Game culture: what is not allowed from day one

The game of Mafia is built on persuasion, so the line between the permitted and the forbidden must be understood from the first game, not after the first scandal. Game culture is not decoration. It makes a game pleasant for everyone, protects the club from conflicts and preserves the point of the game itself: if a win was obtained by a hint or pressure, it says nothing about your level. This lesson sets out the ABC. Disputed cases, tournament regulations and the subtleties of refereeing are covered at the third level, in the lesson "Game culture and dirty play: where the line is".

What cultured communication is

Cultured communication is communication in which you do not insult others by your behaviour or actions. To be cultured means to respect those around you. If you stop unwanted behaviour and develop the right kind, games become pleasant and warm over time. This is especially important at tournaments, where the behaviour of one player affects all participants and the chain of following games.

Inside the game there are no personalities, only roles. You can argue furiously with player No. 4, call his position black and vote against him, but No. 4 is a slot at the table, not a person you discuss as an acquaintance. As soon as words turn personal, the game ends and a quarrel begins.

Five bans to know by heart

This is the same list as in the thirteenth basic rule. Here it is given with explanations.

1. Night information and non-game arguments

It is forbidden to use and give information obtained at night: talking, dancing, whispering, eavesdropping, peeking. It is forbidden to build arguments on non-game moments, that is, on what you know about a person outside the game. The reason is simple: the game tests your ability to reason from open data. As soon as hidden knowledge comes into play, you are no longer playing Mafia.

2. Insults for voting

You must not insult people for having voted for your removal. This includes a finger at the temple ("silly") and any verbal or silent negative message about the mental abilities of those around you. In tournament play such a player is removed, and in fairness the victory is awarded to the opposite team. An insult is called dirty colouring: it shows everyone that you choose your line of play not by logic but by emotion, and this influences other people's decisions.

3. Friends, women, children and shooting in the first rounds

You must not shoot at friends, women and children at night in the first rounds and build your arguments on this. The idea is the same: inside the game there are no personalities. If someone shot a friend because he is a friend, and then refers to "I would never have shot him, so he is red", that is a violation.

4. Hints from spectators and an observer's emotions

If you watch a game, do not react to the course of play, do not prompt and do not allow yourself facial expressions that players could notice. If you have left the game, you become an observer, and this rule concerns you too.

5. Pressure on responsibility, guilt and image

You must not appeal to a sense of guilt, to responsibility or to social image. Phrases like "last time you did not listen to me and lost" or "you are a clever person, you will vote correctly" are not arguments about the game. They put pressure on the person, not on his reasoning.

What is considered permissible

What is permissible is what insults nobody and breaks no rules:

• tears after a wrong vote: this is acting, for which one can even be praised;
• good news in your speech (for example, the birth of a child), even if for the mafia it may seem unethical to someone: it hurts nobody;
• cold calculation in the fight for a prize place, if it does not break the five bans.

The line passes where your technique influences not other people's reasoning but a person's feelings or information that is not in the game.

What to do if a rule was broken in front of you

1. Do not answer in kind. Rudeness in return turns you into an offender.
2. Keep your composure and continue your speech or vote.
3. After the game turn to the host or referee: name the fact, not the emotion ("he pointed at my slot with a gesture" instead of "he is a villain").
4. If there is no host, talk to the player personally and without witnesses. Say what exactly hurt you and what outcome you propose.

If you broke a rule

A person who lost his temper is not necessarily a bad player. Apologise briefly and without excuses: "I got carried away, I will not do it again." A beginner will be forgiven easily, an experienced player later, but he will be forgiven.

Behaviour in victory and defeat

Victory is no reason to humiliate the losers, and defeat is no reason to look for the guilty among partners. After the game go over the mistakes calmly: how this is done is described in the lesson "How to review your own game". Resentment, weakness and anger are no reason to spoil the game for everyone. A tantrum is not a sign of uniqueness or exceptional gifts; it only betrays an immature player.

Motives of dishonest play

Dishonest play is usually pushed by two desires: fame and gain. Fame is temporary, people quickly forget other people's victories, and self-respect cannot be obtained by deceit. Gain in Mafia almost never pays off: fees go to rent and the work of referees, prizes are modest. The value of a prize lies in the memory of the event, not in its cost.

Example

Red No. 6 voted to remove black No. 3. No. 3 leaves the table, twirls a finger at his temple and says "genius". The host makes a remark. No. 6 calmly goes on watching without answering. After the game he says to the host: "I want this to be noted: the gesture was aimed at my mental abilities." The host writes it down, and the next time No. 3 plays more cleanly.

Questions for self-check

1. Why is insulting a player for voting called "dirty colouring"?
2. How does night information differ from ordinary knowledge about a person?
3. What will you do if a spectator prompted a player with a glance?
4. What is the difference between strong play and dirty play?

Practice

Draw up for your table a "Code of considerate rules" of five points in your own words and discuss it with your partners. Then go through three situations and say whether each is a violation or not:

1. A player announces "I am black" and jokingly demands that No. 3 be shot.
2. A player says: "I know No. 7 is red, he is my colleague."
3. A player cries after a loss and asks the team for forgiveness.

Typical mistakes

• Counting any unpleasant remark as a violation: a violation is what objectively insults or gives a non-game advantage.
• Forgiving a violation by a strong player and nitpicking a beginner.
• Staying silent if you were hurt instead of telling the host.
• Excusing rudeness by saying "that is how it is done in our club".

Source of the idea. The thirteenth basic point from the chapter "Simple advice for an inexperienced player" and the section on game culture of Dmitry Novik's book "Mafia in the Style of Zen" (2020). The example, questions and practice were written for the Academy; the exact rules and sanctions are set by the regulations of your club.