Mafia Stories
A city, a secret mafia and a story told live
- Skills
- Listening, Speaking, Discussion, B1–C1 vocabulary
- Level
- B1 to C1
- Players
- 4 or more
- Time
- 25–40 min
- You need
- A projector and phones
Mafia is the game every class already loves: a few secret criminals, a doctor, a detective and a town that has to find them. Mafia Stories adds a narrator. Each game opens in a new city, one of 150 written for B1, B2 and C1, with a short two- or three-sentence prologue: its own mafia, its own crime and a reason why the citizens have gathered tonight.
After that, the story writes itself from the game. If the mafia visits Aysel near the fish market and the doctor arrives in time, the narrator says exactly that, with the place, the treatment and a clue left behind. The story is read aloud on the projector, students can listen again and read the text on their phones, and three listening questions after each round check who was really paying attention.
How a round works
The prologue
The narrator introduces the city and the mafia in two or three sentences. Students tap their card to see their secret role: mafia, doctor, detective or citizen.
The first night
Nothing happens: everybody sleeps and the mafia only meets in secret. In the morning the town goes straight to the vote.
Vote: who is the mafia?
The town talks and votes on the phones. A right guess sends the mafia member away; a wrong guess sends nobody away and the town sleeps again. Ghosts of dead players can whisper two short messages, read aloud in a ghostly voice. The narrator tells the vote as the next chapter.
The next nights
Everyone taps their phone: the mafia chooses who to visit (and can leave anonymous last words), the doctor can save them, the detective investigates, citizens say who they suspect. In the morning the narrator tells what really happened, and the town votes again.
Listening check
Three multiple-choice questions about the round’s chapters: where it happened, what was found, who accused whom.
An example night
What happened on the phones
- The mafia chose Aysel.
- The doctor protected Aysel.
- The detective investigated Murad.
What the narrator said
Near the fish market, a car stopped beside Aysel and its lights went out. A figure with a small black bag found Aysel on the steps, wrapped them in a warm blanket and stayed until the danger passed. By morning, Aysel was weak but alive, and could not remember the attacker’s face.
Murad’s secret stays on the detective’s phone.
Scoring
- +30 for every correct listening answer, for living players and ghosts alike.
- +200 for every player of the winning team at the end.
- The town wins when every mafia member is found. The mafia wins when it is as strong as the town, or when it survives the last round.
Settings you can change
- Story level
- B1, B2, C1 or mixed. Openings and every narrated sentence follow the level.
- Mafia members
- Automatic (one for every four players) or 1 to 6, always fewer than the rest of the town.
- Doctor and detective
- On by default.
- Reveal the role of the dead
- On by default. Off makes every death a mystery until the end.
- Ghosts can speak
- On by default: two short messages during each vote.
- Listening questions
- On by default.
- Wrong guesses leave too
- Off by default. On: classic rules, the player with the most votes always leaves, even when innocent.
- Time for the night and the vote
- 60 seconds and 2 minutes by default; both can be unlimited. The first night is always short and quiet.
- Rounds
- 3 to 15, 7 by default.
One button moves the game on: night falls, wake the city, start and close the vote, show the answers. You can add 30 seconds, pick the narrator’s voice and speed, and replay any chapter. N on the keyboard does the same as the main button.
Tips for the classroom
- Choose a natural voice before the game: Google UK English Female or Male in Chrome sound best on a projector.
- Let students listen first and read the text only afterwards: the listening questions reward attention.
- With B1 classes, give the vote a frame: “I think … is the mafia because the story said …”.
- Keep the transcript of the prologue on screen for a minute; it is full of words worth saving.
Questions teachers ask
Does the narrator ever give away a secret?
No. The public story never names the mafia or the detective’s target. The detective’s result and the mafia’s last words go only to one phone.
Do I need speakers?
Yes, the projector computer reads the story aloud with the browser’s own voices. Students can also replay every chapter on their phones.
How different are the games?
There are 150 opening stories, each in its own city, and every night and day is put together from more than a thousand sentences and the real moves of the game, so no two games sound the same.
Try Mafia Stories with your class
Teachers start the game from their dashboard. Students only need the code on the board.