Mafia Game Roles, Explained
Every role in the Mafia party game — abilities, win conditions, and how to play each one well. Mafia Night auto-balances the classic roles for your group size; hosts can add the spice roles from the role editor when the group is ready for chaos.
🧑🌾 Villager
No special powers — just your wits. Find the Mafia and vote them out.
Strategy: You are the town's backbone. Speak up, track voting patterns, and don't let louder players steamroll the vote.
🕵️ Mafia
Each night, choose a victim together with your partners. By day, blend in and deflect suspicion. Mafia members know each other.
Strategy: The best Mafia player is an active, helpful, town-leading Mafia player. Kill the sharp ones first.
🔎 Detective
Each night, investigate one player and learn whether they're Mafia. Your findings are saved to a private dossier only you can see.
Strategy: Information is only power if you survive to use it. Reveal a confirmed Mafia at the perfect moment — not before.
🩺 Doctor
Each night, protect one player (including yourself) from being killed. A successful save is announced as a "quiet night."
Strategy: Think like the Mafia — who would they kill tonight? Protect the player who's been leading the town.
🔪 Serial Killer
A lone murderer. Kill one player every night. You win only if you're the last one standing — the Mafia are your enemies too.
Strategy: Let the town and Mafia destroy each other. Stay invisible until it's too late to stop you.
🃏 Jester
You win by getting yourself voted out. If the town eliminates you, you instantly win and the game ends.
Strategy: Act suspicious — but subtly. An obvious Jester never gets voted out. This role breaks the town's brain.
🔫 Vigilante
You have one bullet for the whole game. Any night, you may shoot a player you believe is Mafia — or hold your fire.
Strategy: A wasted bullet kills an innocent and demoralizes the town. Wait for real evidence.
New to the game? Read how to play Mafia first.