Balancing lines: becoming unreadable for both cards

We can already play, speak and influence those around us. The next step: hide black manifestations and become unreadable. So that those around cannot identify your black colour with high reliability.

What a line is

A line is the set of manifestations and actions of a player that is characteristic only of a particular colour or role. In a game there are team lines and your own. By balancing them you become unreadable, and with correct work simply a red player beyond suspicion.

A balanced line is the demonstration, instead of two different lines (for the black and the red card), of one single one. It is interpreted as the behaviour of a civilian.

What not to do

The main strategy of "riding along" to the final table for players of medium-weak level consists in demonstrating the polar, readable emotionality of a red player. The reliance is on the guardianship of other reds and the choosing position, on the mafia not playing against them, and if it does, those around will sort it out. For this, with a black card one has to rely on foolish, unobservant players and the strategy of mixed colours. This is a dead end: the habit deprives you of the chance to win as mafia at strong tables.

Some choose to speak worse with a civilian role to smooth the difference. This is a mistake. You cannot become unreadable by worsening the quality of the line. You can cool the emotions a little as a red, but the levelling must come only from pulling up the weak line. If you speak well as a red but "drift" as mafia, better speak as mafia. Development only through growth, not through averaging.

Personal lines

The most effective tool for levelling emotional manifestations is playing mafia in pairs: the first successes are fixed right after a few games. For training purposes your choice must be argued. It is best to play with a camera recording.

Emotions

1. Number of gestures. Usually with mafia players hardly gesture, with a civilian a lot. A strong line levels this parameter. Moderate gesturing that does not attract attention counts as red.
2. Tension and ease. The more tense a player is, the more (unconsciously) he is taken for mafia. It is better to be in tone, without overstrain. The looseness can be any, the main thing is that it is the same for both cards.
3. Lively facial expression. The more lifeless a player is, the more he is mafia in the eyes of those around. The same points apply: tone, friendliness, absence of tightness.

Delivery of speech

1. Intonations. Playing with the voice may differ substantially for the black and red card. The standard of a balanced red line: no lifelessness, there are ripples and shades.
2. Speech tempo. Both fast and slow tempo are considered bad. Start from the comfortable speed of perception of the participants.
3. Tempo and tonality inside the minute. Is there acceleration at the start and fading at the end, or the reverse: a lifeless start and warming up toward the end? Red standard: even dynamics, smoothness and a single pattern of speech.

Game dynamics

1. Communication. One of the bright lines: a civilian actively contacts the whole table, the mafia sits hiding. Norm: contact with everybody by glance and speech, openness to questions without imposing an opinion by gestures.
2. Accuracy of colours and confidence. For an average player in favour of a civilian usually speak doubts about colours or excessive confidence; for mafia a clear layout or vagueness. If as a red you understand well and hit two blacks out of three, then with a black card you must attack in the same key. If as a red you do not understand what is happening, and as a mafioso you lay things out clearly, the same general rule applies: do not worsen the line, improve the play as a civilian.
3. Passivity and aggressiveness. Level out the delivery of information about the black card of those you play against: modestly, with pressure, carefully, with emotions or sparingly. The same applies to reactions to an attack. The brighter and more colourful, the better: pressure and bright emotions are perceived as "redder".
4. Moves. Nominating in round zero, playing by position, firmly taking someone into the team, covering the sheriff, splitting the table must occur for both cards with equal probability.

A player who has put his delivery of information in order can be understood only by the position from which he reasons, what exactly he says and who his mafia is. Example: you are the sheriff and consider no. 4 red. The balanced player no. 6 says that in the pair no. 4-no. 5 there are one to two mafiosi. The check of the fifth as red gives no. 6 the black colour. With such players you must analyse every word said, especially if the speech is not structured.

Team balancing of the blacks

A team can be balanced by your own actions, but it is ideal when the whole mafia acts so.

The residents must not understand that you are a team. A balanced team line: the link between players is possible only through the sheriff's check, and even then so that it looks illogical and not passing by dynamics. You need to talk and actively contact your blacks.

Playing mixed colours.

1. We catch fouls on the speech of our black, interrupt.
2. We attack him with emotions in the "day" phase (before the vote).
3. We explain to the whole table why our own player is black.

Team play, buying our black.

1. We persuade him to put a hand together with us.
2. We ask the mafioso's opinion about players.
3. We address our black, giving him twenty seconds or more of speech.
4. We gesture actively with each other.

For the red

If a player is "too equal" for both cards, do not relax: compare his moves, not emotions. Look at the logic of choice: from which position he reasons, who his mafia is.

Self-check questions

1. By which of the ten parameters do you differ most between cards?
2. How to improve a weak line without worsening the strong one?
3. In what case is a link between blacks admissible?

Practice

Record three games (as a civilian and as mafia). By the ten parameters give a mark from one to five for each card. Then pick one parameter with the biggest difference and train it for two weeks.

Typical mistakes

• Averaging by worsening the red line.
• Not noticing the difference in gesturing.
• Forgetting that a link of blacks gives away the team.

Source of the idea. The chapter "Balancing lines" from Dmitry Novik's book "Mafia in the Style of Zen" (2020).