How to Win at Mafia: a Strategy Guide for Every Role

Townspeople: the largest side with the fewest weapons

A townsperson has exactly one weapon: their voice and their vote. So rule one — never stay silent. A quiet player is useless to the town and a gift to the mafia: easy to vote out, nobody defends them.

Every day, remember who voted for whom. The player killed at night was not mafia — so whoever pushed hardest against them the day before is now suspicious. If a lynched player turns out innocent, look at who called for it.

• Do not skip the day-one vote: if the town lynches nobody, it still loses someone at night.
• Ask specific questions — "Why are you quiet?", "Who did you vote for yesterday?" — one precise question reveals more than a speech.
• If you change your mind, say why. A vote that flips without a reason is a mafia tell.

Commissioner: whom to check and when to reveal

On night one, investigate the player who talked the most by day but accused nobody in particular — the mafia loves to hide behind "friends with everyone". Check the quiet ones later; the town will vote them out anyway.

Found a mafioso? Do not rush to reveal. If the town's votes are scattered and there is no clear leader, reveal and name your target — one day, one mafia. If the town is already voting for the right person, stay hidden and collect a second check.

After revealing you will be targeted at night — that is fine: the doctor protects you and the mafia wastes a night. If a Sergeant is in play, they see your results and take over when you are gone.

Doctor: whom to protect

Protect yourself on night one — you get that right only once, and the mafia's first kill is usually random. Once someone claims commissioner, protect them on the following nights: the mafia's first real target is always the commissioner.

You cannot protect the same player two nights in a row, so alternate: commissioner one night, the town's most trusted player the next. The doctor's biggest mistake is healing a quiet player nobody is after.

Mafia and the Don: silence is the biggest mistake

New players who draw mafia try to stay quiet. It is the fastest way to get caught: by day two the town votes out the silent ones first. Play like a townsperson — ask questions, voice suspicions, and if needed cast one vote against your own partner.

• Join the majority vote: a lone vote gets remembered.
• At night, hunt the commissioner first — precise, confident daytime questions give them away.
• The Don has the final say: if the partners disagree, he picks the target. Do not waste the night arguing — let the Don decide.
• With a Lawyer in play, "clear" the partner the commissioner is most likely to investigate — it costs the town a whole day.

The day discussion: what to watch

The vote board is the most public information in the game. Watch who votes first, who joins the majority at the last second and who has never voted against a mafioso. The mafia does not vote against its partner — after two or three days that shows.

Two players claim commissioner? One is lying. Ask both whom they checked and on which night: a liar answers in generalities, the real commissioner gives a name and a night.

The most common mistakes

• Skipping the day-one vote "because nothing is known yet".
• Forgetting who pushed against the player killed at night.
• Distrusting a revealed commissioner on a hunch, without a counter-check.
• Staying silent as mafia, or defending only your partner.
• Healing a "safe" player every night as the doctor.

Try it in a real game

Theory sticks in play. Join an open room — your first game starts in a couple of minutes; every role is described on the rules page. Want to play with friends? Read the private room guide.