Let’s Lie and Play Mafia

You guys know I am a huge fans of the BBC show The Traitors, right? Same with the movies Knives Out and Glass Onion? So, the idea of these two being mashed together in a book excites me hugely. You can see where this is going, right? When the lovely people at Firefly Press asked if I wanted to be involved in a blog tour to celebrate the release of Lie Or Die by A.J. Clack, I knew I had to jump on it. 

Before I go any further, let me tell you about Lie Or Die. Kass is tricked by her best mate to get involved in a new TV reality show. Imagine Big Brother meets The Traitors and you get the idea. Ten contestants, one studio, forty four remote cameras. But when contestants start dying (for real), Kass and her fellow contestants are no longer fighting to win the game, but gifting for survival. 

I am thrilled that A.J. Clack has written a small guest post for this tour (and for this tiny little blog) about the game that inspired their debut: Mafia (sometimes is called Werewolf). I have never heard of this so quick Google/Wiki search for me, but I bet you guys know the game. If not, am going to pop a YouTube video below so you can watch…

Now we are all on the same page, I can hand over to A.J. Clack and their tips on playing Mafia/Werewolf. But before I do, I want to say a huge thank you to A.J. for writing this guest post and to Graeme at Firefly for emailing me and chatting about Lie Or Die. And if you’re curious over the book, you can check out either Firefly Press’s website or via Bookshop.org (Affiliate Link). 

With that out of the way, let’s lie, cheat and murder… 

Top tips for playing Mafia

 

Mafia, the original party game (also known as Werewolf) is a game of truth, lies and a LOT of bluffing. I’ve spent a lot of time playing this game with my friends over the years and have always loved the concept – it never gets boring, each game brings a new set of challenges and experiences. I got to thinking what would happen if such a game was taken to the extreme and what a great murder mystery game that would make – so when I came to writing my YA thriller Lie or Die, Mafia the party game, became my inspiration. 

 

Here are some of my top tips for playing Mafia and staying alive. I hope you enjoy!

 

1 – Pace yourself. Don’t go out all guns blazing in the first round. If you’re an innocent citizen then take your time, listen to the conversations around you and don’t jump in and make too many accusations – being too vocal will put a target on your back. 

 

2 – Watch what you are wearing and keep still. In the first round especially, no one has any clue who is Mafia or innocent Citizens so the slightest rustle or movement during the first nighttime round can very easily explode into an accusation of Mafia. Why else would your arm/head/knee have moved in the nighttime unless you were raising your head and looking to see who to murder? I have been murdered many times for an ill-timed nose scratch or an impatient fidget – keep still! 

 

3 – Try not to look guilty – easier said than done. I am one of those people who always look guilty even when I have nothing to hide! When asked the question ‘Are you Mafia’ try to maintain eye contact and a calm persona. Don’t over explain, just deny and move on. Conversely if you are Mafia don’t try to convince everyone that you are a Citizen in the first round – ‘he who protests too much’ is a saying to heed in this game.

 

4 - Don’t make jokes or try to be too clever. I have been in many games in which someone has decided to be funny and admit to being Mafia even when they are a Citizen – don’t do this! This is not the kind of game to be making identity jokes – you will not last the accusation round and have to spend the remainder of the game watching and contemplating your one moment of comic idiocy.

 

5 – The most important rule of all for playing Mafia – it doesn’t matter how long you have known your fellow players; it doesn’t matter whether you are family, best friends, partners or complete strangers. The main thing to remember is that anything goes, lies are the new truth and no matter who you are playing with, no matter how convincing they may be…TRUST NO ONE!