An Offer You Can't Refuse: Invitation to the Mafia Room

By DurzaOffTopic. Released: 2018/07/14.

Introduction

Have you ever had fun playing the party game known as "Mafia" or "Werewolf"? Have you ever played the game "Town of Salem" and are looking for something similar? Are you just looking for a competitive game of deception and trusting your gut? If so, the Mafia room on Pokémon Showdown might just be a good place for you. This article will take a look inside this very room and what it has to offer.

History

In 2012, the Mafia room was created, with SteelEdges as the original RO. It was and still is a place where people can play fun games of strategy and lies! The Mafia room has gone through many different phases of staff, popular formats, and bots.

Mafia's phases can be split into periods defined by their ROs; Transmuter was the first influential RO, and he was known for his large numbers of great ideas; he always had something new to improve the room, or even something small and fun to put in the roomintro. He played in mafia games often and was popular among the people. As he retired, he handed over the reins to ajhockeystar. ajhockeystar is known for hosting events; whether it be a room event, forum mafia, or the Mafia Awards stream, he's usually behind it. Overlapping with ajhockeystar's period of dominance is Snaquaza. It feels like whenever Snaquaza has been RO, there have been few, if any, dead periods. He always has new ideas to keep the room going when it feels like it's hitting a low point, and he even brings the room to a consistent 100+ users at times!

At some point, Mafia got a bot for the first time: boTTT. However, this bot did nothing but general chat moderation. We only got a bot that could help the hosts when we got Lynch-E, hosted by Hawkie. Later, we moved to Mafia Room Bot, which was the main way to host and play games in the room for a very long time. Then, this year, we couldn't host a bot anymore and instead finally managed to get a script working, after it was worked on but shelved in 2017.

So now we know the history of the Mafia room, but some of you may not know what the game of mafia is itself. Here are the basics:

Mafia: The Basics

Mafia is a game of strategy where an informed minority (the mafia), and an uninformed majority (the town), are pitted against each other. The game has two phases: Night, during which the mafia may "murder" an innocent and remove them from the game, and Day, in which the surviving players try to figure out the identities of the mafia and vote to "lynch" a suspect. Each player is given a "role", some of which have secondary actions or effects, and some have their power in their knowledge or just in their vote. The mafia's goal is to eliminate enough townspeople to gain a majority and control the vote, and the town's goal is to kill all members of the mafia. There are a variety of roles, flavors, and setups, depending on the "theme" that is being hosted, and every game can be played in a different way with a different strategy. The game of Mafia has a steep learning curve, and help will be required, but the room has lots of helpful staff and tutors to assist in learning the game.

Now that we know the simple procedures for the game, here are some of the things the Mafia room has to offer besides basic mafia games:

Highlights, Features, and Events

Official Games

The Mafia room holds Official Games multiple times per day, and the winners of these games gain points towards a monthly leaderboard. Extra points are given for earning an "MVP" if you played exceptionally well in any given game. Every month, a theme will be chosen by the previous month's winner, and that theme will be played at all the Official Games for the rest of the month. Rewards include a shoutout in the roomintro, a spot in the "Hall of Fame", and a special role in the Mafia Discord.

Ultimate Gaming Month

Ultimate Gaming Month (UGM) is a yearly contest held between six games rooms on Pokémon Showdown in which players compete to earn points and top the leaderboard. It usually takes place from December to January each year, with the 3rd edition finishing recently. By hosting and playing games in the Mafia room during this period, you could have the chance to win prizes such as a Smogon custom title, custom avatar, gift card, and more! However, the status of this event is an uncertainty in the future, as some rooms are not keen on participating again.

Open Setup Submissions

People with a more creative side to them can try their hand at creating a theme of their own for others to play. Themes need to be carefully balanced to give all factions a chance of winning, but the sky is the limit when it comes to innovation and theme creation. Just submit your own balanced and creative theme according to the guidelines! If your theme is approved, it will be added to the Open Setup Directory where all approved user-created themes are found.

Workshops

Mafia Workshops are events that are hosted on occasion as special events. The roomstaff will choose a topic and explain it, then give tips, discuss the topic at hand, and receive questions about the topic from all users. Once the discussion is done, a game is hosted where you can apply your newly learned techniques and strategies.

Mafia Battle Royale

Mafia hosts a Pokémon Showdown-wide event known as Mafia Battle Royale every year where groups of three players representing any room that wants to enter compete in a free-for-all in a giant game of "Everybody is Mafia Mafia", where groups are set and teams must find out the alias of other groups in their circle and eliminate them. The first Mafia Battle Royale was a major success, and everybody involved had a lot of fun!

Interviews

Snaquaza

When did you first start playing Mafia? What kept you interested?

I first started playing in Circus Maximus after I was spectating some game. I subbed in my first game, did decently. Did terrible next game and didn't play for like 6 months. Then I joined the Mafia Room, did really well in my first game of Dethy and impressed the staff with my immediate knowledge about the game. I kept interest because for me there's a lot of ways to be creative with the game, and of course the game is fun as well, though I can get way too nervous.

As the game goes itself, you're by far the biggest influence, as you've created over 100 roles and created most of the events, including Ultimate Gaming Month, the biggest gaming room event on Pokémon Showdown. What is your process when you create something new? Does it always go as planned?

Of course. Everything I do is amazing...

For real though, UGM had some huge errors... like still. Points weren't balanced and rooms weren't cooperating properly and didn't even host all the events they wanted to!

With Room Events, it's hit or miss. Mafia Battle Royale was a success and there'll probably be a second round (shoutout ajhockeystar for doing most hosting stuff for it!). However, we also created a league for the best players in officials in the room around the same time, which failed big-time due to difficulty organizing it correctly and it often just not happening. After all, it's just seeing what does well, but don't be afraid to try!

Roles... you always just test them, it's just fun. Some are better than others, but most will have a use. No risk there honestly.

With themes you also see what sticks. At first you have an idea of what you want. Do you want it to be crazy? Do you want simplicity? It to be easy to play? Low playercount setup? You just try it sometime and see what sticks! If people find something fun, they'll want to play it more often.

What do you look for in potential voices(+)?

I do not want to put Voices under too much pressure, so I like to give them possibilities, not responsibilities. That said, although Voices aren't responsible for the room, it is important that they are not bad examples for the room. They have to be nice users, of course. Often a big problem in Mafia is the toxicity in the room when people lose, as they can start insulting others. Voices should generally be respectful and at the very least not start framing people. Otherwise it's important that they're fun to play with. They don't need to be amazing at the game, although it's a pro. People need to have fun while playing with them, as they are an example for the room. If people don't have fun while playing with Voices, then it gives off a bad image. This means they should avoid lurking or other annoying strategies that are both harmful to their win condition and just not fun to play with! You need to actually want to play (and improve, if necessary)!

Of course activity is important too... Voices do not per se need maturity or the ability to handle the room well. The former is only a problem if it negatively affects the room, or they become annoying to play with. The latter is well... that's for staff, so unless we're planning to quicktrack to Driver...

What is your favorite Mafia theme? What is your favorite Mafia role?

It's not common right now... but probably No Setup. I have great memories of breaking it. It's a Mafia theme that focuses on insane nights, which can be quite fun... You still need to scumhunt though, as a good Mafia member can easily disrupt your actions!

What I often play right now... I get stressed too easily so I enjoy themes where I do not have to be as uptight. Senpai is a good example. It is a theme that can be competitive (although many people disagree), but you still have a bit of wiggle room, and its uniqueness makes it so that I don't immediately feel cornered as Mafia. Otherwise a few lower player setups are fun too, for the same reasons and for the fact that they're not as much of a commitment.

Finally, the updated six-player Classic is great. I don't always love being Mafia in there, but as Town it feels great to lynch someone correctly Day 1, when everyone is telling me to No Lynch!

Thanks for letting me interview you, Snaquaza. Any closing remarks?

#MakeMafiaGreatAgain

HoeenHero

When did you first start playing Mafia? What kept you interested?

I first started playing Mafia in 2014. I stuck around because I enjoyed the logical aspects of the game. You have to really look at who is doing what, and how they are acting if you're going to root out the scum, as well as analyze what information you can get from your role and other players' roles.

You were the main person behind the new interface of how games are played. What were your intentions when you undertook this project, and how do you think it will shape the future of Mafia?

Previously we used a bot that relied on multiple commands that you had to type into chat, including commands to see the current player list, and lynch counts. I wanted to create a way for the players and host to view the most up-to-date version of this information without having to type a command and without disrupting chat by displaying it to everyone. That's where the HTML room interface came from; the interface also supports lynching with buttons, stores the player's role PMs, and has various utility buttons for hosts and players alike. My hope is that it makes it easier for players to play and enjoy the game, and that it makes the complex job of a host easier to perform.

What do you look for in potential voices(+)?

When we consider a user for room voice, were looking for a few qualities. We're looking for active users that participate in the room and that know how to play/host. We're also looking for users who are positive influences, which means users that do not participate in bad behavior such as "salt" (anger over the game), and general rulebreaking.

What is your favorite Mafia theme? What is your favorite Mafia role?

I would have to say Eternal Sun, it has a unique spin on the core gameplay by removing the night phase and allowing all night actions to be used during the day. You have to be ready for the mafia's kill in reaction to the town's moves (giving someone a gun, coroner claims, etc). My favorite role would have to be the One-Shot Day Vigilante, since it allows me to remove a threat from the game without the risk of being role-blocked, and it can semi-clear me if I shoot correctly since everyone knows that I shot.

Thanks for letting me interview you. Any final remarks you would like to add?

I hope that my time as a Room Owner in Mafia is productive and positive to the room. I would also like to encourage that users bring issues or suggestions up to the staff team or Room Owners as appropriate, we appreciate the ability to see things from more perspectives than just our own.

Darnell

When did you first start playing Mafia? What kept you interested?

First started playing Mafia years ago before I took my break from PS due to some stuff happening in real life. It was a nice atmosphere with the users back then and even now so I guess that is what kept me in the room. The thing is with Mafia, there are so many different ways to play it, and with different people both leaving and joining the room, you'll always find yourself in different situations when actually playing in games. I guess that's what motivates me to play.

You're the newest Mafia Room Owner, but over the years you have been all over PS! as staff of many different rooms. What makes Mafia different from the plethora of rooms you've been an important part of over the years?

I was really happy being selected as one of the Room Owners alongside ajhockeystar, HoeenHero and Snaquaza. Being Room Owner comes with responsibility I guess but you never forget how you made it there in the first place. With every room come different policies in how the room functions, and the two I currently own in Sports and Mafia are no different. From leniency in terms of punishments to how the room is run on a daily basis, no PS! room is the same, and that itself keeps it entertaining.

You're also the only Room Owner to win a monthly Official Games cycle, and you play the game at a very high level. Do you have any tips for newer players looking to give Mafia a chance?

Hmmmm... well that's an achievement I guess :o Didn't know this myself but I guess my level has somewhat diminished recently. I'll bounce back soon so wait on it and I'll be taking them MVPs and the leaderboard with it. Any tips... I'd say to not get discouraged or let any user peer pressure you when playing games. Focus on what YOU want and who YOU scumread. Obviously, take into account what other people in the game are saying but don't let that solely be your final decision otherwise why are you playing? No opinion and sheeping someone constantly basically makes them a 'Mayor' (Their lynch counts as 2).

What do you look for in potential voices(+)?

Pretty much stay active in the room, contribute, so that means hosting as well as playing in games, but I wouldn't say hosting is REALLY the main between the two as long as you actually have an idea of the commands. Just contribute positively and don't be toxic. It's not hard, I promise.

What is your favorite Mafia theme? What is your favorite Mafia role?

Favorite theme is Kill All Townies despite not being able to play it often due to it needing a big player list and my favorite role is VT. Praise VT.

Thanks for letting me interview you, Darnell, and thanks for all your work in the Mafia room.

Get Out There

The room is always looking for new players and is filled with friendly people who want to have a fun competitive game of Mafia. After reading this article, get out there, play a few games, and have fun!

HTML by HoeenHero.

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