http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia_(game)
After I get back from Gen Con I 'll have a go at running this online. I played it in a few times over at some Animal Crossing forums I hang out at. Read down to the 'online play' section. It exlains it pretty well.
In the meantime, take a look.
I'd be up for it.
Huh. Never heard of playing it online before. Friends of mine frequently hold "board game nights" at their house and this is a favorite for when the groups get large.
It's a fun game...although I really love the gamer version (Are you a Werewolf? (http://www.wunderland.com/LooneyLabs/Werewolf/)) which makes an awesome party game for Halloween!
The slightly more expensive (i.e. not basically free) gamer version is Do you Worship Cthulhu? (http://www.toyvault.com/cthulhugame/main.htm)
That game and all its variants rock very fucking hard. We played it for a few hours at my bachelor party.
Yup, we play Mafia every now and then as well, although not as often as the card game Bang! (http://www.boardgamegeek.com/game/3955) which bears some resemblance to it.
Oh THAT game.
I know it as "Are you a Werewolf?"
The girlfriend of one of our jailers got involved in an all-nighter of that 3 or 4 years ago - and didn't bother to tell anybody where she was.....or borrow a cellphone to let us know she was alright. (there was a handicap involved)
I've heard the game described before ...and watched it being played - never had enough time to sit down and join in on a game of it.
- Ed C.
Fantastic freakin' game. It was a regular staple of my circle back in college.
Never played it, but I have heard of it.
I might play this with some non-gaming friends of mine (mafia theme - perhaps slightly less dorky:o ) but with the rulesheet from "Are you a werewolf?"
Differences - swipe seer for investigative reporter, werewolves are mafia, and villagers for citizens...really minor stuff but changes it thematically.
Now to convince the wife that the game isn't as hard as it looks on paper.