The Game of Mafia

My Scouts love to play a game called "Mafia" when we are sitting around the campfire. It is a guessing game where innocent players try to figure out who the mafia members are before getting eliminated from the game. When you are gathered around the campfire, a narrator has everyone close their eyes and he assigns you as mafia or innocent. There is generally a ratio of 5 innocents for every mafia. Once the players are assigned, everyone closes their eyes again and only the mafia open them. They then quietly decide who to eliminate using hand gestures and signals. The narrator then has everyone open their eyes, says who has been eliminated, and then allows the group to discuss who they think is mafia. Once a consensus is reached, that person is eliminated from the game.

In an effort to get people from the various groups in our department to talk to each other, we are playing mafia at work. It is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. It takes a bit longer in the office because the mafia gets one vote per day as does the public. That means only two people get eliminated from the game each day. With over 30 players, that makes for several weeks of play time. All voting is done via e-mail and we have a score board in the cafeteria.

It is interesting to see players come up with elaborate algorithms and spreadsheets to try and deduce the bad guys. Coworkers will ask each other if they are mafia and then gauge if the other person is lying. I have to admit, I find myself talking with people I have only passed in the hallway. The goal of the game is working. If you find yourself at a job where nobody knows anyone else, see if you can't start up a game of mafia.