[Guide] Mafia Etiquette and Spirit of the Game

[Nolder]

We have plenty of threads for guides, tips for newbies, best strategy, etc. We teach people how to play mafia but we have no thread that describes how one is expected to conduct themselves. There are unwritten rules that most accept and abide by but I think it's long past time we wrote them down for new players. This is a guide on Mafia Etiquette and Spirit of the Game. If you are new please pay close attention, A lot of these can be bent but some are non negotiable and can get you into trouble with the community if broken.

[Nolder]

As a Game Moderator...
1) Don't be a bastard! Bastard modding is a term which means to moderate a game without giving players true or necessary information. If you're lying to your players or omitting information they're expected to have you are bastard modding. Bastard modding can be acceptable if your game is advertised as such.
 
2) When running a game it is important to have clear and concise rules in your sign up thread. It is bad form to add or clarify rules while the game is in progress so be sure to think it through to the best of your abilities.
 
3) When you post sign ups for your game it's usually expected that you wait until the game before you is either over or almost over.
 
4) Try to avoid replacing players in your game with players who have been killed or lynched. They were killed or lynched for a reason after all.
 
5) When mistakes are made it is usually better to shake it off and move on than try to make things right. When you get into the business of rectifying a mistake it is very easy to make things worse.
 
6) Don't argue with your players. It's your game and you are the boss. If things get out of hand contact the forum administrator.
 
7) Whenever possible, especially for people new to moderating, have someone experienced look over your game before running it.

[Nolder]

As a Player...

1) When you consider joining a game make sure you have the time to play. If work or school is hectic or you have a vacation coming up it might be better to wait and join a different game when your schedule clears up. Mafia is a very time intensive game if done right.

 

2) Play to your win condition. It is your job to help your team win, if you're giving up you're not helping win.

 

3) Don't try to exploit oversights, mistakes, or loopholes in your moderators rules. 

 

4) Do not make out of game promises, wagers, or deals. (Ex: "If I'm lying about my role I will wear a stupid forum signiture for a week!")

 

5) Do not create a truthful meta. 

 

6) Do not join a game and sub out to play in another game.

 

7) Don't bring real life into the game.

 

8) Don't talk about the game outside the game until it's over. 

 

9) Anything is fair game. Sometimes. Many people hold the view that anything is fair game in mafia and if you can make another player angry or upset to get the reaction you want you are allowed to use any means necessary to do so. Many other people disagree with that. Be sure to understand the temperament of the community you are playing in and how your game moderator expects you to conduct yourself before engaging in these sorts of tactics.

 

10) Do not incite other players to break or exploit the rules. 

[Nolder]

Please feel free to discuss what is on the lists and suggest new additions I may have overlooked!

[Verbal32]

As a Game Moderator...

1) Don't be a bastard! Bastard modding is a term which means to moderate a game without giving players true or necessary information. If you're lying to your players or omitting information they're expected to have you are bastard modding.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with bastard modding as long as the game is advertised accordingly.

[michellem]

No personal attacks.

[Nynaeve]

General attacks are okay, though

[Nolder]

 

As a Game Moderator...

1) Don't be a bastard! Bastard modding is a term which means to moderate a game without giving players true or necessary information. If you're lying to your players or omitting information they're expected to have you are bastard modding.

 

 

There is nothing wrong with bastard modding as long as the game is advertised accordingly.

 

I'll add a note.

 

No personal attacks.

That's in there. Not all mafia communities are like DM and this was meant as more of a general guide. If you want we can try wording this differently to make it clearer what is being said.

 

 

9) Anything is fair game. Sometimes. Many people hold the view that anything is fair game in mafia and if you can make another player angry or upset to get the reaction you want you are allowed to use any means necessary to do so. Many other people disagree with that. Be sure to understand the temperament of the community you are playing in and how your game moderator expects you to conduct yourself before engaging in these sorts of tactics.

[Red2111]

i think if the rule "no personal attacks" is added that it needs to clarify what constitutes as a "personal attack".   i think "no personal attacks" is just a bit too open-ended of a statement because most of what goes on in Mafia is dependent on how a person perceives a statement and how thick skinned said person is.

 

 

there is a distinct difference than having a play style like mine, where you go for reactions; and personally attacking players.

[Cory Caboose]

Well a personal attack would be an attack on someone on a personal basis

 

Anything else would not be a personal attack

 

imo

[Nynaeve]

Well a personal attack would be an attack on someone on a personal basis

 

Anything else would not be a personal attack

 

imo

 

Your hair is weird

[michellem]

The difference to me is between saying "your play right now is stupid" and "you're stupid".

[Cory Caboose]

Your hair is weird

 

/modkills self

[Red2111]

Well a personal attack would be an attack on someone on a personal basis

 

Anything else would not be a personal attack

 

imo

 

yeah but iirc, last time i played there was a real problem with people being able to tell the difference between someone pressuring them and someone picking on them/personally attacking them.  some people would even take "you're play right now is stupid" as a personal attack or being picked on. 

 

idk how it is now, i haven't played for about a year since i went back on hiatus.

[Cory Caboose]

my advice to those people would be

 

"it's the internet ffs"

[alannalynn]

Red I miss you <3 We haven't crossed paths since I came back :)

 

The difference to me is between saying "your play right now is stupid" and "you're stupid".

I like this as a general rule; and really we should all know better by now how to treat each other and that behavior will be learned by new players, basically

[alannalynn]

my advice to those people would be

 

"it's the internet ffs"

Everyone is offended on the internet.

 

Example: Cory always offends me. Such a mean guy. Awful.

[Nolder]

 

my advice to those people would be

 

"it's the internet ffs"

Everyone is offended on the internet.

 

Example: Cory always offends me. Such a mean guy. Awful.

 

I hear he leads the polls with hispanics though.

[Red2111]

Red I miss you <3 We haven't crossed paths since I came back :

*glomps*  AJ!!!!!

 

yesh i haven't seen you in ages! didn't know you had come back.

 

 

i've been in lurkdom since i got married in '12 to Bubba college, and RL and then we started playing D&D ....   not time left for much else XD

 

shoot me a PM if you want to chat

[Verbal32]

my advice to those people would be

 

"it's the internet ffs"

 

 

[alannalynn]

Nolder what do you mean by #5. Do not create a truthful meta? You might need to explain that more

 

Red! I've been back since May or something? Mostly in mafia and a little in the WT, so I'm kinda here. I'm also RL/college busy... but mafia is addicting. hehe

[Cory Caboose]

Everyone is offended on the internet.

 

Example: Cory always offends me. Such a mean guy. Awful.

 

 

Get back in your cage or I will spray you with the hose

[Cory Caboose]

I hear he leads the polls with hispanics though.

 

They support my "build a wall inbetween the US and Canada" platform

 

I'm just trying to keep Zander out

[Nolder]

Nolder what do you mean by #5. Do not create a truthful meta? You might need to explain that more

 

Red! I've been back since May or something? Mostly in mafia and a little in the WT, so I'm kinda here. I'm also RL/college busy... but mafia is addicting. hehe

Have you ever met someone who refused to lie? even as mafia? I've met a few. They never lie and create that meta for themselves so when they claim a certain role or say they are town everyone knows it is true. I personally believe this is an exploitation of meta just as much as screenshotting a role PM is an exploitation of an oversight in the rules. Mafia wasn't designed to be a game repeated ad nauseam with the same people. Meta was never supposed to exist. It's not an awful thing because it's usually unreliable but in a few cases, such as a truthful meta, it can be abused.

 

Maybe I'm the only one who feels like that isn't ok though. I've never really seen much discussion about it. If anyone has opinions on this subject let me hear'em.

[Cory Caboose]

I've never told a lie in my whole life