We organize games on Plurk, and we try to accommodate everyone who wants to play in a given match. If we're aware that someone wants to play, but they aren't on Plurk, someone will be happy to try to grab them on AIM when a game is forming!

It's likely that most of this won't make complete sense until you've spectated or even played a game or two. That's normal: don't worry about it.



Getting Started

Games are held on the EpicMafia site. The first thing you need to do is to create an account there.

Then, check out the Newbie Guide. The most important sections there are "Read This Before You Start," "Basic Game Play" and the tutorial images that go with it, and "Other Quick Tips."

Some of the things in the "Read This" section of the Newbie Guide aren't a big deal to us in private games, but there are ground rules for EpicMafia in general just like there are ground rules in RP, so it's worth making note of them.

We're not so serious business about this that we're going to hate you or ban you if you go AFK or have to quit before a game is done. It's not fun for you, and it can mess the game up for the other players, but it happens and it's not the end of the world. Just try to do it as rarely as you can. (There will always be another game, after all: if one doesn't work with your schedule, you might be able to make the next.)

Information, Gameplay, and Terminology

A lot of people find roles confusing at first, so here's an explanation of all the possible roles involved in the game. If you click on the name of each role in its summary on this page, it will take you to a more detailed page with suggested strategies. We don't use all of these roles in a given game, but we often use at least 10 of them. A few of the roles aren't listed on that page, because they're newer, but you can find links to them on the front page of the EpicMafia wiki.

Claiming and Whispering: You might also take a look at the Terminology list, paying special attention to the terms related to claiming (massclaim, counter-claim, fake claim, and so on). Finally, the page on whispers explains some strategic use of whispers, including intentional leaks (by using the "leak" button that's to the right of the whisper target dropbox).

Very important: rounds can't end until everyone who needs to vote has voted. If your username is in the column on the right at all, that's your cue to vote in that round. Everyone votes during the day; characters with special roles also vote at night. (This includes any character who has been jailed by the jailer.) Forgetting to vote can stall a game, causing it to drag out a lot longer than it should.

Long discussions at night can do the same thing: please remember that most of us are staring at a blank screen waiting for it to be day again while a few characters have secret meetings. We're not sticklers about the built-in game timer, but most nighttime meetings shouldn't last more than a few minutes.

How Long Does It Take?

Depending on the setup, games can take up to three hours. Larger games with more unique roles in them tend to take longer, and some setups are more complex than others. IC play can also make a game longer, since some characters may deliberate more about certain actions. A short, simple game will probably last about an hour.

Most characters won't make it to the end of any game. When yours dies, you get kicked from the main chat to "deadchat," where only dead characters can interact with each other. In deadchat, you can see everything, including whispers and all secret nighttime meetings, and comment on the actions of characters who are still alive. You don't have to stay for deadchat until the game ends, but most players think it's a lot of fun.

Some Common Questions

Spectating: If you want to spectate a game (watch it without playing in it), please don't click the link to the game until you've confirmed that the game is full and underway. We build games based on the number of people who said they wanted to play. If you do click the link before the game has started, you may accidentally take the position of someone who was planning to play, and we'll have to restart the game from scratch (by setting up a new game). Also, you have to have an account on the site to be able to spectate at all.

Sharing an IP: You can't be on the same IP as another player in a game, even as a spectator. The site registers it as an attempt to cheat, since spectators can see everything, and the site has no way of knowing that you're not the same person on a second computer. This can get you banned if you do it in a competitive public game, and it gets the second account at an IP temporarily banned even in our private games. We don't control this; it's the system.

Being IC: Be as IC as you can in terms of voice and reactions to events, but try not to go too far against your assigned role in the game, even if it's IC for the character you're playing--this usually means a "good guy" who was given mafia alignment. Try to play to win, at least a little: struggle with your role if you have to, but don't betray it. (We might be more flexible about this than non-RPing players of EpicMafia, because we're in it to have fun. However, the actual mechanics of the game mean that it's hard to make role betrayal work and still finish a match. Most players are treating Mafia games like a meme on fountainofcod, where "Cod Magic" forces the character to participate even if they normally wouldn't.)

Multiple Accounts: If you want to make multiple accounts, don't register them separately. Register one account, then go to the player tab. There's a setup there that allows you to switch between accounts under one login. If you want more than a small number of personas, though, you have to make a donation to the site. (This is wrong, and I'll fix it when I get the right info from someone. I think you can link two or three accounts for free, and you do make them separately.)