A game of social manipulation for 6 players and 1 moderator, designed by Thom Root.

Overview

This is a game of social manipulation. Players are encouraged to cut deals, make fake (or real) claims and stab their friends in the back. Do you have the skills necessary to discover who is truly your friend and who is secretly your enemy?

Before the game, each player is secretly given a role that has at least one special ability. Their role also determines their objective. Gameplay is divided into two primary phases: day and night. Each phase is timed and lasts no longer than five minutes. As play progresses, players are "killed" via lynching or through various other means. Play ends as soon as at least one player's win condition is fulfilled.

Day

Play starts on "Day 1". During any day, players who are still alive may freely talk or whisper to each other. Also, living players may vote for a player to lynch. To vote, a player writes the name of the player they wish to lynch in a publicly editable space (e.g. a white board). A player may also vote to not lynch by writing "No one". A player may change their vote as many times as they like. They may also abstain by changing erasing their vote entirely.

End of the day

Once a majority is reached, the day ends and the player indicated by the majority has been lynched. That player is now dead and may no longer participate in the game. If time expires before a lynching majority is reached, whoever has the most votes is lynched. If "No one" has the most votes, no one is lynched. If there is a tie for the most number of votes, a special "twilight" phase occurs. During twilight, no player may talk. Furthermore, no player may vote, unvote or change their vote unless doing so would break the tie. If there is still a tie after a period of one minute, no lynch occurs. After the moderator resolves the effects of the day’s lynch, play proceeds to the next night.

Night

At the beginning of the night, each player recieves writing implement from the moderator. If their role allows them to take actions during the night, they take their action by writing it down on their role card. If their role does not allow them to take actions during the night, they are encouraged to write something witty on their card for the moderator's amusement (and to hide the fact that they don't have a night action). Once five minutes have expired or all players have finished writing, the moderator collects the cards. After reading the cards and determining the resolution of the night actions, the moderator hands returns the cards to each player and play proceeds to the next day.

Being dead

If you are dead, you may no longer speak, vote, or take night actions until the end of the game. You may, however, remain in the room to observe. Furthermore, once a player is dead, their current role is written publicly next to their name.

Roles

This game includes six starting roles and one additional role, the Convert. The starting roles should be written on a card and the moderator should distribute them randomly to the players prior to the start of Day 1. Here is what the role cards say:

Yakuza - You are the mafia's recruiter. At night, you may select one player other than yourself to kill. If you do so, you visit them that night and they die. At night, you may additional select one player other than yourself to convert. If you do so, you visit them that night and you die, but they become a Convert, a member of the mafia. You win when there is a greater or equal number of mafia as there are non-mafia. You do not need to be alive to win.

Base win value: 55

Doctor - You are the town's Doctor. At night, you may visit one player other than yourself. If you do so, that player will not die that night. You win if there are no mafia members alive. You do not need to be alive to win.

Base win value: 55

Shrink - You are the town's Psychiatrist. At night, you may visit one player including yourself. If you do so, that player will not be converted. If you successfully prevent a conversion, the Yakuza will still die (unless they are protected by the doctor that night). You win if there are no mafia members alive. You do not need to be alive to win.

Base win value: 55

Granny - You are the town's paranoid gun owner. At night, if anyone visits you, you shoot them and they die. You win if there are no mafia members alive. You do not need to be alive to win.

Base win value: 55

Fool - You are an asphyxiation aficionado. You win if you are lynched. If you are still alive and there are no mafia members alive, you do not win, but you do receive 10 pity points.

Base win value: 75

Lyncher - You are a vendetta holder. You win if the player you hold a grudge against is lynched. If the player you hold a grudge against is killed at night, you may no longer win. However if the player you hold a grudge against is killed at night, you are still alive, and there are no mafia members alive, you do receive 35 pity points. The player you hold a grudge against started with the role of Doctor, Shrink, Granny or Fool. The player you hold a grudge against is: [player's name]

Base win value: 80

Note: the following role is given to someone if they are successfully converted. It is not a starting role.

Convert - You are a mafia hit man. This role replaces your previous role. At night, if you are the most senior member of the mafia, you may select one player other than yourself to kill. If you do so, you visit them that night and they die. You win when there is a greater or equal number of mafia as there are non-mafia. You do not need to be alive to win. The other members of the mafia are: [player's name(s)]

Base win value: 65

End of the game

There are a total of four factions in the game: town, mafia, fool and lyncher. A player's points from a given game are equal to their base win value divided by the number of factions that won (rounded up). Multiple games may be played, but roles should be randomized before each game.

Moderator notes

When resolving night actions, resolve them in the following order:

Doctor protects from death Shrink protects from conversion Yakuza converts Granny kills all of her visitors Yakuza or Convert kills Yakuza dies (if they converted)

Special case: If the Yakuza has Doctor protection and tries to kill Granny, neither Yakuza nor Granny dies.

If there is a conversion, make sure you do not return the Convert’s previous role card to them. Give them a Convert role card instead.

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