watch the world burn. Once per day during the action phase, the Arsonist may douse one target of his choice in gasoline. The target knows that they have been doused, but can’t really do anything about it. Three times per game during the action phase, the Arsonist may choose to ignite all targets he has doused up to that point, killing them. Win Condition: Kill 5 different people at once. If possible, be the last player left alive, excluding Neutral Evil or Neutral Benign roles.
Actions and Crimes:
Actions are things you can do during the Action Phase to gather evidence, to hinder other's investigations, and to further the goals of yourself and your faction. You are limited to performing 3 actions per day during the action phase. Crimes are assigned to your character based on those actions.
All the possible actions you can take during the Action Phase are as follows:
Shadowing: You attempt to find evidence of suspicious activity by following a person, keeping tabs on them, and searching their homes for suspicious materials. If you are lucky, then Shadowing may give you a hint about what role your target is, or what faction they belong to. If you fail, you may find false evidence, or the person whom you are shadowing may find out.
Investigation: Not all information is given at a crime scene when it is first presented to you. By studying it, you can search for valuable information that may point you to the killer or give you a lead to follow. Crime scenes deteriorate with each investigation (Each investigation increases the difficulty of others rolls). Failure may result in skewing or destroying the evidence left at the crime scene.
Anonymous Message: You may send a short message to me that will be posted in the game thread for all to see. You can only send one Anonymous message per day.
Torture: You kidnap a victim and interrogate them for useful information. Failure could result in false information, death, jail time, and/or or the death of the subject.
Murder: A highly risky attempt to off someone, that should be carefully considered before carrying it out. Usually only carried out by gang members, serial killers, or evil people. Vigilantes also can kill. Failure could result in the victim’s escape, jail time, and/or the killer’s death. Unless the murder is carried out by professionals, the crime is carried out poorly, and leaves a bit of evidence behind if not properly disposed of. Each murder committed within 3 days increases your chances of being found out. An individual cannot kill more than once per day. A murderer may leave a short message to be displayed when the victim’s body is found. (Note: The murderer must write out the murder scenario. How it was written and what it entails will be posted in the Game thread…)
Sabotage: Whenever someone commits a crime, I will automatically roll the die again to see how well the perpetrator was at *ahem*… cleaning up. This roll determines the starting difficulty for investigations. The perpetrator, or someone else may also request to actively sabotage crime scene after the initial “clean up”, in which case I make a separate roll and increase the difficulty accordingly. A player cannot try to sabotage the same crime scene more than once. A player may instead use the Sabotage action to remove a few crimes from their crime list, or to add additional crimes onto someone else's crime list. Doing so has a much higher chance of failure than sabotaging a crime scene.
Special Action: Use one of your role’s special abilities. May or may not involve a roll.
Other Actions: Want to do something that can’t fit under any of the options above, talk to me about it and I will see what I can do.
Crimes: When a detective or equivalent role uses his special ability on someone, they get a list of crimes committed based on previous actions they’ve performed in the past and/or based on their role. The possible crimes you can commit are:
Arson
Murder
Theft
Kinapping
Corruption
Tresspassing
Destruction of Property
Disturbing the Peace
Conspiracy
Solicitising
Sabotage
Stalking
Jaywalking
Achievements:
To make things even more fun long term, there is an achievement system to Mafia. At the end of each game, players can earn points by earning achievements, after which, they can then display the total number of points earned in their Signature if they so desire. This is purely for bragging rights, so don’t take it too seriously. Some additional achievements may be added as part of the different game variants.
Epic Fail! (Die from a bad roll during a Murder or Torture attempt): +2
Win a game as a Town-Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Mafia or Triad Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Cult-Aligned Role: +2
Win a game as a Neutral Benign Role: +5
Win a game as a Neutral Evil Role: +5
Win a game as a Neutral Killing Role: +10
Survival Streak! (Survive to the End 3 games in a row): +5
Win Streak! (Win 3 games in a Row): +10
Epic Win Streak! (Win 5 games in a Row): +20
Legendary Win Streak! (Win 8 Games in a row): +25
Mythic Win Streak! (Win 10 Games in a row): +50
Silver Tongue! (Talk your way out of being lynched, when at least 3 people are in favor of lynching you): +10
A for Effort! (Fail to kill the same person 4 times in a row): +10
Taxes Beautiful Taxes! (Successfully Audit 3 different people in one game as the Auditor): +10
Clever Girl! (Trick someone into revealing their role publicly): +20
Texting Addiction! (Send out 20 Anonymous Messages in one game): +20
Infection! (Bite 10 different people as the Psycho in one game): +20
Help, Help, I’m Being Opressed! (Get bitten by the Psycho 5 days in a row): +20
I See Dead People! (Possess 10 different people as the Witch in one game): +20
The Last Laugh! (As the Jester, be the last person to be Lynched in the game): +25
Geffery Dahmer! (As the Mass Murderer, Kill 5 people with just one killing spree): +25
Hung Jury! (Fail to lynch someone during Week 1. All players must vote, and none can abstain): +25
Killer Romance! (Over the course of at least 1 week, successfully roleplay a public romance between yourself and one other player during a game. Both players must survive long enough to get a first kiss): +25
Role Roulette! (Switch roles 4 Different times in one game): +25
Enhanced Interrogator! (Successfully torture 5 different people in one game): +25
Anyone Can Die! (Kill one player of each faction within the first 3 weeks of one game): +25
We found a Witch! (Lynch a witch during Week 1): +25
Those Darn Blood-Sucking Parasites! (Lynch an Auditor during Week 1): +25
Awesome Death! (Write an epic Death Post): +25
Death to all Politicians! (Lynch the Mayor and the Judge during week 1): +50
I’m a Survivor! (Survive 5 Kill or Murder attempts in one game. You cannot be a role that has immunity.): +50
Flawless Victory! (As Mafia, Triad, or Cult, win the game without having any of your faction members die): +50
Magnificent Bastard! (Score 100 points in one game): +50
What the Heck Happened?!? (All players die during week 1): +100
Magnificent Host! (Successfully host at least one game of MG Mafia): +20
Well, thats it for now. Feel free to post comments, suggestions, or questions.