Carolina BCM Man-feast Night: November 1, 2019

Your traditional game of Mafia, but with Nerf guns. Each player begins in the same location and draws playing cards to determine their role for that round: Townsfolk, Mafia, or Sherif. No other player knows for sure who plays what role, except the Sherif (see Sherif details), meaning this is a game of social deception, strategy, and often dumb luck. The game may be either won by the Sherif and Townsfolk, or the Mafia- this is determined by the role of the only player(s) left in the game. No player is allowed to reveal their role until the round is over and must "play dead" while the round continues. The game is played in two phases: night and day. Unlike normal Mafia, these are the only two phases needed for the game. Nerf guns are used to eliminate other players, regardless of their role. There is no "health" among players- a single hit from a Nerf bullet is an elimination. It is important for an eliminated player to remain where they have been eliminated as a silent communication to the town on where the activity took place (though if you get bored, feel free to find a seat, just let others you know you have been eliminated). This game is played best in a building or outside yard with plenty of space for physical mobility, but likely certain areas will need to be mutually agreed as "off-limits" (use common sense). Townsfolk: You are sheep. Your objective is to make sure that the Townsfolk/Sherif are the last players in the game by eliminating the Mafia. This is tricky, you do not know for certain who is and is not Mafia, and must treat everyone with equal suspicion. The Sherif is the only player you can trust to NOT be Mafia, but that does not mean they trust you. Identify the traitors among you and stay alive. Sherif: You are a shepherd. You are the only player makes your role known. At the beginning of drawing roles, make yourself known immediately. You will be responsible for the conducting "night phase" of the game. You also have a special ability that will make you the biggest threat to the Mafia: once a player is eliminated, you are allowed to ask for the player's role and they must answer truthfully. This is important for determining if any Mafia members remain and consequently will make you their number one target. You CANNOT trust anyone. Although you are on the same side as the Townsfolk, you are the only player who would cause the Mafia to lose. Mafia: You are the wolves among sheep. During the "night phase," you will be able to identify the other mafia members- these are your allies. You must eliminate Townsfolk and the Sherif such that at least one of you remains. How you accomplish this is up to you, but your greatest advantage will be to convince the town that you are not an enemy. Because no one, not even the Sherif, can know if you truly are Mafia while an active player, your victory will come from taking advantage of opportunities. In the deadliest form, the Mafia can cause the Townsfolk to eliminate each other without ever pulling a trigger. The ability to deceive is a MUST. Night Phase: The game will begin with each player in a circle with their eyes closed. The Sherif will announce for the Mafia to open their eyes and identify the other members. The Sherif will then announce for the Mafia to close their eyes again. The Sherif will finally announce for the town to awake, thus beginning the "day phase." Day Phase: Each player takes action based on what is described in their role. This phase only ends if one player is remaining or a "house rule" is established. The victory goes to the team based on the role of the remaining player. 'May the odds be ever in your favor.' House Rules: From experience, we have found setting a 10-minute timer at the start of the "day phase" provided the best experience for all players. After 10 minutes, each player remaining must immediately advance toward the location of the "night phase." At this point, it will likely be obvious who is on which team, so this allows for a "shoot-out" ending, with the last player uneliminated determining the victory for the round. We also found that alliances formed (agreement to try to NOT eliminate each other) at the beginning of the "day phase" (before anyone can determine the role of other players) make for very dramatic and entertaining rounds. Be advised, this may cause some friendships to break (happens). I should also note that it is recommended for a 1:4 ratio of Mafia to Townsfolk. The fastest way to determine roles is to take a stack of playing cards and shuffle one card for each player, with one color card Townsfolk, another color Mafia, and a face card as Sherif. Adjust proportions as needed.