Mafia
Mafia Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components of the Game
- 76 action cards (AZIONE O DENARO)
- 16 character cards (PERSONAGGIO)
- 10 mission cards (MISSIONE)
- 8 goal cards (OBIETTIVO)
Game Set-up
Each player chooses a character to play during the game.
According to the number of players, the goal cards are shuffled and dealt to each player, which should be kept secret.
| Players | Mobsters (MAFIOSO) | Cops (POLIZIA) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 6 | 4 | 2 |
| 7 | 4 | 3 |
| 8 | 5 | 3 |
Each player gets two action cards, choose who will be the first to play and all is ready to go.
Game Objective
Some players will be acting as mobsters and others as cops (known or unknown).
The mobsters win the game upon successfully completing four missions.
The police win the game upon successfully sabotaging four of the mobsters missions.
Each mission card contains 4 pieces of information:
- The number of characters recruited at the beginning of the mission
- The total number of cards needed to complete the mission
- A money value
- A mission color
Mission in Progress
Throughout the entire game, there should always be two simultaneous missions in progress (laid out on the table).
In the beginning of the game, lay the first mission out on the table and randomly select the characters that will be assigned to this mission. This is done according to the number indicated on the mission card. These are the players who will be contributing and working on this mission.
Lay out the second mission on the table and repeat the procedure. If there are not enough characters to complete the mission, the mission begins as is without affecting game play. If there happens to be characters left over, these characters will not be assigned to any missions and will remain separate.
Whenever a new mission is given, the first card drawn must be from the draw pile and put on the mission, without revealing its value or color until the mission is complete.
Game Start
Each player must DRAW 1 CARD at the beginning of their turn and do one of the following actions:
- a. Play an action card from their hand;
- b. Contribute to a mission in which they are assigned to by using one card from their hand, without revealing its value or color;
- c. Skip their turn.
a. Using Action Cards
All action cards have a value ($) corresponding to a color and a specific action. On your turn, you may play an action card discarding it immediately after use.
b. Contributing to a Mission
If you are one of the characters assigned to a mission, you may collaborate by putting cards from your hand on the mission (maximum one card per play) - you can only work on missions you are assigned to.
During your turn place these cards upside down next to the mission without revealing its value or color.
Completing a Mission
When the specified number of cards needed to complete a mission has been reached (indicated on the mission card), all players will know exactly what happened on the mission. Shuffle all action cards placed on that mission and lay them face up on the table. All action cards that are the same color as the mission card (blue or yellow) count as a positive value and all other colored cards count as a negative value.
EXAMPLE:
Precinct invasion (Invasione della stazione): $6 / BLUE
All blue cards count as a positive number and all yellow cards as a negative number.
5 cards were placed on the mission
- BLUE card, value $2 = +2
- BLUE card, value $4 = +4
- YELLOW card, value $2 = -2
- BLUE card, value $1 = +1
- BLUE card, value $2 = +2
Total Points = +2+4-2+1+2 = $7 points
The mission was successfully completed and the mobsters can all celebrate.
When a mission is completed (successfully or not), all characters who participated in the mission join with the other characters that were not involved in any missions. These cards are shuffled and if the game is not over, a new mission begins. The initial number of characters must be assigned for this new mission and put together with the first card from the draw pile without revealing it, as done in the previous missions.
Revealing Cop Identity
An undercover cop has a disguise so good that not even the police know of their existence, but there comes a time within the Mafia that the suspicion of your loyalty could get in the way of real chances of sabotaging the mission, this is when one may revel their identity as a cop.
When a player reveals their "cop" identity he is given a bonus: At the start of their turn, the "cop" can now draw 2 cards and play 1 of them, discarding the remaining card by placing it in the discard pile.
Only "cop" players have the option of revealing their identities remaining exposed for the remainder of the round. The exposed cop continues to be assigned to missions just as any other player.
General Rules
- Players are not allowed to say the numbers on the cards, for example: "I put a 3", however, colors are allowed for example: "I put a yellow" or indirect considerations like "I'm helping";
- Players may choose to skip their turn by not placing cards on missions or by not discarding them.
Character Skills
All characters in the game have special skills. It is suggested that you do not use the skills the first time you play the game.
Skills can only be used once during an entire game. After a skill has been used, the player must turn the card face down on the table so that the skill is no longer seen in the characters description.
Below is a detailed description of the skills:
- ENRICO – On his turn he can draw three cards. If he is a revealed police officer, he cannot use the bonus of drawing 2 cards and playing one. He simply buys 3 cards.
- FRANCESCA – When a player (including himself) is forced to discard a card by a Beretta, Remington or Tommy Gun action card, Francesca can choose to keep the card that was discarded.
- GIOVANNA – She can discard X number of cards from her hand and choose a player (including herself) to draw X number of cards from the draw pile.
- LORENZO – When a player is putting action cards on a mission that LORENZO is assigned to, he can stop this action. The other player's action card is discarded and his turn is skipped.
- PEPPE – He can discard 2 cards from his hand and abort the mission in which he is assigned to.
- SALVATORE – He can discard any 2 cards from his hand and he can put a card on any mission, whether he is assigned to it or not.
- TONY – He can release any player (including himself) from the trunk, he can also keep the trunk card by adding it to his hand instead of discarding it.
- VINCENZO – When a mission is revealed, he can reduce or increase its success value by $2 points.
How to Use Action Cards
- ABORT (ABORTIRE) – Discard the mission that you are assigned to, as well as all cards that have been placed on this mission, canceling it and opening another mission in its place.
- AMBUSH (IMBOSCATA) – Shuffle all collaborating cards on a mission in which you are participating and look at the current situation. Remember, you can talk about anything, including lying about the real situation of that mission.
- BACKUP (RINFORZO) – Assign a character that is not on any mission to a mission that is in progress. There is no maximum or minimum number of characters that can act in a mission.
- BERETTA – Choose a player sitting next to you to randomly discard 1 card.
- CONSEGLIERE – Allows the player to see the goal card of another player (this card can only be used after two missions have been completed (successfully or not).
- CROWBAR (PIEDE DI PORCO) – Prevents a player from losing his turn while in the trunk. This card can be used at the beginning of your turn either to escape the trunk yourself or to free another player. In either case, the trunk card is discarded and the player is entitled to take their turn as usual.
- EXCHANGE (SCAMBIO) – Switch two characters places, it does not matter if they are currently in or out of a mission (when one enters a mission the other leaves the mission).
- FAVOR (FAVORE) – Choose any other player and trade your entire hand with his entire hand. You do not need to have cards to perform this action.
- LASAGNA (LASAGNA) – Draw 2 cards.
- OMERTÀ – Omertà means "vow of silence". Draw a card and, from this moment on, all players must be silent for a full round, until play is back to the person who originally played the card. If a player speaks during Omertà, he must randomly discard one of the cards from his hand, and the "vow of silence" is no longer in effect.
- RELEASE (DISPENSA) – Removes one character from any ongoing mission (the mission can be empty, if it is the case).
- REMINGTON – Choose a player sitting two people away from you in any direction to randomly discard a card (in the dark).
- SNITCH (INFORMATORE) – To play this card, place it in front of another player. This player must collaborate in the mission. Now under surveillance, the player is forced to put the next card he plays face up on the table so that all players can see the value and color.
Game Example
The manual's example diagram shows an eight-player table: Players 1 to 8 are seated around the table, with Mission 1 and Mission 2 in the centre, an area for characters not assigned to any mission, areas for missions won by the cops, missions won by the mobsters and other missions, and the action and discard pile. Player 3 is shown as an exposed cop.