Mafia party game rules: every role explained, and how to play online
Mafia (also called Werewolf) is a game of lies and deduction for 4 to 12 players. A small group of mafia hides among the town. Every night the mafia removes one player; every day the town argues and votes someone out. The town wins when every mafia member is gone. The mafia wins when they are as many as everyone else.
You don't need cards or a narrator to play it online: on Anytable everyone joins from their own phone, gets a secret role on their own screen, and the site runs the nights and counts the votes.
The roles
| Role | Team | What they do at night |
|---|---|---|
| Citizen | Town | Nothing. Finds the mafia by talking and voting. |
| Mafia | Mafia | Knows the other mafia; together they pick a victim (or nobody). |
| Cop (detective) | Town | Checks one player and learns whether they are mafia. |
| Doctor | Town | Saves one player from tonight's kill. |
| Hooker | Town | Visits one player and cancels their move for the night. |
A few details that decide games:
- The doctor can't save the same player two nights in a row, and can save themselves only once per game.
- The hooker cancels the move of whoever she visits. If she visits a mafia member, nobody dies that night, which can tip off the town.
- The cop learns the truth but has to decide when to reveal it. Speak too early and the mafia kills you tonight.
How a round goes
- Night. Everyone with a role makes their move in secret. Citizens just wait.
- Morning. The narrator announces who died (or that the doctor saved someone).
- Day. Each living player speaks in turn, with a timer. Accuse, defend, ask questions.
- Vote. Everyone votes for a player, or to skip. The player with the most votes is out, but only if they got more votes than "skip" and there is no tie for first place. Otherwise nobody leaves today.
The game repeats until one side wins. Players who are out stay to watch and can only talk to each other.
How many mafia?
A good rule of thumb is one mafia for every three players:
- 4–5 players: 1 mafia
- 6–8 players: 2 mafia
- 9–11 players: 3 mafia
- 12 players: 4 mafia
Add a cop from four players and a doctor from five; the hooker joins from nine. That's the set Anytable suggests by default, and the host can change it in the lobby.
Tips for the town
- Track votes, not words. Mafia members often avoid voting for each other, or join a vote late once it's safe.
- Ask direct questions. "Who would you vote for and why?" is harder to dodge than a general discussion.
- Protect the cop's information. If the cop reveals a confirmed mafia, the town should vote together that day.
Tips for the mafia
- Act like a citizen with an opinion. Silence draws suspicion faster than a wrong accusation.
- Don't defend your partner too hard. Spread out your votes.
- Kill the players who read you best, not just the loudest ones.
Playing Mafia online with friends
Create a room, send the link, and start when everyone is in. Voice chat is built in, so you can play from different cities without a separate call. After the game, the recap shows every role and every night move, which is usually where the best arguments start.