Bay 12 Games Forum

This is just something casual I'll be running until I get bored or college starts again. I've kept myself limited to a 64x64 grid, so I hope to make about one update every two days.

Mafia, as it stands, is something of an in-crowd thing. People not already in have the very real barrier of having to grasp the rules of Mafia in order to play, and this can be a daunting task to someone that has no idea what Mafia is or what it's about, so I've decided to write this tutorial to explain the basic rules as simply as I can, which will hopefully lower that barrier.

I will not be discussing strategy, metagaming, game balancing, or any of the special themed mafias, only the basic rules.

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When someone starts a game of Mafia, that person is considered the GM of the mafia and is not a player, they only manage the players and enforce the rules.

Anyone may sign up for a Mafia, often by simply posting "in!" on the thread when it's in its beginning stages, and once the GM believes he has a satisfactory number of people, he will close the sign-up period and begin the game.

Mafia, to put it simply, is basically a large group of players, and some of those players are contacted by the GM at the beginning and told that they are the Mafia. Everyone else is contacted and told they are townspeople, or townies.

The objectives are simple: the Mafia's goal in the game is to kill every townsperson, and the townie's goal is to kill all the mafia.

The main differences between the two factions is that the Mafia are considered to be an Informed Minority, that is, all the Mafia know who each other are, and can coordinate their efforts. The townspeople are known as the Uninformed Majority, that is, there are many more townspeople than there are Mafia, but none of the townspeople are informed as to who are townspeople and who are mafia, and have to use reasoning skills to deduce who the Mafia are.

The game itself is separated into rounds, called days, and between each day is a night.

Each day, all the players are allowed to talk in the thread. On top of this, the players are allowed to vote for people to lynch. By this, I mean that at the end of the day (determined by the GM), whomever has the most votes will be killed by the moderator, and then forbidden from play. The Town must use this method of killing players to try to eliminate all the Mafia, however, the Mafia can also use this to mislead the town, and direct the lynchings toward Town players.

At night, no one is allowed to talk in the thread (although PM'ing may still be allowed) and the Mafia are allowed to perform one Nightkill, that is, they are allowed to kill one player of their choosing, and that player is removed from play in the same way a lynched player is. It is through this method that the Mafia must try to eliminate all the Townspeople. ((Note by Tomasque: In this game, the Mafiaso is the specific mafia role that handles the killing. The other member of the mafia can only suggest who should be killed.))

At the end of the night, a new day begins, and the process starts over. This will continue either until either all the Mafia are dead, or the Mafia have an undeniable advantage in votes. ((Note by Tomasque: This game only ends if the town wins by eliminating the mafia and the Serial Killer / Arsonist / Witch, if the mafia and/or Witch win by being in a position where they cannot be eliminated, or if the Serial Killer / Arsonist win by being the last player alive.))

On top of all that, depending on the Mafia one is playing in, players at the start of the game will be PM'd by the GM and given a special Role. That is, they will have special powers beyond being ordinary townspeople or mafia. These roles are too numerous to list, so it's best to consult with the local rules that the GM undoubtedly placed, and ask questions if you're confused about anything.

Lastly, be very certain to read the rules of every Mafia you plan to join, as any of the above might be altered in it's style of the house rules.

That, to my knowledge, is mafia in its most basic form. I hope I haven't overlooked anything.

For further help, you can ask for it here, or follow these links which explain further:

A Flash Animation that is very helpful and instructive.

Mafiascum's Newbie Guide

Mafia's occurring here on the forum have some hitherto unspoken rules which are often not mentioned, but everyone adheres to. These include:

-Never editing one's post.
-Never directly quote any private communication from the mod, including your role PM.
-Talking to other players after you've been killed.

Mafioso: Kill your target player. If you die, the other mafia member becomes the Mafioso.
Consort: Prevent your target from using their ability tonight. You cannot be prevented from using your ability.
Framer: Make your target appear evil tonight.
Consigliere: Learn your target's role.
Sheriff: See if your target is a mafia member/Serial Killer or not.
Investigator: Receive a group of roles that includes your target's role.
Lookout: Learn who else visited your target tonight.
Doctor: Prevent your target from dying tonight. You can target yourself once per game.
Bodyguard: Kill one attacker targeting your target tonight, but get killed by them. You may target yourself to become immune to attacks for a night, once per game.
Spy: See what results your target receives (except for informational results). You are also told who the mafia visit each night.
Vigilante: Three times per game, kill your target player. You cannot do this on the first night. If you kill a town member, commit suicide the following night.
Escort: Prevent your target from using their ability tonight. You cannot be prevented from using your ability.
Transporter: Switch your two target players, causing all abilities tonight targeting one of them to affect the other one instead. You cannot be forced to or prevented from using your ability.
Executioner: You win if a randomly-determined town member is lynched. You cannot be killed during the night. If they die at night, you become the Jester.
Jester: You win if you are lynched. The following night, unpreventably kill one of the players who voted for you.
Serial Killer: You win if you are the last one alive. Kill your target player. You cannot be killed during the night. If you would be prevented from using your ability, you kill the player that's preventing you instead of your target.
Arsonist: You win if you are the last one alive. Douse your target for the rest of the game. This will overwrite their role for investigation results. If you target yourself, you will unpreventably kill all doused players. By doing nothing, you will clean yourself off if doused. You cannot be killed during the night.
Witch: You win if the town loses. Learn your target's role and force them to visit your second target. You cannot be prevented from using your ability. You survive the first time you would be killed by someone at night.

Here's something I don't want to write for each ability: Unless otherwise stated, you visit whoever you are targeting with your ability. Similarly, unless otherwise stated, you cannot intentionally target yourself and mafia members cannot intentionally target another member of the mafia.

Mafia Roles You win if a mafia member is alive and there is no way (ignoring the Witch) that they can be eliminated.
 Mafioso:
  Ability - Kill your target player. You will fail and be informed of it if your target's defense is too high, which is the case with the Bodyguard (targeting themselves), Executioner, Serial Killer, Arsonist or Witch (if not already attacked).
  Additional Info - If you die, the other mafia member's role is replaced with the Mafioso.
 Consort:
  Ability - Prevent your target from using their ability tonight. The Escort, Transporter and Witch are immune to this, and you are told if your target has that immunity. If your target is a Serial Killer, they will be forced to use their ability on you. Your target will be informed of the attempt, whether or not you succeed.
  Additional Info - You are immune to the Escort and Consort's abilities.
 Framer:
  Ability - Make your target appear as "Suspicious" to the Sheriff and "Framer, Jester, or framed player" to the Investigator tonight. This overpowers the deceptive effect of the Arsonist's dousing.
 Consigliere:
  Ability - Learn the role of your target. If they have been doused, they appear to be the Arsonist.

Town Roles You win if the mafia and the Serial Killer / Arsonist / Witch are eliminated.
 Sheriff:
  Ability - Receive a result based on your target's role. It will be a "Suspicious" result if your target is a member of the mafia, the Serial Killer, or a framed player, and "Not Suspicious" if otherwise.
 Investigator:
  Ability - Receive a group of roles that includes your target's role. The different groups are: Vigilante or Mafioso; Spy (& nothing else); Sheriff or Executioner; Framer or Jester or framed player; Lookout or Witch; Escort or Transport or Consort; Doctor or Serial Killer; Investigator or Consigliere; Bodyguard or Arsonist or doused player.
 Lookout:
  Ability - Learn who else visited your target tonight. You will receive the list in a randomized order. You will not see the Transporter or Witch at their second target nor the Doctor and Bodyguard when they target themselves.
 Doctor:
  Ability - Prevent your target player from being killed tonight. You and your target will be told if you prevented an attack, even if multiple people prevented it, but will not receive additional messages because of extra protectors or extra attackers. You cannot prevent a kill from the Vigilante (if they are commiting suicide), Arsonist or Jester. You can target yourself with this ability once per game, and it will not count as a visit.
 Bodyguard:
  Ability - Prevent your target player from being killed by one attacker tonight. You will kill and be killed by that attacker (the attacker will still be visiting your target, not you). You, your target, and the attacker will be told if you prevented an attack, even if multiple people prevented it, but will not receive additional messages because of extra protectors or extra attackers. If there are multiple attackers visiting your target, you affect a random one. If another Bodyguard is visiting your target, it is randomly determined which one of you faces the attacker. You cannot prevent a kill from the Vigilante (if they are committing suicide), Arsonist or Jester. You can target yourself with this ability once per game, and it will not count as a visit, nor will it kill the attacker, and attackers repelled by it will be told your defense was too high.
 Spy:
  Ability - Learn what abilities your target knows they are affected by tonight. For a list of all the messages you can see, look here.
  Additional Info - You learn which players the mafia visits every night. This happens whether you use your ability or not.
 Vigilante:
  Ability - Kill your target player. You may use this ability 3 times per game, and cannot use it on the first night. You will fail and be informed of it if target's defense is too high, which is the case with the Bodyguard (targeting themselves), Executioner, Serial Killer, Arsonist or Witch (if not already attacked). If you kill a town member, you will commit suicide the next night, which cannot be prevented in any way.
 Escort:
  Ability - Prevent your target from using their ability tonight. The Escort, Transporter and Witch are immune to this, and you are told if your target has that immunity. If your target is a Serial Killer, they will be forced to use their ability on you. Your target will be informed of the attempt, whether or not you succeed.
  Additional Info - You are immune to the Escort and Consort's abilities.
 Transporter:
  Ability - Cause all targets visiting your first target tonight to instead visit your second target, and vica versa, using their ability on the new person they're visiting. They are informed that this ability was used on them, but told who the other target is. You do not visit your second target, and you may choose yourself as that target. If the Doctor or Bodyguard are targeting themselves or the Jester is targeting one of their voters, they will not be switched to another target. If the other Transporter targets one of your target players, either you or they are randomly chosen to have their ability trigger first.
  Additional Info - You are immune to the Escort, Consort and Witch's abilities.

Neutral Roles
 Executioner:
  Win Condition - You win if your target (a randomly chosen town member) is lynched.
  Additional Info - You cannot be killed at night except by the Arsonist, and repelled attackers will be told your defense was too high. If your target dies during the night, your role is replaced with the Jester at the beginning of the following day.
 Jester:
  Win Condition - You win if you are lynched.
  Ability - You can only use this ability the night after you are lynched, and your target must be a player who was voting for you at the end of the day. Kill your target player. This cannot be prevented in any way. This ability does not visit, and therefore you will still kill your original target even if the Transporter targets them as well.
 Serial Killer:
  Win Condition - You win if you are the only player left alive.
  Ability - Kill your target player. You will fail and be informed of it if target's defense is too high, which is the case with the Bodyguard (targeting themselves) or Executioner. If you are targeted by the Escort or Consort, you will be forced to target them instead, and target all of them that visit you if multiple do so in the same night. If the Transporter targets a Escort or Consort that visits you, you will still target them and not the Transporter's other target.
  Additional Info - You cannot be killed at night except by the Jester, and repelled attackers will be told your defense was too high.
 Arsonist:
  Win Condition - You win if you are the only player left alive.
  Ability - Douse your target, secretly marking them for the rest of the game. If investigated, they will appear as "Bodyguard or Arsonist or doused player". If you target yourself, you will kill all the players you have marked. Their death cannot be prevented by anything. If you do not use your ability, you will clean yourself off, removing any mark you've put on yourself.
  Additional Info - You cannot be killed at night except by the Jester or your own ability, and repelled attackers will be told your defense was too high. You are told if you are doused.
 Witch:
  Win Condition - You win if you are alive and there is no way (ignoring the mafia) that you can be killed.
  Ability - Force your first target to visit your second target and use their ability on them, if possible. You will learn the role of your first target (ignoring all deception), and your first target will be told that they were the target of a Witch. You do not visit your second target. If your first target is prevented from using their ability by the Escort or Consort, or is the Transporter, they will not be forced to visit your second target.
  Additional Info - You are immune to the Escort and Consort's abilities. Once per game, if you would be killed at night by anything except a Jester's ability, you will survive and repelled attackers will be told your defense was too high. If multiple attackers attack you in the same night, a randomly determined one will be repelled.

(If I've made any errors in the role descriptions, feel free to tell me, and I'll correct them as soon as I can.)

Submitting Songs
 -Songs must have lyrics with enough variation
 -Songs must be in english
 -If you're not sure a song might not qualify because of the reasons above (or because you're not sure whether it qualifies as a song), PM me the song as a "first" and include a song you know will qualify as a "second"
Deck Composition
A deck usually will contain the following:
 -1 Chorus card
 -Approx. 3 Living Permanents
 -Approx. 6 other cards
A deck will always contain the following:
 -"Cancel"
 -"Recall"
Term Definitions
Chorus: This card can be played from the discard pile. If it would be placed in the discard pile after being played from it, remove it from play. This card is always in your opening hand.
Permanent: When played, this card remains in play instead of being sent immediately to the discard pile.
Living: This card has an HP and Power number, and is sent to the discard pile if its HP ever reaches 0. Its current HP cannot exceed its starting HP.
Fighter: A Living Permanent. After you have finished playing your cards, this card may deal damage equal to its Power to your opponent or one of their Living Permanents.
Defender: A Living Permanent. While it is in play, your opponent's Fighters cannot damage you. It reduces all damage it takes by its Power.
Split: When playing this card, choose one of two effects to play it as.
Attachment: A Permanent that affects a chosen Living Permanent. If that Living Permanent is removed from play, put this card in the discard pile.
Reaction: A card that is treated as a Permanent without an effect when first played. When certain conditions occur, the card is revealed and its effect is resolved.
Cardless: A psuedo-card created by a card effect that is removed from the game instead of being put in the discard pile.
Standard: This card appears in every deck. Used for "Cancel" and "Recall".
Playing the Game
At the start of the game, each player draws a hand of 5 cards and begins with 10 HP (this is the maximum HP). A coin-flip decides who plays first. The starting player cannot have Fighters damage the opposing player on the first turn.
Each turn goes in this order:
 1. Draw a card
 2a. Play a card
 2b. Play a card (optional)
 2c. Play a card (optional)
 3. Fighters select targets and damage them
Note: Since Phase 3 happens simultaneously, a Fighter cannot attack the opponent directly "after" another Fighter has destroyed their Defender.
Winning the Game
A player wins if:
 -Their opponent's HP reaches 0
 -The game ends (i.e. either player runs out of cards in their deck and hand), and the player's opponent has less HP than they do
 -The player achieves the circumstances defined on a card that gave them an additional way to win

 This is a sci-fi RPG with a focus on rhyme, rhythm and poetry. You don't have to consider yourself a poet or be good at writing poetry to play, but you should enjoy reading it, because they'll be a lot of that in here.

 You are a group of hired explorers tasked with landing on planets, analyzing & cataloging their unique properties, then scrounging together enough fuel to leave. Secondary objectives include not getting killed by xenophobic aliens, space pirates, and eldritch monsters that man cannot comprehend.

 However, deep within your hearts is another objective, unrecognized and unquantified by your corporate employer. It is your passion, the call that has drawn you to this corner of the Galaxy; it is your desire to find the what it was that guided you here, haunting your dreams with visions since the moment you arrived. The ship has been acting stranger each trip - you are close.

Name: this is the future, but keep in mind that you're from earth
Description: physical description, bio, and other fluff go here; no in-game effect
Scores: 19 points; 1 to 3 per score; see below
 Strength  (x)|Coordination(x)|Eyesight (x)
 Fitness   (x)|Reflexes    (x)|Hearing  (x)
 Resistance(x)|Speed       (x)|Olfaction(x)
Special Equipment: see below

 Your scores represent your character's physical attributes, and are used to A) determine whether you succeed in a related task, and B) determine passive abilities. Mental attributes are not used, because your success in mental tasks will be determined on your actual ability to solve them. When attempting a task, a d6 is rolled for each point in the related score, and the results are added together. If they equal or exceed the difficulty number, you succeed. Sometimes, multiple difficulty numbers will exist, representing various degrees of success. A score of 2 is considered average for a person in their prime. Keep in mind: each score will be important to survive.

Strength: How hard you hit; How much you can carry at most; How much exhaustion you suffer from carrying a certain load.
Fitness: How much you can be exhausted (by carrying, attacking, running, suffocation, etc) before it matters; How quickly you recover from exhaustion.
Resistance: How well you resist poison and disease; How quickly you recover from poison and disease; How much pain you can take before it matters.

Coordination: How accurate you are; How well you can do fine manipulation (such as surgery, pick-pocketing, repair, etc).
Reflex: How well you can dodge; How quickly you can react; How well you can balance.
Speed: How quickly you can act; How quickly you can move.

Eyesight: How well you can see.
Hearing: How well you can hear.
Olfaction: How well you can smell.

 To help you in your mission, your team has been given four pieces of unique equipment. When making your character you may choose to be in charge of one of them. Be careful: To prevent the enemy from getting their hands on your equipment, it has been programmed to respond to you alone. Once the game has started only you (or an alien wearing your skin) can use your chosen equipment.

Reference Analysis Array

 Although mainly contained in a heavy unit strapped to your back, this equipment also extends into a detachable sensor wand slotted into the right side, and a readout screen worn on your left wrist. When used, the Reference Analysis Array compares the intrinsic rhythm of the predesignated reference (inserted into a slot in the back of the unit) to the intrinsic rhythm of an object touched by the sensor wand, and defines that object by analyzing their association.

  -Before you can use this equipment, you must insert a sample into it, which will act as the "lens" through which objects will be analyzed.
  -While a sample is inserted, all analyses carried out will be of how the analyzed object relates to the phenomena represented by the reference.
  -To analyze an object, touch the sensor wand (a half meter rod) to the desired object.
  -You can upload any data from this equipment to the ship's database while you are in the ship.
  -Removing a sample will erase all data from this equipment.

Auditory Recorder

 Comprised of a small pack on your back with an omnidirectional microphone, and a readout screen on your wrist, the Auditory Recorder is lighter than the Reference Analysis Array. It's capability of recording, separating, and storing sounds make it a very multi-faceted tool. To make the most use of its abilities, a module socket is located near the bottom of the pack, allowing the Auditory Recorder to be employed for various uses. Currently, a Translator module is installed, which automatically recognizes and analyzes the base rhythmic pattern of any language, then transmits a translation program for it to all nearby headsets and communicators.

  -Activate this equipment (using a button on the readout screen) to record all nearby sound.
  -You can upload any data from this equipment to the ship's database while you are in the ship.
  -After an hour of audio has been recorded, earlier audio will begin to be replaced with newer recordings.
  -The translator module allows players to understand and speak the translated language, but only in rhyme.

Wave Energy Rifle

 Even though this is a strictly non-hostile mission, you have been provided with this equipment to defend yourself against any threats you encounter. The Wave Energy Rifle is the size of a the antiquated ballistic rifle, but approximately twice the weight (therefore: 5.5 kg), and can be slung over your back when not in use. It must be recharged after each shot. To charge the Rifle, you must recite a rhythmic chant into the mouthpiece on the chamber, which converts it into its wave energy equivalent. Variations in the chant affect the qualities of the resulting wave.

  -Input an original poem to charge this equipment. You must use the same metrical foot (2 or 3 syllables) throughout the whole poem.
  -In the metrical foot, for each unstressed syllable before the stressed, add 2 to the accuracy roll. Each one after it determines the beam's duration (instant, 1 sec, 2 sec).
  -For every set of rhymes, increase the damage dealt by the beam.
  -For every metrical foot per line (on average), the charge lasts for 5 seconds before being lost.
  -If the inputted poem does not make sense, the charge fizzles.

Chemical Fabricator

 Since the ship uses up all its fuel each trip, you must refuel it with the Chemical Fabricator before you can leave. This suitcase-sized apparatus has a funnel on one end, a nozzle on the other, and a readout screen on the side. Any chemical or organic substance placed in the funnel is immediately converted into a material of your choice, be it fuel, oxygen, or any scanned template. Anything so fabricated can be poured through the nozzle or removed through a hatch in the bottom. Different materials will be more easily fabricated by certain compounds.

  -Before adding any compounds, select what you want to fabricate.
  -To select a material other than fuel or oxygen, insert that material to be scanned as a template, erasing any previous template.
  -The percentage of required fuel (100% max), the minutes-worth of any oxygen (2 hrs max), and the weight of any other material (6 kg max) will be displayed.
  -You may inject any fuel from this equipment into the ship while you are inside of it, and inject oxygen into a nearby oxygen tank at any time.
  -All fabricated material is ejected through the hatch if a new material is selected.

 This a list of all the general equipment that you have access to. There is an essentially unlimited amount of it on the ship. At the start of each mission - before leaving the ship - specify which of these you are taking with you, and how much you are taking.

Jumpsuit: A basic piece of clothing which offers a small amount protection, but is fairly light. It has a pair of pockets.
Heavy Jumpsuit: A padded jumpsuit. Bulkier and warmer, but hardly any more protective. Has a pair of pockets to keep your hands warm.
Spacesuit: Like the jumpsuit, but designed for more extreme environments (such as the cold vacuum of space). It offers a decent amount of protection, but reduces your Reflex and Speed scores by 1. If attached to gloves, an oxygen tank, and a helmet, the suit will be sealed.
Skinfit Gloves: Offer a small amount of protection without preventing you from using your Special Equipment. They also reduce all rolls for fine manipulation by 1.
Space Gloves: Offer a decent amount of protection, but prevent you from using your Special Equipment and reduce your Coordination score by 1.
Oxygen Tank: Fairly heavy, but can store up to 3 hours worth of oxygen. Can be carried or worn on your back.
Space Helmet: As metal shell with a small view port, it is both heavy and durable. However, it cuts off your peripheral vision, and reduces your Hearing and Olfaction scores by 1 (and prevents Olfaction if your suit is sealed).
Respirator: Filters out most dangerous particles. Can be attached to an oxygen tank to directly inhale oxygen, instead. Worn on the mouth.
Communicator: Can amplify your voice to 3 times its normal volume. Can translate your speech to any alien language that has been uploaded. Worn on the mouth. The battery lasts for 12 hours.
Headset: Allows you to talk to and hear anyone within 3 km. The microphone also translates any alien language that has been uploaded. The battery lasts for 8 hours.

Backpack: Allows you to carry a large number of small or medium sized objects. Worn on the back.
Satchel: Allows you to carry a fair number of small or medium sized objects. Worn around the waist.
Space Ration: A bland, waxy brick. Feeds you for a day.
Canteen: Holds up to 5L of liquid. Quenches you for a day. Can be worn around your neck.
Binoculars: Magnifies everything to 8 times the size. Can be worn around your neck.
Flashlight: Illuminates anything within 400 meters. The battery lasts 1 hour.
Electric Lighter: Lights a small fire. The battery lasts forever.
Battery: Required by any electronic device except Special Equipment.
Pocket Multitool: 10 in 1 collection of tweezers, bolt-cutters, grippers, chisels and other handy tools.
Scalpel: Can create surgical cuts or rapid blood loss, depending on how its wielded.
Needle & Thread: Patches up clothing or skin.
Cauterizer: Burns the skin and induces blot clotting. The battery lasts for 100 uses.
Painkiller: A small bottle of pain-reducing drugs. One pill per dose. Overdose causes drowsiness and vomiting.

 NOTE: Including Special Equipment, you can wear three items on your back at the very most (the Reference Analysis Array and the backpack count as two items). You can wear any number of things around your neck. You can wear a (normal or heavy) jumpsuit underneath your spacesuit. Other than that, you cannot wear more than one thing for a specific location.