Break the class into groups of six. In each group, one class member must volunteer to be the narrator. The narrator keeps track of the identities of all the members and announces all events to the rest of the group. All the group members (not including the narrator) should be seated across from one another. There are two teams in Mafia: the mafia and the townsfolk. The narrator should write mafia on two slips of paper and townsfolk on three slips of paper (or otherwise covertly communicate to each member their identities). The narrator will pass these out covertly to all group members, randomly assigning them to either the mafia or townsfolk groups (and instruct everyone to keep their identities private).

In Mafia, there are two game phases: day and night. During the day phase (which should be the first phase), all group members should try and figure out who are the mafia members. This might involve accusing other group members of being mafia and seeking a vote to “imprison” one of them (keep in mind that two of the five members will secretly be mafia—it is in their best interests to conceal their identities). Once the group has come to a vote about which person they want to imprison, the imprisoned player reveals his or her identity and is removed from the game. During the night phase, all the townsfolk put their heads down and close their eyes. The narrator then instructs the mafia to rise silently and slowly. The narrator asks the mafia who they would like to target. The mafia should respond by silently gesturing (or otherwise communicating covertly) at whom they would like to eliminate from the game. Once a decision has been made, the mafia members are instructed to put their heads down and close their eyes.

On the following day phase, the narrator requests that everyone open their eyes and lift their heads. At this point, the narrator announces who the mafia chose to eliminate. This person reveals her or his identity and is then removed from the game. The day phase then continues with the players (again) trying to figure out who the (remaining) mafia are. The game continues until all mafia or all townsfolk are removed from the game. After one side has prevailed, the group answers the following questions:

Questions 

1. Was it easy to tell when someone was lying in this game? Why or why not? How could you tell? 

2. Could you identify any biases or misperceptions in any of the decisions you made during the game? What were they and what were their outcomes? 

3. Do you think it is possible to be a good liar? What factors would a good liar have to control to pass off a lie as truth?