Mafia narrator script

Before the game

Gather everyone in a circle and stand where all the players can hear you. If anyone is new, walk through the rules first.

1. “Welcome to Mafia. Somewhere in this town, the mafia are hiding among you.”
2. “Each night they will choose someone to eliminate. Each day, the town will vote out one person they suspect.”
3. “The town wins when every mafia member is gone. The mafia win when they equal or outnumber the town.”
4. Explain any house rules now: tie votes, whether roles are revealed on elimination, and how long discussion lasts.
5. “Pass the phone around. Look at your role, hide it, and pass it on. Don't react.”
6. When everyone has seen their role, take the phone back and check the full role list.

First night

The first night lets the mafia meet each other. It runs in the same order as every later night: mafia, then Angel, then Cop.

1. “Night falls on the town. Everyone, close your eyes.”
2. Wait until every eye is closed. Ask players to tap the table softly to cover small sounds.
3. “Mafia, open your eyes and look around. These are your partners.”
4. Give them about ten seconds. Most groups don't eliminate anyone on the first night.
5. “Mafia, close your eyes.”
6. “Angel, open your eyes. Point to the person you want to protect tonight.”
7. Nod to confirm and remember the choice.
8. “Angel, close your eyes.”
9. “Cop, open your eyes. Point to the person you want to investigate.”
10. Thumbs up if they are mafia, thumbs down if not.
11. “Cop, close your eyes.”

Every night after

1. “Night falls again. Everyone, close your eyes.”
2. “Mafia, open your eyes. Silently choose who you will eliminate tonight.”
3. Wait for them to agree on one player and nod to confirm.
4. “Mafia, close your eyes.”
5. “Angel, open your eyes. Who will you protect tonight?”
6. “Angel, close your eyes.”
7. “Cop, open your eyes. Who do you want to investigate?”
8. Thumbs up or thumbs down.
9. “Cop, close your eyes.”
10. Call the Angel and the Cop every night, even after they are eliminated. Pause for a few seconds as if they were choosing, so nobody learns who is gone from your timing.

Morning announcement

Compare the mafia's choice with the Angel's. If they match, nobody dies. Never say who the mafia targeted when the Angel saved them.

1. “Morning comes. Everyone, open your eyes.”
2. If the Angel saved the mafia's target:
3. “The mafia struck last night, but someone was watching over their victim. Everyone survived.”
4. If the mafia's target died:
5. “Last night, the town lost [Name]. [Tell a short death story.]”
6. If you play with revealed roles, add:
7. “[Name] was a [Role].”

Day discussion and voting

1. “You have [three] minutes to discuss. Who among you is mafia?”
2. Keep time. Stay neutral and don't react to theories, even when someone is right.
3. “Time is up. Does anyone want to nominate a suspect?”
4. A nomination needs a second player to support it.
5. “[Name] has been nominated. [Name], you have thirty seconds to defend yourself.”
6. “On three, point at the player you vote to eliminate. One, two, three.”
7. Count the votes out loud. On a tie, use the tie rule you agreed on at the start.
8. “The town has decided. [Name], any last words?”
9. “[Name] has been eliminated. [Name] was a [Role].”

After the vote, go straight back to the night script. Repeat until one side has won.

Ending the game

1. “The last of the mafia has been caught. The town wins!”
2. Or, when the mafia equal or outnumber the town:
3. “There aren't enough honest people left to stop them. The mafia win!”
4. Reveal everyone's role, then hand the narrator role to someone new for the next game.

Death and rescue stories

A short story for each death keeps the morning announcement from feeling like a spreadsheet. Swap in the player's name, and keep it light.

When someone dies

• [Name] went to investigate a strange noise in the cellar. The noise was the mafia.
• [Name] got a dinner invitation with no return address and went anyway.
• [Name] was last seen getting into a black car to talk business. The car came back. [Name] did not.
• The mafia sent [Name] a fruit basket. It was ticking.
• [Name] tried to pay off a debt in board game money.
• Someone swapped [Name]'s morning coffee for something much stronger. They never finished the crossword.
• [Name] knew too much about who ate the last slice of cake.
• A piano fell from a third-floor window and landed exactly where the mafia said it would. [Name] was standing there.
• [Name] ordered the special at the corner diner. Nobody had warned them about the special.
• [Name] went fishing at the docks and has not been seen since.

When the Angel saves them

• The mafia crept into [Name]'s house at midnight and found an angel already sitting at the foot of the bed. They left in a hurry.
• [Name]'s car exploded at dawn. Luckily, they had decided to walk.
• The mafia's poison ended up in a houseplant. The plant did not survive. Everyone else did.
• Shots rang out over the town at midnight, but every one of them missed.

Themes to build stories around

• A 1920s speakeasy, with the mafia as bootleggers and the town as regulars
• A cruise ship where passengers keep disappearing overboard
• A small mountain village with werewolves in the woods (the classic Werewolf setting)
• An office party where someone is quietly getting people fired

Narrator tips

• Use the same tone and pause for every role. Players listen for the narrator speeding up for a role that has already been eliminated.
• Keep notes, either on paper or in Mafia Setup's role list, of who is out and what happened each night.
• Stay neutral during the day. A smile when someone accuses the right person can decide the game.
• Keep discussion moving with a timer. Three to five minutes is plenty for most groups.
• Stand in the middle of the circle at night so your voice doesn't drift toward the players you are talking to.

Frequently asked questions