> Introduction
Hello and welcome to Epicmafia, an online platform for the classic party game known as Mafia. This site can be overwhelming at first, with complex mechanics and a confusing layout. This guide is to help introduce new players to the site. Lets get started.
> How to play Mafia
If for some reason you've never played mafia IRL, here's the basic premise:
When enough players join a game, based on the games setup, the game will start and each player will randomly be assigned a different role according to the setup. Roles are divided into 3 separate "factions", better known as their alignments.
- Village (Town)
The majority of players will be aligned with the Village (70%-75%). The Village is the "uninformed majority" faction, meaning they do not know who is Mafia and who isn't. The Village wins when all Mafia and Third Party roles are dead, aside from a few exceptional Third Party roles that can win with the Village.
- Mafia
The alignment the game is named after. There will be significantly less Mafia-aligned players then that of the town (25%-30%). The Mafia are the "informed minority" faction, meaning, unlike the Village, They know who is Mafia and who isn't. The Mafia win when they outnumber the Village (50% of living players).
- Third Party
This alignment is rarely seen in competitive setups. Third Party roles each have a completely different win condition then that of the Village and Mafia. For example, the Fool wins if he successfully gets himself lynched. Most Third Party roles are aligned with no other players other than themselves.
The game cycles through Day and Night phases. During the Day phase all players have the ability to communicate with each other and vote for who they believe to be Scum (any role not aligned with the Village). Once every player has casted their vote, the player with the majority vote will be lynched and sent to the Graveyard, in which their role will be revealed to the town. During the Night phase, Mafia-aligned players have the ability to privately communicate with each other as well as vote on a non-Mafia player to kill. If the Mafia's kill succeeds, that player will be sent to the Graveyard the following Day, revealing that players role. Night phases are also used by any role that has a Night Action. For example, the Doctor can choose to protect a player from being killed every night.
When a player is in the Graveyard, they will be able to communicate with other dead players, but living players cannot see their messages. Dead players can also see Night Actions and Night Meetings.
> Getting Started
Okay, neat, you know how to play. Now what? Play some games. Before you are able to play Ranked (red heart) games, you need to complete 5 unranked games. A couple good setups to start out on are Guns and Hookers and Fancy Pants. These setups are loved by veterans and new players alike for their simple design and addictive nature. When you load up your first unranked game, take a look at the strategies for that setup by clicking the hammer and wrench icon next to the setup in the top left corner. They will give you an idea on what to do when playing as certain roles. Be sure to read what each role does as well.
> Your First Few Games
What to do as Village
Hunt for Scum (Scumhunt). Take a look at all players in the game that haven't been confirmed to be Village. If somebody seems they are Mafia to you, call it out and don't be shy. Your reasoning might not be agreed upon, but you'll get an idea of what other players think as well. You obviously won't be an unstoppable scumhunting machine on your first day, so don't feel bad that you lynched wrong. After all, practice makes perfect. Another thing to do is to ask them questions such as "Who do you think is Mafia?" or "Why do you FOS (suspect) Player A?". This gives you information; Information you can use.
Common Mafia Tells
- Lurking (not saying anything)
- "Wishywashy" voting. (constantly changing their vote)
- Trying to convince town Power Roles (roles with an ability) to out (reveal themselves) in a situation where they shouldn't
- Giving half-answers or deliberately ignoring questions entirely
- Constantly quoting other players in a manner to present evidence against them.
- Being overly defensive about themselves when they are FOS'd.
What to do as Mafia
Go along with the town and avoid making the mistakes mentioned above. Do the same as you would as Village when scumhunting and provide reasoning. When the need arises, you might be in a situation where you have to "bus" your mafia partner (throw them under the bus) in order to look more towny. Don't hesitate to do this, as the town will suspect you for not voting the scummy player AKA your partner. In most setups, there will be a time when you will have to "cc" (Counterclaim) a Village Power Role to prevent the town from having a clear and to provide a chance to get the PR lynched. This is most usually done with the Cop, as it is a very powerful role for the town. During night phases, communicate with your partner and read the previous days to try and predict who the Power Role is so you can kill them, leaving the town a PR short.
Common PR Tells
- Refusal to change their vote despite popular opinion
- Not actively participating in the discussion
- First to vote with solid reasoning (non-random)
- Deliberately saying "I'm blue" or "I'm not [PR]"
> Ranked and Competitive Games
You made it through your 5 unranked games and now it's time to step up to the big boy leagues. Every day you receive 10 (Red) Ranked hearts and 5 (Orange) Competitive hearts, with the maximum at 20 and 10 respectively. Every game you play consumes a heart from it's respective mode. When your heart count reaches 0, you will not be able to play on that mode until you receive more. When you win a Ranked/Competitive game, you will earn a set amount of points based on the setup, your alignment and the current Happy Hour role. Ranked and Competitive games are taken much more seriously than Unranked games, due to the fact that the player's points and/or leaderboard status is on the line. points earned from Competitive games will go towards your round score, more information about that here: https://epicmafia.com/topic/66246. Competitive games will only be accessible after reaching 1500 points playing ranked games.
NOTE: Do not play ranked Ranked or Competitive games unless you are absolutely sure you have time to finish them, as leaving the game while it is in progress and you are alive will result in a suicide, which will go on your permanent record.
> Violations
New players often make mistakes, understandably so. Experienced players often overlook the noob status of players that unintentionally gamethrow or commit a game related suicide. You can read about the rules and the violation system here: https://epicmafia.com/lobby/rules. Take the time to read the rules and to learn what you can and can't do. This will go a long way. Not having 5 violations on your new account will help you significantly. Take it from me.
> Conclusion
Well, I think that's it. The rest of the site is pretty self explanatory. If you have any questions, feel free to comment and I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thank you and I hope you enjoy your time here on Epicmafia. :)
