# MAFIA: The Game - Ideal for Beginners \[Game in Progress\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 14, 2015, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099 "2015-07-14T00:45:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 49
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/961 "2015-08-05T16:59:38Z")
What? I’m certainly not sitting in a meeting and obsessively refreshing my phone. Certainly not. ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/962 "2015-08-05T17:19:43Z")
I keep peeking through my curtains … where is that sun? ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/963 "2015-08-05T17:43:21Z")
You do realize that if Life runs true to form, storyteller will be delayed by 1) work 2) the move 3) family 4) traffic 5) illness for half-an-hour or so? And the Wolves may not even have cast their votes just yet, just to keep us waiting. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/964 "2015-08-05T18:10:30Z")
I don’t think we’ll get that lucky, but I assume if the wolves don’t get their pick in by daybreak, nobody dies. ---
**Author:** ![Cygnus42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Cygnus42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cygnus42)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/965 "2015-08-05T18:19:36Z")
We could use a lucky break at this point… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/966 "2015-08-05T18:29:14Z")
> [@Cygnus42](#): > > We could use a lucky break at this point… Maybe they’ll get confused and kill a wolf. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/967 "2015-08-05T18:30:32Z")
I hate it when I’m right like this. ---
**Author:** ![TexCat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/texcat/32/9041_2.png) [@TexCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TexCat)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/968 "2015-08-05T18:31:09Z")
> [@storyteller0910](#): > > Night Two begins now and will end at 2:00PM Eastern time on Wednesday, **July** 5. Still 11 months to go?? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/969 "2015-08-05T18:32:04Z")
Oh, well, that explains it, except that July 5th doesn’t fall on Wednesday until 201 **7**. ---
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/970 "2015-08-05T18:36:15Z")
Clearly they’ve been set at each other’s throats and they’re all dead, good game guys ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/971 "2015-08-05T19:03:13Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/972 "2015-08-05T20:14:43Z")
As we all sit here waiting for the sun to come up, it’s a good time to revisit the _Twilight Zone_ episode “I Am the Night, Color Me Black”. “You hated, and you killed, and now there’s not one of you – _not one of you_ – who isn’t doomed.” “I don’t know if the sun will ever come up again.” Cheerful episode. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/973 "2015-08-05T20:38:59Z")
**I am here. The board wasn’t responding for a while there. Anyway, Day Three to begin in 3-4 minutes. Sorry about that!** ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/974 "2015-08-05T20:39:57Z")
Boy, that brings back memories. I remember watching TZ episodes as a kid and just sitting in front of the tube, rapt… The [Twilight Zone Archive](http://twilightzone.org/index2.html) is a fun site to poke around in, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![storyteller0910](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@storyteller0910](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/storyteller0910)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/975 "2015-08-05T20:53:47Z")
**DAWN – DAY THREE** \*When they realized that another of their number had disappeared at the dawn of the third day, they of course fanned out on a search of the town. They searched the house of the missing man first, of course, but when that building turned up empty they tried also the public house, the tavern, and even the stables. “Say,” said one. “What about that mysterious, dilapidated old house where no one ever goes, on the outskirts of town?” “I did not know there was a mysterious, dilapidated old house where no one ever goes on the outskirts of town,” said a second. “I’m sure he’s not there.” But after several more hours of fruitless search, they decided to investigate after all. Carefully the increasingly tiny group navigated the lawn of the old mansion. “It’s amazing we never looked here before, or indeed ever referenced the existence of this building,” they said. “It’s almost as if this mysterious, dilapidated old house where no one ever goes on the outskirts of town was created post hoc in order to suit the color. It’s also amazing that we semi-medieval peasants know and can properly apply the phrase ‘post hoc.’” On the door of the mansion was a strange symbol, painted in white. Inside the walls were painted with more symbols, an elaborate code, scrawled in three different sets of handwriting. At the base of the wall, his hand still clutching a white-stained brush, was the missing townsman, quite without a throat. Above his lifeless body was writing: TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO. And then, below that: WAIT, I THINK THAT’S RIGHT. 3-2=1. YES, THAT’S RIGHT. And then: YES, RUPERT, I KNOW I DON’T HAVE TO WRITE IT DOWN BUT IT HELPS ME THINK. YES, THIS TOO. YOU KNOW WHAT, MAYBE YOU SHOULD DO THE MESSAGE NEXT TIME. \* ## **Mahaloth** , who was the Second Mason, has been brutally slain in the Night. Day Three begins now, and will end at noon on Monday, August 9th. Several players have requested more frequent formal vote counts; I will thus try to provide one every real-life day throughout the Day (though I will not be able to do one on Saturday of this week, when I will be out of commission for the whole day). Happy hunting! ---
**Author:** ![Cygnus42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Cygnus42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cygnus42)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/976 "2015-08-05T20:56:36Z")
Well, damn - these guys are good at role hunting. Packing up to head home (now that I made sure I wasn’t eaten) , will check back in tonight. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/977 "2015-08-05T21:09:09Z")
Well, that answers THAT question. I had asked yesterday why the Wolves picked Chronos, and got no serious reply. Now it’s clear. They have targeted two non-Wolves who were experienced players, probably figuring that said experience made them more dangerous Townspersons. septimus was also an experienced player, and I now find it hard to believe these three were picked randomly to have significant roles, as was guessed earlier. But does this help Town figure out who the Wolves are? ---
**Author:** ![sangfroid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@sangfroid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sangfroid)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/978 "2015-08-05T21:12:30Z")
Damn, indeed. One more hanging of our own, and we got more problems than being eaten by wolves. Like, cannibalism. vote TexCat And **The Mollusc** ain’t far behind in my book… ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/979 "2015-08-05T21:16:13Z")
Dammit! ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099/980 "2015-08-05T21:24:25Z")
Christ. Three power roles down in two Days. We have seriously got to turn this around. > [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > septimus was also an experienced player, and I now find it hard to believe these three were picked randomly to have significant roles, as was guessed earlier. **Storyteller** [told us](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18522473&postcount=39) the roles would be assigned randomly. But I think you’re right in the sense that, for the wolves, **Chronos** and **Mahaloth** were obvious targets, given their experience in a game with so many noobs (like you and me!). If **storyteller** had assigned the power roles on purpose, I’d be pissed, as it ended up making them more obvious targets. But I take him at his word that the assignments are indeed random. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099.md?page=48) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mafia-the-game-ideal-for-beginners-game-in-progress/725099.md?page=50)