Frequently Asked Questions

This section provides answers to some common questions about playing Mafia, in general and on this site. If you have additional questions, email me or contact me on the Forums.

Forum Specific Questions

Forum? What forum?

We have a Discussion Forum (phpbb2) for users to play online Mafia here. Since this site is devoted to the online version of Mafia, it would be kinda pointless if we didn't, really. ;)

How do I ______?

If you have a question regarding the use of phpbb2, it is probably answered in the Forum FAQ. If that doesn't answer your question, use the AnswerMe tag to get some info.

Ok, I'm registered on your Forum. How do I play/moderate?

Check the Queue Forum to see if there are any ongoing signups. There are four types of games: Normal Game, Theme Game, Mini Game, and Newbie Game. There are generally about three Normal games going at one time, and one Theme from the Theme waiting list. Mini and Free Market Theme Games, however, happen whenever there are enough players. Simply sign up in the Mini Regular, Mini Theme, or Free Market thread, (Indicating which game you want to be in for the latter two- "/in for famous women") and as soon as the game is full, it will start. Remember that you can only be in one Mini game of each type at a time.

Once a game starts, the GameModerator will send you your role. If you don't understand something, you can always ask questions. Make sure you read the GameModerator's posted rules before the game starts, as they are not always exactly the same from game to game. If you want to moderate, post in one of the threads labelled "Moderators". You can sign up for one or two of the three non-Newbie types (Signing up for both types of mini counts as one) of games at a time. If you have not moderated before, we ask that you don't sign up for a Theme or Newbie game until you have some experience.

If you sign up to moderate a Mini game, just check the Mini game thread; players will sign up there, so as soon as your game is at the top of the list and full, you can start. If you sign up for another type of game, wait until you are at the top of the Waiting List. Then check the Forum your game will be in to see how the current games are progressing; if there are only two running, or one is close to finishing, go ahead and post a signup thread in Queue.

General Gameplay Questions

What does x mean?

There are a couple of possibilities.

1. It's a specialized term. To see the meaning just type it into the Search box below and see what you get. If you get nothing, type {{AnswerMe}} on the page and someone will get on it soon.
2. It's an abbreviation of a specialized term. See Commonly used abbreviations or see 1 above.
3. It's an abbreviation of a player's name. In that case, just look around a little, you'll figure out who's being talked to pretty easily.
4. If it still isn't clear, ask the person who said it in the first place.

General Mafia Etiquette

I was just killed. Can I tell everyone what I know now?

No. Never reveal information after you are dead. Just watch the game, and wait for it to end.

Can I post emails/messages from the GameModerator to prove my innocence?

No. Never quote emails or private messages without explicit permission from the GameModerator. In most games, it is allowed (and encouraged) to reveal your role at certain points in the game (for example, if you are a Cop and have found the last Mafia, you can reveal your role to get that player lynched). However, you may not actually quote anything from the GameModerator; even though it could easily be faked, the point of the game is to prove yourself through your actions and voting, not through outside information.

Can I post information during the night?

No, it is against the rules to post information during the night.

I feel the GameModerator was unfair in a decision. What should I do?

Never question the GameModerator in the thread if the decision has anything to do with something that shouldn't be known to the Town. However, feel free to contact the Moderator about it. Keep in mind that Moderating can be a lot of work, and if you are griping about something that is completely within the rules of the game, you will probably just annoy the Moderator.

I'm in the Mafia, but I really don't like my family. Can I just get them all lynched?

Technically, this is perfectly possible. However, the goal of the Mafia members is to kill all non-mafia players. Getting your own allies lynched as a joke or because you don't like them is against the spirit of the game.

Someone in my family just voted for me! What should I do?

One of the common Mafia strategies is to have some of the family voting against each other, so that if one member gets lynched, the others will look more innocent. This is a natural part of the game.

Can I talk to someone at night or outside of the thread?

It is generally against the rules to discuss anything with anyone at night unless you are in the Mafia or a Mason lodge. It is also usually against the rules to contact someone during the day privately. Check with the Moderator's posted rules, or ask him or her directly by private message or e-mail.

Moderator Questions

(see also Category:How to Mod)

How should I decide who should get what roles in the Mafia game I am running?

The most common and recommended way is randomly. I use an Excel spreadsheet to do this. I list the players in one column, the roles in another column, and in each cell of a third column I put "=RAND()". This generates a random number in each cell. Then the players or the roles can be randomly sorted by the generated numbers. This is the fairest way to assign roles. You can also just choose who you want to be Mafia, Cops, etc., but this is generally considered unfair.

Some group of night actions caused a paradox (such as two Role blockers blocking each other) or could be interpreted multiple ways (such as the Mafia killing an SK who killed someone else). What do I do?

Ideally, you should've thought of any possible circumstances along these lines before the game began. One possible policy that deals with some of these situations is that actions always succeed unless they are blocked (So in the second scenario, both the SK and the SK's victim would die.). If you didn't, figure out what'd be best for the game and/or make the most sense.

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To search the wiki for an answer not found here, enter your term into the Search box to the left. Remember that spelling counts!